live looping pedals

[untitledtopher]

i guess this is the place to put this, i've wanted a looping pedal for quite a while, just looking for some opinions, i've really narrowed it down to the boss rc-2(or rc-20xl, but it seems if i get the extra pedal for the two, they are essentially the same) and the akai headrush e2. i don't need a ton of looping time, just a copule four bar phrases and what not on top of each other to build a little bed for my songs. i do'nt need the boss' drum patterns or anything so that's not a big deal. what i do need is simplicity. i need something that is easy to use live, that's the main thing. any opinions? thanks guys.

topher.

[seaneldon]

Listen to the Don Caballero record "American Don". One guitar player and two different loop boxes.

Now understand that this is the only record made in this fashion that will ever be worth listening to.

[untitledtopher]

haha thanks i won't be recording with this, jsut for the rare dates when my band can't play with me and i have to do things solo.

[kyle barton]

do you need to store the loops while the machine is off? because if not, then the boomerang would be a good option.

[untitledtopher]

nope no need to store them, everything will be created on stage, i like the boomerang, but i'd prefer something much much smaller, the less i have to lug to a gig the better and the boomerang would be like having a second pedalboard.

[messengerbyrd]

Check out Battles also. Same guitarist as Don Cab. I think he uses one echoplex for guitar and one for keys. Same with Tayondai Braxton (sp?).

[univalve]

Originally Posted by untitledtopher

boss rc-2(or rc-20xl, but it seems if i get the extra pedal for the two, they are essentially the same) and the akai headrush e2

Ok, i have/had both. The Headrush is ok for delay stuff, but i do not like function of the switches for the loop-thing. Also it has some kind of background-noises which were the issue to sell it.
The RC-2 is pretty small, you do not need the manual to use it and you can Undo and Redo overdubs. I also do not use the feature of the 11 memory spaces (yet). You may get some good ideas with it, though. For my home playing, it is a really good phrase sampler looper (i also have/had the original JamMan by Lexicon and the LoFi-Loop Junkie of ZVex) which does not colour the signal, spares spaces and is easy to use. Never used it live, so no comment about that, but i'm sure it will do it's job good.
I would go for the RC-2.

Hope this helps.

greetz
univalve

[Bob Ross]

Originally Posted by seaneldon

Listen to the Don Caballero record "American Don". One guitar player and two different loop boxes.

Now understand that this is the only record made in this fashion that will ever be worth listening to.

I so dig Don Caballero! I went on a binge several years back and bought all their albums in one fell swoop. Awesome band.

However -- and I don't mean to suggest this record is *as* worth listening to as American Don, I just think if you're a fan of loop-heavy records "made in this fashion" this would be a good addition to your collection -- you should check out Angora's Infinite Monkey Theory. One guitar player and two different loop boxes, plus one bass player with two more different loop boxes. (And a drummer.) All recorded live in the same room with no overdubs. And completely improvised.

Full disclosure: I am that bass player. It's on Broke Dick Records. Though admittedly I have no idea if it's still in print.

[ntimkovich]

i just discovered Battles -- holy cow! i saw 'em live here in Birmingham and they blew me away. now i sit at home and try to make focused noise loops all day


i had the RC-20XL for a while and it's a great little box. i used it for songwriting and occasional live gigs. the only problem is that you can only undo/redo the most recent loop layer. the RC-50 seems more flexible, but you pay for it in size and cost.

i'd buy another RC-20XL in a heartbeat. if you aren't using the memory, get an old RC-20 (no "XL" -- the only difference is the memory time, i believe).

cheers!
nick

[robd]

You guys should really check out nice nice. Go to their myspace page at

www.myspace.com/nicenice

and listen to the song "i'm a human person"

Bear in mind that they sound, if anything, better live, and they do everything live, without any sequences or prerocorded stuff or any of that kind of cheating.

They are a duo, drums and guitar.

The instrumentation, as far as I can recall:
The drummer has a kit and one of those roland pad things that lets you load samples.


The guitarist had a big pedalboard, including an octave pedal for bass lines and two boomerangs.

With that, they do all of the stuff you hear on their recorded tracks live, and they put on an insanely rocking live show.

[FFTT]

The coolest looping pedal I've seen lately is the Digitech JamMan.

My friend bought one and I must say it does some amazing things.

With the optional RAM card you can store up the 6 1/2 hours of material.

Seems to be worth every penny he paid for it.

[studilaroche]

I've been using a DigiTechJamMan for live shows. It's nice and small, sounds great, stores your loops if you want to and comes with a mic input as well.
Ben

[pan60]

i have a headrush and a boomerang for loops i think the boomerang is cool

[octatonic]

I'm using an Echo Pro, Lexicon Vortex, Lexicon MPXG2 and an expanded original Jamman.
All are good and all have their quirks.

My favourite is the Echo Pro- the 1/2 speed and reverse together do wonderful things.
The Vortex is pretty under-rated also.

[willvis]

I use a Line Six Green Box for live looping. I actually like the fact that I can't quantize the loops or save them. It's part of the performance. I have toyed with the idea of making tracks and using the laptop as part of a solo show, but whenever I see artists do this (short of someone who is actually 'playing' the computer in an electronica sorta way), it just seems contrived.

So anyway, I use the Line Six for looping, for half-time bass lines, for backwards loops.