Create Steve Reich Style PHASED LOOPS (Flashback Triple Delay)

[@peatbogfaierie]

I heard Steve's piano loops on my works van radio back in the 80's...I had to pull over & hear it properly, the layers of sound left me speechless! 🤩

[@chordsoforion]

Yes - I felt the same way!

[@artistecto]

Dear Bill, I make worship music and with your videos I have learned a lot, so I want to thank you and congratulate you for your rich and exquisite work. Just a few days ago I bought the TC Flashback triple and now that I have seen this video my mind is revolutionized with many ideas. Thank you again and a big hug from the city of Tango (Buenos Aires)

[@unlimitedcosmicspeed]

Your channel and content is a breath of fresh air.......TY :)

[@sejtaridiss]

What you gonna do with all that time saved on typing "Thank You"?! Boy oh boy! Just joking. Merry Christmas!

[@tonyevans9999]

The most attractive aspect to minimalist music that is often lost on detractors is how active the listener must be in order for the music to work. You can't just passively consume it. I am currently exploring Maryanne Amacher's ideas and often listen to Alvin Lucier's pieces as well as Steve Reich. It's very rewarding

[@willmorrison1022]

If you want to get further into Steve Reich, there are two albums that show that he was thinking in this way a long time ago. I don't know if either of these albums is still available in any form, but they were both on the ECM label. The first is "Music for 18 Musicians", and the second is called "Octet - Music for a Large Ensemble - Violin Phase". I kind of think he needed help with his titles. Both of these show that he was thinking along these lines back in the late 1970's. Some interesting stuff to listen to, I will have to pull out my vinyl again (we just called 'em records..." and put them into the computer. I need new stuff to listen to at work, anyway. Cool pedal, it gives you some really interesting options. Thanks for the tour!

[@randybranch4005]

This is an excellent demonstration of creating a workable background to play over. Great job. Thank you for sharing.

[@MM-ib6qh]

You're one of my ALL TIME favorite people sharing on KZbin or any other social media platform. Super thankful that you share all of this great stuff, it's all so good, all the way back to your first videos. Hope you and your family have a great holiday season and new year. Thank you, Bill!

[@aaronlyttle775]

This was one of the first audio manipulation techniques I learned with Cool Edit back in the early 00s after listening to Steve Reich. Love your explanation and technique for using a delay pedal

[@antico.2757]

Beautiful! I just drifted off into a wonderful daydream where you invited me in for tea and then sent me through some sort of Shrinker* pedal, turning me into a Lilliputian. I climbed the mic (camera) stand and leaped into your beard where I curled up and basked in these beautiful sounds for the rest of the day before drifting off once again, only to find myself back at full size sitting at my desk dreaming of how I'm going to set all my delays and loopers to phase at my soonest convenience so I can repeat the process. Cheers!

[@justinmorrison3549]

WELL SAID! 🍻

[@pyropedals5553]

Great video, I love it when people go back to their actual gear alongside reviews for the new stuff coming out.

[@Samana009]

I bought this pedal in 2015/16 and I will never sell it. It is the best delay that I have. Even among other possessions like Strymons, Merisses and Bosses and whatever... This pedal is amazing and you Sir, is also amazing for always bringing new stuff.

[@kingfisher3011]

hi I was blown away by this unit I actually ordered one today even tho I've just taken up guitar again after so many years of not playing punishing my poor fingers lol

[@BrandonMalone-x1b]

Im a bassist that just got an hx stomp to get into making ambient music on bass...these videos are awesome and give me ideas for my own music. And new ways of looking at things. Ive always had this idea of writing an ambient bass album. Its been alot of fun working on my demos. Its not as easy as it seems....but its so fun exploring different sounds. And figurine out what works and what doesnt..i love the sounds you create. Very inspiring

[@jordanedwards6736]

I didn’t know it would save the tap tempo on each delay that’s so so nice to know

[@mattc1176]

I’ve recently bought this pedal - inspired by your videos on it. It is an amazing piece of gear. Thank you so much for the inspiration. Best wishes for a peaceful and joyous Christmas from the UK.

[@robertwood8605]

Wow, so creative and inspiring! Thanks for sharing this technique!

