(tc electronic Ditto Looper demo / tutorial, part 2) Loop of the Week #22

[@robrobitaille1260]

Thank you for making this video. I just got a Ditto Looper and I've been frustrated by my loops not synching. I was going to send it back but I'll keep working with it. I see at about the 7:00 mark in the video you are tapping the pedal on the "one" and then tapping again on the "one" of the next measure. This makes sense. Thanks again!

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching, Rob. Yeah, looping can be frustrating at first, but keep at it. It's like learning a new instrument, so go easy on yourself. It takes practice and time. I'm glad the video was helpful.

[@jonathanmoyers3941]

These 2 videos have been incredibly helpful for me. THANK YOU! Glad I found them. I was sick of just demo videos with no explanation :)

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Jonathan Moyers I'm glad they were helpful - thanks for watching. I made the first tutorial video because so many of the other videos didn't actually explain how to do things.

[@stellartone671]

That last method is a great insight. You saved me bro. Thanks and I will pay it forward

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching - I'm glad it was helpful!

[@kikalunas7449]

Very useful and thanks for following up with this video rather than just replying on the other one to clarify a few things visually. Ive just got one of these dittos for my home studio pedal board but to plug into at the beginning of my signal so it can repeat a phrase to find the desired effect from my other pedals without touching my main boss rc2 looper to record the final version.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching, and for the feedback! I think what you've done in your studio is a great idea to test out the sound you get from your pedal board. I will often set up a loop at my live shows during soundcheck, and walk around the venue, to get a feel for what I need to change in terms of EQ, volume, and reverb.

[@guitarjoe411]

I just started trying to use a ditto lopper. notice I said trying. I found its not as easy as I thought it would be. I too keep getting a gap between tracks so I took your advice and it did close the gap more but hopping practice will improve it to my standard. thank you for the tips very helpful.!!

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching, Joe - I'm glad the videos have been helpful!

[@billwinner8546]

Thanks Jeff, good stuff here! I just got one today, my first loop device, and you've been most helpful! Mainly as a practice tool, 'cause I need a lot of practice! All hints appreciated!

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching and sharing, Bill. I'm glad that I was some help. Feel free to write if you have any questions.

[@Rectitude4U]

Thanks. I have a Boss RC-2 and it's too complicated for a beginning looper. I might have to buy one of these.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching, Frank - the RC-2 can be a bit much. The nice thing about the Ditto is that it is very simple, and it's only about $100 for a new unit. It does take a little while to get the hang of only having one pedal button (double-presses, press-and-hold, etc.). Good luck!

[@robert-jy4hr]

Need to know how you can transfer song files and can you import them too as there is a usb Also can you do more thann one song and have this stored in the pedal ????

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Good questions, Robert. Unfortunately, the answer is basically no to both thoughts. The USB port is only for firmware updates, from what I've figured out. You could record your loop, and then connect the output to a computer (like a DAW that has an audio interface with a quarter-inch input), and save an audio file that way. The Ditto only stores one loop session (original loop and any overdubs) at a time. This original Ditto was designed to be very simple. Thanks for watching!

[@Gabrielarbizazuluaga]

great man, GREAT DEMO. You cleared a lot of questions i had on my mind… awesome, really good and to the point. You´re the man dude! Now i´m sure i want to buy this and how does it works. Cool thanks!

[@JeffMillerOnline]

I'm glad I was able to help. Feel free to ask questions, if you have any.

[@mitchbell]

I am really looking forward to the Ditto X2.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Eh. I'm a little miffed by tc electronic's marketing for this line of pedal. They brought out the ditto, saying that it was "pure looping", with nothing getting in the way of simply looping parts. No frills, no extra features, like so many other big looping pedals have. Now they bring out a second pedal, using the same name, and put a bunch of features on it.

[@mitchbell]

Jeff Miller Yes I agree on the TC Electronics marketing or product development angle. I bought the TC Flashback originally for it's form factor, decent sounding analog delay and limited looping function. Then they came out with the TC Flashback X4 which had the ability to record loops with the delay effect on (lacking on the original flashback). I didn't like the large form factor and price $$$. The Ditto was exactly what I wanted BUT not stereo and no 1 click stop (the Ditto x2 has these) Arggghhhh.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

I hear you there.

