Simple looper: record, play, stop!

[philjs]

I'm looking for a simple looper that does NOT require double taps to stop (I tried the TC Ditto recently and learned that I'm just not that coordinated!). A single button (preferably but if it takes two then so be it) that cycles through record, play, stop, record, play, stop, record...etc. I don't need, or want, overdubbing and infinite time...just a minute or two of good 24bit recording.

My application is simple: record through the first repeat of a part, play it off the looper for the second repeat (while I change instruments, or make a capo change -- I use lots of partial capos -- for the next tune in the set), then STOP without my fumble foot botching a double tap and reset to be ready to do it again. I could live with a second button, though would prefer something small, if the stop was a single tap...

Does such a pedal exist?

Phil

[BoB/335]

I don't believe that exist in a single pedal. That's why they make double pedals.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by philjs

…Does such a pedal exist?

Hi Phil...

Well - no, I don't think so. What you are describing feels simple to your mind, but it is really rather complex. And you left out one step in your wish-list.

You are looking for a single switch looper which does things in the following order:
Start-record
Play
Stop-erase

And I think you want to separate the Stop-erase from your sequence to just stop. There are too many times one needs to stop a loop and restart it.

When you have a single button/pedal looper, it has to be programmed to do several functions. The common ones (and necessary) are, Start, loop, overdub, erase the last overdub, stop/erase. And they have to be done in 'real' time.

You have only a few sequences; single tap, tap-n-hold, double tap, double tap-n-hold. I suppose someone could stuff triple tap into one, but then it would look like we are dancing on the button.

A two pedal/button looper can start, overdub, & erase one overdub, with the same button. The other button can stop the loop, and restart the loop, plus you can step-n-hold to stop and erase the loop. That puts all the main functions into two switches/pedals, all with single presses of a single pedal.

Some single pedal loopers in the $200 range allow you to add external pedals and turn them into 2 or 3 pedal loopers. Might as well get a good double pedal.

You could probably find an older Boss RC-20XL for $100-$125 and it's do everything you want/need. No need to invest in the newer RC-30.

Ditto just added a new double-button version for $179 into their line. Untested as of yet, but looks good in print.

Have fun and let us know where you end up.

Originally Posted by ljguitar

You could probably find an older Boss RC-20XL for $100-$125 and it's do everything you want/need. No need to invest in the newer RC-30.

^^ This is excellent advice. Or look for a two-button JamMan (as opposed to the new four-button model), which are now going pretty cheaply.

[Petty1818]

TC Electronic is releasing the Ditto Looper X2 at NAMM which is this week coming up. They listened to user advice and added a second foot switch. The cool thing is that you can use the left switch as your record/overdub option and the right is a dedicated stop and start. You can also use the right switch for reverse or 1/2 speed loops. You should look into this. I have the original Ditto Looper and it's great but I agree, the quick double stomp to stop the looper is annoying.

Oh and apparently with the new ditto looper you can hook it up to your PC, upload a loop that you made or found online from a popular song and play it. I could see this being a neat feature if you needed keys in a song or something like that but didn't have a keyboard player.

[philjs]

Originally Posted by Petty1818

TC Electronic is releasing the Ditto Looper X2 at NAMM which is this week coming up. They listened to user advice and added a second foot switch. The cool thing is that you can use the left switch as your record/overdub option and the right is a dedicated stop and start. You can also use the right switch for reverse or 1/2 speed loops. You should look into this. I have the original Ditto Looper and it's great but I agree, the quick double stomp to stop the looper is annoying.

Thanks. I had just read a pre-review of the X2 that mentioned the 2nd switch was for the effects but failed to mention the stop-clear option for it! I've now looked at the write-up on the TC website and see the stop-clear option in the Quick Start Guide so it looks like it will do what I want a loop pedal to do. Now I can see the three-position switch to the right of the level knob that sets the action on the right footswitch.

Guess I'll be waiting until March...but it looks like it'll be worth the wait.

Phil

[Spook]

It's a large pedal, but the TC Electronic Flashback X4 has a user interface for the looper that I find to be intuitive. The buttons are record, pause/play, erase. No double tap and the switches are soft action, not a hard click. Got one of these because I wanted the delay as well but didn't need any looper effects or offload features. They run about $200.

[RockerDuck]

Boss RC-3 with the F56 switch, is a one button start and stop.

[tbeltrans]

The looper in the Strymon Timeline delay pedal, when in looper mode, has three switches dedicated to it. One is record/overdub, one is play, one is stop. Via midi, you also can have half speed and reverse, as well as never having to go into looper mode separately from other pedal operations. The loop time is only about 30s, but consider that players such as Phil Keaggy use the looper as an instrument rather than a karaoke machine and seem to favor very short loops in that range.

