What is it ?
AngstroLooper is effectively a rediculously long delay, it partly emulates an old style tape loop system – but rather than trying to model something that it isn't, AngstroLooper is designed to be easy to use tool on a laptop while playing live.
Now with upgraded sound, tighter timing and better midi controller assignment for non standard hosts such as Cubase ;-p
Simple
In an attempt to limit the amount of graphic controls each control affects how the others work, eg TouchStereo and Main Mono mode will make the 'Touch' control into a tape style flanger. AngstroLooper is designed for simple use, to be played live with the minimum of swearing.
Musical Styles
I have used the looper on a few types of material, I'm sure there are others but I tend to just get trapped in a melting brainspace as soon as I start using it.
Ambient : build up detailed pads by feeding synth patches in and out to create big stereo soundscapes. Or pretend you are Robert Fripp on 'No Pussyfooting' for hours on end ... the choice is yours.
Glitch / Annoyingbeat : Feed loops and parts of stuff into the looper and randomly stab at the loop length thing, build up big weird and odd beats that don't sound like anything else. Personally, I like things that don't sound like anything else.
Interface
Note: by hitting the question mark you will see this document in PDF
format.
By hitting the name 'AngstroLooper' you will visit
this page in an attempt to get you to donate some money to support further
developments.
1: Bypass – By turning off the unit here, the unit
will continue to loop and accept input.
Tip: Use this to take the looper
out of the mix – you
can now feed it some more things to loop, when you bring it back in it is
quite a good audio suprise.
2: Loop length – Measured in bars, you can select
how long your loop needs to be here.
Tip: record two bars with the loop set on ' 2 ', then hit '4' ... you
have just duplicated your two bars into four. This is a very handy technique
if you get a nice bar you like, you can double or quadruple it up and loop
extra stuff over the top.
3: Loop indicator / switch – Shows the current loop position, by clicking the display it shifts between displaying: A: the current position in a bar, or B: the position in the loop. So for example if you were playing an 8 bar loop and you are set on B you will see the loop indicator moving very slowly and when it hits the end you are about to begin the loop again. If you are set on A the display will loop every bar (regardless of how long your loop is)
4: Feedback – Turn feedback up to 10 for continuous holding loops
5: Damp – muffles high frequencies more on each pass like an analogue tape ... a very nice subtle effect which provides more spectral room for the most recent audio in your loop. The higher the setting the more 'damped' are the frequencies on each pass.
6: Kill – drop the loop, completely kill it ! The whole thing gone, with no "are you sure?" message
7: Replace / Overdub – Overdub mode is the standard mode where everything goes on top of the old stuff in the loop, Replace mode is so you can punch a hole into the loop – either to erase a little gap, or to put a phrase in without any loop backing.
8: Record / Rehearse – Add audio to the loop when the red box shows, click to switch to rehearse mode and the loop plays while you can noodle about over the top without adding to the loop.
9: Touch – Slightly odd parameter that simulates touching the reel of an analogue tapedeck, or more acurately – wiggling it about. This was traditionally used for tape flanging effect, but the random nature of grabbing or rubbing the reel is more acurately reproduced here than by an LFO.
10: Touch Stereo/Mono – use of this button determines how 'Touch' behaves. In mono both speakers recive the same shove, in stereo the two stereo sides move out of phase. Tip: By making the main output mono the phasing of the two sides are forced together and you will hear old style tape flanging/phasing/whatever.
11 : Dry / Wet – If you are too wet simply turn this control and it will dry you off .. no need for old fashioned towels!
12 : Master Stereo/Mono – turn the main output into mono or stereo, see the tip for # 10
13 : Midi Learn – click this button then twiddle the control you want to learn on the looper (a little red midi icon should appear), like turn it a bit or flick back and forth on it if it is a button. Then turn the control on your midi device – the red midi icon should disapear and the control should now be mapped.
The question mark button in the top right corner opens this document as a PDF
there is a special version here which has the default continuous controllers assigned from 116 to 126 (instead of 16 to 26) this is an interim version to get around a wee bug. This is a zipped .dll file only with no manual. A proper update is coming soonish
Special Thanks go to Jeff McClintock of Synthedit and also Dave Haupt for their coding skills. This Vst/i contains modules by Chris Kerry
Copyright notice: VST is a trademark of Steinberg Soft- und Hardware GmbH.