Looper Construction Kit

Some Examples

With the Looper Construction Kit^TM you can work at whatever level of operational detail and audio control your project requires. For example, you can start with a SimpleLooper:

Figure 1 - SimpleLooper

As with all Kyma modules, SimpleLooper has a number of adjustable parameters, which are shown here:

Figure 2 - Parameters for SimpleLooper (click on image for full size)

For example, you can change the PlaybackRate while SimpleLooper is playing to alter the play-back speed. The ReverseLoop parameter controls the direction of playback, forward or reverse. Also, as part of standard Kyma operations, any real-time adjustable parameter may be manipulated via MIDI. So you can control the SimpleLooper in Figure 1 from a standard MIDI keyboard, footpedal, "knob-box," or other MIDI controller as well as from the computer.

But say that you want four independent loopers. Merely use four SimpleLoopers and route them to a mixer module:

Figure 3 - Four Track SimpleLooper (click on image for full size)

This diagram includes four faders so you can control the volume of each looper. You can easily expand the example to provide two, four or eight channel panning for immersive sound environments.

The SimplerLooper in Figure 1 is actually a composite of several more basic LCK modules. If you need more management of detail than the SimpleLooper provides, you can work directly with the fundamental LCK modules.

Figure 4 - Internal Structure of SimpleLooper (click on image for full size)

Now you gain separate control over the recording (performed by the RecordLoop module) and the playback (performed by the SelfLoop module). For example, you can independently control the recording and playback rates.

Sometimes you want to play a "master loop" and then create several auxiliary loops which are synchronized to it. Hence all the loops remain locked to the master loop tempo. This task is effortless with the LCK's MasterLooper and SlaveLooper modules.

Figure 5 - MasterLooper and two SlaveLoopers (click on image for full size)

Although the example shows two SlaveLoopers, you can easily include more for additional synchronized loops.

Sample Accurate Looping

With the LCK, you can start and stop recording and playback with individual sample point accuracy. The basic LCK record and play-back modules use real-time controls so you can trigger them with audio rate precision. Sample accurate looping guarantees that multi-channel looping, such as stereo, quadraphonic, or 5.1, remain properly phase-locked.

Loop MIDI, Control Signals, or Spectra

Unlike any other looper, the LCK permits you to record and play back any signal, including MIDI and other control signals. For example, you can record and loop the movement of a fader.

You can even perform a real-time spectral analysis, then record and loop the result. Escape the hum-drum world of time. Loop in the frequency domain!

EDP Assistant

If you already have an Echoplex Digital Pro (EDP) looper, you can integrate it with your Kyma system for a real synergistic power boost. The EDP Assistant is a subset of the LCK that effectively expands your EDP's capabilities.

For instance, use the EDP as an improvisational "front-end" looper. Once you've created a great sounding loop, you can transfer it to the LCK. The sound continues to seamlessly loop without interruption. Now you can use the EDP to build another loop and extend the process, building loop upon loop.

With the LCK it's simple to save an EDP loop to your hard drive. Later on, you can easily send the loop back into your EDP.