Summary
• Pros: The 45000 looper offers a multi-track layout. It also has a Mix Down track to allow for more complex compositions. Plus quantization features and MIDI control.
• Cons: Lack of footswitches and complex button combinations to access certain features make live use difficult without the additional footswitch.
• Overall: The Electro-Harmonix 45000 is perfect for home or studio, but not the best for playing live.
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• Amazon: Electro-Harmonix 45000
• Guitar Center: Electro-Harmonix 45000
Full Review
The Electro-Harmonix 2880 was a breath of fresh air for many loopers. Its multi-track recorder like design made it very intuitive. That same thread of user-friendly design has survived with the updated model. The new Electro-Harmonix 45000 looper looks very similar to the older incarnation, but does it have more to offer? With multi-track looping, a stereo Mix Down track and an included 4GB memory card (good for over two hours of recording), the 45000 is an impressive piece of hardware.
Stocked with Features
The 45000 has much of the same features as the older model. The layout of the pedal will be instantly recognizable to anybody who used the 2880. It has seven slider controls in the center, a collection of dials above them and several buttons to either side. The first thing an experienced looper will probably notice is the deficit of footswitches, though. For that, that you’ll need to also buy the 45000 foot controller. This is also the only way you’ll get a display screen for the 45000.
The multi-track functionality of the Electro-Harmonix 45000 is realistically its main feature. The design is otherwise lifted pretty much straight from the older model. There are four main tracks and one stereo Mix Down track. The main tracks can each support loops and overdubs. You can also choose to record in mono (one track per loop) or stereo (two tracks per loop). The Mix Down track lets you free up each track by combining their recordings into one slot. You lose individual control over the loops, but it allows you to record even more separate tracks. In short, your compositions can get very complex, like a dense sonic web. Plus, once you’ve recorded another four tracks, you can over-dub onto the Mix Down track!
The 45000 Looper in Action
Using the Electro-Harmonix 45000 is pretty straightforward, but the lack of the familiar record/play/overdub control makes things more difficult. After plugging in and setting your input and output levels, you hit the “New Loop” button to set the unit into record-ready mode. Hit “Record” to start and then hit it again to stop recording. You can press “Play” to set the loop to playback, automatically start recording onto track two and start overdubbing. “New Loop” simply sets the recording to play back. To overdub, select the track you want to record onto using the “Track Select” button and then press “Record.”
Staying in Time with the 45000 Looper
Quantization and a click track help you stay in time on the 45000. You can adjust the metronome – called the Clix track – by using the dedicated slider control and volume dial. You can also route this out to your headphones.
The Quantize feature (which has a dedicated button) basically works to keep your loop in time with the click track. Experienced loopers know that a split-second mistake can be progressively disastrous as the loops repeat and get more out of sync. The quantization feature solves the problem. Plus, you can speed up or slow down your loops after recording them by adjusting the metronome slider. Alternatively, you can play in “free-form” mode if you want full control over timing (like traditional loopers).
Other Familiar Features
Some familiar features are back on the 45000. These include reverse playback, punch-in punch-out recording (for correcting mistakes in your loops) and the Octave function for reducing the pitch and the tempo at the same time. Although reverse playback is a cool feature to include, it’s a little gimmicky for most players. Reversing a loop usually makes your guitar loop sound like its being dragged kicking and screaming through time itself. Yes, you can use it for ambient sounds, but if there was a choice between reverse and undo/redo I know which one I’d choose. The punch in feature is useful for mistakes, but undoing and redoing offers much more flexibility for live use.
All the Right Connections
The 45000 has twin 1/4 inch inputs and outputs. There is also an auxiliary input to connect MP3 players and a dedicated output for a stage monitor. A Dry Out slider gives you control over the output volume, so from an audio standpoint live use is entirely possible. There’s a headphone jack, a slot for the foot controller and a MIDI in and out. Most of the controls can be operated via MIDI, and it can work as a Master or Slave. Finally, you can connect to a computer via USB to back up your files or import new audio onto the pedal.
Is the EHX 45000 Looper Worth it?
The main thing with the Electro-Harmonix 45000 is that it’s really more for recording than live use. For example, there is no display screen, and selecting one of the 100 loop locations on the unit itself requires a button combination. This type of operation makes looping in front of an audience akin to tap-dancing with your fingers whilst being scrutinized from all directions. The only difference is that a single misstep or forgotten button press could grind your entire performance to a halt.
If you’re going to use it live, you have to buy the additional 45000 Foot Controller. With that attachment included, there is very little to complain about. The punch-in style of correcting mistakes isn’t ideal, but it works well when combined with the multi-track element of the pedal. The punch-in correction allows you to erase any mistakes and the multi-track makes it easy to bring different loops into the mix at will.
Don’t expect massive improvements over the 2880 here. The memory may have been expanded, but aside from this, the benefits of the 45000 are pretty limited unless you’re working in the studio. The navigation issues prevent live use if you don’t want to buy the additional pedal. For bedroom loopers and those interested in recording it has plenty to offer, though. The multi-track recorder layout will put many musicians right at home, and there are ample options for getting creative.
Where to Buy the 45000 Looper?
• Amazon: Electro-Harmonix 45000
• Guitar Center: Electro-Harmonix 45000
Electro-Harmonix 45000 Product Video
Say, i like to know: Can i record like up to 30 or up to 60 seconds on each track and then play it all back?? Listen to track no.1 and with head phones i record 30 seconds or more on track no.2? I wish someone would answer me. I emailed ElectroHarmonix and they didn’t answer me..Can i record like up to 60 seconds on each track? If i could record on it like a cassette and dump my finish project onto a c.d. then i be happy. Robert.
Hi, what you’re describing is basic functionality of the machine, so that’s probably why they didn’t answer. Use of headphones would be necessary if a mic is involed, so as to not re-record previously recorded playing loops as you overdub; welcome to multi-tracking. The time limit is the SD card’s capacity and the max number of loops, 99. Depending on your SD card capacity and the sampling rate (the manual probably has guiding info as to how long you can record per Gb). You could make a single loop a whole song, although that’s not what the idea is. If you’re recording you could build up basic (maybe rhythmic) parts of a tune easily then sequence them on a computer. If you’re playing live a tune based on three or four loops then you can switch live between the loops with the foot controller.
Does anybody knwos if the second loop/track can be shorter than the firsts one, and repeat when it finishish, not waiting the first loop/track to start again?
no, it can’t
I bought one a few days ago, and put a few hours on it so far. I’m happy with it, sound quality is #1 and this thing sounds great. And is overall a wonderful device, despite the massive price tag.
comments:
Inputs are HIGH Z 1mohm. No XLR (22500 has?) NO Line lvl. HighZ only. Aux In cannot go to tracks
So microphones, Synthesizers, vdrums etc. = what?
I’m not an expert on attenuation, and Line into this HighZ input sounds fine, but EHX might put a paragraph in the manual on what to expect in sound coloring, because you KNOW this thing is going to get used that way thousands of times. (synthesizers, vdrums, etc)
CLIX metronome: gets out of sync after a while (even with supplied drum loops), I emailed support to see what I’m doing wrong.
UNDO not needed: If you leave the track fader down, you can attempt your loop as much as you want without needing any undo. then raise it to hear the final output. If you layer over you’d need undo, but with 4 tracks it’s likely you are switching to another track anyway.
Next Loop: without the extra $110 pedal… totally sucks not to have an Led telling you which number you are on. BUT, switching to the next loop isn’t really as hard as it sounds in the manual. Just that it requires two hands and stopped playback.
Effects: I’m fine this not having additional effects. I like that the panning allows one track to go right and 3 to go left so you can effect one loop and not the others with outboard pedal.
SD card contents. PITA. Not sure how they could do it different. but still sucks to have vague names and have to rename so many folders in certain situations. And WHY did they not create 99 starting folders? if there are 99 loops possible.
Folder dates say 1/1/2000 and no time stamp, so after you record 20 loops and move SD to computer you gotta spend some time listening and renaming. date/time stamp has been assisting us computer geeks for decades to sort vague stuff out.
I’ll add more.
no on/off switch, kinda strange. Theoretically it’s less parts to fail or create noise. You can tell I’m not from the guitar pedal world.
Play light fliashes when loop cycles back to begining, which I like.
Pedal: 90% of buyers are going to hate life without the pedal, so it seems like a highjacking of the pricetag.
I’ll probably add more eventually.
I returned it, but I’ll miss it, haha. One very cool thing is you can MIX-DOWN your finished loops. or fade out the keyboard part for a section, or you know, create some cool finished pieces. So if you get a really cool idea as a 4 bar loop, you can create a song just from mix down features. It’s a bummer the 22500 doesn’t have faders and this thing doesn’t have the XLR input or pedal. But I made some loop mixdowns I’m super proud of , so I will miss it.
The drum loops don’t stick with the CLIX, they are very close but customer support told me it’s impossible to get them exact, etc. Plus they are on the mixdown, so it’s a juggle process to use them. If you need to just undo everything to start over your idea with a drum track you like, well… you hit new loop, and you lose the drum track alltogether. So then you have to reload it from backup on your computer to SD card. The the vision of how to use the drums is a bit unclear.
Anyway, I bot a boss rc-3 instead because
1: i was pissed they were effectively baiting me into spending 800 because you are eventually GOING to buy the pedal.
2: I’m afraid of this thing getting stolen or broken, so much money sitting around at an open mic, or an outdoor solo situation. I just didn’t want my looper performance setup to be such an investment.
So I just bought the 45000 over Other loopers I researched due to the four tracks – this was the most available until the 95000, which just came out. I was thinking that I’d be able to record to different tracks, and turn them on and off via the footswitch for verse-chorus-bridge type stuff, but it appears you can only start and stop ALL tracks for a given loop at the same time. Unless you’re going to fade them in and out by hand on the main unit, but this is impossible with your feet. It looks like the boss rc-300 can do this. Am I missing something?