Top 9 Best Looper Pedals On The Market (December 2023)

BOSS celebrates the 10th anniversary of the LoopStation with an exciting new lineup of RC-series loopers! First out of the gate is the RC-30, a Twin Pedal multitrack looper with two synchronized stereo tracks and built-in loop effects. Plug in your instrument of choice, or even a microphone; an XLR input is provided, complete with phantom power. Record for up to three hours direct to internal memory, adding effects as you go. The USB 2.0 port lets you save your loops externally, and import/export WAV files.

Create and stack multi-layered loops with twin stereo tracks — each track being independently controllable with dedicated volume faders and track-select buttons. Creating loops is convenient with the Auto Recording feature, which starts recording the moment you begin playing your guitar, bass, keyboard, or singing, or as soon as you start a connected audio player. Count-In mode gives you one-bar of rhythm before recording starts. You can Undo/Redo as you go. The sky’s the limit, with three hours of recording time!

Fans of BOSS’s world-famous effects will be pleased to find a lineup of creative effects onboard the RC-30. Bend Down provides a dramatic pitch-bend effect. Step Phaser changes phase in incremental steps. Sweep Filter alters frequency in sync with the current tempo. Tempo Delay produces a tempo-synced delay effect. Lo-Fi intentionally degrades the sound to create a distinctive character. Dunk your loops in cool effects without the cost and hassle of adding external gear.

Vocalists can plug a microphone of their choice directly into the RC-30’s XLR microphone input, complete with phantom power if you wish to use a condenser mic. Sing, overdub, and make multi-layered loops of your voice, create vocal sound-effects patterns, or point the microphone at your acoustic musical instruments, or anything that makes noise and turn it into a cool loop. You don’t have to be a musician to get in on the LoopStation action!

To keep your loops tight and in time, play along with one of the basic rhythm patterns in the RC-30’s onboard library as you record. Ten types of rhythm types are provided, including Rock, Pop, Funk, Shuffle, R&B, and Latin. A dedicated knob lets you adjust the volume of the rhythm, and you can set the tempo via tap tempo. You can also specify the time signature. When you save a phrase, the rhythm type and time signature will also be saved.

Overall we're really impressed with this rhythm loop station. It has a steep learning curve on the controls of this pedal, but once you have it down its a stage quality looper dripping with possibilities. Highly recommend. The main complaint we've found is that you have to stop both tracks to delete one of them. It's a great all round looper and probably one of the best on the market right now.

• Intuitive looper pedal with first ever intelligent loop synchronization that responds to your band
• Innovative responsive BeatSense technology automatically adjusts loop tracks to your beat
• Choose between Record-then-Play or Record-then-Overdub functionalities
• Unlimited overdubs and undo/redo for total creative freedom
• Dual built-in mics accurately track band tempo by focusing only on rhythmic elements
• Included clip-on mic attaches to percussion instruments for total rhythmic precision
• Dedicated stop button for easy control of loop endings
• Analog-Dry-Through maintains total integrity of analog dry signal path even when looper is engaged
• 24-bit uncompressed audio for ultimate sound quality
• True bypass allows for optimum clarity and zero high-end loss when the pedal is off

The Ditto JAM X2 Looper features TC Electronics cutting edge proprietary BeatSense technology, making it the first looper pedal ever to automatically keep your loops from drifting out of sync. TC Electronics state-of-the-art algorithm is able to snip, stretch and compress each beat of your loop dynamically to your tempo while still maintaining audio quality. This means your Ditto JAM X2 automatically stretches the loop by a couple of milliseconds to make it fit the pocket so your performance is always nice and tight.

BeatSense

For the first time ever, you can loop with your band in real-time without having to sync with a MIDI clock, letting you make it up as you go, without drifting out of rhythm. It’s like having an invisible band member onstage with psychic powers. Top that, Dr. X!

Built-in microphones and an included clip-on mic allows Ditto JAM X2 to listen to its surroundings, separate background noise from the rhythmic elements of your band and sync up.

Connecting the included mic under a snare or on a percussion instrument, leaves the job of timekeeping to your drummer so you and your bandmates are free to play without constantly having to stay in sync with a fixed loop!

Order up!

A toggle switch lets you jump between recording, playing your loop back, or recording the loop and going straight to filling out the sonic space with your sweet overdubs.

This gives you total control over how you want to create your loops, so you can unleash that Magnum (Lo)opus masterpiece that's been simmering in the back of your mind!

Lean, mean looping machine

The simple layout is streamlined to remove clutter, ensuring that nothing gets in the way of your musical inspiration.

Dedicated footswitches for looping and stopping make it easy to keep your grooves tighter than an '80s spandex suit.

With its ability to lock onto the beat of your drummer or bass player, Ditto JAM X2 is the ideal solution for live looping with a band.

