Wow, I'm just now getting into looping and have acquired the Ditto X4, and you've really opened my eyes to what's possible. I can't wait to begin experimenting. Thank you for taking the time to patiently explain your process : )
+Tyrion Lannister Oh those happy days of youth! ;) My first King Crimson album was acquired at age 14. Was immediately hooked, and have been listening to Fripp ever since!
Same here, man, same here. I was blown away to see on Facebook yesterday that Starless and Bible Black turned 40. That can't be, since it implies I'm no longer a teenager. ;-)
Nicely shot, nicely edited, nicely explained. You're actually really into what you do music wise and patiently explain what you're doing. Though no matter how many secrets or tips you give away its all down to the individual player in the end. Another great clip Bill. Greetings from London UK
That was absolutely mindblowing. Great playing and great review of the pedal, thank you. Also when I realise that Robert Fripp thought this system up "just" with tapes it makes me appreciate the man even more.
Love Frippertronics. And you demonstrate this perfectly. I've got a Ditto x4 and it is my jamming buddy, but coupled with the Triple Delay, makes a soundscape that reaches the 'nth' dimension. Great demo Dude. Subscribed!
Decent pedagogy on what/how to work this pedal (like 60% towards mastery of SnS technique). That said, it's the best video out there for this pedal and I think TC thought this pedal was more intuitive than it actually is. Lots of power as a looper but to master it requires skills & history only a sage like CoO embodies.
First of all, excellent channel sire! I recently bought one of these buggers, tremendous! MIDI sync on it is absolutely seamless. Been jamming along with my iPad/MIDI interface with various rhythm, looper and synth apps to great succes. I've had a Boss RC-50 for years and never once managed to get it to sync to anything, but this worked immediately... TC have nailed it with this fella!
Bill, one thing I've been messing with lately on my Ditto X4 is playing a loop on channel one while turning channel two into a long delay by turning the decay knob all the way back. The way I manage it is by saving the loop in channel 1 by flipping the store switch for that channel. Once the loop in channel 1 is saved, it will not fade out even though the decay knob is dialed all the way back. For channel two, I then record dead air for the length of the first loop and then play over that track in overdub mode. The result is that I am soloing over the loop in channel 1 in counterpoint to what I played a few seconds previously. It is absolutely incredible what you can wring out of the Ditto X4. I'd love it if you could make more videos deep diving into the features of that pedal.
Have you tried messing with two different loop lengths so that each time it repeats it sounds different, kinda like a really random polymeter? I want one of these, and it's exactly what I want to do with it.
Fantastic video! I've been looking at getting a Ditto X2 for a while and thought that the X4 might be a bit too extravagant for me, but after seeing this I'm completely and utterly convinced that I should pick the Ditto X4.
Excellent! I still have my X2 (I used it in the video I posted yesterday), however, the X4 is definitely my goto. The loop decay alone is worth the price for me.
Thanks for the demo! I've been playing with two "little loopers" together lately (a Ditto and a Boss RC-1) and decided to take the plunge and pick an X4. I was impressed with what I'd seen/heard before, but I hadn't seen a demo of how the dip switches work. Very cool!
Glad you got some value from the video. I have to say that I've been using the dip switch option a lot lately. Also, there's a firmware update that adds some new features too.
thanks for this. Got a Ditto x4 for new year's/christmas but didn't get a chance to uncover everything it can do. Very cool with this switching business. Only Frippertronics I have now is build on a virtual setup in Reaper DAW.
Hi Orion - nice channel with good content, often thought trough, clear and logical explanations and a calm sympathetic persona + nice voice. Interesting to notice that TC-E added the feature of fading loop layers some time after I suggested this (but in another specific way) on their channel :) One glitch or shortcoming I noticed they still have , which seems to be in every pedal: after stopping the loop(s) and when proceeding to delete the loop(s) it will start playing the loop(s) for half a second. As you told the looper @ 3:26 "Shut up". It disturbs especially when the stopping of loop(s) is done only to move into another musical segment - not to stop entirely, or when the music is still ongoing (other musicians etc.).It is surprising how they haven´t adressed a solution to such an obvious thing. If they´d for instance would use diffrent kinds of combinated switches, such as the common ones in modded Ibanez pedals, it wouldn´t even need more space to have "quicker foot commands". Anyways, thank you for your quality work.
Thanks for watching the video! Actually, the reason why I said "shut up" was because the loop was still going. I then stepped on the dedicated "stop" switch to delete the loop as it was playing. It actually does a silent delete without starting a replay.
Ah, thank you for the useful info about that new feature. I am still hoping many manufacturers improve the logic and positioning of switches though, for live play purposes. This pedal seems to fit my needs the best for the time being, so I will order one for testing. Happy Yule tides!
