Live MIDI looper
Given that -
Old 5 pin MIDI sound modules are affordable and still sound great
Old Win7 hardened laptops are inexpensive but fast enough for MIDI only
An FCB-1010 can provide foot control to start/stop Reaper actions
Here is a custom action that works OK. With wav looping, note on is not a problem. With MIDI, I have to press the foot button and then ricochet the first note so note on is not lost. Quantize sets it to the beat start. (The track is set to quantize at eighth notes.) Tempo Tap is programmed to a CC from the FCB-1010. So far I have to use one pedal to start record, and another to trigger a second custom action to stop it. The FCB-1010 can send one CC on first tap, and another value of the same CC on the second tap. But I haven't yet got Reaper to distinguish between CC 120, value 0 and CC 120, value 127 for example. That would be simpler to have the start/stop on one pedal. I'm thinking of dedicating a pedal to a track. First defines the loop boundary with time selection. Another track would work within that time selection and select the last complete take. Note that "Loop item source" unchecks that item property. Otherwise, the SWS-extension extends the length to match the beats and the track loops back to start for a moment.
Please offer suggestions to improve this looper and share what what you have done to create a live MIDI looper.
Press the FCB pedal, loop start:
Track: Select track 02
Xenakos/SWS: Set selected tracks record armed
SWS: Set transport repeat state
Transport: Go to start of project
Time selection: Remove time selection
SWS: Delete all items on selected track(s)
Transport: Record
{perform some notes}
Press another FCB pedal, Loop end:
Transport: Record
SWS: Quantize item's end to grid (change length)
Item properties: Loop item source
Time selection: set time selection to items
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