TC Electronic Ditto Stereo Looper Review

Summary

• Pros: TC Electronic’s Ditto Stereo looper has beautiful audio quality. It’s easy-to-use, has stereo looping, and the ability to backup loops to your PC or Mac.
• Cons: Still lacking features found on the bigger Ditto models and on many other loopers on the market.
• Overall: A fantastic pedal if you’re happy with a simple, bare-bones looping experience.

Compare Prices:

• Amazon: TC Electronic Ditto Stereo
• zZounds: TC Electronic Ditto Stereo

Full Review

The original Ditto Looper is a legendary pedal. In making it, TC Electronic cast aside complexity in favor of top-notch sound quality and ease-of-use. Since then, the Ditto X2 and Ditto X4 versions have taken the concept further, incorporating effects and more footswitches into the same core framework. More recently, the newer Ditto+ Looper has also added 99 memory slots to the original formula. But the follow-up pedals lose some simplicity in the process. If you loved the minimalism of the original Ditto, you might be looking for something similar but with a few more powerful features. TC Electronic has answered in the form of the Ditto Stereo: an upgraded, stereo-looping version of the original.

What You Loved About the Ditto, Now in Stereo

The Ditto Stereo aims to bring some of what made the Ditto X2 great to a body much more like the original Ditto. The Ditto Stereo is a touch bigger than the original Ditto – measuring 2.8 by 4.8 inches instead of 1.9 by 3.7. It’s still compact and easy enough to fit into your pedalboard though. In terms of design and layout, the differences are minimal. There are two ¼ inch inputs and two outputs (instead of just one for each), and a little switch to the left of the “Loop Level” dial.

So, TC Electronic really hasn’t messed with the original Ditto Looper aesthetic much at all. Those small changes make a huge difference to what you can do with the looper though. The stereo ins and outs are a perfect example. Not only can you now loop in glorious stereo. It also opens up the possibility of using the pedal in dual mono mode, with two instruments connected to two amps. This could allow two people to collaborate in making a loop, for example. And if you have stereo effect pedals, you can now get the most out of them.

Using the Backing Track Loop

The little switch added by TC Electronic controls most of the other features. Most importantly, giving the switch a push upwards stores your current loop as a “backing track.” On the original Ditto, you could only have one loop in the device at a time. Compared to the huge number of memory locations on other loopers, increasing this to two isn’t that impressive (especially given the proviso, discussed below), but if you want the simplicity that most others pedals don’t offer, two is still better than one.

You can also use the little switch to independently adjust the level of your backing loop. By holding it down when you move the “Loop Level” knob, it only affects the volume of your backing track loop. This gives you the option of having a background section sit lower in the mix so your solo can really shine. If you just use the knob without the button, it adjusts the levels for your whole loop (the backing track and the active loop). This is because when you hit the footswitch to start playback, you play both loops together, so the “Loop Level” dial naturally adjusts both.

Storing Loops to Your Computer

The good news when it comes to storing loops is that this isn’t all. The USB port now allows you to transfer existing files to the Ditto Stereo and from it to your computer. This means that if you put together something really awesome that you don’t want to lose, you can save it. With the same five-minute recording time as the original Ditto, adding even one storage slot is great, but the ability to save loops to your PC takes it to the next level.

A Useful Hack

The fact that the loops play together presents an issue if you want to truly have two separate loops. Is it really two loops if they must play together? But by turning the backing track volume to zero, you can hear your active loop with nothing from the background one. This is how you can use the Ditto Stereo as if it has two memory slots. Making this a bonafide feature (so the loop is stored in memory, not turned down) doesn’t seem like it would have been too hard. Nevertheless, you can get the job done. That said, you should also consider newer Ditto+ Looper which adds 99 memory slots, though it costs more.

Finally, the Ditto Stereo adds the option of using a 9V battery instead of a power supply (sold separately). It’s a great addition if you will be playing away from A/C power, or to reduce noise in your chain.

The Stuff That’s Still Amazing on the Ditto Stereo

So the changes are limited, but they ultimately get a big thumbs-up. By building on the original Ditto, they add a lot of potential to the core design and purpose. But focusing on the new stuff doesn’t really capture why the Ditto Stereo is a great looper pedal. It’s great for all the same reasons as the original.

Great Audio Quality

The first thing that comes to mind is the sound quality. With 24-bit, uncompressed audio, true bypass and analog dry-through, you can rest assured that your live playing sounds great – whether the pedal is active or not – and that the recorded audio is crisp, clear and just as authentic in tone as it was when you first played it. Aside from the endearing simplicity of the design, this is really the best thing about all versions of the Ditto. In this regard, the Stereo is no different.

Ease-of-Use

The ease of use deserves a specific mention too. It’s hard to imagine a simpler looper. Press the footswitch to start recording, play your loop through once, and press the switch again to start playback. Then hit the switch again to overdub, hit it again to end overdubbing and restart playback. You can continue this until your masterpiece is completed. If you’d rather go from recording straight to overdubbing, you can adjust a dip-switch on the interior of the pedal.

If you remove an overdub, you can hold the footswitch down for 1.5 seconds to undo your last recording. Bring it back in by holding the footswitch again. This is great for mistakes. For songwriting, it means you can also have add and take away layers of complexity. This allows you to, for example, have differences for verse and chorus sections of a song.

All in all, these core features are all you really need from a looper. As long as you aren’t planning an epic, looper-driven set-list, you can pretty much do everything you need to with the Ditto Stereo, and it makes accomplishing the key tasks about as easy as they can be.

Is the Ditto Stereo Worth Picking Up?

The big question is whether the Ditto Stereo is still worth it. It goes without saying that it beats the original. It offers all the same benefits with some handy extra features like stereo looping, a background loop, and the ability to save loops on your computer. However, like the original Ditto, it doesn’t stack up too well compared to other loopers on the market.

The minimalist aesthetic is cool, but it also means that features you may need (or want) are not present. Half-speed playback (included on the Ditto X2, Ditto X4, and many other loopers) allows you to play a “bassline” with your guitar (because it drops your playing an octave too), for instance. You might also struggle to stay in time through multiple overdubs and wish there was a “quantization” feature to tidy up mistakes. And then there’s the problem of limited memory in an age of affordable and compact data storage.

In a sense, this criticism isn’t fair – the Ditto series is all about simplicity and minimalism, so it should be taken as a given rather than a downside. But when you’re thinking about buying just one looper, the downsides of a minimalistic approach are something to consider. TC Electronic has kept the price of the Ditto Stereo pleasantly low. But if you can spend a bit more, it’s worth thinking about the additional features you get by opting for something like the Boss RC-3 or even the newer Ditto+ Looper.

Conclusion

On the whole, though, the Ditto Stereo continues in the proud tradition of the original Ditto. It’s a solid practicing companion, great for on-the-fly jams and one of the best-sounding loopers on the market. If you can live without 99 memory locations and don’t care about playing loops in reverse, the Ditto Stereo could be just what you’re looking for.

Where to Buy the Ditto Stereo Looper?

• Amazon: TC Electronic Ditto Stereo
• zZounds: TC Electronic Ditto Stereo

Ditto Stereo Looper Video