A cool idea with this. What if you added in some side chain compression at the very end to this to give it that pumping/breathing effect. Also could be described as a phantom bass drum. Ambient-dance will be a ....well maybe not hit, but cool
Sounds great my friend : ). Seems lately like I am financially supporting TC Electronics, lol. I have quite a few of their pedals on my board... and I am picking up the Trinity 2 today. The Ditto X4 is now next on the list. My wife is going to kill me.
Indeed. And digital synths, too. Switching between sounds on the fly can make for some pretty varied atmospheres. If I get anything good, I'll link up a track. Looking at working with a guitarist with the goal of doing our own version of Fripp/Eno.
Hi! I'm looking for a good looper to sync my bass loops with : arturia drumbrute and 2 synths (Monologue and Minilogue). Do you recommand that one? easy to sync all the stuff? Recommand to put the looper as the master device? How do you use it? Thx!
Great information, thanks! It's an old video but still the Ditto X4 is still available. What is your take on Ditto X4 today? There are some complaints that they go out of function after some time... I also understand that TC Electronic was bought by a bigger company, so production standards may have changed... Thanks!
I'm not sure if you've every explained this, but what kind of overdrive do you use and what settings do you use to get it to dirty up like you do? It seems difficult to get a nice dirt sound with my tubescreamer going into a clean amp and I don't want to use a straight up distortion box.
I use several overdrives depending on my mood. My current favorite is the Strymon Riverside. This particular video features the Rockett Pedals Allan Holdsworth Overdrive (all pedal information is in the video description). Not sure of the exact settings, except it will be lots of mids.
Actually have a question 4 ya < Ambient Chord Master > why did you choose to call your channel 'Chords of Orion' N not 'Chords of Sirius' or 'Chords of Nibiru' // Hope my question would make sense
Sure! the inspiration for the name comes from the Old Testament in the book of Job (38:31) when God asks Job "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?" Obviously, "Chords" replaces "Cords". :-)
I have a setup including the Dittox4 and Triple Delay and would like to add a Behringer Crave (or other) sequencer to my system so that the loops are synchronized with whatever is sounding on the sequencer. Can it be done, with the Ditto's MIDI in perhaps?
Very cool pedal. We are kind of spoiled with technology. Imagine the hoops Robert Tripp had to jump through to create these tones and sounds that we can dial up at the flick of a switch. I wonder what technology Fripp is using these days. Thanks for another great demo.
Agreed that we some amazing options these days! I found a link from a couple years ago that runs through Fripp's tour setup. No reel tape deck in sight! www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/rig-tour-robert-fripp-609374
Hi Bill! Thanks for your video performances! Questions: How many seconds each track can be long? BTW in 2023 do you would still recommend the Ditto X4? Or do you think there are better alternative in that level of price (for frippertronics stuff) ? BTW I'm Giorgio Robino, author of SOLYARIS MUSIC. Thanks again
Great video. Quick question that I havent been able to find an answer to -- Does loop decay only fade overdubs? Or does it gradually fade the loop layers as the loop repeats, in play mode?
The decay knob only fades overdubs. When you switch into play mode, the layers play back without fading. There is a dedicated fade effect for fading everything out at the end of a piece.
So the decay function only decays loops as you add more, right? In play mode, when you're doing your warm fuzzy soloing, the current loops do not fade. So this looper is quite good at creating a quasi-Frippertronics effect, but it's not quite the same as the real thing (sonically) where it's a constant very gradual fade-out. It seems to get something just like the Frippertronics effect we'll just have to wait for the Frippertronics™ pedal!
Yes, it only fades when in record mode. When you switch it to play, it just plays. As far as a good Frippertronics pedal goes, the Strymon El Capistan in Sound on Sound mode seems like a good contender to me. You can do up to 20 second decaying "tape" loops, which is similar to the real thing. I will have to get one someday and give it a try.
Oh wow, I didn't hear of that pedal yet. It sounds very much like the "Fripptertronics™" pedal to wish for. I bought the X4 hoping to use it as a Frippertronics-like pedal, but I might just switch it for the El Capistan now. Thank you very much for the info friend, love your videos!
Astute observation and extremely useful discussion here. Two Boss DD-20's may provide an elegant solution as well, with 29 second decaying loops (over Capistan's 20).
Many thanks for the hard work. From what I can tell, you're starting with the Wampler Ego Compressor, then going into the J. Rockett Pedals Allan Holdsworth Overdrive. Those follow into the Morley Little Alligator Volume Pedal which sends the signal to the TC Electronic Ditto X4 Looper. Finally the Looper is going into the Triple Delay for ambient treatment. That right? In what situations would you use the delay BEFORE the looper and why? Thank ye, sir!
