Looking for a looping pedal

Nappuccino

I made this post earlier in the D&D music thread but I haven't gotten a reply and the thread seems a bit dead at this moment as it is.

a direct quote of my initial post.

Nappuccino wrote: »

My this thread has been quiet lately. I'm not sure if I'll get any advice, but I've been toying around with the idea of getting a looping pedal to make live performances easier for me (i.e. I don't need a band since that seems to be impossible to come by where I am)

I want something that's able to make different length loops and have some loop repeatedly while others loop say, every 4 measures or something...

Does that kind of thing even exist?

I'm hoping to be able to do something similar to these performances:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFmfncE-jD0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26PqNVy7kKo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McA1dM_FtEg

and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txou6ctnYBs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN6abWGV9Lg&feature=related

blakfeld

Good
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Boss-RC2-Loop-Station-Stomp-Box?sku=487040

Better
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Boss-RC20XL-Loop-Station?sku=151352

Best
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Boss-RC50-Loop-Station?sku=151044

For what you want to do the RC50 would be idea, but you could probably make due with the RC20, I've never had a chance to personally use it, but a few buddies swear by them

Nappuccino

I had looked at the RC-20 briefly (its definately more in my price range) but is really it possible to do that number of loops on the fly with it?

Is there a way to remove say- two tracks and keep the rest going? I've never found a clear answer to the limits of one of these devices...

blakfeld

Nappuccino wrote: »

I had looked at the RC-20 briefly (its definately more in my price range) but is really it possible to do that number of loops on the fly with it?

Is there a way to remove say- two tracks and keep the rest going? I've never found a clear answer to the limits of one of these devices...

Sadly, that's what you gain with the big bad one. The RC20 allows you to play multiple loops, but not switch a particular one off to my understanding.

Nappuccino

Ah, well, that was the answer i was expecting.

I've got one last question though, Do you think it would be better to by two cheaper looping pedals to get a similar effect or go for RC50?

garroad_ran

I don't know about looping pedals since I've never used them, but you might not do badly by investing in some recording gear and making backing tracks to play along to. It certainly lends itself to having less shit go wrong in a live situation.

The_Glad_Hatter

I have the RC20, it's solid, simple and amazing.
I've had it for 2 years and have yet to open up the instruction manual to teach myself the more advanced functions..
I do think that it's not possible to combine loops of various lenghts.. eg, the first thing you record on a track defines the length of the track, everthing thereafter will have to stay within the lenght of that track, or else you'll risk of catching up with yourself..

i think the RC50 has more advanced options..

altough, like someone else suggested, 2 loop pedals seems quite intuitive, easy and cheap as well...

Jeedan

Nappuccino wrote: »

Ah, well, that was the answer i was expecting.

I've got one last question though, Do you think it would be better to by two cheaper looping pedals to get a similar effect or go for RC50?

Wouldnt work. Thats where you run into the problem inherent in all live sampling situations.

Basically imagine you put in a loop thats 4 bars at 139 bpm. You put in another loop in something else and being only human, this one comes out at 138 bpm.

for the first few cycles they will be in sync but then then the 139bpm one will overtake the 138bpm one and you'll be hopelessly out of time. Same problem if you try to stop the loop and restart it later on down the song, in the time the loop isnt playing you'll have drifted slightly out of time and the loop will come in and be too slow or fast.

Its what makes beatmatching in DJing realy hard, you have to keep manually readjusting or retriggering things to make sure everything stays in time. Or you have to make sure that everything is synchronised to an external timeclock with a metronome for the drummer.#

Ableton live could probably do the multiple different length loops at once thing but that would require a laptop.

Chanus

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-DL4-Delay-Guitar-Pedal?sku=150380

is a decent one. A bit more pricey than the Boss ones suggested, but is pretty popular from what I've seen... so it must be doing something right.

Nappuccino

@jeedan that's a good point, looks like 2 cheap looping pedals would be a bad idea.

@chanus: i'll have to check it out when that website goes back online- thanks for the extra option though

edit: in case the site doesn't come online for awhile, could i get the name of the one you suggested?

garroad_ran

One question that's worth asking is how much you really need that ability to record loops of different lengths.

Say you've got an eight bar chord progression you want to loop, and a two bar pattern on top of that, it's simply a matter of playing the two bar pattern four times during your punch-in.

Chanus

Nappuccino wrote: »

@chanus: i'll have to check it out when that website goes back online- thanks for the extra option though

edit: in case the site doesn't come online for awhile, could i get the name of the one you suggested?

Line 6 DL-4 Digital Delay

Though it looks like the site is back up now

Nappuccino

@Garroad: I guess its not something that's necessary, just something I'd like to have. I can see it making performing easier or atleast, more entertaining for the listeners.

edit2: But... the price difference might not be worth it.

@Chanus: thanks! I'll check it out.

edit: oh, it's only got 14 seconds of sound memory... Still, it looks like a great pedal if I need something that's purely for delay.

Space Pickle

I have an RC-20XL. I bought it for practise purposes and then realized it's not so great for that but it's fine for playing that Andrew Bird kind of stuff. If you hook up a foot switch it's all hands-off and you can add or subtract loops at will. I wouldn't spring for the 50 unless you've got money to spare - does you live act really need 45 minutes of looping?

Chanus

Nappuccino wrote: »

@Chanus: thanks! I'll check it out.

edit: oh, it's only got 14 seconds of sound memory... Still, it looks like a great pedal if I need something that's purely for delay.

Oh, yeah... it's more for sampling and layering than for something like pre-recording a song to play over.

Jeedan

14 seconds is plenty for a looper pedal. Bare in mind the bounds of what you can do with one are more limited than you might think. You're better of going for a modestly priced one and exploring the possibilities within its limits than jumping straight into one that claims to do evvvverrryything and not being able to use it effectively.

Also http://www.akaipro.com/e2headrush

Nappuccino

@Space Pickle: Hahaha, i don't really need 45 min of looping, but its more the extra options that it allows me.

That said, I didn't know I could get an extra pedal for the cheaper ones. Is there a specific name for that or a link you could give me?

@Chanus: Well, 14 seconds isn't a lot of time - I would think 1-3 min of memory would be more in the ball park of what I would want to have.

@Jeedan: A loop yes, but If i want 3 or 4 longer loops, 14 seconds seems like it would be very limiting.

Space Pickle

You just need any kind of generic foot pedal that fits a quarter-inch jack. I used the damper from an electric piano. I'm sure Boss sells some kind of official thing but it doesn't matter.

Nappuccino

Space Pickle wrote: »

You just need any kind of generic foot pedal that fits a quarter-inch jack. I used the damper from an electric piano. I'm sure Boss sells some kind of official thing but it doesn't matter.

That's great to hear, thankyou the RC-20 is sounding like the best choice at the moment- I'll have to keep mulling it over though

Space Pickle

You should try to borrow one from a friend or something to test it out.

Nappuccino

None of my friends really even play instruments much less own a looping pedal otherwise that would be a great idea.