Guitar loop questions

Vol 2. Here you can search for any genre or any text that appears in this site: search tips sitemap Share Here are some of the more "frequently asked questions" about acid loops, and my attempts to answer them. If you click on the questions just below you'll be taken to where it's answered further down the page. But if everyone uses the same music loops won't the songs all start sounding the same? What is a loop and why is it useful in making music?

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Content:

• Guitar Pedals
• Subscribe to RSS
• Top 12 Looper Pedals on the Market
• What is a Guitar Loop Pedal? Your New Practice Buddy.
• 2 questions about recording guitar loops
• Ueberschall Cinematic Guitar Loops
• Free Guitar Loops Samples Sounds
• 5 Things To Consider When Buying a Looper Pedal
• Harley Benton Mini Looper
• Learning to Loop

WATCH RELATED VIDEO: Beautiful Guitar Loop (Complete) Hvetter

Guitar Pedals

One of the best looper pedals is a powerful creative tool for any guitarist. Whether you want one to allow you to practise by yourself more easily, or to give your band a boost by layering guitar parts live, having a loop pedal on your pedalboard will open you up to a world of creativity that would otherwise be left untapped.

Many artists like to use them to loop their riffs on-the-fly like Ed Sheeran , and others use them to trigger pre-recorded samples. When you start overcomplicating things, the music and your brain are the only things that suffer -so if you only have one or two sound effects or overdubs per song, think about swapping out that laptop or sample pad for a looper.

A looper pedal is also way more portable - particularly if you have an ever-growing pedalboard - and far cheaper to replace if it gets damaged or stolen. Are you looking for a great deal on the best looper pedals this Black Friday? Check out our Black Friday guitar deals page for the latest news, and the best offers around. With essentially only two controls - start and stop - it's hard to mess up loops live, unless your timing is off.

With some practice, it's as powerful as they come, and the lack of quantization is a bonus if you're playing in different time signatures or using polyrhythms. If you're looking primarily for a songwriting tool, then the Boss RC-5 could be worth trying. It's got 57 rhythm patterns, each with a variation, and super high-fidelity bit processing.

Unlike previous Boss loopers, it's functionality as a drum machine doesn't detract from it's main task as a loop station - so it's definitely got our seal of approval. The TC Electronic Ditto X2 is still incredibly popular as an entry-level looper pedal, and the truism with groceries applies to TC's looper line: if you go one above the cheapest, you get the best value.

So it goes with the Ditto X2. Incredibly simple on the front panel, there's a single control for the loop volume, then it's one tap to record, one to play, and there's a dedicated stop button. Simple, but highly effective and lots of fun to use, which is why it's our current top pick for best looper pedals.

Enter, the RC-5 looper. There are two variations for each groove, as well as customized patterns and seven kit types to choose from - making the RC-5 significantly more convenient and significantly less annoying than an actual human drummer. The simple-but-effective TC Electronic Ditto was a pedalboard staple, both for live use and for writing at home or in a practice room.

Although it lacked a dedicated stop control, halting a loop was relatively foolproof, and crucially the pedal's form-factor was small. This meant that one or more could be snuck onto even the tightest of 'boards.

We're not massive fans of screens on pedals of this size, but in the case of the plus, it does unlock extra functionality. The most exciting feature is the ability to stack a longer loop on top of repetitions of a shorter loop. Whether this is the sort of feature you'd bet the farm on in front of a paying audience is another story, but it's useful for songwriting sessions. Though two loops might not sound like much at this price, you can add up to overdubs per loop, and the two loops can be sync'd as well.

That synchronisation is not only the basic kind; that is to say, the two loops playing for the same length of time, but also making one multiples of the other. In addition to parallel operation, the loops can be set to series: the one starting after the other for more streamlined transitions between sections in a song. The Pigtronix Infinity Looper isn't quantized, so you have to be precise in laying down your initial loop.

That said, if you're playing over backing tracks you can synchronise the loop with the backing track via MIDI. You can even use it for two guitarists, or a guitar and a synth if you're pulling double duty. Do this by separating the stereo inputs and outputs, accessible via a dedicated split mode. The Infinity Looper features in our best looper pedals guide because it has some useful bells and whistles too, with a reverse function, variable speed and stutter modes.

If you hook up an expression pedal, you can also control the loop ageing with that. Ground zero for guitar looping, its powerful, expressive looper earned the Line 6 DL4 legendary status as one of the most important guitar effects ever made. However, its large size and tendency to die have seen its popularity wane as smaller, more reliable multi-delays have come on to the market.

