REQUANTIZING DIY MIDI SEQUENCER

USER MANUAL
Version 2.09 2022-02-05
Peter Knoblach
Andy Dalebrook

[Link]
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Contents

1. Welcome to LoopA! 3

2. Features 4

3. Quickstart 6

4. Back Panel Connectors 8

5. User Interface Overview 10

5.1 Graphical Display 11
5.2 Encoder Knobs 12
5.3 Status LEDs 13
5.4 Keys 14
5.5 MatriX Extension 15

6. Clips, Tracks and Scenes 16

7. Recording Modes 17
7.1 Unquantized Recording 17
7.2 Step Recording 17
7.3 Autoloop Recording 18

8. The SHIFT Function 20

8.1 Keys Overlay Mode 21

9. MENU Usage and LoopA Screens 22

9.1 SETUP Screen 23
9.1.1 Configurable Setup Parameters 23
9.1.2 Defining User Instrument Names 25
9.2 SESSION Screen 27
9.3 (MIDI) ROUTER Screen 28
9.4 (MIDI) MONITOR Screen 29
9.5 DISK Operations Screen 30
9.6 TEMPO Screen 31
9.7 MUTE Screen 32
9.8 CLIP Screen 34
9.9 NOTES Screen 36
9.10 LIVEFX Screen 37
9.11 CC EDIT Screen 38
9.12 TRACK Screen 40
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10. Live Performance Modes 41

10.1 Live Transposition Mode 41
10.2 Live Beatloop Mode 41

11. What's New/Changelog 42

APPENDIX A: Supported Force-To-Scale Scales 47

APPENDIX B: Acknowledgements 48
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1. Welcome to LoopA!
The midiphy LoopA is a small but powerful DIY requantizing MIDI sequencer with six fully
independent MIDI tracks and six scenes for a total of 36 MIDI clips. A crisp graphical OLED
displays noteroll information along with powerful live performance tools such as live note
requantization, time-based sequence slicing (beatlooping), live transposition, and
real-time effects that tap into your creativity!

If you have a soldering iron and mid-level DIY experience, it can be built in a few evenings.
An extensive build video tutorial covers each construction step.

LoopA comes in two case variants: a cheaper but sturdy full acrylic variant, and a “pro
metal case" variant proudly made by Hallik Engineering.

LoopA is small enough to take everywhere and can even be powered by a USB powerbank.
Boot-up only takes a few seconds and then it is ready for your next live session! Enjoy!
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2. Features
● MIDIbox/FreeRTOS (real-time operating system) STM32F4 microcontroller-based
application resulting in minimal MIDI jitter/latency
● Responsive and optimized UI for an easy-to-use workflow with a fast learning curve:
it is ideal for recording concepts/ideas in your studio and for live performances on
stage
● Holds 36 MIDI clips in a matrix of 6 tracks (horizontal) and 6 scenes (vertical)
● Clips contain notes recorded with their original timing, allowing for nearly
unlimited polyphony and unquantized storage of about 10 000 notes per session
(polyphony is naturally limited by MIDI throughput)
● Dynamic requantization of notes at any time (including during recording) and
real-time application of other LiveFX such as quantized swing and note-skip
probabilities
● Support for 30 different time signatures: 4/4 time being the default, but also
uncommon time signatures like 7/16 are available
● "Autoloop" recording mode - now supporting auto-length sequences (the clip
length needs not to be set before recording), including tempo/BPM-autodetection,
if the sequencer engine is not running.
● Classic "step sequence" recording mode with support for sustained notes, pauses
and polyphonic step recording: good for Berlin School or bassline sequences :)
● Support for polyrhythmic/polymetric sequences, freely configurable clip lengths
allow them to "drift apart from each other"
● High-resolution CC recording/playback support with 1024 CC data values per clip
● Extensive CC waveform editor with multi-CC range editing: applicable
transformation algorithms and waveform generators allow either modification of a
recorded CC waveform or creation of arbitrary CC waveforms from scratch
● Two freely mappable footswitch ports with user-configurable commands, e.g.
"jump to next scene", "apply clip velocity dampening effect", etc.
● Overdubbing (adding notes) without erasing existing notes (looper approach)
● Optional "note overwrite" mode with a special footswitch command
● Clip scrolling, clip length changes, clip zooming/stretching and note transposition
at any time (including during recording)
● Two performance modes with a dedicated knob for live transposition and
"beatloop", offering different sequence-scrambling time progressions that can
completely alter a rhythm or melody line while keeping the harmony and sequence
runtime identical to the unaltered version
● Manual sequence scrubbing/time scratching with a dedicated knob
● Dedicated scene progression knob, which launches six new clips for song
progression and also allows for single clip progression, e.g. to replace a drum clip
on a drum track while the other 5 tracks remain on the same scene
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● Data entry with push-to-accelerate rotary encoders: pushing the DATA knob while
turning expedites changes, useful e.g. for moving a note many steps or transposing
by many semitones
● High-speed two-key "muscle memory" menu navigation and shortcut SHIFT
functions for direct clip launching/track mute/ track unmute access from any screen
● Dedicated clip COPY/PASTE/DELETE keys
● Three DIN MIDI OUT ports and two DIN MIDI IN ports allow direct connectivity of
most classic MIDI gear
● Four virtual USB MIDI IN/OUT ports can drive VSTs/software synthesizers and
connect to your DAW
● Graphical OLED offering instant live feedback on all operations such as
transposition, note probabilities, beatloops and more
● Integrated note editor for editing sequences without a computer/mouse and to
quickly correct recording mistakes
● Full-sized SD card to store sessions and for data backup
● Light-weight design and a space-saving case fits into any backpack and can be
portably powered for hours using a standard USB powerbank
● Very quick boot-up times and automatic last-session recall: continue with your work
exactly when inspiration strikes and not after a required operating system software
update!
● Support for up to two assignable footswitches for hands-free real-time control
● Clip lengths of up to 1024 steps, allowing for loops that extend to several minutes
● Continuous controller (CC) and program change (PC) remote-control support, plus
PC dump to automatically load synthesizer patches along with a session
● Force-to-scale mode with over 100 different scales and configurable scale root
notes
● Per-track MIDI output volume mixer
● Integrated MIDI keys overlay mode to record sequences without external MIDI
hardware
● Various per-track display modes, e.g., to visualize drum tracks
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3. Quickstart
The following steps get you jamming pronto!
If you get stuck somewhere, please read through the “Menu Usage and LoopA Screens”
chapters. These describe every action on each screen in much more detail.

1. Insert a FAT32-formatted SD card into the SD card slot to skip the diagnostics
mode, which is mostly useful to test hardware functions during the build.
2. Attach LoopA to your favourite synth (synth MIDI OUT to LoopA MIDI IN1 and
LoopA MIDI OUT1 to synth MIDI IN).
3. Attach a USB B cable to power up LoopA (you can use a mobile USB charger, a USB
power bank, or just a USB port from your computer).
4. After starting up LoopA, the first track is selected and unmuted (the upper-left key
is illuminated blue-green = cyan) and ARM is activated (2nd lower-row key is
illuminated red), we are thus already set up to record a sequence on Track 1.
5. Press and hold the MENU key (labeled with a “burger symbol” icon) and push the
lower rightmost key to access the TRACK configuration screen, then release both
keys to access the TRACK screen.
6. Push the second upper-row key to activate the “MIDI Output Channel” selector and
use the DATA knob to choose the MIDI channel of your synth.
7. Using the Menu, go back to the MUTE Screen and press RUN/STOP to start the
sequencer. The time cursor starts moving, the current track (step or 16th
note-equivalent) positions in the lower part of the display are updated.
8. While the sequence is running, play a few notes and try to match the timing to the
blinking RUN/STOP key (beat LED). When the sequence loops, you should hear the
recorded notes in (currently) unquantized playback. If you are unhappy with your
current recording, press DELETE (lower right key) at any time to start over.
9. Use the lower-left track knob to choose a different active track and watch the blue
active-track indicator move across the top six keys. Adjust the output MIDI settings
in the TRACK screen if necessary.
10. Record a second sequence (e.g. a bassline), which is stacked on top of the playback
of track 1.
11. At any time, have a look in the NOTES, CLIP and LIVEFX screens to modify your
recording. Here you could delete or modify single notes, transpose the whole clip,
requantize, apply swing and randomization, change the length of your clip, change
the playback speed of notes, time-scroll notes and much more!
12. Attach more synths (also software synths can be directly driven by the virtual USB
MIDI ports) and set them up in the TRACK screen. The “live forward” feature allows
forwarding of notes played on your main keyboard to the configured MIDI OUT
port/channel of the currently active track, so you can listen to e.g. rackmount
synths when using a separate MIDI keyboard for recording.
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13. With the SCENE knob, you can cycle through multiple scenes. Use the COPY and
PASTE keys to copy clips (that could be then modified or overdubbed) and thus
conjure up a simple “song” when progressing through the six available scenes.
14. Use the LIVE knob to test performance features like live transpose and beatloop.
Push it to cycle through those live performance modes.
15. Push and turn the SELECT knob to scrub (manually scroll the time cursor) through
the sequence (while playback is active).
16. Optionally look at the TEMPO, SETUP, ROUTER and (MIDI)MONITOR screens to
learn more about LoopA.
17. If you are lost, push and hold SHIFT and the HELP key to get context-sensitive
information.
18. Once happy with your jam, don’t forget to save it on the DISK screen. If you turn off
LoopA at any time, the last saved (or loaded) session will be automatically fully
recalled upon restart.
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4. Back Panel Connectors

