recording with modifiers
a guide to blooper’s stranger side
hello!
Welcome to the deep end. Recording with modifiers is the most rewarding and challenging part of blooper.
This stuff is not as complicated as it might look and you don’t have to understand it to bloop. But it does help, and it’s actually kind of cool.
blooper really is an odd, little tape machine, and getting to know how it operates will go a long way for you.
Set up your blooper, take your time, and feel amaze.

the two-headed anomaly
understanding time modifiers:
The trickiest part of working with modifiers is understanding what happens when you start messing with time. This includes obvious
modifiers like Speed, but also things like Scrambler, Stutter, and Stretcher. Anything that interrupts the normal progress of the loop.

All loopers and delays use two different “heads” to achieve their effect. The name comes from tape machines – the record head puts soundinformation on to the tape, and the play head translates it back into sound. Even modern delays and loopers work like this, just without the tape.

time-based
modifiers

non-time-basedmodifiers- Speed- Trimmer- Stutter- Stretcher- Scrambler- Stopper(tape stop side)- Dropper- Swapper- Filter- Pitcher- Stopper(fade out side)

The thing is, with other loopers the two heads are always in the same place. They are basically attached together. Not blooper.
When you use modifiers that mess with time, you split the two heads up.

the important rule:
The record head is always steady. It always moves forward, at real-time speed. It is dependable. Nothing you do will change its behaviour,
all you can do is tell it to record, or not.
If things are getting zany, it’s always the play head’s fault. And the good news: that’s under your control. Time-based modifiers essentiallychange the behaviour of the play head.
Let’s look at a scenario, using ADD mode:

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Notes:
1. The record headis always steady,moving forward
at real-timespeed.

filter on

We start by recording a loop, and acouple overdubs. No modifiers areon. At this point blooper is like anyother looper – the two heads are
moving along together, perfectly insync.

Now we turn on the Filter modifier
and record a couple more overdubs.
No problem, Filter – along withDropper, Pitcher and Swapper – do
not affect time. The two heads
remain in sync, and you havenothing to worry about.

speed on(reverse)

Now we turn on Speed, set to go inreverse. Uh oh. There it goes. Even
though the record head is still
moving steadily along, you’rehearing a different part of the loop.

speed on(reverse)

Now we record the modifier intothe loop. Notice that what isrecorded depends on the playhead’s location, but where it’srecorded depends on the record
head’s location. They’re not in thesame place. You may wind up
overdubbing one part of your loop
into another!

So you can see why things may get weird – even though the record head is steady, what you hear is the play head.
It’s a bit of an anomaly, but it’s necessary to do all the fun things blooper can do. It also introduces some opportunity and flexibility.
Let’s talk about how to use it.

1

Once the modifier is turned off, thetwo heads immediately go back insync.

2. Time modifiers
will cause theplay head andrecord head togo out of sync.
3. The play head
will always goback in sync
once the modifier
is turned off.

additive
This is where things get interesting. What separates Additive from Normal mode is that the Modifiers and Stability are recorded into your audio,
allowing for all kinds of unique transformations and evolving loops. There are a few useful things to know.

Tip:
The fixed length has its advantages. For loops
that are synced or rhythmic, it allows you tofreely record modifiers without worrying about
your loop going out of sync. You can be surethat it stays the exact same length, no matter
what kind of weird things you do.

the fixed length

This is a big one. Once you set the loop length with your original recording, it will never change. Ever, no matter what. You can think of
it like a container – you can change the contents, but the container is always the same size. This can lead to some surprising behaviours
when you start changing the speed of your loop.
Here's why:

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2.

3.

3 seconds

A similar experience willoccur if you speed up theloop, but instead of being
squeezed out it will start torepeat. If you record a 2x
speed modifier, your loop
will now actually place
twice over the course ofone loop.

3 secondsx

6 seconds

3 seconds!

2x
half speed on

We record a 3 second loop

We turn on the Stepped Speed
modifier, and set it to half-speed.
Our loop will now actually take 6
seconds to play

half speed on
2x speed on

We perform a one-shot recording.

Because the loop was slowed by half, and the loop length doesn’t change, we essentially lose half the loop when
we record. It can’t fit. Any time you record with the speed slowed down, a certain amount of your recording willbe “squeezed out” of the loop.
We’ve implemented an optional feature to make this easier to navigate: Additive Assist.

additive assist

free recording(default setting)?

