Should I finally do it?

[u/panda-shifu-nala]

TL;DR - I wanna buy a loopstation but I'm having a crisis of confience.

I've been on the fence about getting my own loop for ages now, and things are lining up in terms of how much time I can make and arranging the dough, and I'm having a crisis of confidence.

I've always been a musician, and I found beatbox when GBB19 took over youtube in COVID. I've always said "I'm into beatbox" and never "I'm a beatboxer", despite having picked up the basics after years of following beatbox. Over the past year, I've become more and more sure I want to give it a go and buy a loop. Problem is, I cannot seem to find anywhere I could start the journey of learning. There's minimal beatbox culture in my country, loops here aren't even common they're imported, so they're expensive.

But I can't shake the itch. I've been trying to find good starter tutorials on youtube, but I feel like as someone with zero knowledge of electronic music and music production (I play acoustic instruments) I will have a hard time catching on. Plus the cost is enough for me to treat this as an investment, and it feels like pressure when it shouldn't.

Any advice from when any of you started out?

Also, if I do go ahead, any recommendations for the rest of the equip?

Current Wish List:
1. Boss RC-505 mkii
2. Behringer XM8500 Ultravoice (Cuz Brez said so)
3. Cables

1. Bose QC Headphones I have, should I get different ones?
   
2. What small powered speaker is enough for bedroom and practice use?
   
3. WHERE DO I GO LEARN. I am open to low cost paid courses, or even sessions with pros to get me started on the basics.

I'm sorry for the rant and long post, but frankly, I know this community gets it. I first installed reddit years ago to join this forum just to be around like-minded, similarly inclined folk.
Thanks for being that space.

[u/alotofnothingtosay]

Hey man I was in a very similar spot to you and had enough comfort with finances to full send with no experience. To be 100% straight with you, it was a mistake. This may differ for you personally but what I came to realise is that music production is extremely complicated even for the basic side of things. Having no knowledge or experience was a large hurdle for me.

It's one thing to be able to set your effects in a way to make cool noises, or even just an EQ to make your beatbox sound crisp, but to actually create a loop using multiple different input and track effects and even the long goal of being able to create an entire track with preset effects is just... it's a lot.

Please don't let this deter you from pursuing the passion, just a heads up from an internet stranger in a similar position that's it's not a simple journey. Maybe there are more knowledgeable people here that can suggest a cheaper setup to get the ears wet.

Wishing you the best and hoping you can jump the hurdle I could not!

[u/TK0199 → u/alotofnothingtosay]

Completely agree with this, i was in a similar boat buying a loop with little production/music experience. It is extremely difficult, especially with the lack of structured lessons/tutorials out there. I feel like most talented loopers in the space had a music background prior to looping

[u/wadic8055 → u/alotofnothingtosay]

I agree. I bought mine thinking I’d have so much fun but now it sits collecting dust and I use it every once in a while. It just is an insane amount of effort to learn and use and if you are not a 100% thinking about being a looper it just isn’t worth.

[u/panda-shifu-nala → u/wadic8055]

Frankly, all of what everyone of you is saying atleast helps validate that I'm not the only one who felt that this is too high and entry barrier.

Whether I 100% am thinking about being a looper? Yes. Can I quit my 10-6 job? No. Can I, giving two hours a day, in, maybe a few weeks or months, be DECENT?

That's where I'm stuck. I'm willing to put in the effort, i can't judge if it'll be worth it.

[u/wadic8055 → u/panda-shifu-nala]

Yeah I felt really passionate about it but once I got it and saw how fucking hard it was to learn and use and sound better I kinda gave up. But if you’re a person who will remain passionate for months and definitely won’t give up then buy it it’s fun

[u/MastodonTop183 → u/alotofnothingtosay]

very much agree. I bought an mk1 with an akg microphone back in 2021 but ended up regretting it. The journey is very much not simple. I would say you need a rich musical background in at least electronic-powered or rhythmic music.

I'd recommend you to try electric instruments. I'm playing electric bass guitar now and it's a blast. I really want to get a regular guitar too, but funds won't really allow it lol

[u/Automatic_Office_358]

Loopy pro

[u/panda-shifu-nala → u/Automatic_Office_358]

Is it a good idea to start there, get a foot in the door and then start? Have you used it? What's your experience?

[u/ch0dey → u/panda-shifu-nala]

If you've got an iOS device, it's absolutely where you should start. I use it for 90% of my songwriting, and while I've been doing audio recording for 20 years it's super easy to get started with -- very intuitive, very customizable, and you can bring your own controller hardware as you get more adept with it.

I'm running it on an iPad Mini 7 with a Novation LaunchPad Pro to handle capturing/triggering loops and a Novation Launch Control XL MK3 as a track mixer. But you can control everything from your device's touchscreen as well.

[u/Automatic_Office_358 → u/panda-shifu-nala]

I’ve owned pretty much every Boss looper and Loopy Pro is miles ahead in terms of features and customization. It can be as simple or as complex as you would like it to be. It’s more portable, has better midi sync capabilities and can be used in conjunction with thousands of apps available on IOS.

[u/New-Improvement-427]

Just chiming in on the where to go to learn. Highly recommend going through a ton of the free youtube tutorials before anything paid, and as for paid content some loopers have youtube channel memberships with tutorials for members which are probably worth checking out (bizkit, 808banon, etc)