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Best Looper Pedal Selection 2024

Looper pedals are in a league of their own. They’re one of those gears that aren’t exclusively tied to tone shaping but pure artistry. This means that choosing the best looper pedal will largely depend on your style and how you use loops.

Best Simple Looper
Boss RC-1

Boss RC-1

The Boss RC-1 is a reliable looper pedal that gets the job done with its simplicity and practical features.

Best Compact Looper
Boss RC-5

Boss RC-5

The Boss RC-5 takes basic looping a notch higher with extra features, more control, and better display.

Best for Beginners
TC Electronic Ditto Looper

TC Electronic Ditto Looper

The Ditto Looper from TC Electronic is the ultimate minimalist looper. Compact, reliable, and super easy to use.

Best 2-Track Looper
Sheeran Looper

Sheeran Looper

Developed in collaboration with Headrush, the Sheeran Looper + is a feature-rich looper with a user-friendly interface.

Best Gigging Looper
Boss RC-500 Loop Station

Boss RC-500 Loop Station

The Boss RC-500 is a powerful looping solution from Boss, with a guitarist friendly interface and feature set.

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Artists like Ed Sheeran or Kimbra have used looper pedals to layer up their sound on the spot. Each added layer progresses a singer/songwriter setup into a one-man band.

With so many different brands and options, choosing the best looper pedal can be daunting. After all, each genre and person has a unique looping style. Here, we’ll help make this selection easy for you, specifically catering to the needs of guitarists.

In this 2024 edition, newer and more powerful loop pedals have superseded our previous recommendations. Here, we feature the current best looper pedal options in the market.

Many of the very best looper pedals are still from big-name brands like Boss and TC-Electronic. But some wildcards from Boomerang and the new Sheeran Guitars line deserve closer inspection.

Boss RC-1

Best Simple Looper

Boss RC-1

Boss RC-1

Guitarsite Expert Opinion

The Boss RC-1 is a straightforward looper pedal appreciated for its simplicity and practical features, including a volume knob and LED display for easy control.

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out of 100

Manufacturer: Boss

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This looper makes live looping much easier because of the LED step sequencer. It gives you all you need to time your loops correctly.

Boss products have dominated the market due to their reliability and good build quality.

The RC-1 is the most basic of all Boss’ Looper lineups. It doesn’t have flashy onboard effects. Instead, where it shines is ease of use and simplicity. It has enough looping capacity to layer up to 12 minutes worth of stereo loops.

At the front of the pedal, you have a big volume knob for easy level control over your loops. You also have an LED display with 24 steps to provide a visual cue. It allows you to see where you are in the loop.

What mode is selected in the pedal switch is also conveniently reflected in the LED display from recording your first loop to your overdubs. You could also connect an external foot switch to the RC-1 as well.

This looper pedal is also capable of both mono and stereo inputs and stereo outputs. You can connect 2 mono instruments for looping in multi-instrumentalist setups.

There’s always a pedal for musicians who prefer to go basic or zen with their rigs. However, it could also aid you in collaborative setups. Undeniably, the Boss RC-1 is a great starter pedal for beginners and professionals alike.

Pros:

Cons:

Specifications:
Total Loop Time: 12 Minutes
Loop Memory Slot: Internal
Audio Quality: Not Specified
Input: 2 x 1/4″ (Stereo)
Output: 2 x 1/4″ (Stereo)
Power: DC Adapter (Optional) or 9V Battery
Extra Feature: 24 Segment Loop Indicator, Stereo In/Out
Dimensions: 2.375″ x 5.125″ x 2.875″
Weight: 1 lb.

Boss RC-5

Best Compact Looper

Boss RC-5

Boss RC-5

Guitarsite Expert Opinion:

The Boss RC-5 offers streamlined looping with robust features, ideal for solo performers and songwriters. Its tank-like build ensures durability, while 13 hours of stereo recording capacity gives you the assurance that you have more than enough to generate musical ideas.

0
out of 100

Manufacturer: Boss

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The best looper pedals out there have a streamlined looping process and a blend of simplicity and extra features.

For a small form factor, the Boss RC-5 takes the design of a simple looper, turning your performances into a solo orchestra. This loop pedal enables you to do your loops and overdubs in pristine, 32-bit audio.

At the back of our minds, we do have the fear of running out of loop overdubs. With this looper, you’ll also not run out of loop capacity, enabling you to record a whopping 13 hours of stereo recording. That’s more than enough time for you to get creative.

Throw in an external footswitch or an expression pedal, and you have a whole powerhouse of functions for its built-in parameters.

Thanks to the boss stereo looper engine, the RC-5 provides 7 different drum kits and 57 preset rhythms. You can save your presets in the box using one of its 99 memory patches.

You could also add your custom-made beats as well. Hook it to a USB port and drag the file over RC-5’s storage.

