Are you a singer who would like to enhance your performances with a vocal looper? Many of the best crooners with solid natural talent are using enhancements to their voices. These performers may want to create vocal loops that play in the background while they sing the melody over the top.
Perhaps your vocals are sounding flat today? No problem. Pitch correction is available with some units. Maybe you want to morph your voice into something lower, scarier, or even to sing alongside robotic harmonies?
Maybe you need help keeping time while you wail the blues. One of the most important uses of a good looper for a singer is to help prevent strain on the vocal cords.
This is probably one of the smartest reasons for the purchase of vocal effects. After that, it is all about emitting great sounds and an amazing musical ambience.
Top 5 Best Voice Loopers
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The BOSS RC-202 Compact Tabletop Two-Track Loop Station |
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The Pigtronix Infinity 2 Looper Pedal |
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Sonuus Vocal Condenser Microphone (Loopa) |
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The Zoom V3 Vocal Processor |
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Zoom V6 Vocal Processor |
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There are several great products on the market to choose from. The designs and the amount of features vary from device to device. Hopefully, the research in this article will help guide you in finding the best vocal looper for your performances and recordings.
Here are several reviews of vocal loopers you can find for sale on Amazon. The prices range from around a hundred dollars to almost four hundred. The quality and technical offerings are different. Knowing what you need the product for should guide your choice.
If you are a simplistic artist who just needs to loop a quick backing vocal, then a simple looper is all you need. If you are performing professionally or recording in a studio, and you want to blow your audience away, then you will need one of the better-featured music stations.
The BOSS RC-202 Compact Tabletop Two-Track Loop Station
This tabletop style of design means it can be operated by hand controls. It offers dual stereo phrase tracks. This unit is capable of handling various sampling effects.
There are four input FX tracks. It can store up to 64 memory banks each with its own individual custom settings. It can be modified to enable a footswitch, volume pedals, and a MIDI connection if desired.
This unit allows for several layers of effects to be looped all at once. It is a great unit for the price. It does not have a battery stand-alone option so busking or moving around a large area easily is not an option.
The controls could be more user friendly for some customers who are just starting their electronic musical journey. This is not usually an issue for performers who have more experience with pedals and other musical enhancement gear.
Pros
- Has two simultaneous stereo phrase tracks
- Four Input FX and four Track FX are available for processing loops at the same time.
- External control is expanded via optional footswitches or expression pedals, as well as MIDI.
Cons
- Not the cheapest vocal looper out there
The Pigtronix Infinity 2 Looper Pedal
This is a pedal style looper with a dual stereo that can loop for up to 5 minutes of recording. It has octave and stutter effects available with just a push of a button. It has two inputs, two outputs, and one for a remote device connection. It has a USB port. The interface is simple and straightforward to work with.
The unit does what it is intended for. It loops vocals and creates harmonies. For the money, it is an acceptable unit. Nothing fancy here. However, many feel there are better options on the market in this price range.
Some consumers have complained about the reliability of this particular pedal. They feel it stops working after some time due to an electronics issue. In general, the quality does not warrant the price tag compared to other brands. You get what you pay for in this instance.
Pros
- It includes a dual-stereo looper pedal with a 5-minute looping time.
- Has octave shift stuttering effects
- Has instant stop feature
Cons
- It may create a loud beep
Sonuus Vocal Condenser Microphone (Loopa)
This cardioid condenser microphone boasts a 13 minute loop time with pre amp low noise output. The audio processing has a 32-bit floating-point Unlike a regular microphone, this one lets you loop what you record so you can sing over it. The manufacturer supplies a cord for it so it is easy to just plug into an amp or a PA.
For the price point of around a hundred dollars, it is great for performing or recording.
It has great functionality according to most users, however, some reported the directions for it are missing from the box making it difficult to figure out how to use it. At this point, I hope that someone has created a YouTube tutorial.
Pros
- With an integrated low-noise pre-amplifier
- Has a high-integrity looper engine.
- Features 32-Bit floating point audio processing
Cons
- Manual instructions may be difficult to follow.
The Zoom V3 Vocal Processor
The Zoom V3 Vocal Processor has 16 effects that are built into the unit. You can create sounds like a beatbox. a robot a child, or a telephone. It has a delay function, with reverb, compression, and distortion for those times when your voice needs cutting edge vocal styles.
Two-part backup harmonies can be created Pitch and key correction is available. When needed. this unit can stream audio for recording. You can attach it to your mic stand or use it from a tabletop. It is battery powered so it can go with you anywhere.
It is under three hundred dollars from most vendors. When using a condenser microphone you have 48V phantom power that runs through your XLR cable. The USB sound quality is fairly decent for recording 16/24/32 bit and 44.1 kHz.
The possibilities with the Zoom V3 are endless. It is Bluetooth enabled. This is not just a device for a vocal performer. It can be used by regular folks for gaming fun. karaoke. podcasts. or recording original music and videos.
You cannot layer effects with this vocal processor. While it looks like a pedal device. it is actually a tabletop looper with an input for a pedal if needed. One con that has been reported is the lack of ability to set the correct key with the tone being sung. Other older loopers have the capability to do that.
Pros
- There are 16 built-in effects pads, as well as delay, reverb, and compression.
- It can be used as an audio interface to record and stream audio.
- Features Key and Chromatic Pitch Correct
Cons
- Some customers complained about being unable to use multiple processing effects.
