Questions / Simple explanation

Describe your looping workflow

Moderator: jesse

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jade
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 2:16 pm

Questions / Simple explanation

Post by jade »

Hi, I'm sure that things have been explained before, but I didn't really want to sift through the posts as I have tried before, and it all feels ridiculously complicated.
So far, I have downloaded:
SooperLooper software.
JackPilot
AU Lab
MIDI Patchbay

Is this all I need to use the looping system?

I opened AU lab, and I managed to, for now, get my mac's internal microphone to work on it. I'm going to use the mac microphone for now, just while I get the hang of it, and connect pedals/microphones etc at a later time.

Although I can get the sound to come through on there, how do I connect it to the Jack, and to the SooperLooper? I tried to click record on the looper, but it recorded silence, obviously because it isn't connected to anything.
I don't really know where to start, all the explanations I have read are nonspecific about the software you are using.

If someone could give me a breakdown of the settings I need on each piece of software, it'd make me very happy.

ETA: I have managed to record a loop, connect everything together, although I cannot hear it? AU Lab's audio levels move up and down to the loop I recorded on the sooperlooper, but why can't I hear anything? I may figure it out, but at the moment, there is no sound.
jesse
Posts: 554
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:46 am
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Re: Questions / Simple explanation

Post by jesse »

Assuming you are on a Macbook, you probably need to create an aggregate device so both your Built-In inputs and outputs show up as one audio interface. Run the Audio Midi Setup application (in /Applications/Utilities) and go to the Audio menu to get to the aggregate device editor. Create a new device and add all the built-in input and output devices to it. Then in the main window of the Audio Midi Setup make sure that the sample rate for the Built-In Input and Output are set to the same value.

Now, run AULab. The document configuration assistant window will come up, with 1 output track, that's fine, hit Next. Now the input, if there are no pink boxes there, click the add input button, then Next. Change the Audio Device to the new aggregate device you made above. Hit Done.

In the Audio 1 track, click on the empty box in the Effects section, select the SooperLooperAU from essej.net. The GUI will come up, and you will see the meters in SL moving with the input from the built-in mic.

Record a loop, you should see and hear the output now. There are all sorts of ways to do more complex sidechain routings in AULab to let you feed different audio sources to different loop instances inside SL (when you Add Loop from SL's session menu, etc), but this is the most basic setup.

To feed MIDI to SL from within AULab, go to the little plugin window it pops up, and select MIDI Effect editor from the dropdown box in the upper right, then select your source. Switch it back to the first entry to get the SL GUI back.

Hopefully this gets you started, and yes I should make some sticky threads that describe common setup steps for each host.
jade
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 2:16 pm

Re: Questions / Simple explanation

Post by jade »

I have done all this, and it is all seeming to work now.

In the Audio MIDI Setup > Aggregate Device, Built in Mic, Built in Input, and Built in output, are all ticked.
Which box should the 'clock' be ticked to, or does this not matter? It's on built in output at the moment.
Default input > Built in Mic
Default output > Aggregate device (which matched the input settings)

I'll list any other settings in case you pick up on anything that may be incorrect.
In AU lab.
Device settings.
Device: Aggregate Device.

The sound is working! But, when you record the first loop, you can't hear, but you can when you click 'overdub' or whatever to record again, you can hear what you just did. Is this right?
jesse
Posts: 554
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:46 am
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Re: Questions / Simple explanation

Post by jesse »

Yes, if you want to monitor your input you need to turn up the 'main in mon'.

You can finish a record with another press of record, or you can press overdub,multiply, etc to finish the loop and go right into another mode.
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