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Looper/Sampler Advice

C

CopiusX

Jul 30, 2007
38
0
34
The bowels of hell
#1
So, I'm looking to get a looper/sampler, mainly for live use. My main uses for it are going to be with a band I'm in that's just me and a drummer; basically, I want to be able to record a bass riff on the spot and play lead/keyboard bits over it, but I'd also like the ability to easily play a prerecorded riff from the pedal. Basically:

What I want:
Easy live use for both recording and recall
Save recall
At least 15 minutes of loop space
Preferably under $300, $400 max

What I've found:
Digitech JamMan
Boss RC-20XL
Line6 LM4
Boss RC-2
EHX 2880 Super Multi-Track Looper

Of the pedals I've been looking at, the one that speaks to me the most is the Digitech JamMan, but if any of you guys think that another pedal would suit my needs better, I'm open for any recommendations.
 
#2
Make sure you can quantize it - TAP TEMPO. The 2880's quantize function is not tap tempo and is set to the tempo slider.

If the JamMan has tap tempo and undo/redo then awesome. If not, I'd say go RC20 or RC2...they're easily the most trusted looper I've found from other players.

Unless you plan on having an entire rig for your looper - on its own - You're gonna need tap tempo.
 
#5
It's actually a function I would never require in a looper, nor would most loopers I've spoken to. Almost no loop samplers have them, but you can easily find tons of bands that use loopers alongside other instruments, and they're either synced together through MIDI or, more commonly, simply listening to each other. Tap tempo doesn't correct much in a loop because being even a quarter second off with your tap will result in cumulatively more and more off-time loops, as the slight error will add up with each retriggering if the other instruments stay at the same tempo. It's also really not much different than playing a loop normally to begin with- you're going to tap to start your loop (unless your looper has a record trigger set), and you're going to tap when the loop ends. Either way can result in off-time if playing with other instruments that keep a steady tempo. I was serious when I said to find a drummer that listens- a small, quick correction from him will keep the rhythm between the instruments/looper where a tap tempo or regular loop playing will fail.
 
#6
I have the RC-2 and I like it. But unless you think you REALLY, REALLY need to have a smaller pedal that runs off batteries, I think the RC-20XL is a more versatile pedal.

I've used both and I think the RC-20XL is easier to use since it has separate pedals to start and stop loops. It also has a line level in pot and dedicated controls that are sorta buried inside the RC-2.

Both are great pedals, but if real estate isn't an issue, then you should take a look at the RC-20XL.
 
#7
Bryan R. Tyler said:
It's actually a function I would never require in a looper, nor would most loopers I've spoken to. Almost no loop samplers have them, but you can easily find tons of bands that use loopers alongside other instruments, and they're either synced together through MIDI or, more commonly, simply listening to each other. ......
Click to expand...

I was going to make the same point last night, and am glad I waited. Tap is great for delays, and phasers... but I've owned and used a ton of loopers (EDP, RC-20, 20XL, RC2, Lex JamMan, Digi Jam Man, Boomerang, DD-20, DL4, and the M9 I use now, and never used tap tempo for any looping. Punch in, punch out, play the part correctly, and the drummer etc... play in time. No way around that.

To the OP, the only issue I want to warn you about is your use of the word "easy" or "easily". None of the stomp loopers make it especially easy to trigger pre-recorded loops. The RC-20XL can accept a dual footswitch so you can scroll up/down through recorded loops. I never triggered prerecorded loops with the JamMan, but it seemed like it had a better display and might have been easier, plus it has some good editing features. I didn't like the "clunk" of the JM footswitches, but it is a well thought out pedal. No matter, it takes some time to learn any of the pedals in question. Put in the time and make it look easy.

If you are doing a lot of research I urge you to poke around at the Looperlative, just to see what it gets you. Great box, blows stomp loopers away.

:bassist:
 
#8
I'm looking to get a looper myself and am looking at either the RC 20xl or the JamMan. Right now I'm gearing towards the JamMan because it seems like it can do almost everything the boss can, only it has the usb connecter and the option for more memory . Anyone know the pros/cons of these? Other than whats already been said of course.
 
#10
CopiusX said:
What I want:
Easy live use for both recording and recall
Save recall
At least 15 minutes of loop space
Preferably under $300, $400 max


Of the pedals I've been looking at, the one that speaks to me the most is the Digitech JamMan, but if any of you guys think that another pedal would suit my needs better, I'm open for any recommendations.
Click to expand...

Having owned almost every pedal on your list at one point or another, I'd agree that the JamMan is probably your best bet. It's easily within your price range and it's the easiest to use for prerecorded loops, especially if you have the add-on footswitch to cycle through them.

I had a couple of relatively minor issues with it... first, I found the JamMan to be a bit of a tone-sucker for bass. The loops would have a slight drop in the lows from the original signal. The tempo change feature was horribly glitchy sounding, but to be fair, every other tempo change feature that doesn't change pitch seems to have this issue as well.
 

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