Expert Sleepers Augustus Loop User Manual v2.3.0

Expert Sleepers
Augustus Loop
v2.3.0
User Manual

Copyright © 2009-2010 Expert Sleepers. All rights reserved.

This manual, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under licence and may be
used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such licence. The content of this man­ual is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice, and should
not be construed as a commitment by Expert Sleepers. Expert Sleepers assumes no respon­sibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies that may appear in this document.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EX­PRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGE­MENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF
CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION
WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

Contents

Introduction! 12

Installation! 14

Mac OS X, Audio Unit (AU)! 14
Mac OS X, VST! 14
Windows (VST)! 14

System Requirements! 14

Mac OS X! 14
Windows! 14

Registration! 15

What’s New in Version 2! 16

Quality Improvements! 16

Freeze Loop! 16

Sync Groups! 16

Tape Sim! 16

Skinnable and Scriptable GUI! 16

OSC! 17

MIDI & OSC Scripting! 17

Waveform Display! 17

Record O"set! 17

Tape Read Mode! 17

Quickstart! 18

Using Augustus Loop! 19

Using the controls! 19

Knobs! 19

Sliders! 19
Dropdown menus! 19
Value edit boxes! 19
Name/value display! 19

Overview! 20

Delay Time! 21

Max Delay! 21
Delay Time! 21
Min! 21
Max! 21
Current delay time! 21
Delay Slider! 21

Delay Taps! 22

Delay Time! 22
Delay Level! 22
Master! 22

Pitch! 23

Pitch! 23
Pitch Slider! 23
'Piano Keys'! 23
Reverse! 23
Stop! 24
LFO Speed! 24
LFO Depth! 24

Filter! 25

Cutoff! 25
Q! 25
Typ e! 25
LFO Speed! 25
LFO Depth! 25
Saturate! 25
Saturation! 25
Shape! 26

Tape Sim! 26

Drive! 26
Crunch! 26
Gain! 26
Lo Freq/Lo Amnt! 26

Hi Freq/Hi Amnt! 26

Sync! 27

Host Tempo! 27
Beat Divisor & Triplet! 27
Beats! 27
Using Beats with Tap Record! 27
Sync Groups! 27

Clock Out! 28

Ping-Pong/Read Mode! 28

Mono-ize & Init Pan! 28
Tape Read Mode! 28

Levels! 29

Dry! 29
Effect! 29
Input! 29
PISIL and POSIL! 29

Loop! 30

Tap Rec! 30
Hold Rec! 30
Tap Length & Hold Length! 30
Freeze Loop! 30
Freeze Loop Mode! 30
Clear Loop! 31