You are basically correct in terms of the pedal order. The thing is that I run the volume pedal, looper and delay in the effects loop of my Avid Eleven Rack. But if you were to replicate into the front end of an amp, you are spot on. as far as ordering between the looper and the delay goes, it all depends on whether you want the delay in the loop recording, or if you want to delay after the loop is recorded. I normally go for the latter because I tend to use a lot of longer delays with lots of repeats. This type of thing is difficult to capture smoothly in a loop. Normally the delay tails will get cut off. But in the case where you might want one type of delay on a loop layer, then switch to another delay type for another layer, placing the looper after the delay makes sense.
I appreciate the explanation. Your pedal order makes sense to me now. Next step for me is to ditch my amp, make the stereo connections and use a PA system. Thanks again. Couldn't have made it this far without your help.
Thanks for doing these demos. Apparently this Ditto looper, which is pretty well thought out for performance purposes, has software issues that cause a tendency to freeze up the unit, which is not good in performance. I wouldn't buy a looper anymore unless it had an SD card for storing & transferring loops. I don't want to have to hook up to a computer to save a loop.
Dear Bill, very nice. Could please explain a bit about "delaying the loop and not looping the delay"? Not sure I get what's the difference. I have not tried frippertronics (yet) but I always have the loop at the very end of the chain. Thanks!
So, if you have the looper at the very end of the chain, you are "looping the delay". In other words, you are recording the guitar signal with the delay and then looping that. Because I tend to use longer delays, I prefer to place the delay AFTER the looper so that the dry guitar signal is recorded, and then the loop is sent to the delay. There is no right or wrong, it's just that the placement of the looper pedal vs. the delay produces different results.
Hmmm... thanks. But that much I got already. Can you tell what is the differnece in sound? I have made some tests with my loops (differnt looper and differnet delay) and I hear no difference. Thanks.
Zorionak2010 If the delay is short enough not to be chopped off by the looper, then there would be no real difference in the sound. it's just when the delay times are longer. Also, if you want to switch delay settings/types for different loop layers, then you would also need the delay in front of the looper.
Excellent demo. However one question: Does the Ditto makes the first lines that you put in weaker and weaker as you go along, as in a real long delay unit (or tape setup) ? I thought it could just do regular loops that repeats without fading out. That's the main difference and a crucial difference between pure Frippertronics, and just any kind of looper. Can you use the looper as a regular delay too?
Yes, the X4 does decay if you turn the decay knob down. Check out 4:17 and following where I discuss turning the decay knob down to all layers to disappear. Also, you might want to check out my general demo of the X4 where I discuss the decay knob: ua-cam.com/video/WEZDhsZyT_A/v-deo.htmlm3s. Hope this helps!!
+Dan Jack-son I use an Avid Eleven Rack amp modeller. The amp type was a Fender Vibrolux. Volume: 5, Treble: 7, Mid: 7, Bass: 3. The overdrive Bass and Treble were about mid way. In the video, when I turn the distortion on, you can see me roll of the tone control. It's almost all the way down. Hope this helps!
I assume you are thinking of this in the context of Frippertronics? No - I still like this looper best for that purpose. The other standout is the Strymon El Capistan. Although it is a delay pedal and can't do 2 different loops, it does the tape delay thing really well, which is great for more vintage Frippertronics effects.
With this one can I record and play different parts of the song : verse. chorus, bridge all during a live performance not using my hands (pedals or footswitches only)?
Before you start the Frippertronics demo when you say you are just going to show the distortion and ping pong delay, what is your setup there? That tone is freakin JUICY!
nice vídeo! look, I have a question. If you start recording then presa stop on the end of the Loop, can you start the Loop you recorded right before pressing stop? thanks a lot!
***** Sorry I did not get back. The link was bad, and just went to a UA-cam "oops" page. If you want to try resending, I will try to take a look in the next couple of days.
Not quite sure what you mean. Is loop 1 erratic, playing back at different speeds/lengths? If so, you may have a faulty pedal. It could also be that you are not getting the timing quite right when starting and stopping the loop. I sometimes have this issue if I haven't used a looper in a while. Takes me a bit to get used to foot coordination aspect.
8 років тому
Wonderful video as per usual! I was wondering if you know how the dittox4 stands against the Boss Rc 30?
Can you put two separate inputs; a mic and a guitar and loop them separately? like loop a guitar riff and then loop vocals on the second loop? or do I have to unplug the guitar and plug in the guitar?
Right, so correct me if I'm wrong but I could have both plugged in, record guitar on the first loop without touching the mic, then turn down the guitar and record a vocal loop on the second loop right?
Not sure what you mean - can the Ditto do what? Produce delays and distortions? But in any case, I would put the X4 in the effects loop as you suggest. That way you can place it wherever you like in the AXE FX2 effects chain.
+Forehand Anhyzer I like it very much indeed! I've now recorded my 5th album with the Pro 40 and am getting started on #6. I really like the mic pres. Simple, clean and neutral sounding. Line inputs the same. Focusrite support has worked well for me too. The only nitpick I have is that the mic pres could use a little more gain - not quite enough for a non-powered ribbon mic.
