TC Electronic Ditto Looper X2 review

With the Ditto, TC Electronic gave us an easy-to-use compact looper, but the new X2 targets seasoned loop fiends with a wealth of extra features.

Aside from a larger enclosure, the most obvious addition is the FX footswitch, which can be used as a dedicated stop switch, or to activate effects (reverse and 1/2 speed), chosen by a toggle.

You can also transfer loops to and from a computer via USB - another toggle stores and deletes loops, and along with the main level knob, adjusts the volume of a backing track transferred to the pedal.

Finally, you get stereo inputs and outputs, plus true bypass, while power comes via a nine-volt power supply, or one or two nine-volt batteries.

In Use

The Ditto remains simple to use: press the left footswitch once to record, again to play, again to overdub; press and hold to undo/redo, then press twice, or hit the right footswitch to stop, and hold to clear.

You get five minutes of loop time, unlimited overdubs, analogue dry-through and 24-bit audio, for remarkably faithful sound reproduction.

The effects sound great, too: 1/2 speed slows your loop and transposes it down an octave, while reverse offers instant psychedelia. To store or load a loop, you drag and drop on to your computer, although the pedal can operate only one at a time.

TC has upped the Ditto's functionality while keeping the simplicity and audio quality that made the original a hit, and that makes the X2 a winner.