The Boss RC-500 has several things that I think are essential in a looper, a built in click/metronome, and the ability to record vocal through mic in XLR input. In fact, it has built-in onboard rhythm tracks.
Midi in & Out, Stereo In & Out, and USB import & export for full computer integration really sets this looper apart. The sound quality is next level at 32 bit, and with a beautiful easy-to-
see LCD, and BOTH battery OR plug options for power. Game over. This is the most musical looper on the market.
Buy it on Amazon with This Link Here! Or by clicking the picture to the left.
When I first started playing, even the concept of a guitarist or a singer/songwriter being able to use a looper to record and play along with themselves was a dream. Now it's so streamlined, and the tech is so mature, an artist can do it in live-time, on stage. But live stage looping is just the beginning, the utility of looping goes far beyond its own ability to entertain an audience.
The single most common thing told to music students across the world, and across all languages, is probably, "Don't forget to practice with a metronome!" It is essential for a musician to be able to play in time, and a metronome brings this into focus. So, despite its virtues, why does EVERY student neglect their metronome study? You don't have to look close- it's because it's boring!
You know what's not boring? Looping.
You know what can also really help a musician practice playing in time? Looping.
Not only that, it can help with improvisation skills by allowing a musician to solo over their own chords. It helps songwriters with composition, as they can easily try out different chords, melodies, and section arrangements. Looping even helps singers workout vocal harmonies and backing vocal arrangements. Beat boxers can create entire symphonies just by looping their mouth sounds. One of my colleagues has a whole act creating beats by live sampling toys on stage! Looping has fully become its very own skill and art form, and in my opinion, a looper is the very first pedal that a guitarist should buy, even before a distortion pedal. They've become that invaluable.
Which one should you choose? For me there's only one choice.
Go Big With the Boss RC-600
If you want to step up check out the Boss RC-600. I own this looper in addition to the RC-500 for two reasons. Songwriting & teaching. The extra buttons of the RC-600 allow me to loop
extremely large amounts of temporary, experimental tracks. If you have experience with the difference in utility between an iPad and an iPhone, you have a good understanding if this might be a direction you'd want to head in. This looper has two huge issues, it's big, basically three times larger than the RC-500, and it needs to be plugged in, batteries are NOT an option.
Buy it on Amazon with This Link Here!
Or by clicking the above picture.
Stay Humble With the TC Electronic Ditto
If space or expense is a limiting factor, my favorite tiny looper is the TC Electronic Ditto. It is
very bare bones, absolutely no microphone/XLR input, and no click/metronome functionality. Additionally, no battery power option. You have to plug this thing into a wall.
However, if you're looking for the most affordable, most musical, smallest looper the Ditto is your huckleberry. Of note, the curcutry is 'True Bypass', so when you turn it off, you know that it's not negatively influencing your effect chain/signal flow.
Buy it on Amazon with This Link Here!
Or by clicking the above picture.
Additional Reading
The official websites of the Boss RC-500, the Boss RC-600, and the TC Electronics Ditto
If you'd like to read about other loopers, check out these great articles: