Looper functionality

I can only make this work at the beginning of a project.

Each time when you select a new track, there is a default amount of measures assigned to the track. When going to live mode after selecting a track, the loop function (user defined track length) doesn’t work anymore, because the track length is already set…

To activate a Live Looper recording, first stop Pyramid, press rec, then press play.

Hope this helps :wink:

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Thanks but I knew already, that’s what the manual says. But actually you can do only one loop recording, and when the song is started after initial loop (synced to other gear), I don’t want to stop pyramid of course.

Really don’t understand this very limited approach,

I just want also to be able to record multiple loops / tracks freely (so not only one, initial loop) and stop recording when finished after 2, 4 or even 2 and a half measuers, whatever… Of course without having to stop and shut down the whole pyramid performance while other tracks are running.

Or am I missing something?

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Yes and you have to stop and hard rec new loop each time.
Live mode is not completely live if you stops.

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No it isn’t… Very strange… I think some things could be made a little easier. Also having to use both hands less would be great also. Especially for live musicians (people who play instruments also, not only electronica).

yeah, unless I’m missing something about its function, the looper sounds a lot cooler than it is in practice. I think of a looper as something that one could use in a live setting and that you can keep adding loops. If you keep having to stop the sequencer to add a loop, well then it’s not a live looper, is it?

I was hoping that one could set up a bunch of empty tracks with different instruments and then just lay stuff down, switch to the next instrument, hit record, and set up layers of loops of different lenghths, but unfortunately it doesn’t work quite so seamlessly. One can dream…

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the pyramid does all of that quite well; it’s what i use it for both live and in the studio. you just set each track up, with its desired length/MIDI channel/etc, go into the live mode, and record a loop on one track. to switch tracks without stopping the sequence/loop, hold the track mode button down and then select the next track you want to record on. now you can record on that track, seamlessly, without stopping the sequence. it’s awesome, its exactly why i love the pyramid. hope that helps!

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@loekazz to change the track length of a particular track while a sequence is playing, hold the track mode button, then hold the pad below the words ‘track length’ which are in yellow. the length of the track will then be displayed on the screen, which you can change using the main encoder. this is useful if you end up playing a part thats shorter than the initially defined track length/ want to change the track length on the fly.

to record multiple loops, you need to make multiple tracks, one for each instrument that you’re trying to loop. so, say you have two synthesizers and a drum machine; you need to make independent tracks for each instrument.

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There are quite a few misconceptions about the Pyramid. I’m very surprised squarp hasn’t made a very clear video series demonstrating all the awesome features. The manual is great, but considering a lot of poeple learn by example the manual is only so good.

Thanks, @lovesbody for the awesome directions on changing track length in the looper.

Cheers

Even cooler. Press and hold TRACK + LENGTH and look at the pads. Each pad will be 1 bar. Super easy to select length. This works with other track options too.

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Hello,

thanks very much for the input.

I really already know how to loop midi with the Pyramid and how to change bar length manually, also using the pads, I 've been through the manual different times already :wink:

I have my project set up with pre-defined tracks (fixed channels per synth and fixed track / ‘loop’ length = 2 or 4 bars most of the time in case of this project)

The problem is that I sometimes don’t want the length to be predefined, so I can decide on the spot, while recording, that I’ll record a little bit longer. 8 bars instead of 4 for example… Now I can’t do that while I’m playing / recording…

I really sometimes just want to hit record, play something and when I feel my part is finished (after x bars or even x beats) stop record so the track continues to loop at that freshly recorded length… After that I want to do the same with another track with another non-predefined length…

The Future Artist MIDI looper does this (but it’s not a reliable device, unfortunately).

The not-so-usable looper function of the SQUARP works like this: once you’ve looped the first frase ‘freely’ (so as like I’ve described above), the track length of other tracks is fixed to that length after that initial recording. Or you have to change it manually again (yes, possible via shortcuts, I know). Unfortunately it’s not possible to record additional tracks / loops freely again…

I still find you have to use your hands too much in some cases on the Pyramid. Especially if you’re a keyboard player and you have to play keys / manipulate FX / synth parameters live also…

Even if I use a pedal, still I have to reach the Pyramid with my hands too often. Also I don’t know why I can’t configure my 3-button TC Helicon pedal, as the software only allows 2-button pedals :-/. There DO exist 3 button pedals, squarp!

On my first gig with the Pyramid last weekend, I really found myself struggling with switching modes / doing manual actions too much…

In record mode you can’t unmute a track, so you have to go back / forward from live to track mode to do this.
In track mode you also can’t record a track instantly (the record button is only used as a ‘save track mutes state’-button).

