POD HD Looper function

[rcarey]

Is it possible for Line 6 to do a software mod in order to get more recording time on the built in looper? It seems a shame to have to buy an external looper.

[bjnette]

Yeah I agree it virtually unusable and the advertized 45 secs record time was a "gotcha" Only 45secs slowed down.

Overall it is hard to complain when you include everything the the HD500 does.

Then compared to how much a looper costs. At 29secs it is a bonus.

 

I think just grin and bear it and buy a looper.

 

I was thinking of trying to utilize a digital multitrack recorder that can be controlled by a midi foot switch such as the HD500.

 

Be interesting if it possible? 

Maybe not.

[TheRealZap]

it is usable for creating tones and practicing over a riff here and there....

just not as a live looper in my opinion...

 

there are many other reasons i find the pod hd looper unusable for me... recording time never factors in....

it needs some quantizing and rhythm capabilities more than time....

having said that i picked up the monster RC300...

because it does those things.... as it was designed to be a looper...

the pod was designed to be everything else with a bonus looper lite...

 

there is next to no chance that the time or any other substantial changes will happen to the pod looper....

because it is and was a sort of add on afterthought and not considered part of it's core functionality.

you can always request it here: http://line6.ideascale.com/

who knows... they might surprise me... either way posting there will certainly give the concept visibility and likely enhance the nextgen pod if changing this one is not possible.

[alienux]

Yeah, this is the one thing that I've been disappointed in with my HD500X. I have a Peavey Vypyr II that has a 30 second looper that is actually 30 seconds. I was excited to have a 48 second looper and wasn't thrilled to find out that it's really only 24 seconds.

 

I don't use a looper often, so it's not a huge deal, but it was kind of misleading.

[Palico]

Yeah, this is the one thing that I've been disappointed in with my HD500X. I have a Peavey Vypyr II that has a 30 second looper that is actually 30 seconds. I was excited to have a 48 second looper and wasn't thrilled to find out that it's really only 24 seconds.

 

I don't use a looper often, so it's not a huge deal, but it was kind of misleading.

 

I agree the looper is just a extra throw in and would need more to be useful in peformance since. It is useful for trying out patch change thought. Just kick it in and then you get the exact same performance each time.

 

Note: You CAN get the full 48 seconds from the looper. Click the button for 1/2 speed BEFORE you record anything. It will not be selected when you first go the the looper.  You will then have the full 48 seconds.  The trick is the if you hit the 1/2 speed button while play back instead of slowing down the record piece to half speed it will double the speed.

[alienux]

I agree the looper is just a extra throw in and would need more to be useful in peformance since. It is useful for trying out patch change thought. Just kick it in and then you get the exact same performance each time.

 

Note: You CAN get the full 48 seconds from the looper. Click the button for 1/2 speed BEFORE you record anything. It will not be selected when you first go the the looper.  You will then have the full 48 seconds.  The trick is the if you hit the 1/2 speed button while play back instead of slowing down the record piece to half speed it will double the speed.

Good point about changing it to 1/2 speed first. I hadn't thought of that.

[Mincer]

The other huge reason the looper isn't useful live (I don't care about quantizing) is that it left out a simple thing that the decade+ old DL4 and M series has...the ability to control the loop volume with your feet. You can't map loop volume to the expression pedal, even though there is a parameter for loop volume. So, the code is already written to change the loop volume- they got so close, and we probably won't see this change. The HD does many things well, but a live looper isn't one of them.

[bjnette]

Never thought of selecting half speed before recording.that might help.

 

As for volume I think from when I was trying to make it work I learnt that you can put the looper  where you can select  and record different patches. Pre or post.

Using the volume pedal in this way is un alterable once your've recorded in the looper except it goes down in volume after each take.

With practice you can get a feel for the volumes needed    

[Palico]

You can set the play back volume on the setup screens but unfortunally never found a way to set it with a foot controller. I've tried to use it a live situation before at practice. Problem is I can't seem to click it on and off at the exact right timing so the loop doesn't jump off when the measure comes back around.

[TheRealZap]

this is what quantizing would fix...

:)

 Problem is I can't seem to click it on and off at the exact right timing so the loop doesn't jump off when the measure comes back around.

[Mincer]

The volume problem is that you can't fade loops in or out, like on the dl4 and m series. This is essential for any live improvisations with loops. I can't use the hd500s looper live for this reason- and neither can a whole bunch of people who make their music with loops. I have been working with looping devices over 20 years, so quantizing isn't really needed...for rhythmic loops, it is pretty easy to get the timing down with practice, and I don't do a lot of loops with a defined rhythm these days anyway.

