Considered an ‘intuitive’ looper, the Ditto Jam X2 has the ability to work with a band by moving tempo. How? TC has developed BeatSense technology, which adjusts the looper to your beat/groove/tempo. Tech-wise, the Ditto has two onboard microphones and an external microphone (that can be clipped under a snare drum, for example) that detect rhythmic elements and adjust the loop to fit. It’s fairly easy to start looping with input/output jacks on the top of the pedal 9VDC or battery power and footswitches for Loop and Stop. The Level control is one of the most used with any looper, allowing you to control the volume of the section you’ve just recorded. This is made easy thanks to the sizeable knob that can easily be located on your pedalboard by hand or even by foot.
As a standard, straightforward looper, the Ditto X2 Jam is great for practising, jamming ideas and creating parts. The controls are clear and easy to use, and the Loop Level dial is big and placed front and centre, meaning you can use your foot to adjust fairly easily. Unlimited loops mean you can build big soundscapes with ease, and the whole unit feels tough and seriously giggable. You can also use tap tempo in practice mode to slow down or speed up your loop—great for practising licks/arpeggios/parts and the like against a backing/loop/chord progression. Factor in the Jam BeatSense technology and you’re opening up a whole new world.
Realistically, you can play and loop as you would when you jam with a drummer—you don’t have to all listen in to lock in with the loop as the loop will adjust to the drummer’s tempo, allowing for the slight ebb and flow that most musos experience. It’s a creative tool for loopers and live guys that want to extend the full band interactivity idea, and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of interest in this little Ditto.