Time to Tighten up

It can be difficult to perfectly time your foot presses to make those seamless loops – we are human after all – so BeatSense mode comes to your rescue and tightens up your loop point timing by quantizing your Record and Playback footswitch taps to the nearest detected beats.

You just wait for the right moment, tap Loop as close to a downbeat as you can, play some groovin’ chords and then tap again to make the perfect loop. Now take a solo over top. Solo some more.

Overall an impressive pedal, it's proprietary loop technology unfortunately isn't foolproof as we've had reports that 'off beat' drum tracks can catch it out. Still, overall, a solid looper effects pedal.

• Compact and powerful stereo stompbox looper
• Massive internal memory with up to three hours of stereo recording time
• 99 onboard memories for storing loops
• USB 2.0 port allows you to connect to a PC and import/export WAV audio
• Rhythm guide with real drums
• Runs on a single 9-volt battery or optional AC power supply
• BOSS five-year warranty

The RC-3 is powerfully equipped yet conveniently housed in a compact pedal. Enjoy up to three hours of stereo recording time, storage for 99 loops, a “real drums” rhythm guide, and USB 2.0 compatibility all in a small BOSS stompbox.

To keep your loops tight and in time, you can play along with one of the basic rhythm patterns in the RC-3’s onboard library as you record. Ten types of rhythm types are provided, including Rock, Pop, Funk, Shuffle, R&B, and Latin. A dedicated knob lets you adjust the volume of the rhythm, and you can set the tempo via tap tempo. You can also specify the time signature. When you save a phrase, the rhythm type and time signature will also be saved.

Marathon Looping

The RC-3 provides three hours of stereo recording capacity direct to internal memory. Now you can record long phrases without worrying about memory. 99 memory locations let you save as many phrases or ideas as you can create. Guitarists who want to incorporate external stereo effects devices will appreciate the true stereo I/O on the RC-3.

Auto Record

The Auto Recording feature starts recording the moment you begin playing your guitar, or as soon as you start a connected audio player. Count-In mode gives you one-bar of rhythm before recording starts. You can Undo/Redo as you go. The sky’s the limit with three hours of recording time!

USB Connectivity

You can connect the RC-3 to your computer via a standard USB cable, and back up your RC-3 recordings to your computer for safekeeping. You can also load WAV files from your computer directly into the RC-3. The RC-3 accepts 16-bit/44.1kHz WAV files of up to 1.7GB in size.

AUX Input

In addition to recording your guitar or bass performances and turning them into playable loops, you can also record other external stereo audio sources via the RC-3’s AUX IN. Sound from a digital-audio player connected to the AUX input, for example, can easily be recorded and made into a loop.

We feel this review plucked from a previous customer sums things up nicely

"The RC-3 is great for practicing, songwriting, and even live performance. It has a ton of features packed into a small space for those that require it. It allows up to 3 hours of recording time that can be stored in up to 99 different save slots. It also contains 10 basic drum beats to add to your own recordings and it is USB 2.0 compatible which allows you to upload pre recorded tracks.

The most noticeable feature is the three-hour recording memory. It’s a huge step up from the RC-2 which only allowed up to 16 minutes of recording time. This means you can record up to 3 hours of material and save it to 99 different slots. You can also upload tracks directly from your computer to the pedal by connecting the two via USB.

The RC-3 also comes with 10 preset drum beats that can come in handy when you want to create your own backing track. The 10 rhythms come in a variety of styles such as Pop, Rock, Funk, Shuffle, and Latin. Although the pedal does not allow you to set the tempo incrementally like many reviews state, it does have a “tap tempo” feature that enables you to tap out the tempo you want your track to follow. Another great feature is the separate volume knobs. One is dedicated to the volume of the rhythm, the other is for the volume of the current loop.

In conclusion, This is a great pedal for the money and extremely efficient when it comes to saving space on your pedal board. If your looking for something easy to use and compact that can add a whole new dynamic to practicing, recording, or playing live, then this is the pedal for you."

• Up to 6 minutes of recording time
• Stores recorded loops even when the pedal is off
• Change the speed of recorded loops to double-speed or half-speed, or reversing them
• Unlimited overdubs
• Volume control
• REC/DUB and PLAY/STOP footswitch
• Status LEDs
• Mono jack input/output
• CTR input for connecting a MXR M199 tap tempo footswitch
• EXP input for connecting a Dunlop DVP volume (X) pedal
• Powered via a 9V DC power supply
• Power consumption: 225 mA
• Dimensions (L x W x H): 64 x 111 x 49 mm
• Weight: 0.31 kg

The MXR Clone Looper Pedal is highly engineered for incredible sound quality, comes packed with features in a pedalboard-friendly housing, and can be as simple or complex as your needs dictate. Everything you expect from an MXR pedal, in other words.