The LCD gives you a visual representation of where you are in the beat. The top gives you a four-bar count and a continuous time duration at the bottom.

My only minor issue is it only has reverb as an effect. It would also be great if there’s a built-in basic compressor to tame the transients of the drum loops.

Overall, both beginners and seasoned professionals will benefit from Boss RC-5. To be specific, however, its features are a great fit for singers/songwriters who make custom beats on the side.

Pros:

Cons:

Specifications:
Total Loop Time: 13 Minutes Stereo
Loop Tracks: 1
Loop Memory Slot: Internal with USB Support
Audio Quality: 32-bit/44.1kHz
Input: 2 x 1/4″ (A/mono,B)
Output: 2 x 1/4″ (A/mono,B)
Power: 9V Battery, 9V DC power Supply (Sold Separately)
Extra Feature: LCD Display, Built-in Drum Patterns, Stereo In/Out
Dimensions: 2.375″ x 5.125″ x 2.875″
Weight: 1 lb.
USB-Ready: Yes

TC Electronic Ditto Looper

Best for Beginners

TC Electronic Ditto Looper

TC Electronic Ditto Looper

Guitarsite Expert Opinion:

This straightforward looper pedal prioritizes top-notch audio quality and recording capacity over complex features. With simple controls for recording, overdubbing, and playback, it offers up to 5 minutes of recording time, ideal for songwriting and practice sessions. While lacking advanced features, its true bypass circuitry ensures transparent sound.

0
out of 100

Manufacturer: TC Electronic

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Instead of battling the many complex loopers on the market, the TC Electronic Ditto Looper sticks with the simple route. Sporting a compact looper pedal design with just one switch that’s smaller than regular guitar pedals. Its simple one-footswitch design allows for basic looping functions in a compact stompbox form factor.

This is credited for starting the compact looper craze; other manufacturers eventually joined. Govan, Gilbert, and other guitarists have used this pedal well, boosting its popularity.

Instead of complicating matters with more controls and features, this simple looper pedal focuses on providing the best possible audio quality and recording capacity.

It won’t let you tweak deep settings, but for a single footswitch pedal, it enables you to trigger recording, overdubs, play, and stop, and it even allows for undo and redo via different ways of stepping on the switch.

As for memory, this small footprint stompbox gives you up to 5 minutes of recording, more than enough for a complete song with multiple loops, be it for practice or performance.

True bypass circuitry and analog-dry-through circuitry ensure good transparency, making this an ideal discrete addition to any pedalboard or rig.

But given its size and price, it’s just a looper pedal; don’t expect extra features. A more advanced version called the Ditto+ is also available, and it features TC-Electronic’s groundbreaking extended Loop Mode that lets you do longer and more complex recordings and overdubs.

My only concern for this pedal is that it requires more time to get used to the single footswitch interface, but it is still one of the best looper pedal deals if you are looking for a compact looper.

Pros:

Cons:

Specifications:
Total Loop Time: 300 Seconds
Loop Tracks: 1
Loop Memory Slot: 1
Audio Quality: 24-bit A/D/A
Input: 1 x 1/4″
Output: 1 x 1/4″
Power: DC Adapter
Dimensions: 1.9″ x 1.9″ x 3.7”
Weight: Less than 1 lb.

Sheeran Looper +

Best Dual-Track Looper

Sheeran Looper

Sheeran Looper +

Guitarsite Expert Opinion:

The Sheeran Looper + was developed in collaboration with Headrush. It offers a relatively compact yet feature-packed design, boasting stadium-grade construction and a user-friendly interface.

0
out of 100

Manufacturer: Sheeran Guitars

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Just to give you context, the Sheeran Looper + has created quite a buzz. For years, Ed Sheeran has used a custom-made looper pedal named Chewy Monsta. It was so sought-after that people tried deconstructing how you could DIY one via instructions.

In collaboration with Headrush, Ed Sheeran has released two Looper pedals. One is the Sheeran Looper + and the second is the Sheeran Looper X. Looper + is the cheapest of the two.

They call it a “stadium-grade looper” for a reason. It uses a die-cast aluminum chassis and a full-colored LCD in the middle of the unit.

At the front panel, you could see they’ve done a stellar job condensing everything you need.

The function/menu knob will give you access to its main features. The INST, MIC, and MAIN dials are responsible for the levels and the signal is indicated by the LED.

Bringing focus to the function menu knob, several features struck me. It is similar to the Electro Harmonix 720 stereo looper where you could half time your recordings. Here, though, the 32-bit capabilities of Looper + will preserve the sound quality and dynamics much better.

Each of us has our unique ways of looping our instruments. The Sheeran Looper + gives you 4 loop modes for single—and dual-track recording. These 4 loop modes have made the 4 common loop workflows accessible to you.

