The Logic Off Topic list

>Now and then I have been doing concerts with digital loop delays, playing
>instruments into them  and manipulating the loops on the fly. Since my old
>first generation delays and harmonizers broke down (bought in 1982) I have
>been renting a Lexicon Jam man for the gigs. But now I want to buy a decent
>live looping device to put in a rack together with some other stuff as a
>"permantent live looping" set up.

Yes. I do this. In fact, you may want to check out the looper's delight page and mailing list. Everyone there does almost nothing else.

http://www.loopers-delight.com/

>I've been recommended:
>(1) Roland RC-20 Loop Station  (new device, don't know much...)
>(2) Gibson (Oberheim) Echoplex (good one, many loopists using it)
>(3) Lexicon PCM-42 (the classic - maybe obolete for live use these days)

Of these three, the Echoplex Digital Pro is by far and away the most powerful and easiest to use. Personaly, I also consider it the 'classic' looper. However, Electrix just came out with Repeater, arguably more than the EDP's equal. It uses Smart Card Flash RAM, so your loops can be upto 256 meg in size and aren't erased when you power down. Furthermore, it allows you 4 mono tracks at once, or two stereo and it can perform time and pitch stretching on the fly.

I would recomend either the Echoplex, or the Repeater. The Repeater responds to midi commands, but does not have it's own foot pedal yet. The echoplex has a dedicated foot controller.

>Have you used any of these devices? Or maybe you can recommend some better
>choice? I'm looking for fast and easy foot pedal functionality since the
>device is gonna be used as a tool for live improvisation. I also need "sound
>on sound" layering capability and the tap tempo feature. Many inputs would
>also come in handy - I would like to have a mic connected as well as a line
>in.

You can overdub on almost any pedal. However, the Repeater allows >separate< tracks at once. The echoplex allows you to specify the number of loops you intend to use, and clone loops you have created, either automatically or on the fly. 


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