Where to put a looper pedal on a pedal board 

A great use for the ditto in prep for a gig is to put it in front of your board, record a loop and let it repeat. Then put your guitar down and walk out and see how it sounds...tweak the amp...tweak pedal settings...

I run a boss rc-3 in the effects loopasvlast pedal. Works a treat. No issues, other than my playing.

I didn't realize until getting more into this stuff that you not only need to practice your instrument ,but practice being a makeshift sound engineer to run a pedal board. Thanks for the great vids!

I play in a heavier band and use my ditto in the fx loop of my JP2C without any problems. I can record a loop on the clean channel and then switch to one of the lead channels and play lead over the clean loop. Works great. I have your faux tape echo pedal and it is always on my board. I don't know what I would do without it. Keep up the good work!

FINALLY FOUND THE TOPIC I'VE BEEN SEARCHING FOR! Specifically the *looper-in-front-of-signal chain* part. I've just bought a Ditto+ Looper (a vastly upgraded version of the Ditto) and it holds like 99 banks for recorded loops. Not sure if it's ever been mentioned before, but what's missing in this tutorial is how you can technically *re-amp/tweak your tone settings* by playing the dry guitar loop from the Ditto looper. Then once you're happy with your achieved tone, simply reposition the looper to the _end_ of the signal chain, re-record the riff and now you have the riff played fully with your crafted tone! 🙌🤘🏻🤘🏻

I added a Boss looper pedal to the pedal board about 5 years ago. It was the best decision ever and adds a lot of fun and experimentation to my playing. Try one out if you havent. Game changer

If you have a multi channel amp with an effects loop, putting the looper in the amp's effects loop allows you to record something from one channel into the looper, then change channels on the amp to record a different sound over it. You're basically putting the looper between the pre-amp (various channels) and the power amp.

At last I watched a solution for the question , a problem that I got in my head since my new looper is on delivery. Thank you so much for your contribution

My friend couldn't comprehend why he couldn't get his distortion to come through his looper when he changed channels on his Line 6. I tried explaining to him the same thing you said here, but he didn't get it. This video will help him!! Btw, I've always used my Boss RC-30 in the loop if the amp has it, that way I can record, per say, a chorusy clean part and add some lightly distorted chops on top. Thank you Brian, love the vids!

I have a Tc ditto in the effects loop. Only pedals in my loop are chorus/delay/reverb/looper. All overdrive/distortion into tube amp goes into the front for me. Thinking about trying booster in loop to goose power tubes when master is turned down. Thanks Brian for reminding people to try different setups.

That's correct, if your amp has more than one channel and an FX loop, putting the looper in the FX loop (right at the end, after delays, reverbs...) is the most flexible way in terms of sound options. That way you are able to use all the pedals that are in front of the preamp section and also use different channels of the amp.

If you aren't going to be packing up your stuff and putting it in the back of a van, or a trailer with a band logo on it, then I suggest putting the looper "off your pedal board". I have a dreaded RC50 (that thing is a nightmare). I tend to use it for composition, but nevertheless. ... I have a couple mixers (including a small UB502), and I have a multi-route setup, where I tap off the pedal board (well, off the Pod Go and routed to the UB502), and one feed from the UB502 goes to the RC50, which then proceeds to a second final mixer (almost), my Mackie DFX-12, where I route to a few things (recorder, monitor, primarily). The way it's routed, the looper doesn't cause a feedback loop, because it's tapped off (on the side). Where you intercept in your pedal chain is up to you -- I suggest, say, the JHS switchback as well for tapping into your looper.

Thanks for the video I'm new to using a looper on my pedal board and your placement of the looper at the end of the chain makes total sense and really helped me out

They are also good to put in front just like the beginning of video for when you get a new pedal. You can play a riff and put down the guitar and tweak your settings hands-free. But for practice best at the end of chain.

Always just play around with looper positions! In a lot of ambient music the looper is placed first in the chain so the long delay tails won't get cut off by the loop. And even though a distortion after a looper is not always the desired sound, there are some awesome applications for that too!

note that you'll have to use a clean amp like Brian did. If you are going to use a dirty amp, put the looper in the send-return

Followed your advice with my Boss ME 80 and Lekato Looper I just purchased. Holy Cow! Excellent tutorial. Thank you!