Here are the LoopA connectors/ports:

● The USB port is used to power LoopA, to upload new firmware and to transfer MIDI
data to a computer. Make sure that you connect it to a sufficiently capable USB PSU
(i.e. a '2A USB phone charger' type of PSU) or a computer USB port, that is capable
of delivering at least 500mA. If you are connecting LoopA to a computer, you can
make use of four virtual USB LoopA MIDI input/output devices; this is great for
recording notes/CC data directly from the computer or for driving VSTs.
● The "Reset" switch is normally not required, but it can be helpful to push it after
performing a firmware update. A "reset" is normally required to reinitialize the
OLED or just power LoopA off and on by unplugging the USB cable and then
plugging it back in.
● The IN1 and IN2 MIDI ports receive MIDI data from e.g. a MIDI synthesizer, a plain
MIDI keyboard or any MIDI controller. You can use LoopA's built-in MIDI router to
route any input ports/channels to any output ports/channels, e.g. you could route a
keyboard attached to IN2 to a USB output MIDI port to directly drive a software
synthesizer, completely independent from the LoopA functionality. Setting up MIDI
routes allows you to wire up and connect a small MIDI project studio.
● The BLM port connects LoopA to the big midiphy MatriX user interface extension.
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● The OUT1 to OUT3 MIDI ports send MIDI data to normal synthesizers. Note: if you
want to connect more than one synthesizer per MIDI output port (which makes
perfect sense), you could use a midiphy MULTI MIDI THRU splitter to drive up to
seven synths from one port, with minimal MIDI latency.
● The 3.5mm "GATE" accepts two +5V gate input sources. It is a "stereo" 3.5mm
socket with the following pinout:
- TIP = gate 1 input (requires a +5v gate voltage to trigger)
- RING = gate 2 input (requires a +5v gate voltage to trigger)
- SLEEVE = 0V (ground)
● The 6.35mm "FOOTSW." port accepts up to two foot switches; these can either be
"normally closed" or "normally open" types or a mix of both. Configure their type
and command mapping in the SETUP screen. To attach them, use a 6.35mm
Y-cable/stereo splitter cable. Here is the pinout of this 6.35mm "stereo" socket:
- TIP = footswitch 1 input (connect to or disconnect from SLEEVE to trigger)
- RING = footswitch 2 input (connect to or disconnect from SLEEVE to trigger)
- SLEEVE = +5v (current-limited to 0.5mA)
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5. User Interface Overview

LoopAs user interface consists of a 3.2” OLED, four black knobs with status indication LEDs
around the upper knobs and thirteen mechanical keyswitches organized in two rows.

The upper keys typically perform functions corresponding to dynamic labels on the OLED
directly above. The lower keys usually operate basic functions (e.g. sequencer RUN/STOP)
that are available from every screen.

With certain key combinations, the OLED screen displays the function of every key.

An optional keys overlay mode remaps all keys to a piano-style keyboard. This allows
LoopA to operate without an external keyboard, so note info can be recorded in or
overdubbed directly.
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5.1 Graphical Display

During operation the display is normally divided into three sections: a title line providing
general information about the active screen; a central section most often showing note/CC
data (also used for MIDI router or setup configuration data); and a footer line, which
“labels” or maps the upper six upper-row keys to actions or settings:

Here the MUTE screen of Track 3, Scene B is displayed, which is currently muted and
mapped to user instrument “Andromed” and the current playback position of this clip is
step 43 of 64. The sequencer is running and the time cursor is almost three quarters
through the clip. The six tracks can be muted and unmuted by pushing the upper-row keys
in this screen.

LoopA offers different display modes for clips. Select the DISPLAY command in the SHIFT
menu to cycle to stave mode, which is great for clips that use a limited set of notes:

In this mode, the display range for existing clip notes is automatically compressed to fill
the available screen height. The active notes are indicated on a small note scale on the
right side of the screen, as long as there is enough space. In the example above, the stave
contains notes from C-1 to F#1.

Tip: stave mode is great for drum tracks!

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5.2 Encoder Knobs

● SCENE
Selects the currently active scene. LoopA has six tracks and six scenes and thus
stores 36 MIDI clips in memory. The scenes are enumerated from A to F and the
tracks are enumerated from 1 to 6, which can be concatenated to “1A” or similar.
This concatenated number consisting of scene number and track number is
displayed on most screens in the upper-left corner of the OLED. The nearby LEDs
visualize the currently active scene.

● SELECT
Multipurpose knob, but on many screens usually selects the active track. On the
NOTES screen, it selects the edited note; on the CONFIG and ROUTER screens, it
selects the active configuration item.
Tip: Pushing down the SELECT knob while turning scrubs the playback position,
allowing quick fast-forward or rewinds when the sequencer is running.

● LIVE
Live performance knob. Pushing the knob alternates between two performance
modes. The default mode is “live transposition”, where turning the knob transposes
any channels that are enabled for live transposition. When switched to “beatloop”,
turning adjusts the position of the playback cursor to repeat or skip
beats/measures. Settings are visualized with the nearby LEDs and if neither
transposition nor beatloop is active, two illuminated center LEDs indicate a “zero”
effect.

● DATA
For entering command and parameter data. A command/operation is first selected
by pushing an upper-row key, then the value is adjusted with the knob. For
example, choose the “track length” command from the CLIP screen and then turn
this knob to select a step-length equivalent for the clip (e.g. 64 steps).
Pushing the knob while simultaneously turning usually accelerates inputs (“Accel.”),
but is also useful in certain situations to “lock” the input to useful increments. An
example is adjusting track transposition in the CLIP screen, where pushing and
holding while turning this knob transposes in octaves rather than semitones.
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5.3 Status LEDs

The current setting of SCENE and LIVE values is indicated by adjacent status LEDs. Note
that the recommended colors scheme is different for the final LoopA revision.

● The six middle LEDs near the SCENE knob (here green LEDs) indicate the currently
active scene. Pressing the SCENE knob cycles between the default full-scene
switching mode and single-clip progression. Turning the SCENE knob in full-scene
mode changes all clips, whereas only the active track clip is changed in single mode.
For instance, continue to loop the bassline and melody and add a drum pattern
variation by progressing to a new clip on the drum track. The upper and lower LEDs
(here red) indicate the active mode, described as "ALL" and "TRACK" on the
frontpanel.

● The six middle LEDs around the LIVE knob (here green LEDs) indicate the
parameter value of the currently active LIVE mode. The upper and lower LEDs (here
red) indicate the live-mode type (labeled "TRANSPOSE" or "BEATLOOP" on the
frontpanel), which can be switched by just pressing the LIVE knob.
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5.4 Keys
The six upper-row keys typically control actions displayed in the bottom line of the OLED.
In many screens, these keys choose parameter/value selectors or toggle between states:

In this example displaying the MUTE states, pushing one of the six upper keys mutes or
unmutes one of the six tracks. Here unmuted tracks are illuminated in green but this
behavior may be inverted in the SETUP screen (instead muted tracks are illuminated). The
currently active track is indicated with a blue backlit key. Therefore, if a track is both active
and unmuted, this leads to a cyan color mix (green and blue); see track one in the above
picture.

The seven lower-row keys are per default mapped to these functions (from left to right):

● RUN/STOP: start or stop the sequencer

● ARM: enable recording on the current track
● SHIFT: press and hold to display shift menu
● MENU: press and hold to display the page/screen selection menu
● COPY: copy active/selected clip to memory buffer
● PASTE: paste memory buffer to active/selected clip
● DELETE: clear all clip notes and extra data (e.g. CCs) on the active/selected clip
Special behaviors:
- While SHIFT is held
- press DELETE to UNDO the last changes made to the active clip
- press DELETE again to REDO changes
- While the VALUE knob is held, press DELETE to clear note data within a clip
but retain the extra data layer (e.g. recorded CC data).
- While the SELECT knob is held, press DELETE to clear the extra data layer
within a clip e.g. CC data but retain everything else (e.g. notes).
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Most keys perform direct actions. Press and hold MENU or SHIFT to directly choose the
desired secondary action or page/screen. An onscreen keymap then displays the actions of
the remaining twelve keys (see SHIFT and "Menu Usage" chapters).

