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Electrify NXT adding swing to audio loops...SOLVED :)
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I thought this was worth sharing....thanks to @skipper....
Mixing up and adding swing to your sample loops in NXT...
"Wow, I think I got it !
@skipper thanks for the inspiration and advice.
For a layman like myself I basically did the following...
-Load a 1 bar loop into the looper.
-Above the loop wave file there is the 16/32 beat grid/step sequencer.
-With this set at 16 I select the first of the 16 steps (labelled 1.1 above the grid) and I get a white note/step trigger labelled 1.
-I then tap the wave form immediately below the 2nd step (labelled 1.2) and get the white loop start marker with the top and bottom corners in line with the start of the 2nd step on the wave file.
-I then select the 2nd of the 16 steps (labelled 1.2) and I get a white note/step trigger labelled 2!
-Rinse and repeat for all 16 parts.....you may need to warp some parts into alignment with the step start though....haven't tried yet....
-Each part of the 16 steps selected is numbered 1 to 16 as you select the, on the waveform.
So each time I select a section of the loop with the start marker I am able to set this point to trigger in the step sequencer above it in whatever order I like, and then put my swing on 
Awesome....!!!!"
See thread on NXT forum....@skipper gives a better and more professional explanation, including how to get around the flam effect.
Comments
Very very nice and usefull !! Thanks for sharing it ;-)
Adding swing to loops in Nxt is slightly counter intuitive. I think it's easier to understand by following my example in the linked thread as it's not easy to describe.
Anyone who's used to doing a bit of warping in Abelton Live should get it pretty quickly.
For anyone who's interested in this sort if thing the loop manipulation functions alone in Nxt are probably worth the price of entry.
automatic tempo matching, now with pitch control.
swing quantise of audio (with a bit of manual intervention!)
ability to totally rearrange the loop producing variation
-individual effects chain per loop
quality automation of most functions and effects per loop
modulation of parameters and effects per loop with LFO's and Envelopes
Nxt can probably do more than Live could when I first encountered it (which was longer ago than I care to think!). Sometimes however it's not the most intuitive....
Naw, it sucks.... I want all my money back...
I can well understand why this App wouldn't be for everyone and the release without a manual seems entirely bizarre as there's a lot going on under the hood. I also don't think its usable as a live tool at the moment. The memory issue has pretty much gone but it still crashes occasionally and the auto save function sometimes makes a clip cut out when you go in to edit it. Otherwise it's working ok and I'm happy with the improvement of the concept beyond the original Electrify.
I don't particularly like the effects and Stroke Machine sounds better to my ears but it's also got its issues.
I'm using an iPad 5. Your mileage may vary on other models and on a 3 I suspect it'll be problematic.
See sarcasm above... :-).
I was a big fan of the original Electrify. I was very disappointed when the developer disappeared and stopped supporting the app. So, I was very much surprised and excited that NXT was coming to market.
I don't think that everything about the NXT launch has gone as well is might have been expected, but the app is already perfectly usable for a variety of things, and the developer is being very responsive re. updates/patches. (The latter is a big and welcome change from the old Electrify.)
So, call me an old softy, but I'm ok w going along for the ride, as long as there is a consistent, timely, and effective effort to continually improve the app. If that happens w NXT, it will be a lot more than another apps that have caught much less sh@t that NXT already has.
And NXT is already in an elite class of apps. Seems like it's mostly people who haven't spent some QT w the app that don't already feel that way about it.
A 20 dollar groovebox app didn't have a swing function?
@dj8 sorry, I've had a tough day and the sarcasm went way over my head
I was a little concerned because I'm not trying to say its perfect or that everyone will like it. Just that what it can do with audio loops is quite interesting if you're so inclined. I'm also conscious that I'm just playing around making strange noises where as others have more demanding purposes..
Given the cost and the memory these apps take up people need to be careful before getting on board.
@eyeballjackson said:
Just put your keys in the bowl...
@eyeball Just shows you how easy it is to give the wrong impression. We're talking about swinging an audio loop not a programmed drum loop. Nxt has a powerful groove quantize and swing function. The original question on the Nxt forum was how to apply this to an audio loop.
Unfortunately, NXT has almost drawn criticism by being so forward thinking. But, I agree 100% that the release should have included a detailed manual. This needs to be rectified ASAP.
No problem, @Skipp, I'm not usually like that. I've been baffled, and honestly found it to be a little off putting to see swarms of critiques from people who...wait for it...haven't used the app.
All in all, I think you're assessment is pretty fair/accurate, though I think it's usable now in live settings for certain, albeit limited usages. That should improve quickly w updates. I'm happy to use it w AudioBus. If that's all it did, I'd pay double the current asking price.
@Dj8 That's back to that old question of perspective on cost. I can't remember what Live 2.0 cost but in real terms in today's money it would have been a lot. What any of the heavy hitting Apps we have now can do for the money (if you already have an iPad) is amazing.
