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They're also useful for reverb effects, in very much the same way. See http://www.npr.org/2010/08/03/128935865/queens-brian-may-roc... (under "On The 'Stomp-Stomp-Clap' Section Of 'We Will Rock You'")

Also, I think the technique will work as long as the numbers are relatively prime, which may be a bit easier to design around.



Using coprime-length looping rhythms on top of each other can also create some pretty interesting sounds.

Take a rhythm in 4/4 (say a standard rock snare backbeat, playing on the second and fourth note of a four note bar), layer on a cymbal pattern which repeats every three notes, then a bass drum pattern which repeats every five notes. The effect is fairly subtle because the snare keeps everything sounding like 4/4, but the feel of the rhythm is constantly shifting.

I found a nice YouTube video demonstrating this a while back, but unfortunately all I can find now is videos of polyrhythms where the loops all have the same duration but different numbers of beats per duration... which is an interesting technique in and of itself :)


Holy shit, Brian May's one more Ph.D. away from being Buckaroo Banzai!




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