You could approximate the looping aspect, but not the loop decay. Take a listen to the classic Fripp/Eno "Air Structures". ua-cam.com/video/agcU3sgTVbM/v-deo.html. You can really hear how the layers degrade as they are recorded and then rerecorded over and over again.
As far as I can tell, it is limited to MIDI sync in order to keep the loops in timing with other tempo based effects. For example, I have connected it to my computer via a MIDI cable and then set the tempo on my recording software and automatically had the X4 sync up to it.
My pedal setup changes radically from piece to piece. On this video, I used the following pedals: Wampler Ego Compressor J. Rockett Pedals Allan Holdsworth Overdrive Morley Little Alligator Volume Pedal TC Electronic Ditto X4 Looper TC Electronic Flashback Triple Delay
As of October 2016, none of my videos are sponsored. I actually purchased all the pedals and use them. If I do ever get any sponsorships (hint, hint Strymon, TC Electronic and Neunaber!! :-)), I will be sure to clearly communicate that in the video.
You can't start and stop either of the channels independently, once you're running two loops you're either playing them both or stopping them both. You can bring either one in at a time, but not take one or the other out independently.
these must have been designed by non musicians. some songs require record play overdub another ones record overdub play . so when you have a list of songs you have to bendover and change the modes all the time. useless for live playing. Best looper pedal by far is Jamman solo xt. you buy two of them about the same price as this one. you synch it with each other. that's it
Wow, I'm just now getting into looping and have acquired the Ditto X4, and you've really opened my eyes to what's possible. I can't wait to begin experimenting. Thank you for taking the time to patiently explain your process : )
Glad the video was helpful!!
Oh, dude, taking me back to my youth, listening for hours to Fripp's albums and spacing out happily. ;-) Great stuff.
+Tyrion Lannister Oh those happy days of youth! ;) My first King Crimson album was acquired at age 14. Was immediately hooked, and have been listening to Fripp ever since!
Same here, man, same here. I was blown away to see on Facebook yesterday that Starless and Bible Black turned 40. That can't be, since it implies I'm no longer a teenager. ;-)
Nicely shot, nicely edited, nicely explained. You're actually really into what you do music wise and patiently explain what you're doing. Though no matter how many secrets or tips you give away its all down to the individual player in the end. Another great clip Bill. Greetings from London UK
+Kick biker Good observation regarding the individual player. It's all about what you do with what you learn!!
That was absolutely mindblowing. Great playing and great review of the pedal, thank you.
Also when I realise that Robert Fripp thought this system up "just" with tapes it makes me appreciate the man even more.
+Michal Pfeifer Agreed! Fripp was and continues to be so influential... And thanks for commenting!!!!
I thought it was Brian Eno who came up with the idea?
Got to see Robert Fripp Frippertronics show in the mid 80s,got to meet him on stage after and check out his setup.
Me three. @asarapi
Got a ditto X4 after watching this demo. Really nice piece of equipment, very happy with it. Thanks
This is great, thank you for explaining in depth for those of us who don’t read the manual.
Love Frippertronics. And you demonstrate this perfectly. I've got a Ditto x4 and it is my jamming buddy, but coupled with the Triple Delay, makes a soundscape that reaches the 'nth' dimension. Great demo Dude. Subscribed!
Thanks!!!!!!!
Decent pedagogy on what/how to work this pedal (like 60% towards mastery of SnS technique). That said, it's the best video out there for this pedal and I think TC thought this pedal was more intuitive than it actually is. Lots of power as a looper but to master it requires skills & history only a sage like CoO embodies.
First of all, excellent channel sire! I recently bought one of these buggers, tremendous! MIDI sync on it is absolutely seamless. Been jamming along with my iPad/MIDI interface with various rhythm, looper and synth apps to great succes. I've had a Boss RC-50 for years and never once managed to get it to sync to anything, but this worked immediately... TC have nailed it with this fella!
Excellent. Thanks for the comments on MIDI sync. I've only used it a couple of times, but it worked really well.
Got the pedal yesterday. Love it. Thanks for the instruction. Thanks
Bill, one thing I've been messing with lately on my Ditto X4 is playing a loop on channel one while turning channel two into a long delay by turning the decay knob all the way back. The way I manage it is by saving the loop in channel 1 by flipping the store switch for that channel. Once the loop in channel 1 is saved, it will not fade out even though the decay knob is dialed all the way back. For channel two, I then record dead air for the length of the first loop and then play over that track in overdub mode. The result is that I am soloing over the loop in channel 1 in counterpoint to what I played a few seconds previously. It is absolutely incredible what you can wring out of the Ditto X4. I'd love it if you could make more videos deep diving into the features of that pedal.
Have you tried messing with two different loop lengths so that each time it repeats it sounds different, kinda like a really random polymeter? I want one of these, and it's exactly what I want to do with it.
