# Loop Pedal Beginner



## wd3555 (Apr 4, 2011)

I was trying to put together a setup (for home practice) where I have a guitar and a mic going into a loop pedal, so that any sounds made by the guitar or mic can be looped.

The loop pedal only has 1/4 in input and output.

What do I need to be able to connect a XLR mic?

Can it be done using an acoustic guitar amplifier, or am I going to need powered speakers and mixer?


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## -ST- (Feb 2, 2008)

The Boss RC-30 has an XLR microphone input as well as line/guitar inputs.

BOSS U.S. - RC-30: Loop Station

Whether or not this works with your acoustic guitar amplifier depends on if you like the sound of your microphone through that amp.

I put my guitar effects and amp/speaker simulator between the guitar and the looper, 
run the microphone into the looper
run the looper output to a full range powered speaker system.

Works for me. 

I don't need a mixer to make this happen, but I have one for other reasons.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Using a mic in conjunction with a guitar into a looper will not only require some means of combining the two signal sources (with appropriate jacks), but a means of putting them on relatively equal footing with respect to level. Mic level, in the absence of any sort of preamp, is well below guitar level. And of course if you are feeding a guitar that may have gone into pedals before reaching the looper, that mic could even further below the level of the guitar. I don't have a looper pedal (though I'm thinking about it!), so I can't vouch for it, but I would imagine they have some capacity for balancing channel levels. Still, the range of level-balancing adjustment is likely to be insufficient to have bare voice mic and overdriven gutar fairly compete.

All of this points to the likely need for a small mic preamp. Rolls makes a bunch of nice little boxes that might provide a mic preamp and signal combiner. ART makes a small mic preamp that I've often seen sold for peanuts on kijiji. I'm sure Behringer has a cheap mic preamp, and have seen a number of inexpensive products like that at Canada Computers in their muisic section.


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## -ST- (Feb 2, 2008)

Hi mhammer,

The BOSS U.S. - RC-30: Loop Station has everything you mentioned as requirements - built-in. 

Separate input jacks for XLR microphone as well as a couple of line level inputs.
Simple microphone preamp with phantom power and level control.

I just spent the last hour with mine, and had no trouble getting a nice balance between the guitar and the microphone. I was running an acoustic guitar and microphone into the Boss RC-30 Loop Station. I sent the output to a full range amp. No other devices required.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

...which is why such full-featured units cost a lot more and are larger. As I understand it, the OP already has a simpler looper, lacking these amenities, and is not looking to purchase another. If they could manage some small DIY projects, it wouldn't cost very much at all to provide those amenities in conjunction with the existing looper pedal. On the other hand, at a certain point, if one has to buy those things, it may well be cheaper to sell the existing pedal, and/or trade in on one better suited to accommodate their needs.


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## -ST- (Feb 2, 2008)

Hi mhammer,

I may have misunderstood wd3555's original post and if so, I apologize. I wasn't certain that s/he already had a looper or that s/he was not looking to purchase another. I had been thinking about getting a looper for a decade or so, and when the Boss RC-30 came out, it hit the tipping point that let me pull out my wallet. Yes, it's bigger than some, and it's more money than buying some other devices to use in conjunction with a simpler looper. But the latest versions of loopers seem to have recognized how people want to use these things, and the newer ones are laden with useful features that eliminate the need for external devices. 

Here were the key features that seemed applicable in this situation:


Built-in XLR microphone input with separate level control
Phantom power on the microphone input. This is essential for my application because my main vocal microphone requires phantom power. The microphones that I use for recording my guitars without pickups also require phantom power. I recognize that this may not be essential to others but it was a significant feature for me.
Two channels (so that I can manage guitar track separate from vocal track). This has turned out to be very useful for working on vocal harmonies. I can create a loop for the guitar part on one channel, create a separate loop for the vocal part on the second channel, and then overdub guitar parts and/or vocal parts separately.
Up to three hours of recorded material. This has been huge for replacing the need to keep a recorder on hand to capture song ideas or recall previously recorded material for play-along practice.
 
Another approach would be to get a 2 (or more) channel mixer with an XLR input. Then run the guitar and the microphone into the mixer and take the mixer output (mono) to the looper. You can pick up a mixer like this new for under $50.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

No need to apologize. If I was going to try and count the number of times I had posted something without having reasd through an entire post first, I'd need a LOT more fingers and toes to do it.

Since we're chatting about loopers, you know what I rarely seem to hear about any more? The EHX 2880 looper: EHX.com | 2880 - Stereo Multi-Track Looper | Electro-Harmonix
Did they stop making them, or have people been drawn to other brands instead?


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