As a looper, it can very much hold its own, with features like one-shot loops, speeding up and re-triggering that many other loopers still don't have. That said, depending on where you are in the world, it may be surprisingly expensive for a unit released in the year , and there is a reason that many of the pros who used it as a looper traveled with a couple of spares.

The Electro-Harmonix is named for the seconds 12 minutes of loops that it can store across 10 dedicated loops. In our opinion, it's better to have the banking controlled by the knob, leaving the two footswitches free to act as dedicated start and stop controls. It also has a loop fadeout mode that will gradually fade a repeating loop out.

Read our full Electro-Harmonix Stereo Looper review. Red Panda have always been at the cutting edge of firmware in boutique pedals, and with the Tensor they set themselves a pretty tough challenge.

Inspired by the visionary looping modes from the classic, but misunderstood Digitech XP Space Station, they sought to make a looper that could take the best of the weirdest possibilities of that unit, and also function as a solid stage looper. The results are incredible. The Tensor not only can cover some of the tape warping effects of the XP, but also the micro-sampling of ultra-rare pedals like the Hexe Revolver. Firmware updates unlock new one-shot functionality, while its time warping and shifting can cover some of the better looping functions of the Line 6 DL4.

In other words, it's a no-brainer. So what's the catch? Well, if you don't need all those esoteric looping modes and sounds, then you might be better served by a simpler looper.

Meanwhile, even if those are of interest, you're going to have to take the time to learn how to use the Tensor. As much as it's as intuitive as Red Panda can make it, it's got so many features that it's an inherently complex pedal.

The fabled RC has recently received a modern facelift, resulting in the new RC - quite possibly the most powerful looper Boss has produced to date. This three-pedal looper is straightforward to use, with the newly added Track Select button making switching between parts a breeze.

The pedal also supports up to five passages that enable you to move through the component parts of a song. Though for our money, it's still better seen as a compositional aid rather than a reason to never help your drummer pack down his stands again.

The HeadRush pedalboard amp modeller and multi-fx unit sounds fantastic, but despite having a large touch-screen, it's less intuitive to use than other units, such as the Line 6 Helix. To some extent, the same is true of the HeadRush Looper. However, at the time of writing, the footswitches aren't reassignable beyond their 'hold' function, and the 'stop all' switch is on the second row, as are the 'stop' switches for the four main loops.

Anyone with experience of live-looping will tell you that you're usually juggling loops, and the footswitches need to be as close to your feet as possible. Being able to stop and start a loop by either rapidly hitting the 'stop' on one and 'start' on another with one foot, or rocking with both your feet to instantaneously switch loops is a staple of live-looping performance, if you're not playing to pre-canned loops that you could sequence.

As a result, guitarists looking to record and overdub multiple instruments and don't need to tap-dance will likely get on with the HeadRush, while those doing on-the-fly looping might find it leads to mistakes when playing live.

Looper pedals record a chunk, or 'buffer' of audio, that can be played back on-demand. They were originally developed as an additional function of digital delay units. If you don't decrease the volume of digital delay repeats, you have a rudimentary looper. Most loop pedals come in single or double footswitch form factors, where one switch controls capture and playback, and the other stops playback. Many also offer additional effect modes. Songwriting: While working up an idea, it pays to be able to record it and be able to hear it back.

Sometimes that's just to realise that the riff wasn't as good as you initially thought, and other times it's to catch a wave of inspiration and come up with additional parts. Whether working at home or with others, having a loop pedal around during songwriting sessions can be invaluable. Some loopers have the ability to save a loop and export it later - a function that can be incredibly useful if you use your looper as a songwriting aid.

Jamming: Not every riff has to be a song, and if you're just jamming some tunes at the end of a long day, a looper can allow you to lay down a rhythm part to play over. In the practice space, even if it's only playing some blues licks, it's fun to have a way to set some chords up as a vamp to get a mood going. Live: Some players, particularly in bands with only one guitarist, use occasional live looping to free up space to play lead parts or counter-melodies.

Some advanced users even play one-person band shows. They build up entire tracks from just stacked loops, with multiple instruments. For live use where you're stacking multiple loops and playing with a drummer, you may need advanced features. For example, units that can be sync'd with one another, or a MIDI clock, as well as those that have quantization.

