TC Electronic

TOTAL GUITAR NOVEMBER 2018
106
W
ith the Ditto X2, TC
Electronic already
has one of the most
solid live loopers on
the market, and with
the Jam, it hopes to bring some
extra smarts. Those changes
include a beat sense tempo
detector, dynamic loop editor that
keeps your loop in sync and a
tap-tempo global control for
the loops.
When the beat sync works, it’s
basically magic. The built-in mic
isn’t perfect, but a clip-on mic is
included, which you can place
closer to your drummer, so it can
more clearly distinguish snare hits
and a core beat. It’s an impressive
technical achievement,
nevertheless there’s an air of
gimmick to proceedings; setting
up the mic isn’t hard, but it is
another thing to think about, and
just how much you trust the guitar
tech will defi nitely determine
whether you feel like you’re fl ying
more by the seat of your pants or
less. Slowing down a loop using
tap tempo is a particularly nice
feature and it works seamlessly for
practice scenarios, although
trusting a guitarist with tempo
changes is hardly a foolproof
move, as any drummer will
certainly attest.
The feature that drags the unit
down is the way it tries to pad out
to the end of a beat at the tempo it
has registered. When using the
looper without additional
musicians, some loops seem to
confuse the Ditto, leaving notes
sometimes cut-off , time-
stretched or garbled.
Slower chord passages are
susceptible to becoming mangled,
and if you’re not playing in 4/4,
then it certainly feels like the Jam
is less predictable as a looper than
the older X2.
Alex Lynham
TC ELECTRONIC DITTO JAM X2 LOOPER
Game-changer or gimmick? Enter TC’s latest smart looper...
TYPE: Looper pedal
CONT ROLS: Loop volume,
mode selector, loop
footswitch, stop
footswitch
SOCKETS: Input, output,
mic in, USB, power
BYPASS: True bypass
POWER: 9V DC Centre-
negative
CONTACT: TC Electronic
tcelectronic.com
AT A GLANCE
SLOWING DOWN A LOOP USING
TAP TEMPO IS A NICE FEATURE
TH
E G
AS
S
T
A
T
I
O
N
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
USABILITY
£ 199
TGR312.gear_quick.indd 106 10/10/2018 14:53