Controlling Looping using foot pedal.
The way it is now works in a way that it does not maximise the looping idea to its full potential for on stage use.
Why?
It can only select another loop and play it if it has more loops and once you have passed the last loop you can not use your loops again, the song must end, this is very limiting specially if you only have a few loops and your loops happen to be in the beginning of the song.
To use the looping feature more successfully at the moment you virtually have to have a loop at the end so you can jump back to beginning, this is not ideal, we need a system to be able to choose a loop but then play it from when a section of the music is not in a loop part of a song.
This was the reason i mentioned before if a song knew its beat points perhaps it could be made so it leaves the now playing section on the beat and joins on to a loop selection in rhythmic timing , having this capability would then allow us to go to any loop point from anywhere in the song that we choose.
Selecting loops works fine but if you have one or two loop points is pointless if you cant get to them once they play through.
I imagined a more user capable looping system apart from just looping continually of a point in a song you are in, thats ok but it doesn't give you a lot of freedom to manipulate your song on the run.
Using two switches you should be able to manoeuvre anywhere in the song as long as the song is playing and even when it gets paused, heres an example you got the crowd singing and you pause the song while they are really getting in to it you move to another loop point like solo as you are done adlibbing you unpause and go straight to the solo, this then makes the looping powerful
The second permanent looping button is only used on the now playing loop, it enables/disables this loop, once you are not on a loop point it does nothing, this is a waste, I would use this button to become a return to selected loop and play button, in other words when you are not on a loop this unused button can be used to get you back on any selected loop.
But if you are already on a loop you make this button be a permanent loop selector as it is not needed as the other option because you are already on a loop and you have your selector button to jump to another loop if you want.
So selector button is always a selector button, but the loop button changes modes of operation depending on if its on a loop section or just in a normal song section.
The other thing i was trying to point out was when you step through loop points and you choose the same loop point you are on this means you are going to play this section once more why not place an arrow pointing to beginning of loop to indicate to whats going to happen within this loop, so when the end is reached and the beginning starts again you then make the arrow disappear indicating no more playing of this loop is going to happen and it will play through to next selection, if you happen to change your mind and go to select another loop point this arrow disappears as it no longer will play that loop, but you still have the permanent loop option available and if you choose that then the appropriate sign appears, if you then return to this loop again and select it the permanent loop disappears and arrow appears again meaning you will play through this loop then go to beginning again once then play through.
This logic gives you lots of choices yet keeps it simple , you virtually need one foot switch that gives you lots of power , to move around a song or loop the now playing section again once only or as many as you choose without needing another switch, permanent looping is not all that useful it just locks you in to a section which you eventually have to get out from , it is handy for short loops, but the selection switch is more useful for longer loops like verses and choruses as you have time to scroll through and select the same section to repeat it, but as i said an arrow to indicate whats happening would be visually useful.
Cheers Damir
