The 15 Best Looper Pedals in 2023: Expert's Top Choices

Looper pedals, also known as loopers, have become increasingly popular among musicians over the last few years and it’s quite easy to see why. Although it isn’t a mainstream too, at least not yet, it is used by an amazing assortment of performers include Ed Sheeran, Reggie Watts, Keller Williams, and Julia Easterlin. These performers know just how live looping can enhance a performance and create music with more depth and richness.

As valuable as these devices are, it’s not always easy to find the looping device which can fit your particular needs. After all, there are a variety of different models out there, and not all of them have the features that any specific performer may need. This is when the musician really has to do their homework and find a model that will fit their needs and their musical style. With that in mind, we’ve listed what we feel are the best loopers currently available.

10. Donner Tiny Looper Guitar Effect Pedal

This looper pedal is designed to operate in three different modes which make it extremely useful to just about any musician. It has a 1/2-speed mode, a reverse mode, and a normal mode. It also has a true-bypass feature which prevents tone from being colored during use. Other features that can be found on this unit include an LED light which shows the unit is on and operating, a level knob which controls the sound volume of this unit and an input and output jack that uses a 1/4-inch mono audio jack. This looper is powered by a 9-volt DC power supply and is a decent and inexpensive addition to just about any pedalboard.

Pros:

• Pedal is small
• It’s an inexpensive looper
• Is a true-bypass pedal

Cons:

• Seems to cut sound volume down a tiny bit

9. NUX Loop Core Guitar Effect Pedal

Not only does this device allow musicians to record individual loops, but it allows them to create music phases, and them play them back as complete loops. It provides up to 6-hours of recording time, which is far more than most musicians need and can record in either mono or stereo depending on the user’s needs. It can store the memories of many different musicians, has forty different drum patterns and has a true bypass to prevent tone-loss. The best feature of all, however, is that musicians can import and backup their musical phrases using their own personal computer.

Pros:

• Can store up to 99 user memories
• True Bypass capability
• Can record in both mono or stereo
• Can record up to 6-hours

Cons:

• Batteries need to be changed frequently
• Can be difficult for beginners to use

8. Digitech JMSXT Jamman Solo XT

Although this looper might be too complicated for many beginners to use, for advanced looper enthusiasts this pedal is worth a look. It can store up to 35-minutes of music, and another 16-hours of memory storage can be added by adding a 2-gigabyte SDHC card. It’s a very durable unit with a rugged metal chassis, so it can be used both on stage and in the studio. It has 200-internal loop memory slots, can record rhythm looks on the fly and can be set up to be fairly hands-free. Other features included in this unit include a metronome, an aux input and the ability to change the speed of loops without altering the pitch.

Pros:

• Can store up to 35-minutes of sound
• Has 200-internal loop memory slots
• Has a metronome
• Can change the speed of loops without altering the pitch

Cons:

• Can be complicated to use

7. Digitech Jam Man Stereo Looper Delay Pedal

This pedal is designed for musicians and engineers who are familiar with using an advanced looper and aren’t afraid to spend a little bit of extra money to do so. This unit can provide CD-quality loops and store them in 99 internal memories. It can store up to 35-minutes of stereo, and by adding an optional SDHC card, the user can expand that to over 16-hours of audio storage. This pedal has four metal footswitches for selecting loops and for activating looping, and this unit can be connected to a PC using a USB connection. Overall, it’s a studio quality pedal that can be used to great effect.

Pros:

• Can store up to 35-minutes of sound
• Has 200-internal loop memory slots
• Has a metronome
• Can change the speed of loops without altering the pitch
• Contains 4-footswitches for convenience

Cons:

• This is an expensive unit
• May be difficult for beginners to use

6. Xvive Duet Stereo Looper

When this unit was first developed, it was considered an innovative way to record and playback two loops. This pedal has a compact design that makes it easy to use just about anywhere and is capable of recording two separate 5-minute loops at the same time. Each of these loops can be either recorded, played, or overdubbed separately without any problem. This unit has stereo inputs and is a true bypass pedal. It is also considered to have a low latency response of under 1.5ms and to have high headroom. Overall, this dual channel loop station is suitable for any type of guitar.

Pros:

• This is a true-bypass pedal
• Has a low latency
• Is an inexpensive unit

Cons:

• It can’t store loops

5. Digitech TRIOPLUS Looper & Band Creator

This guitar pedal has many of the advanced features that professionals need but is simple enough to operate by just about anyone. It allows the user to select from one of twelve different genres include blues and R&B, rock and metal, or pop and hip-hop, among others. It also features bass and drum creation tracks, so the user can fill out their sound all by themselves. Other features which can be found on this unit include an adjustable tempo and time-stretching capabilities and has several different control knobs which include options for selecting the genre, tempo, style, loop, drums, and bass.

Pros:

• Professional level controls
• Has loop and band creation versatility
• Intuitive to use

Cons:

• This unit is a bit expensive

4. Electro-Harmonix 720 Stereo Looper

This mid-price looper pedal has several features which make it quite fun and easy to use. It can be used for ten independent loops and can record up to 12-minutes of audio. It has reverse, 1/2-speed, undo-redo, and half-speed effects that can be initiated with a simple push of a button. Its footswitches are silent and it has stereo input and output jacks for increased usability, too. It can be powered with its AC adapter or can be powered by a 9-volt battery. This unit will provide unlimed overdubbing, and can be used with expression pedals for a great pedal effect.

