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| Here's a quick comparison chart of some looping devices avaiable today. It doesn't cover the the market completely and I have on purpose selected a few functions that I think make sense for comparing the devices. A fully featured chart would become astronomically big and not very helpful for that reason. Please feel free to contact me with suggestions on how to improve this chart. If you see the sign * inside a cell it means the issue is better explained down at the Enlightening Comments at the bottom of this page. Share on Facebook | ||
| Overdub | Feedback | Undo | Multiply | Quantize | Reverse loop | MIDI | Presets | Sync | Cut n Paste slices | Pitch/speed transposing | Time stretching | Tap tempo | Max numbers of cued linear loops instantly accessible | multiple loops in parallel | Audio channels, Tracks | Stereo recording | Built-in storage option | can run on battery | Memory RAM | |
| Rang(TM)III | yes | yes | yes, last part added can be removed or restored | *Virtual multiply capability | *no | yes | yes, only for downloading new software | no | *no | no | half speed | no | yes, two taps define initial loop length | 4 parallel loops | 2 stereo | yes | no | yes, but the battery is external. There are no internal battery holders | 64 MB | |
| Echoplex LoopIV | yes | yes | yes backwards scalling off layers | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | MIDI clock, Brother, pulse | yes | half speed | no | yes, two taps defining initial loop cycle length as tempo base | 16 | no | 1 mono | no | no, externally via MIDI | no | 16 MB |
| Repeater | yes | yes, but only in Overdub Mode | yes, deleting only the last layer. When still in Rec Mode all new layers are deleted. | yes | sort of... | yes | yes | no | MIDI clock, beat, tap | no | MIDI notes, MIDI cc, manually | yes | yes | 999 | no |
4 mono or 2 stereo | yes, by linking two mono tracks | CFC card | no | 8 MB |
| Boomerang 2.0 | yes | 7 fixed levels | no | no | no | yes | no | no | no | no | half speed. Interval can be changed from an octave to a lower 2nd., 4th., 5th, or 7th. |
no | yes, sort of... In version 2.0 you indicate the loop length and the device extrapolates the tempo | 2 | no | no | no | no | ||
| Line6 DL4 Modelling Delay | yes | no | no | no | no | yes | no | yes | no | no | half speed | no | no | 1 | no | no | no | yes | ||
| Boss RC-20XL | yes | no | Yes. Last layer has Undo + Redo | no | yes related to tap tempo | yes | no | yes | no | no | no | yes, but not fluently while loops are running | yes | 11 (if first manually saved to a phrase) | no | 1 | 16 min mono | yes battery or AC | ||
| Looperlative 1 | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | MIDI Clock, internally by first recorded set as master track | yes | half speed, 1/4 speed,
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no | ? | 8
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yes. synchronous, poly-rhythmic or non-rythmic loops is possible | 8 stereo | yes | can export and import digital audio using the ethernet web server port | no | 128 MB |
| Digitech JamMan | yes | no | yes | no | yes related to tap tempo | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes, following the master tempo | yes | 1 (99 if first manually saving to card) | no | 1 mono | no | CF-Card; PC via USB | 128M-2G CFC | |
| Overdub | Feedback | Undo | Multiply | Quantize | Reverse loop | MIDI | Presets | Sync | Cut n Paste slices | Pitch transposing | Time stretching | Tap tempo | Max numbers of cued linear loops instantly accessible | multiple loops in parallel | Audio channels, Tracks | Stereo recording | Built-in storage option | can run on battery | Memory RAM | |
| Zoom G2 | yes | yes | no | no | no | no | yes | yes | no | no | no | no | yes | 1 | no | no | no | no | yes | |
| Electro-Harmonix 2880 | yes | yes | no | no | yes, for 1 bar length | yes, action taken on all five tracks | yes | no | yes, MIDI clock | no | half speed, octave button affecting all five tracks. Tempo slider also affects pitch. | no, pitch changes with the tempo | no | 1, but with 4 tracks. Mixdown to 5th track can free up the 4 tracks for more looping | no (?) one loop may have four tracks |
4, can be mixed down to a 5th stereo track | yes, by linking two mono tracks | Flash card, 128 MB to 2 GB, USB computer backup and restore | no | |
| Roland RC-50 | yes | no (can be achieved if you bridge SubOuts with AuxIns) |
yes only one layer back - then "REDO" back again |
no (can be achieved if you bridge SubOuts with AuxIns) |
yes | yes | yes | yes (even audio for old loops can be saved in a patch) |
yes | no | yes (but it sounds horrible - unusable IMHO) |
yes (but it sounds horrible - unsuable IMHO) |
yes |
3 (but then only one playing at a time) |
3 (but then no "Next Loop") |
3 | yes | 49 minutes in mono (half of that in stereo). 99 patch presets. USB to /from computer. Good editing/library software bundled. |
no | |
| Boss RC-2 | yes | no | yes | no | yes | no | no | no | no | no | no | yes, but not fluently while loops are running | yes | 11 | no | 1 | 16 min mono | yes |
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| Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazari | yes | "yes" |
no | no | no | yes | no | yes | no | no | varispeed (continuous half to double speed) | yes (via tap tempo) |
yes | 1 | 0 | 2 | yes | no | no | - |
| Yes, kind of: sound-on-sound-recording in SOS mode. Overdub in Delay Mode by keepign on playing in Record mode |
yes | no | Yes, kind of: only in Delay Mode | no | reverse delay setting | no | 4 (flash RAM) |
no | no | no | no | yes | 2 | 'yes* | 2 | yes | no | yes battery or AC |