Whether you’re practicing at home, captivating audiences with improv compositions onstage, or weaving intricate sonic tapestries in the studio, the Clone Looper Pedal has you covered. Just plug in, power up, and start recording an unlimited number of layers—up to 6 minutes long—that will be stored even when the pedal is off. A super convenient LED gives you a flashing 4 count to the beginning of the loop so you can keep your overdubs tight. Loops can be stopped and started in an instant, and your most recent layer can be undone just as fast. Run effects to your heart’s content—with storage sample rates up to 88.2kHz, so this little box will handle even high-gain distortion with ease. To keep your pre-loop signal intact, the MXR team also included an analog through-path. On top of that, the Clone Looper Pedal can be set for either buffered bypass or true bypass switching to accommodate your tone and signal needs.

The Clone Looper Pedal also comes packed with options for sonic explorers, from changing up the speed of your loop—to double-speed (3 minutes of recording time) or half-speed (12 minutes)—to reversing it entirely. Connecting an MXR Tap Tempo Switch to the CTR jack allows you to control all of these functions externally. The EXP jack provides further external control options when you connect a DVP volume pedal to adjust the loop’s output level or an MXR Tap Tempo Switch to engage Play Loop Once mode, which allows you to pull off smooth live performances and re-trigger your loop over and over again for DJ-style stutter effects.

Pedalboard-friendly and built like a tank, the Clone Looper Pedal is easier to use and delivers higher fidelity signal reproduction than any other looper of its type—hands down.

It only takes a few minutes to learn to use this looper. Take your time and you'll see how far you can push it. It takes some practise but you really can create some incredible loops using this pedal.

• 24-bit audio quality
• 99 Internal storage locations
• Mini-B USB port for importing and storing loops (only 24-bit / 44.1 kHz WAV files)
• Selectable True or Buffered Bypass
• Output for amplifier
• Up to 8 hours of recording time
• Mixer output
• Power supply connector
• Drum computer with 40 different style patterns
• Automatic tempo adjustment
• Power supply via 9 V battery or 9-18 V DC power supply unit
• Current consumption: 70 mA
• Dimensions: 122 x 72 x 47 mm
• Weight: 270 g

Nothing feels better than playing your guitar along with realistic drum rhythms. Loop Core Deluxe’s all-new drum machine comes with 40 different drum rhythms (30 in 4/4, 10 in 3/4) covering different styles of genres including rock, pop, blues, jazz and much more.

It takes time and effort to learn all the ways the NUX Loop Core Deluxe looper guitar effects pedal can enhance your playing style but once you're up and running you'll be happy you took the time to understand this pedals potential. One of the best features is that fact it can hold up to 8 hours of recordings. Overall we think it's an impressive pedal and well worth considering.

• Straightforward and easy to operate
• Newly designed loop indicator displays the current loop mode (Rec/Overdub/Play)
• Runs on a single 9-volt alkaline battery (approximately 4.5 hours of battery life)
• Can be used with an optional AC adaptor (PSA series: sold separately)
• 12 minutes of stereo recording time
• Stereo inputs and outputs
• Flexible external footswitch options
• Recorded phrase is retained in memory even after the RC-1 is turned off
• BOSS five-year warranty

The RC-1 is BOSS's simplest and most user-friendly Loop Station ever, and it’s a ton of fun! Since the RC-20 Loop Station was first released in 2001, BOSS has led the way by continually releasing new looping products. Though they’ve been used and enjoyed by various looping artists and performers, BOSS still pursued an easier and more affordable solution. The RC-1 is a straightforward looper that is easy to operate. Experience the fun of looping when you record, playback, overdub, and undo or redo loops using this compact BOSS stompbox. And of course, the RC-1 retains the BOSS quality and performance that musicians around the world have come to expect and rely on.

On the top panel, there is a new and innovative loop indicator, which consists of a 24-segment LED laid out in a circular pattern. You can quickly and easily determine the current status of the Rec/Overdub/Play modes. With a maximum 12 minutes of stereo recording time, the RC-1 is capable of capturing any extended performance that you can create or imagine! The stereo in/out jacks can be used with stereo effects and amplifiers. Additionally, they allow you to connect stereo instruments, such as synthesizers. Other convenient features include battery and AC power, as well as flexible external footswitching capabilities. The RC-1 is an especially great partner to start enjoying looping!

Honestly, if you're simply looking for a compact looper that's as easy to use as it is reliable. Packed full of features and built to last. Then you really don't need to look anywhere other than at the BOSS RC-1 Loop Station. It's a classic.

If you're looking for an ultra compact looper that's simple to operate, packed full of features and is built for quality and performance, look no further than the RC-1.