5.5 MatriX Extension

Attach a midiphy MatriX to the BLM port to greatly enhance LoopA's user interface with a
huge 17x17 grid, a full color OLED, six sliders and a joystick. MatriX enables fluid note
editing, offers a macro screen for direct clip and scene selection and has a built-in
isomorphic keyboard mode to use as a MIDI instrument.

A standard DIN-5 cable may be used to interconnect LoopA and MatriX as long as all pins
are wired through. Metal-shell cables are recommended for a proper fit on MatriX.

Tip: Additionally attach a SEQ v4+ to MatriX for even more sequencing potential!

LoopA will automatically detect MatriX and connect to it over IN4/OUT4. Avoid using IN4
and OUT4 MIDI ports for track instruments, user instruments or MIDI router
sources/destinations, as these ports will be required to communicate with MatriX.
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6. Clips, Tracks and Scenes

LoopA records MIDI data onto 36 clips.
These clips are organized within a matrix of six tracks (horizontal) and six scenes (vertical).

Push and hold the SCENE knob button to display a small "scene-map" as a matrix layout:

The currently active "scene-switching mode" is displayed on the left. The mode can be
changed by quickly pressing and releasing the SCENE knob button and is indicated by a
front-panel LED.

The available scene-switching modes are:

● "switch all clips" (default) - when another scene is selected (e.g. by turning the
SCENE knob or issuing a footswitch command), all six tracks will be switched to this
scene number. In the picture above, all clips are in the third scene, labeled "C".
● "switch within track" - when another scene is selected, only the clip of the current
track will be replaced. This is good for changing the playback of a single track, e.g.
advancing a drum sequence, while all other tracks continue to play their original
clips.

The center of the screen shows the track/scene matrix, with clips allocated to playback
shown with an inverted background.

The right side displays a "current" indicator, showing the currently active clip (and track).
The active clip is available for recording or editing.

Hot Tip: push and hold the SCENE knob button to display the scene map then directly
switch to new scenes using the top six keys. This allows you to “skip over” scenes that
would otherwise be selected with the SCENE knob - try it out! :)

Keyboard Shortcut: while pushing and holding the SCENE knob, push the LIVE knob to
send a "MIDI Panic" (force "stuck" notes to be off) to all connected MIDI devices.
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7. Recording Modes
LoopA supports three recording modes:
● unquantized recording stores note data that can be (re)quantized at any point in
time (even during recording). This mode is the standard recording mode and is
active when the sequencer engine is running.
● step recording adds notes under the cursor, which is only active when the
sequencer engine is stopped.
● autoloop recording functions more like an audio looper and can autodetect BPM
and loop length, while ensuring that new recordings will synchronize with existing
clips.

For recording to take place, LoopA must be ARMed (red LED lit) and the received MIDI
input data must arrive on an active input interface/input channel (as defined in the TRACK
screen). By default, all input data (from all input ports and all input channels) will be
recorded, as indicated by the standard TRACK-screen configuration I: ALL and IC: ALL.
Modifying these input parameters can filter out certain MIDI input data if required.

7.1 Unquantized Recording

LoopA's primary recording mode: define a clip length before recording, start the
sequencer and enter unquantized notes while ARM is active. The clip will start looping
immediately. This recording mode is best for riffs like tight and well-defined basslines or
four-measure melody lines. LoopA records incoming data at the current cursor/time
position when the sequencer is running. The default operation mode is to add new notes
to the active clip (additive overdubbing), but the "Punch in" footswitch control overwrites
data while the footswitch is pressed. This is useful to correct or remix a region of the clip
rather than deleting the entire contents.

With the LIVEFX quantize command activated, note timing can be quantized even during
recording. This quantization can also be disabled at any time, as notes are always stored
with their original high-resolution timestamps.

7.2 Step Recording

Step recording mode is active when the sequencer engine is stopped. The time cursor
moves forward by a given increment when entering notes in this mode. The increment
length is freely adjustable from the "Step Record" item within the CONFIG screen.
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Further commands/shortcuts for step recording:

● Push the SELECT knob and turn it to scrub the time cursor during step
recording. This is useful to enter rests or jump to a different position of the
clip.
● Push and hold SELECT before recording a note to record a sustained (long)
note. Depending on how the synth interprets such MIDI data, a slide or
portamento might be played, e.g. on a bassline synth.
● Push and hold SELECT and turn the DATA knob to change the recorded note
increment, even while recording notes. The default step recording
increment can be adjusted on the CONFIG screen.

Tip: This mode is nice for bassline sequences and "Berlin School" noodles, give
it a try :)

7.3 Autoloop Recording

This is LoopA's most advanced recording mode - if you are happy with straight loop lengths
and tempos, you might simply skip this chapter :). But if you want to experiment and jam
with free timing and unknown loop lengths then give this a try! Autoloop recording works
a bit like a typical audio looper, where you simply record notes, loop clips and build on
recordings that are all in sync,

If you have an idea of the time signature you will be recording in, set it before using
autoloop recording from the TEMPO screen. This will make LoopA’s life detecting an
optimal "loopable" sequence length a bit easier.

Configure the desired autoloop length fitting method from the CONFIG screen. For
example, an available length fitting method is “loop blocks”, which creates clip lengths
based on a geometric progression of two beats (4, 8, 16, 32 sixteenth notes in 4/4 time
scale). The default setting is simply "any number of integer measures", which works well
for most recordings.

To enter autoloop recording mode, push and hold the SELECT knob button while pressing
the ARM key. Afterwards, the ARM key will be illuminated in green to indicate that LoopA
is in autoloop recording mode.

Important: this recording mode has two different behaviors, depending on whether
the sequencer engine (RUN/STOP) is running or not.

Before note recording starts, select the desired behavior by starting or stopping the
sequencer engine (press RUN/STOP).
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Differences in behavior apply as follows:

Sequencer engine not running:

● Perfect for recording an initial "guide clip" of yet unknown length and tempo.
● Any other clips will not be played back when recording in this mode, as the tempo is
not yet determined.
● LoopA will determine both the tempo and length of your clip after recording and
will also set the detected BPM in the session.
● To start recording, just play any note or push ARM to force a manual start. Manual
starts are useful when sequences start with a rest.

Sequencer engine is running:

● Perfect for recording clips of yet unknown length in sync with pre-existing clips.
The current session tempo is used and the MIDI metronome can be active in this
mode.
● A progress bar indicates the relative current playback position of the longest
unmuted clip in the current scene during recording - after you engage this mode,
recording will auto-start at the next possible "loop point", e.g. a full measure.
● As long as you are recording, LoopA will dynamically grow your clip and snap to
regular block lengths to ensure that your clip remains in sync with the other clips.

To stop and commit your recording to the currently active clip, just push ARM again. If the
sequencer engine is not yet running, it will be started, so you can hear and refine your new
looped clip straight away.

You can abort autoloop recording at any point by pressing SELECT+ARM. The active clip
will not be overwritten and your recent autoloop recording will be discarded.

Autoloop can also record CC data, which will be shown during recording. To deactivate CC
recording, set the CC# to "CC off" in the CC EDIT screen.

Tip: map the ARM key to a footswitch pedal, to facilitate the exact start and end of
autoloop recording while your hands are positioned to enter notes on a keyboard.

Tip: pre-set a note quantization effect on the FX screen to apply quantization directly
after recording an autoloop - this can result in "instantly perfect" autoloop recordings
- try it out by e.g. recording an 8-note bassline with 1/8th-note quantization.

Tip: If you made a recording mistake, press DELETE during autoloop recording to clear
your notes and revert back to the "armed" state (before recording) and try again.
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8. The SHIFT Function

The SHIFT key provides access to shortcuts, additional screens and overlay modes:

● Hold SHIFT: shows the muted/unmuted state of the current track clips and to what
scene they are assigned (see above screenshot).
● Hold SHIFT + press upper-row keys 1-6: mute/unmute tracks or launch clips from
any screen (synchronized to the next measure).
● Hold SHIFT + press and hold ARM: displays context-sensitive help screen describing
the functionality of the currently active screen.
● Hold SHIFT + press MENU: toggle the display mode of the currently active track
between normal mode and stave mode (compresses display to fit the notes in use);
this feature can also be set in the SESSION screen.
● Hold SHIFT + press COPY: switch to keys overlay mode (exit by pressing the "END"
key, which is upper-row key number 3; also see next section).
● Hold SHIFT + press DELETE: undo recent changes on the active clip.
Undo snapshots are taken whenever an active clip is changed, when LoopA is
ARMed, when the sequencer is started via RUN/STOP with an ARMed LoopA,
before CC transformations are executed and before autoloop recording is engaged.
● Hold SHIFT + press LIVE knob: resets the currently active live-mode parameter to
zero. E.g. push the LIVE knob to reset transposition while in "live transpose" mode.
● Hold SHIFT + press LIVE again to revert back to the previous value. Use this to
toggle between a nice transposition (or beatloop value) and no effect. These
"toggle" buffers are also stored in the session file. E.g. save a session with "zero"
transposition and recall a preset transposition value during performance.
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8.1 Keys Overlay Mode

This mode can be launched from any screen using the SHIFT+COPY button combo.