I hear ya, @Skipp. I'm not going to try to single-handedly combat the downwardly spiraling app prices driven by App Store economics, and I'm happy to be a fortunate beneficiary of circumstance, but, I try to keep some perspective. Yet, developers have to, well...eat...to continue developing.
I like to think, I hope, that the users and developers of these high end music apps are much more on the same side of the fence than otherwise. We're all driven primarily by a labor of love, not to sound sappy.
Yes there's a chance for exponential wealth building for app developers, but, I don't think that most developers are getting rich from their apps. Users would probably be dismayed at how little some developers make from pretty amazing apps.
Definitely needs a video or manual. I'm having issues with creating Loop Markers... I touch screen on waveform and drag across an area, but when I let go of my finger, the selected range shifts/alters and ends up selecting more of the waveform than I want. (ie. NOT what region I wanted marked!)
Anybody else get this when they drag on Loop Markers?
(I joined the Electrify forums, but couldn't find any way to post my question on the forum - I was able to log in. ?)
Also - when I do get Loop markers on a waveform, I can only move/tweak them afterwards from one end or the other, not both... So sometimes I can't trim off the beginning part of a looped zone, I can only move the sliders on the left side. (also find it difficult to delete loop markers once they've been created... sometimes takes several taps to get it to register.)
I think this app still needs a little bit of polishing - like others have mentioned before... There is quite alot of potential there, but it's a little finicky in some aspects and the workflow doesn't Flow like it should.
The loop marker is placed by a single tap and is limited to 16 sections per bar. Immediately in line with the steps above the waveform.
Imagine the wave cut into 16 equal parts, each one when tapped will snap the loop marker to each parts start.
Each of the 16 parts when selected can be added to the step sequencer above to be triggered in any order.
When you press/hold/drag left/right with your finger tip this stretches the loop by the area outlined creating a warp marker. This stretches/compresses the loop in the direction you start the drag from and from the point you start the drag to the point you let go.
To get rid of the warp marker, double tap the bottom end of the marker.
It is quite fiddly.
Thanks skipp - this helped me work out the loop trigger points thing better
I am happily mashing loops up.
Yeah @Halftone the loop drag thing has so little precision and control that I'm not going near it at the no'
Yes, I agree re. needed updates to touchscreen controls. There are many layers of features on the screens. They may need a few pop-up menus or some other fix to lower the level of precision required to perform certain tasks.
Hopefully NXT developer takes note of this and makes adjustment soon.
thanks guys. didn't know about the single touch - will try later. thanks. any more tips or hints would be much appreciated. maybe a new thread?
@Halftone Just ask if you have any specific problems and I'm sure we'll try to help. Watch out when placing the 16th on the grid. Whilst the Dev talks about slices that doesn't appear to be how it actually works. If you only place one event the loop will play in its entirety starting at the 16th numbered in the event you placed.
It's easier to work with than explain. Try touching the start of the waveform in the loop editor and then touch on every 16th in the event grid above. When you press play it'll play the first 16th of the loop over and over. If you delete every even numbered 16th event it'll play the first 8th over and over. Now touch somewhere else on the wave form where there is a hit and replace some of the events in the timeline above. The number within the event changes from 1 to the 16th event that you touched on. Once you press play and hear that even inserted you should understand how the whole thing works. It's actually really simple but difficult to explain!
@Skoptic Thx! You can use the individual beat swing adjustment lines to make much better sounding and precise warps than you can with the warp markers. If you want to drag a late beat into time ideally select and insert an empty 16th immediately before the late hit and insert it in its proper position in the time grid. Be sure not to create a separate event for the late hit but instead insert an event for the 16th immediately after the hit you are trying to move. Go into Groove and grab the handle for the empty 16th and drag it to the left until your late beat plays on time.
For anyone who uses Ableton, inserting a 16th event at its proper place in the timeline without using swing or groove to change its position is like inserting a warp marker at its actual position in Ableton to pin the audio in place. If you do this either side of an event you want to move in time it protects the rest of the loop from any warping effects caused by your adjustment.
Hope this helps...
Perhaps a video of how to do this would be helpful?
@Skipp, @Halftone, @skopic etc.... I've found a way around the flam effect when shuffling/swinging a loop....
This effectively applies ADSR to each 16th enabling you to reduce each 16th of the loop to a 16th. Then when you apply a little reverb and shuffle it sounds great.
One thing I did notice is that the Release value is very sensitive and hard to get a precise value as a little movement of the finger and it seems to go from zero to full release with very small move of the finger. A little patience and you can get the desired effect but would like to see more precise control of this.
@Dave Nice idea, just shows that with all the tools at our disposal in Nxt there are a variety of ways of tackling the things you might want to achieve. I remember trying this approach and not being able to get it to work. I suspect it was because I tried to use decay rather than release to control where the clip stopped...doh!