[@GoCreateSomething]

You could do this with multiple loopers. The EHX Tri Parallel Mixer will let you have multiple independent looping devices hooked up in parallel. You also might be able to take a stereo chorus and put a looper on each output. Then you would need something to bring the signals back together like an actual mixer or multiple amps. You could actually create loops one at a time into multiple on track loopers and bring them all back together in a mixer that has enough channels to handle them all. You're right about using plugins in a DAW also. You could even add the volume swell in the DAW if you don't have a volume pedal.

[@XCenturionX]

Recently discovered this channel. Love it. Keep up the good work

[@kristopherdetar4346]

Wonderful Bill, knocking it out of the park once again.

[@DaveSeidel]

Great demo, as usual. I've used Soma Cosmos and Boomerang III for similar effects. I've also used 2-3 separate loopers in parallel (also in series, for a different effect).

[@ChainsawCoffee]

Another example of phased loops is Brian Eno's "Music for Airports." The piano and electric piano is one loop, and the rest are also various loops. Great video!

[@macsarcule]

Thanks!

[@chordsoforion]

Thanks so much for the support!!!

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

Phase loops....now here's something whacky I do waiting behind a car at a stop light in the left turn lane...I look to see if our turn signals are in sync, they rarely are but what's fascinating is seeing how tight or loose the phasing is! 🤣

[@eamfos]

lol...sometimes i do that too... 😛

[@Mr.ColdNote]

This kind of content is why I subscribed to your channel. Thank you.

[@blueberry.soundscapes]

That's a very creative trick with different lengths of delays. Very well done!

[@doomedcolonist]

Bill's amazed after 10 years of owning the Flashback that he's still finding things it can do. I'M amazed that, after 10 years of anyone owning a TC Electronics pedal, that thing still works.

[@chordsoforion]

I know that folks have had real issues with TC pedal reliability, but all of mine (about 10-12 pedals) have survived 11 years of KZbin videos.

[@doomedcolonist]

@@chordsoforion - that's good to know. I personally know a few folks who have had terrible luck with them. Usually with the footswitches going bad fairly quickly. Such a shame, because so many of them sound great.

[@Gumbo72203]

DUDE. I do this with dual DOD DFX9’s and an Ibanez DM2000! It’s not exactly but I use them to create swelling drone loops behind our jams on stage because those pedals have an Infinite Hold setting so I just create swelling drones that rub against each other and then it creates a hypnotic bed for our jams, since we don’t have a keyboard player. You need to investigate what Trey from Phish was doing with his whammy pedal siren loops from 1997-2000.

[@johnellis4946]

Forty Days and Forty Nights for the win! This was fantastic!

[@stephenthorpe_music]

This is pretty sweet bill. Thanks for the info and video!! 👍

[@toddmcdaniels1567]

Thank you for this. I bought this pedal awhile ago. I just never had the chance to try it out yet. Excellent preview of chat I can do. I’ll be more into the metrical stuff you started out with, but then again…

[@pedroleal7118]

Steve Reich has great compositions, and released music!

[@fribersson]

You’re nuts (in the best possible way), and I love it, so inspiring! :) Merry Christmas!

[@justinorprecio3094]

it's nice seeing you with this ibanez quest guitar; merry christmas 😊

[@AetherPavilion]

I love the concept of looping and repetition. I use it a lot in my compositions, but very lofi, piano based mostly. Those early tape loop experiments by Brian Eno really turned me on to this the idea, especially his album with Robert Fripp, No Pussyfooting. William Basinkski’s mesmerizing Disintegration Loops also a favorite of mine. I like what you’re doing here.

[@davidsummerville351]

Wow! Very cool. Actually a very simple process in concept. Great food for the the imagination. Thanks so much. 😎🤓

[@InvertedPopesMusic]

Nice, I am suddenly looking at my Ditto x4 for the first time in ages. Thank you for that. Have a great festive season and see you in 2025

[@jb791505]

When selecting the number of "beats" in each loop, check into the concept of "relative primes". With relative prime numbers of beats you can maximize the time before the phasing pattern repeats. With the 3 beat / 4 beat pattern you created in the video, the pattern will repeat ever 12 beats (3 X 4): Three and four are relatively prime. 15 and 16 are not prime numbers, but they are relative prime (relative to each other) because they share no common prime factors.