It is not just a dial. It’s also a quick access button to assign how your loops should play. Want to end your performance smoothly? Assign it to FADE OUT, then press it when it’s time to wrap it up. Want to create soundscapes? You could reverse the loop and layer it up with other instruments.

You could store over 128 loops and store your custom-made beats. Like most advanced looper pedals, it is USB-ready, you could double it up as an audio interface as well.

I could easily imagine a scenario where I could loop back any sound from my computer. Then, feed it back to the unit for a more unique sound.

For the downside, I’d say would be to add dedicated volume controls for dual-channel setups. It is especially useful for multiple instrument setups. This way, the artist can balance their own backing tracks on the spot.

Another would be the inclusion of a headphone output for on-the-go or bedroom rehearsals. If it doubles as an interface, this makes perfect sense.

It’s not only a looper. It can double as an audio interface. This makes it great for storing ideas and having streamlined access to your files.

If you’re an intermediate singer/songwriter or a guitarist, the Sheeran Looper + offers you a slew of features packed in a small form factor. It’s one of the contenders for the best looper pedals among the more recently released models.

Pros:

Cons:

Specifications:
Total Loop Time: 1.5 hours
Max Layers per Loop: Unlimited
Max Overdub Time per Loop: 30 minutes
Loop Tracks: 2
Loop Memory Slot: ~4.1 GB
Audio Quality: 24-bit/44.1 kHz
Input: 2
Output: 2
Power: Via 4 AA Batteries (included) USB bus power 9 V, 500 mA (center-negative) power adapter (not included)
Extra Feature: TFT LCD Display, Built-in Drum Patterns, Stereo In/Out
Dimensions: 8.52” x 6.24” x 3.00”

Best Gigging Looper

Boss RC-500 Loop Station

Boss RC-500 Loop Station

Guitarsite Expert Opinion:

The Boss RC-500 Loop Station offers professional-grade looping in a compact three-footswitch design. Ideal for one-man-band setups. It has robust looping capabilities, including 2 individual tracks and pristine overdubs. Despite its smaller size, it packs a punch with ample memory and versatile effects.

0
out of 100

Manufacturer: Boss

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If you are looking for something lighter and smaller than the RC-600, its portable sibling, the Boss RC-500, may very well be the one you need.

It features the same sonic quality as the new flagship model, only this one is packed in a smaller three-footswitch form.

Some features are stripped down as expected, but it still has enough for one-man-band musicians and singer-songwriters to make great music.

Ed Sheeran used to be one of the many professional artists who performed using compact Boss loop stations, like the older RC-30 model. And there are many others, including popular YouTube live-looping artists.

The RC-500 has 99 phrase memories, with a total memory capacity of up to 13 hours. This generous looping time allows for multiple albums’ worth of pre-loaded loops, making it perfect for live looping performances that require long build-ups.

Each loop has dedicated parameters to tweak, including loop volume, effects application, and more.

In addition to its substantial memory, the RC-500 is equipped with a wide array of presets. It boasts 57 percussion patterns, 16 drum kits, and drum machine samples for instantly adding rhythmic elements and percussive textures to your practice and performances.

Coming from Boss, it comes with a comprehensive effects section that includes 16 effects with ample parameter controls.

These effects can be applied to individual loops or the overall mix, offering a diverse palette of sonic possibilities.

Controls are limited, but it is enough for what this looper processor is meant for. With a bit of practice, the controls will quickly become second nature. If you’re looking for an intuitive looper with more features than smaller units, get this.

Pros:

Cons:

Specifications:
Total Loop Time: 13 hours
Loop Tracks: 2
Loop Memory Slot: 99
Audio Quality: 32-bit/44.1 kHz
Connectors: INST IN A/MONO, B jacks: 1/4-inch phone type MIC IN jack: XLR type (balanced, phantom power: DC 48 V, 10 mA Max OUTPUT A/MONO, B jacks: 1/4-inch phone type CTL 1,2/EXP jack: 1/4-inch TRS phone type MIDI (IN, OUT) jacks: stereo miniature type DC IN jack
USB: USB micro B type
Power: Alkaline battery (AA, LR6) x 4 AC adaptor (PSA-S series: sold separately)
Dimensions: 5.43” x 6.69” x 2.44” (approx.)

Best 4-Track Looper

Boomerang III Looper Pedal

Boomerang III Looper Pedal

Guitarsite Expert Opinion:

Right off the bat, the 80s retro sci-fi look of this looper pedal exudes that it’s had its share of interesting experiences in bars and venues.

And rightfully so. The Boomerang III Looper Pedal has been included in our list for its interesting layout and a plethora of features. It is truly an all-in-one pedal for loopers.

0
out of 100

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The front panel includes 3 pedals as your main footswitch for looping parts and 2 “bonus” pedals for onboard effects and basic functions.

