Loop Based Digital Recorder
THE LIGHTNING FLASH WITH ARROWHEAD SYMBOL, WITHIN AN
EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE, IS INTENDED TO ALERT THE USER TO THE
PRESENCE OF UNINSULATED “DANGEROUS VOLTAGE” WITHIN THE
PRODUCT’S ENCLOSURE THAT MAY BE OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE
TO CONSTITUTE A RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK TO PERSONS.
THE EXCLAMATION POINT WITHIN AN EQUILATERAL TRIANGLE IS
INTENDED TO ALERT THE USER TO THE PRESENCE OF IMPORTANT
OPERATING AND MAINTENANCE (SERVICING) INSTRUCTIONS IN THE
LITERATURE ACCOMPANYING THE PRODUCT.
WARNING -- WHEN USING ELECTRICAL PRODUCTS, BASIC PRECAUTIONS SHOULD ALWAYS BE TAKEN, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING:
For the UK
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
INVENTORY INSPECTION:
The uniquely styled Electrix carton should contain…
o Electrix Repeater
o Warranty Card
o Repeater User Manual
o International Switching Power Supply (with a power cord appropriate for your region)
o Rackmount Screws (in a small envelope)
Note: If any of the above are missing, please inform your local Electrix distributor, agent or dealer immediately.
WELCOME TO ELECTRIX!
We would like to thank you for purchasing Repeater, possibly the first "intelligent" loop based recorder to reach planet earth. Repeater's powerful custom software and intuitive design will make sampling and looping an integral part of your live and studio music production.
Repeater, like its other Electrix siblings, represents an entirely new concept in musical electronics, unique in both its 'hands on' ease of use and 'future-retro' design.
This manual describes the behaviour of Repeater running OS1.10. Further upgrades of system firmware may be made available from time to time.
ELECTRIX DOES LOOP BASED RECORDING?
First we shook up FX processing (with our popular Filter and Warp Factories, MoFX, and the MOD's), now we're challenging the contemporary notion of linear recording. Why? Because we realized that many of our Electrix friends are producing music in loops and phrases. So we put our heads together to come up with an intuitive way to record and manipulate loops in music composition. Whatever the genre you like to work in, Repeater will benefit your creative process by allowing you to quickly sketch and manipulate musical phrases and parts.
THE FEEDBACK LOOP
Repeater was designed for creative people, and as a tool to spark the creative process. Along those lines, we would like to hear what you can do with Repeater and other Electrix gear. If you’re so inclined, please send your original ideas on CD, MD, MP3, vinyl or cassette to us at the address on the back page of this manual. You just may become a legend of our lunchroom!
Want to find out more about other Electrix products?
Check out our Web site at: http://www.electrixpro.com
Again, thanks for purchasing Repeater.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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OVERVIEW
Throughout this book we'll be discussing many terms and ideas. Two of these terms are important to understand at the get go. Don't worry, there won't be any tests! So here you go…
TERM #1: LOOPS
When we talk about loops, we're simply making reference to a repeating musical figure. Looping is unique in the way it allows you to record and arrange your music. When Repeater hits the end of the loop it will immediately start playing again from the beginning.
LoopBasics
• Repeater can store up to 999 Loops per CFC card. |
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• Repeater can store an additional 16 loops in its internal memory. |
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•Only one Loop can play at a time. |
How your recording becomes a loop |
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• Each Loop is comprised of 4 mono Tracks (or 2 stereo). |
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•Tracks levels can be independently controlled |
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•You can cued up another Loop to play immediately after the current Loop.
TERM # 2: TRACKS
A track is a unique place to record audio within a loop. Tracks on Repeater are much like tracks on any hard disk or tape based recorder. Each track has level, pan, pitch shift and time slip controls.
Each loop has 4 tracks
WHY LOOP BASED RECORDING
Regardless of the genre of music or ability of the musician, recording with loops can be an efficient way to establish the feel of a song. Loops can also benefit the arranging process, allowing the composer to focus on a single section of a song, shaping and refining until that phrase feels just right. Loop based recording makes for a great musical scratch pad, allowing you to quickly sketch out a tune. It is also an indispensable tool for creating grooves and textures both live and in the studio.
Loop based recording essentially gives all musicians access to the same arranging power that a MIDI sequencer gives a keyboard player. But now you can use live drums, real bass, layered guitars and vocals to shape your masterpiece.
