I recently bought a Ditto Looper pedal made by TC Electronics. The official site for the pedal, with all the technical info can be found here.
Jonathan has recently been explaining how the use of Jam Tracks can help improve your playing. Hard to debate that one for sure.
Yet, as another complementary and fun way to improve your playing, the new Ditto Looper is a great way to go for anyone that doesn’t want to delve into the challenges and complexities that many looping devices come with. This looper is NOT for everyone, but it is a great practice and/or live performance tool for either aspiring, beginning, or advanced musicians that just want to quickly compose or create a looped 5 minute track that can be easily captured and played back with the exact sound quality and ease at which you recorded a guitar or other rhythm track with a quick click of a button.
I’ve found using this looping device to be totally simple and blissful, and it’s helped improve my playing, creativity, timing, and all aspects of my playing and enjoyment of the guitar. It is a great way to quickly develop ideas and new riffs and learn how to accompany your own created tracks… and, it’s always right there when you need it.
The device is most intuitive, solidly built, and only requires the correct 9-volt adapter plug. So for under $150 or less, you can be jammin’ away, and that’s quite a value for such a well constructed and easy-to-use device – at least from my perspective. The Ditto Looper is available at most music retail stores and almost anywhere online that sells guitars and related accessories. Click here to find one on Amazon.com.
So, check it out, and practice in a really fun way that doesn’t make refining your guitar skills seem painful. I look forward to using my looper almost every day. It has true by-pass, so that your guitar to amp or PA signal sounds the same when playing through it but not using it. It can easily be hooked up in a chain if you’re using a DI box or other pedals, as well. It’s great for creating intuitive contemporaneous improvisational music ‘on the fly’. Don’t over-think it, if this little device appeals to you. Just try one out or buy it, and you’ll never regret the decision. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity here. It’s not going to satisfy those that want to create and store hours and hours of looped music. There are many pedals for that approach. Yet, as a quick and simple means to record your playing and use as your own personal jamming track… this is a phenomenal way to go.
~Hess
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About the Author: Hessen Riff and all of his related music sites are easily found on his website: www.hessenriff.com
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Personally, I chose the Boss RC-3 when I was in the market for a looper but I’ve also used my friend’s Ditto looper and it’s AWESOME at what it does.
I scoured Amazon’s best seller list and really weighed the features as well as the pros and cons before plunking my cash down and deciding for myself.
http://amzn.to/16K5DXl
Whether it’s the Ditto, Boss, or DigiTech…they’re all solid loopers it’s all about what you need and what you do with them. Cheers!