Basic function mapping

CharlesiNsti

Hi, I'm Carlos, new to this looper. Is whether it's possible to have the record/play/overdub option on a single button, or if I need to use more than one. And above all, what's the most reasonable or common option? Thanks in advance. Sorry for my lack of knowledge; I find it an interesting feature and want to learn how to use it correctly. I can take some time learning; I just want to find the right approach.

alexs1

CharlesiNsti

Welcome, Carlos!

There’s a lot of possibility with what you can do with Mobius, especially with MSL (the scripting language). It does take time to learn, but there are resources you can access (you already found one on the forum) for getting into it.

The answer to your question is yes, and a follow up: how do you want to set it up specifically? It would help if you describe a bit more with the stuff you use (which controller type, etc.). And what build are you running (standalone or plugin on what O.S.)?

CharlesiNsti

Hi Alex! Thank you so much for your reply! And greetings to this community as well! I'll briefly explain: I've been researching live looping software for days. After many attempts, I found Mobius, and from what I can see, it's the most stable, flexible, and interesting. I'm looking to develop my own live looping workflow. I really should have asked beforehand how experienced users/musicians handle this function (rec/play/overdub), as I might be approaching it incorrectly. I'll briefly explain my objective; perhaps you can offer some recommendations based on your experience. The reason I'm asking is that I have a Boss RC-300 (which has rec/play/overdub on each of its three pedals). At the time, I thought it was impressive hardware, and I'm not saying it isn't, but in some ways, it's limited. I'd like to be able to create loop layers on one track, then on another, and then on another, but I'd also like to change sections, so that I can develop an idea that I can change (part A, part B, etc., or intro/verse/chorus, etc.). I'm not expecting an immediate answer to this; I'm just commenting to provide some context. Thanks in advance to everyone.

alexs1

CharlesiNsti

Sweet, thanks for the info. A lot of learning how to use Mobius involves searching the forum for examples, and crosschecking the old 2.0 Documentation (which gives you a full list of all the functions) with the official 3.0 documentation. 3.0 introduced a new scripting language (MSL, whereas 2.0 has MOS), which isn't fully mapped out yet in the documentation, but if you're good with context clues you'll be able to pick up on it through forum examples. Between those three resources and trial-and-error with your own setup, you should be able to find a flow that suits your needs. It really helps to explore!

So, working on build 47 as a plugin, here's an example for an MSL script for a record/play/overdub button.

#name record/play/overdub
if mode == :reset Record if mode == :record Play if mode == :Play Overdub if mode == :Overdub Play

1) Right click Mob UI > scripts > editor > paste this script (right click to paste), then save. You can hit "Run" in the editor too if you want to test it in action before trying with a controller.
2) Assuming you already have your MIDI device set up to send messages to Mobius via Reaper, right click Mob UI > Bindings > Manage > Right click Binding Set > Add new (name it whatever).
3) Find the record/play/overdub script in the second column and drag it over to the right column. It brings up a window where you can assign it to whatever pad or button you want to use on your controller. As a shortcut, you can use "Capture" and press the trigger to assign it.
4) Exit Bindings, right click Mob UI, then under "Binding Overlays" make sure whatever you named the Set has a check mark by it.
5) Now, when you press that trigger on any track, it will run that script and emulate the Boss RC-300.
6) (optional) set your tracks up to sync to each other how you'd like based on syncronization settings.

That's essentially how to do the trigger.

As for changing from part A to part B, there are several approaches you can try. I'd look into what is called Loop Switching and read up from there. There's a possibility you run into a minor bug in b47 while doing this, which I've reported, so hopefully it'll be fixed soon.

At any rate, please Share Your Content when you get it up and running and make something cool!

CharlesiNsti

I forgot to mention that my idea is to control everything with Nektar Pacer, which has 10 configurable pedals, and you can even switch pages/presets quickly so that the pedals themselves can change functions or MIDI messages. I also have a Reloop Keyfadr surface controller, which adds to its usefulness. My goal is to avoid Ableton and use Reaper; if I can create an ecosystem with these features and it proves stable, that would be ideal for me.