Misc! 31

Fix Delay! 31
Trigger Arm! 31

Fade! 31

Punch In/Out! 32

Punch In Quantize (menu)! 32
Punch Out Quantize (menus)! 32

Inertia! 33

Pitch Inertia! 33
Delay Inertia! 33

Digital Mode! 33

Record O"set! 34

Waveform Display! 35

Augustus Loop Fx Loop! 36

Introduction! 36

Using the Fx Loops! 36

Setting up your DAW for Fx Loops! 37

Ableton Live! 37

Current Limitations! 37

Preferences! 38

MIDI In! 38

Skin! 38

OSC Base Port! 39

MIDI output! 39

Rounded tempos (for Live)! 39

Legacy filter behaviour! 39

Ignore AudioUnitReset! 40

Skins! 41

Preamble! 41

Learn by example! 41

Share your Skins!! 41

Anatomy of a Skin! 42

Mac OS X! 42
Windows! 42
Bundle structure! 42
Image requirements! 42

The Skin Script! 42

getWindowSize()! 42

getFont()! 43
getLabelFont()! 43
getTextFieldFont()! 43
createUI()! 43

Functions callable from createUI()! 44

setBannerPosition( y [, showVersion ] )! 44
setGroupActiveColour( r, g, b, a ), setGroupInactiveColour( r, g, b, a )! 44
texture( filename )! 44
setBackgroundTexture( texture )! 44
setBackgroundColour( r, g, b )! 44
sliderRenderer( texture )! 44
buttonRenderer( texture )! 45
knobRenderer( texture, u, v, size )! 45
group( name )! 45
group:add( control )! 45
group:width()! 45
group:height()! 45
group:bounds()! 46
group:setPosition( x, y )! 46
group:setVisible( v )! 46
group:isVisible()! 46
add( control )! 46
knob( param, label, x, y, size )! 46
paramButton( param, x, y, w, h, u, v [, hold ] )! 46
slider( param, x, y, w, h, orient, u, v, du, dv )! 47
button( id, label, x, y, w, h, u, v )! 47
luaButton( function, label, tooltip, type, x, y, w, h, u, v )! 47
textField( param, label, x, y, w, h [, format ] )! 48
dropDown( param, x, y, w, h )! 48
indicator( id, x, y, w, h, u, v )! 48
delaySlider( x, y, w, h, orient, u, v, du, dv )! 49
control:setVisible( v )! 49
control:isVisible()! 49
control:setState( v )! 49
control:getState()! 49
valueDisplay()! 49
valueDisplay:setColour( r, g, b, a )! 49
valueDisplay:setPosition( id, x, y, w, h )! 49
levelMeters( texture, u, v, w, h )! 49
levelMeters:add( id, x, y )! 50
waveformDisplay( x, y, w, h )! 50
waveformDisplay:setMoving( v )! 50
waveformDisplay:isMoving()! 50

getParameterID( param )! 50

Functions callable from luaButton functions! 51

getParameter( param )! 51
setParameter( param, value )! 51
setOthersParameter( id, param, value )! 51
getOthersParameter( id, param )! 51
sendOSC( address, path [, format ] [, values ] )! 52
control:setVisible() / control:isVisible()! 52
control:setState() / control:getState()! 52
redrawLabels()! 52

Pre-defined Global Values! 53

Debugging! 53

Mac OS X! 53
Windows! 53

MIDI control! 54

CC messages! 54
NRPN messages! 54

OSC Control! 55

Received OSC Commands! 55

/ping s:returnUrl s:returnPath! 55
/set i:param f:value! 55
/get i:param s:returnUrl s:returnPath! 55
/getAll s:returnUrl s:returnPath! 56
/getNumParameters s:returnUrl s:returnPath! 56
/getInfo i:param s:returnUrl s:returnPath! 56
/registerUpdate i:param s:returnUrl s:returnPath! 56
/unregisterUpdate i:param s:returnUrl s:returnPath! 56
/getAllRegistered! 56
/exec s:func ...! 56
/call s:func s:returnUrl s:returnPath ...! 57

MIDI & OSC Scripting! 58

Preamble! 58

Learn by example! 58

Share your scripts!! 58

Script locations! 59

Mac OS X! 59
Windows! 59

Overriding the default script! 59

MIDI & OSC Script Functions! 59

getParameterID( param )! 59
getParameter( param )! 59
setParameter( param, value )! 60
getParameterMinMax( param )! 60
setOthersParameter( id, param, value )! 60
getOthersParameter( id, param )! 60
sendOSC( address, path [, format ] [, values ] )! 60
requestAllNoteOn( function )! 61
requestAllNoteOff( function )! 61
requestAllCC( function )! 61
requestAllNRPN( function )! 61
requestAllProgramChange( function )! 61
requestAllPolyPressure( function )! 62
requestNoteOn( note, function )! 62
requestNoteOff( note, function )! 62
requestCC( cc, function )! 62
requestNRPN( nrpn, function )! 62
requestProgramChange( pc, function )! 62
requestPolyPressure( key, function )! 63
requestPitchWheel( function )! 63
requestChannelPressure( function )! 63
time()! 63
requestTimedCallback( interval, function )! 63
requestPeriodicCallback( interval, function )! 64
cancelTimer( timer )! 64
setGUIBoolValue( id, value )! 64
getGUIBoolValue( id )! 64
setOthersGUIBoolValue( other, id, value )! 64
getOthersGUIBoolValue( other, id )! 64
registerOSCPathForParameter( path, param )! 64
registerOSCPathForParameterNormalized( path, param )! 65

Pre-defined Global Values! 65

Debugging! 65

Mac OS X! 65
Windows! 66

Version History! 67

v2.3.0 5th August 2010! 67
v2.2.2 28th June 2010! 67
v2.2.1 24th February 2010! 67
v2.2.0 9th February 2010! 67
v2.1.1 24th August 2009! 67
v2.1.0 8th May 2009! 67
v2.0.4 17th April 2009! 67
v2.0.3 19th March 2009! 68
v2.0.2 3rd March 2009! 68
v2.0.1 11th January 2009! 68
v2.0.0 23rd October 2008! 68
v1.8.2 (unreleased)! 68
v1.8.1 19th July 2008! 69
v1.8.0 5th June 2008! 69
v1.7.3, 24th March 2008! 69
v1.7.2, 18th March 2008! 69
v1.7.1, 17th March 2008! 69
v1.7.0, 14th March 2008! 69
v1.6.5, 30th September 2007! 69
v1.6.3, 31st October 2006! 70
v1.6.2, 2nd July 2006! 70
v1.6.1, 20th March 2006! 70
v1.6.0, 9th January 2006! 70
v1.5.1, 5th October 2005! 70
v1.5.0, 29th August 2005! 70
v1.4.3, 13th July 2005! 70
v1.4.2, 11th June 2005! 70
v1.4.1, 13th March 2005! 70
v1.4.0, 27th February 2005! 70
v1.2.0, 3rd January 2005! 71
v1.1.0, 30th August 2004! 71
v1.0, 5th June 2004! 71

