Synchronizing loops...

[Basitos]

Hi,

I came up with playing alone. Bass + dr880 drum machine + guitar - everything has it's own looper.

But there's the problem - the loops aren't syncing. Maybe the first two loops, then - it's a mess.

I read something about midi clock... But I'm really green about it. But also I'm so keen on playing live... Maybe there is a solution, maybe I need to plug it all into some kind of mixer? I'm out of ideas, please help.

The hardware is bass+pedalboard (the end of pedalboard is Ditto Looper), then the Boss DR880 drum machine, and also guitar+zoom gx1four (it has a looper).

 

[bholder]

Subbed for learnin'. I've had the same question, but I haven't yet taken the leap into midi control.

 

[Bob_Ross]

I read something about midi clock... [snip] the end of pedalboard is Ditto Looper

The Good News is that MIDI clock can help to synchronize loopers. The Bad News is that your Ditto looper doesn't accept MIDI clock.

 

[TOOL460002]

+1 MIDI. Intimidating at first. Promise it's worth learning.

One thing I'll add is the Disaster Area Designs DMC Micro Pro has a 1/4in out that can be set to tap tempo but synced with the Micro's clock. I have one time-based effect that is not MIDI and that's how I sync it. The Disaster Area MIDI Baby does not have a tap out feature for the 1/4 jack it has. No idea why. Worth noting.

 

[Basitos]

+1 MIDI. Intimidating at first. Promise it's worth learning.

One thing I'll add is the Disaster Area Designs DMC Micro Pro has a 1/4in out that can be set to tap tempo but synced with the Micro's clock. I have one time-based effect that is not MIDI and that's how I sync it. The Disaster Area MIDI Baby does not have a tap out feature for the 1/4 jack it has. No idea why. Worth noting.

OK, MIDI, but there are hundreds of MIDI devices, could you point me in the direction of what am I supposed to look for? Also,

The Bad News is that your Ditto looper doesn't accept MIDI clock.

, so Ditto doesn't have MIDI, the Zoom Gx1four for my guitar also, so DMC micro pro would do the job?

 

[SteveCS]

If you don't want the potentially big investment in MIDI-enabled loopers you could look for a handful of Digitech 'Jamman Solo XT' and/or 'Jamman XT Express' pedals - these have a proprietary time-sharing link called 'JamSync' which allows you to distribute time and global start/stop to any number of 'slave' loopers. The Jamman series is discontinued but you can readily find them used for not much $$.

 

[Basitos]

If you don't want the potentially big investment in MIDI-enabled loopers you could look for a handful of Digitech 'Jamman Solo XT' and/or 'Jamman XT Express' pedals - these have a proprietary time-sharing link called 'JamSync' which allows you to distribute time and global start/stop to any number of 'slave' loopers. The Jamman series is discontinued but you can readily find them used for not much $$.

Can I mix JamMan solo xt with JamMan Express? I found two used solos and one express online. Would be perfect for bass+drum machine+guitar?
EDIT
Also, can the three instrument be plugged into their own cabinets? I mean bass to bass stack, drum machine to active speakers, guitar to guitar amp?

 

[SteveCS]

Can I mix JamMan solo xt with JamMan Express? I found two used solos and one express online. Would be perfect for bass+drum machine+guitar?
EDIT
Also, can the three instrument be plugged into their own cabinets? I mean bass to bass stack, drum machine to active speakers, guitar to guitar amp?

Yes and Yes. The manual explains all options. The JamSync inter-connect is 1/8" TRS (Stereo) cables, of which you will need two.

 

[TOOL460002]

OK, MIDI, but there are hundreds of MIDI devices, could you point me in the direction of what am I supposed to look for? Also,
, so Ditto doesn't have MIDI, the Zoom Gx1four for my guitar also, so DMC micro pro would do the job?

Looks like the Ditto usb input is only for firmware updates, so you're out of luck on that. I didn't bother to look up the specs on the others, but a ZOIA is a great pedal you can learn to use like a traditional MIDI controller. The Disaster Area stuff is super easy to use. Just plug in your laptop. It is reasonably priced. Morningstar is another solid company that makes controllers. There is a thread in here on the Mortrix controller, which has the major selling point of being more user friendly with a touch screen, but I don't believe that is on the market yet.

EDIT: Your Zoom has USB MIDI, so that makes things easier.