[@rebel2xtreme]

I found out pretty quick that I was hitting the record but not playing immediately...This was causing what I thought was a lag....then I realized I need to start right when I hit record.....problem solved. Good video

[@JeffMillerOnline]

+Joshua Tiemann Thanks for watching! I'm glad you figured things out.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

If you want to see the original demo / tutorial video (LOTW #2), here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYaoXot-l651orM

[@Shetlandshaun1]

finally an answer to my damn 'pause' problems! aka my timing sucked! thanks for the helpful info much appreciated!

[@JeffMillerOnline]

+Shaun C I'm glad it was helpful. The more you loop, the better your timing will get, so keep at it. Thanks for watching!

[@ParthusWarit]

First off: nice videos, keep 'em coming =) I got a question about the ditto too: when doing overdubs, does it automatically start to record for the overdub at the start of the phrase (i.e. when the light flashes) so it is synced like it does on many other loop pedals like the boss rc 30 e.g., or could you also start the overdub record at the 2nd beat and finish it there again? and does it record multiple overdubs with just one tap after having recorded the 1st basic loop, or do you have to tap it everytime again to end the 1st overdub, wait 1 measure and then tap it again on the 1-beat to record ur 2nd overdub? hope my question makes sense, its kinda hard to explain :D thank you very much =)

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching! Regarding your two questions: 1) No. There is no syncing with the Ditto Looper. It starts to record when you press the pedal switch, so you can start recording at any point during the loop. It keeps recording until you press the switch again, so the ending point of your overdub is also your choice. 2) Yes. The overdubbing continues until you tap the pedal again. If you look at the previous week's Loop of the Week video - Loop of the Week #21 ("Auld Lang Syne") - I lay down the original loop, and then I start to overdub, and basically overdub continuously for 4 or 5 minutes. I would be pretty upset if you had to stop after each overdub! Your questions made perfect sense to me! It can be difficult to put this stuff into words, so I hope my reply makes sense. Let me know if you have any other questions.

[@ParthusWarit]

Thank you =) If you dont mind me asking this too: which equipment do you use to get your sound? do you use an amp or an PA for your acoustic guitar? and do you have any kind of instrument-mic or smth like that in your guitar body, cuz in one video i think you sang into your sound hole of the guitar to get your voice onto the loop :D

[@JeffMillerOnline]

ParthusWarit I don't use anything special. I actually usually run my guitar through a cheap Acoustic (that's the name of the company that makes the amp) bass amp. I have another cheap Dean amplifier that is designed for acoustic guitar and vocals, but I use that as a monitor when I do live shows, so it doesn't make it on this series very often. I think this video has that amp in use: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4XagJZ8jsh1qqc I have run an electric guitar through another cheap (it's the first amp I've owned, and I got it used for $50, way back when) amp. It's a Gorilla amp. All of those amps are solid state. Here's a loop that uses that amp (once I start playing on the electric): Loop of the Week #12 (Spooky Halloween Loop) I have a PA system, but I only use it for my live shows. It takes a decent amount of work to set it up, so I just keep those amps in the room where I record, and I don't have to spend a lot of time switching things around. To be honest, I don't think the microphone (on the camera I use for recording) is very good, so you actually don't get the true sound of the amps in my LOTW series. My iPod Touch has a better microphone, in my opinion, but the video is not as good, and it's not easy to mount on a tripod. My main acoustic guitar is a Martin. I had it outfitted (after purchase) with a dual-source Fishman pickup system. I always get the names mixed up, but there is a "traditional" acoustic pickup (i.e., a piezo pickup at the bridge), as well as a condenser microphone in the soundhole. I believe the system is called the Matrix and the Prefix, and the control that allows me to switch between them and change my volume level is the Ellipse. I could be wrong about that - you can see how the names can easily be confused! I can look up the specifics on these, if you really want me to.

