Hi Peter and all, i am giving my feedback and thoughts about ST3s looping feature and comparing it to my YAMAHA TYROS 2 looping capability and hopefully guiding some new users to how and why use looping and suggesting some fine tuning if possible.
Generally speaking Looping in ST3 is one of the biggest and best features which actually helps performers on stage be more professional if used correctly, it has its limitations but it definitely delivers in its usefulness.
I use to use my yamaha Keyboard as the backing device for two main reasons it could display lyrics and chords on a screen while it gave me 4 looping points to jump to very similar to what ST3 can do but in the midi domain, which was very hard to impossible to program on the keyboard so a DAW like logic or Cubase had to be used and a very time consuming process to end up with everything we have in ST3 right now, because the songs were in midi format the whole song was broken down in bars which then allowed me to jump to any of the loop points at the end of any bar, now this worked fine as i could jump very quickly to a new pre programmed section of the song but it also meant i had to be very careful when i pushed the new selection as if i went too early or late it didn't stitch together very well, ST3 works differently as you have pre programmed audio sections which you perfectly align so when you hit a new loop it completes one loop and perfectly stitches them together, so this is a big improvement you can never sound bad, yes you haven't got the freedom to quickly go to a new loop but you have certainty it will be perfect, the reason i am pointing this very important point is my keyboard made you think a lot more before hitting a new loop while ST3 lets you relax as the loop change is not every bar after a hit on the loop button which gives you time to be away from your device, so my point is you can play guitar and move around the stage and program the next loop by remote or finger walk away and perform, my Tyros method had me stuck behind the keyboard at all times and made me stress every time i had to change to a new loop as it was very instant.
So Peter as feedback i now do prefer the ST3 looping method much better as it gives me freedom to step away from the iPad , i can select the next loop much earlier and concentrate on the audience , this is a much better thing,
The only major problem with both the Tyros and ST3 is the delayed lyrics screen the Tyros was even worse than ST3, but the issue on stage is as you approach the end of the loop you really need to see the new loops lyrics slightly earlier so your brain is seeing the new information a fraction earlier to be able to smoothly transition to the new loops lyrics, this would greatly help the performer. At the moment even if it didn't delay the lyrics it is too instant and gives no chance for the brain to process the information it needs to jump ahead to the new lyrics point slightly early.
Now i will discuss the various ways you can use looping, the way i see it looping.
The normal way just chop up a backing track and break it down to easily jump around the song.
As a Drum machine, record the basic drum pattern of a song in 1, 2,4,8,16,32 bar sections in a row then segment them in to maximum 12 loops or less in the loop editor, name them colour them and put permanent loops on main sections of songs and no permanent loops on short fill/bridge sections , this allows great control of drums only you can sync the lyrics in to blocks so when you select a verse1 drum pattern you actually get that verse lyrics as well you can either timecode the lyrics lines or just make it jump to a lyrics block, this would be perfect for musicians needing a drummer backing but still run free to any part of the song but with the advantage other conventional drum machines cant do and that is supply you with lyrics / chords as well.
Finally the other very useful feature is using looping as a page turner for performers that don't use backing at all but just want an easy way to see any part of the song they need, i personally would load up the original full audio song in to a standard stereo file on ST3 split it in to sections required colour and label the sections load the lyrics and time code the beginning of all parts like verses choruses, i would not even bother with time-stamping the lines as that could be off-putting if you are running free as you don't want any distractions but you have the option to just hit the loop section you need and presto you have that block section of the song lyrics/chords you need, this method is great as you can always use that original audio file to practice with but you don't need to use it when performing freely with a band or solo yet you have your lyrics at hand and freedom to quickly jump to any part and if you run the muted audio track it will automatically jump to the appropriate part of the song but not totally lock you in to a fixed tempo.
So these are just 3 basic ways you can use ST3 looping i can think of ah there is another use for it,
It can be used very nicely as an AUTO CUE if you need a prompt as you have a speech to make you can record your speech load in the file segment it load in the text time stamp it and have it segmented in to 12 sections with major points broken down colour code and label them and you have a very practical autocue system for presentations or wedding speeches or even television presenting, the usefulness is up to your imagination.
All these needs i have had in my life so far but ST3 was not around if only i had this tool years earlier.
Hope this little feedback has opened up some eyes to be able to use ST3 in a better way to suit your needs.
Sometimes you need to STOP , and think , is there a better way than what I'm doing right now , is midi control of that light going to be justifiable or should i spend that time practicing my solo or vocal chords instead.
Any more feedback and ideas are welcome so i can get better use of ST3, hey Peter when will it wash dishes for me 🤪