User Manual

19
Using the Looper
One of the coolest and most beloved features of the classic DL4 was its built-in "Loop
Sampler," and indeed one of the reasons you still see that big, road-worn green box
on so many players’ pedalboards to this day! We’ve not only included all the features
and fun of the original Loop Sampler, but we’ve also expanded loop times, added a
microSD card slot for huge recording capacity, and even appended a new, simple 1
Switch Looper. We also changed the name to just "Looper" for simplicity (and because
"Loop Sampler" is, well... so 1999).
The Looper offers up to 240 seconds of recording time in the internal memory, depend-
ing on your settings (see the table below).*
*NOTE: Optionally, you can insert a microSD card—which increases the loop record time
to hours! See "" on page 19.
Looper Record Time (Mono & Stereo)
Model
Max. Loop Length
Half Speed Full Speed
Looper (Mono) 240 seconds 120 seconds
1 Switch Looper (Mono) N/A 120 seconds
Looper (Stereo) 120 seconds 60 seconds
1 Switch Looper (Stereo) N/A 60 seconds
“Should I Use the Classic Looper or the
1 Switch Looper?”
Good question! There is only one Looper “mechanism” within DL4 MkII, but you can
utilize either the Classic Looper Mode or the 1 Switch Looper as the interface to access
it. Use either to record your loop to memory, and the loop remains in memory until you
choose to delete it, or until you power DL4 MkII off. You can then use either the Classic
Looper mode or the 1 Switch Looper to play/stop the loop, add overdubs, and more.
See the handy tutorials within this chapter for details. Using the Classic or 1 Switch
Looper each has its advantages—summarized as follows.
Classic Looper
Turn the device’s Selector knob to LOOPER. (Note that the ALT/LEGACY
button always remains unlit when the LOOPER is selected.) This essentially
places all the devices’ knobs and footswitches over to a dedicated Looper
mode, where they control Looper-specific functions and parameters. You’ll
see the LED for the Play/Stop
/
switch appear lit dim green to indicate
when a loop is in memory.
When using the Classic Looper, one advantage is that you have the convenient, dedi-
cated footswitches (and their LED indicators) to control Record/Overdub, Play/Stop,
Play Once, 1/2 Speed, and Reverse. The Looper mode also includes a simple and
effective, built-in echo effect that is controlled via the device’s knobs (although, you
won’t hear any of your presets’ MkII/Legacy delay and reverb effects applied to your
input signal while within the Classic Looper mode).
TIP: You can actually start out recording your loop using the Classic Looper and start
playback, and then turn the Selector knob to switch out of the Classic Looper mode and
your loop playback continues uninterrupted! This is a nice option if you want to exit Looper
mode to load a preset with your preferred delay and reverb and have the effects applied to your
input signal while jamming along. Just remember that you’ll need to switch back into Classic
Looper mode to stop loop playback (unless you’ve configured the TAP switch to access the
1 Switch Looper, in which case you can use the TAP switch stop and control your loop.
1 Switch Looper
To access the 1 Switch Looper, you’ll need to configure the Global Settings >
"TAP Footswitch Assign" to control the 1 Switch Looper. You can use the
1 Switch Looper to record or access a recorded loop while not in Classic Looper
mode. You’ll see the TAP switch’s LED lit bright white to indicate when a loop
is in memory.
The advantages of using the 1 Switch Looper are (since you are not in the dedicated
Classic Looper mode) the current preset’s delay and reverb effects are applied to your
input signal, and you can continue to tweak the effects’ settings. Having all Looper
controls available on the one (TAP) switch also makes looping fast and simple (albeit
without the added controls offered within the Classic Looper mode, such as dedicated
playback level control, 1/2 Speed, and Reverse functions).
TIP: You can actually start out recording your loop using the 1 Switch Looper and start
playback, and then turn the Selector knob to switch into the Classic Looper mode and
your loop playback continues uninterrupted! This is a nice option if you want to utilize the Classic
Looper’s enhanced switching and playback options.