[@joekim8713]

great video I have a question though about erasing and bring parts with the ditto... for instance let's say I record two parts A and B, I can undo Part B by holding it and bring it back again.....that's clear... but what If I record A, B, C , is there a way to undo C, and B, and just keep A ... I hope I make sense thanks

[@JeffMillerOnline]

I think it makes sense. What Undo/Redo does is to undo and redo your most recent recording *session*. So, if you overdub part B and part C in the same session (i.e., without leaving overdub mode and returning to it), then undo will erase part B and part C (and then redo will bring it back). But if you overdub to record part B, then go back to playback mode (no overdubbing), and then go back to overdub mode to record part C, then undo will only erase part C. Parts A and B will continue to play. So.... in other words, if you stay in record mode to continuously record part B and part C back-to-back, then yes, you can undo two parts, and just keep part A playing by itself.

[@chrismyers4660]

Solved my hiccups. Thanks!

[@JeffMillerOnline]

CHRIS MYERS I'm glad it was helpful!

[@nobodysfoolband-kelleypete8169]

what if I want to record a verse, then stop recording while I play the chorus, then..when the verse comes around again, I want to engage the loop and solo over it? Another words, when you stop recording, can yo stop it from playing back immediately and click it on when you are ready to solo? Make sense? Thanks

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Hey Kelley, thanks for watching. This is relatively simple to do, and there are at least 2 ways to go about doing it. The easiest way to do it is to just allow the Ditto to keep recording all the way until when the next verse comes along. In other words, click the pedal on the downbeat of your first verse, and don't click it again until the verse comes around again. The pedal can record about 5 minutes, so you don't have to worry about running out of time (unless your song is incredibly long). The other way to do it only records the verse, and nothing else, but involves a lot more foot tapping. If you care about looping the verse (not just playing it one time) at some point, then this is the only way to do it. Start recording like you normally would, and when you get to the end of the verse, double tap the pedal to stop recording. The first foot tap should still be the downbeat, and the second foot tap should come quickly thereafter. I'm pretty sure that the little card in the packaging mentions this as well, if you want to see the way that TC Electronic describes it. If you simply want to solo over one verse section, the first method described above is much easier. I hope this helps - let me know if you have any other questions.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

How long of a loop can you make? The Boss rc3 you can make loops 10 minutes long if you want. I think the ultimate limit is like 50 minutes or something. The Flashback will only give you 30 seconds or something.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Paul TheSkeptic tc electronic's site says that it can record up to 5 minutes. That's a little shorter than I expected, but I never loop anything that long, so it's more than adequate for what I do. My Boomerang + records about 2 minutes and 15 seconds.

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

Jeff Miller Okay thanks.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

My new album, Loops, featuring Phil Keaggy, is now available at www.jeffmilleronline.com ! It features pieces from the Loop of the Week series. It's also available for digital download from www.cdbaby.com/cd/jeffmiller4 and was recently added to a select group of other services, such as Apple iTunes.

[@martinkoop]

I put a volume pedal right after the Ditto. . .

[@JeffMillerOnline]

That's a good idea, Martin. It wouldn't really work for my live shows, though. I often fade the Ditto out while another looper is running, or keep playing after I fade the Ditto out, if I'm just using the Ditto; I would need my live guitar volume to still be up.

[@trey_dizzle4161]

when im using the looper i try and start out with the beat and then i try and record the progression and it starts doubling the audio of the progression

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching - I can try to help. Are you saying that the audio is twice as loud, twice as long, or something else. I don't think I understand the problem at this point.

[@trey_dizzle4161]

@@JeffMillerOnline Im new to looping. But i figured out that i was over dubbing. i guess i need a looper with more features? im using the cheapest ditto looper they sell

[@trey_dizzle4161]

im trying to loop slow dancing in a burning room by john mayer. so i was trying to play the "Beat" then tap the button and play the intro to noddle over but it was just doubling the intro over itself

[@JeffMillerOnline]

@@trey_dizzle4161 I'm glad you figured it out! Single button looping pedals can be tricky. I always advise beginning loopers to get a pedal with at least two buttons, so you don't have to double tap to stop.

