Midi Sync with Infinity Looper

[Punkyboy]

@James L Builteman

Anyone tried this out yet? I haven’t had time to mess with it.

No problem with it, work fine !

[Hamburglin]

Hey All,

I need help and I think only people using a beat buddy with midi sync + a looper will understand.

I want to lay down simple guitar tracks while playing to a metronome and have them loop. Might be 4 bars, might be 8, whatever. However, I need them to line up perfectly on time to the beat whether I tap the looper a record button at the right millisecond or not.

After that I want to just drum on top of the perfectly measured loops. This is an incredible hassle when using a simple looper peddle because there is a pause or jerk at the end of each loop (because I’m human and not perfect at tapping the record button on time). No better way to throw a drum beat off.

Will beat buddy + midi sync + a looper that slaves to midi sync accomplish what I need? People do not seem to understand what I’m asking in other forums. I want a subset of what a DAW can do (tracking on perfectly timed measures) but I want it quick and dirty and perfectly loopable so I can jam (drum) on top of it.

[James_L_Builteman]

@Hamburglin

Hey All,

I need help and I think only people using a beat buddy with midi sync + a looper will understand.

I want to lay down simple guitar tracks while playing to a metronome and have them loop. Might be 4 bars, might be 8, whatever. However, I need them to line up perfectly on time to the beat whether I tap the looper a record button at the right millisecond or not.

After that I want to just drum on top of the perfectly measured loops. This is an incredible hassle when using a simple looper peddle because there is a pause or jerk at the end of each loop (because I’m human and not perfect at tapping the record button on time). No better way to throw a drum beat off.

Will beat buddy + midi sync + a looper that slaves to midi sync accomplish what I need? People do not seem to understand what I’m asking in other forums. I want a subset of what a DAW can do (tracking on perfectly timed measures) but I want it quick and dirty and perfectly loopable so I can jam (drum) on top of it.

The Pigtronix Infinity Looper syncs perfectly with Beat Buddy. It does exactly what you are asking for. There are many setup options that allow flexibility in this regard. The Boomerang is supposed to as well but I have no personal experience with that one. The Ditto x4 syncs but the options are much more limited – you could research that one as it is cheaper than those others. I don’t think people are having good luck with the Boss or Digitech loopers but maybe this has changed.

[persist]

@James L Builteman

The Pigtronix Infinity Looper syncs perfectly with Beat Buddy. It does exactly what you are asking for. There are many setup options that allow flexibility in this regard. The Boomerang is supposed to as well but I have no personal experience with that one. The Ditto x4 syncs but the options are much more limited – you could research that one as it is cheaper than those others. I don’t think people are having good luck with the Boss or Digitech loopers but maybe this has changed.

Hi, James. It sounds like you’re an Infinity Looper and BB user. If this is correct, can you share your BB midi settings as well as your looper settings from the Infinity app? Hope this isn’t too much to ask, but it could help several of us that are “settings challenged.”

[Hamburglin]

I have another question then -

Are there products that take live looping AND tracking of those loops to the next level? I’d really like to be able to track things live without touching a computer or DAW, and it should be based around looping of those tracks. It would simply be a “nice to have” product to lay down ideas and create quick music while sitting next to your instrument and jam buddies.

[persist]

@Hamburglin

I have another question then -

Are there products that take live looping AND tracking of those loops to the next level? I’d really like to be able to track things live without touching a computer or DAW, and it should be based around looping of those tracks. It would simply be a “nice to have” product to lay down ideas and create quick music while sitting next to your instrument and jam buddies.

Within a single piece of hardware or multiple pieces of hardware? Not sure this is really the best forum for the answer you’re looking for.

[Hamburglin]

@persist

Within a single piece of hardware or multiple pieces of hardware? Not sure this is really the best forum for the answer you’re looking for.

Single or multiple is fine by me.

[James_L_Builteman]

Well I have gotten back to the Infinity Looper. I am trying to upgrade the firmware but not sure it’s working. I don’t see the toggle for “Ignore MIDI clock” after I upgrade. The Pigtronix blog says its supposed to the there. Also, which is the most current, 203 or 211? I would think 211. Help please from someone who’s done this.

[persist]

Hi, James. When the Infinity powers up, it will display 210 (which appears to be the latest version) in the preset window.

The Ignore Midi Clock checkbox is in the application Global Boot Settings. See screen shot.