Here keys represent a classic MIDI keyboard, with white keys on the bottom row and black
keys on the staggered upper row.

The lower part of the OLED indicates the key names and octave.

To exit keys overlay mode, push the third upper-row key (labeled "END"). This is the only
key that does not have a corresponding a black key in an octave of piano keys.

To change octaves, turn the Data knob. Note labels will change to represent the selected
octave.

If LoopA is ARMed before entering keys overlay mode, notes will be recorded into the clip.
This applies to all recording modes (unquantized, step or autoloop).

Hot Tip: if LoopA is disARMed in keys overlay mode, press and hold SELECT while
pressing any keyboard note to change the active clip transposition.

Playing with live clip transposition in this way is most useful in conjunction with an active
force-to-scale mode on the clip FX screen, to keep the transposed notes within a scale.
 22

9. MENU Usage and LoopA Screens

LoopA offers a two-finger navigation menu system for quick one-handed navigation. These
“muscle memory” shortcuts provide access to often-used screens.

For example, navigate to the DISK screen by pushing and holding the MENU key and
pressing the DISK key, then release both keys:

All available screen names are displayed on the OLED and the corresponding keys are
backlit in red.
 23

9.1 SETUP Screen

Within the SETUP screen, basic runtime parameters of LoopA can be modified. Changes
are directly saved to the SD card file called “[Link]”, which can also be edited manually
in a text editor. To move an active configuration over to another LoopA, copy this file to
the new SD card root.

In the SETUP screen, use the lower-left SELECT knob to scroll through the configuration
items and to select an active item. Use the upper-row keys below the OLED to select
parameter values and either “toggle” the the value by pushing the respective upper-row
key (e.g. toggle Beat LEDs “on” or “off”), or if a value is selected, use the lower-right DATA
knob to change settings (e.g. change the OLED Screensaver activation time).

9.1.1 Configurable Setup Parameters

Here is a list of configurable setup parameters:

● System Font: changes the system font from a normal/sharp system font (type “a”)
to a smoother, antialiased system font (type “b”).
● Beat LEDs: repurposes the four lower-right key backlights to display sixteenth note
steps. This alters the behavior of the Run key illumination.
● Beat Display: lightly flashes the OLED display background to match measure and
beat.
● Screensaver: activates the LoopA screensaver (either a blank screen or a
voxelspace mountainscape scrolling by) after a defined number of minutes.
● Invert OLED: inverts the OLED colors to a white background with black text. This
might be aesthetically better for the white metal cases but draws more current.
● ARMed Bootup: default: on choose default ARM state upon boot.
● Metronome: defines a MIDI synth as a metronome with a configurable MIDI
port/channel (or a user instrument, see below) and defines the notes to be played
when the measure and beat starts.
● Metronome MIDI Velocity: alter the MIDI note velocity for the metronome.
 24

● Tempo Dn/Up: defines the tempo rate of change when the "Slower" and "Faster"
keys are pressed in the TEMPO screen. Five preconfigured rates of change allow
linear tempo fades with different speeds.
● Inv Footsw.: inverts any footswitch state (normally closed, normally open) to suit
the hardware. Even use two different footswitch types!
● Footsw 1. & Footsw. 2: maps the following functions to footswitches:
"Punch In": overwrites clip data under the time cursor for replacing notes while the
sequencer is running
"RunStop": starts/stops the sequencer
"Arm": arms/disarms recording
"ClearClip": clears the currently active clip
"JumpToStart": if the sequencer is running, moves the time cursor to the sequence
start
"JumpToPrecount": if the sequencer is running, jumps to a "count in” position one
measure before the end of the active clip, simplifying recording of the next loop
"Metronome": toggles the metronome
"PreviousScene": jumps to the previous scene
"NextScene": jumps to the next scene
"PreviousTrack": switches the active track to the previous track
"NextTrack": switches the active track to the next track
"FXDampen": activates velocity dampening of all clips (with configurable
dampening percentage values on the FX screen)
● Inv. MuteLED: illuminates track mute LEDs in the MUTE screen when a track is
muted; unmuted LEDs indicate unmuted tracks.
● Track Switch: enables access to tracks by "long pressing" the upper row of keys .
Hold down an upper key for 0.1, 0.2 or 0.4 seconds to switch to the respective track.
● Follow Track: configure LoopA to activate tracks when unmuted or muted.
● LED Notes: LoopA visualizes notes in the MUTE screen by flashing the respective
track keys red. This can be helpful to determine what track plays the music :).
● Pos. Display: specifies how active clip playback positions are displayed on the
MUTE screen. Sixteenth notes are displayed per default, with the clip starting from
“0” (or optionally “1”) or can show full measures instead of sixteenth notes.
● Step Record Increment Interval: activates step recording mode when the
sequencer is not running but LoopA is armed. This parameter defines the step
recording time cursor increment. Push and turn the SELECT knob to scrub the time
cursor through defined note intervals during step recording. Push and hold SELECT
(without turning) to record a slide. Good for "Berlin School"/101/303 synth
noodles!
● Step Record Chord Recording Mode: configures how chords are grouped in step
recording mode. Either all keys played within a given timespan become a chord or
chord recording stops when the first held key is released.
● Step Record Note Length to Pause Ratio: default: 50%. Here if the step recording
length is set to quarter notes, recorded notes will be eighth notes followed by an
 25

eighth-note pause. Adjust this parameter to change the note:pause ratio in step
recording mode.
● FX Dampen: defines the default velocity dampening percentage for the FX
screen. Velocity dampening for each clip can be manually configured on the
FX screen. Dampening of all clips can be triggered with a footswitch.
● MCLK IN/OUT: toggles MIDI clock input and output devices, where DIN are
standard MIDI ports and USB are virtual USB devices. Be careful to not accidentally
create a MIDI clock loopback, which might occur if other devices are echoing the
MIDI clock back to LoopA and the receiving input port is configured as the MIDI
clock master.
● Program Change (PC) Remote Control: configures how received PC messages are
handled. LoopA can either ignore PC, switch to a new scene or load a new session.
Remote loading of session numbers > 127 is enabled together with the CC# PC
Bank command.
● CC# Switch Scene: if set and if the specified CC parameter number is received,
LoopA switches to the scene specified by the CC value.
● CC# Save Session: if set and if the specified CC parameter number is received,
LoopA saves the scene specified by the received CC value. Remote saving of session
numbers > 127 is enabled together with the CC# PC Bank command. Take care
when sending CC# Save Session requests:
a) LoopA could be overloaded if many save requests are received at once
b) existing sessions will be overwritten without human interaction

Backup your SD card contents before enabling this feature!

● CC# Load/Save Bank Selector: if set and if the specified CC parameter number is
received, LoopA sets the internal bank selector/multiplier for future PC load
session and CC save session requests. A value of 1 will add 128 to the loaded/saved
session number; a value of 2 will add 256 and so on.

All settings within the [Link] file can be edited with a computer text editor. Certain
sections are not (yet) editable within LoopA itself. The “INSTRUMENT” entries, for
example, are described in the next section.

9.1.2 Defining User Instrument Names

Upon opening [Link] in a text editor, 32 lines are available to define very helpful “user
instrument” abbreviations.

By default, the user instruments are disabled and enumerated as follows:

INSTRUMENT 0 Synth_A OUT1 0
INSTRUMENT 0 Synth_B OUT1 0
INSTRUMENT 0 Synth_C OUT1 0
...
 26

The INSTRUMENT identifier is followed by the instrument number (0-31), a string of up to

eight characters for the synth or device, and the output port and channel. Named User
Instruments can be assigned to any output port, including USB ports.

Transform these lines by using a computer text editor to reflect a custom

instrument/synth setup. LoopA can therefore use “instrument names” instead of
otherwise cryptic MIDI port/channel combinations:

INSTRUMENT 0 Andromed OUT1 1

INSTRUMENT 1 Dominion OUT1 2
INSTRUMENT 2 MoogLP OUT1 3
INSTRUMENT 3 Anushri OUT1 4
INSTRUMENT 4 ESQm OUT1 5
INSTRUMENT 5 EX8000 OUT1 6
INSTRUMENT 6 K3M OUT1 7
INSTRUMENT 7 uWave1 OUT1 8
...

