Loopers compatible with the BeatBuddy

BeatBuddy General
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I still use the Ditto Jam X2, it’s a great looper pedal in combination with the BeatBuddy. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of some of the more complicated setups, but that means it’s simple to use and less likely to cause a disaster in a live gig. Make sure to update the firmware!

In my setup, I also use a Mooer Tender Ocataver, which is one of the best octavers on the market and probably the cheapest too (see https://www.guitarfella.com/mooer-tender-review/).

When I jam, I’ll choose a beat, loop a chord progression, then use the octaver to layer a bass line and build up a cool loop. The process is really intuitive and when something is fluid and easy, it sounds better and more musical.

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And probably the ditto x2jam is the cheapest hardware synchrable with BB.

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Thanks ruairiau for sharing your experiences with and information on the Jam X2. Glad to hear you’re still using and liking it… I’m Looking forward to trying one for myself. I will report back my experiences

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So I got myself the Ditto Jam X2 and have been using for a couple of weeks. Im happy to report that, for me, it works great with the BB. I take the headphone out of BB into the ext mic input of the Ditto Jam and it synchs up nicely. I can,now create a loop playing along to the BB and not worry about it drifting out of time. Yay! The quantizing feature on the Jam X2 seems to help get a well timed loop as well. Again, for me it works great but, I generally stick to pretty straightforward beats. I haven’t yet experimented with odd timing beats or syncopated stuff so…
Anyway, just wanted to follow up in case others were considering the Jam X2.
Btw I took the headphone out of my electronic drums into the beatbuddy and with my daughter playing the drums with less than good timing, the Jam X2 adjusted and maintained synch perfectly.

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BIerch, It is correct for a home-individual-jam-session. But, it is not enough for a real live session.

For a real live session, I think almost it is needed:

Different looper parts: Verso, chorus, etc… there are a lot of songs with differents chords in differents parts.

Different tempo for different parts: Not all the song parts has the same tempo/duration.

A “trigger” option. If your BB has a loop with a duration of “2 times” and your looper has a loop with chords with a duration of “6 times”, you could have problems while you are changing a song part (verso, chorus). In some cases you could change a song part and the loop could start in the time 3, or time 5, instead in time 1.

Record and overdub options: Probably, all loops have this feature.

Midi clock sync: It is the best way to sync a BB with the looper. Without a midi sync system, the devices (looper & BB) will no be synced with strange rythms (syncopated, etc…). In a real live jam, if both devices loss the sync, you will had a problem.

Midi integration. It is not usable to press loop and BB buttons at the same time. So, at the end you will need a midi controller or attach BB events to the looper actions. For example, if I start BB, the looper starts. If I change a song part in BB, the looper must know it. If I stop BB, the looper must stop too.

A finish system. When you are using your beatbuddy with a looper, you will need an easy way to finish song synced both devices. (In my tests, i think a fade out synced system is the best way to finish a jam). I havent seen this feature in commercial loopers.

So, my conclusion is that the jam x2 ditto is the cheapest hardware looper compatible with BB. But BB is only for home sessions.

I don’t know what is the integration level with the professional hardware looper, like infinity one or the new singularsound aereo.

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Vud1 I think it comes down how you are using the looper. It sounds like you’re needs are beyond the Jam X2’s capabilities. I’m not using the looper to bring song parts in and out, etc. And it can absolutely be used in a live situation. In fact I used it for a solo gig this past Sunday and it worked great. I just needed something that would simply keep the looped chord progression synched with the BB. For that, the Jam X2 works well. To end the song I just start playing the same chords/progression over the loop, then stop the loop and hit the outro on the BB.

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I’m thinking of getting the Jam X2. Any updates on this device? Any better updated options in this price range?

Thanks,
dawnpgeo

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I’m thinking of getting the Jamx2 as well and will post my review on here.

If you plug the JamX2 into the headphone section of the BB, does this not kill the main output to the speaker?

How about listing the jam X2 as one of approved looopers that works with the BB in the first post? . I never saw this at the end of the thread when I first looked

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I have the Jam X2 looper. Works fine with the cable plugged into the BB headphone jack. It does not kill the main output to the speaker.

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Do you know if new RC-10r which have midi is it compatible with BB?
I have to replace my loved line6 jm4 because I don’t know how to sync with BB without midi.
I’m looking for a looper able to sync with BB but cheaper than pignatronix, aeros etc and also with more features than ditto

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I have nothing against Boss nor the RC-10R but after doing some online reading, I’ll offer my 2¢ on why I would not recommend this looper:

  • Since you already have a BeatBuddy, the Boss provides drum patterns but probably at a lower quality than the BB Patterns and audio quality. So you’d be paying for Boss features that you already have in the BB.
  • If you are going to use for recording, you may not be happy with the 16-bits of the Boss.
  • From what I can tell, the Boss does offer MIDI I/O but it uses a non-standard connection via TRS cables which Boss will be happy to sell. You’ll probably still need MIDI patch cables to the BB MIDI Sync Adaptor cable.

