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HARDWARE LOOPER: What say you?
I love me some loopy and quanti.
How about hardware?
I am thinking in the $100-$250 range.
Comments
It firstly depends on the following, of which you have yet to define at all:
form factor: rack, table, floor, portability, etc
input / output requirements: high impedance, low impedance, balanced, unbalanced, etc
new vs. used: self-explanatory
external control: MIDI, momentary foot switches, etc.
power supply requirements: battery, AC adapter, AC mains,
multi-effects options: times based effects, pitch based effects, straight looping only, etc
A looper.
Open ended question so that was the reason for the price window.
I don't have vast knowledge on hardware loopers, hence the thread.
So, if you can enlighten me.
Ideal.
If not.
Splendid.
TC, right?
Looks cool.
I use a Boss 505 looper, it is quite good. It is about twice as much as your budget, but I mention it because even with the top of the line, flagship looper, the jury is out on whether it is vastly superior to Loopy and a midi foot pedal, patiently programmed. Quicker to get going, less moving parts, better visual feedback, but, harder to get iOS into it, harder to synchronize, harder to manage projects, harder to export audio, no Link, not as many tracks, less routing options, less customization possible.
The Boss Loopers are important if you want to include Amp simulations, FX and drum tracks.
For clean looping the TC Electronics Dittos are well made with good switches and clean recording electronics. Your should decide based upon how important 2 channels are (to maintain stereo in swirling pads, etc) and the specifics of the button behaviors. One of their low ends requires some "double-clicks" which makes you want to throw it away at times. I like the fact that my Ditto 4X can upload the loop(s) to my PC via USB if I play something worth archiving or re-using.
The Boss units do save/recall a lot of loops and that could be important in your workflow. Pick some features and compare them against your "must haves".
Boss RC202 is one of the best hardware loopers out there and I have tried quite a few
The best straight up looper I know of is the Boomerang III, which does nothing but live looping. You can’t even save/load files but it’s the Rolls Royce of ephemeral looping imho.
I do wonder if you’re headed for an Octatrack.
What knowledge of loppers do you have now? How would you expect me to enlighten you given you have not responded in kind to my more than helpful post? I can't help you if you are not willing to help yourself, that's what learning is about, as opposed to simply soliciting purchasing opinions.
Therefore you need to fully respond to my more than helpful post as per:
It firstly depends on the following, of which you have yet to define at all:
form factor: rack, table, floor, portability, etc
input / output requirements: high impedance, low impedance, balanced, unbalanced, etc
new vs. used: self-explanatory
external control: MIDI, momentary foot switches, etc.
power supply requirements: battery, AC adapter, AC mains,
multi-effects options: times based effects, pitch based effects, straight looping only, etc
I don't need a lecture on learning my friend.
Save the snark and the condescending chum.
I learned a long time ago to move along when dealing with people like you.
Thanks for your help on the topic.
BTW:
YES, threads are often about simply soliciting opinions.
EXACTLY the point.
If I wanted chapter and verse on the topic of hardware loopers I can very well do that. But that defeats the purpose of meaningful yet informal back and forth comments on the topic.
You must be a real joy in real life.
I do as well....
I have the DIGITAKT sitting in the box and before I open it I am contemplating just sending back for the OCTA.
....oh Santa.....
Maybe I need to spend more if that is what you guys think.
Seems that way on all things anymore! LOL
Another vote for BOSS
I saw a couple diff models I assume you mean the 4 click floor one.
TC is a great company.
The Digitech Jamman pedal is built like a tank, performs as advertised and you can save your loops to memory cards. I learned on it and still add loops/phrases when the moment grabs me.
Those Digitechs look great! So do the BOSS and TC pedals...so many choices these days...
These pedal-based loopers seem to be pretty inexpensive and easy to use.
I sold the Octatrack twice since I'd forget all of the button combos after a few days. It was frustrating learning 70% of it, then forgetting half of that after not using it for a week.
Anyone use the Electro-Harmonix looper pedals?
https://www.ehx.com/browse/delay-loopers
Not heard of this...
Great more options......
The octatrack needs a usb midi hub and a footswitch, which adds to the price too.
The Boss RC300 has always intrigued me. Essentially 3 loopers in one pedal. It’s more like a small multi track. Priciest of the group though. I had the Boss single looper initially (don’t remember model) and went to the Digitech for the ability to store on memory cards.
Wasn’t impressed with the EH. Tried it and sent it back.
Ditto for the Ditto.
The Headrush is also an old favorite, but is probably too limited for your purposes.
A lot of people use loopers to build up a normal song, track by track - this approach has been called the "multitrack looping" approach. I agree that the Headrush might be too limited for that by today's standards, unless your song is super simple.
I use looping more to create ambient textures and experimental stuff - not to than to build up a pop song. To that end my Octatrack has served well. Note that is only has 80 MB RAM and that is where all the live looped audio is stored - that's not a lot of RAM for live looping.
I got the Headrush on sale for $80. I used it as a backup looper when I messed up my Octatrack by storing too many projects on its CF card.
I am probably going to buy an Electro Harmonix 360 or 720 today because of high quality sound and the ability to record and store 11 loops. Plus the price is $90 or $140 which seems a bargain.
It’s annoying because I have a POD HD 500X and a TC Helicon Voicelive, each of which have extensive looping capabilities but a measly 48 or 60 second record time. How expensive is RAM vs. having a usable loop length?
Ya know I got loopy hd... and I lost all desire to look into hardware loopers. That’s just my own opinion of course.
I spent my $100 extra on a midi pedalboard. Done.
What pedalboard do you have?
Do you have a way to visually see what is going on, on your midi pedal, or do you have Loopy open on the iPad screen, where you can see what is going on? Or just fly blind?
The one thing that gets me down about midi is visual feedback that what you are doing is working, it can feel like a return to the dark ages of guitar pedals, before they put lights in them, so you could tell if they were switched on or not.
@Ben I use this little guy: https://line6.com/foot-controllers/fbv-shortboard-mkii/ The line 6 FBV mkii. It is class compliant USB, so easy to use.
@Processaurus Yep, the best way to run it with Loopy HD is to have Loopy up on the iPad screen so things don’t get confusing
Hardware: rc505, ehx 68000 or Pioneer djs1000 (with pedalboard/midi mixer)
Software: Ableton live or Traktor (remix decks with pedalboard and F1/D2)
Apps: Loopy, GTL or Stagelight.