Re: Akai Headrush- opinions?

[Tim Nelson <psychle62@yahoo.com>]

--- Bill Fox <billfox@fast.net> wrote:
> I only have the Headrush....  Yet I drool for a
> Boss RC-20.

Hi Bill and Tim,

As with many budget-restricted loopers who've been at
it a while, my setup includes several of these more
'entry-level' boxes; a Headrush, an RC-20, a Korg
SDD-1000, a DFX94, and a DL-4 on occasions when my
girlfriend's not using hers. (All together, they've
cost more than an EDP, but they were purchased over a
period of several years...) I pretty much do an
inadvertant A/B comparison test every time I loop...

Here's what I've found: *any* of the devices in this
price range has both pros and cons, and by themselves,
*none* of them are as versatile/flexible/capable as an
EDP or a Repeater, particularly if MIDI is important
to you. But when used in combination, there are a few
things that you can't do with one unit.

Headrush-
Pro: excellent sampling rate/audio quality,
user-friendly interface, ability to undo all but the
first layer
Con: limited loop time

RC-20-
Pro: extremely long loop time, reverse play feature
Con: annoying interface (you have to hold the pedal
for two full seconds to clear the previous loop; this
can seem like an eternity)

DL4-
Pro: Reverse, half-speed, ability to use looping mode
with onboard delay
Con: Somewhat limited loop time

If I were told I could use only one of the three, I'd
probably have to go with the DL4. Ideally, though,
it'd be nice to have a DL4 with the Headrush's
layering feature and sound quality and the RC-20's
loop time. (Throw in synch capability, and I've just
pretty much described more basic features of the EDP!)

I find these boxes useful in combination. When using
them in series, I put them in ascending loop-time
order; it can be cool to throw a short Headrush loop
into the RC-20 as sort of a poor man's 'multiply' when
you capture several go-rounds and can then overdub a
longer line on top. I also like to use the DL4 after
the Headrush to half-speed pitch-drop the Headrush's
loop while the Headrush keeps playing it at the
original speed. I do find them more useful in
parallel, though; morphing the units with a mixer is
fun.

-t-



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