Electro-Harmonix 45000 & Foot Controller

ELECTRO-HARMONIX 45000
& FOOT CONTROLLER
£359 & £95
Is it a looper or a multi-track recorder? Err, it’s both, sort of…
AT A GLANCE
TYPE: Multi-track looping recorder
CONTROLS: 45000: 4x track volume
faders, dry out fader, mixdown fader,
Clix tempo fader, 5x panning knobs,
2x input volume, 1x headphone
output, 1x Clix level, track select,
stereo mode, new loop, ext clock,
quantize, reverse, punch-in, octave,
record, play. Foot controller: track select,
record, play, loop up, loop down
SOCKETS: 2x input, aux in, 2x output,
headphone out, monitor out, foot controller,
MIDI in/out, power, USB, SD card
POWER: 9V power supply (included)
CONTACT: Electro-Harmonix www.ehx.com
EHX
may call it a multi-
track looping
recorder, but the 45000 (an
updated version of the 28000)
has more in common with a
PortaStudio-style multi-tracker
than a standard looping pedal –
it’s got no footswitches, for a start!
Of course, that’s remedied by
adding the foot controller: hook it
up with a standard jack lead, and
it offers all the footswitching you
need for any serious live looping.
The 45000 records its loops (up
to 100) as wav files to an SDHC
card slotted into its side – the
included 4GB card offers up to 125
minutes of recording time. There’s
also a USB connection, so you
can transfer any loops you record
to a computer or load any sound
files into the 45000. There’s loads
of connectivity on the 45000’s
back panel, too, including inputs
and outputs in stereo or mono
plus a headphone output, which
can deliver a handy onboard
metronome. You can also send the
metronome to a separate monitor
output, which is indispensable for
keeping excited drummers in sync
with your precisely timed loops.
You can record those loops
freeform or use the quantize
function to aid timing. A 45000
‘loop’ consists of up to four tracks.
The first track you record sets the
loop length, and you can then
record complementary parts on
the other tracks, or overdub on any
track. That means you can quickly
build up some extremely complex
loops – especially since each track
has its own fader – and you can
mix down all four tracks onto a
stereo mixdown track, freeing
them for re-use. That leaves you to
manipulate tracks or whole loops
– there are buttons to instantly
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
reverse your sounds or run them at
half-speed an octave down, while
the tempo slider offers adjustment
of speed and pitch.
While you can do plenty using
the 45000’s controls when it’s
sitting on a tabletop, the foot
controller is essential for full
functionality. It adds footswitches
for record and play, track select
and switches for scrolling through
and selecting loops. It also shows
the number of the current loop
on a small display, something the
main unit doesn’t have.
The 45000 is more than just a
looper – it’s a very useful machine
for practice or composition with
some headphones plugged in
or through your amp or studio
monitors. EHX has even provided
some cool drum loops on the SD
card to play along with, or to use
as a springboard for songwriting,
and it’s dead easy to quickly
layer guitar parts on top of each
other. For live use, the separate
footswitch lets you keep the main
unit tucked away somewhere,
saving underfoot clutter and
offering plenty of opportunity for
creative performance.
There’s a lot of choice out
there in the looper market and
the 45000/controller combo is
by no means a cheap option, but
that multi-track functionality is
seriously impressive and could
be exactly what experienced loop
fiends are looking for.
Trevor Curwen
It’s more than just a looper –
it’s a great tool for composition
THE foot controller is
sold separately, but it’s a
pretty essential add-on.
It keeps your hands free
for playing guitar, and
gives you easy access
to your loops
FOOT CONTROLLER
PIMP your loops and tracks
with the octave button for
half-speed running and
downward pitching,
or the reverse button to
play them backwards
OCTAVE/REVERSE
SET the level and panning for
individual tracks within a loop
and you can mix them down to
the stereo mixdown track,
freeing up tracks 1 to 4 for
more loops
FADERS
GEAR ELECTROHARMONIX 45000 & FOOT CONTROLLER
DECEMBER 2013 97
TGR247.gear_ehx.indd 97 10/9/13 5:29 PM