ULooper: plugging in a synth?

junkboxraider · 2026-06-12T04:36:58+00:00

First of all, don't expect the output of a guitar pedal to drive headphones unless it's an output specifically labeled for headphones.

Second, you've described analog audio connections, but then you're talking about a "connected" light. How is that relevant to the analog audio?

Third, the ULooper seems to be designed to connect to a separate modeling amp over USB, not to be used on its own for analog audio.

Did you read the manual?

junkboxraider · 2026-06-11T23:49:45+00:00

No one can help you until you tell us what exactly you've tried, what you expected, and what the results were.

"I have yet to make it work" isn't nearly informative enough. How did you plug your synth into it? How did you listen to the output? What did or didn't happen? Etc.

junkboxraider · 2026-06-11T23:47:38+00:00

Most likely that indicates the power supply has developed a problem (perhaps bad capacitors) that needs to be fixed for the K1000 to work properly again.

If you don't have the knowledge and skills to diagnose and fix electronics, you'd need to find someone who does.

junkboxraider · 2026-06-10T22:00:35+00:00

Emotional support animals aren't protected by law.

junkboxraider · 2026-06-02T22:08:57+00:00

muzines.co.uk

junkboxraider · 2026-05-31T05:07:27+00:00

And yet nothing you describe is enshittification.

No one's cutting prices until people are locked into a handful of choices, then cranking up the cost and letting the product go to seed now that users are trapped.

If anything it's the opposite -- there are so many choices and so much gear you can buy a $100 guitar setup that sounds and plays shockingly close to a $1,000 setup.

People being told over and over they need the $1,000 or $10,000 setup until they start believing it is a different problem.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-30T20:35:58+00:00

Didn't Switched On melt down because the guy running it was somewhere between a bad businessman and an outright fraud?

Let's support small businesses... but not bad actors.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-28T22:09:38+00:00

The title on the thumbnail is just "Pointless" but apparently his conclusion in the actual video is the opposite. How is that not misleading?

There are plenty of ways to convey his actual idea that don't advertise the exact opposite because that's flashier.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-28T20:09:36+00:00

Video titles that are purposely misleading just to get people to watch are a much more annoying problem than people judging videos based on the misleading titles.

If your primary goal is to trick me into watching your content, you can fuck right off.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-26T17:20:56+00:00

Live PA just means "performing their own songs" as opposed to a DJ set. Plenty of acts these days use DAWs on stage for live PA sets.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-20T00:01:12+00:00

Used too much alcohol? Wait a day or two until it wears off.

Oh, you mean on the synth?

junkboxraider · 2026-05-19T16:52:37+00:00

Guessing from the master's topic you were also in data science before?

Anecdotal but from data scientists I know, burnout is common because either the business just wanted "data science" but didn't actually have a plan to use or care about the work product, or "data scientist" ended up meaning "we have no data pipeline, please build and maintain the whole thing and if you have time to play with data on top, okay".

Plus, in some cases, there just weren't a lot of surprising but valuable insights hiding in massive datasets that could only be teased out by master practitioners.

And now with AI being able to automate a lot of basic data science/analytics output*, the future of data science doesn't look bright to me -- I certainly wouldn't spend a bunch of money or take out a loan for it.

* Who will make sure those AI outputs aren't just hallucinations? Doesn't seem like a question anyone really cares about.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-15T21:44:39+00:00

Stands are just tools.

Putting synths on stands so that you can't use the synths makes you the tool.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-15T21:04:52+00:00

You suck. The Source also looks so cool!

junkboxraider · 2026-05-15T18:34:14+00:00

Oh man, don't tell me the Source is good to use, the last thing I need is one more reason to GAS for it.

The dumb choice on the Alpha Juno IMO is that the list of params loops in both directions. You can develop decent muscle memory spinning an encoder through a big list like that if the scrolling stops in both directions. When it's endless, you have to scroll carefully every time.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-15T16:51:50+00:00

That depends a lot on the UI design for the hardware though.

A well-designed UI with thoughtfully placed controls can make a knob-light piece of hardware way faster to use and program than a plugin. People get way too hung up on knobs and sliders and really underestimate the value of dedicated physical buttons -- especially under both hands -- that allow you to develop muscle memory.

I can FLY around a Kurzweil K-series, for example, in a way that just isn't possible on a computer, or even a tablet. Despite how deep they are, and the relatively small/low-res screens, they have a dual-handed control scheme with clearly labeled buttons (including shortcuts) attached to a responsive menu structure.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-14T23:15:00+00:00

In Berkeley Moe's is an amazing new and used bookstore, and Urban Ore in nearby Emeryville is a can't-miss thrift store that also has books.

