Anyone using a phrase sampler?

[AlanThomas]

I'm considering adding a phrase sampler, like the Boomerang or Roland RC-20, to my setup. I've fiddled with the RC-20 a tiny bit at the local GC but that was pretty useless with all the noise in the place.

 

I'm mostly interested in using it during my solo acoustic shows but will inevitably plug the electric into it too.

 

Anyone been using one of these for a while? Any comments on the general usability, musicality of these things? Any horror stories?

[NMcGuitar]

A friend of mine uses the Line 6 delay modeler, which has a phrase sampler. He loves it. I've heard him use it on stage a couple of times, and I can tell you it sounds great. He seems to have no troubles getting it to do the things he wants - maybe he just really studied the manual and spent a lot of time practicing with it( ), but I'm going to bet that it's more likely that the thing is just easy to use ( ).

 

I don't know if this helps any, since I can't give you first-hand info, but take it FWIW.

[RDuke]

Here some Harmony Central user reviews:

 

Boomerang

 

Boss RC20

 

I bought a 'Rang+ myself, but haven't yet put a whole lot of time into it. Reviews generally write, not a good enough sampling for studio, but adequate for live use. Things I like about it:

 

* ease of use; just tap with your foot, afterall.

* ability to layer

* user configurable settings

* couple of ways to loop

* good hard case

* does double duty as a delay

* set line sensitivity level (three settings available)

* volume control roller

* more than adequate recording time.

 

Things I don't like:

 

* You can't save and recall, which means you make your loops while you play

* You can't undo layers; if you screw it up, you have to start from scratch

* Hard to get the proper levels when layering

* Loss of sound quality when layering

* Starting and stopping a loop has to be quite precise to sound right; I guess this just takes practice...lots of it.

* Current settings are LED coded; e.g. this one ON, this one OFF, bright or dim means ...

 

Really, I think it takes a skillful person to have the balls to use these things for live use. I guess that comes with a lot of practice, trial and error. It is, if anything, a great practice tool.

 

I haven't tried the Boss.

 

Rick

[Funk Jazz]

i have the rc 20 but haven't used it a ton.

 

to sum up though, the idea is better than the outcome.

 

it's a little cumbersome and touchy to do loops on the fly, so using it in the context of a live band is sketchy at best.

 

it's an amazing tool for songwriting and practicing though worth the money for that alone.

[Teahead]

What Funkjazz said! If you're going to use it as a practice tool and for a musical "sketchpad" than it's great, I've had endless fun jamming with myself and furthering my playing. Less so for live recording and playback.

 

I found the Line 6 Delay much better for live recording and triggering on the fly. For some reason the Boss was always tricky.

 

However, if you want to store up to ten pre-recorded samples or harmonies to trigger in your live set and playback to fill out your sound. Then yes, the Loopstation is an absolute contender. Good luck!

 

Tea.

[Dennyf]

An aquaintance of mine plays what would traditionally be a solo acoustic gig with a Strat and a Boomerang. Does a lot of blues, and he doesn't seem to have any trouble hittin' the switch on the turnaround to give himself a repeating 12-bar phrase to solo over.

 

He says like anything else, it takes practice. As long as you have solid time-keeping skill, you should be fine.

[AlanThomas]

Great comments everyone, thanks!

 

I definately wanted to use it live but it definately sounds a bit dicey, at least with the Roland unit.

 

And based on the comments here and a few elsewhere, I don't think I'd really want to put in the practice hours necessary to do what I want with it.

 

Anyway, thanks again for the comments...