I have this pedal and never used it, until this video. This video was KILLER!!!!

I find that running my ditto looper pedal through the effects loop allows for more clarity. Especially if I am doing a rhythm with my big muff nano pedal. If I use it on the front end of the amp there is a volume increase for some weird reason with that specific pedal. But when I run the looper through the effects loop it's perfect 👍

I like to run fx before AND after my looper so that I can build a loop with a range of existing sounds, THEN further mess with them, almost like a DJ would. Like run the whole loop through phasers and delay. Mess with the delay. You can get some wild soundscapes going on.

Yeah I think you are very correct on using the Looper at the end of your pedal chain that's where I have mine and have great success with it love you video brother love you pedals

i’ve been looking for a video like this for so long!! thank you!!! answered all of my questions!! perfection

I'm glad you brought this up, it gives me another option on using my looper. I would add though that by putting it before your other effects pedals you can create some loops, then if you come up with something you really like, try different effects combinations to find a cool sound, even though it effects all the loops. : )

I checked the ditto manual and on pg 11 there is a diagram showing the ditto connected through the fx loop..cheers brian, love the tumnus!

I use my ditto in the effects loop (as the last pedal in the effects loop chain). Works fine.

Dude, thank you...I've been playing with this thing backwards! lol

I use a Ditto at the tail end in my effects loop... no clipping issues at all.

Good demo! I like to use loads of really washy spring reverb, so I've found that the best place for my looper is right before the reverb. That way, i can mix all kinds of effects up at the loop-level, and keep from losing too much definition in the track, which would happen if I were stacking reverb on reverb on reverb.

That was a great help, cheers mate. I've had 1 of those dittos for a while but never got the most out of it, but i will from now on.

I use my looper just before the power amp. My biggest issue with loopers before drive is the fact that a second layer is going to get drowned out since the layers get distorted together.

Great topic to help others who are just starting out with peddles. Here's my set up from right to left (guitar to amp). 1. My Boss tuner. 2. My body rez (makes my aucustic guitar sound great). 3. My tc harmonizer. 4. My Beat Buddy. 5. My rc-3 looper. My God, Batman! Your ready to have some fun!!! LOL

Very helpful thanks. I recently bought an envelope filter which when activated would lower the volume of previous loops. Problem solved!

'I just wrote that'. Eddie Van Halen wants some compensation.

6:19

putting looper as 1st in the chain and recording a clean part can be useful to dial in all the effects before recording. 2 hands free to play around with your knobs.

Definitely in the effects loop. It allows you to use your channels independently from your looped audio

So just to be sure I understood: If I put the looper last on the chain, whenever I record a layer, that layer will always keep the same effect I used when recording it, and I can then add more layers with different effects. However, if I put the looper first the effect will change whenever I engage or disangage the pedals after recording it and every layer will have the same effect. Is this correct?

Pro tip. If you do no have a send/return in your amp, you use it at the end of your chain. But you will not like the results if you have two or more channels and want to switch between them. If you have a send and return you want to keep it connected to that. This will let your pedals be processed through the amp EQ, then put through the looping pedal. Then pushed out the amp. Then you can switch channels and not have anything destroy, mute or muffle your loop. It will also loop what ever is going through your send and return in your amp if it is clean or distorted. For my case I run 1 OD pedal, 1 Distortion, then use the amp's OD/Distortion. All three provide a different level of distortion for my liking. So if I want a thick meaty rhythm for my loop I can use the amp OD/Distortion, then loop it. Then go to clean and run my pedal distortion to give it more high end from the low end distortion. Keeping the looper pedal in the Send/Return really makes this possible so my solos can stand out without the need of a boost pedal or anything special.

thanks for the video, it helped me to configure mine to the effects loops and made a world of difference.

Thanks this solves that exact issue you pointed out in the video for me I want different effects for different parts of the loop.

Always love you vids, this is no exception, very helpful. Your plexi pedal sounds amazing....

