Loop pedal reccomendations please

[Pipinhull]

Not sure if this is the right area to post this but couldn't find a more specific area. Also loop pedal reccomendations may have been requested but I require something quite specific and can't seem to find it anywhere on the web.

I need a pedal where you can record the loop but it doesn't play it back until you are ready for it and trigger it.

The context being, im playing jazz accompaniment for a singer, and i need a chord sequence to solo over at the end of her singing. The plan being, I hit the pedal and record a short section whilst she sings. Then when she nods at me and is ready for a solo, I'll hit the pedal and trigger the chord section I recorded so I can begin soloing.

Really struggling to find a pedal with this feature. Most pedals seem to instantly play the loop after you've recorded it.

So any suggestions would be great. And if no one knows of a pedal with the feature, any other suggestions are welcome. Ie Different methods of achieving the same capabilities or similar.

Side note: I currently have a Boss RC-3 and the Blackstar idcore inbuilt loop pedal. If anybody knows of a way to patch these pedals to have that feature, that's also an option. (And to be honest probably preferable! So I don't have to spend more money on another pedal)

Thanks guys, Pip.

[lkingston]

What it sounds like you need is any two button looper pedal. You start the recording with the first button, stop it with the second, and when you press the first button again, it plays back the recording.

To do this with a single button looper is tricky if not impossible. You have to start the recording with the one button, then precisely try to double tap that same button to stop the recording. Then hit the button again to start it and double press it again to stop it. I personally can do it about 10% of the time at best. If your looper records both a guitar and a mic, you want to be able to easily set the source to just guitar if you are singing.

My Boss VE-8 does this if you add an external button pedal. I use a dual pedal: one is set as a second looper button, the other selects the looper source. It isn't a versatile looper beyond that (no multiple parts or song sections) but it does cover my limited needs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Pipinhull]

Originally Posted by lkingston

What it sounds like you need is any two button looper pedal. You start the recording with the first button, stop it with the second, and when you press the first button again, it plays back the recording.

To do this with a single button looper is tricky if not impossible. You have to start the recording with the one button, then precisely try to double tap that same button to stop the recording. Then hit the button again to start it and double press it again to stop it. I personally can do it about 10% of the time at best. If your looper records both a guitar and a mic, you want to be able to easily set the source to just guitar if you are singing.

My Boss VE-8 does this if you add an external button pedal. I use a dual pedal: one is set as a second looper button, the other selects the looper source. It isn't a versatile looper beyond that (no multiple parts or song sections) but it does cover my limited needs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks for your input. Could you possibly name any pedals that definitely have this feature, so I don't waste my money

[Kalani]

Exactly what lkingston said, any two-button pedal will work. I use the Ditto X2 which has been great. I had the RC-2 and used the Boss FS-5U trigger pedal as the stop/delete. That worked fine too.

[Pipinhull]

Originally Posted by Kalani

Exactly what lkingston said, any two-button pedal will work. I use the Ditto X2 which has been great. I had the RC-2 and used the Boss FS-5U trigger pedal as the stop/delete. That worked fine too.

So just to make sure I've understood this right (fairly new to looping), I would tap the loop button either on a two button pedal or as part of 2 pedals connected to one another, then when I've recorded my chords hit the stop button, and it will save that loop but not play it back at all until I hit the stop/start button?

[Kalani]

Yes, for the second pedal/button, it's step and release to stop recording (the loop is still there) and step and hold to delete.

I may begin a song by looping a rhythm, soloing over it, stopping the rhythm and start singing, then starting the loop again later and solo over it again.

I much prefer the Ditto X2 over the Boss for simple, live looping because the X2 has 2 buttons and they are soo easy to press; it also has a large volume knob you can control with your foot to adjust the looped playback volume which really comes in handy! But it doesn't store any loops and has no built-in drums, etc...

[luke_bl]

I have the X2 and if I'm not mistaken I can save any loop I would like too (up to 5 maybe?) and play it back when I want too. I don't know if your current loop pedal does this but you could record one during your warmup or at home and then play it back on stage.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Paultergeist]

Ditto X2. Done.