@@Patrick-857 challenge accepted!
just got this one yesterday and it´s magick
didn´t know about these switches yet so thanks
+Cesnakov You are welcome!!!
really enjoyed this and the way you present.
As with your Fripp, I had a similar obsession with Steve Hillage scales and delay work
Hillage = cool! And thanks very much!
Hillage was a monster player back in the day.
Fantastic video! I've been looking at getting a Ditto X2 for a while and thought that the X4 might be a bit too extravagant for me, but after seeing this I'm completely and utterly convinced that I should pick the Ditto X4.
Excellent! I still have my X2 (I used it in the video I posted yesterday), however, the X4 is definitely my goto. The loop decay alone is worth the price for me.
Yeah it never occured to me how useful that decay knob would be for looping until I saw this.
Thanks for the demo! I've been playing with two "little loopers" together lately (a Ditto and a Boss RC-1) and decided to take the plunge and pick an X4. I was impressed with what I'd seen/heard before, but I hadn't seen a demo of how the dip switches work. Very cool!
Glad you got some value from the video. I have to say that I've been using the dip switch option a lot lately. Also, there's a firmware update that adds some new features too.
thanks for this. Got a Ditto x4 for new year's/christmas but didn't get a chance to uncover everything it can do. Very cool with this switching business. Only Frippertronics I have now is build on a virtual setup in Reaper DAW.
Glad you found the vid useful. I continue to use the "frippertronics" capabilities of the X4 on a regular basis. Super cool!
Very nice demo. I have it on my bucket list and one day. Thanks for confirming that I should so get this pedal.
Good to hear! Also, just so you know, I still use my Ditto X4 on a regular basis for SOS style looping.
Hi Orion - nice channel with good content, often thought trough, clear and logical explanations and a calm sympathetic persona + nice voice.
Interesting to notice that TC-E added the feature of fading loop layers some time after I suggested this (but in another specific way) on their channel :)
One glitch or shortcoming I noticed they still have , which seems to be in every pedal:
after stopping the loop(s) and when proceeding to delete the loop(s) it will start playing the loop(s) for half a second. As you told the looper @ 3:26 "Shut up". It disturbs especially when the stopping of loop(s) is done only to move into another musical segment - not to stop entirely, or when the music is still ongoing (other musicians etc.).It is surprising how they haven´t adressed a solution to such an obvious thing. If they´d for instance would use diffrent kinds of combinated switches, such as the common ones in modded Ibanez pedals, it wouldn´t even need more space to have "quicker foot commands".
Anyways, thank you for your quality work.
Thanks for watching the video! Actually, the reason why I said "shut up" was because the loop was still going. I then stepped on the dedicated "stop" switch to delete the loop as it was playing. It actually does a silent delete without starting a replay.
Ah, thank you for the useful info about that new feature. I am still hoping many manufacturers improve the logic and positioning of switches though, for live play purposes. This pedal seems to fit my needs the best for the time being, so I will order one for testing. Happy Yule tides!
Thanks for the video, good stuff.
Back in the 70's we had a similar term... It was electronics + flipping someone off=flippertronics
A cool idea with this. What if you added in some side chain compression at the very end to this to give it that pumping/breathing effect. Also could be described as a phantom bass drum. Ambient-dance will be a ....well maybe not hit, but cool
Sounds great my friend : ). Seems lately like I am financially supporting TC Electronics, lol. I have quite a few of their pedals on my board... and I am picking up the Trinity 2 today. The Ditto X4 is now next on the list. My wife is going to kill me.
+Dan Jack-son I know what you mean. Many $$$ lying on the floor in front of me too! :-)
Thank you ! Great video
Thanks a lot for this video, it was very helpful. One exceptionally cool application for this pedal is my analog synths. :)
Analog synths? That would be really awesome!
Indeed. And digital synths, too. Switching between sounds on the fly can make for some pretty varied atmospheres. If I get anything good, I'll link up a track. Looking at working with a guitarist with the goal of doing our own version of Fripp/Eno.
how is that project going? do you need a guitarist ?:D
Hi! I'm looking for a good looper to sync my bass loops with : arturia drumbrute and 2 synths (Monologue and Minilogue). Do you recommand that one? easy to sync all the stuff? Recommand to put the looper as the master device? How do you use it? Thx!
Maybe you're thinking more of a hardware sequencer? The Arturia Beatstep Pro would probably meet your needs.
I thought for sure you were getting ready to play Friction by Television, and I was like: Hey! I'm the guy fusing Fripp and Verlaine! :)
Great information, thanks! It's an old video but still the Ditto X4 is still available. What is your take on Ditto X4 today? There are some complaints that they go out of function after some time... I also understand that TC Electronic was bought by a bigger company, so production standards may have changed... Thanks!