E.g. in line 2 (“INSTRUMENT 1”), a synth called “Dominion” is configured to use MIDI OUT1,
MIDI channel 2. Once a MIDI channel other than “0” is defined, the respective instrument is
enabled. Always start with INSTRUMENT 0 and never leave a gap between instruments, as
LoopA stops scanning for further user instruments after encountering an output channel
of “0”).
 27

9.2 SESSION Screen

The SESSION screen is similar to the SETUP screen but configures settings that only apply
to the active session. Options in the SETUP screen are global for all sessions.

The following settings are available:

● FTS Scale: choose from > 160 scales; see Appendix B
● FTS Root Note: choose the scale root note
● Track 1-6 Display Mode: configures the display mode (normal or stave)
● Track 1-6 Volume: configures individual track MIDI volumes
● Track 1-6 OnLoad PrChg: configures program change (PC) packets to change
patches on the connected synth upon loading a session

Use the SELECT knob to scroll through the list and highlight the session configuration
item. Press the upper-row keys to select and change values with the SELECT knob or
toggle/trigger an item.
 28

9.3 (MIDI) ROUTER Screen

The ROUTER screen defines up to 16 permanent routing paths between LoopA and any
connected MIDI equipment. For example, forward a MIDI controller connected to IN1
(accepting all channels) to a synth connected on OUT1 and transform the output channel
to channel 1:

MIDI packets can also be forwarded to (or sent from) a virtual USB MIDI port (when
connecting LoopA to Windows 10 or Mac OS. Four independent MIDI USB devices are
available and could redirect MIDI traffic around a studio.

The router screen offers “commands” that are selected with the upper-row keys:

● Select: Select currently active “route” (also select routes by turning the SELECT
knob).
● IN P: Choose the input port of the active route (IN1-IN4, USB1-USB4). Only MIDI
packets arriving on this port are forwarded to the configured MIDI output
● IN Ch: Define the input channel of the active route (1-16 or “All”). If a specific
channel is chosen, only MIDI packets on this channel are forwarded to the
configured output.
● OUT P: Define the output port of the active route.
● OUT Ch: Define the output channel of the active route. If a numerical value is
chosen, the packet is sent only on this destination channel. If “All” is selected, the
input channel number is used (and is not modified).
 29

9.4 (MIDI) MONITOR Screen

The MONITOR screen shows current MIDI traffic from an interface perspective as well as a
short hexdump log:

The above image displays outgoing SysEx traffic on USB1, with three log lines of MIDI
packets sent at the timestamp 11236 (seconds), 781 (milliseconds). The output port is the
USB1 virtual MIDI port (-> arrow) and the hexadecimal string is the actual transmitted data.

Tip: this screen is useful for checking the activity of ports and for inspecting the
datastream. E.g. determine the Control Change (CC) number received by a MIDI
controller. CC messages are identified by three-byte sequences of the format "Bz nn
vv", where z is the MIDI channel, nn is the control change number and vv is the value.

Tip: this screen also shows MIDI traffic between a connected midiphy MatriX and
LoopA. Check for MatriX SysEx data received on IN4/BLM and outbound MatriX SysEx
data sent from OUT4/BLM.

Using this screen can help to debug cable or connection problems with any kind of general
MIDI gear. If a synth or keyboard is not responding as expected, check the connection and
the MIDI data flow on this screen first.
 30

9.5 DISK Operations Screen

Save and load Sessions to/from SD card from the DISK operations screen:

Scroll through the enumerated sessions with the SELECT knob.

● Upper-row key 2 (Save) saves the current session to disk

● Key 3 (Load) loads a session from disk
● Key 4 (New) initializes a completely new session, deleting all track and note data
● Key 5 (Name) switches to the name entry dialog for the current session

Rename a session from the default session number as shown:

Move the cursor with the "<<" or ">>" commands or by turning the SELECT encoder.
Change a character at the cursor position by turning the VALUE knob.
Delete and insert characters with the respective keys and finally use "Ok" or "Cancel" to
set a new session name or to revert to the old name.

Tip: LoopA remembers the last session loaded or saved and will recall it upon restart.

Tip: Copy the files in the SESSIONS directory on the SD card to your computer to
backup sessions from time to time!

Tip: Define MIDI Program Change numbers in the SESSION screen, so active synths
load associated patches automatically upon loading a session.
 31

9.6 TEMPO Screen

Controls the current playback speed and optionally configures a MIDI metronome for a
recording guide or click track:

Press upper-row key 1 to select the current BPM to be modified with the DATA knob.

Tip: push and turn the DATA knob for accelerated BPM adjustments.

The SLOWER and FASTER commands (keys 2 and 3) modify the tempo linearly while the
keys are pressed. Choose from five different tempo rates in the SETUP screen under the
setting "Tempo Dn/Up".

The METRONOME (Metron.) switch activates a MIDI metronome that can play different
notes at the start of measures and beats. Configure the metronome in the SETUP screen
by defining the output port for MIDI metronome notes and what notes are played when a
full measure or a full beat is reached.

Choose the time signature of the active session with upper-row key 4 + the DATA knob.
Although the default is standard 4/4 time (four quarter notes per measure), many
different time signatures are available. This setting also affects the default clip lengths.
LoopA will attempt to remap notes within existing clips upon changing the time signature,
but it is recommended to set the time signature before recording clips.
 32

9.7 MUTE Screen

The MUTE screen is probably the most important screen of LoopA. If clips in the
CLIP/NOTES/LIVEFX screens aren’t being modified (see below), the MUTE screen provides
a good overview of the sequences and allows clips to be quickly recorded, muted and
unmuted:

The above screenshot displays a 64-step sequence with stored note data on track 6, scene
"E", shortened to “6E”. The output port is USB4 MIDI port, channel 8.

The six upper-row keys launch/unmute clips of the currently active scene or stop/mute
them again. Muting and unmuting is always synchronized to a measure, so can be
"pre-unmuted" in advance and the clip will be launched with perfect timing.

Recording a sequence is most comfortable from the MUTE screen, as the active track is
easily chosen and (also visualized by the blue upper-row key and also the black-on-white
sequence position display; see the screenshot above). Press ARM and record notes with a
MIDI keyboard, MIDI drum pad or another instrument.

The six number slots on the lower line show the current sixteenth-note-equivalent
playback positions and clip lengths for all six LoopA tracks. A display of 09:64 indicates that
playback is at step (or sixteenth note) 9 of a total clip length of 64 steps (or sixteenth
notes).

The top-left corner of the MUTE screen displays the currently active track and scene. If
LoopA is armed, notes will be recorded on this track within this scene.

If a track is muted, [mute] is displayed in the upper-left corner of the OLED. If the track
mixer is set to zero volume, [silent] is shown.

The center-top line displays the output instrument of the currently active track. This takes
the form of any selected user instrument. It is strongly recommended to make use of user
instruments (e.g. "ANDROMED"; see chapter: SETUP Screen). Otherwise the MIDI output
port and MIDI channel are displayed (e.g. USB4 8).
 33

Note: “Track Switch" can be configured (in the SETUP screen) to jump to any track when a
“long press” of an upper-row key is performed. Similarly, enabling "Follow Track" sets the
active track based on mute-state changes.

Tip: also try "step sequence recording" in LoopA's mute screen - just enter any notes
when the sequencer engine is not running, but ARM is engaged. In this mode, you can
move the recording cursor position by pushing and turning the SELECT encoder and
can change the "step recording note interval" by pushing and holding SELECT while
turning the DATA encoder.
 34

9.8 CLIP Screen

The CLIP screen configures/modifies all 36 clips stored in LoopA.

The active clip is displayed in the top-left corner (e.g. 1A corresponding to track 1, scene
A). The following operations are available on the upper-row keys and (apart from Freeze)
modified with the DATA knob:

● Key 1 (Len) sets the clip length. The length can be reconfigured at any time without
losing notes, even with the sequencer running. Available clip lengths are
dependent on the chosen time signature. For 4/4 time, the defaults are 4, 8, 16, 32,
64, 128, 256, 512 and 1024 steps.

Tip: "fine-adjust" clip lengths by pushing and turning the DATA knob to enable
polymetric sequences.

Tip: "multiply notes" by pushing and holding the SELECT knob while increasing
the sequence length. Example: extend a drum loop from one measure to two
measures and copy the notes from the first bar into the second bar. Create
rhythm or drum variations by adjusting notes in the second bar.

● Key 2 is currently without function, but is reserved to select one "Extra Layer" for
each clip. This currently defaults to a "CC Layer" for recording MIDI CC data and will
be extended for further extra layers in later LoopA revisions.

● Key 3 (Trn) transposes the whole clip.

Tip: when this operation is active, press the DATA knob and turn it to transpose
full octaves. This is handy during live performance.

● Key 4 (Scr) scrolls the track notes forwards and backwards, wrapping around at
both ends.

● Key 5 (Zoom) zooms notes in or out. For example a zoom of 0.5 speeds up the
sequence by a factor of 2 by “compressing” the note lengths.
 35

Tip: "fine-adjust" zoom factors by pushing and turning the DATA knob to
experiment with polyrhythmic sequences - e.g. stretch a 4/4 drum beat by a
factor of 1.33 to produce a polyrhythm.

