How do you use mobius?

[crifytosp]

With so many ways to configure this software can anyone shine a light on switch setup's and performance strategy's for live guitar. I cant help feeling I've not scratched the surface of Mobius yet!

Win 7 64, Saphire Pro FCB1010..Reaper,Guitar Rig.

[Jeff]

That's a question with many answers! There are probably fewer than
ten "setups" that people use regularly, but "performance stragegies"
are infinite. I can tell you what I do but everyone here will
have a different approach.

First the easier one: setups.

It looks like you're all software using Guitar Rig, so for performance
most people run the output of the audio interface to a PA system or a
*very* clean amp. The sound of the guitar is going to be mostly
determined by Guitar Rig, and you generally want that reproduced as
accurately as possible. You can of course send this to a normal
guitar amp but it may muddy the sound. A lot of laptop musicians
like stereo so PA rigs with something like a pair of JBL EON 10"
are common. Personally I use a Yamaha Stagepas 300.

On the software side there are several configurations for
routing things, the one I use is:

- guitar to amp modeler
- amp modeler to Mobius
- Mobius to slight reverb
- reverb to PA

The main decision here is whether you want to loop the sound
of the amp modeler or whether you want to apply the amp modeler
to the dry guitar signal being looped. I usually want the former
but it's a personal preference. A similar philosopy applies
to effects, do you want to loop the effect or apply the effect to the
loop? Putting a little reverb after the looper gives it IMO
a slightly less sterile feel and helps tie the multiple tracks
together. Putting the effects after the looper means you can tweak
them in real time without modifying the loop which can be a fun
performance technique.

On performance strategies...

I'm not a good one to talk to about this since my looping has always
been fairly basic. Most people's looping journey starts out with the
"record a chord progression and solo over it until the wife/band tells
you to cut that shit out" technique. Next you start building more
complex backing tracks by overdubbing different instruments: drum
pattern, bass line, rhythm chords, etc. Then solo over that until the
wife/band tell you to cut that shit out. Next you start building more
complex arrangements using different sections (A/B/A/Chorus) and
switching between them.

Many people stop here, using looping primarily for the "one man band"
aspect where the focus is primarily on the soloing. That's more or less
where I'm stuck and there's nothing wrong with that. But beyond this
point is where it starts to get interesting.

You start using the looper more like an integrated part of your
instrument rather than as a way to build up backing tracks. I can't
even begin to describe all of the appoaches here, some of the more
common ones are:

- Ambient Drones: Keep overdub on and reduce feedback, burn incense
and close your eyes. Solo for at least an hour creating a constantly
shifting wall of sound as old overdubs decay and new ones take
the loop in different directions. Think Robert Fripp on a bad day.
You'll be able to do this for a long time because the wife/band
will be asleep.

- Glitchcore: Use a variety of "cut and paste" functions like Sustain
Replace and Unrounded Multiply to create loops that sound like someone
took a tape and tossed it in a blender, then spliced it back together.
Continue until the wife/band calls the police.

- Rhythmic Triggering: Using multiple tracks and multiple loops record
a variety of loops in real time, then "play the loops" by triggering
them in combinations with a keyboard or pad controller while
post-processing them with effects like pitch shifters and filters.
Get one of those DJ mixers and make "scratching" motions that
don't really do anything but look cool. Continue until the wife/band
get tired of dancing.

That about exhausts my looping repertoire. I'm sure others will
have better advice :)

[crifytosp]

hehe. Thanks Jeff

[Dave]

:D

That was funny - but accurate!

[buzap]

Yeah, this should be several questions:

- What gear + hardware + midi controllers do you use with Mobius?
(Mac computer, Mackie Onyx with FW, Korg NanoKeys/NanoKontrol, ...)

- What is your software configuration?
(Mobius, Mainstage, MidiPipe on OSX)

- What is your Mobius looping setup/process?
(4 Tracks: usually 1 master track, 1 rhythm track, 1 voicings etc, 1 freestyle/looper-as-effect; usually song structure in "master" track)

best regards
Buzap

[crifytosp]

Thanks Buzap, It's the mobius setup I'm curious about.,
Don't you love the built-in flexability with mobius. Your approach sounds interesting,
do you use different track presets? And which switch combinations work for you? I haven't ventured into scripting yet, but am keen to unlock what potential I can from this amazing, fun tool. Any advice is greatly apreciated.

[wezloop]

You're a funny man Jeff.

Courteous too.

Nice combo.

[buzap]

Ah, Jeff, that's really funny - I've just read your text in detail :-))


do you use different track presets? And which switch combinations work for you?

Yeah, I do have different track presets. I'm still tweaking it, but it's about this:
1. Main Track: maxloops=5,sync on,loopcopy=time
2. Rhythm Track: maxloops=3,sync on,loopcopy=sound
3. Voicings Track: maxloops=3,sync on, loopcopy=time
4. Freestyle FX Track: maxloops=3,sync off, loopcopy=sound

I toggle the sync/loopcopy settings depending on situation.
So, the "main deal" (bass line, chord progression etc.) is happening in the Main Track. I have 5 pedals corresponding to them (with special scripts).
For the Track2-4, 3 loops are enough. If I need a new one, I have a special script (Quantized Reset, then return to one of the previous loops) for freeing up a loop. You can find the various scripts I use for this in the Yahoo Group Files section.

But I think it's important to really start off with something, gain experience and then really think out-of-the-box how you'd really like to loop. Find out what works most naturally for you. Mobius really gives you the freedom for this. :)

best regards
Buzap

[mrasbid]

That had to be one of the funniest reads I have ever had and so true as well.

Thanks Jeff for the laugh. :)