[lkingston]

For me, a looper has to have a mic input for beat boxing and harmony parts. I also need to keep the mic and guitar signal paths separate so that I can send the mic with looping to the PA and the guitar with looping to my acoustic amp. I also wanted to be able to select the inputs to the loop so that I could record guitar verses which ignored the vocal for soloing but allowed beat boxing when I want it. I try to keep my pedals to a minimum and the Boss VE-08 eliminates having separate bodyrez pedal and direct box. I also like the mic processing which beats the heck out of the three band EQ that my portable PA system has.

Unfortunately I needed to add a second button pedal for the stop/erase function and mic guitar select. The VE-8 is missing a couple of things: no undo function if you make a mistake on one of the added loops. No A,B,C sections or layers either. I find that my needs are pretty simple though, and I like that my pedal setup for everything, bodyrez, reverb, chorus, vocal prcessing, and directbox is all there in the single (well, with an extension pedal) battery powered unit.

Sent from my SM-P900 using Tapatalk

[AcouStickistNS]

Originally Posted by luke_bl

I have the X2 and if I'm not mistaken I can save any loop I would like too (up to 5 maybe?) and play it back when I want too. I don't know if your current loop pedal does this but you could record one during your warmup or at home and then play it back on stage.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes it does one loop only if I recall. I traded it up for the X4, but when I had it, you flicked the save switch to store the loop. I did that for a live performance when I wanted to kick in a pre-recorded loop. Was great fun when I had to test it with someone else's rig at an open mic to get the volume right, the other acoustic guitarists were trying to figure out where the playing was coming from.

I don't recall if the X2 had the similar feature as the X4, where you could configure custom settings with DIP/mode switches in the side.

I believe EHX makes a looper that saves 5-10 loops as you speak of.

[Hurricane Ramon]

To accomplish that my T.C. Helicon Voice Live 3 X can deliver what you want in the " sequence " loop command .

There are :

" Free - Quantize and Smart " looper functions as well to use .

These others address things differently according on how you want to structure a given arrangement , really cool variety to break up the drone of loop death zone monotony .

That's what I have now for a looper [ T.C.Helicon VL3X ] . It's my second looper I have bought and I like it so far a whole lot .

EZ :

HR

[M Hayden]

You don't have to spend a lot on a looper - you can find an older Digitech JamMan two-switch looper for <$100 US pretty easily. I use one and while it's not as full-featured as newer ones, it has good sound quality and has lots of loops available (I've used only 25 or so of the available loop capacity of 100+).

[rockguitar2000]

I play solo acoustic, and use a zoom G3 for my guitar effects and looper. It has separate buttons for play and stop, which is very convenient. Loop time is up to 40 seconds, and you can also layer overdubs with an undo. It is user-friendly to operate while playing. I got mine used for $99!

[Hurricane Ramon]

Originally Posted by M Hayden

You don't have to spend a lot on a looper - you can find an older Digitech JamMan two-switch looper for <$100 US pretty easily. I use one and while it's not as full-featured as newer ones, it has good sound quality and has lots of loops available (I've used only 25 or so of the available loop capacity of 100+).

Very true and quite valid a point to make .

It's important to realize why you want one to suit your particular needs .

I reviewed for many years what I wanted in a looper to suit my needs after getting a Digitech GNX4 DAW that lasted for years .

That Digitech GNX4 was/is great looper over all . It was stolen a year and a half ago .

If I didn't have a Roland GR33 guitar synth module it would have been sufficient but it's one caveat
was no midi time clock sync , ( AND THIS UNIT IS STACKED WITH POWER ) it's Achilles heel tendon

The time clock issue of keeping your delay - reverb FX clean on the GNX4 and not bouncing around unsync'd with
my Roland GR33 synth guitar module delays makes for a a less than desirable situation sonic wise at all when a song is over 3 minutes .

But if your don't use midi it's not an issue .

I like it the way Al Dimeola - Pat Matheny - Jeff Beck and what they have done to Rock with midi guitars .

To sync your FX is a must when looping/recording/layering with multiple sources . Midi sync solves this issue .

EZ :

HR

[Davis Webb]

Originally Posted by Pipinhull

Thanks for your input. Could you possibly name any pedals that definitely have this feature, so I don't waste my money

Dude, your RC3 does that. Just buy a single FSU pedal. Done. Also will clear it if you hold.