For the music producer, loop-based recording allows you to quickly build up a unique groove. Refine a 2-bar progression or work an 8-bar verse until it sits just right. Overdub parts and licks until you've created the perfect supporting bed.
Loop based recording benefits the live player too. Imagine harnessing the power of a multitrack recorder for live spontaneous use. Layer harmonies, add percussion, drop in licks, and paint ambiences. Before you or your audience knows it, you've become a one man band.
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OVERVIEW
KEY FEATURES OF REPEATER
Time Stretching gives Repeater the unique ability to change tempo without affecting the pitch of the loop.
Pitch Shifting lets you change the pitch or key of each track independently. Repeater uses instrumental pitch shifting that is specially engineered for music.
Loop Point Assist™ (LPA) is an automatic loop trimming feature. It automates the tedious "pre-production" process of manually trimming a loop to match a given BPM. LPA works in real time. The moment Repeater leaves record, it will begin playing the automatically trimmed loop. You can over-ride LPA with the loop trim function. Learn more about this in LOOP EDITING.
Compact Flash Cards (CFC) are Repeater's main storage mechanism. They supplement Repeater's internal 8MB of memory with up to 512MB of additional storage space. Loops on the CFC are in .WAV file format. With the addition of an inexpensive CFC USB card reader, you can export loops and tracks from Repeater to your PC without any special software.
MIDI Clock makes syncing Repeater up to your sequencer or drum machine easy. When you adjust your tempo, Repeater will time stretch the loop to match the tempo without affecting the key. How cool is that?
Beat Detection keeps Repeater in sync with incoming audio like a live drummer or a vinyl source. (Okay, this one may be even cooler that the MIDI sync above.)
The FX Insert allows external effects to be applied to individual tracks, the input of Repeater, or the entire output. Alternatively you can use the FX insert to achieve independent track outputs.
Reverse Play is a fun way to realize reverse solos and ambient textures.
These are just a taste of some of the great features in Repeater. So call your friends and tell them how smart you are for buying Repeater, then sit down and learn how to use it. Trust us, it's quite easy…
ALL THINGS RELATED TO POWER
Repeater comes with an external switching power supply. It will work with line voltages from just about anywhere around the world without any modification. If you should happen to lose your Power Supply, get in touch with Electrix and ask for a TFR0035. The Electrix TFR0035 is the only Power Supply that will work with Repeater.
Repeater’s power supply features a locking connector.
To insert the connector:
• Pull back the housing |
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• Insert the connector |
Pull back the housing to insert |
• Release the housing |
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SLEEP MODE
Repeater does not have a power switch. It does, however, have an energy saving sleep mode. To enter sleep mode:
• Press Reverse and Stop at the same time and hold for 3
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• You will not lose any of the data stored in internal or external |
Sleep Mode |
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TO WAKE REPEATER PRESS ANY BUTTON |
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FRONT PANEL
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1Input Level - controls the input level to Repeater. Set this control so that the input level indicator is Orange most of the time, and rarely clips (goes red).
2Instrument Input - a high-impedance input optimized for instrument level sources. When a cable is plugged into this input, the rear inputs are disabled.
3Loop - selects the current loop.
4Trim - allows the length of a loop to be modified either by bar or in 1/100ths of a second. This is useful for trimming an 8-bar loop down to 4 or for overriding the LPA™ function to manually trim the loop. See LOOP EDITING for details.
5Multiply Loop - lets you multiply out your loop. With Multiply Loop, you can overdub an eight bar progression over a 1 bar drum loop. See LOOP EDITING for details.
6Repeater's Display indicates the status of four crucial parameters:
Loop - shows the current loop number (internal memory loops have a little ' in front of the number)
Bar - when stopped, the bar display shows the loop length (in bars). During an initial record it shows estimated beats. While playing or overdubbing this display shows the current bar.
Beat/Div - shows the time signature of the current loop while stopped, and counts beats while in Play or Record.
BPM - indicates the current tempo (Beats Per Minute)
7Compact Flash Card Slot - insert a Type 1 CFC here. The CFC is slotted so that the card can only be plugged in right side up. Check our website for CFCs that will work. On the first insertion, Repeater will format the CFC for you. See FILE MANAGEMENT for more information.