[@RonRivet]

I tried mine for the first time today and where yours slightly flashes at the beginning of the loop cycle and is a smooth transition, mine blinks and is a terribly obvious restart of the loop with an actual silent gap before the loop restarts. The light actually goes from green to clear back to green. Not sure if I`m doing something wrong or if something is wrong with the looper.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Hmmmm... I can't tell you for sure without seeing you attempt it. You could try to send me a video of you trying to use it, and I could let you know what I think. Usually, though, something like this is a timing issue on the part of the musician. I address this around 2:40 on this video, and talk about it for about 3 to 3 1/2 minutes. As for the blinking of the light - in "real life" (not through the lens of the fairly cheap camera that I used for this video), the blink of the light is more pronounced, so there probably isn't any noticeable difference in the behavior of the lights on our dittos.

[@RonRivet]

Thanks Jeff. I`ll try it again hopefully with better timing. I hope that is what the problem is and if it persists, I`ll try to get it on video for you. Thanks again!

[@JeffMillerOnline]

No problem, Ron. Hopefully it works out! It took me a decent amount of time before I got my timing to be acceptable for live performance. Let me know how it goes!

[@RonRivet]

Thanks Jeff. I will.

[@RonRivet]

Jeff Miller Hey Jeff, sure enough, my timing was off. I recorded a video with my beatbuddy drum pedal attached to my ditto. You can see it if you go to my KZbin channel and I gave you an honourable mention. :) Thanks!

[@smorgasgore]

thanks for showing all different ways to erase loop. unfortunately(not your fault) this doesn't help me in anyway as a solo artist. just to much going on playing wise to consciously do all that with my foot while moving onto next part of song. anybody know another pedal that is best for this besides line6 dl4?

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching and writing! I use this ditto for live shows (also as a solo act). If this is your first time using a looping pedal, then I'd suggest just getting more time in using the pedal. It's like playing another instrument while already playing the instrument you have plugged into it. It took me over a year to get comfortable with it in a live setting. If you have a bit more cash to spend, then I would recommend a multi-pedal unit. Any of them will be more user-friendly than the ditto (or the dl4, most likely). I use a Boomerang+ and a ditto during my shows. As for which model of multi-pedal looper you may want, each one has its own features, so someone else's preferences may not match yours.

[@smorgasgore]

+Jeff Miller nah man not a rookie at these. I did love the dl4 except it sucked tone big time live. sold the ditto and got a nano 360,problems solved! peace

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Cool - glad you found a better fit (and were able to sell the ditto). Do you just switch memory banks when you want to want to move on to a new loop now?

[@smorgasgore]

+Jeff Miller I do man. I basically use loop pedal for backround riffs while soloing so all the multiple tapping/holding to end the loop with the ditto was too much honestly. Especially doing acoustic solo stuff live,at least for me. it was cool to just play around with though but I love the nano 360. for me,personally much more practical but great vids you do! keep it up man,keep playing!

[@sabyasachideb]

worth it. thnanx jeff

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching - I'm glad it was helpful.

[@billwinner8546]

Well, Jeff, I'm getting the hang of it, but need to remember to turn up the loop volume after the first take. Keep in mind I'm a retired drummer with a new hobby and playing by ear. Wish I'd started on strings long ago. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXqsiZ2QaJ2Kh9U

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Bill Winner Keep at it! You'll get the hang of it. I think that I failed to mention in my videos that the volume knob should be left around 1 or 2 o'clock (pointing near the upper right corner of the pedal if you're looking down at it) in order for the recorded sound to be played back at the same volume that it was originally performed.

[@billwinner8546]

Thanks, Jeff. I've had it at about straight up 12 o'clock.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Bill Winner That's where I had it set for a while, until I noticed that the playback was softer. You'd think that 12 o'clock would be the logical spot for it, but I guess TC Electronic opted for less gain and more fadeout room.

[@MsOblivius]

YES... helpful Thanks

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Thanks for watching - I'm glad it was helpful!

[@4687878]

They want to hear that you hit the button on the one and hit it to stop on the one,..then there's no empty space !! (No disrespect) !!

[@Ben.Lofi_Guitar]

The mullet is real.

[@JeffMillerOnline]

Haha. I'm afraid it's an optical illusion, caused by the way that I'm laying on the floor and have my shoulders closer to my ears than normal. You may disagree, but I present as evidence LOTW 23 (kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGjGmZKoeLaJqLc), which was filmed a week later. We must also keep in mind that the technical definition of mullet is "business in front, party in back". Thanks for watching!