Music Minute Monday: Caitie’s Live Looping Setup
Looping is a skill set that at first I thought I was never going to master. My first loop station was the Boss RC30. A two pedal looper that was super powerful, and opened me up to the world of being both a rhythm guitarist, and a lead guitarist. Truth be told, it’s what made me a lead guitar player at all. I was a drummer who tried to get a band together, and when I couldn’t find players I decided to switch and play guitar and start an acoustic duo with my sister. So naturally, when I saw someone use a looper for the first time, I thought “Holy Crap! I can play drums and guitar all at the same time??? LET’S GOOOOO!” So I grabbed that looper, and decided I’d grow my skills to become a one-woman-band.
Fast forward to today, I am now using the Line 6 Helix Floor board, which albeit doesn’t have a powerful looper, but it will control an app on my iPad called “Loopy Pro”, which IS VERY powerful. (Both are pictured above) I like using the Helix because it is an “amp and effects modeler’, which gives me all of the tasty tones my little nerd heart desires. So, I can use all of it’s features and create an amazing sound that elevates my guitar tone. Loopy Pro is a really powerful app that allows for as many loop tracks as I want, but it also has effects processors and a rather amazing EQ feature, too. That EQ is rather paramount if you should want to beatbox and EQ the mic you beatbox on to have a crisp, tight sound. (This is something I do for my solo shows.)
Make no mistake, if you are new to the looping world, you will need lots of time to practice and to hone these skills. It’s not for the faint of heart. That’s why there aren’t many who do live looping at shows. It’s rather involved. But, if you’re a persistent student, (which everyone should be, no matter how experienced they are), you can get this skill mastered with basic tools, and then graduate up when you’re ready.
Do you think I should do a full length looping video on YouTube? Shoot us a DM on insta if this is something you think you and others would benefit from.
Happy Looping!
~Caitie