8UNDO/ Erase - a single press will UNDO the last operation or overdub. Pressing and holding will put you in the ERASE mode, where tracks or the entire loop can be selected for erasing.
9Copy - makes a duplicate of the current loop in any available loop location. Copy can be used to make multiple revisions on a single bed, or to copy material stored internally to the CFC. Press and hold COPY to see remaining record time.
10Overdub - sets Repeater's record mode. When the Overdub indicator is lit, the recording will be mixed together with any existing material on a given track. Alternatively Replace mode is available to replace the content of the selected track when recording is engaged. Replace mode is active when the Overdub indicator is off. See RECORDING LOOPS for details.
11Reverse - reverses the direction for both Recording and Playback. See RECORDING LOOPS for details.
12Stop - stops playback or record operations.
13Sleep Mode - press Reverse and Stop at the same time and hold for 3 seconds to enter the energy saving sleep mode. You will not lose any of the data stored in internal or external memory. To revive press any button.
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FRONT PANEL
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14Play - Play immediately starts the loop at the beginning. To achieve a stuttering effect, press and hold Stop then rhythmically press Play to trigger the loop. You can restart the loop even while it is playing by pressing Play.
15Record - press Record to enter and leave recording. Pressing Record on Repeater also engages Play for you. With an empty loop, pressing Record also defines the downbeat. Recording can be undone with the UNDO feature.
16Tempo - can adjust the tempo of the loop in realtime. The range of the tempo control may be limited by the speed of the storage device. Repeater's has a tempo range of 1 BPM up to 150% of the recorded tempo. See LOOP EDITING for details. This control is also used for Slip, Pan and Pitch edits.
17Sync - selects the clock master. In beat detection mode Repeater tracks the tempo of the incoming audio and acts as a master clock with MIDI. In MIDI mode, Repeater slaves to incoming MIDI clock. In User mode, Repeater will clock to the tempo set with the Tempo knob or the Tap Tempo Function. See LOOP SYNC for details.
18Slip - offsets the start point of a given track or combination of selected tracks with the tempo knob. See LOOP EDITING for details. Twist the Tempo encoder quickly for larger steps and slowly for divisions of each beat.
19Pan - selected tracks are panned with the Tempo knob.
20Pitch - selected tracks are pitch shifted within a range of -2 octaves through +1 octave. Twist the Tempo encoder quickly for large steps and slowly for cents.
21TapTempo - in User Sync mode, the Tap Tempo is used to establish the tempo of the current loop. In Beat Detection mode, the Tap Tempo button can be used to help the software find the beat of the incoming audio by tapping along with the beat.
22Tempo Lock - In beat detect mode, activation of the tempo lock feature locks the unit tempo to the currently detected beat, allowing only minor variations for tracking. In user mode, activation of tempo lock forces all newly loaded loops to run at the current user tempo.
23Track Select Buttons - operations such as record, re-sample, pan, pitch, slip, and FX insert all use the Track Select buttons to determine which tracks an operation is carried out on. You can select any or all tracks for editing.
24Track Levels - these control the levels of each track to the main outputs.
25FX Insert - assigns the FX loop to the input, an individual track, or any combination of tracks. The FX loop is post fader and pan. See RECORDING LOOPS for details.
26Re-sample - records the selected tracks and the FX inserts to an individual track or a stereo pair of tracks. See GETTING STARTED for details.
27Headphone Output & Level - a headphone output and volume control makes Repeater a stand-alone
28recording device. Especially suitable for that 3:00 A.M. inspiration that can't wait 'til morning.
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REAR PANEL
1Power Input - accepts only the Repeater power supply. Pull back the connector housing to insert the jack into Repeater.
2Footswitch - plug in a Digitech FS-300 three button footswitch here. Undo, Play/Stop, and Record are supported with the footswitch. A single momentary footswitch will control the Record function. Please connect the footswitch before powering up Repeater.
3MIDI Thru - sends a perfect copy of the MIDI information received at the MIDI in.
4MIDI Out - transmits the best of the front panel commands to facilitate the use of multiple Repeaters in loop based recording setups and live rigs.
5MIDI In - full support for MIDI control change, program change and MIDI clock messages to control all front panel functions.
6 MIDI Channel Select - selects the receiving/transmitting MIDI channel.
7Digital Output - 44.1kHz, 16 bit S/PDIF Coaxial 75Ω main output for those who know better than to use the analog inputs on their Sound Blasters.
