[REQ] Per-track loop points

This has probably been requested a ton before but I'm just throwing it back out there. Many other sequencers allow loops of varying lengths, synced to the longest loop.

But I think that sounds a bit complicated and its much simpler to think of all tracks being the same length (ie. the number of bars in the sequence), but that you can set different loop points on each.

For example:
- Sequence length = 16 bars, Loop from bar 1 to 16 (16 bars)
- Track 1 Loop from bar 1 to 4 (4 bars)
- Track 2 Loop from bar 5 to 12 (8 bars)
- Track 3 Loop from bar 1 to 8 (8 bars)

So what happens here?

When PLAY is pressed, all 3 tracks start playing from their loop start points. Track 1 plays 4 times (4+4+4+4=16), and tracks 2 and 3 play twice (8+8=16).

Ok, so that's fairly straightforward. But what happens if someone chooses an odd number of bars like this:

- Sequence length = 16 bars, Loop from bar 1 to 16 (16 bars)
- Track 1 Loop from bar 1 to 5 (5 bars)
- Track 2 Loop from bar 1 to 7 (7 bars)
- Track 3 Loop from bar 10 to 12 (3 bars)

Basically, the tracks keep looping until the end of the sequence is reached and when it starts again from the first bar, so do all the tracks. So track 1 gets through 3 whole loops and then 1 more bar (5+5+5+1=16). Track 2 gets through 2 whole loops and then 2 more bars (7+7+2=16) etc.

This is probably a massive amount of work since you're adding a whole bunch of logic to the playback system (I guess?) but it would be really handy..

Or maybe I should just enjoy copying/pasting bars since it is so easy now :p

So no comments?

Presumably because this is a feature that would take too much work to add?

we often cannot guess how difficult a feature would be to add...
i like the idea and it has been requested before, but personally i am very accustomed to simply copying stuff in order to loop it so my interests go toward other requests...

Superpowerface wrote:So no comments?
Or maybe I should just enjoy copying/pasting bars since it is so easy now :p

Its easy enough

I just think this would have implications for live performance. Right now if I have a 4-bar loop going on track 1 and want to add an accompaniment on track 2 I have to record a full 4 bars of me playing (which is fine, room for variation and all that).

It's my fault... I keep thinking of the MPC as a live tool when I should be thinking of it as a studio instrument. :/

Superpowerface wrote:I just think this would have implications for live performance. Right now if I have a 4-bar loop going on track 1 and want to add an accompaniment on track 2 I have to record a full 4 bars of me playing (which is fine, room for variation and all that).

It's my fault... I keep thinking of the MPC as a live tool when I should be thinking of it as a studio instrument. :/

superpowerface.
yeah i said you can do this in the other thread bout patterns.

Just gotta make em, is all. Then you can stack as many loops as you want all live. And it does not matter the length as mostly talking just bar lengths not less than a bar. If it is a fraction of a bar then you have to copy and paste till it fills a bar or two so as it can be made into a pattern with out a silent third of a bar or something.
So yeah make a banging track make some patterns and play it out live.

The biggest problem is the odd numbers matching the even bars some times, so if i play 4 of 3 its 12 but that only 3 of 4 so repeat till we get up to what is 128 then you get a a even repeat of both. but that does not matter live cos your not gonna count em all. just go by feel or song structure or backing track used

I wanted to post a separate request but I think it would fit into this topic.

Basically a fast way to convert a track to a pattern and have it assigned to a pad. Right now in order to to that you gotta do quite a bit of button pressing, I'd love to have a fast way to do it, like with audio samples in RECORD mode or in LOOPER mode. e.g. you'd record a track, push a button or maybe a combination of two buttons and you'd get a window asking you to what pad to assign the pattern. The default for which bars you wanna be transformed into the patter would be set according to the loop setting of the sequence. Would also be cool if you could adjust the first and last bar of the pattern with the Q-Link sliders.

Superpowerface wrote:I just think this would have implications for live performance.

I think you are right and I always liked the idea (as Nym said, not a new request) but I've never heard anything from camp JJ as far as how difficult it would be to implement. One thing that gives me pause is that as far as I know that's one of those features that's never been available in MPC territory so it's possible a major overhaul might be needed to make that a reality on this platform.

Yamaha RS7000 will do it... probably some others that escape my memory at the moment....

bliprock wrote:yeah i said you can do this in the other thread bout patterns.

Just gotta make em, is all. Then you can stack as many loops as you want all live. And it does not matter the length as mostly talking just bar lengths not less than a bar. If it is a fraction of a bar then you have to copy and paste till it fills a bar or two so as it can be made into a pattern with out a silent third of a bar or something.
So yeah make a banging track make some patterns and play it out live.

For sure I need to check out patterns, they seem really powerful and I've been ignoring them (hell, I should try making a decent track or two the old-fashioned way first.)

I'm thinking the feature is too difficult to implement as it likely requires a huge rewrite of the sequencer logic and keeping track of individual track playhead positions etc.