For the money you spend on a new Boss, you could find and buy a good but used looper. There’s a used Pigtronix Infinity on TGP for $285. https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/pigtronix-infinity-looper.2131745/ I’m not affiliated nor do I know the seller; I’m sure you can find other decent used deals.

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Thank You very much.
Yes you’re right it’s better go for the Infinity.
I don’t need the drum section and also I don’t like to have just one switch to control the looper.
BTW the BOSS cable it will cost other £20 shipped!! crazy

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Whatever you decide to go with, let us know what you buy and how it’s working for you.

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Yes, the 10R might be less useful given that you have a BeatBuddy.

The following corrections to @persist post are important:

  • The Boss RC-10R looper is 32 bits, not 16 bits. Don’t think the audio quality is a concern.
  • The Boss RC-10R has MIDI. The TRS connector is part of the MIDI standard, but is less common than the 5 pin din connector (and is more common than the mini din connector on the BB). You will need the proper cable/adapters to connect it to the BB (and half of that is the BB’s “fault”). I personally prefer trs over din/mini din and wish it was more common.

Not sure if the quality of the drums is so bad other than the obligatory accents. Suspect BB is better and more extensible, but your mileage may vary. Wondering if you lose some control over the loop because a footswitch also covers rhythm.

Look for reviews on the 10R (youtube and thegearpage) as there are some issues (perhaps more/less than other loopers).

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I have both the BB and the Boss RC10R. I’ve not tried syncing them actually as I use them for separate things but I could have a go if I have time. Perhaps even a video!

What specifically do you need to have working?

The one thing that annoys me with the RC10R is if you start recording a loop with rhythm and you stop recording the loop after a very short time (eg you make a false start and want to start over as I am prone to do - i’m not a good looper user), the device decides to ramp up the tempo. I assume it thinks short loop = quick tempo? Don’t know but you have to then bend down to reset the BPM with the distraction of a mad drummer thrashing in your ears. I should look into turning that feature off if it’s intentional.

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Sure!

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basically I was wondering if it’s possible to synchronise RC-10r with beatbuddy avoiding to use his drum section but don’t worry, I give up the RC-10r idea.

i like to use the looper at home just for 2 reasons:

  • quick record some ideas to work on it
  • make simple bases and do exercises on it , for this purpose I need to be able to change speed but not pitch so I can start practice at low speed and then go even faster
    Actually I don’t understand which looper can do this in synch with the BB.

Now with JM4 the only way is to make a song with the BB and to import the song on the JM4

Thank You very much guys , I’ve seen some videos about infinity and BB and I think it’s the best option for me even if it’s quite expensive.
BOSS Rc-10r is £253+20 boss cable
I found and infinity in uk for £325 so I will go for that.
Ditto jam or x4 are roughly half price but it’s not worth for me to buy something I already know it can’t do exactly what I need I saw infinity have a really good synchronisation and it start to record after the BB intro, 2 loops etc., it’s a BB’s friend :grinning: and I think it’s a really well done device

BTW JM4 is amazing but unfortunately it doesn’t have any midi synchronisation so I will keep it to practice in mobility because it have so many functions that it can be used as a portable studio without the needs of any other device

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I bought the boss rc-10r with the hope of replacing the Beatbuddy and my Boomerang with a more simple setup. I sold the Boss rc-10r. It was nowhere near the Beatbuddy and its looping capability was very limited and flaky at best. It was a great concept but the implementation, at least for my use case, was woefully inadequate.

Just my 2 cents. I will say I really love Boss products but the rc-10r was a definite no go for me…I am a pretty avid looper user in my duo.

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Having rhythm integrated with a looper makes a lot of sense, and Boss hasn’t executed the idea well.

Love to see SS step up the game here at some point. How about a $99 BB software plugin downloadable by wifi onto the Aeros? Yeah, you’ll want at least one switch dedicated to the BB added perhaps via expression in, midi, etc. Margins should be much better than BB hardware; less cost and hassle over inventory, shipping, returns, etc. Rhythm and drum kit downloads will explode if Aeros makes it fast and easy.

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Thank You for your feedbacks about Rc-10r.
I abandoned the idea to try it and I bought and used Pigtronix Infinity.
It works well with BB and midi synchronisation.
I just have a problem, if I connect the BB midi out straight to the infinity it works but if I connect the BB midi to my focusrite and focusrite midi out to infinity it doesn’t Sync.
Do you know why?