You are seriously the man. Thank you Brian

LOL sounds like "I Don't Need No Doctor" that you just wrote. IMO, you'd have better served your point by running a clean rhythm then overdubbing with increasing gain from your pedals. I just re-entered the loop world and last night I was running my JamMan gen 1 in the FX loop of my Peavey Classic 30. It will not do what I described above in that mode. I agonized over this and decided that I'll run the looper at the end of the line behind my TC Quintessence harmony pedal. Also note, in this mode, the amp's gain channel engaged does exactly what happens when the looper is at the front of the chain, as well as the pedal board distortion or anything else. Bottom line, looper last in the chain and everything in front of the amp with no FX loop or gain channel. It's a bit limiting if you really like your amp's gain channel. Anyway, you just confirmed what I concluded last night. Five years after this video that is...

That song you just wrote in this video is called somebody get me a doctor. It's on van Halen 2. Just saying.

Pretty cool demonstration, thanks for sharing!

Damn his studio is like what an f’n toys r us is to a little kid awesome set up.. my friend had a studio in his attic all old analog and more recent tech and he had that same exact pattern carpet this dude has on the studios floor in the beginning of the vid

American Looper makes a pedal called the flip flop that would be perfect for all these before vs after demos. That way it would be the same pedal, same settings, without having to change wires etc. I use it to put my Klon clone before or after my sparkle drive and for experimenting with stacking drives and finding which order I like the best.

Great demo. Am considering a Ditto for my electric kora.

Great job. Just what I needed to know. Love the SuperPlex also.

Yeah, I use my boss looper at the very end of my fx loop chain. I tend to have playback volume slightly lower than unity.

I,ve got mine at the end of the chain in the loop.... all my overdrives go through the front of the amp.... and my chorus, flanger, phaser, delays and reverb.... at the end the ditto looper... into the effects loop....

I like having it after the dirt, but before time and modulation. I don't like how it handles my delay settings. The Eccos definitely spoiled me on having independent delay with my loops. And having my loop with its own drive levels makes for better contrasting.

Problem I have now is solved. Thank you

i use the crunch in my amp(Peavey Ultra) and other effects including looper in the effects loop so far with no problems and i have it at the end of effect chain

"I just wrote that" Here I'm thinking that sounds like Van Halen's somebody get me a doctor😂

I like a looper pedal better in the effects loop

Tha kyou so much for makeing this a reality i had no idea this was pissible till i saw this i was consideing returnin my pedal for this reason

I first put down the clean guitar part and I put down the bass part and then I do a lead over that it really sounds good

Well you answered my question. I just bought a new looper and I have a new amplifier. The Blackstar ID260 2 X 12 Combo and I was wondering about the effects loop since it takes a few pedals I have like my delays and the infamous MT-2 Metal Zone. WOnder if I am going to have the same problem in the loop when engaging that one or delays going into the looper mix. I guess I will just have to find out when my Rowin Looper 3 gets here from China. Yeah. I know. Its $55.00 from China and not $85.00 from here. I'm not that type of person that I do a lot of looping stuff even when I had my Line 6 DL4 that took a dump on me a few year back. I like it more for learning new solos over rhythm parts, etc... So we shall see. Oh and I have the DROP pedal in my effects loop. That would be strange to have everything drop tune in an instant, haha!

The Ditto can be used in the effects loop.

Really likes my Ditto, has it last in chain after my Blues Driver and my Big Beaver.

🚩Can't Thank you enough for this How To. Waiting till December 2020.. To Buy +Dive in! Not ready yet

3:21 was my "ooohhhh" moment lol Thanks

Question: on a recording a band used a rhythm track (distortion) and a lead track but live, there’s only one guitarist. If they play the lead live, it’s empty compared to the recording. Can they use a looper to add like feedback or noise just to fill up the background a bit live so when they play their lead part live there’s a bit of noise to fill up the emptiness? It’s for a band called Prince Of Lilies and they recorded with Steve Albini. A trio but some extra guitar rhythm tracks were recorded for the album, thanks

Thank you!!! Just ran into this....switching placement now

Thank you for your vid.....really helps as I am bout to buy mt first looper pedal!

Very helpful. Thank you

Although at beginning is cool for some effects...maybe run 2...the first and last...OR y chord that feeds another amp

I totally came here wondering about the effects loop option. When using amp effects (e.g. my boss katana), I need to know if it will impact the loop pedal. It seems to me like my amp fx wouldn't have any impact on the looper at all, but I don't really know. Guess I'll have to spend the money on the extra cables up front to test it out. I'm really hoping I can loop using amp fx then layer over using different amp fx without it having an effect on the initial loop. Otherwise I'm kinda screwed for looping with the katana fx

This was really helpful! Thank you.