?
?

This feature lets you preview exactly how a recording will sound when you perform a
one-shot recording. It does this by resetting the play head whenever the record head reaches
the beginning of the loop. This means that you essentially get a pattern – no matter what
modifiers you have on, the loop will be the same each time. You can tweak the modifiers andget things just right, then perform a one-shot recording when you’re ready.

In this case, the play head and record head will continuously drift apart. Thismeans that the longer a modifier is on, the harder it is to know exactly whereyou’re recording. This approach is useful if you want to embrace the unexpected.

Tip:

You can engage / disengage Additive Assist using the BLIP interface:(Link forthcoming)

If you prefer Free Recording, you can use the loop reset LED to help keep track of therecord head. It will blink whenever the record head reaches the beginning of the loop.

overdubbing techniques
There are a few different ways to approach overdubbing in Additive mode. Each one is useful in its own way.

one-shotpunch-inrecord off
modifier off

One-shot essentially allows you to print modifiers
neatly into your loop. It overdubs for exactly one
loop length, then automatically stops recording
and turns the modifier off. This way you canprecisely record effects without having to get thetiming just right.
(One-shot recording is engaged by holding therecord footswitch briefly. You’ll know it’s on if therecord LED is blinking).

accumulation

modifier button on

A way to guarantee precise results in Additivemode is to perform a punch-in. A punch-in is a
short overdub, best performed in this order:
1. Start overdubbing
2. Briefly engage modifier
3. Stop overdubbing
Start recording first, then engage the modifier.
You can be relaxed about when you start andstop overdubbing, because the audio won’t bealtered until you turn the modifier on. The benefitof this approach is that you know exactly where
the record head is, allowing you to put themodified audio specifically where you want it.
Great for placing unique moments and blips into
your loop.

This approach involves leaving a (generally mild)
modifier on while you overdub, causing your loop to
steadily evolve over time.
1. Record a loop
2. Turn up Stability
3. Start overdubbing
In this case, Stability will gradually make your loop
sound older and more disheveled. It will begin towobble, lose frequencies, and get noisier, like a tapemachine wearing out in real-time.
You can also apply this approach in more radicalways. For example, steadily recording Stutter orTrimmer will cause your loop to be sliced into
smaller and smaller parts.
What’s interesting about this approach is that you
can play new notes as you go, which will appear
fresh and start the cycle all over, an interestingalternative to Frippertronics-style looping.

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normalThings are more straightforward in Normal mode. Modifiers will not be recorded into your loop, which means that it will always be stable. But if you’re overdubbing with time modifiers on,
you will likely find your new audio lands in unexpected places. This is because the play head – the thing you are playing along to – will be in a different place than where you’re recording.
Let’s look at a good ol’ scenario:

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2.

3.

Naturally, you will be playing along to what you hear. But look where
the record head is – this is where your playing is actually being
recorded. There’s a disconnect.
For straightforward looping, the best way to manage this is by turning
off time-based modifiers before you overdub. But using this to youradvantage can be an interesting process of discovery.
half speed on

You have a loop in place, andall is well

You turn on a half-speed modifier

half speed on

You start overdubbing

Normal mode presents some unexpected experimental possibilities:

mystery looping
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?

!

?

!

play area

trimmer on

Record a loop

Turn on Trimmer, adjust totaste

trimmer on

Record some overdubs

trimmer off

Turn off Trimmer

Turning off Trimmer suddenly reveals your whole loop, and the overdubs you’ve been recording. They could be anywhere!
It’s a great way to build surprise and chance into your looping process, but in a structured way.

Here’s another idea that puts a spin on a popular technique:all slow
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2.

3.

1/2 speed

1/2 speed on

Record a loop

Turn on Stepped Speed, set tohalf-speed

trimmer on

Begin overdubbing

Notice that everything – including your new overdubs – play at half-speed. This behaviour is unique to Blooper, allowing you to build up aslow soundscape over time while you live playing naturally stays in the forefront.

end
There you have it: Recording with modifiers. There’s a lot to discover, and this stuff just takes time and experience.
Try out the different scenarios, and see where they lead you. Hope this was helpful.

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