Edit: I just woke up, so ma not thinking through this stuff clearly yet..my point is not that you should get a Timeline, but you may want to look at effects pedals that include a looper, with the Timeline being one example. If you need long loops, then this may not be the way to go, but if you want to use it artfully as Phil Keaggy or Trace bundy do, then this approach could well be just the ticket. Effects such as delay, reverb, and the modulation effects are suitable for acoustic guitar if not over used, and it just seems to be that when the looper is an added benefit to an effect pedal, it is much simpler than a dedicated loop pedal. The looper on the Timeline seems to fit what you want (except maybe loop length), so maybe there are other pedals with similar loop capabilities worth considering.

Tony

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by tbeltrans

Edit: I just woke up, so ma not thinking through this stuff clearly yet..my point is not that you should get a Timeline, but you may want to look at effects pedals that include a looper, with the Timeline being one example.

The Line 6 DL4 is another example of this. I got one after seeing Phil Keaggy demo it. It's hard to put into words, but it's just extremely easy to use - buttons are fast, and it seemed easier to hit the start and stop times. Short loop times, but I actually think that forced short loop times are perhaps a good thing, artistically.

To me the hands-down winner in the looper category is the Boomerang III, which is just amazingly simple to use, even while being very powerful (up to 4 concurrent loops). Pricier, tho, and a slightly larger box, and it certainly appears to be complex with all the knobs, dials and switches. In practice, it's simple and easy to use.

[slewis]

Originally Posted by RockerDuck

Boss RC-3 with the F56 switch, is a one button start and stop.

...which turns it into a two-button configuration, right? And in not one but two separate units? Yeccchhh.

What I WISH someone would make is a single-button looper that you can essentially program (maybe with just a toggle switch?) so that it can be in mode A or mode B. Mode A would make the second tap of the button immediately start playback of whatever you recorded with the first tap. Mode B would simply stop what you're recording with the first tap without playing it back -- yet -- and then make it so the next (third) tap would then play back what you recorded. A hold-down tap of, say, three seconds would erase what you recorded. So there's no stored loops or layering or anything; this just lets you work with one recorded loop at a time. I gig with my looper all the time and love my Boomerang III but I do pretty simple stuff and if something like what I described here existed, I'd have bought it for sure. I'm no electrical engineer but I have to think something like this is possible, and it would be nice and compact.

[GHS]

I did an advanced search on Ebay for the Boss 20xl. Most sold used btw 110, 160 dollars. Dont know about warranty. The new model 30 goes for 300. I have the 20xl. Use it alot. Works great. Your call.

[RockerDuck]

Originally Posted by slewis

...which turns it into a two-button configuration, right? And in not one but two separate units? Yeccchhh.

What I WISH someone would make is a single-button looper that you can essentially program (maybe with just a toggle switch?) so that it can be in mode A or mode B. Mode A would make the second tap of the button immediately start playback of whatever you recorded with the first tap. Mode B would simply stop what you're recording with the first tap without playing it back -- yet -- and then make it so the next (third) tap would then play back what you recorded. A hold-down tap of, say, three seconds would erase what you recorded. So there's no stored loops or layering or anything; this just lets you work with one recorded loop at a time. I gig with my looper all the time and love my Boomerang III but I do pretty simple stuff and if something like what I described here existed, I'd have bought it for sure. I'm no electrical engineer but I have to think something like this is possible, and it would be nice and compact.

For what I do, I like it. It has 3 hours record time. 99 loop storage. I like storing the loop and then add to it. Instant backup.

[Irish Pennant]

I have a Digitech Jamman Solo with the additional auxiliary pedal (FS3X Foot switch).

1 tap on the Jamman - start record
2nd tap on the Jamman - play record
3rd tap on the Jamman - over dub
4th tap on the Jamman - play
Double tap on the Jamman - stop
Hold the pedal down - erase

1 tap on the Jamman - start record
1 tap on the #1 button on the FS3x - stop record
tap on Jamman - play
1 tap on #1 button on the FS3X - stop play

#2 and #3 button on the FS3x will cycle the Jamman up or down one cell/layer/leval. This will delete what was just recorded.

1 tap on the Jamman - start record
2nd tap on the Jamman - play
1 tap on the #1 button on the FS3X - stop play
tap on the Jamman - play from beginning

[Skajdiver]

I like my BOOMERANG