Hotkey Tip: press and hold the SELECT knob with Zoom active to freeze and
reverse the playback order of a clip - try it out! :)

● Key 6 (Freeze) stores a clip with transformations applied and resets all clip
parameters to zero. Any notes are deleted if they fall outside the displayed area,
e.g. if the clip length was shortened. Just like in mathematics, the order of
operations strongly determines the outcome of applied transformations. Freeze
“locks in” a change before progressing to the next transformation. Compare scroll,
freeze, zoom versus zoom, freeze, scroll.
 36

9.9 NOTES Screen

The NOTES screen allows adjustment of individual clip notes, e.g. to correct minor
recording mistakes, or to adjust timing, length or velocity of notes:

Use the lower-left SELECT knob to choose the currently active note, indicated by a small
dotted box.

The following operations are available on the upper-row keys:

● Key 1 (Pos): horizontally adjust the note or correct its timing. Pushing the DATA
knob while turning accelerates inputs, for instance to easily move a note longer
distances in the clip.
● Key 2 (Note): adjust the note itself; here D#3 is shown, which could be adjusted to
any other MIDI note using the DATA knob.
● Key 3 (Vel): adjust the velocity of the note with the DATA knob. Individual notes
with velocity value 0 are muted; this is different from muting a whole track
● Key 4 (Len): adjust the length of the played note relative to the recorded note
length with the DATA knob.
● Key 6 (Delete): deletes a note.

Tip: before undertaking extensive note editing, push COPY to store a copy of the clip
in the buffer. If editing goes wrong, DELETE the track and press PASTE to undo.

Tip: The note position editor now supports fine-granular adjustments: push and hold
SELECT while changing the note position with the DATA encoder.
 37

9.10 LIVEFX Screen

Use LiveFX functions to alter clips during performance:

The following operations are selected with the upper-row keys and modified with the
DATA knob:

● Key 1 (QU) dynamically (re)quantizes clip notes to defined note lengths. In this
example a simple drum clip was requantized to eighth notes.
Tip: use requantization to alter the rhythmic structure of sequences. E.g. if the
above clip was requantized to quarter notes during playback, the audible speed
of each note would halve.
● Key 2 (SW) introduces swing to quantized clip notes. Swing is applied to every
second quantized note. A swing setting of 50% indicates that no swing is applied
and the note should stay at its quantized position. Swing values >50% (such as 66%
in the example above) push every second quantized note forward in time up to the
next quantization point, and swing values <50% push the note backwards in time.
Tip #1: 32/33% or 66/67% swing settings enable triplet swing timing
Tip #2: The swing effect sometimes changes dramatically with slight changes
to BPM, try it out!
● Key 3 (PR) configures note playback probabilities. These are visualized as a
randomly blinking note-cloud. A note playback probability of 0% would mute all
notes in the sequence.
Tip #1: A note playback probability of a few percent below 100% can spice up
otherwise static drumloops
Tip #2: Use note playback probabilities in a live performance to "break
up"/"fade out" a sequence. It is especially fun to use on polyphonic/chord
sequences! :)
● Key 4 (Dm) activates or deactivates clip velocity dampening. Configure the default
velocity dampening percentage in SETUP and modify the clip dampening value by
turning the DATA knob when this command is active.
Tip: configure a footswitch to activate dampening on all tracks.
● Key 5 (FTS) activates or deactivates force-to-scale mode for the active clip and
ensures that all notes fit into the scale defined within the SESSION screen.
 38

9.11 CC EDIT Screen

The CC editor is a powerful tool to either modify prerecorded CC waveforms or to
synthesize new waveforms from scratch:

Quick overview:

● Turning the SELECT knob modifies the beginning of the selection range
● Key 1 (CC) configures the output CC number (0-127), engages "LEARN#" mode
(automatically selecting the first received CC number for this clip) or disables CC
output ("off")
● Key 2 (Range) changes the selection range
● Key 3 (Value) vertically shifts CC values of the selection range
● Key 4 (Move) horizontally shifts the selection range (overwriting neighboring areas
when moving the range)
● Key 5 picks from a list of algorithms and generators that transform the selected CC
range. A dotted preview is rendered before transforming
● Key 6 executes the transformation selected with key 5 and instantiates the dotted
preview

These features can quickly select a range of CCs and transform the selection in interesting
ways. E.g. generate a sine wave (as shown above) in the selected area, then use key 3
(value) to push the sine wave to the upper limit to clip the CCs at their maximum value of
127, then move the selection down again to produce a clipped waveform.

Note: the selection start and range lock to a "grid" aligned to measure length dividers. This
allows seamless generation of contiguous waveforms (with different step-equivalent
lengths).

Note: push and hold the SELECT knob while turning to fine-adjust the selection range start
position (to override the grid mentioned in the previous tip).

Tip #1: try stacking multiple operations, e.g. first create a sine wave, then apply a
sample-and-hold operation and then smoothen the newly created waveform.
 39

Tip #2: to quickly "draw" a waveform, set a positive range, then push key 3 to enter
"value modification mode". Then use both the SELECT and DATA knobs with two
hands to move the selected range while changing the selected values, for instance to
quickly draw waveforms and envelopes. After drawing, optionally use a smooth
algorithm over the full waveform to round off any rough edges.

Available algorithms and generators (key 5):

● DELETE: deletes the selected range of CCs

● LINEAR: draws a line from left-to-right in the selected range
● SMOOTH: filters and fills the selection range with an "averaging effect"
● FILTER: like SMOOTH but more aggressive
● SHOLD1: sample and hold effect with four equally sized areas in the selection
● SHOLD2: similar to SHOLD1 but with sixteen equally sized areas
● NOISE: adds 10% noise to the selection
● RAND: fully randomizes the selection
● CSHRNK: decreases waveform values by 10% around the center
● CGROW: like CSHRNK but increases values
● SCRMBL: divides and randomly reorders the selection range as eight equal blocks
● SINE1: draws one sine waveform cycle in the selection range
● SINE2: similarly draws two sine waveform cycles
● SINE3: similarly draws three sine waveform cycles
● SINE4: similarly draws four sine waveform cycles
● PULSE1: draw one pulse (top -> bottom) waveform in the selection range
● PULSE2: similarly draws two pulses
● PULSE3: similarly draws three pulses
● PULSE4: similarly draws four pulses
● TRI1: draws one triangle (bottom -> top -> bottom) in the selection range
● TRI2: similarly draws two triangles
● TRI3: similarly draws three triangles
● TRI4: similarly draws four triangles
● SAW1: draws one saw waveform in the selection range
● SAW2: similarly draws two saw waveforms
● SAW3: similarly draws three saw waveforms
● SAW4: similarly draws four saw waveforms
● ISAW1: draw one inverted saw waveform in the selection range
● ISAW2: similarly draws two inverted saw waveforms
● ISAW3: similarly draws three inverted saw waveforms
● ISAW4: similarly draws four inverted saw waveforms
 40

9.12 TRACK Screen

A track typically represents an "instrument", with the six vertical scene clips in a track
representing variations of melody lines or drum patterns. The following TRACK screen is
an example of such a MIDI instrument setup:

The following operations are selected or toggled with the upper-row keys and modified
with the DATA knob:

● Keys 1 and 2 respectively define the MIDI port and channel to which LoopA should
send MIDI notes for the current track. Four virtual USB ports are also available that
could be mapped to software instruments (e.g. VSTs) on a computer.
Highly recommended tip: Turn the DATA knob further to display user
instruments with custom naming e.g. "ANDROMED" instead of cryptic
OUT1/Channel 1 combinations. Read the SETUP screen chapter for more
details.
● Keys 3 and 4 respectively define the input MIDI port and channel associated with
the current track. The default value of "All" recognizes input from any MIDI IN ports
including virtual USB ports. Use this to filter the incoming MIDI stream.
● Key 5 (Fwd) enables live-forwarding of received MIDI note data on the current
track. This is essential if a MIDI controller keyboard is attached to an input port, and
a software/hardware synth is attached to the configured MIDI output port. This
way MIDI data is echoed to the synth only if the track is active. This feature
enables auditioning of multiple rack/keyboardless synthesizers with only a single
master keyboard. Turn the SELECT knob to cycle between tracks with this feature
enabled.
● Key 6 (LTr) enables and disables live transposition for the current track. Live
transposition is performed with the upper-right LIVE knob and enables
measure-synchronized transposition of all tracks that have this feature enabled (LTr
On).
Tip: Disable live transposition on drum tracks. MIDI notes are typically mapped
to specific notes and transposition would probably result in unwanted drums
being played (though some interesting effects might result!).
 41

10. Live Performance Modes

LoopA supports two live performance modes. Push the upper-right LIVE performance knob
to cycle through these modes. The active live performance mode is indicated by LEDs near
the LIVE knob. Turning the live performance knob changes the respective live performance
value as displayed by the nearby LED arc.