[brue58ski]

This guy uses the HD500 looper in this performance.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMwSg6j6FKk

 

Many of you guys are probably already aware of him.  And he seems to often enhance his performances with another pedal.  Here's a quote from one of his other videos.

 

And I did overdub the loops with SOS-mode of "Boss DD-20".

 

So it is being used in performance. But I do see that there is much that many of you want, and would use, that it doesn't have. Making it fairly limited in it's use compared to, I gather, many other loopers.

[Mincer]

Yeah, he does pretty straight forward rhythmic loops, and with other musicians, it is fairly easy to cover for abrupt endings of the loops. What many solo improvisation based loopers do is gradually fade loops out while live playing continues overtop ( not looped). I really like the pod's overdub parameter too, as it is essentially a feedback control. This is a great idea implemented badly as this parameter is also not assignable to the expression pedal. If it was, you could gradually morph loops over time, then freeze the loops without having them fade, while you solo over them. But while Line6 implemented these parameters, they didn't quite see it to the end. I use other devices for looping these days, as the frustrations with the HD's 'almost right' looper will have the whole device in the s'sell' pile before long.

[brue58ski]

_{I need to check this stuff out.  Sounds like a lot of fun to watch let alone play. Almost the ultimate solo improvisational jam. Spontaneous creativity. I love it.}

[dflorey]

I've seen many thread complaining about the missing volume control - including myself. Still hoping for a software update so that I can use the looper live.

[Mincer]

I've seen many thread complaining about the missing volume control - including myself. Still hoping for a software update so that I can use the looper live.

Yeah, this was a constant complaint since the HD was released. I asked about it at NAMM, and was told that they were aware of it, but was unlikely to be fixed, as opening the code and inserting something might introduce bugs. I don't know if I buy that, but it doesn't look good for this or any other functionality to be added then. This seemed easier than adding new amps or deep amp parameters, yet it wasn't added with the 2.0 update. I don't know if the life cycle of the HD will make it to a 3.0 update, but my guess is no. 

[bjnette]

I was mucking around with the half speed on the looper which opens it up a bit but I understand the volume issue better and the unavoidable loop join glitch. I just needs some auto cross fade to smooth the transition. Totally possible to fix.

 

By making patches to suit looping will require major tone shaping even with different pickups and different guitars and lots of practice using it as wash out can't be fixed by volume alone.

 

Then if you really need one you probably buy a dedicated one.

 

But it is true there is one there that could be made better easily.

[juicyjones]

I think Line 6 has made it pretty clear that there's no real reason to elaborate on the looper in the HD500 beyond small improvements like what they've already done and yes please give us the volume pedal! 

 

I mean, research shows clearly that most players who use a looper at all use it for practice in exactly the way the HD500X makes it easy to do, and also just as clearly that people who do performance looping need and demand features that it's not cost practical to put into a general effects unit. The number of people who will actually pay what it costs for something like the HD500X with the features you see in the RC-300 is non-zero, but not by much. But I agree that the bare minimum includes access to the volume pedal! Come on guys! *facepalm*

 

I'd love to see a Line 6 Loop Station that matches the HD500x, and would sit exactly to the right. My imaginary L6 loop station has an expression pedal on it's left and the relevant buttons on the right -- connected by Variax or line 6 link of course to the HD500x. I'm dreaming.

[bjnette]

Actually, that is a good idea and one for the ideas scale.

Line 6 could reinvent a loop station and get a slice of the action.

[Mincer]

Was entered into idea scale she it first started, and before that, as a feature request. We are talking years ago. If it has ever been considered, there has never been an official statement about it, and certainly has never been upgraded to ' under review'.

[bjnette]

Line 6 aren't the only ones, nor the first aiming at make music making more accesible.

 

I'd guess their main attention is in the apps world right now.

 

And how to bridge an apps program and hardware like Amplifi to the harder drug of music addiction.

That would be Amplifi 

 

HOW DO YOU MAKE MORE PEOPLE ADDICTED TO MAKING MUSIC WITH A GUITAR

[dflorey]

The looper volume control should be relatively easy to implement and would be a great enhancement.

Why do I have to use a M9 and HD500x side by side just to be able to fade out the loop?

Nord is a great example for a company that provides regular fixes and updates even for instruments that are several years old.