I still love the pyramid, it’s a very nice piece of gear and the closest thing to what I need live to loop my ideas with MIDI, but I really whish some functions were a little bit easier / quicker to access or to perform live, especially as an instrument player that is using this sequencer together with instruments / FX, and not only using the Pyramid as the main device that needs the most attention.

Pressing my pedal (that is programmed for ‘rec’ function, doesn’t work in track mode for example, only in rec mode.

Why should this not be possible? Just select a specific track in track mode (where you still can mute and unmute tracks), hit the pedal and record (as long as you want, in case of ‘looper mode on’). Simple as that… It would make live-life more easy! :slight_smile:

Now Pyramid works more like ‘you record something live’ OR ‘you perform something live’. But in reality, if you work with loops and stuff, you just want to perform AND being able to record when you come to an idea suddenly. Now you always have to switch modes, think on forehand how long your track / loop must be, on what channel…

A little more freedom + easier approach / less actions would be ideal for a live situation, and I don’t think it needs radical changes to make that possible…

@loekazz

ah i see. it sounds like yr thinking more along the lines of the way a traditional stompbox looper works, where you set the start and end point of the loop by pressing a button whenever, rather than having pre-determined track lengths, which gives the process of looping a much more open-ended feeling (e.g., you decide on the fly when it starts and ends, without having to fiddle w/ knobs to change it). although the Squarp can change the length of a track on the fly, it does require some knob-twiddling and button pushing, which can be quite annoying if one is playing the keyboard at the same time!

i’m sure you have, but have you ever looked into the boomerang looper? that does the kind of looping yr looking for in a very fluid way. its an audio, rather than MIDI looper, but it has MIDI in and out and is a quite reliable and intuitive device.

i think an improved looper function would make pyramid a much better live tool!!
To have one lenghts for all recorded tracks only because the first track is looper recorded isn’t very intuitive. or did i get this wrong (loopermode tutorial vid please :slight_smile:
anyway, i faced the same limitations like loekazz and therefor don’t use this mode very often.

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Indeed, pre-determinated loop-length isn’t always or even not that often desired if you’re a live musician. You just want to record and loop ideas when performing. Those ideas can be of different bar length, you simply don’t know always on forehand how long your idea / frase is gonna be, when performing live.

Thanks for the hint about boomerang looper. I know audio loopers of course, they exist already longtime. But looping MIDI is what I’m looking for. The advantage of looping MIDI over looping audio, is that you still can change or play synth parameters (like cutoff freq / lfo speed / …) live. With audio loops, your basic sound is fixed so the only way to change the sound of the loop afterwards is using FX in that case.

Pyramid has the potential to be a great live MIDI looper too, but things have to be rethought a little bit…
I hope they will take the time to do that.

Thanks!

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Totally agree!! If Pyramid (and the upcoming HERMOD) could allow REAL live looping-style MIDI recording as described by Loekazz (recording loops live to different tracks without pre-determined loop lenghts), then it would allow for real live improvisation by electronic musicians. We would be able to loop Boomerang-style with our gear!

Surely this can be implemented in the operating system? It would be a game changer and make Pyramid THE sequencer to end all sequencers…

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+1 for being able to freely loop on the fly, boomerang-style!

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Yes! Exactly what I was thinking.

Speaking of boomerang style delays:

If the midi delay fix could go past the one beat limit it currently is restricted to, say up to many bar lengths… then one could create a loop that gradually fades away if the feedback is lowered, allowing the phrase to be added to or subtly shifted and replaced in real time as with a real live looper. ‘Twould be sick!

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2nd live gig of our ‘live house’ project yesterday. I still find that, in a live situation, I get confused sometimes because live recording/looping doesn’t feel intuitive enough.

Especially the fact that you have to activate a track (with a two-button combination from within live mode), is something that I still have to get used to…

I’m often in Track mode, because I play with muting / unmuting loops constantly. Sometimes I press (unmute) an empty track to record on, but I forgot to activate it, so I’m recording in the previously (and thus wrong) track…

Also switching from track to live mode constantly is not so fun. There should be a way to record directly in Track mode also. How many times do we need that rec button in Track mode for saving mute states? It could have a much better destination by making it possible to record in track mode.

“press rec + selected track” or having the possibility to have the rec function of the pedal active in track mode would be really, really, really useful!!

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The manual states the track length increases as you play, after which the length is fixed. I delete all notes and try again and its acts as a normal track. Maybe we need to delete the whole track? Or start from a new track?