Couple of weeks ago I took my L6 helix rack + control to an open mic to try out acoustic looping. It was fun, I liked it, but considering I could have done the same thing with a pedal that fit into my guitar bag I've been thinking about getting a standalone looper for that kind of thing.
I don't really trust the single-stomp ones because they seem to involve pressing & holding and double taps etc to access different functions as an integral part of their workflow, and that's a degree of precision I probably don't have when I'm also singing and prancing round on the stage.
So, any opinions about, say, the Boss RC30 vs Digitech Jamman Stereo vs EH720 vs anything I might be wise to consider, for acoustic looping? Mic input is an optional bonus, I suppose.
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Ask KT Tunstall about the Akai Headrush 2 (or the 'wee bastard as she calls it)....I've had one for bleems and it is bombproof. One proviso is you absolutely have to have great timing as this doesn't quantize etc.........oh and no saving loops.
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My mate does a couple of solo gigs a week and swears by the Boss RC20, over the RC30. He says the way the RC20 is set up for recording and playback is more intuitive than its replacement.
I like her story about the night she thought she'd messed up recording her initial loop and shouted "bollocks!" in to her microphone, then decided that she'd done it right after all, only now the loop included her shouting "bollocks!" every couple of bars.
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I’d steer clear of the boss offerings. Not sure on the model numbers but I found the single one is just too daft with its press and double press setup and the double one seems overly complicated - maybe that’s just me.
If I had some cash I’d go for the infinity one as I’d love a do with one of those but for now the Ditto does everything I need.
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Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youI always lamented that I could not add parts on the fly and switch sections. So I had to lay down a beat, chord progression and then play a live melody over it. But I couldn't switch the chord progression or anything really, so it got a bit tiresome.
I never used to tap the tempo or anything so also found the timing required a lot of focused practice (I wasn't gigging in a band at the time, so it's understandable that side of my skill was rusty.)
Thankfully I never bollocksed up a live loop but it was always my great fear and I often do this at home.
Was thinking about squeezing in a Ditto, but if I can justify buying the EHX for all the reasons I want it for, I'm hoping the looper part of it will adequately take the place of my RC1. Can't see any other really appealing combined delay/looper options, most are single button with about 20 secs loop time, for example. The single EHX Canyon has 62 secs, but the Grand Canyon allows you to integrate the delay effects into the looper, plus has speed and reverse options, so I hope its a decent substitute for a dedicated looper.
Another option would be the Strymon Timeline. No quantising or fancy features, but does all the basics. Also has multiple footswitches for control. It has the benefit of being a great delay pedal as well.
I've not tried any of the ones with quantisation, but if you don't have that, you have to be really accurate with your timing on the first loop. It takes quite a bit of practice. You need to play in time and then, most importantly, you have to step on the footswitch at exactly the right moment at the end of the loop.
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I know there was TC footswitch issues but I’m sure that’s a throwback to quite a few years back
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Personally my Ditto was never an issue, when I had one, switch was fine.
I actually worry more about the quality of EHX switches and components. Have had a couple of their Muffs and been a bit put off spending big on the Grand Canyon as I'm not sure the fundamental construction matches the feature set of their gear, although that's speculation mainly.