[@MF_Plissken]

two really nice parts i heard, one was instantly reminding me of the the startrek voyager theme, the other one was the intro sequence of blade runner. a nice chilling sound into the xmas days :D

[@BrianBowes]

Loving the creative exploration! 🎉

[@gilbertmusicstudio]

let all mortal flesh keep silence! ...because all we want to do is listen to this in awe 🤩

[@chordsoforion]

Correct!!!

[@SplitMutton]

New York Counterpoint is one of my favorites

[@BrentAdams]

Cool! ...and Merry Christmas!

[@JustinWoo]

Amazing stuff! Thank you for this!

[@GadgSCoastGuitars]

WOW. How cool is that.

[@doubled5383]

Dr. Vencil strikes again!

[@myguitarjoe]

Thank You for sharing.Marry Christmas!

[@ericbittner1235]

Very cool. I actually started listening to minimalist composers earlier this year, and have been particularly enjoying Reich's Music for 18 Musicians. Fun fact: Reich didn't just do phasing with tape loops, but with compositions to be performed live. His "Piano Phase" composition is meant to be played live by 2 pianists. They start out playing in unison, but then the 2nd pianist begins to play slightly faster than the 1st, causing the phasing effect. When they reach the point where the 2nd pianist is playing the 2nd beat when the 1st pianist is playing the 1st beat, they reset and begin to play in unison again. It's a very cool sounding piece, but has to be a b*tch for the musicians involved. Imagine having to play just *slightly* faster than another musician playing the same notes on the same instrument at the same time, and sustain that tempo difference over several minutes. Minimalist music sounds *simple* but in practice can be anything but. Now I need to see if I can set up my HX Stomp to do something like this. I think it can, as long as 2 parallel delay lines don't use up too much of the DSP.

[@B0K1T0]

Very interesting. I just wanted to dive into this pedal again after years of not touching it. Which is a shame so I went through all my stuff to decide to either give it a last chance or sell it / give it it away. This pedal survived the test (for now) 😅

[@ModularMemories]

Don't make me buy another delay pedal. heheheh! Don't worry, I will. SOUNDS AWESOME DUDE!

[@eamfos]

😁

[@jakoblangenohl]

I'll try that out. Definitely.

[@maxxkarma]

Steve Roach uses this technique a lot as well.

[@amphitheatre]

great fripp tones. now awaiting your 61 minute recreation of music for 18 beards 😂

[@SRSR-pc8ti]

That lead is Bladerunner to a tee😊

[@kevinsturges6957]

Very interesting! There should be a vst plugin that does this.

[@NexxuSix]

Interesting! I think this can be emulated in Ableton as well 😮

[@J.R.Psych74]

I'm feeling a bit loopy., but I won't let it phase me. ☮ 😏 ☮ Merry Christmas everyone.

[@Bloor005]

I did something similar with a couple of their Ditto loopers... the old mini ones. That was through a switcher pedal. Seems far cooler to have it all in one pedal though.

[@dennismosercreativearts]

I used to do this techniques using a pair of Boss DD-20's... worked just fine and is still a cheap alternative

[@chordsoforion]

Great idea!

[@huckleberryfinn1018]

This is great! I'll try to replicate this technique in loopy pro :)

[@benlin1526]

I used to have a double tape deck 35 yrs ago and would play two tapes of the same song at the same time and noticed this same effect as the tapes would de-synchronize after a min.

[@cfibanez]

Wonderful, thanks! I do not have a delay like that but some loopers with multiple tracks (AEROS, DittoX4) and would like to implement this technique. But I am not finding a way to record in two tracks at the same time (in parallel) with loopers. Typically, selecting one loop or track stops the other one. Any hints on how to do this? Many thanks and Happy New Year everyone.

[@mvandell]

You can do this on also on the Novation Circuits.. very very cool video 🙏 thanks for sharing 🔥

[@joelrudnick]

Hmmm wonder if I could do this on the timeline 🤔

[@modularcuriosity]

Try prime number beats. Delay 1, 3 beats. Delay 2, 5 beats, delay 3, 7 beats. The pattern wont repeat for 3x5x7 beats or 105 beats

[@pedroleal7118]

He you tried the "Ocean Machine' by 'Mooer'? It seems made to what you're doing with the 'Flashback' but with more possibilities...! In a compact box too. Take care and a Great New Year!

