RiffBox
Video Describing How to Set Up RiffBox
Video Describing How to Start a Loop with a Footswitch
Video Describing How to Start a Loop Without Pressing a Footswitch
Video from GuitarOne Magazine
Overview
Welcome to the world of intelligent looping. If you are frustrated with traditional loopers that require you to hit a footswitch at just the right time in order to get the correct loop timing, you have come to the right place. RiffBoxTM uses a patent applied for algorithm that creates perfectly timed loops every time. You can even have the loop start repeating automatically without pressing a footswitch! MIDI messages can be used to control the looping process and special effects such as automatic layering and automatic fading can be easily achieved. For more details, read the fequently asked questions download the Users Manual or check out the audio demos. RiffBox is manufactured in the USA.
RiffBox is very easy to setup and use. It does not try to emulate software-based loopers in a dedicated hardware box, but instead provides a very useful tool for practicing or live performances. Traditional loopers require you to press a footswitch at the right time or to time your playing to a MIDI clock or external tempo to get accurate loop timing. With RiffBox, your loops can easily be timed to your playing. You can even start loop playback without the press of a footswitch! Of course, if you want to time your loops to the footswitch, external audio signals or MIDI sequencers, RiffBox has options for that as well.
RiffBox contains 76 operating modes and other settings that can be saved in 100 preset locations. The factory presets provide a good starting point for almost any type of loop that you want to create. You can manually add layers to a loop, automatically add multiple layers, fade loops, automatically end loops, play loops back in reverse or play loops back at half speed. These are just some of the operating modes available. It also records loops in CD quality audio with up to 40 seconds of loop time in 16-bit 48KHz stereo, or up to 80 seconds of loop time in 16-bit 48KHz mono.
You can control RiffBox in a variety of easy ways including a built-in footswitch, a remote footswitch, or with MIDI program change messages. If you use a MIDI setup, you can control loop recording with the same footswitch that changes your amplifier setting. This means that you can control loop recording and playback with no more footswitch presses than you would normally use. How simple is that? With the available automatic looping capability, loop recording stops and playback begins automatically without the press of a footswitch. Among other things, this feature allows several delay effects where the delay time is based upon the time difference between the first two notes that you play. Synchronizing an external MIDI drum machine to your loops is just as simple.
Features
- The length of the recording can be timed to your playing rhythm or to a note pitch using a patent applied for algorithm.
- RiffBox can automatically detect repeated playing patterns to create a loop either based on your playing rhythm or your note sequence.
- You can operate RiffBox like a traditional looper with the start and stop of loop recording timed to the footswitch.
- The start and stop of the loop recording can be timed to the pitch of a note that you play.
- You can synch an external drum machine to your playing during loop playback.
- Unique delay effects can be achieved that are timed to your playing.
- 76 different looping modes including automatic layering and automatic fading.
- Store up to 100 configurations as presets.
- 16-bit stereo or 16-bit mono recording modes, both with 48KHz sampling rates.
- Up to 40 seconds of recording time in stereo or 80 seconds in mono at 48KHz.
- Full MIDI implementation including program change messages, continuous controller messages and sysex data dumps.
- Recording and playback can be controlled using MIDI program change messages, an external footswitch or a built-in footswitch.
- Swap mode allows a mono loop to play back out of left channel while you play along through the right channel.
- A mono input can be sent to both the left and right channel outputs.
- Half speed playback mode for learning complex recorded passages.
- Reverse mode for unique playback effects.
- Toggle between normal, reverse and half speed modes during playback.
- RiffBox also records when you play a note so you can change the length of the loop during playback timed to the notes that you played.
- Multiply modes that allow you to automatically increase your loop length during layer recording.
- Doubling mode that adds a fuller sounding loop playback.
- Time a MIDI drum machine to your playing
- Can download firmware updates to protect your investment.
Loop Recording
There are several ways to record a loop using RiffBox.
1) Like a traditional looper timed to a footswitch. The loop start and stop points will be timed to when you press the footswitch.
