Question about Frippertronics

[Mark]

Hi All

Like many of you, I've always loved the sound of Frippertronics. I thought
I'd have some fun and try and set up a simple frippertronics-style setup
myself to experiment.

After doing some research online, I was surprised by how simple it is. As
best I can tell it's essentially just a 20 second (or thereabouts) delay
with feedback. Am I missing something, or is it really that simple?

The most consise explanation I found (which is consistent with the more
complex ones) is:

RG: Could you simply explain the process of Frippertronics?
RF: Yes. I record on the left machine, the guitar is recorded on the left
machine, the signal passes along the tape to the right machine where it's
played back to the left machine and recorded a second time.
RG: OK.
RF: The signal recorded the second time passes along the tape to the right
machine where it's played back a second time and recorded a third.
RG: And at what point is it released into the room?
RF: Oh, straightaway. Unless, what I could do if I wanted to be crafty,
would be to build up a chord which no one could hear and then turn the
chord on, but, in fact, that doesn't happen. I've only done that, I think,
on a couple of occasions. You hear it happening.

Found at
http://www.loopers-delight.com/tools/frippertronics/frippertronics.html

Also, if anyone has any information about the more advanced frippertronics
setups, which I believe Fripp now refers to as "soundscape", I'd love to
hear about that as well.

Cheers,

Mark

[Tom Boon]

Post by Mark
if anyone has any information about the more advanced frippertronics
setups, which I believe Fripp now refers to as "soundscape", I'd love to
hear about that as well.

See here:
http://www.disciplineglobalmobile.com/cat/soundsc.shtml

[Michael Peters]

Post by Mark
it's essentially just a 20 second (or thereabouts) delay
with feedback. Am I missing something, or is it really that simple?

the technology is really that simple. The tricky part is to achieve a
musical result with it.

Fripp's Frippertronics delay times are just a few seconds - 2 to 4 seconds
maybe. In this time range it is possible to keep a feeling for the timing,
especially if you want to build up a rhythmic loop. If you use longer loops
(20 seconds with 2 Revoxes? You need a large room for that), timing becomes
impossible and the only thing you can do is build up an ambient wall of
sound.

As you have already found out, the place to go for anything loopy is
www.loopersdelight.com, the meeting point for a large community of looping
musicians. There is also a mailing list. Another (still in construction)
website is www.livelooping.com which will be about the use of loops in live
music. A large looping music festival will be held on October 10th, 11th and
12th at the Cayuga Vault in Santa Cruz, California (www.cayugavault.com).


= michael peters
= www.michaelpeters.de
= computer graphics + electronic music

[sodderboy]

some additional technical minutia-
Frippertronics is analog loop using two A-77 machines to record
straight Gibson. You can use any 1/4 " machine, and you can get great
deals on used Wollensak decks sold on ebay. The biggest benefit is
that a musical result can simply be re-played later for the same
result, perhaps live. "Discreet Music" is an example of a created
loop that was later played and manipulated. The downside is hiss, and
control of levels. It takes some patience before the system does not
run-away into distortion. Listen to the hiss at the end of "Hevenly
Music Corporation".

Soundscapes lost the A-77 and substituted the TC Electronics 2290
sampling DDL, and added MIDI instruments controlled by the Gibson
guitar synthesizer. Beneifts are a broader sonic pallet, digital
manipulation, almost 40 sec. loops with memory maxxed, and effects
inserts. You still have to watch the levels.
Any DDL can be used, but the delay time will be the constraint. I
have chained 3 or 4 PCM-42's together using a console with aux sends
for a goof. Lexicon also makes the Jamman, which is a looper in a
box. They go for about $300 on ebay. It sounds like Radiohead's
Johnny Greenwood used one for a brief old-school fripp loop at the
bridge of "The Sky is Falling" on Thief. He is quite the chamelion
talent.

Talent- Robert Fripp is wound tight with it. If one was lucky enough
to see a Soundscapes show, he dances his feet and hands across the
Frippelboard, 15 or so effects pedals, volume pedals, his equipment
rack, oh and the guitar. If the moment is true, he gets into some
kind of other-world "solo-zone" where his shoulders square-off, his
arms get stiff, but he just flies around his stool-bound world like a
maniacle machine. I saw this also during one Red-era King Crimson
show during the solo in "The Sheltering Sky". Listen to solos on
"Damage" tracks- his notes have the timbre of a controlled, tuned
explosion. A micron off on a fret will yield total sonic
annihilation!

happy looping!

[Mark]

Thanks to all for your help. I've got a simulated frippertronics/soundscape
set up in Logic Audio now. It needs some tweaking, but it's great fun so far
:)