Loopers

What is a looper pedal?

If you're not a dedicated solo artist like Ed Sheeran, a looper pedal might not be at the top of your guitar wishlist. However, it can be an invaluable tool for all guitarists, regardless of playing style. A looper pedal records your guitar while you play a riff or chord, and then plays it back in a loop for you. You can then add to the loop by playing over it and incorporating it into the loop, and so on.

Why do you need a looper pedal?

From making practice time more enjoyable to building epic live loops on stage and even in composition, the looper pedal is one of the underrated heroes you should seriously consider picking up. This seemingly simple function is extremely useful. It provides you with a straightforward way to step back and truly assess your playing. You can also create quick tracks for recording. When composing music, you can experiment with layers and hear how a song flows. By far the most common example of a looper in live performance is solo acoustic acts and vocalists bringing multiple parts/instruments into their performances. If you're willing to get really creative, you can use loops as samples in your concert, either by creating them on the fly or pre-programming sounds to enhance your performance.

How do you use a looper?

To create a loop, simply press the pedal at the beginning of your phrase to start recording and press it at the end to stop recording. The pedal will then continue to play the loop until you press stop. As with most things in music, this requires a lot of coordination, timing, and practice, so don't get discouraged if you can't get it right at first. Start with something really simple so you can get the hang of it and build up as soon as you can get the perfect loop every time. Some pedals come with built-in metronomes or preset drum beats, but you can always create your own beat by playing muted strings to set a tempo. Experiment with different notes to try to expand your mix. Not every overdub has to play from start to finish on your loop. Try an overdub that plays for the first half and another overdub for the second half, like a call and response. The most basic loopers have more than enough storage for an average user creating single loops and unlimited overdubs. More sophisticated looper pedals have space to store multiple loops, allowing you to save a setlist with backing loops for a concert or save your compositions while creating them on the looper.

Where should you place your looper?

You can place the looper in several places in your signal chain depending on how you want it to function. Placing it at the end of your signal chain is by far the simplest and most popular option for most guitarists. In this setup, the looper captures the exact pedal setup at that point in the loop and does not respond to any changes you then make on your board. You can also place it between effects depending on which sound you want it to capture. When it's in your effects loop, you have the flexibility to turn on/off your reverb and modulation effects to affect the overall sound. These days, more and more loopers have stereo potential. If you have a stereo reverb or delay, or you're going directly to the mixer, stereo looping is a must. You can also use this to track separate mono vocal and instrument signals by connecting the looper to a mixer bus.