Loopers: TC vs Boss vs Digitech

guitargeek62

I'm looking to add a looper to my xmas list but I'm having trouble deciding on which one to get. I had a TC Alter Ego before, (which I believe functions in much the same way as the basic Ditto?) but I found that it didn't quite do what I'd hoped. Essentially, I'd like two controllable loops, each of which can be stacked whilst running in sync with the other. The only ones that seem to do this, in a one/two pedal format, are the Digitech range.

Any thoughts on the XT Express, vs the Ditto(/x2), or the Boss RC range? Simplicity is key, but multilple loops are a bonus. If I could sync two Dittos then it'd be easy!

monquixote

Pigtronix infinity?

rpr

have a look at the Vox loopers- there's a couple on the market.They have two/four pedals and IIRC, one or the other units allow loops to run in sync.

I have a Digitech Jamman solo-it is a awkward with just the one pedal-I'm just about to order the extra foot-switch for it. The Jamman lets you switch between loops-ie chorus,verse etc. As far as i know it doesn't allow loops to run in sync.

Voxman

If you want something simple that is great to build loops with live, I had the Akai E2 Headrush and it is very good.  It's the one used by Katie Tungstall live (eg Black Horse & the Cherry Tree) and she chose it for its ease of use.  However, it cannot save loops and once you switch off, anything you've done is lost.  Around £120.

http://www.akaipro.com/product/e2headrush

Hence I switched to a Boss RC3 that has 3 hrs of stereo recording capacity, can store up to 99 loops, has 10 real drum rhythm guides, you can import wave files, and it has an auto-record facility that starts the loop as soon as you start to play and an AUX IN that lets you record from other sources.  Excellent pedal - not essential, but for easier functionality I use it with two latching pedals as you have to otherwise do a bit of foot tapping without it. Price around £135.

http://www.roland.co.uk/products/productdetails.aspx?p=1159

However, Boss has just brought out its new RC-1 looper that's a cheaper, simpler unit but with less functionality - the RC1 (£79).  Similar to the RC3 adding latched pedals again helps functionality ease but are not essential.  It's more basic with only 12 mins of stereo recording time and doesn't have the 99 patch memory, wave-file import facility, auto-start, Aux-in, or drum rhythms in the RC3, but it does save the last recorded loop when the unit is switched off, and an LED indicator that helps you see where you are and how much loop is left when playing back.

http://www.roland.co.uk/products/productdetails.aspx?p=1333&c=72

not_the_dj

Jamman Solo on offer right not at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003HZQRHK/ref=gb1h_img_c-2_5827_1014b898?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_t=701&pf_rd_s=center-new-2&pf_rd_r=17PF7AB87PMW2P6CAH6C&pf_rd_i=20&pf_rd_p=561995827

ROOG

Voxman said:

Hence I switched to a Boss RC3 that has 3 hrs of stereo recording capacity, can store up to 99 loops, has 10 real drum rhythm guides, you can import wave files, and it has an auto-record facility that starts the loop as soon as you start to play and an AUX IN that lets you record from other sources.  Excellent pedal - not essential, but for easier functionality I use it with two latching pedals as you have to otherwise do a bit of foot tapping without it. Price around £135.

http://www.roland.co.uk/products/productdetails.aspx?p=1159

 

Boss RC-3 looks interesting @Voxman, do you know if you can record the 'Aux in' signal as a loop which you can then synch other loops too?

I'm looking to loop recorded drum tracks.

Voxman

@Roog -  I have to hold my hand up & say I am not expert with the RC-3 yet.  It is designed to connect an external source eg mp3 player, and the RC3 can even be set to auto-record the moment the AUX-IN device starts. It can record from the AUX-IN device and you can save it to one of the 99 memory slots...but I haven't gotten around to trying that for myself yet.

With regards synching loops, I don't think you can do this with the RC-3, but there is the more expensive (around £200) Boss RC-30 that has a dual phrase looper which allows you to synch 2 different loops.  

You can also import wave files into the RC-3.  It's a clever piece of kit but I'm not using it anything like to its capabilities at the moment.  I've run out of room in my Boss BCB-60 pedal board but I've just found a great deal on a Behringer PB1000 which will let me add my wah, RC-3 and a few other pedals - once I've got that set up I plan to use the RC3 a lot more.  

There's a review of the RC3 here: http://www.musicradar.com/reviews/guitars/boss-rc-3-review-465408#null

Here's what Boss says:

AUX Input
 In addition to recording your guitar or bass performances and turning them into playable loops, you can also record other external stereo audio sources via the RC-3's AUX IN. Sound from a digital-audio player connected to the AUX input, for example, can easily be recorded and made into a loop.

USB Connectivity
You can connect the RC-3 to your computer via a standard USB cable, and back up your RC-3 recordings to your computer for safekeeping. You can also load WAV files from your computer directly into the RC-3. The RC-3 accepts 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV files of up to 1.7GB in size.

guitargeek62

RC-3 won't do the job, but the RC-30 might. That Pigtronix Inifinity looks perfect, except for the price. 

The Vox mini looks pretty nifty, might be worth a try?

I just wish that TC Electronic would hurry up and release a Ditto v2.0 (and/or a Ditto x4) that allowed you to pair up a couple in sync/quantized mode - it's literally all I'm after otherwise!

ROOG

Thanks for the reply's chaps, I can see that I need to read the manuals!

As you say @Voxman it looks like you can record from the Aux in onto a loop.

But I'm struggling to understand if this would do what I'm looking for. Having saved the 'Aux-in' drum part to a loop, can you then loop over the top?  

steamabacus

I've recently ugraded from an old DL-4 looper to a Digitech JamMan Solo XT.

I've been playing some looped ambient stuff with a couple of mates (keys and bass) using the 'JamLink' function on the new  models. The linking works really well - I'm even considering getting a second JamMan for myself so that I have two synchronised loops. The linked loopers can loop any multiple of the 'master' loop - in other words, they can be 2x, 3x, 8x (or whatever) the length of the master loop - very flexible. You could have a 4 bar drum beat on one looper and then loop a 16 bar guitar part over it on a second linked looper.

They come with some software for loading/organising loops and, yes, you could load up a drum sample loop and then overdub guitar layers on top of that. You could even then save the combined drums/guitar should you want to.

The pedal control takes a bit of getting used to (various press, double-press, press-and-hold functions and a three colour led to keep track of status) and the FS3X footswitch is a useful addition (you can make on fairly easily youself if you're handy with a soldering iron.

Voxman

ROOG;431436" said:

Thanks for the reply's chaps, I can see that I need to read the manuals!As you say @Voxman it looks like you can record from the Aux in onto a loop.But I'm struggling to understand if this would do what I'm looking for. Having saved the 'Aux-in' drum part to a loop, can you then loop over the top?  

Yes you can. You can loop over loops as many times as you want to.