Loopers – Endless Possibilities for Your Live Performance

Loopers have become incredibly popular in recent years. A looper allows you to create impressive arrangements and performances all by yourself. We take a look at different types of loopers and their possibilities.

What does a looper actually do?

A looper records a signal at the push of a button and then immediately proceeds to repeat the phrase in a loop after the recording ends. Simple, isn’t it? But this is where it gets interesting: you can now play or sing along to the loop and record overdubs, thereby creating a new loop to which you can then keep adding more – yes, an unlimited number of times! Depending on the looper model, you can also record onto several tracks and add effects.

A looper is a live instrument par excellence. You play or sing something, improvise over it, delete the last overdub, play something new over it, and just keep going, all while the audience is listening. This way, a looper allows you to create complex arrangements all by yourself. Depending on the model, you can build remarkably sophisticated and elaborate songs. A looper is also a great tool for developing ideas and for adding an additional voice to your instrument in your band. Moreover, a looper can serve as a practice aid for accompanying yourself and honing your melody and improvisation skills. So it’s a fantastic tool on and off the stage.

How the art form of looping came about

The first experiments with tape loops date back to the 1950s. Back then, musicians physically spliced tape and glued it back together to create loops. In the 60s and 70s, bands like The Beatles and Pink Floyd experimented with loops on their albums – still based on tapes. The first pedal that offered looping and seamless overdubbing was the DigiTech PDS-8000, released in 1985. Strictly speaking, however, this was a delay with a built-in sampler that could repeat its memory content indefinitely. At the time, the maximum recording time of around 8 seconds was quite impressive, even if real-world tests revealed that the actual numbers didn’t exactly match the manufacturer’s specifications.

The first modern loopers, as we know them today, came onto the market around 2001. The RC-20 double pedal from Boss was among the first. The repetitive music of the 90s had moulded the taste of an entire generation and loop-based music was all the rage. Thanks to affordable digital technology, it was finally possible to develop compact devices that could record loops in real time and play them back immediately – in high sound quality and without having to spend a fortune. Since then, technology has evolved further and various manufacturers now offer a wide range of loopers from compact to full size, most of which can be operated with your feet.

Compact loopers

Let’s begin with loopers similar in size to a typical effects pedal. While these models are indeed often found on guitarists’ floorboards, they are by no means limited to guitar signals; they also work well with synthesizers, microphones, etc. Available in nano or classic stompbox sizes, these models generally have a single-button interface.

By pressing the switch once, twice, or holding it for a couple of seconds, you can access all functions such as start/stop, record, undo the last overdub, or completely delete the loop. There are mono and stereo loopers that support up to 99 loops and offer recording times from 5 minutes to 13 hours. Some looper models, such as the Boss RC-5, also have very good built-in drum sounds and pre-programmed rhythm patterns, so you can start jamming straight away. One thing to keep in mind is that some inexpensive models have volatile memory, which means they “forget” the loop when you switch them off.

These small loopers are not only great for jamming at home, but also for quickly adding a second voice to your instrument or playing over a loop of your own performance on stage. You can also use them to build simple songs that consist of a single loop.

👉 Shop loopers 👈

Midrange loopers

The next step up are loopers with at least two independent tracks. They also have more buttons and controls for editing. Some models, such as the four-track Sheeran Loopers Looper +, can also play loops in reverse and at half speed. Others, like the Boss RC-500 Loop Station, feature built-in scatter and vinyl effects. You can control the volume of the tracks independently and there are usually several inputs, for example to connect a microphone and an instrument at the same time.

More tracks, more possibilities! These loopers still fit on your floorboard, but offer much more versatility. You can use the two tracks to create songs with two different parts, such as verses and chorus. With a little creativity, you can also build intros and endings. And four-track models offer everything you need to craft much more elaborate arrangements and surprise your audience.

👉 Shop loopers 👈

High-end loopers

When loop artists such as Ed Sheeran deliver their mesmerizing performances, they most likely use one of the top-class loopers. These not only offer more tracks and inputs, but also come with a full suite of built-in effects, allowing you to create complex song structures. Everything here is geared towards the perfect solo performance. And there are even loopers for experimental musicians, such as the Soma Cosmos, which turns your loops into entire soundscapes.

If your goal is to perform complex solo songs live with a looper, you’ll most likely end up with a looper from this category at some point. These devices allow you to create and perform an entire show. Thanks to plenty of storage, you can prepare loops in advance so they’re ready at the push of a button on stage. Their larger physical size helps to maintain a good overview of what’s going on. You can connect instruments and microphone(s) simultaneously, distribute the sounds to several tracks, and surprise your audience with a sophisticated performance!

👉 Shop loopers 👈

Looper tips from a pro

Hardly anyone else has mastered the art of looping more brilliantly than Ed Sheeran. In this video, he performs his worldwide hit “Bad Habits” on stage with just a looper, a keyboard, a guitar, and his voice. He starts by laying down a kick drum and a snare drum, both of which he creates by slapping his guitar. And the audience immediately has a beat to clap along to. Next he adds a bass, two guitar tracks, and the synth melody. By now, everyone knows the song.

He has either set the looper to record for 4 bars or controls it remotely from the keyboard – watch how he presses a key on the “1” of the 5th bar. For the verse, he simply switches off the looper and then slowly starts building up the loop again in the bridge, before the entire arrangement kicks in for the chorus. Pay attention to how he distributes the loops to the individual tracks of the looper. There couldn’t be a better instructional video on live looping!

Conclusion

Don’t worry – you don’t have to use a looper as perfectly as Ed Sheeran does right away. And there’s a suitable looper for every application. It doesn’t always have to be a high-end model if you mainly want to jam or play with a band. But if you’re brave enough to go on stage on your own and want to put on a really big show, you’ll also find the right tool for the job – the choice is yours!

Are you considering getting a looper or do you already have looping experience? Have you perhaps already performed live with a looper? Tell us about it in a comment!

Simon's passion for music generated a long time ago, and led him to become a guitarist and self-produce his music with the band Onyria.

Show all blog posts by Simon