Looper recommendations

melodiaopus · #1 08-03-2012, 08:30 AM

Hi,
I've been tossing my many options for loopers and I have considered the following:

Electro Harmonix 2880
Boomerang Phrase Sampler III
Boss RC-300

Can some of you recommend a better pedal for looping??

bassteban · #2 08-03-2012, 08:45 AM

Subbed for new/up-to-date looper info- I'd also suggest you go into what are you wanting to acheive; solo stuff, sketching out compositions, wanking & noodling? I have an RC-20XL & it's great(I'm mostly in the wanking & noodling category

)but I'm always interested in new developments.

**grygrx** · #3 08-03-2012, 08:50 AM

My experience:
Zvex Lo-fi loop junkie, Hardwire DL-8, Boss DD-7, RC-3, RC-20xl, RC-50, Boomerang III, Digitech Jamman Stereo (current)

My goals:
1) Use it as a song writing tool.
2) jam out crazy when loaded.
9) become a loop artist.

My comments:
Of the ones I've used. I like the layout, general usage of the Boomerang III the best... but the lack of quantize made the concentration requirement too much for me. The Boss RC-50 (the 300 is the newer version) had some lag issues, and some of the basics were a little too complex... I felt like I was relearning how to use it each time I put it down for more than a few days. I recently added the Jamman Stereo, but haven't really spent enough time for detailed comments. I've looked at the EHX but never felt it had the right blend of features. The Strymon timeline is probably also worth consideration too.

jwr · #4 08-03-2012, 09:03 AM

Digitech Jamman Stereo is soooooooo awesome! I miss mine pretty bad. What kind of looper do you need though? Simple bypass looper? If so, I wouldn't pay high dollar.

Swift713 · #5 08-03-2012, 09:09 AM

I've used the RC20xl, the DD20, and the DL8. I really liked the RC20xl, it has it's limitations but it was cool that you can save loops, quantize, etc. What I didn't like was that a loop couldn't gradually evolve with older layers fading out as newer layers build up. The Dd20 and DL8 can do that in delay mode but their loopers are not very exiting. I find for my purposes at this point 8 seconds of delay is enough.
I hear tell that there are some very powerful software type loopers out there. I would imagine they could do whatever you want.

melodiaopus · #6 08-03-2012, 09:18 AM

I'm mostly going to be using in live situations. I have a few gigs that are scheduled to play solo. I was going to loop chords changes, bass lines, and melody to some jazz standards. I just want easy to use and something that will get me through a 4 hour gig by myself. I'm also looking for something that won't alter my bass tone when I have plugged in. I've ruled out the RC-300 because of the all the mix (mostly bad) reviews. I am looking at either Electro Harmonix 2880 or the Boomerang III. Do any of you guys have any comments on these two loop pedals. I'll definitely check out the other suggestions though.

Thanks again,

-Adam

DeltaPhoenix · #7 08-03-2012, 09:20 AM

How long do your loops need to be?

melodiaopus · #8 08-03-2012, 09:37 AM

Well, I'm guessing no longer than a few minutes long.

The 2880 seems to be pretty sweet. You can loop over the same track as a previous loop without deleting the orginal loop. Stacking loops ontop of one another through the 4 track is like having 8 tracks. Pretty sweet, damn the 2880 is looking better and better. I need to read more on the Boomerang too.

enjoi1018 · #9 08-03-2012, 10:11 AM

I'm seeing that the footswitch for the 2880 is discontinued, and the looper itself is $400+. That's a lot to shell on a looper, IMO. Well for my budget anyway....

I had the RC20XL, now I'm at the Stereo Jamman. Couldn't be happier. With a 32GB card in the slot, it can hold some crazy amount of data... like 16 hours or something. It'll get you through a show! It also seems as if everything was thought out really well. You can fade out of a loop, and into anyone you choose with just a couple of setting selections and two stomps. And you can stereo loop almost 200 different loops with level controls? Win.

Picked it up used, and while I'm sure the Boomerang is all it's supposed to be, the Jamman doesn't need it's own gig bag and is half the price.

Oneirogenic · #10 08-03-2012, 02:31 PM

I had an RC-50 and once I figured out it's idiosyncrasies it was great for the one man show sort of thing. It's not an easy looper to learn and I imagine the RC-300 is similar. Complex multi-track loopers all have a learning curve whether it be figuring out its features or mastering your timing. I've been wanting a Boomerang III for awhile.

sunbeast · #11 08-03-2012, 09:17 PM

I love my Boomerang III! If you want to save loops or need quantizing (as mentioned), it is not the right choice. He is talking about implementing MIDI connectivity though (I don't actually expect to see it for a long time though given the pace he has shown so far with releases/updates), so in theory the quantizing might eventually be an option with a little bit of extra equipment. If you just want a relatively easy to use and fantastic sounding live looper with loads of useful features available then it is fantastic...

madurolover · #12 08-04-2012, 11:16 PM

I have been messing with an RC30, I would prefer one that simply records 1 track, no effects, mic or rhythem just do the job of a loop so I can do overdub. So I am saying I would not buy the RC30 given the chance again, The other stuff is for solo artists, I am trying to add more to the live sound,

sunbeast · #13 08-05-2012, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by melodiaopus

Well, I'm guessing no longer than a few minutes long.

The 2880 seems to be pretty sweet. You can loop over the same track as a previous loop without deleting the orginal loop. Stacking loops ontop of one another through the 4 track is like having 8 tracks. Pretty sweet, damn the 2880 is looking better and better. I need to read more on the Boomerang too.

I should have added that you can do this with Boomerang as well- you can stack on top of any pre-recorded tracks without erasing the original. Actually I would imagine you could do that on any of the current pedals that are actually made to be loopers as opposed to delay pedals with loop capabilities. I also run mine in stereo sometimes to get psuedo-8 track effect (guitar on one side and bass on the other).

One really cool function that you can do with the Boomerang that I haven't seen anywhere else is run all 4 loops independently (so with no Master loop and therefore no coinciding start time, each with a different loop length)- that particular function probably would seem mind-numbing to most musicians, but it can make some really cool textures that you can solo over or what-have-you...