holds 23 seconds of audio | |
| Overdub | Feedback | Undo | Multiply | Quantize | Reverse loop | MIDI | Presets | Sync | Cut n Paste slices | Pitch/speed transposing | Time stretching | Tap tempo | Max numbers of cued linear loops instantly accessible | multiple loops in parallel | Audio channels, Tracks | Stereo recording | Built-in storage option | can run on battery | Memory RAM | |
| Loopback AU plugin of Mainstage OSX | yes | No. Has Fade Out that also clears the loop. You set a Fade Out time in seconds. | yes | no | yes | yes | yes, in the MS host | yes, in the MS host | yes. Each instance can sync to another instance, to host tempo or spin freely out of sync. | no | no | no | yes, by MS host. But LB has a better system that calculates the tempo by the first loop's length and implies that tempo to the host Mainstage. | Almost infite. Depends on the computer power. Set instanced to the same Group Number and they will play in a linear way like "NextLoop". | Almost infite. Depends on the computer power. Istances set to different Gropu Numbers work in parallel (according to each instance's local sync settings) | Almost infite. Depends on the computer power. | yes | yes, handled by Mainstage, the host application. Presets can be stored and recalled by pedals. Loops can be exported and imported. | yes, if you dare running the laptop on batteries | Depends on the computer |
| Syncopath
Performer OSX, Windows |
yes | no | yes | no, but 3 tracks can have different lengths | yes | yes | yes | yes, by the host appl | yes* | no | half, double quadriple | no | yes, by the host appl | infinte! | yes, can be of different lenght | 3, steeo or mono | yes | no | yes, if laptop battery | |
| Logelloop OS X |
yes both traditionally summing layers OR each new layer given its own channel in the loop | yes | yes (but no "redo") | yes | yes (for mixer and effect preset changes) | yes | yes | yes swapping between mixer and effect presets as musical performance | no | no | yes | yes | yes | 3 as default but many more linear loops can be created and lined up | yes, but rather l10 layers of the same loop. Layers can have different length though | 10 loop layer channels, 2 VST plug-in channels and 1 chanel for built-in effects | yes | yes. can save files and has a syncable "file player" aside the looper | yes, if laptop battery | |
| Looper plug-in of Ableton Live 8+ | yes | yes (not active in play mode) | yes (erases all recent overdub layers. "Redo" puts them back in place) | Sort of... Instant multiply or divide by 2 (no "3" option) | yes, follows host app's setting | yes | yes | yes, following Live's preset system | yes, does both master and slave position well withing Live | no, but can be achieved by inserting a track + plugins into the looper | Speed control on octave up/down buttons and quantized to semi notes | no | yes, handled by the host Live | 1 | yes, just open more Looper instances on parallell tracks | 1 | yes | yes, saving by usual computer/Ableton Live routines | yes, if laptop battery | |
| Ableton Live OSX/Windows | no | no* | no* | no* | yes | yes* | yes | yes | yes | yes* | yes* | yes | yes | Many! Depending on computer spec's | yes | yes | yes | yes, if laptop battery | ||
| Lexicon PSP42 OSX/XP | yes | yes | yes | no | no | no | yes | yes by the host appl | no | half speed | no | yes | yes | no | yes, if laptop battery | |||||
| Augustus Loop OSX | yes | yes | no | yes* | sort of | yes | yes | yes by the host appl | yes | no | MIDI notes, MICI cc | no | yes | 1 per instance | yes | no | yes, if laptop battery | |||
| Sooper Looper Linux, OSX | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes by the host appl | yes | no | half speed, rate shift | no | yes | Many! Depending on computer spec's | yes | no | yes, if laptop battery | |||
| AU Looper OSX | yes* | yes* | yes* | yes* | yes* | yes* | yes* | yes by the host appl | yes* | no | yes* | yes* | yes* | 4 per instance | yes | yes | yes, if laptop battery | |||
| Mobius, Standalone, VST, AU, Windows, Mac OS X | yes | yes | yes backwards scalling off layers. Customizable | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | MIDI Clock, internally by first recorded set as master track | yes | yes (not perfected yet), half speed, rate shift, | yes (not perfected yet) | yes | Vitually unlimited depending on computer spec's | yes. synchronous, poly rhythmic or non rhythmic loops is possible | 8 stereoper instance, or more if you tinker with the code | yes | yes, store loops or record complete performance to the computer's drive | yes, if laptop battery | |
| Loopy Lama XP, OSX | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes, if laptop battery | |||||||||||||
| Radial
Mac OS |
yes | no | yes | yes | yes | yes | no | yes, if laptop battery | ||||||||||||
| Overdub | Feedback | Undo | Multiply | Quantize | Reverse loop | MIDI | Presets | Sync | Cut n Paste slices | Pitch/speed transposing | Time stretching | Tap tempo | Max numbers of cued linear loops instantly accessible | multiple loops in parallel | Audio channels, Tracks | Stereo recording | Built-in storage option | can run on battery | Memory RAM |
Relateded links you may find useful:
Rang III: (thank you Lee Hardesty for submitting this
information) Augustus Loop Multiply: (Os) |
| Synchopath (Lasse juul Kolding, developer) Sync: MIDI Clock, internally by first recorded set as master track. As slave, the host has per sample control of recording and playback. Requirements: You need a free version of Pluggo to run it. Pluggo Runtime or Pluggo Junior will work. Java and Quicktime are also needed. I'd also like to thank Bernhard Wagner and Kris Hartung for helping me with research for this page. |