If you're playing in non-standard time signatures or changing tempo within songs, then the opposite is true. You'll want a non-quantized pedal where you can freely control the loop length. Where in the signal chain your looper goes will depend on two things - the inputs and outputs of the loop pedal, and your preference as a player.

If you have a looper that's only mono in and out, you'll have to put it before any stereo delay, reverb, or modulation pedals that you have on your board. However, if the looper is stereo or your board is mono, you can place it wherever you like. Assuming you have that freedom, the question is then whether you loop the dry signal, before the rest of your board, or the wet signal, after all your pedals.

Generally, we prefer at the end of the chain, as it's easier to work with live, and we like dramatic, staccato stutter effects. For more subtle transitions, like in ambient music or post-rock, you might want the loop before reverbs and delays, so you can create 'trails' when turning the loop on or off. The most famous loop pedal of all time is the Line 6 DL-4 delay, which had several powerful looping modes.

The Akai Headrush was also a common tool for early s looping. The DL-4 and Akai Headrush were primitive, but crucial to the development of loop-based music. The DL-4 had one-shots, and functions for speeding up and retriggering, which made it unique. This resulted in prominent users like Dave Knudson of Minus the Bear basing his rig around multiple DL-4s, despite their famed unreliability.

These lines are all comparable in feature set at various price points, as well as more reliable than the first generation units. Alex Lynham is a gear obsessive who's been collecting and building modern and vintage equipment since he got his first Saturday job. Besides reviewing countless pedals for Total Guitar, he's written guides on how to build your first pedal, how to build a tube amp from a kit, and briefly went viral when he released a glitch delay pedal, the Atom Smasher.

Guitar World. Included in this guide: 1. Bypass: True. Footswitches: 2. Dedicated stop control? Reasons to avoid - No quantization - Can get muddy when overdubbing.

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One of the best looper pedals is a powerful creative tool for any guitarist. Whether you want one to allow you to practise by yourself more easily, or to give your band a boost by layering guitar parts live, having a loop pedal on your pedalboard will open you up to a world of creativity that would otherwise be left untapped. Many artists like to use them to loop their riffs on-the-fly like Ed Sheeran , and others use them to trigger pre-recorded samples. When you start overcomplicating things, the music and your brain are the only things that suffer -so if you only have one or two sound effects or overdubs per song, think about swapping out that laptop or sample pad for a looper.

Top 12 Looper Pedals on the Market

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What is a Guitar Loop Pedal? Your New Practice Buddy.

US UK. Switching between stores will remove products from your current cart. Item : So for example, when you play a chord, it will record that chord. But lets say you play a chord and then mess with other effects that warp that chords sound immediately afterwards, the pedal will only process the initial chord you pressed down on.

2 questions about recording guitar loops

It only takes a minute to sign up. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. I want to record drum loops, and guitar loops, during the live performance. For example, I want to begin with guitar riff, loop it, and then overdub with sequence played on the drum machine. I wonder how to do it, and what gear should I use. The configuration should be something like this:.

Ueberschall Cinematic Guitar Loops

To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question. Does anyone know how this can be done? I do not play guitar, but I will physically notate it in the score or piano roll if I have to, but so far that has not sounded great. If you know the pattern I could enter into the piano roll, that's fine too. Posted on Jul 23, PM. Page content loaded. If you want to creat a MIDI loop with a "strumming" effect, you can use the advanced quantize parameters in the inspector to create flams or strums. Or you can do it manually in the piano roll editor.

Free Guitar Loops Samples Sounds

For an average guitar player, a looper pedal is a true force multiplier. From all the guitar effects you can get out there, these pedals have the potential to have the largest impact on your tone. With that said, not all looper pedals are created equally. There are many different types of these devices on the market, and shopping for one can be rather confusing.

5 Things To Consider When Buying a Looper Pedal

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Harley Benton Mini Looper

Joshua Boyd. The behavior I want is that it plays my 4 bars over and over again and i can play a dub like my triads 16 bars. The problem is, I record four bars then overdub and it only lets me overdub 4 bars. It doesn't let me dub 16 bars. Let me know if that makes sense and if it's a limitation of my looper or if I'm doing something wrong?

Learning to Loop

Guitar Looping: The Creative Guide contains tons of techniques, tips and tricks to get the most out of your loop pedal. You will learn how to:. Guitar loop pedals have become massively popular in recent years and for good reason.