I'm not sure if you've every explained this, but what kind of overdrive do you use and what settings do you use to get it to dirty up like you do? It seems difficult to get a nice dirt sound with my tubescreamer going into a clean amp and I don't want to use a straight up distortion box.
I use several overdrives depending on my mood. My current favorite is the Strymon Riverside. This particular video features the Rockett Pedals Allan Holdsworth Overdrive (all pedal information is in the video description). Not sure of the exact settings, except it will be lots of mids.
You have the best voice out there of any reviewer. Please tell me you do voiceover work... otherwise your talent is grossly overlooked
Thanks Carl! The only prfoessional voice work I have done is here on this channel. 😎
cool tech demo from the onion knight!
Actually have a question 4 ya < Ambient Chord Master > why did you choose to call your channel 'Chords of Orion' N not 'Chords of Sirius' or 'Chords of Nibiru' // Hope my question would make sense
Sure! the inspiration for the name comes from the Old Testament in the book of Job (38:31) when God asks Job "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?" Obviously, "Chords" replaces "Cords". :-)
Thx - Really interesting ...obviously i didn't find mine in the Bible lOl
I have a setup including the Dittox4 and Triple Delay and would like to add a Behringer Crave (or other) sequencer to my system so that the loops are synchronized with whatever is sounding on the sequencer. Can it be done, with the Ditto's MIDI in perhaps?
The Ditto X4 MIDI does support MIDI tempo. I use it frequently to send tempo information from Logic Pro on my computer to the Ditto to sync loops.
Very cool pedal. We are kind of spoiled with technology. Imagine the hoops Robert Tripp had to jump through to create these tones and sounds that we can dial up at the flick of a switch. I wonder what technology Fripp is using these days. Thanks for another great demo.
Agreed that we some amazing options these days! I found a link from a couple years ago that runs through Fripp's tour setup. No reel tape deck in sight! www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/rig-tour-robert-fripp-609374
Eno is using Augustus Loop software...very versatile. @@chordsoforion
Great video! Thanks for posting, sounds great!
+Aiden Bradley Sure thing!!
Great and informative video. Also, you have a lovely voice and accent.
now that's how you demo a product !
Hi Bill! Thanks for your video performances! Questions: How many seconds each track can be long? BTW in 2023 do you would still recommend the Ditto X4? Or do you think there are better alternative in that level of price (for frippertronics stuff) ? BTW I'm Giorgio Robino, author of SOLYARIS MUSIC. Thanks again
just picked up a ditto x4, I had the x2 but felt like I needed more. your video is inspiring!
Excellent!
I love your videos! What are your thoughts on the x4 a few years on? Any issues? :)
Still love mine and use it all the time. I had it freeze up on me once or twice. I then did the firmware update and all is well.
Great video. Quick question that I havent been able to find an answer to -- Does loop decay only fade overdubs? Or does it gradually fade the loop layers as the loop repeats, in play mode?
The decay knob only fades overdubs. When you switch into play mode, the layers play back without fading. There is a dedicated fade effect for fading everything out at the end of a piece.
Bugger.
So the decay function only decays loops as you add more, right? In play mode, when you're doing your warm fuzzy soloing, the current loops do not fade. So this looper is quite good at creating a quasi-Frippertronics effect, but it's not quite the same as the real thing (sonically) where it's a constant very gradual fade-out. It seems to get something just like the Frippertronics effect we'll just have to wait for the Frippertronics™ pedal!
Yes, it only fades when in record mode. When you switch it to play, it just plays. As far as a good Frippertronics pedal goes, the Strymon El Capistan in Sound on Sound mode seems like a good contender to me. You can do up to 20 second decaying "tape" loops, which is similar to the real thing. I will have to get one someday and give it a try.
Oh wow, I didn't hear of that pedal yet. It sounds very much like the "Fripptertronics™" pedal to wish for. I bought the X4 hoping to use it as a Frippertronics-like pedal, but I might just switch it for the El Capistan now. Thank you very much for the info friend, love your videos!
7 months later... Is El Capistan still the best pedal out there for Frippertronics? Thanks for the great videos!
Astute observation and extremely useful discussion here. Two Boss DD-20's may provide an elegant solution as well, with 29 second decaying loops (over Capistan's 20).
Many thanks for the hard work. From what I can tell, you're starting with the Wampler Ego Compressor, then going into the J. Rockett Pedals Allan Holdsworth Overdrive. Those follow into the Morley Little Alligator Volume Pedal which sends the signal to the TC Electronic Ditto X4 Looper. Finally the Looper is going into the Triple Delay for ambient treatment. That right? In what situations would you use the delay BEFORE the looper and why? Thank ye, sir!
