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Assuming a very clean digital delay with a "repeat n times" mode set to one repeat (like "Multi" on the EHX Canyon), mix at 50/50, and time starting at zero ms and increasing from there, could one convincingly emulate Piano Phase? What am I missing here? I don't have any such delay to test that idea.

JohnnyApplesauce
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  • I’m sure you could get some kind of delay set up to recreate Piano Phase. As you say, you’d have to gradually increase the delay time, which means it would probably be easiest in a DAW. I presume you want to do this live with just one player. If you just want to record it, of course, you could record either one or two versions of the loop, chop, and slightly time stretch some the sections that “move”. – Bob Broadley Jun 26 '20 at 15:32
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    Might be more successful with a looper. – Tim Jun 26 '20 at 15:33
  • Years ago I set up a file to play Piano Phase in Sibelius. It was really easy to do. I created long bars at some multiple of 3/4 (can’t remember what), started off with semiquavers in both piano parts, and then had tuplets in the part that speeds up, using a ratio of (12n+1):12n, where n is how many bars you want the semiqauver change to happen over. Sounded pretty good, surprisingly... – Bob Broadley Jun 26 '20 at 15:38
  • Absolutely, Tim. Because the looped part would stay at the same speed and then the live player just has to get a little faster as required. I’m inspired to try this later today! – Bob Broadley Jun 26 '20 at 15:40
  • Another good thing about using a looper, is that most pianists I’ve spoken to say that the harder part in Piano Phase is the one that *doesn’t* change speed. And of course this would be the looped part! – Bob Broadley Jun 26 '20 at 15:42
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    @BobBroadley - I just stumbled upon your comment. If you use the '@ with Tim' it'll reach me toot sweet! Not allowed to type it proper! Computer says no. – Tim Jun 26 '20 at 16:50
  • Or maybe hook up the delay time to a very slow LFO, when speaking in terms of modular systems... That may not be the most straightforward ;). – Tom Jun 26 '20 at 18:49

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Playing with an arpegiator and a looper today and I succeeded in reproducing the same kind of effect as in Piano Phase, as @Tim said.

The arpegiated phrase was not the same than in Piano Phase, but looping a few bars with the arpegiator set at tempo 90 (say) and then looping the same phrase with the arpegiator at tempo 89 on another track of the looper (not synced) is reproducing the same effect. I found the hard part was to stop the second loop correctly as, the first playing and just starting to be out of phase it is hard to follow the beat… Synchronising the MIDI tempo should solve that, as the original piece is very hard to play, you do not want to makes things to easy.

The only problem to reproduce Piano Phase is that small variations sometimes occur (if I remember well), and you cannot do that with a looper…

Tom
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