Home › Forums › Help/Technical Questions › Loading a Drum Loop into the 2880

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  • August 31, 2011 at 1:10 am #81832
    opus111
    Member

    Hello again,

    I’d like to create a Drum Loop on my Mac, and load it into the 2880

    I want to start with the Drum Loop as Track 1, and then use the 2880 to layer on guitar, bass etc.

    I tried copying my Drum Loop WAV file to TRACK1.WAV, but it didn’t work.

    What is the proper procedure for doing this?

    Thanks
    Peter

    August 31, 2011 at 2:06 am #115643
    opus111
    Member

    I am going to start answering my own question, for the good of those that come after…

    Here is the process so far.

    Push New Loop reinitializing TRACK1…4.WAV and TRACKM.WAV

    Create your Drum Loop as mono 44.1kz 16bps Microsoft WAV file.

    TRACK1..4.WAV are mono, TRACKM.WAV is stereo.

    Copy your loop to TRACK1.WAV, TRACK2.WAV, TRACK3.WAV and TRACK4.WAV. The track files must the same length, and duplicating the loop is an easy way to ensure this.

    Set the Tempo slider all the way to the bottom, and alter TEMPO.TXT so that bpm=60.0. The 2880 assumes that the loop was recorded with the slider at the Tempo slider at the current position. Changing the slider or TEMPO.TXT will change the pitch and speed of your Drum Loop. Setting the slider at the bottom makes this matching easy.

    Select Track1..4 and overdub/add layers.

    Enjoy

    Hey, EHX… It would be really great to add a HOWTO section to the manual. I’m sure lots of users want to do this.

    P

    August 31, 2011 at 1:03 pm #115620
    Cryabetes
    Participant

    really? It’s only track one that determines length? I swear i’ve run into problems where track 1/2/3/4 not being the same length as every other track has produced no play conditions.

    August 31, 2011 at 2:14 pm #115625
    opus111
    Member

    Hi again Cryabetes,

    Well, I only got the unit yesterday. So, I’m sure you know much more than me :-)

    Are you saying that TRACK1.WAV .. TRACK4.WAV all have to be the same length? And if you clobber TRACK1.WAV you also have to clobber the others so they match length?

    How you load a Drum Loop? Do you have an approved procedure?

    Thanks
    P

    August 31, 2011 at 3:33 pm #115628
    Cryabetes
    Participant

    yeah I export the drum track [or whatever i’m using] from my DAW with the volume optimized for playback [peaking at -0.0db] and then export the same file with the volume muted for the rest of the tracks.
    Either that or just duplicate the drum track and erase the rest on the unit [by pressing record with their volume fader on and waiting].

    and I make tempo.txt either 60bpm if I’m not using the drum machines [which is the slider all the way at the bottom] or whatever BPM i’m using on the drum machines (EXT Clock mode). I could probably also get some interesting detuning by making it close to the BPM I’m using (say the midi clock is at 136 BPM, change the tempo.txt file to 135BPM).

    This is just my way to do it though. I’m sure there’re others.

    August 31, 2011 at 3:51 pm #115630
    opus111
    Member

    Ah very cool!

    I have added your fixes to the procedure above.

    Thank you again
    P

    August 31, 2011 at 4:14 pm #115595
    Cryabetes
    Participant

    oh also one other thing – new loop is like a ‘prepare to initialize’ button – you can press new loop again to cancel out of the new loop thing and still have your old loop. and for loading in files, as long as you’re double checking everything on the card, you don’t need to press ‘new loop’ first.

    September 1, 2011 at 12:21 am #115603
    opus111
    Member

    Gah! Still haven’t got it right… I am getting halting :-(

    I am copying the same mono file to Track1..4.WAV and a stereo version to TRACKM.wav

    $ cp Triplet.wav /Volumes/NO NAME/TRACK1.WAV
    $ cp Triplet.wav /Volumes/NO NAME/TRACK2.WAV
    $ cp Triplet.wav /Volumes/NO NAME/TRACK3.WAV
    $ cp Triplet.wav /Volumes/NO NAME/TRACK4.WAV
    $ cp TripletStereo.wav /Volumes/NO NAME/TRACKM.WAV

    My Tempo slider is all the way at the bottom, and my TEMPO.TXT look like this…

    Tempo is 60.000 bpm.

    I fade up Track 1 and push Play. The drump loop sounds OK.

    I select Track 2 and push Record. I play my guitar and then push Record again.

    I don’t hear my recording, and then a few seconds later the looping stops. Pushing Play then does nothing. I think the 2880 has crashed and is rebooting. Some time later pushing Play starts the drum loop again.

    After, restarting Play after the reboot, it goes through the loop a couple of times and then stops on its own. I am able to push push Play this time, however.

    Do I need to unmount the 2880 and unplug the USB? Unplugging seems to help. I don’t seem to get the halting when the unit is unplugged from my Mac. BTW I am using a Mac.

    Also, what is the relationship between the TRACK1..4 and TRACKM files. Can I just download a TRACKM.WAV and have the 2880 create appropriate TRACK1..4 files? Do I need a TRACKM? Do I need TRACK1..4? Or both? I guess I don’t yet understand what depends on what.

    Finally, I see references to 2.0 software coming. Is this for real, and will it make this task easier and more robust?

    Thanks
    P

    September 1, 2011 at 2:40 pm #115604
    Cryabetes
    Participant

    I’m hoping that’d be fixed with the 2.0 software.
    and I never use my usb , so yeah i’m guessing the crashing is because the computer is trying to read the files that the 2880 is reading and they’re getting in eachothers way.

    So far as I know, you have to have all five .wav files and the tempo filled to load stuff in.

    September 1, 2011 at 2:53 pm #115610
    opus111
    Member

    I am sad to say that I just returned the 2880. I couldn’t get my pedal to control it, and I found the computer interface just too clunky (and slow).

    My primary need was for a computer device, and the 2880 just doesn’t do it for me.

    I’m going to try Ableton Live now. Maybe I’ll see you on some other forum.

    Nice to meet you, and thank you for the help.

    P

    September 1, 2011 at 2:56 pm #115611
    Cryabetes
    Participant

    no problem. I’m on fb if you want to friend me and talk about music or whatever. Sorry it didn’t work out for you.

    ps- you may want to look into the Looperlative if you need a little more computer based solution and Live isn’t cutting it.

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