Loopers be Loopin

aholidayatthesea · Post by **aholidayatthesea** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 12:58 pm

I feel like the customizability of the ditto x2 would have really won me over if I was looking for a looper.

But I have an m9 and a SMMH that I'm happy with. I think the m9 is a strong looper contender considering all the dl4 similarities, plus undo/redo, options for post or pre-fx, loop volume control, and filter options.

ck3 · Post by **ck3** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 8:28 pm

Has anyone tried one of these or the Donner, etc. equivalent yet?

If so, what did you think?

Aquietcabin1978 · Post by **Aquietcabin1978** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 9:22 pm

Been looking at the 720 like the saving loops biz. Need a secondary looper. I let my brother borrow my DL8 for a gig and he flippin left it there and now it be gone. Have a 32 second Jamman rack but it is underwhelming even though it sounds great and will sync to my MPC. The foot switches are laaaame as shit. Surprisingly never had a DL4.

codetocontra · Post by **codetocontra** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 9:42 pm

If I needed a looper with storage I would get a DigiTech JamMan Stereo. Used one in the past to trigger saved samples between songs. It sounds okay, switches were fine.

oscillateur · Post by **oscillateur** » Sat Oct 01, 2016 11:16 pm

The EHX 22500 is also a really nice looper. Tons of options, saves stuff on SD card, 2 tracks with independent volume control and with variable duration (lots of options in there, and one is that the second loop is the closest multiple of the duration of the first one, sort-of multiply in looper lingo).

Bartimaeus · Post by **Bartimaeus** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 6:18 pm

Seedy wrote:I mean I love the DL4 and M9 (which are the same size btw). My favorite part is 'Play Once' but wished it could be used and then back into continuous play, uninterrupted. Well, JHV3 did that for me and the M9 is irreplaceable.

This is why the Timeline's looper is killer. The "play" button just retriggers the loop, so you can do crazy retrigger stuff and then let it keep looping.

It needs a MIDI or other controller to get the most out of it, but you can build one of those Strymon "multi" boxes for about $15 – then you have a six switch, 30-second stereo looping powerhouse. The delay is just icing.

If you make/buy a controller, I recommend one with low-profile soft-touch switches. They make it so much easier to be precise with your looping.

That said, I've been considering the EHX 22500 lately, but only because I want to do more stuff where I alternate between loops for different sections of a song (using a Headrush along with the Timeline is just a little bit too clumsy for this).

Invisible Man · Post by **Invisible Man** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 7:16 pm

ognoy wrote:

A little bigger than an Eventide.
I think it is the same size as a Moogerfooger, just flipped.

Yes. 9"x6".

Jwar · Post by **Jwar** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 7:21 pm

I like loopers but find myself bored sooooo easily with them. Am I looping wrong? Probably...

Casavettes · Post by **Casavettes** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 8:04 pm

Man I think I need a pitchfactor.

I can see where you're coming from jwar. Personally I love them as they double for either a creative tool, or just practicing.

codetocontra · Post by **codetocontra** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 9:43 pm

Perhaps you haven't found the right looper, jwar. Maybe something with some creative capabilities to mangle and morph the loops into something else. I don't know what you have tried or owned.

I have a friend who wasn't big into looping. He has had a RC20 a long time ago, and up until about a year ago would use a DD7 for casual looping. He has heard me gush over the DL4 for years and finally wanted to try one. But why just one? So I sent him away with two of my three. He was bewildered and overwhelmed just holding them, but later that night I got a phone call and he was pretty excited about it all. He said playing with one was like floating in our solar system, but two gave his spaceship a ride around the universe. And now, well, I don't think I am getting my two DL4s back.

I am not saying get a DL4. I think the Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai and the Timefactor both do interesting things. Obviously there are other options if you wish to pursue.

PeteeBee · Post by **PeteeBee** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 11:41 pm

jwar wrote:I like loopers but find myself bored sooooo easily with them. Am I looping wrong? Probably...

I only have two enduring uses for loopers.
1) Coming up with melodies and harmonies over a chord progression
2) Making some feedback/noise/gargle sound that I can fade in and out periodically.

I get bored of stacking loops for an extended period of time because I always feel trapped by the first layer or two at some point.

decomposing · Post by **decomposing** » Mon Oct 03, 2016 3:41 pm

oscillateur wrote:The EHX 22500 is also a really nice looper. Tons of options, saves stuff on SD card, 2 tracks with independent volume control and with variable duration (lots of options in there, and one is that the second loop is the closest multiple of the duration of the first one, sort-of multiply in looper lingo).

I would be on these if they didn''t start off a bit off of when you think they should so you have to really practice to get these right
the hazarai is the same way but is cool for washes of noise or just things that don't have to be perfect
the akai e2 I think is perfect but limited
is the ditto x4 that and more?