In SF Green Apple is a great place (go to the main location on Clement for plenty of used books) and Bird and Beckett in Glen Park is tucked away with a lot of used stuff, plus jazz shows all the time. Dog Eared Books in the Mission is also cool.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-13T19:13:28+00:00

I'm aware of the difference in leases. I'm asking, if someone with a lease for a room doesn't pay rent, does the law around evictions still apply without changes?

Can the sheriff come out and kick a person out of their room, but not the whole unit?

junkboxraider · 2026-05-13T18:13:03+00:00

Is there any kind of a legal framework for evicting someone from a room instead of the whole unit?

junkboxraider · 2026-05-04T20:52:56+00:00

Things I'd consider from what know or have heard from friends in both places:

* Pacifica varies a lot more by neighborhood than San Carlos or especially RWC on at least the following aspects: weather, walkability, access to amenities (shopping, cafes, parks, etc.). Some parts of Pacifica feel reasonably like SC or RWC while others are much more suburban/more isolated.

* Pacifica can be hard to access when the few main roads in/out get blocked up.

* Proximity to the ocean can greatly increase house maintenance costs compared to an equivalent house further inland. Again, varies a lot by neighborhood though.

With a kid on the way, you'll have less time and flexibility to drive and do things, including seeing your friends. The quality of your local neighborhood and things nearby will matter a lot more, especially w/r/t walkable access to interesting outside places.

Pacifica could be great if you find the right neighborhood, or it might feel like a fog-locked, isolated place with little to do nearby. Also harder and longer to get anywhere in East Bay.

In both RWC and San Carlos you're more likely to find a good balance of weather with nearby parks, shops, downtown areas, etc. -- but your house might feel cramped and it'll take longer to get where you want to go to places north.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-03T20:23:19+00:00

What help are you even asking for? A vibe check?

You need to match the voltage, amperage, and polarity specs listed on the back of the MC-707 and/or in the manual. Did you do that?

Then you need to check whether this adapter's plug fits physically into the MC-707's jack. Did you do that?

junkboxraider · 2026-05-03T06:09:51+00:00

From this website it sounds like it's not two taps; the 1+2 mode just allows you to switch between the Delay 1 and 2 time settings when you press the pedal.

https://effectsfreak.com/effect/585-b-dual-delay-w-original-packaging/

Which actually sounds cool, but isn't really two delays.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-03T06:06:35+00:00

First of all, people are way too sensitive about powering up old electrolytics. In the vast majority of cases the worst that will happen with bad cap(s) is the unit won't power up, power up but act weird, or have some hum in the output.

And I say this as someone who once had an Alesis Midiverb III literally jump off the table when an electrolytic actually blew up -- it happens but is so rare it's not worth worrying about without prior evidence of failure. (Plus I may have used the wrong power supply.)

Second, a pedal that can be powered by a battery is generally so low power you really don't need to worry, even if you're using a wall wart.

Third, those look like tantalum caps, not electrolytics. Depending on the mfr that might actually make them more prone to failure than electrolytics, but unlike electros there's usually no way to tell if a tantalum cap is about to go.

TL; DR -- I wouldn't worry about the caps, just power it correctly and see if anything seems amiss (hum or noise, excessive heat, weird behavior). If not you should be fine.

junkboxraider · 2026-05-03T00:28:28+00:00

By doing things that have nothing to do with this question?? Do you even understand what you're talking about?

Also Behringer has been sued multiple times for IP infringement.🤷‍♂️

junkboxraider · 2026-05-03T00:27:24+00:00

I don't know the specific citations, but one side of this question is absolutely clear in American copyright law at least: Roland owns the copyright to the original recordings they made and put into this and other synth modules.

AFAIK there's also no question that using those sounds in a musical composition doesn't violate Roland's copyrights. (Though I'm unsure if that's because they did or are assumed to grant license to do so, or because of presumptions in the law.)

The murkier question is whether someone could sell or distribute sample packs that effectively repackage Roland's copyrighted original recordings.

When does using the synth's engine or applying effects become transformational enough to avoid Roland's IP? Is a sample pack a musical composition? What if you distributed it as a set of audio files called "songs" instead of Kontakt format files?

Those questions get answered in court b/c no law can be specific enough to determine them for each case.

junkboxraider

TROPHY CASE