Best Looper Pedal

[pingu]

Thread resurrection:

I just got the inexpensive Ditto today. Never had a looper pedal before. I took the plunge because I wanted to just lay down a single backing idea on the spot and practice soloing over it. It's boring to another person to have me woodshed ideas while they just play changes or whatever.

The Ditto is dead simple. The instructions are so simple that they actually fit on a single sheet in the tiny box that the pedal comes in--great!

I can already tell that a looper pedal is LONG overdue for me. I threw down a simple five-chord blues and started 'shedding over it. I could tell after a few choruses that my ideas clarified and sounded less "noodley."

Of course, a blues is not much of a test. Still, I can tell that my practice sessions are going to be time better spent.

D'OH!

yeah aren't loopers great !
best practice aid since the metromome ...
are the foot button/buttons on the ditto
good ? (thats crucial i think)
Ive got an old boomerang
the foot buttons are good on that
as it was designed by a guitarist

[Greentone]

Great practice aid. This is the Ditto:

Just an output level control and one switch (a true bypass, which is really important to me). Press once: record; press once: play; press once: record overdub; press twice to stop. Keep overdubbing as much as you like. Only five minutes of memory, but that's fine for me--this is a practice aid. I'm not trying to set up a one-person band.

My amp is old--has a courtesy outlet on the back. I have plugged the Ditto power supply into it.

[kris]

TC Ditto Looper X2 is more advanced.
I think about it.

[woland]

I have JamMan Stereo. I rarely use it. It butchers your tone. The minute this thing is in your chain you may as replace all your effects with some cheapo $39.95 junk. I also have Ditto - one switch one - this one has great sound quality but it is not practical beyond being a great practice - it is waay to hard to make good loops in the live situation.
I will be selling JamMan and Ditto soon (shoot me a PM if you are interested) and getting Boomerang III.

[Greentone]

My son just came over. He checked out my Ditto looper. Oops! He has a show tonight. It took my son about ten minutes to (1) figure out how to make great loops on the fly, and (2) figure out he needed to borrow the pedal for tonight's show.

Now, I have to figure out how to get the pedal back. Sonny has a solo festival gig next week; he is already planning out his set w/looper. Oh, boy...

I can see where having impeccable time (Sonny is both a drummer, bassist, keyboardist, guitarist, and has logged beaucoup hours in commercial recording studios on albums) helps with making great loops on the fly...no accumulating errors.

[uburoibob]

I've had an RC-2, a Jamman, a Jamman Solo, a Jamman Express, a Ditto, a DL-4, an M-9, a Boomerang 3, and now a Ditto X2. I am liking the Ditto X2 out of all of those. It's perfect for what I need - which was essentially a DL-4 with more looping time.

Bob

[Greentone]

My son texted that he looked up the Ditto X2. After fooling with my Ditto he has decided that the X2 is the one he wants/needs--lets him load tracks from computer, lets him load loops to computer, stereo out, more time, same output quality, etc.

[woland]

I've had an RC-2, a Jamman, a Jamman Solo, a Jamman Express, a Ditto, a DL-4, an M-9, a Boomerang 3, and now a Ditto X2. I am liking the Ditto X2 out of all of those. It's perfect for what I need - which was essentially a DL-4 with more looping time.

Bob

What was wrong with Boomerang 3?

[Deng]

Just received the Ditto x2 on Friday. Easy to use, solidly built, newly designed footswitches. Have the Boss RC-2/FS-6 on another board. Best of all is the price I got from B&H Photo $162 US, street price over here's around $280 AUS.

My compact mini OD board

[b_goat]

I purchased an X2 a while back. This thread has inspired me to start using it - it's a great practice tool!

Thanks to everyone that provided (and will offer in the future) looper info!

b.goat

[floatingpickup]

I've had an RC-2, a Jamman, a Jamman Solo, a Jamman Express, a Ditto, a DL-4, an M-9, a Boomerang 3, and now a Ditto X2. I am liking the Ditto X2 out of all of those. It's perfect for what I need - which was essentially a DL-4 with more looping time.

Bob

i have also had a number of loopers, and the Ditto X-2 is my favourite for live looping. I also like my Boss RC-300 for storing loops, but you don't need stored loops on gigs unless you're playing a solo gig.
Keith

[uburoibob]

What was wrong with Boomerang 3?

It was great, but I didn't have the patience with learning everything there is to know about it. To me, it was as intuitive as Object C++.

If I was going to commit to using it as I use my computer or an instrument, I would have taken the time to learn. Also, in putting that much time in, it kinda bugged me that you could not save something you might want to work on later.