However, what’s surprising is that, for multiple loops, you can include a 4th loop to your signal chain. This gives you even more control over the individual tracks.

Each of the pedals is coupled with volume knobs that can be tweaked on the fly.

You could utilize these 4 pedals in really elaborate multiple-instrument setups. For instance, loops for keyboards, guitars, and drums can be allocated on two different channels. Simultaneously, you can introduce drums and vocals on the 3rd and 4th channels. 

Two of the bonus foot switches enable you to add some effects to your performances like reverse, fade-outs, and octaves. They are also easily triggered by either holding or tapping on the pedal.

For the fade out, you could control how long or short it happens by dialing the “fade time” to your liking.

The play style functionality has 3 modes: serial, sync, and free. When you start looping at either loop 1 or 2 “serial” mode gets activated. This means that only one of the loops is going to play and not both at the same time.

Tapping the loop 3-master first will not switch to loops 1 and 2. Instead, it allows you to sync with either loops 1 and 2. These play-style modes give you the freedom to switch between verse and chorus sections. They’ve also included the free mode that allows you to play freely without tempo syncing.

Now for some features, I wish were included. I think lots of guitarists would benefit if there’s a universal LCD to have a quick glimpse of where each parameters are assigned to. It’s also good to have a simultaneous mode for both tracks 1 and 2 for added flexibility.

The Boomerang III Looper Pedal is a great rig for those who are seeking to expand their looping capabilities. This looper pedal is for intermediate to seasoned musicians who have tons of experience in elaborate setups.

Alternatives to the Boomerang II include the Pigtronix Infinity Looper and the more feature packed Boss RC-600.

Pros:

Cons:

Specifications:
Total Loop Time: Up to 35 minutes (2100 Seconds)
Loop Tracks: 4
Loop Memory Slot: Up to 4
Audio Quality: Output (24-bit / 48kHz)
Input: 2 x 1/4″ (L/R), 1 x Rang Pedal Link
Output: 2 x 1/4″ (L/R), 1 x Rang Pedal Link
USB: None
ower: 9V DC Power Supply
Dimensions: 9” x 2” x 6”
Weight: 3.59 lbs.

Things to consider when buying the Best Looper Pedal

Loop Tracks or Channels

The number of loop tracks and loop channels is a key looping function that you should consider.

Most smaller looper pedals have single-channel functionality, which gives you just one track to play around with.

This is usually enough for those who want to loop simple phrases played on an electric guitar. These are ideal for guitarists already playing with a band and have little room left in their pedalboard.

While you can overdub everything on a single loop track, having multiple tracks allows for more efficient control and enables you to record rhythm, lead, and other parts separately and have individual control over each track.

This is imperative for one-man-band live performances where you do multiple parts and build your music via different tracks.

Loop Time

Loop time dictates the amount of time you can record, which is dictated by the amount of memory available. Generally speaking, the longer the loop time available, the better, unless you are the type that gets distracted into fiddling instead of being productive.

Some pedals have enough loop time to record parts for entire albums, but some have considerably lower memory. This is a specification to watch out for.

Input/Output Options

Guitarists will usually need one or two (for stereo rigs) inputs. These pedals are easy to set up and offer basic looping functionality, ideal for practice and playing with musical ideas.

But if you plan on multiple instruments and vocals, you’ll want one with more input options. If you plan on using the pedal for live performance, you must check if the output options match your current gear and setup.

Control Options

Essential controls include record, play, overdub, and stop – all of which should be accessible via footswitches for hands-free control. Other controls that are nifty include undo, redo, and bypass. Single pedal size units will have fewer switches and buttons, which makes them easy to set up and use.

Multi-track loopers allow for more loops and in-depth control, including auto-quantizing, tap tempo, syncing, time adjustments, etc. Most popular looper pedals even offer built-in effects that let them emulate a reverb or delay pedal. These may sound extreme or impractical, but you’ll change your mind when you try complex one-man-band arrangements.

The extent of control options you need depends on the complexity of your performance. You can add external footswitches if you need more handsfree options.

Reliability and Form Factor

You want a looper pedal that can handle regular use, especially the footswitches, which will get excitedly stepped on many times, unlike other set-and-forget pedals.

This is where reputation and recommendations come in, and big brands like Boss take the limelight.

The size and shape of the pedal are usually secondary, but if pedalboard space is scarce, you’ll want the smallest you can find. Most loop pedals come in the standard pedal shape, but there are variations as you go smaller or bigger.

If you’re looking for multi-track functionality, you must make room for bigger multi-effect type units.

If you’re looking for loopers and effects designed to work primarily with vocals, check out Gearank’s Vocal Effects Pedal / Processor Guide

Alexander Briones

Lead Author

Allen Articulo

Contributor: Research and Supplemental Writing