Looper Music
Jackie Bullinger
Their first album, Up a Tree, was released in 1999 on the Sub Pop label in the U.S. and by Jeepster Records in the rest of the world. It was followed in 2000 by The Geometrid on the same labels. After touring the U.S. for three months with The Flaming Lips in 2000 they signed to Mute Records. They have now licensed their full back catalogue to Mute.
Since then, Looper have been releasing their music free to the public at their Looperama website, funding this experiment by licensing the use of their songs in high-profile Hollywood films and ad campaigns. Their most recognizable song is "Mondo '77", from their second album, The Geometrid. It has been featured in American television commercials for Xerox and Partnership for a Drug-Free America, in numerous films including Vanilla Sky and The Edukators, and on the American Dad! episode "All About Steve". Another track from that album, "My Robot", is featured in the film The Girl Next Door. These two songs ("Mondo '77", "My Robot") are also featured in the Xbox video game Project Gotham Racing. The song "Burning Flies", from the album Up a Tree, is part of the soundtrack to the Mission Hill pilot episode. Other films their songs have appeared in include Out Cold, and Dog Park.
(From M-Audio:) Audio interfaces convert microphone and instrument signals into a format your computer and software recognize. The interface also routes audio from your computer out to your headphones and studio monitors. Interfaces typically connect to your computer via USB cables.
An interface can take the sound from a looper and allow you to hear it through headphones or speakers that are connected to it. If you have no interest in interfacing with a computer an interface is not the only option you have.
Finally, you can also bypass the looper entirely and create and layer loops in a different way using your guitar, an interface and DAW software. If you choose this route you will be creating loops on the computer in a desktop screen environment. This is completely different than using a pedal that you start and stop with your foot and may not be what you are looking for. It would be good for experimenting at home but not practical for performing.
Hm, this is pretty "opinion based." And perhaps eventually you'll want all these things. But consider researching a bit into the differences of what they can do. When I first tried a looping pedal, I imagined something like this: "I'll record one bar of a shaker and set it looping, then an 8-bar chord change on top of it. At some point I'll hit a pedal and kick in the entire 16-bar chorus that I prerecorded." But all the looping pedals I looked into had only one "length of loop" at a time; that is, if I wanted an 8-bar chord progression I had to record 8 bars of shaker, and could only pre-record 8 bars of chorus. Meanwhile, my perception is that I could lay all of this out Ableton Live and trigger whatever I want.
Generally, it's good advice to invest in your musical creativity first, and upgrade your equipment once it's holding you back. Getting your computer involved opens up a huge array of possibilities, but maybe it's too many variables at first. You might consider "hitting the limits" of what you can do with a simple looper first.
An interface will be very cheap(such as this 2 Channel USB Audio Interface on Amazon)but you will need to futz with audio software for EVEY loop, and for EVERY loop layer. Meaning you will need to do some learning on a DAW and will basically need to make a library of songs to play over to do what you want. It will not be in "real time", you will constantly need to be playing with the computer.
But you will be able to play a progression, loop it, solo over it, layer over it. Then delete it play another, solo over that one, etc. Basically have a ball with the guitar in your hands the whole time, controlling everything with the 2 foot switches.
I think a big part of the question is how you plan to use the effect. I've seen many people use looper pedals in live performance where they use the foot pedals while playing and also make hand adjustments to the knobs also while in performance. Actually, it's impressive how people can manipulate the pedal mid-performance. Kind of like an organist using bass pedals and changing organ stops.
Anyway, if you want to make mid-performance adjustments to the effect, you should think that through with a VST effect. I've only used VST plugin effects where I had to turn the effect on/off and adjust it via the mouse, which was not practical for me while playing. I had to set it and leave it until done recording a part. I understand there are MIDI footswitches to control VST effects, but that would mean buying more gear and doing research to know exactly what you want.
If the issue about the amp is only about money, and not about a worry of disturbing the neighbors, the potential upside to an amp with foot pedal effects is the relative ease of using them while mid-performance.
