I’ve seen @DaveMech’s videos with DT/DN and the DB4 which is very similar to what I’m looking for (respect Dave, love your stuff!!), but it seems like the DB4 is not longer in production as far as I can tell.
Are there any other mixers on the market that can do what the DB4 can do, with midi sync and live sampling/looping capability? Don’t really care too much about other on board FX. Was hoping to avoid having to buy a looper station with midi and working that in (not yet sure if/how that would work).
I’d prefer this solution to an Octatrack for the 3 or 4 band EQs and external FX loops. Basically just want to be able to cut back and forth between loops and live gear, with a little more control over individual audio tracks than the Octatrack can afford.
I’ve looked into this myself, and it’s slim pickings. Not only are there few or no options, but people seem to be critical of how well the looper function works in the db4. That said, I saw a db4 on Gear4music, if that is a store you can order from.
How about. MIDI-friendly looper pedal in the FX loop of a small mixer? Mackie’s 1202 mixers have an ALT 3+4 bus that can send stereo from any channel with one button press.
I wanted to avoid buying discontinued gear in favor of something newer, but this might be the cleanest solution.
OR… maybe running all other gear through an inexpensive mixer into an Octatrack would be a good compromise. Still get some sound shaping and external effects running through the mixer, then looping and fading between tracks on the OT. More sample slots, scenes and all the other goodies the OT has to offer.
The db4 Looper works perfectly. Just a matter of setting the bpm manually rather than using auto detect.
Another solution could be octa plus a mixer. Using octatrack as a send return FX live looper. It is incredible at that and I use it partly like that on top of the db4
I’m surprised the 1010 Blackbox wasn’t mentioned. Is not a mixer exactly. You could use a Novation Launch Control XL as a mixer interface to do something similar to the DB4.
I snagged a DB4 on Reverb a couple of weeks ago for a ridiculous price… so they are out there, just rare.
I don’t think there’s anything comes close to it to be honest, it’s superb… the flexibility of its routing, the EQ options, the fx, the loopers… I’m amazed neither A&H or anyone else has followed it up.
I’ve been thinking about this topic recently and lately was wondering if routing all my setup of machines into my MPC one (you can hook up a audio interface and get all the audio into the MPC) to use the live looping, the XYFX and some mastering pluggins could work ?
Basically like a Kaosspad
I will try one day and leave feedback here.
PS I remember seeing djs using a pretty accurate looper . Soundbite Micro by Red Sound
I own one. Have in mind you can’t slave it via MIDI - that MIDI input is ONLY for messages that it spits via the MIDI OUT - sort of like a merger. It does send MIDI clock though, so you can use it as a master clock. I’ve tried every approach, and that seemed like the more stable solution (unless you’re very good at nudging tempo </>, which I’m not).
lately, I’ve turned my attention towards the 1010music black.
Many users seem to be satisfied of the live lopping expérience with it.
I will give it a try very soon
I have since sold it, but IIRC it would send clock in loop mode. The thing is, it sends its own auto BPM clock so if the beat isn’t stable (ie. non 4/4 rhythm, breaks with no kicks, etc.) it could drift. My solution to this was locking the BPM manually (you can sort of “freeze” it) but it would probably go out of sync after a while. You can nudge it as well though.
What made me sell it was the fact that it has some sort of auto gain function that can’t be disabled, so I would often have gain disparities between my live set and the transition loops, ie:
I would be playing with my Digis, previously matching volumes between my output and a test loop on the SBM
Record a loop on SBM, entering on channel 2
Fade to CH2
And so on… but I noticed that some times the loop would get quieter, so the transition between channels would be noticeable. I would sometimes adjust the gain on the channel (based on visual feedback from the leds on the mixer, already a PITA) but I had occasions where I would eventually reach the max level on the gain; then I would have to simultaneously lower the gain while leveling up the mixer’s output… you can imagine how distracting and stressing this could be in a live performance scenario.
It’s a shame, because the hardware is so ridiculously small and well thought (also loved those rubbery buttons for loops), that I would buy one instantly if some of this issues were addressed. It wasn’t easy for me to part with it, but I realized that I wasn’t going to use it anymore and I don’t like having unused gear around. The company has been gone for a quite a long time, but it would be really great if someone bought their technology and made some sort of updated version of it.
