Using BB with Currently Available (Mid 2022) Loopers

[Boogieman]

Hi -

I have some questions regarding using the BeatBuddy with a looper pedal. Please excuse any duplication with existing threads, but some of those threads are old and don’t seem to reflect looper offerings currently on the market. Please also excuse the long post.

I’m still fairly new to BeatBuddy, and am using it for gigging on guitar along with a vocalist. I have an old looper pedal (Boss RC-2) that I use for chords/basslines, and I’m considering upgrading to something newer. I’m interested in something simpler and less expensive than the Aeros, but with MIDI functionality/ability to synchronize with the BB. In addition to a few specific questions (below), I’d appreciate general thoughts/observations from others that have gone down the road of using BB with a looper.

1. I understand BB works best with a looper (using MIDI) when BB is used as the master. If set up that way, can ending a tune on the BB automatically stop the looper from playing? Will that work with an outro on the BB?

2. I’m planning to do my looping in real time (recording live at the start of tunes rather than using pre-recorded loops). My timing on the looper pedal is good but not perfect (with inaccuracy typically occurring when I stop recording a loop). Any inaccuracy is multiplied with each successive loop, and the problem is most apparent where the loops are relatively short. For example, if I loop chords or basslines for a short form tune (such as a 12 bar blues) on my current pedal and then play over it/have vocalist sing over it/etc., after several minutes (if not sooner) the chords/basslines are noticeably out of sync with the drum beats from the BB. Can that issue be remedied by synchronizing the looper and BB on MIDI – in other words, can the looper be configured to start and/or stop loops on exactly a “1” beat (for example) even if my taps are slightly off?

3. I can’t clear loops on my RC-2 without the pedal playing back part of the loop, which is distracting in a live situation. I could mute the signal to clear loops at the end of tunes, but I’d prefer to avoid that step in a live setting. Can loops be cleared without audio output (with or without MIDI/BB synchronization) on any pedals currently available?

4. Is it possible to set up the BB and looper so that if I pause a tune on the BB the looper will continue to synchronize (in other words, when I release the pause, will it “remember” it’s place in the loop)?

5. Is there a way to set BB and the looper up to toggle between different parts of tunes? For example, if a tune is set up in BB with Beat 1 as the verse and Beat 2 as the chorus, can the looper be set up to start recording (or at least stop playing) when I toggle the BB between those Beats?

6. If I have the BB play fills during a verse or chorus will the looper continue to play?

7. Which looper pedals would be good choices for my intended application? Good sound quality, a fair amount of storage (at least 1 hr) and ease of learining/use are important. A separate stop button would be nice but isn’t really necessary. I don’t need storage for a large number of loops, nor do I plan on moving loops back and forth to a computer. “Standard” or compact pedal size is a plus, since I’m planning to use the looper and BB on a pedal board.

Thanks!

[Carl_Williams]

Hi,

Loopers I have tried include Boss RC1, NuX (boss clone), Voicelive 3x, Quantiloop and finally Ditto X4.

To manage the features you mention then full Midi on the looper is the way to go, that would be Quantiloop but that’s IOS iPad so if that’s not your thing Ditto X4 has reasonable amount of Midi, can be set to nearest beat for start / stop I.e quite forgiving with my foot tapping skills. And, key for me, a dedicated stop button!

Unfortunately I think all loopers play a v short section when deleting the loop, so I have a passive volume pedal to kill the sound between songs if needed.

There where several points in your post but replying I don’t see them, so to summarise in my limited experience each looper has its good, great and not so great features and each has a certain workflow. Not every workflow will cover every situ but with some thought, and gadgetry, you can get close.

KR,

Carl

[BrennanSingularSound]

Hey there,

@Boogieman

I understand BB works best with a looper (using MIDI) when BB is used as the master. If set up that way, can ending a tune on the BB automatically stop the looper from playing? Will that work with an outro on the BB?

Yes, the BeatBuddy sends MIDI Stop by default at the end of the outro.

@Boogieman

Can that issue be remedied by synchronizing the looper and BB on MIDI – in other words, can the looper be configured to start and/or stop loops on exactly a “1” beat (for example) even if my taps are slightly off?

This is an unavoidable reality when using two devices, but the Aeros does resync at every measure. This is the only reason the Aeros does not lose sync over time like you are experiencing.

@Boogieman

I can’t clear loops on my RC-2 without the pedal playing back part of the loop, which is distracting in a live situation. I could mute the signal to clear loops at the end of tunes, but I’d prefer to avoid that step in a live setting. Can loops be cleared without audio output (with or without MIDI/BB synchronization) on any pedals currently available?

The Aeros can do this if the Play Stop all button is set to Release, I’m positive other pedals have solved this issue as well.

@Boogieman

Is it possible to set up the BB and looper so that if I pause a tune on the BB the looper will continue to synchronize (in other words, when I release the pause, will it “remember” it’s place in the loop)?

Not exactly, only if the Looper is the master, because in essence the BB has to be “leading” the looper. You could try this by having BB pause while mute-pause is enabled. Mute pause pauses the sound but does not lose the timing. If you disable sending the MIDI Stop commands when pausing, this should work and allow you to mute BB in time with looper and bring it back.without losing time. This may not work but in theory is possible.

@Boogieman

Is there a way to set BB and the looper up to toggle between different parts of tunes? For example, if a tune is set up in BB with Beat 1 as the verse and Beat 2 as the chorus, can the looper be set up to start recording (or at least stop playing) when I toggle the BB between those Beats?

The BeatBuddy uses MIDI commands to let a device know it has transitioned. The BB sends a MIDI CC102 command, when the Aeros receives this it switches parts. Other devices like the Pigtronix Infinity have this capability as well.

@Boogieman

If I have the BB play fills during a verse or chorus will the looper continue to play?

Yes, the regular fill does not alter playback in any way

@Boogieman

Which looper pedals would be good choices for my intended application?

It may be a biased opinion but the Aeros is the best looper for pairing with the BeatBuddy by far. Maybe some other users can shed light on other possibilities.

Thanks for the questions!