Just to be clear as I'm pretty new to looper pedals. To record different effects without the previous recorded parts being effected it's guitar - looper - other effects - amp?

As a high-ish gain player who gets his gain from the amp, it pretty much has to stay in the loop after the reverb.

Thanks so much! The video was really helpful.

Great info. Thanks

My pedal records whatever tones I use so I keep my looper as my first pedal and will record rhythm with it then switch up my tone and play main over it

awesome .exactly what I needed to know thanks.

very helpful, ....been trying to figure out how to not distort my clean channel rhythm once I loop it , to play a high gain lead solo over the clean loop

Hey Brian, what mics do you typically use in your videos (for the amps)? ...Love these videos and your podcast btw, thanks in advance.

Great video at the perfect time for me. Thank you. Can you place a volume pedal adjacent to the looper to fade it out while playing “live” with it? I’m frustrated with the abrupt ending I’m getting when I want to end it.

Nice video!

sounds like somebody get me a doctor by van halen

What I'm wondering is, if you have some of the board running to the front and some in the back what will happen. I would assume you would run the looper in the back at that point.

Hey Brian thanks for the video on this topic. One question I have that I never see an answer for is where to put the looper pedal if you use a buffer as the last pedal before the amp? I use a buffer at the beginning and end of my chain so do I put the looper before the last buffer? I understand this ditto looper is true bypass so I’m assuming the buffer at the end stays at the very end, after the looper pedal. Am I going about this the right way? My amp doesn’t have an effects loop so I run everything in the front and keep the amp clean. I run a buffer up front then all true bypass pedals then a buffer before the amp. Both buffers have 1m ohm input and 100 ohm output. The ditto is true bypass so I can use it at the end of my chain right before the end of chain buffer? Just want to make sure I’m doing it the right way. Thank Take care

Very helpful. Thanks!

No matter where I put my ditto in the chain, it simply sounds terrible when played back UGH, Tried 3 different amps, an egnater, an ada-mp1, and a pod. UGH. It doesn't matter if it's distorted tone, or clean. It comes back muddy. Driving me nuts.

I have mine after my rk5 or in the effects loop if I'm in my amp

put Ditto in send & return (effects loop) then it's ok with me, at the front it doesn't work well, a lot of volume difference or the sound of the Ditto disappears!

I'm just learning about loops and pedals working together, so hope this isn't silly. Is it correct a single channel amp could not be used to record a loop and then play lead while running the loop? The FX jack would be used by the pedals? thanks for any insight.

Great info. but I do have a question, ,,, I run a ditto looper straight into a Marshall Amp. I prefer to create a loop on a clean channel & then play lead overtop. My issue is that when I turn on the distortion channel, the loop playback also goes into distortion mode. Is there any way to maintain the loop playback in clean while soloing with gain channel without sending the clean loop into distortion mode ?

Hi there! Thanks for this great video. Just a quite related question: is it better to have a loop (JamMan in my case) before or after the digitech trio pedal? Best regards, lymber

I have my TC Electronics Looper at the end of my signal just be fore my noise gate. Never had a clipping issue.

great tone !

Great Video thanks for sharing Liked and subscribed

Since the Line 6 JM4 has a bunch of built in effects and a loop feature,I figure that maybe I should put it at the beginning of my pedalboard so I can apply different effects to both the loop and the overdub. How does that sound?

Great!! Huge help!!

I'm just being curious: With the Ditto Looper I have to use other panels to get distortion for example? I seems to me that I cannot use the distortion channel of my amp because it is too late in the chain right?

Thanks

It helped. Thanks!!!!

Putting my board together last night and then it hit me ... where does looper goes??? lol Some ppl put it in middle of chain then I thought by wah pedal or way at end of 7 pedals ...your video help answer that .. Wait ... does looper pedal ever go in effects loop behind the amp? Thanks ..

Great video! You mention possibly running it in the FX Loop. What would that do differently other than just running it at the end of your chain?