2) Timed to the last note or chord in your loop using a footswitch. Press the footswitch once to arm the unit. The next note that you play will start loop recording. Press the footswitch again before the note that repeats the loop. The very next note that you play will close the loop and playback will begin. Press the footswitch again to add layers or twice to stop loop playback.
3) Timed to the number of notes or chords that you play. Press the footswitch once to arm the unit. The next note that you play will start loop recording. After you play N notes (set by the Event parameter), loop playback will begin. Press the footswitch again to add layers or twice to stop loop playback.
4) RiffBox can automatically detect a rhythm pattern that you are playing and lock on to it with automatic loop playback that matches your playing. For example, you start playing a rhythm pattern on guitar. You play it a few times and then RiffBox starts to automatically play the same thing perfectly in time to your playing. Even if you make a mistake one time through, RiffBox will ignore it since it must see a correct pattern repeated at least twice. You never need to press a footswitch to start loop playback and the loop is always perfectly timed to your playing, unlike other loopers.
5) Timed to the pitch of a note that you play. For example, play an 'A' note to start the loop and when you play the same 'A' note for the second time during the song, the loop automatically starts without pressing a footswitch.
6) Loop is automatically detected by the note pattern that you are playing. Works the same as 4) above except that RiffBox locks on to a repeated note pattern instead of a rhythm pattern.
7) Timed to a MIDI CC message. The loop start and stop points will be timed to when a MIDI CC message is received.
Check out the Quick Start Guide for more info.
Looping Modes
There are several operating modes that can be selected before starting the loop recording process described above. The operating mode numbers are shown below. You can also switch from any mode to reverse mode and/or half speed mode during playback using MIDI controls.
0 Learning mode that shows how many events or notes you have played.
1-4 Automatically records new layers up to the count specified.
5 Automatically records a new layer while playing current layer, which stops.
6 Press of a footswitch records new layer while the current loop fades and stops.
7 Press of a footswitch records new layer and the current loop stops.
8 No layering, playback fades during the next loop after the footswitch press.
9 No layering, playback stops at the end of the current loop after the footswitch.
10 Manual layering is enabled during playback with the press of a footswitch.
11-30 Loop playback automatically stops after the number of loops specified.
31-40 Automatic fading. After N loops, the playback is faded with manual layering.
41-50 Automatic fading. After N loops, the playback is faded with auto layering.
51-60 Loop plays back using audio doubling, which can be set in 10mS steps.
61-70 Duplicate and lengthen the loop multiple times while recording the first layer.
71 Fade in during the first loop playback with manual layering.
72 Playback loop in reverse.
73 Playback at half speed, one octave lower.
74 Loop playback stops after one loop and then unit is re-armed for recording.
75 Loop playback is muted. Allows MIDI sync with no loop playback.
Ordering
You can order RiffBox through several retailers.
Applications
RiffBox can be set up as a standard stompbox or as part of your rack setup. There are also many other uses for RiffBox that are shown below.
Using a Stereo Effects Pedal
There are several stereo effects pedals available on the market today. Many of these effects pedals have MIDI outputs that send a MIDI program change message when a new preset is selected. RiffBox can be connected to these pedals as shown in the figure below. See the Users Manual for more information.
Synchronizing Loop Timing to an External Audio Source
There are several was to trigger loop recording and playback using an external audio source. The figure below shows how to use and external drum machine or another source such as a microphone on a drum kit as a loop trigger. See the Users Manual for more information.
Synchronizing Loop Timing to a MIDI Sequencer
You can synchronize the loop recording and playback to a MIDI sequencer as shown in the figure below. In this case, connect the MIDI output of the sequencer to the MIDI input of RiffBox. See the Users Manual for more information.
Synchronizing an External Drum Machine to RiffBox
You can greatly enhance your loop creation or practicing experience by synchronizing a drum machine to the RiffBox loop timing. To do this, connect the MIDI output from RiffBox to the MIDI input on the drum machine as shown in the figure below. See the Users Manual for more information.
You can setup RiffBox in parallel with your audio path as shown in the figure below. In this case, a mono signal from an amp or effects unit is sent to both the mixing board and to RiffBox. A stereo Y cable is connected from the RiffBox output, but only the right channel is sent to the mixing board. See the Users Manual for more information.
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