Release Notes! 72

Issues with keyboard input! 72

Contact! 73

Acknowledgements! 74

Lua! 74

oscpack! 74

glew! 75

FreeType! 76

FTGL! 76

libpng! 76

zlib! 76

Introduction

Augustus Loop is an emulation of a tape-based delay effect, with some extra features to
facilitate its use as a looping device. (If you're unfamiliar with the concept/genre of loop­ing, pay a visit to www.loopers-delight.com).

The key features of Augustus Loop that make it more than just a big delay effect are:

•

Really long maximum delay (3600 seconds - that's one hour).

•

Tap length/tap record. You can set the loop time while recording your first phrase.

•

Virtual tape. The delay simulates an old-style tape delay, meaning you can

•

! change the tape speed (i.e. pitch up and down)

•

! reverse the tape direction

•

! stop the tape

•

! smoothly change the delay time (as if changing the head gap on a tape delay).

•

Multimode filter and saturation in the feedback loop.

•

‘Tape Sim’ section to emulate the signal degradation of vintage tape echo machines.

•

Four feedback taps (left to left, left to right, right to left and right to right) with inde­pendent delay time and feedback settings, for ping-pong effects, stereo delays etc.

•

Pitch and filter LFOs.

•

‘Freeze Loop’ feature lets you freeze the audio into a perfect loop, no matter what
other settings are in effect.

•

Loop length can be set in terms of the host's tempo setting.

•

Output of MIDI clock messages to synchronise other applications to the plug-in.

•

Ability to sync multiple instances of the plug-in running at once.

•

Automatic fades up and down to allow smooth transitions in your playing. It can
even automatically clear the loop for you once it’s faded out.

•

Host transport-sync’d punch in and out when recording.

•

‘Inertia free’ mode suppresses the tape-like behaviour when changing delay times to
allow seamless transitions between loop lengths. (This is also the route to the popular
‘multiply’ and ‘divide’ features found on some popular looping devices.)

•

The ‘Fx Loop’ plug-in configuration allows you to route audio through other plug-ins
either side of the ‘virtual tape’, allowing you to insert your own effects in the delay
loop. So you can just substitute your own filtering/saturation for Augustus Loop’s
own, or get really creative by inserting any plug-in you like in the delay.

•

‘Record Offset’ feature to solve the problem of latency in digital audio systems.

•

Fully scriptable and skinnable GUI.

•

Fully scriptable control via MIDI and OSC.

•

Scripts can control other instances of the plug-in, allowing you to build complex
multi-plug-in setups controlled from a single source (e.g. a MIDI pedalboard).

Installation

Mac OS X, Audio Unit (AU)

One file (ExSlAugustusLoop.component) contains all variants of the plug-in.

Simply copy the file to the folder:

Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/Components

Mac OS X, VST

There is one file per plug-in configuration, named ExSlAugustusLoop.vst and
ExSlAugustusLoopFxLoop.vst.

Simply copy the files to the folder:

Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST

Windows (VST)

There is one file per plug-in configuration, named augustusloop.dll and
augustusloop_fxloop.dll.

Simply copy the files to your VST plug-ins folder.

System Requirements

Mac OS X

Augustus Loop v2.2.0 and above require at least Mac OS X version 10.5.8 and are usable
on Intel Macs only. Older versions of Augustus Loop also work on PowerPC Macs and
OS"X versions back to 10.2.8.

The Audio Unit version will work in any Audio Unit host.

The VST version requires a “VST 2.4” compatible host.

1

Windows

Augustus Loop has been developed and tested with Windows XP SP2. It may work with
other versions of Windows (Vista included) but this is by no means guaranteed.

The plug-in requires a “VST 2.4” compatible host.

1

VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

Registration

The downloadable version of Augustus Loop stops working after 15 minutes every time
you use it. To stop this happening, you need to buy a registration.

You can buy a registration key online using a credit card or PayPal from the Expert Sleep­ers Licence Manager application. See here for more information. Note that you need at
least version 1.0.12 of the Licence Manager.