You are basically correct in terms of the pedal order. The thing is that I run the volume pedal, looper and delay in the effects loop of my Avid Eleven Rack. But if you were to replicate into the front end of an amp, you are spot on.
as far as ordering between the looper and the delay goes, it all depends on whether you want the delay in the loop recording, or if you want to delay after the loop is recorded. I normally go for the latter because I tend to use a lot of longer delays with lots of repeats. This type of thing is difficult to capture smoothly in a loop. Normally the delay tails will get cut off. But in the case where you might want one type of delay on a loop layer, then switch to another delay type for another layer, placing the looper after the delay makes sense.
I appreciate the explanation. Your pedal order makes sense to me now. Next step for me is to ditch my amp, make the stereo connections and use a PA system. Thanks again. Couldn't have made it this far without your help.
Thanks for doing these demos. Apparently this Ditto looper, which is pretty well thought out for performance purposes, has software issues that cause a tendency to freeze up the unit, which is not good in performance. I wouldn't buy a looper anymore unless it had an SD card for storing & transferring loops. I don't want to have to hook up to a computer to save a loop.
I’ve performed many hours with Ditto x4 with no software issues.
Great video. Thanks.
Dear Bill, very nice. Could please explain a bit about "delaying the loop and not looping the delay"? Not sure I get what's the difference. I have not tried frippertronics (yet) but I always have the loop at the very end of the chain. Thanks!
So, if you have the looper at the very end of the chain, you are "looping the delay". In other words, you are recording the guitar signal with the delay and then looping that. Because I tend to use longer delays, I prefer to place the delay AFTER the looper so that the dry guitar signal is recorded, and then the loop is sent to the delay. There is no right or wrong, it's just that the placement of the looper pedal vs. the delay produces different results.
Hmmm... thanks. But that much I got already. Can you tell what is the differnece in sound? I have made some tests with my loops (differnt looper and differnet delay) and I hear no difference. Thanks.
Zorionak2010 If the delay is short enough not to be chopped off by the looper, then there would be no real difference in the sound. it's just when the delay times are longer. Also, if you want to switch delay settings/types for different loop layers, then you would also need the delay in front of the looper.
Very Cool! Thanks 4 Sharing. Peace
Excellent demo. However one question: Does the Ditto makes the first lines that you put in weaker and weaker as you go along, as in a real long delay unit (or tape setup) ? I thought it could just do regular loops that repeats without fading out. That's the main difference and a crucial difference between pure Frippertronics, and just any kind of looper. Can you use the looper as a regular delay too?
Yes, the X4 does decay if you turn the decay knob down. Check out 4:17 and following where I discuss turning the decay knob down to all layers to disappear. Also, you might want to check out my general demo of the X4 where I discuss the decay knob: ua-cam.com/video/WEZDhsZyT_A/v-deo.htmlm3s. Hope this helps!!
When you refer to distortion in the video, are you talking about the Holdsworth pedal?
Yes indeed. It's J Rockett Pedals Allan Holdsworth Signature Overdrive/Distortion.
Robert Fripp and Brian Eno were great on "No Pussyfooting" with his Frippertronics. But my question is what are your treble, Mid and Bass on your amp?
+Dan Jack-son I use an Avid Eleven Rack amp modeller. The amp type was a Fender Vibrolux. Volume: 5, Treble: 7, Mid: 7, Bass: 3. The overdrive Bass and Treble were about mid way. In the video, when I turn the distortion on, you can see me roll of the tone control. It's almost all the way down. Hope this helps!
And Evening Star.
I'm thinking of getting this and I was curious have you come across anything you find better since you did these videos on it?
I assume you are thinking of this in the context of Frippertronics? No - I still like this looper best for that purpose. The other standout is the Strymon El Capistan. Although it is a delay pedal and can't do 2 different loops, it does the tape delay thing really well, which is great for more vintage Frippertronics effects.
Your best yet-I wish I'd bought this one instead ! ;-)
Can the two independent loops run out of sync? That's what I need.
Yes - there is a small switch that allows the Sync Mode to be "un-synced" for 2 fully independent loops.
Great video.
+maxcohen13 Thanks!!
With this one can I record and play different parts of the song : verse. chorus, bridge all during a live performance not using my hands (pedals or footswitches only)?
did you find out? :)
Before you start the Frippertronics demo when you say you are just going to show the distortion and ping pong delay, what is your setup there? That tone is freakin JUICY!
nice vídeo! look, I have a question. If you start recording then presa stop on the end of the Loop, can you start the Loop you recorded right before pressing stop? thanks a lot!
I am not sure exactly what you mean, but I think the answer is "yes".
Chords Of Orion , I,LL send you a video showing what I mean. thanks anyway!
Mr Chords, did you receive the video?
***** Sorry I did not get back. The link was bad, and just went to a UA-cam "oops" page. If you want to try resending, I will try to take a look in the next couple of days.
Help please! I just got this pedal and I got a problem with the first loop not syncing with itself properly. Any idea what's up ?
