Slow Q&A 2009: The What Is That? Edition, pt. 1

What was the electronic looping device you used? (brand, model, etc.) Would love to get one to play with—gave you lots of flexibility in the show.

-billWhat is that beautiful shiny red keyboard you tour with now-a-days? I did enough investigative work to figure out it was a Nord something or other.

• roofboy179Here’s the gear I use onstage these days:Electro-Harmonix 2880 Stereo Multi-Track LooperThis is my favorite toy at the moment. There are a number of more popular looping pedals out there, including the Line 6 DL4 (also a delay modeler—Alex and Ward both have one in their setups) and the Digitech JamMan, but the EHX 2880 is perfect for me. It seems designed to be operated mostly by hand, not foot—a problem for guitarists, but great for a piano player who needs to see what she’s doing, and who’s unaccustomed to pushing switches with her left foot. It can record much longer loops than the DL4, and the unique 4-channel design allows you to fade loops in and out, features that make it possible to do songs like “The Last Snowfall” and “1br/1ba”. The Reverse feature is fun (been using it to create backwards piano loops for “Gravity” lately), and I’d like to try hooking it up in stereo so I can pan different loops to the right or left of the stage. Also would be fun to have multiple instruments/musicians going into it. It is missing play-once and last-time (i.e. stop after this go-round is over) buttons, but you can’t have everything, I guess.TC Helicon VoiceTone harmonyMRight now I’m just using this as a compact mic preamp so I can use the EHX 2880 with a microphone. Hooked up to a keyboard via MIDI, this thing becomes a spookily realistic vocal harmonizer (think Imogen Heap’s vocoder masterpiece “Hide And Seek”—not written on a harmonyM, but something similar). If we ever put “Radio” on the setlist I’ll unleash its full powers.Nord Stage 88Another fun instrument currently under-utilized in our set. I’m mostly using it as a substitute for a real Wurlitzer or Rhodes electric piano, occasionally employing the handy built-in effects/delay section. The Paper Raincoat, who borrow it a lot, take advantage of its keyboard split and synth features.And in case you’re curious, Alex’s setup includes a Fat Congas Cuban bajo cajon, with a mic attached to the sound hole that runs to his effects pedals. (In other words, he’s not sitting on any ordinary box. Though “cajón” does mean “box.”)[ Thanks to the authors of the YouTube videos linked above for taping the shows! ]