Zoom V6 Vocal Processor
The Zoom V6 has even more effects and capabilities than the V3. This baby offers 12 voice effects and over ten studio-grade effects. You can use harmony, effects, and voice functions all at one time.
This unit has a pedal already built on top of the board. An sgv-6 shotgun directional microphone is included with your purchase. Over 40 preset patches are pre-programmed into this processor.
The autotune function can be very useful for many users. It is more expensive than some of the other vocal loopers on the market.
The Zoom V6 is even more dynamic and has more potential than the V3. It has more to offer than many comparable units on the market You pay more and you get more.
Pros
- Features 12 voice effects
- A highly directional sgv-6 shotgun microphone is included.
- Use up to three vocal processors from the voice, harmony, and effect sections at the same time.
Cons
- Some customers complained that the sound was overly processed.
TC Helicon Ditto Mic Looper Pedal
This is one of the most basic loopers found on the market and the price certainly reflects that It features user-friendly controls. An easy pedal style unit with a stop, loop, and loop lever controller on the face. The back has a USB port power input. and mic input-output source. It remembers five minutes of looping and overdubbing.
Users enjoy the ease of use with this pedal. It has a singularity of purpose that is great for some performers. It gets good reviews from the amateurs who are still learning the functionality of music equipment.
Complaints have arisen about malfunctions with the device. It plays for a second longer after you program it to stop. It could be a problem to use onstage and may function best as a rehearsal unit.
Pros
- Features automatic mic gain control
- Easy to use
- Loop length is 5 minutes, with unlimited overdubs.
Cons
- There have been reports of device malfunctions.
Boss RC-500 Advanced Two-Track Loop Station
This Boss looper is a “rock star of the effect pedal world.” It is packed with modern features and exciting options that will gratify most singers and performers. It can handle vocals and other instruments with just one unit.
The RC-500 has pre-programmed rhythms. and extra storage called phrase memory for loops created. The 32-bit AD/DA and 32-bit floating-point processor ranks as some of the newest technology on the market today.
This device can store up to 13 hours of recordings. An LCD screen is backlit and uses many colors. It can run on batteries or with an AC adaptor. It will easily fit into a packed pedalboard. It can be utilized to perform MIDI functions such as sync, DAWS, and drum machines.
A reverse effect causes some interesting sound waves. You can upload WAV files through the Boss online tone studio. This way anyone in the band could contribute jam tracks through this device. It allows the user to overdub as well. It contains rhythm banks that can make a solo player sound like an entire band.
This model is recommended for buskers and professionals of all genres and musical settings. It is currently the top dog in the Boss line. It is the most advanced and contains the most features.
At under four hundred dollars it might be a great investment for someone who is a serious musician or recording artist. It has a timing quantizer with plenty of memory. More than one user has found it to be an intuitive machine well worth the price.
One con is that it does not arrive with an AC adaptor in the package. One user had a problem with the tempo sync becoming disabled after recording two sequential tracks. A possible issue with the device sliding because there is no rubber padding underneath to help keep it still. Otherwise. a great effects looper.
Pros
- Features with next-generation BOSS technologies
- It includes 16 different drum kits as well as 57 preset rhythms with A/B variations.
- Has a multi-color backlit LCD for viewing loop status and editing parameters.
Cons
- The package does not include an AC adaptor.
What is the best vocal looper?
There are many different vocal loopers on the market. and trying to promote one over the other is just unfair. The needs of each musician vary so much. The Boss RC line has a looper for every price range from around one hundred to four hundred dollars.
Time of loop playback can vary widely from unit to unit. So can the number of effects built into them. The great sound quality is a notable characteristic that users enjoy.
The Zoom vocal processor line has various units that fall in the same price ranges as the competitors. The only difference I am finding is some of these devices seem marketed more for the home recording studio, gaming, and home use.
Expert Tip: The other notable factor when determining what looper is the right choice could be the style of build.
A tabletop is good for some singers who might put it on a stand, an amp. or a table in a recording studio. The other style is the one that connects to the microphone.
The most popular style seems to be the stompbox pedal style. Most of the units I have reviewed in this article are pedal-driven or tabletop with the capability to convert to pedal. This is because it is easier to switch between settings when you are playing live with just a touch of the foot.
Can I use a guitar looper for vocals?
Yes, it is possible. Guitarists do it all of the time. The looping functionality works the same. The voices and effects on a guitar pedal are different from ones designed for singers. If you are serious about singing and playing, having a vocal processor onboard your looping pedal is the ideal situation.
Expert Tip: Vocal enhancements like reverb, harmonizers, and digital effects can bring your sound up to a new level. The Boss RC-500 is designed just for the guitarist who needs vocal effects on the looper pedal.
A musician could also have the vocal looper attached to the mic and the guitar pedal effect looper on the ground. It is all about ease of use, budget, and musical style choices.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I have found that the musician needs to determine what they need a looper to do for them before making the purchase. It may be worth it to spend a little more money on something with tons of effects if you believe you will use them.
Managing these pedals can be tough for the newbies at first. New customers are very glad that YouTube tutorials exist to help them.
Getting to know every aspect of a new vocal processor is fun and worthwhile if you want to take your playing up to a new level. The main idea I am finding is the amount of money spent equals the best sound and the highest quality of workmanship.
If you have a question. please leave it in the comment section. Thank you.