Tape Loops

[frank olivieri]

Guitarist Robert Fripp had a really interesting tape loop setup. He used 2 Revox reel to reels with the loop going from one to the other with about 2 feet in between. The first recorder recorded and the second played back. Add sound on sound and the echo capabilities built in to these units and it was just great.

On Thu, 19 Aug 1999 20:04:06 -0700 Sean Costello <costello at seanet.com> wrote:
>
>
>Grant Muller wrote:
>> 
>>     I know this is not really synthesizer related, but I'd like to get into
>> to tape loops, or atleast know how all of it works. I know virtually nothing
>> on the topic, so please start simple.
>
>Basically, a tape loop is just a loop of recording tape, that plays over
>and over again on a reel-to-reel tape machine. If you want to experiment
>with this, just go to some garage sales, and look for some reel-to-reel
>recording equipment. Record some short snippets on reel-to-reel tape,
>cut it up with a razor blade, and splice the ends of the snippets
>together to form some loops.  Loops can be really small, or can stretch
>around the room (use mike stands or the like to maintain tension for
>large loops).  Any book on electronic music from the 1970's should have
>information on this topic.
>
>Another form of tape loop music would be echo-based music, that uses a
>tape loop that is recorded on by one tape head, and has a playback head
>further down the loop. The wider the distance between the tape heads
>(and the slower the tape speed), the longer the echo. This is something
>I'd like to experiment with, from a DIY standpoint. One of these days I
>will hit the garage sales again and look for broken reel-to-reel
>equipment to experiment with.
>
>Of course, all of this stuff can be done far more easily with computers
>and samplers nowadays. Still, working in the physical realm with tape
>and razor blades and such is a very satisfying process. I probably don't
>need to argue the merits of the physical realm in music making to people
>on these lists. :)  The types of experimentation that can be done with
>the tape itself seem interesting, if you don't mind destroying some
>tapes in the process. The cheaper your gear is, the more likely you will
>feel comfortable doing some radical explorations with it, that could
>yield cool results (tapes left out in the rain, messing with magnetism,
>who knows what).
>
>Sean Costello
>

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