Not quite sure what you mean. Is loop 1 erratic, playing back at different speeds/lengths? If so, you may have a faulty pedal. It could also be that you are not getting the timing quite right when starting and stopping the loop. I sometimes have this issue if I haven't used a looper in a while. Takes me a bit to get used to foot coordination aspect.
Wonderful video as per usual! I was wondering if you know how the dittox4 stands against the Boss Rc 30?
+Guido Dresmé I have never used the RC -30, but it looks like it may be a little more vocal focused, given that it has a mic input and phantom power.
Can you put two separate inputs; a mic and a guitar and loop them separately? like loop a guitar riff and then loop vocals on the second loop? or do I have to unplug the guitar and plug in the guitar?
Each loop is stereo. You can't separate the inputs.
Right, so correct me if I'm wrong but I could have both plugged in, record guitar on the first loop without touching the mic, then turn down the guitar and record a vocal loop on the second loop right?
Are the other pedals on or just in the chain. Can the Ditto do all this on its own? I will put this as Send/Return into my AXE FX2 XL+
Not sure what you mean - can the Ditto do what? Produce delays and distortions? But in any case, I would put the X4 in the effects loop as you suggest. That way you can place it wherever you like in the AXE FX2 effects chain.
Is the sound you are creating just coming from the Ditto or are there other pedals involved.
Yes, all the pedals described in the video are in use.
Thank you for your reply. Do you think I can achieve the same sound with the Ditto4X, an El Capistan and an Eventide Space?Also have a superego.
@@charlesperry3742 absolutely you can. He is using a distortion too though
Hello there. Is this pedal good for playing solo part of Nuages from KC?
No. The Ditto X4 is a looper, not a distortion or fuzz pedal.
how do you like that Saffire Pro 40? I am looking at getting one
+Forehand Anhyzer I like it very much indeed! I've now recorded my 5th album with the Pro 40 and am getting started on #6. I really like the mic pres. Simple, clean and neutral sounding. Line inputs the same. Focusrite support has worked well for me too. The only nitpick I have is that the mic pres could use a little more gain - not quite enough for a non-powered ribbon mic.
thank you for the response!
Once again, nicely done. I'm going to have to purchase one of these. I have G.A.S. Off I go to place my order.
Quick question ; how far can you take the Frippertronics thing on a Ditto X 2 - or is it not possible?
You could approximate the looping aspect, but not the loop decay. Take a listen to the classic Fripp/Eno "Air Structures". ua-cam.com/video/agcU3sgTVbM/v-deo.html. You can really hear how the layers degrade as they are recorded and then rerecorded over and over again.
Thanks for the info.....should have bought the 4
I'm curious about the MIDI ports. What are the possibilities?
As far as I can tell, it is limited to MIDI sync in order to keep the loops in timing with other tempo based effects. For example, I have connected it to my computer via a MIDI cable and then set the tempo on my recording software and automatically had the X4 sync up to it.
@@chordsoforion Sounds like a great feature. I'll probably buy one soon. Thanks for the reply.
Great demo! Just curious, whats your pedal setup?!
My pedal setup changes radically from piece to piece. On this video, I used the following pedals:
Wampler Ego Compressor
J. Rockett Pedals Allan Holdsworth Overdrive
Morley Little Alligator Volume Pedal
TC Electronic Ditto X4 Looper
TC Electronic Flashback Triple Delay
Is it possible to connect that looper with IPad drum machine? Via midi input and output?
Idea is to use that looper with IPad instead of beat buddy...
Nice
hi, I just so booth video, good job!!!! do you know if this looper can send midi time clock? I see that have no midi-out. Thanks!
Can you tell how much delay did you dialed in the TC Flashback?
I don't remember specifically, however, it was pretty short, something in the 200-300 ms range.
Needs an EBow!
I agree - everyone needs one! :-)
Are these videos sponsored ?
As of October 2016, none of my videos are sponsored. I actually purchased all the pedals and use them. If I do ever get any sponsorships (hint, hint Strymon, TC Electronic and Neunaber!! :-)), I will be sure to clearly communicate that in the video.
Thanks for the response. Love your videos, keep it up!
Loops
You can't start and stop either of the channels independently, once you're running two loops you're either playing them both or stopping them both. You can bring either one in at a time, but not take one or the other out independently.
That is not correct. I start and stop each loop independently all the time.
these must have been designed by non musicians. some songs require record play overdub another ones record overdub play . so when you have a list of songs you have to bendover and change the modes all the time. useless for live playing. Best looper pedal by far is Jamman solo xt. you buy two of them about the same price as this one. you synch it with each other. that's it
ボブこれに、ワンギターツーアンプだよね、御仕舞いだよ。
フリップは、終わりだよね。
ATD not OCD is what I would call your product reviews ..... Attention To Detail!
+Kick biker Ha! My kind of OCD is "Old Codger Dissembling". ;-)