Let's Talk Loopers.

[t-rey]

I've never had a looper before. But I bought a Supermoon and have been making droney noises with it and now I want a looper something fierce.

EHX 720 currently has my interest, mostly because of the presets. Ditto x2 seems popular as well. Not sure about anything else beyond that. So, obviously, suggestions/direction/insight are extremely welcome.

Top priority is ease of use, especially with regard to creating loops without a gap in them. Not sure how much of that is timing, but figured I'd mention it since that's what I want to do with it.

Trying to stay $150 or less.

[resincum]

can I hijack and ask about others experiences with the x4?? any issues with the stomps on the ditto stuff?


I've had a rc-3 for over 6 years and it's perfect for loopin.. no reverse or effects, but it's solid as fuck and believe me, it's been thru the ranks of stompage and throwage.I'm confident enough to chuck this fucker down the street and take it to practice tomorrow

[damnableman]

xo

[resincum]

that obviously has to be a timing thing?

[kbit]

If you can solder, DL4 then upgrade the footswitches. Everyone uses it for a reason, the layout / footswitches are super intuitive to use.

[retinal orbita]

I have a Flashback x4 that I use for looping a lot and it's great. Getting a good loop especially with reverb can be a challenge and takes practice. Good switches, easy to use, etc. I have no qualms with the TC Loopers.

[t-rey]

Gapless as in being able to simultaneously close the loop and enter overdub mode? For long droney things?

resincum - hijacking already?

I actually hadn't thought about that. I might prefer it to not automatically overdub so I could screw around and figure out what I wanted to layer on top of it before adding it.

Gapless meaning there isn't any dead spot or silence or whatever between the end of the loop and it starting again. And yeah, not droney like a freeze would do, but I've been digging really long/slow progressions at nearly 100% wet with the bloodmoon, so that's probably what I'd be using it for at first.

And no worries on the hijack resincum - the x4 is on my radar as well....intimidating/overwhelming, but on the radar.

that obviously has to be a timing thing?

Like just learning how/when to hit the switch at the right time? Are all loopers essentially the same in that regard, or are some easier to work with?

If you can solder, DL4 then upgrade the footswitches. Everyone uses it for a reason, the layout / footswitches are super intuitive to use.

Burning the shit out of myself is about the extent of my soldering skill. I could be on the lookout for one that's already modded though.

I have a Flashback x4 that I use for looping a lot and it's great. Getting a good loop especially with reverb can be a challenge and takes practice. Good switches, easy to use, etc. I have no qualms with the TC Loopers.

Does it work essentially the same as the Ditto x4? Easy to get the timing down?

[Benn Roe]

I love my Ditto X4. The layout is super intuitive, and being able to store two simultaneous loops is surprisingly useful, especially in conjunction with the on-board effects. Most importantly, the timing is really responsive (and I've had no issue with the switches). I used to use a Boss RC-20XL, and it had a split-second delay that made it tricky to use. After spending a few years with it, I had no problem timing it right, but I don't recommend that course of action to anyone. The other guitarist in my band recently picked up an X2, and seems to have had no problem integrating it. At practice on Sunday I can ask her what she thinks of it so far. I have also dabbled with the loopers on the Timeline and DL4, both of which I primarily use for delay. The Timeline is fine, but doesn't offer anything you can't get in a Ditto, and certainly isn't worth the asking price for use solely as a looper. The DL4 has some interesting options like the "loop once" mode, but is otherwise clunky, buggy, and fragile without proper upgrades. A lot of people swear by it, but I find the DL4's looper nightmarish.

[Benn Roe]

I actually hadn't thought about that. I might prefer it to not automatically overdub so I could screw around and figure out what I wanted to layer on top of it before adding it.

Gapless meaning there isn't any dead spot or silence or whatever between the end of the loop and it starting again. And yeah, not droney like a freeze would do, but I've been digging really long/slow progressions at nearly 100% wet with the bloodmoon, so that's probably what I'd be using it for at first.

Stay away from older Boss stuff. I don't know if the RC-3 and 30, etc., fixed the timing issues, but the loopers of the RC-20 era were very difficult to time properly.

And no worries on the hijack resincum - the x4 is on my radar as well....intimidating/overwhelming, but on the radar.

I know it looks intimidating, but it's realllly easy to use. The first two switches are exactly the same as each other, but are for two different loops, which you can use in conjunction or separately at your discretion. You hit once to start recording. You hit again to stop recording and immediately playback. While playing back you hit again to overdub. It couldn't be easier. The third switch stops playback, or stops recording without automatically playing back. Holding down either of the first two switches deletes its loop, holding the third down deletes both. The fourth switch engages whatever effect you have the dial set for. Other than that, there are a few well-explained dipswitches on the back, one of which (if I remember correctly) lets you choose between forcing your two loops to sync or letting them each remain autonomous, and I think one of them gives you the option of engaging the pedal's buffer. Ignore the MIDI ports. I haven't been able to do anything useful with those, even with MIDI clock. The USB port is for saving either of your loops to a computer, or importing to either loop from a file. That's it.

Like just learning how/when to hit the switch at the right time? Are all loopers essentially the same in that regard, or are some easier to work with?

Again, I definitely don't think all loopers are created equal here, but can vouch for TC, Strymon, and Line6. I have no experience with EHX, but I'd stay away from older Boss.

[damnableman]

xo

[codetocontra]

DL4. Half speed / double speed octave jumps (can also be recorded), reverse, play once retriggers, on the fly choice to end the recording or immediately start overdubbing. Still a classic for a reason. Workflow is very capable and easy. If you buy one new you wouldn't have to worry about footswitches for a while, or find one already modded. FWIW, last I knew TC was using the same switches.

[damnableman]

xo

[codetocontra]

The TC loopers make you select via a switch before you record if you want to immediately enter overdub or not.

[nogodsnobedtimes]

In my experience the more buttons on the looper the better. Single button loopers like the little Ditto or RC-3 are a hassle to use live when compared to something like a 720 with separate REC and STOP buttons.

I have a 720 and really enjoy it, it's easy to use and a fade out option for stopping is pretty nice to have; reverse and 1/2 speed are fun to play with too, though not a strong selling point for me personally.

[tremolo3]

RC-3 and 30 can do record -> overdub for seamless loops, so does the Timeline and Timefactor/H9.