CharlesiNsti

Thank you so much, Alex! For taking the time to reply. The information you provided is very valuable, and I definitely need to invest some time in experimenting. I will carefully test the configuration you suggested.

CharlesiNsti

It worked!!!! I can't believe it!! How wonderful!! I'm a happy old kid!!

alexs1

CharlesiNsti

Okay, that was great, and thank you so much! After playing around for a while, I wanted to sync the tempo with the host, and so far I haven't been able to find a working configuration. It turns out that while it's not synced, it loops perfectly, but when I try host sync settings, the pedal stops responding. This is what happens when you try to get the AI to help you; it's literally left me in a dead end... I don't mean to bother you, I just understand that this is the right place to ask questions and share user experiences. While I'm trying to read both manuals, the process is rather long and intensive. I've been messing around with the parameters in the session editor, but I can't get the pedal to work. I'm sure others have already encountered this problem. Which section of the manual do you recommend I read to check this? Thanks in advance!

alexs1

CharlesiNsti It turns out that while it's not synced, it loops perfectly, but when I try host sync settings, the pedal stops responding.

Could you let us know which host sync settings in particular you're trying? The more specific, the easier it is to help.

CharlesiNsti Which section of the manual do you recommend I read to check this?

This part of the 2.0 documentation still holds up and would be the key section to read for Host Sync. A few things have changed around it since 2.0, but that should give you the bare essentials.

What I would do first is right click UI > Sessions > Edit > Default Parameters > Sync and make sure Sync Source = Host and Sync Record Unit = Beat (or Bar). That should set all your tracks to synchronize to Host tempo by default (you can always override defaults per/track by left-clicking on these settings in the Sessions > Tracks section so it becomes orange instead of gray). I don't know Reaper well enough if there is some special way plugins disable/enable "receive Transport" or "receive Clock," but it couldn't hurt to make sure the plugin is actually receiving tempo from your DAW in the first place. You'll see Mobius respond by showing the tempo of the host if it's working. If you press Record in Mob before hitting Play in Reaper, it will say "Synchronize" in Mob until you start Reaper's transport, at which point Mobius begins recording.

Finally, just to be safe, also under Default Parameters, go to "Advanced Sync" and under "Recording Leader Fallbacks", set Sync Record Unit Fallback = Host. This tells Mobius that in the event there is no Leader (more on Leader/Followers), pressing Record will opt to synchronize to Host. You can change that later if you'd like.

CharlesiNsti This is what happens when you try to get the AI to help you; it's literally left me in a dead end.

Agents can only work with what they are able to scrape. At the time of this reply, the official 3.0 documentation is sparse, so my guess is that AI is fetching old info from the 2.0 documentation and cobbling together broken info for you. That will probably be the case until 3.0 documentation is finished, or there is a sudden spike in interest and thousands of new users/examples randomly fill the forum. Until then, your best bet for support is here on the forum, mostly from Jeff and others like me who have fell down the rabbit hole, and occasionally from folks on the Facebook group.

alexs1

Also, this is somewhat near-topic, but since you're new here it would probably be worth mentioning a few important things for down the line that help you set up for the long run:

1) Set up the Mobius User File Folder. This keeps your sessions and scripts in one place, and it could be a hassle to migrate as it fills up in the future. Go to UI > User Library > and choose a path for the UFF. Make sure it's in a readable/writeable location so you can try out features like Drag and Drop!

alexs1 You'll see Mobius respond by showing the tempo of the host if it's working.

Add some things to the GUI that help you troubleshoot and monitor. Go to UI > Display > Manage Layouts, and in "Main Elements" make sure HostSync is in the left-hand column. That will tell you how Mobius is receiving Host tempo information. Continue add/subtract what you want/need from the GUI so that you can get visual feedback while you work.

Those are the two things I'd do off the bat!

CharlesiNsti

Thank you so much, Alex! As soon as I get home, I'll review the settings and share them. I'll take the time to read the section of the manual you mentioned and create a folder for all my personal files, settings, scripts, etc. From what you explained about synchronization, it seems that, at the AI's suggestion, I've placed host sync and sync bar in more than one place, both for the track and the global settings. I need to check that as well.