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It's tax return time, and I want to start messing around with loops. Here are the contenders:

Vox Delaylab - head contender. 28 seconds of loop time, loop+delay, etc.
Line 6 DL4 - 2nd place. Shorter loop time/vol. drop might mean no. 1/2 speed and loop reverse might mean yes. Has a knob labelled "TWEEZ"
TC Flashback x4 - Looks pretty natty. Also toneprint software means I can make some hellish lo-fi freakout settings.
Strymon Timeline - So damn expensive. $450 retail? Damn. But then, it is seemingly the bees knees. I'm not a tone-lawyer, though, so...

So, given that this is my first outing into the big-box delay-modelling looper pedal world, what do I do? I know next to nothing about how the x4 goes, and the timeline's all expensive and urghhhhh.

So which one(s) should I definitely NOT get? That'd help. Like, is the Vox secretly racist? Does the Strymon contain Plutonium-238? Maybe the Line 6 gets violent when it's been drinking.

I've always been happiest with a dedicated looping device, from the days when rackmounts ruled the roost in that department.

Anything these days with less than minutes of delay time is a toy or a secondary feature, not a looper IMO.

I'd gun for the delay I wanted and the looper I wanted in seperate boxes all day - integrated loopers really aren't that hot.

DL4 no contest. At least for creative looping. You could get the boomerang for 3x as much. If I had the scratch, I'd have one again.

Oh, and x4 is balls for looping. Felt very clunky and not thought out. Compared to a DL4 at least.

DL4 if you only want looping. That thing is nearly impossible to best.

Timeline if you want awesome delays and even better/expanded version of the DL4's looper. However, you have to add a DMC-3 (or similar) midi controller to open up all those looper options, another $160 or so...

I hear great things about the Delaylab too, haven't tried one myself, I'm sure some users will chime in soon.

DelayLab would be my looper if it did longer.
If there was something like the m9 that was just a looper, I'd cop that.
The RC-20XL is pretty hot for a stand alone.
I just got a JamMan Solo with the bonus footswitch, but I've always wanted to try a Boomerang+.

Oh yeah, the Timeline is probably the best digital delay ever, but you really also need MIDI box to make the best offer of it, and who hadn't rather have a DelayLab AND 2 Fuzzes AND a reverb for that scratch?

Have the Vox. Love it. Good delays and such. Had the flashback x4 and it was pretty blah. The toneprint stuff was a bit underwhelming, but lots of possibilities. As mentioned before...dedicated looper is pretty choice, because if you use the looper, you'll just complain about getting to the looper or the limitations of delay with the looper. You'd be surprised how long 28 seconds goes.

Get a ditto and a delay you like. It's good times.

as a looper though
dont you find the vox a bit tall
i love mmine and everything
and still a looper novice
but seems to be taller than most pedals
thats why i aint got it on a board yet
i should say it feels taller cause i dont think it is
but as far as soond and ease of use
its the M.F.ing jam

I have the Flashback x4.
I like it okay but want a dedicated looper.

I really like the undo feature on the x4. I also really like the play once feature - meaning I can tap the switch for the loop to stop at the end of the phrase. I don't loop all that much so I'm not sure why I want a dedicated looper all that badly. GAS, basically.

Get a TC Ditto and see how you like it. From there you can decide if you want another looper or one that does something different, but that one has the best value and simple feature set in my opinion.

The ditto is great for simple looping, forgot to mention that one earlier. I'm not a fan of the double stomp stop function but that's the price one pays to have an itty bitty one stomp looper...

I love boss RC stuff
RC2 and 20 are awesome and I have an RC3 now and it is great skully built me a switch for stopping and it works awesome

As far as a delay looper Digitech timebender is flipping nuts
the looping on it is sick and you can modulate and mess with loops a bit which is sweet, kindof does the lofi loop thing plus so many other sounds

Timebender also does the handy freeze function, which I've been abusing a ton with Mr. Dubkitty.

Holy Schnikes wrote:The ditto is great for simple looping, forgot to mention that one earlier. I'm not a fan of the double stomp stop function but that's the price one pays to have an itty bitty one stomp looper...

Agreed. I don't mind having to double stomp to stop BUT I find it annoying that when you stop it and then erase it by holding it down the loop turns back on for a second before being erased.
But for the money - super great pedal. It's definitely the best place to start.

I think the RC-30 is great functionally but I just cannot manage to time loops properly with those boss stomp pads. soft switches like on the TC/Strymon stuff are so much easier IMO.
Plus at that price you're already 2/3 of the way to a 'Rang.

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