Then I thought about getting several Jamman Expresses and syncing them to use them as an ad-hoc multitrack, so I did. Dead simple, but not something I'd use all the time. And each still had that 'double-tap to stop' issue. The Ditto had the same problem, but without the ability to sync them.

I loved the simplicity of the DL-4, plus the 1/2 speed and backward functions, as well as a dedicated stop switch. The Ditto X-2 takes care of the saving, the dedicated stop switch and the speed/direction issues for me. Not perfect, but the best compromise for the way I work.

if Boomerang designs in a saving method, and I quit one of the bands I am in and find myself with spare time for working the way a Boomerang demands, I will certainly consider it again.

Bob

[Greentone]

Yeah. I cannot see myself live looping. I just want something to woodshed solos over. Found it.

[ninjasan]

Hi all,
I use MOBIUS looper (freeware software looper) (Mobius is a clever name for a looper isn't it ?)
you can use a wireless keyboard spacebar key for example to start/stop the loop
this software is highly powerfull & customisable

see here for details : Home

christophe

[uburoibob]

Still trying to figure out how Bill Frisell does it so seamlessly...

Bob

[lapideusvir]

Still trying to figure out how Bill Frisell does it so seamlessly...

Bob

Frisell uses a Line 6 DL4 for Loops.

[MilesPG]

I got a Boss RC1 some weeks ago, probably not the best one it's quite simple, start, record, stop and erase that's it but it does the job quite well. I use it mainly to improve listening to what I play without all the recording stuff and also to jam over a ryrthm i can record on the fly. I find the looper really useful to improve you guitar skills, everyone should get one imo.

[Max405]

FF,
I don't own one (yet) but this one has ALL the features I want.

Electro-Harmonix 22500 Dual Stereo Looper

it has:

Stereo
USB out
Uses an SD card
Has drums
and its a looper

Currently, I have a JM4 looper by Line6. Its nice. It has amp simulations, multiple effects and is a good looper but its not stereo and has no USB out, so it wont work for me as a DI.

I will be selling it at some point if anyone is interested.

[boatheelmusic]

You can download a backing track from irealpro or BIAB into a Boss RC-3 for practice, and send the mixed output to a computer for recording.

[SamBooka]

Depends on what you want it for... I need something basic .. hit the pedal and play. Hell I even use it for a metronome. To that end I had an RC2 . Sound quality seemed ok but after it died I got a ditto and realised the loops seemed much clearer. Ditto had issue so I went with a Jamman Express. Sound quality seemed the same (actually similar to the ditto) but a very stiff button. Didnt like it so when I came across a slightly used EH360 I stuck with that. Sounds good.. simple operation but I can save loops which was very handy when A/Bing modes to my DS1.

[Doctor Jeff]

I have an original Ditto--works great for what I use it for--usually providing a backing track for soloing while practicing. I have yet to play it in public, as I am just too nervous with the single button on-off-record when playing in front of people.

[nopedals]

I put tracks from ralphpatt.com on mine (jamman). Standard keys, pro tempo. Practice until I can play the head and solo in time without effort. Then I hit record and listen to see if it is all good. Then I move on to another track.

[rpguitar]

Boomerang III user here. Had a Boomerang II years before that.

I just find them to be completely transparent to use, with big buttons for loop start/stop, and three distinct LONG loops at your disposal. One loop can be used as a backing loop for the other two; in that mode, its content is repeated a multiple of times beneath the other parts (like a rhythm track).

It has no storage, which is a deal breaker for some, but not to me. And it's so easy to use that I almost never touch any controls on it. It has a good size footprint, so it's not a dinky little stompbox that I'm destined to miss or tip over.

Mainly I use it to record guitars and compare sounds instantly, without the distracting time gaps for switching instruments or settings that intervene with one's ability to judge sound. I use it for songwriting ideas too, sometimes. or to practice soloing over a progression.

It can also be used to record your guitar and then amplify it many ways, again, without playing the part over and over again.

[JazzNote]

Boss RC-2 here. I mainly use it playing standards on duo gigs, looping the accompaniment which i just played for the singer or sax player to have a decent backing for my own solos. Sound quality is passable, some hiss has to be eq'd away when i'm using a PA. Very easy to handle, just had to learn to think ahead, step on it at the right moment and make the singers/saxplayers giving me clear cues about what's going to happen next before the chorus ends. It produces an undesirable mechanical click when switching which i dampend partly by glueing some foam rubber under the top.

I also own a RC-50 which i never really use anymore as it turned out to be in impractical size to take to those duo gigs.

[2bornot2bop]

Digitech Jamman