8 Main Outputs - stereo mix outputs.
9FX Send - a post fader, post pan FX send activated by the front panel control. Connect this to the input of an Electrix MOFX or Filter Factory for some serious FX mayhem. The FX send also serves as multiple outputs. Just assign Tracks 3 & 4 to the FX sends and pan them hard left and right. Tracks 1 & 2 will be on the main outputs while 3 & 4 come out the FX sends. See ADDING EXTERNAL FX for details.
10FX Return - Connect the outputs of your FX device here. The FX return is mixed in with the other tracks on the main bus that is sent to the main and digital outputs. See page 12 for details.
11Main Inputs - Stereo unbalanced 1/4" inputs. (Don't forget the mono instrument input of the front as well…)
12RCA & Phono Pre inputs - the RCA's and the phono pre afford quick and easy setup with CD players and turntables.
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GETTING STARTED |
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RECORDING BASICS |
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Loop recording works a little differently |
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than conventional recording. Capturing |
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a good loop is all about being in touch |
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with the rhythm of your musical figure. |
A typical 4 bar loop |
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•Start by playing your groove to get a feel for the tempo.
• Press Record right on the downbeat of the first bar of the loop to start recording.
•Assuming a four bar loop, press Record again on the downbeat of bar five to end recording (bar five is essentially the first bar repeated).
Now you've captured a complete 4 bar loop that will play back perfectly every time.
Sound Design Considerations
Repeater is a great sound design tool for music production. By using Repeater's exceptional time stretching algorithms you can combine and synchronize loops of different tempos together into one new loop (see sidebar). By utilizing Repeater's FX loop you can add an external Filter or effects unit to shape the sound of each track. Once you're satisfied you can re-sample the loop and export it to your PC via the CFC or Digital output.
Recording a Loop
Set your levels so that the Signal bi-color LED goes red every once in a while. Keeping it in the yellow will assure great
levels and no harsh digital clipping.
•Select a track or a pair of tracks to record to by pressing the Track Select buttons (above the Track Level faders.)
•Set the Track Level(s) to the top which is unity.
•Press Record to start recording. The next time you press Record or Play, the recording will finish, and the loop will
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Track Select Buttons |
•Selecting a pair of tracks simultaneously sets Repeater to record in stereo. The
Stereo LED will go on to indicate that the pair of tracks have been linked for stereo.
Press both tracks to create a stereo pair
Note. If you are recording in stereo on your initial pass,
Repeater automatically pans the tracks hard Left and hard Right.
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GETTING STARTED
OVERDUBBING ADDITIONAL PARTS
Now that you've got your first loop down, you can continue to overdub onto the existing track. If you want this new part to be quieter, try adjusting the Input Level or the volume of your instrument to get the balance just right. Repeater has a default feedback amount that reduces the level of the original recording as the overdub is recorded onto it. This prevents undesirable gain increases throughout the recording process. See RECORDING LOOPS for details.
RECORDING TO A NEW TRACK
Additionally, you may select a new track to record another part. Recording to a new track affords more control and access to Repeater's track parameters, like Pitch and Level. Later you can bounce your tracks, after you've mixed them to taste, down to one or two tracks.
LOOP MANIPULATION
Now that you've got your basic tracks down, there is so much more you can do.
Start by tweaking the pitch of the loop.
•Press the Pitch button, select the tracks you’ve recorded on and turn the Tempo knob to pitch shift the tracks.
If you think that's cool, use the Slip function to slip a track out by an 1/8th note.
(You can slip through the entire range of the loop until you eventually get right back to the beginning. Yeah, baby!)
ADDING EXTERNAL FX
If you have an external FX unit connected to Repeater’s FX Insert you can apply FX to the input and record the effects as a part of the loop, or you can apply the FX to any number of tracks during playback.
To set the FX Insert location:
•Press and hold FX Insert button
•Select the tracks that you’d like the FX inserted on by
using the Track Select buttons. If you de-select all of the tracks, the FX will be applied to the input. (The Input>Insert LED will light.)