Pros:

• It’s an easy-to-use looper
• Records up to 12-minutes of audio
• Can be powered by either AC or a battery

Cons:

• It could have more features for the price

3. Boss RC-1 Loop Station Bundle

Some loopers require the user to purchase additional accessories in order to use the unit. These devices often require the user to buy patch cables to get their devices up and running. However, this model is a little bit different. Not only does it come with the Boss RC-1 loop station, but it does come with a patch cable. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a power supply though. However, It can record up to 12-minutes of stereo audio and the recorded musical phrases can be stored in the unit’s memory and will remain there, even if the unit is turned off. It also has an indicator which displays the current loop mode and has stereo and mono outputs for convenience.

Pros:

• Provides 12-minutes of recording time
• Can store phrases even when turned off
• Has stereo & mono inputs

Cons:

• The power supply has to be purchased separately

2. TC Electronics Ditto Looper

Not only is this pedal designed by guitarists and for guitarists, but it’s also built from the ground up with the specific needs of guitarists in mind. It’s designed to have a small footprint so it can easily be placed into just about any pedalboard, and it is a true-bypass pedal. In addition to those two things, it can provide up to 5-minutes of looping time, and it will save the last loop the user recorded, even when it’s been turned off. And although it doesn’t have many of the advanced features that other pedals offer, it provides a simple solution for most guitarists and is very easy-to-use.

Pros:

• This is a reasonably priced pedal
• It’s a true-bypass pedal
• Offers 5-minute of loop recording time
• Saves the last loop, even when it’s turned off
• This pedal is very easy-to-use

Cons:

• Lacks some of the advanced features other pedals offer

1. TC Electronic FlashBack Delay & Looper

Just because a looper provides the user with a lot of options, doesn’t mean that it has to be complicated, and that point is proven by this model. This small footprint pedal offers some very exciting features that can be used to great effect. Some of the features which can be found on this model include 11-different delay types, true-bypass capabilities, a 6-second delay, analog-dry-through, and stereo inputs and outputs. This unit is also made with high-quality components and a durable casing so it will hold up to daily use without any problems whatsoever. All of which makes it a great pedal for just about anyone.

Pros:

• This pedal has a great delay variance
• Is a true-bypass pedal
• 11-different delay types are available

Cons:

• Dialing in the correct delay can take some time

The past ten years have seen a dramatic rise in looper pedals among musicians. In fact, it’s becoming so ubiquitous, the average person would be hard-pressed in finding a professional studio that didn’t have this particular piece of equipment. However, if you examined the pedals in these studios, then this same person would also find out something very interesting. Not every studio uses the same pedal.

Looper pedals come in a variety of different styles and come equipped with a wide range of different features. This is to suit the wide range of different musicians who all may need something different when they are using these pedals either in the studio or on stage. That’s why we’ve decided to do this guide. We wanted to help musicians sort out what they need to look for when searching for a looper.

Number of Foot Switches

The first thing that needs to be considered when buying a looper is how many footswitches is going to be needed. There are some loopers which only have one footswitch, and there are other ones which may have 6,7, 8 or more footswitches. of course, the more footswitches contained within a unit, the more control the user has over their loops. Sure, most loopers with a single footswitch can be double tapped, or pressed down for a long beat, to cycle through functions, but that can be inconvenient and can become a chore in some circumstances. Of course, only the musician knows how many footswitches they’re going to need for performances or for use in the studio.

Length of The Loops

The next thing that needs to be considered is the lengths of the loops. Most people look for pedals which have a decent loop length. However, this is something that has to be figured out by each musician. Generally speaking, of course, most musicians are probably going to need at least 30 to 60-seconds of loop length for most circumstances. There are also loopers that can loop up to 5-minutes or more and some musicians may want to opt for one of these models.

Loop Storage

Loop storage is important for use in the studio but isn’t as necessary if the looper is used for live performances unless the performer wants to have prerecorded loops available for themselves. Many of the high-end loopers can save the loops to an external device or to an SD card.

True By-Pass

There are a ton of guides on the Internet which discuss the pros and cons of having a looper with true bypass, as well as the pros and cons of models that don’t have this feature. We’re going to make it a lot simpler for those musicians who are trying to figure this feature out. If you’re happy with how your guitar sounds plugging right into your amp and aren’t having problems reaching your pedals, then you don’t necessarily need a true bypass feature. Sure, it does prevent tone loss, but that isn’t necessarily noticeable to the ear, so each musician should feel free to decide whether or not they need this particular feature.

Looper Delay

This is an important thing to consider when looking over loopers. Do you need your looper pedal to have a delay? And if so, how long of a delay is needed? Several looper models only have a delay of 15 to 25-seconds, which is too short for some people. On the other hand, there are loopers which have a delay of over 30-seconds, and that may be too long for other people. What’s important is to find a pedal that has the delay length needed for your applications.

Stereo or Mono

This is a really easy decision to make for most musicians. If you have a mono rig, then choose a mono looper. If you have a stereo rig, choose a stereo looper.

Multiple Inputs

Multiple inputs may be necessary for musicians who want to add additional instruments or vocals into the mix to create a very complex loop. However, if you’re just a guitarist and don’t plan on playing with loops, then choose a model that has a single input because that’s all that’s going to be needed.

Midi Sync

Midi sync is a feature which allows the musician to sink another device with their looper. For example, a musician may want to connect their drum machine to their looper and having a model with midi sync will make this possible to ensure the two devices are properly synced. However, if the pedal isn’t going to be synced with an external device, then it can be disregarded as an important feature to consider.

Pedal Size

The size of the pedal is extremely important to consider. There are some looping pedals which are the size of an entire pedal board and there are others that are very compact. The musician should always choose one that will fit with the rest of their setup.