[James_L_Builteman]

Thank you. I can see I’m still stuck on 203.

[persist]

@James L Builteman

Thank you. I can see I’m still stuck on 203.

Are you trying to apply an automatic or a manual firmware update? Make sure you are using the latest Infinity application:
“The easiest way to update your Infinity is to connect it to your computer via USB, run the Pigtronix-Infinity application, Select “Tools->Update Firmware” from the menu bar, Left-Click the “Automatic” button, close the application, disconnect the Infinity from your computer, and then Power Cycle the Infinity while holding “INPUT SPLIT.”

[James_L_Builteman]

Got it finally. Yes needed to update the application. And I manually pasted the file into the right folder. Thanks for the help – pulling my hair out. I think that Pigtronix should steal a software engineer from Line 6!

[persist]

LOL. Glad you sorted it out.

[RaineMakerMusic]

@James L Builteman

Well I have gotten back to the Infinity Looper. I am trying to upgrade the firmware but not sure it’s working. I don’t see the toggle for “Ignore MIDI clock” after I upgrade. The Pigtronix blog says its supposed to the there. Also, which is the most current, 203 or 211? I would think 211. Help please from someone who’s done this.

the update is 211

[RaineMakerMusic]

@James L Builteman

Got it finally. Yes needed to update the application. And I manually pasted the file into the right folder. Thanks for the help – pulling my hair out. I think that Pigtronix should steal a software engineer from Line 6!

The most definitely NEED a software engineer…The infinity is driving me nuts

[Louis]

@James L Builteman

Thank you for the replies.
I have updated the firmware on both units. Yes I am using the MIDI cable and the IL picks up the clock. The light blinks in time, it starts and stops at the right place on cue from the BB. If I create a loop of 8 bars or so it keeps up just fine. I will create a rhythm guitar track going into one stereo input and then immediatley overdub a bass line using the POG octave pedal into the other stereo input. If I create a long loop that contains the verse and chorus of a song it does ok for two or three cycles and then on each reset it is more and more out of sync. I have tried many combinations of MIDI settings using the IL software and successfully sent them to the pedal, including the important “Turn off MIDI notes” setting. I am using Series mode, creating a short loop on Loop 1 for intro and the long loop on Loop 2. But I recreated the problem just using Loop 1. Sometimes it is worse than others. If I power down and reset everything that seems to help for a time.

[Louis]

@James L Builteman

Thank you for the replies.
I have updated the firmware on both units. Yes I am using the MIDI cable and the IL picks up the clock. The light blinks in time, it starts and stops at the right place on cue from the BB. If I create a loop of 8 bars or so it keeps up just fine. I will create a rhythm guitar track going into one stereo input and then immediatley overdub a bass line using the POG octave pedal into the other stereo input. If I create a long loop that contains the verse and chorus of a song it does ok for two or three cycles and then on each reset it is more and more out of sync. I have tried many combinations of MIDI settings using the IL software and successfully sent them to the pedal, including the important “Turn off MIDI notes” setting. I am using Series mode, creating a short loop on Loop 1 for intro and the long loop on Loop 2. But I recreated the problem just using Loop 1. Sometimes it is worse than others. If I power down and reset everything that seems to help for a time.

Hi, James,
I wonder if the infinity + BB as you did would work OK for the following: create a very long loop while playing the whole lead guitar track of “satisfaction” (around 80 measures) , and then play the loop while I am playing the rhythm guitar and singing. The long loop will play only once. Based on your experience, will the loop stay in time with the BB once ?

Best regards, Louis

[Jefthe]

Hello every one! I need help! After having all this trobles trying to sync my BB with the infinity looper, I tried recently to update the firmware on both, now, not even the arrows showing the midi connection disappear! OH MY GOD! what have I done wrong??? Can some one help me with that???

[Jefthe]

Ps: I’m sure I’m not the most experienced user of both pedals, but it seems to me that every one has the same kind of troubles using them??? And that for quite a while now??

[persist]

Hi Jefthe. Not clear as to what’s happening. Have you successfully updated the f/w on both pedals? Which one are you having problems with?

I’ll test my BB pedal with 2.0.4 later today with the Infinity. When I tested the beta 2.0.4 f/w a while back with the BB and the Infinity, I did not notice any issues. They synched just fine.

Usually, users that are having problems with their BB and loopers post their issues here. Those users that have fixed their problems or don’t have any problems tend not to post to the forum.