Playing with looping pedals

[i]There is also a practicality for the Thereminist... namely that the first iteration must be exactly on pitch so that the added tracks will all "fit". A long initial loop, played solo, simply exposes the player to more time in which the pitch can drift.[/i]

Kevin, of course you're right when it comes to us mere mortals; my reaction was based on years of using the Boomerang with a guitar, for which matching pitch isn't a problem. In setting up a very long loop with a theremin, I would certainly need to have some reference pitch in my ear to keep things on track... maybe start building the loop with a keyboard synth, and then switch to theremin.

Pamelia Kurstin does have absolute pitch, though... so in her case, it may simply be a choice to be able to build up a thick texture more quickly. But I can't help suspecting that if she were using a device with longer available delay times, she would do so. Am I the only glutton who always craves pushing the envelope?

Incidentally, while dissecting my not-necessarily-rational reaction described previously, I was also conditioned by a passing familiarity with Robert Fripp's delay-based "soundscapes," which are based on very long delay times (so long that the repetitions aren't obvious).

Aren't the repetitions in frippertronics actually based on long tape loops as opposed to delays?

Originally (1970s collaboration with Brian Eno, who introduced Fripp to the technique), yes... but by the 1990s, Fripp was using digital devices instead.

I run my theremin through the same amp as by bass and other devices so I usually have something other than the theremin on which to base the initial pitch.

I run the Zoom delay through the effects loop on the amp so I can decided whether and how much of any particular instrument to add to the loop (as opposed to just playing over it).

Many years ago I made a tape delay out of an old reel to reel machine.

It's very easy to do. Just cover up or disconnect the erase head and you're ready for sound on sound.

It was really cool to have such a long delay but the sound degraded fairly quickly.

Oscar said:

"I am sorry, maybe it is my cold but I finally don't know which pedal to buy for Pamelia's effect I explained at my last post here. Do she needs both DL4's or just one? Otherwise, is the RC50 able to replicate this effect?"

I never thought about these things until now.

So are 2 DL4s needed? If so then would it more practical to purchase something else like the Boss RC-20XL Loop Station?

I'm still not sure [i]what[/i] the effect actually is...

The effect Oscar originally described as wanting was - "stacking a number of simultaneous layers with a progressive decay of each one" -

Oh... yeah. OK. See, the problem is that a looping pedal is effectively a foot-operated sampler with a "live" function, so the idea of a decay is probably something that most manufacturers wouldn't want to build in, or wouldn't consider.

Try and find a pedal with an extra-long delay that has a tap tempo function with LED. Giga Delay, yes? Surely with a high enough feedback and tempo monitoring, that's how you'd achieve this effect. I used to do the same with a DD6. I could provide an example but the MP3 is half an hour long.

I've been saying all along that he probably wants a delay to do this instead of a looper.

Oscar - one thing I forgot - one can tap tempo on the Giga-delay with the addition of an extra switch pedal - FS6 or similar.