USING THE METRONOME
Repeater has a great training feature that will help you to develop a consistent meter with some practice. Repeater will produce a metronome sound at the current tempo when you press and hold the Tempo Lock button for 1 second. While the metronome is playing Repeater will quantize the initial record to the beat of the metronome. To disengage the metronome press and hold Tempo Lock for 1 second. You can set the metronome level by pressing and holding Tempo Lock while tempo Lock is engaged. Use the Tempo knob to adjust the level while holding down the Tempo Lock button. When the metronome is active in user sync mode, recordings will be quantized to the beat as they are in MIDI or Beat Detect sync modes.
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GETTING STARTED
ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Here's a basic setup to get an acoustic guitar up and running with Repeater - without the need of any help from your "pocket protector" friends…
Making a Connection
1Plug in your guitar here.
2here.Connect the optional Digitech FS-300 or a single momentary footswitch to engage/disengage the Record function
3Connect Repeater's outputs to your monitoring system.
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ELECTRIC GUITAR
Now for the guitar player for whom effects have become an integral part of their sound... Try integrating Repeater in this format:
Using an amp without an effects loop
You can plug Repeater into the guitar input of your amp if you take the following precautions:
•Turn down the Input Level to at least half of what you usually run. Repeater's output is at line level, and this is substantially hotter then the average guitar.
•Use the clean channel of your guitar amp. If you try to run Repeater into a high gain or lead channel you will most likely be unhappy with the unnecessarily noisy results.
•To get distorted or lead sounds try using one of the many available distortion pedals or a tube preamps before connecting to your Repeater.
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GETTING STARTED
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Using an amp with an effects loop
It is best to plug Repeater into the Effects Loop of your amp if it has one. Connecting this way will ensure safe passage of your tone through Repeater. If your amp has a Wet/Dry Mix, set it to 100% wet for best results.
Using a Footswitch
If you're thinking "How am I supposed to do all this button pressin' while I'm playin' my guitar" then you may benefit from picking up a Digitech FS-300 3 button footswitch. The FS-300 will let you control Undo, Play/Stop and record with your feet. This should free up your hands for some serious bo-jangelin'.
Accessing Repeater's features from a MIDI Foot Controller
If you want to control Repeater from the floor you will be glad to know that you can access all of Repeater's front panel parameters and controls via MIDI Program Changes or Control Change messages. Pick up a MIDI floor controller like a Digital Music Corp. Ground Control, Yamaha MFC10, Lexicon MPX-R1, or a Digitech Control 8. You can control Repeater with Program Change messages and/or Control Change messages. Basically that means that just about any MIDI foot controller is capable of controlling Repeater.
Don't have a bass guitar?
One of the advantages of Repeater's pitch shifting being on the loop output, as opposed to the input, is that you can quickly achieve great pitch shift effects automatically on playback. Try this on for size: Set the pitch shift of Track 4 to -12. Now create a rhythm loop with your guitar on Track 1. Select Track 4 to record and play a bass line on your low E string. You will not hear the pitch shift effect until you are done recording. As soon as the loop starts playing back Track 4 will be pitch shifted an octave down, and you'll have snuck in a bass line without anyone knowing what happened.
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GETTING STARTED
LIVE SAMPLING
Repeater is set up to take just about any kind of signal; from a sub-mixer to your mixer's FX send, a group output, or even a vinyl source. In addition, you can connect an effects processor to Repeater's FX Insert for easy patching of the effect onto the overall input or individual tracks.
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LPA™ Considerations
If Repeater is in Beat detect, MIDI Sync, or the metronome is turned on in User mode then as long as you press Record near the downbeat of your track, Repeater will automatically tweak the loop start time to the nearest division of the beat. To stop recording press Record close to the downbeat of the next bar. Repeater will automatically tweak the end point to match up with the start point and immediately begin playing the trimmed loop. If you are just in user mode with no metronome then no LPA is applied to your recording.
Trigger Recording
Repeater has a great little feature we call Trigger Recording. Pressing Stop and Record at the same time will arm Repeater. In this mode, Repeater will automatically trigger the Record operation when an audio signal is present at the inputs. This is useful when sampling from CDs or in facilitating a hands-off approach to recording and overdubbing.
Input Mute
In some situations it may be desirable that the dry signal is not passed through Repeater and mixed with the track outputs. To activate this feature, hold down Stop and press the Overdub button. The display will state 'Dry Muted' or 'Dry unmuted' depending on whether you are activating or deactivating the feature. This feature can also be accessed via MIDI.
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