[@pedroleal7118]

*Have you tried

[@chordsoforion]

Yes - I have an original Ocean Machine and did a few demos on the channel several years ago. I remember that the delay lines can run in parallel, but I do know that the delay time is relatively short, which may be a limiting factor.

[@garrytodd4712]

I LOVE your videos Bill! Was curious as to what you were using for distortion here & what reverb/delay you were using to get that sustained/smeary cello kind of sound(ebow?)…thanks again!

[@chordsoforion]

The distortion was not really - it was the EHX LPB-3 boost pedal into a Strymon Iridium. The delay of course was the Flashback Triple. The reverb was a Strymon BigSky.

[@DailyNihilism]

You're awesome

[@aliensporebomb]

Check out Michael Hoenig's "Departure from the Northern Wasteland" which has some mind blowing phased loops in the very long title track [the section from 6 minutes in to about 15 minutes is some of the most mind blowing evolving sequences ever]. Enjoy!

[@Ritual_Gaze]

Mixing this kind of thing with the ambient guitar work is very Stephan Thelen. Listen to his music if you haven't!

[@100faherty]

do you live in arizona ? if so do you have time for private lessons?

[@TheGrahamSnyder]

Can this same thing be done on the Line 6 DL 4 mk2 ?

[@chordsoforion]

Unfortunately no. The DL4 Mk2 does not have the ability to control 2 discrete delays line independently. That being said, the new 1 Switch Looper creates a lot of looping possibilities as it can be used with the other delays and reverbs.

[@merqury5]

The triple delay is one of those pedals I never get full versed or bored of. A well spend 100£ on the 2nd hand market.

[@Dungeon_of_Regret]

I don't normally like the aesthetics of headless guitars, but that one is pretty classy -is it a strandberg?

[@chordsoforion]

It's an Ibanez QX54QM. Thanks!!

[@michaelhughes6189]

Thanks Bill for another excellent piece. Technical question - when you mentioned other hardware that can do this, it seems (though I may be wrong) that this is pretty much all the Soma Cosmos is designed to do. So, given that the Cosmos is way more expensive than almost every other looper (cough Ed Sheeran cough), what do you gain from that over doing this approach?

[@chordsoforion]

The Cosmos "drifts" in a different way from this technique - but whether or not it's worth it is very subjective. I certainly support using this technique from a $$$ perspective. Lots more bang for the buck.

[@anthonyman8008]

Drifting?

[@DarkSunGwyn]

would you mind telling me how you got the sound of your lead?

[@chordsoforion]

My next video will be a demo of the sound, but it's the EHX LPB-3 into a Strymon Iridium. Will cover these setting and more on that vid.

[@DarkSunGwyn]

@@chordsoforion alrighty then cant wait!

[@chriskondracki7398]

I got the same guitar sounded average until I removed all digital stuff and plugged into the amp directly 💪

[@chrisdejonge611]

I think the note at 7:10 might be a note that is also used in another copyrighted song somewhere! Be careful! 🤣

[@DriftSpaceZero]

Excellent tones and demonstration. Please double-check your pronunciation of Steve Reich's surname; it sounds like "Ryshe."

[@chordsoforion]

Ya know - I hadn't pronounced his name out loud for many years, so I looked it up. Seems like most people (and Google) are saying "Rike" (even Heinbach :-). But I did find an article where Steve R. says that he pronounces his name with the "sh" sound per your comments. However, he also said that his son is adamant to use the German pronunciation - "Rike". Interesting.

[@theunboundsound]

❤

[@clayroundtree]

Let all mortal flesh keep silence

[@michaelhughes6189]

Best example of phased loops? Next time you're stuck at the lights, watch the indicators of a couple of cars in front of you, which slowly drift in and out of sync.

[@SuperPedalhead]

I don’t know Bill, I’m hearing some ABBA in there, you’re probably gonna get another strike.

[@chordsoforion]

😎😎

[@fragslap5229]

You actually make MONEY selling this sh...uhhhhh, "stuff"?