You need an amp as well as a looper - untrue. Some, (maybe the more sophisticated, complicated) looper pedals will have a headphone out port, so negating the use of an amp. But using a cheap and cheerful fx pedal with phones out will solve that one. If that's to keep the neighbours sane, it's a good idea, and future-proofing you for when you maybe do get an amp, for live playing, where you'll need both hands (and feet!) to loop. Again, a lot, if not most, these days, of loopers will have drum tracks and effects, all of which can be listened to through cans.
I tried out some ways of playing music (performed in the rehearsal room, so to say) with a hardware setup and made a series of of video-songs out of it. Featured: samplers like the Digitakt and Analog Rytm, Loopers, some piano playing and lot of jazzy saxophone. This is part one:
In the world of music, every artist seeks to push their creative boundaries and craft unique sonic experiences. If you're a guitarist looking to elevate your performance, the Donner Circle Looper Pedal is your ticket to musical innovation. This 2-in-1 marvel combines a high-quality stereo looper with a versatile drum machine, offering you a plethora of possibilities to explore. Let's dive into the details of this exceptional pedal and discover how it can revolutionize your music.
The Perfect Blend of Loops and Beats:The Donner Circle Looper Pedal boasts a 44.1kHz, 24-bit high-quality stereo looper. This means your recordings will maintain the utmost clarity and fidelity, allowing your music to shine. But it doesn't stop there; this pedal is also equipped with 100 different drum grooves across 10 unique music styles. Whether you're into Pop, Rock, Metal, Funk, Hip-hop, Latin, Disco, Blues, Jazz, Fusion, or Metronome rhythms, you'll find the perfect beat to complement your sound.
Ample Recording Capacity:Imagine having the freedom to record your musical journey without limitations. With the Donner Circle Looper Pedal, you get 40 memory slots, each capable of storing up to 4 minutes of recording. That's a whopping total of 160 minutes of recording capacity! And the best part? Your recordings are automatically saved, even when the pedal is powered off. Say goodbye to the fear of losing your musical masterpieces.
Seamless Import and Export:The Donner Circle Looper supports easy import and export of recordings via USB. With the included editor software, you can fine-tune your loops and drum patterns with ease. This feature opens up a world of possibilities for customizing your music and experimenting with different sounds.
Expand Your Creativity:This pedal is not just about loops and beats; it's a versatile creative tool. You can enhance your control with an external footswitch (not included) for even more functionality. Plus, the Tap Tempo and Fade Out functions add layers of depth and nuance to your music. There's always more to discover and explore with the Donner Circle Looper Pedal.
In the realm of music, innovation is key. The Donner Circle Looper Pedal is your gateway to endless musical possibilities. With its high-quality looper, diverse drum grooves, generous recording capacity, and intuitive controls, it's a game-changer for any guitarist. Unleash your creativity and elevate your performances to new heights with this remarkable piece of musical technology. Your musical journey will never be the same.
Looping on stage is a learned skill - it's more than pressing a button. It takes a lot of practice. I would start with a smaller looper to get started. Something like a Ditto X2 or X4. As a beginning looper, he MUST get a looper with separate start and stop buttons. (X2) Do not get the one-button Ditto unless he wants to be embarrassed on-stage.
Loop multiplication is a key feature for doing multiple instrument looping. With multiplication, he can do a one-measure drum/bass pattern and that pattern will be multiplied by the length of the other loops. Otherwise, he'll need to create a drum (or bass) pattern as long as the song. The large Boss loopers, like an RC-30s. Another option is a Pigtronix Infinity that has 2 loops. I'm not a fan of the electro harmonix stuff - although some like them.
Very well put, ljholland. One of the great strengths of the Pigtronix Infinity, the EHX models, internal ipad apps, and very few others is that they have midi clock awareness - you can jump in with a tightly synched loop at any time in the context of a larger musical event. This is amazingly fun, and I really don't understand why so many looper pedals exist without midi clock sync! The large Boss pedals had severe issues with clock in the past, I don't know if they've improved (and the small ones have no midi at all).
Other than that, you can do all of what you want with a Ditto. I learned to loop guitar on the bigger ditto x2, which is mostly the same but with more buttons. Anything more complex is just more to go wrong on stage.
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