The e-commerce side of things is handled by eSellerate. If you have any security concerns,
have a look at their website which is pretty informative.

Your registration key allows you to install Augustus Loop on up to 3 different computers
(useful if for example you have a desktop computer in the studio and a laptop for live
use).

You need an internet connection to activate the software, though not necessarily on the
computer on which you want to use it.

What’s New in Version 2

This section summarises the new features of Augustus Loop version 2. It is aimed at users
who are already familiar with the previous versions of the plug-in. If you’re new to
Augustus Loop, please skip ahead to the Quickstart section.

For a complete list of changes, please refer to the version history.

Quality Improvements

Great attention has been paid to removing the niggling little clicks and pops that used to
occur if you used some features and were unlucky with your timing. Specifically, using the
following should now never result in an unpleasant audio artefact:

•

Clear Loop

•

Changing the Input Level (which includes using the Punch In/Out Set Input Level
features)

•

Tap Record

Freeze Loop

While Freeze Loop is essentially the same feature as has always been found in Augustus
Loop, the new implementation in version 2 transforms this function into something alto­gether more powerful. Whereas in previous versions frozen loops were prone to clicking
and popping unless the audio and plug-in settings were just right, version 2’s Freeze Loop
is totally bomb proof and will loop anything. Read more.

Sync Groups

It is now possible to synchronise multiple copies of Augustus Loop that are running
within one host application. You can therefore use Augustus Loop to build complex, multi­channel, multi-loop systems. Read more.

Tape Sim

A new audio processing section has been added to further expand the range of sounds you
can get out of Augustus Loop, consisting of a new tape-style saturation effect and a new
filter section. Read more.

Skinnable and Scriptable GUI

In version 2 it’s possible to completely replace the Augustus Loop user interface. This goes
far beyond other ‘skinning’ systems where you can only change the superficial appearance

of the interface. With Augustus Loop you can move user interface elements around, re­move things you don’t use, add new buttons to drive your own new functionality. A gen­eral purpose scripting language lies behind all this, so your new buttons aren’t just limited
to setting plug-in parameters - you can build complex systems limited only by your
imagination (and programming skill!).

See the Skins section below for details.

OSC

Augustus Loop can now be remotely controlled via the Open Sound Control protocol.

See the OSC section below for details.

MIDI & OSC Scripting

Augustus Loop’s response to MIDI and OSC control can now be completely redefined by
scripts written by users. This goes far beyond simply redefining which MIDI CC controls
which parameter - you can build elaborate, state-based control systems, driving many cop­ies of Augustus Loop from a single control source.

See the MIDI & OSC Scripting section below for details.

Waveform Display

A new element has been added to the GUI that enables you to visualise the audio that’s
recorded onto Augustus Loop’s virtual tape. Apart from looking swish, this is a useful tool
that helps you understand exactly what the plug-in is doing at any particular time, espe­cially when some of the more complex functions are enabled. Read more.

Record O"set

This new feature makes it easy to sync your looping to other performers, even when your
computer-based setup is introducing a lot of latency into your audio stream. Read more.

Tape Read Mode

Although Augustus Loop remains a fundamentally stereo device, the new Tape Read
Mode setting lets you simulate a mono tape echo from days of old. Read more.

Quickstart

Augustus Loop is designed to be used as an insert effect, but you can use it as a send effect
if you wish.

By default, the effect produces a straightforward one second delay, with fairly high feed­back. Play a note through it - you should hear it echo once a second for quite some time.

The GUI consists of two sliders, a number of knobs and a smaller number of buttons.

The shorter of the two sliders
and the cluster of edit boxes
around it control the delay time.
By default the slider lets you ad­just the delay time between zero
and ten seconds. Try dragging
the slider and see what hap­pens.

The longer slider controls the speed of the virtual tape, or equivalently the pitch of the de­layed material. Try playing some notes into the delay, and then adjusting the slider. You
should hear the notes you played at a higher or lower pitch.

Four of the buttons let you set up a delay time
without having to know what you want as a num­ber of seconds. Try clicking on 'Tap Length', waiting
a moment, and then clicking on it again. The delay
time will change to the length of time between your
two clicks. If you use 'Tap Rec' (short for 'Tap Re­cord') the delayed material will be cleared out on
the first click. This is useful when starting afresh on
a new loop.

Other than that, just have a play with the controls, and then dig into the detailed reference
section, below.

Using Augustus Loop

Using the controls

Knobs

Basic use of the knobs is to click on them and drag the mouse up and down.
However you can obtain different results by holding keys as follows:

•

Shift : Values change more slowly as you move the mouse.