10.1 Live Transposition Mode

In live transposition mode, LoopA transposes any track with LTr ON (live transposition
active) in their respective TRACK screen. It makes sense to disable live transposition for
drum tracks in most cases. Jump through preset transpositions by turning the LIVE knob to
transpose by +5, +7, +12 (and so on) semitones in the positive range and -5, -7, -12 (and so
on) in the negative range.

The LEDs around the LIVE knob indicate the current live transposition value.
Live transpositions are always time synchronized to the next measure (if the sequencer is
running).

Tip: Push SHIFT and press the LIVE knob to quickly switch from the current live
transposition value to zero live transposition. Push SHIFT and press the LIVE knob
again to cycle back to the previous transposition value. This live transposition value is
also saved to the session, so can store and toggle a nice live transposition setting
when loading another session.

10.2 Live Beatloop Mode

If beatloop mode is engaged, one of forteen time-scanning algorithms is chosen with the
LIVE knob. The currently active algorithm is visualized with the LED arc near the LIVE knob.

During playback, the time progression cursor progresses differently for each algorithm
from mild to wild: try it out! Some algorithms repeat previous measures or beats, some
scan forward or skip measures and some continue to play back the sequence with identical
runtime with large jumps applied to the time cursor.
Tip #1: Try "scrambled" beatloop mode with simple melody lines to get completely
new melodies while keeping harmonies intact. After finding a nice beatloop value,
toggle between this value and "zero beatloop" as desired by pressing the SHIFT key +
the LIVE knob.

Tip #2: Try "repetition beatloops" of increasingly shortened repeat time (first a
measure, then a beat, then a sixteenth note) to create a flam/drumroll effect that can
be released by resetting the beatloop with SHIFT plus a press of the LIVE knob.
 42

11. What's New/Changelog

In case you have been using LoopA for a while and wonder which changes were introduced
in newer software revisions, have a look here:

V2.09 (released on 2022/02/05)

● midiphy MatriX support
● Added Force-To-Scale (FTS) FX mode - can enable FTS individually per clip
● Added stave display mode (compress notes vertically, render "note lines")
● Added keys overlay mode, to play an octave of keys with the built-in LoopA
keyboard.
● Added session configuration screen to set session parameters, e.g. musical scale
and scale root note selection for FTS
● Added new track volume mixer (and mixer control in the session configuration
screen)
● Added keyboard live transpose mode - pushing the SELECT encoder while pressing
any MIDI keyboard key with ARM disabled will transpose the currently active clip (
thanks Menzman, Ziv, Smithy and Tim!)
● Added clip notes multiplication feature - duplicates notes, when the clip length is
doubled while SELECT is pressed (thanks, TL072!)
● Added outbound MIDI Program Change support - when a new session is loaded,
configurable program change MIDI messages can be automatically sent to each
track to select synthesizer patches. Program Change messages can also be sent
individually in the new session configuration screen.
● Inbound MIDI Program Change messages for remote session loading and remote
scene switching are now supported (thanks Mike and José!)
● Inbound CC control for remote scene switching and remote session saving is now
supported (thanks Mike and Francesco!)
● When track forwarding is enabled, LoopA is now forwarding also aftertouch, poly
pressure and pitch bend messages (thanks TanDog and Eugene!)
● New config option: "Metronome MIDI Velocity" - allows to set the MIDI note
velocity for the metronome (thanks Roel!)
● New config option: "Step Record Note Length to Pause Ratio" - thanks, Menzman!
● New config option: "ARMed Bootup" - allows to disable ARMed state after booting
LoopA (thanks Synthfox and Jeroen!)
● Now showing "MatriX Connected" message, when a MatriX was attached - helpful
for debugging the connectivity to MatriX (thanks, Eugene!)
● Fixed hanging notes that sometimes occurred during recording, when a MIDI
keyboard sent the same "note on" event before turning the note off.
● Fixed a problem where the active track could not be switched within the scene
overview mode (thanks, Jure!)
● Fixed a range underflow problem, when decrementing the screensaver time with
pressed value encoder (thanks, Arnold!)
● Fixed circular scene LEDs not updating when the sequencer engine was stopped
 43

and scenes were changed via footswitch command (thanks, Arnold!)

V2.08 (released on 2020/12/23)

● Added "Autoloop" recording mode: autodetect tempo and support arbitrary loop
lengths, that are not known before recording. It's similar to an "audio looper-like
workflow", where you can just record anything via MIDI, loop it and build upon it
with additional clips that are all in sync (Thanks, Ziv and Michael!).
● Added "UNDO" and "REDO" function, which will revert the latest changes of the
active clip (press SHIFT+DELETE) (Thanks Eugene, Robert and Ziv!)
● Added "Scene Map" overview, that will graphically show which scene clips are
currently active (hold SCENE knob button)
● When muting and unmuting in the SHIFT screen, the currently active track is now
also shown (with a mixed-in blue LED color)
● Direct "Scene" selection via Matias key instead of knob : hold SCENE and push
top-row key (Thanks, Ziv!)
● Now only received MIDI notes will be indicated on the frontpanel MIDI status LEDs,
to avoid them being "on" most of the time (Thanks, Robert!)
● Fixed a sync problem with external MIDI clock in conjunction with beatloop mode
(Thanks, Robert!)
● Global upper-key-based track switching now allows to switch tracks from
"everywhere" by pushing and holding one of the upper keys long enough
(configure necessary key hold time via CONFIG screen)
● Autoloop recording now has configurable clip length fitting, choose from easily
loopable "Loopblocks" (power-of-two beats), or an integer number of beats or
measures (via CONFIG screen)
● Step recording chord contraction is now configurable - either all keys played within
a given timespan become a chord, or chord recording stops when the first held key
is released (via CONFIG screen)
● Session naming is now available in the DISK screen (Thanks Eugene, Robert, Karg,
Michael, Ziv!)
● Autoloop recording can now also record CCs (Thanks, Ziv!)
● "Uneven" clip zoom levels are now possible by pushing and turning the VALUE
encoder within the CLIP->Zoom function. E.g. you can stretch a 4/4 drum beat by a
factor of 1.33 to generate a polyrhythm (Thanks, Ziv!).
● Note playback probabilities have been adjusted to the standard, now note playback
probabilities instead of note-skip probabilities are shown in the FX screen (Thanks,
Ziv!)
● New clip freeze & playback inversion feature - push SELECT and click on the "Zoom"
command icon in the CLIP screen to reverse a clip (Thanks, Robert!)
● REDO after UNDO is now supported (Thanks, Robert!)
● Now forwarded MIDI notes are also transposed, factoring in both clip transposition
as well as live transposition options (Thanks, Ziv!)
● Fixed a potential missing MIDI note off problem, when MIDI forwarding was on and
a track was changed while the forwarded note was held.
 44

● Now capturing an additional UNDO snapshot, when starting the sequencer via
RUN/STOP with ARM active (Thanks, Eugene!)
● Track MIDI forwarding will now also transpose forwarded note data (Thanks, Ziv!)
● Note position editor: now supporting fine-granular adjustments: push and hold
SELECT while changing the note position with the DATA encoder (Thanks, Ziv!)
● New keyboard Shortcut: while pushing and holding the SCENE knob, push the LIVE
knob to send a "MIDI Panic" (force "stuck" notes to be off) to all connected MIDI
devices (Thanks, Robert and Ziv!)

V2.07 (released on 2020/08/23):

● Added "CC" Recording function and added a powerful CC waveform
editor/generator page equipped with CC multi-value/range editing,
algorithmic modifiers and extensive waveform generators.
● "Single Track Scene Progression Mode" (push upper-left knob to engage this
alternative scene progression mode) - this allows to cycle through all clips of
a drum track without changing the other tracks' clips.
● Now supporting many different time signatures (e.g. 9/16 time, default is
4/4 time). This also scales the default clip lengths to the changed measure
times
● Added a fully flexible clip length system for polyrhythmic/polymetric
sequences - to change to an "uncommon" clip length, press down the data
knob while turning it (CLIP screen clip length command)
● Implemented "classic step recording": when the sequencer engine is not
running, but LoopA is armed, notes can be entered. You can define the time
cursor/position increments for this mode in the CONFIG screen. You can also
push the SELECT knob and turn it to scrub the time cursor during step
recording, e.g. to enter "pauses". Push SELECT and record a note to place a
sustained (long) note, that will often cause a slide/portamento effect. Good
for bassline sequences and "Berlin School"/101 synth noodles! :)
● Added new "Dampen" live effect command (FX screen), that reduces the
velocity of played notes of the currently active clip, similar to a dampening
pedal on a piano - the applied default velocity reduction (in percent) is
configurable in the SETUP screen and clip dampening values can be
individually configured on the FX screen - dampening of all clips can also be
temporarily activated by a new footswitch command (Thanks, Robert)
● Added configurable clip position time indications in the MUTE screen:
choose between either sixteenth notes/steps or measures as a position
indicator and define if counting should start at "0" or "1" (thanks Michael
and Robert!)
● "Auto session increment after initialize" (Thanks, lp1977!)— this prevents
accidental overwriting of existing sessions with new sessions, when SAVE is
clicked after NEW.
● Switched positions of "Faster" and "Slower" commands in the TEMPO screen
for a more logical arrangement (Thanks, Andy and Robert!)
● Added "Screensaver = completely turn off" configuration option to reduce
wear on the OLED screen in screensaver mode (Thanks, Robert)
 45

● Fixed a bug where deleted notes were potentially still editable in the note
editor (Thanks, Eugene!)
● Fixed a bug with the screensaver not really saving the screen when the
OLED inversion mode was on :) (Thanks, Robert!)