• 24-Bit A / D / A converter
• 44.1 kHz sample rate
• Fast deletion
• Diecast metal housing
• Dimensions (WxDxH): 70 x 114 x 53 mm
• 9V DC power supply included

The Electro-Harmonix 360 Nano Looper is a compact, affordable, pedal looper with 360 seconds of loop recording time and 11 storable loops!

• LEVEL Knob - Controls the output level of the Loop. Your dry signal remains at unity signal level from input to output. The dry signal also remains analog throughout the 360.
• LOOP Knob - Selects Loop number: 1-11. When scrolling through loops, the MEM LED flashes quickly during transitions. If the loop has no recorded memory, the MEM LED remains off. If the loop has recorded memory, the MEM LED remains on and playback can begin.

A strong mini looper pedal. If space is an issue then you know Electro-Harmonix have your back with the 360 Nano Looper pedal. It might not have all the features of the much bigger pedals but sometimes all you want in a looper pedal is a solid looping function. This has it, job done. Check it out for yourself!

• Independent playback level for Looper and Drum
• True bypass
• Controls for Looper and Drum
• Push button for Tap Tempo function
• Status LED
• Metal housing
• 6.3 mm Mono jack input / output
• Power supply via 9 V DC power supply
• Current consumption: 95 mA
• Dimensions (W x D x H): 42 x 93 x 52 mm
• Weight: 170 g

The MOOER Groove Loop brings together both the Micro Looper and Micro Drummer into one micro pedal, for the ultimate in a portable jamming companion. Both elements can be used independently from one and other or simultaneously. When used simultaneously the looper will be automatically synchronised to keep in time with the drum groove you’ve selected and an intro click will be played when recording the first loop to ensure you’re in time with the groove.

This is a very modern device. Modern, in that the drum quality is good, even though there are very limited selections, it's well done. For it's size, features and price this is a slick little pedal and an easy recommendation.

• Highly intuitive looper pedal built for guitarists expands on the classic DITTO LOOPER with stereo I/O and loop import/export
• Stereo inputs and outputs for major setup flexibility – you can even plug in 2 instruments
• Export loops to PC or Mac to work with in your DAW, and import complex backing tracks into the looper to impress on stage
• 5 minutes of looping time with unlimited overdubs and undo/redo for total creative freedom
• True bypass allows for optimum clarity and zero high-end loss when the pedal is off
• Analog-Dry-Through maintains total integrity of analog dry signal path even when looper is engaged
• 24-bit uncompressed audio for ultimate sound quality
• Runs on 9 V batteries or POWERPLUG 9 power supply to fit your needs (not included)
• Access a wealth of StarJam loops by famous guitarists for hours and hours of fun, practice, and inspiration

The most intuitive and amazing looper known to musickind is back. Packing a wealth of cool creative features that’ll see you jam along with the cream of the crop in music today via the innovative StarJam feature, while creating multi-layered masterpieces in seconds flat. But first and foremost, DITTO STEREO LOOPER is here to give all you loop lovers what you’ve been craving the most – dirt simple looping in stereo!

You - In Stereo

There’s nothing like that super-wide sonic perspective you get from a stereo rig, it just rules! So why should stereo devotees not have a high-quality compact looper just like the mono-riggers? That’s why DITTO STEREO LOOPER offers first-rate stereo I/O options alongside True-Bypass, Analog-Dry-Through, the option of running on a 9v battery and 24-Bit uncompressed audio for maximum you. So loop that E-chord and be blown away over and over and over again.

Rock With The Best

In order to progress as a musician you need someone that constantly pushes you and your creativity to its very limits and beyond, and who’s better suited to do exactly that than the world’s greatest musicians! Enter StarJam, a cool and innovative concept that lets you load pre-recorded loops made by the likes of John Petrucci, Steve Morse, Guthrie Govan and Paul Gilbert into DITTO STEREO LOOPER, supplying you with hours of inspiration so you can progress to the next level. We won’t promise fame, glory and hot tubs, but we will promise an instant boost in creativity and fun!

StarJam - Jamming With Rock Royalty

So, what’s cooler than looping? Looping with the stars! Star jam allows you to do just that! We’ve got the coolest guys out there providing you with loops for practice, inspiration and having fun - free of charge!

How Do You Ditto?

DITTO STEREO LOOPER makes looping as easy as 1-2-3. No hassle or needlessly complicated stuff, Ditto Stereo Looper is boiled down to the essentials and makes control intuitive yet flexible, so guitarists can focus on what matters most: playing and performing. You press once to record, press once again to play the loop. Press once to add another layer of sounds (something you can keep repeating until you run out of ideas). You press and hold to Undo a layer and press and hold again to Redo. Press twice to stop, after which you can press and hold to clear the loop. Ah, if only life were this simple.

So what's the verdict? Great for quick loops. Overall, simple and fun to lay down a rhythm and lead over. It's one of the simplest looper pedals on the market but don't let that mislead you. What it does, it does very well.