Loop Station Recommendations

[DavidM.]

Hi... I planning on purchasing a loop station but I’m not really sure how any function as I haven’t tried them at all. I am stuck between the Boss RC30, RC20, or JamMan. I will be using it for live and studio work.

 

Ideally in a live setting I’d like to have multiple instruments ready and mic’d and be able to go record each at any given moment. Then overdub and loop on top of one another simultaneously, essentially creating backing track/s live.

 

The studio would obviously have a lot more versatility but I believe being able to save loops would be an advantage here, along with a USB bus function.

 

I’m not sure if all of these perform these functions regardless and if I’m just looking too far into it. Just curious if anyone has some knowledge and advice about what I’m after.

 

Thanks so much.

[Verne Andru]

I've tried a number of loopers in the loop station series and currently have an RC30. It works okay but has its limitations like not being able to midi sync to an outside tempo device like a drum machine. It does have its own internal drums, but they're very limited. Sound quality is so-so.

 

My goto looper these days is an Infinity. It provides midi sync, great sound and I have it wired so I run a clean amp through one channel and a dirty amp through the other. I use a Radial Big Shot to switch between rigs. For serious looping you need midi sync.

 

For multiple instruments I use a small Behringer 502 mixer on the clean side. It takes a mic through the XLR, mandolin through a 1/4" and the output from the Big Shot into another 1/4". Since they are all coming in separate channels I can set the level independently for each. Switching between instruments is as easy as pie.

 

As long as you watch your levels you can run the output from the mixer into the looper even though the signal is a bit hotter.

[Verne Andru]

Another tool for handling multiple inputs is the Pigtronix Keymaster:

 

http://www.musictech.net/2016/05/pigtronix-keymaster-review/