•

Command1 (Mac OS X)/Alt (Windows) : The knob assumes its default
position.

Sliders

Sliders behave similarly.

•

Shift : Values change more slowly as you move the mouse.

•

Command : The slider assumes its default position.

Dropdown menus

Clicking on the menu displays the list of options. Move the mouse over the
desired option and release the mouse to select it.

Value edit boxes

These boxes let you enter parameter values directly. Clicking on the value
highlights it in green - you can then type the desired value using the key­board. Press enter to finish and accept the new value.

While you’re typing the value, the box goes red to indicate that the value you
see has not yet been accepted.

Name/value display

As you move the mouse around the interface, the name
and current value of the control currently under the
mouse is displayed in the top right of the window. This
area also provides tooltips for buttons.

1

The ‘Command’ key is also known as the ‘Apple’ key - the one next to the spacebar.

Overview

Here's a block diagram of the 'circuitry' of Augustus Loop. It can help to visualise this
when understanding the effect of some settings, particularly the delay time settings.

Delay Time

The delay time controls consist
of a slider and four text boxes.

Max Delay

This field sets the maximum de­lay time the plug-in is capable of
using. The highest value that
you can enter here is '3600', which is an hour (60 minutes times 60 seconds).

NB Changing this value causes the plug-in to reallocate its delay buffers. This can be a
slow operation, especially if the value entered is large. So don't do it when there's actually
audio flowing through the plug-in, as you'll most likely get an ugly stutter or momentary
silence.

Also NB You'll want a lot of RAM to use high values for the delay time! At 44.1kHz, you'll
need about 20MB per minute. If you ask for the maximum 3600 seconds, that's about

1.2GB of RAM you're asking the plug-in to use.

Delay Time

This field reflects the current delay time, in seconds. You can enter a value here directly, or
use the delay slider or tap buttons to set it indirectly.

Min

This field sets the value corresponding to the leftmost position of the delay slider.

Max

This field sets the value corresponding to the rightmost position of the delay slider.

Current delay time

This field (immediately below the delay slider) shows one of the following:

•

The current delay time in use, as set by the delay slider/text box.

•

The current delay time in use, as set by the host tempo settings, if 'host tempo' is ac­tive.

•

The time since tap recording began, during tap recording.

The time is shown in seconds and in bars/beats/480ths (if the host application supports
the concept of bars/beats etc.).

Delay Slider

This slider lets you adjust the delay time between the two values set in 'Min' and 'Max'.

Delay Taps

A total of nine knobs make up this section.

Eight of these are in pairs, giving you control of delay time and feedback level for each of
the four taps.

Delay Time

Sets the delay time for the tap, expressed as
a percentage of the master delay time set in
the delay time section.

Delay Level

Sets the feedback level for the tap. This is
the same as the actual output level of the tap
in our architecture.

The four taps let you feedback sound be­tween the two stereo channels. The left-to­left and right-to-right taps give you a normal
stereo delay. The left-to-right and right-to-left taps allow you create ping-pong style de­lays. By mixing all four, you can get some spacious stereo spread effects.

Master

The last control in this group, 'Feedback', sets the overall feedback level.
Effectively it scales the four tap level controls.

Pitch

Pitch

This text field simply reflects the current pitch value. You can type numbers directly in
here. The values represent semitones (12 semitones is an octave).

Pitch Slider

The slider controls the speed of the virtual tape, over a range of two octaves i.e. you can go
from half-speed up to double-speed.

If you hold the Option (Mac OS X)/Ctrl (Windows) key while dragging the slider, it will
only move to whole number values.

If you hold the Command (Mac OS X)/Alt (Windows) key and click on the slider, it will
return to zero.

'Piano Keys'

The many small buttons above and below the pitch slider are laid out in a black and white
pattern like a piano keyboard. These buttons let you set the pitch slider directly to whole
semitone values.

The upper set of buttons just change the pitch. The lower set of buttons also reverses the
tape direction. NB This means that if the tape is already reversed, they will change the di­rection to forwards.

Reverse

Reverses the direction of the virtual tape.

Of itself, this is fairly straightforward. However it has a slightly non-intuitive
relationship with the tap delay times. In order that changing the tape direction does not
produce any nasty artefacts, the position of the tap tape heads has to remain constant. This
means that their order is reversed.

For example, say in the simplest case you have the L-L and R-R taps set to 100% time and
level, and the other taps set to 0% level, with the master delay time set to 1s. In this sce­nario, reversing the tape gives you the same result, that is a delay of 1s.