Boss’s RC-505 took looping in a new direction. When it was released, looping was really all about guitarists, and it still is today to some extent. But the behemoth of a looper was expressly designed with broader goals in mind. The “tabletop” looper was designed to be operated by hand, and vocalists and beatboxers (like DubFX) were the intended audience more than six-string wielding guitarists. Check Amazon Price
Author: Peter
Electro-Harmonix 720 Stereo Looper Review
The 720 Stereo Looper is basically Electro Harmonix’s version of the Ditto X2. There are benefits to both options, but it definitely gives TC Electronic’s pedal some serious competition – offering pretty similar features and more onboard memory – and it’s actually a little bit cheaper too. This ultimately means it offers a lot of the same core benefits, particularly its simplicity and great sound quality, and it’s another solid looper pedal, especially for casual players not bothered by the stuff it can’t do. Check Amazon Price
TC Electronic Ditto X4 Looper Review
TC Electronic announced the Ditto X4 looper in January of 2016. It’s the full-featured big brother to their extremely popular Ditto and Ditto X2 loopers. It’s essentially two Ditto loopers stuck together with a lot of fun options for getting creative. For example, you can record and play two loops simultaneously, switching them on and off to build complexity, or you can play the loops sequentially so that you can switch between loops for different parts of a song.Check Amazon Price
Electro-Harmonix 22500 Looper Review
The Electro-Harmonix 22500 dual stereo looper was announced at NAMM 2015 and seems to be the pedal many people have been requesting. For example, it has two stereo loops that can be played either in parallel or sequentially for verse/chorus switching. Plus it has a mic input with phantom power and built in drum patters. These features alone take it to the top of many guitarists wish lists. It has just enough features to do about everything you could want in a looper pedal, without becoming a monstrosity on your pedal board. Check Amazon Price
Boss RC-1 Loop Station Review
For a while, it seemed like Boss and Digitech were competing to make the most complicated looper on the planet. Stripped-down, simple-to-use looper pedals are becoming more popular, however. Loopers like the Ditto, JamMan Express XT, and the Nano 360 offer back-to-basics functionality. While Boss is no stranger to compact loopers, options like the RC-2, RC-3, and RC-5, are so loaded with features that you really need an external footswitch to control them. With the RC-1, Boss has ventured into minimalist territory. But in this crowded market of back-to-basics loopers, does the RC-1 really stand out from the competition?Check Amazon Price
Electro-Harmonix Nano Looper 360 Review
Tiny loopers are all the rage these days, and after Electro-Harmonix’s multi-track 2880 and 45000 offerings, they’ve decided to get a piece of the action too. The Nano Looper 360 is a tiny unit, immediately opening up comparisons with pedals like the JamMan Express and the TC Electronic Ditto (and Ditto X2). These are primarily aimed at those new to looping, wanting something to improve their jam sessions or just have a bit of fun with without paying the big bucks to get their hands on a larger, more feature-laden unit. However, does the simplicity work in its favor, or will you just be left wanting more? Check Amazon Price
NUX Loop Core Review
The NUX Loop Core is a clone of the Boss RC-3 Loop Station, and is basically just as good. The only reservation I might have is when it comes to quality control in manufacturing and customer support, but I’m just speculating. Honestly, the Loop Core is pretty great. You’ll notice the solid metal body construction, except for the battery compartment which is plastic. Like the Boss RC-3, it has all the essentials that I look for in a looper including a built-in selection of drum patterns, the ability to store multiple phrases, USB connectivity, stereo ins/outs, and the option to add external footswitches. Check Amazon Price
Hotone Wally Looper Review
The Wally Looper seems to be aimed at musicians who want a looper that just loops, and not much more. For years, it seemed that all the major looper manufacturers were competing to pack more and more features into their loopers, like backing tracks, metronome and drum beats, quantization, on-board effects, and unnecessarily long recording times. The problem was that these units get pretty difficult to use out of the box, and a good percentage of musicians have no need for that many bells and whistles.Check Amazon Price
TC Electronic Ditto X2 Looper Review
If you loved the Ditto looper but wanted just a little bit more in terms of features, TC Electronic may have hit the nail on the head with the Ditto X2. It’s the same great sounding looper pedal as the original, except it has two footswitches instead of one, lets you import and export loops and jamtracks to your computer, and gives you reverse and 1/2 speed effects. Just like the original Ditto Looper, the Ditto X2 is easy to use right out of the box, with all the features you need, and none of the fluff you may not. Check Amazon Price
Boss RC-505 Loop Station Review
Loopers are traditionally a plaything for guitarists. Boss has played their part in establishing this status quo, putting out numerous looper pedals of varying sizes from the RC-3 style stompboxes through to the behemoth options like the latest flagship, the RC-300. For beatboxers like Dub FX, this meant the only option was to use the supplied mic jacks and use the guitarist-centric pedals their own way. With the RC-505, Boss has thrown out the rule book and made something specifically for beatboxers, synth players, keyboard players and singers looking to enter the world of looping. Check Amazon Price
Digitech Jamman Express XT Review
DigiTech’s famous JamMan series of loopers has a new addition. The Express XT is a stripped-down looper, a simplistic model more easily comparable to the TC Ditto than to any previous stompbox-size JamMan models. For devout DigiTech supporters, the ability to connect multiple Express XTs together for multi-track looping may be a big selling point. Although the feature was also included on the Solo XT, the Express is cheaper, so it has the potential to be the first real taste of this feature for many loopers. Check Amazon Price
Scott Low, Virtual Busker (Reader Submission)
Scott Low sent me this cool little video of him doing some virtual busking. He’s using a Line 6 looper, but just ordered a Ditto X2. Can’t wait to hear more like this!
You can find out more about Scott on Reverb Nation, or follow him on Facebook.