V2.06 (released on 2020/04/15):

● Now supporting 256, 512 and 1024 step-equivalent clip lengths (previous
limit was 128)
● Fixed settings (e.g. metronome config) Mattias key illumination bug (thanks,
Eugene!)
● Illuminate SHIFT-ABOUT and SHIFT-HELP keys in red when they are pressed
● Fixed a bug with "hanging" illuminated matias SETUP-screen LEDs, when
navigating away from the SETUP screen in the menu (Thanks, Eugene!)
● Enabled respective key highlighting, when copy/paste/delete keys are
pressed
● Enabled run/stop beat LED flashing to flash red on full measure, green on
beat
● Fixed 0xFA MIDI clock start command, that was sent twice on run/stop
sequencer start (Thanks, Eugene!)
● Improved display responsiveness/refresh rate, if the LoopA core is not under
load
● Improved initial BPM/timing stability, just a after a sequence was started
(Thanks Michael!)
● Enabled frontpanel LED outputs for MIDI activity on IN1/IN2/BLM ports
● New option "Inv. Footsw": software footswitch inversion support to support
both types of normal/inverted footswitches.
● Added customizable footswitch functions: choose any two of "CursorErase",
"RunStop", "Arm", "ClearClip", "JumpToStart", "JumpToPrecount",
"Metronome", "PreviousScene", "NextScene", "PreviousTrack", "NextTrack"
Holding down the footswitch for CursorErase allows "overwriting"clip notes
under the time cursor, this allows for live re-recording of new notes while
the sequencer is running. JumpToPrecount allows jumping to a count-in
point of a sequence, pushing the footswitch thus simplifies re-recording of a
clip.
● New option "Inv. MuteLED" to invert mute LEDs (Thanks, Michael!)
● New option "Track Switch": when enabled, "long-pressing" a mute key
switches to that track. With configurable key hold time in the SETUP screen.
(Thanks, Eugene!)
● New Option "Tempo Up/Dn": Configurable BPM delta speed (faster/slower
buttons)
● New Option "Follow Track": automatic track following when
muting/unmuting, can be set to "disabled"/"when unmuting"/"when muting
or unmuting" (Thanks, Eugene!)
● New Option "LED Notes": visualizes played notes via temporarily red
illuminated track buttons in the MUTE screen - when the sequencer is
 46

running, this indicates which track is actively playing notes.

 47

APPENDIX A: Supported Force-To-Scale Scales

0. Major 56. Japan. (Taishikicho) 112. M. Hanumattodi 8
1. Harmonic Minor 57. Javanese 113. M. Harikambhoji 28
2. Melodic Minor 58. Jewish(AdonaiMalakh) 114. M. Hatakambari 18
3. Natural Minor 59. Jewish (Ahaba Rabba) 115. M. Hemavati 58
4. Chromatic 60. Jewish (Magen Abot) 116. M. Jalarnavam 38
5. Whole Tone 61. Kumoi 117. M. Jhalavarali 39
6. Pentatonic Major 62. Leading Whole Tone 118. M. Jhankaradhvani 19
7. Pentatonic Minor 63. Lydian Augmented 119. M. Jyotisvarupini 68
8. Pentatonic Blues 64. Lydian Minor 120. M. Kamavardhani 51
9. Pentatonic Neutral 65. Lydian Diminished 121. M. Kanakangi 1
10. Octatonic (H-W) 66. Major Locrian 122. M. Kantamani 61
11. Octatonic (W-H) 67. Mohammedan 123. M. Kharaharapriya 22
12. Ionian 68. Neopolitan 124. M. Kiravani 21
13. Dorian 69. Neopolitan Major 125. M. Kokilapriya 11
14. Phrygian 70. Neopolitan Minor 126. M. Kosalam 71
15. Lydian 71. Nine Tone Scale 127. M. Latangi 63
16. Mixolydian 72. Oriental (A) 128. M. Manavati 5
17. Aeolian 73. Oriental (B) 129. M. Mararanjani 25
18. Locrian 74. Overtone 130. M. Mayamalavagaula 1
19. Algerian 75. Overtone Dominant 131. M. Mechakalyani 65
20. Arabian (A) 76. Pelog 132. M. Naganandini 30
21. Arabian (B) 77. Persian 133. M. Namanarayani 50
22. Augmented 78. Prometheus 134. M. Nasikabhusani 70
23. Auxiliary Diminished 79. PrometheusNeopolitan 135. M. Natabhairavi 20
24. Auxiliary Augmented 80. Pure Minor 136. M. Natakapriya 10
25. Auxiliary Diminished 81. Purvi Theta 137. M. Navanitam 40
26. Balinese 82. Roumanian Minor 138. M. Nitimati 60
27. Blues 83. Six Tone Symmetrical 139. M. Pavani 41
28. Byzantine 84. Spanish Gypsy 140. M. Ragavardhani 32
29. Chinese 85. Super Locrian 141. M. Raghupriya 42
30. Chinese Mongolian 86. Theta, Asavari 142. M. Ramapriya 52
31. Diatonic 87. Theta, Bilaval 143. M. Rasikapriya 72
32. Diminished 88. Theta, Bhairav 144. M. Ratnangi 2
33. Diminished, Half 89. Theta, Bhairavi 145. M. Risabhapriya 62
34. Diminished, Whole 90. Theta, Kafi 146. M. Rupavati 12
35. Diminished WholeTone 91. Theta, Kalyan 147. M. Sadvidhamargini 4
36. Dominant 7th 92. Theta, Khamaj 148. M. Salagam 37
37. Double Harmonic 93. Theta, Marva 149. M. Sanmukhapriya 56
38. Egyptian 94. Todi Theta 150. M. Sarasangi 27
39. Eight Tone Spanish 95. M. Bhavapriya 44 151. M. Senavati 7
40. Enigmatic 96. M. Chakravakam 16 152. M. Simhendramadhyama
41. Ethiopian (A raray) 97. M. Chalanata 36 153. M. Subhapantuvarali
42. Ethiopian Geez Ezel 98. M. Charukesi 26 154. M. Sucharitra 67
43. Half Dim (Locrian) 99. M. Chitrambari 66 155. M. Sulini 35
44. Half Dim 2 (Locrian) 100. M. Dharmavati 59 156. M. Suryakantam 17
45. Hawaiian 101. M. Dhatuvardhani 69 157. M. Suvarnangi 47
46. Hindu 102. M. Dhavalambari 49 158. M. Syamalangi 55
47. Hindustan 103. M. Dhenuka 9 159. M. Tanarupi 6
48. Hirajoshi 104. M. Dhirasankarabhara 160. M. Vaschaspati 64
49. Hungarian Major 105. M. Divyamani 48 161. M. Vagadhisvari 34
50. Hungarian Gypsy 106. M. Gamanasrama 53 162. M. Vakulabharanam 14
51. Hungarian G. Persian 107. M. Ganamurti 3 163. M. Vanaspati 4
52. Hungarian Minor 108. M. Gangeyabhusani 33 164. M. Varunapriya 24
53. Japanese (A) 109. M. Gaurimanohari 23 165. M. Visvambari 54
54. Japanese (B) 110. M. Gavambodhi 43 166. M. Yagapriya 31
55. Japan. (Ichikosucho) 111. M. Gayakapriya 13
 48

APPENDIX B: Acknowledgements
Many thanks to:

● Andy, who designed the PCBs, was always available for talks & suggestions and
who finally proofread and corrected this manual. Thanks, man! :)

● Thorsten, who created MIDIbox: the hardware and software platform of LoopA. It
would have been impossible to build without your work! Thank you!

● Adrian Hallik, who creates beautiful cases and front panels. Thanks a lot for your
fantastic work, also on this unit!

● Adrian Smith, who seeded initial thoughts about a "perfect MIDI looping device".
Thanks, man!

● All current and future users of LoopA, who made this device possible and
ensure continuous development. You know who you are! :-)