TC Electronic Ditto X4 Looper, User Manual

Page: 12 / 14

12
Ditto X4 Looper User Manual
Multiple FX
It is possible to run more than one effect at the same time. For example, start
playback from a loop, then engage the Reverse effect. The LED will flash red.
Then turn the FX knob to the Half setting and press the FX footswitch again.
The loop will play back in reverse and at half speed, and the LED will flash orange.
To undo either effect, make sure the FX knob is set to the desired effect and press
the FX footswitch. Only the other effect will be heard on the loop.
Note that it is possible to remove all active effects at once, which is handy
when you have added several effects to multiple layers or loops. With playback
stopped, hold the FX footswitch for 2 seconds and all effects will be removed
from the loops.
8. Mode Switches
Since loopers are all about creativity and experimentation, the Ditto X4 was
designed with some customization options. The tiny MODE switches on the
back are set to the
“
down
”
position by default, but can be flipped with a pen,
toothpick, paper clip, etc. to suit your needs.
Switch 1
The standard workflow for most loopers is such that pressing a footswitch starts
the recording, pressing again stops the recording and automatically loops the
audio, and a 3rd press starts an overdub recording. However, this can be switched
so that the first press begins the initial loop recording, then the second press
immediately starts the first loop and begins recording the overdub. The 3rd press
stops the overdub and loops both layers. This modified workflow allows you to
build stacked loops more quickly.
Switch 2
By default, recording an additional layer over a loop, or recording a second loop in
Sync mode, will start immediately upon pressing one of the LOOP footswitches.
However, flipping switch 2 to the
“
up
”
position will cause the associated LED to
rapidly flash red to indicate that the loop is armed for recording. When the cycle
repeats, the LED will light solid red and recording will begin.
This setting also causes
“ stop ” commands (either by double tapping a LOOP
footswitch or press the STOP footswitch) to end the loop at the completion of
its cycle.
*note – in Serial mode, pressing the LOOP 2 footswitch while loop 1 is playing will still arm loop 2 for recording
upon completion of loop 1's cycle.
Switch 3
Serial mode
Serial mode is geared toward having 2 distinct parts to a song that are not
meant to be played simultaneously. Therefore, pressing a LOOP footswitch
during another loop's playback arms the loop for recording. After the first loop
finishes its cycle, the first loop stops and the second loop begins recording. This is
convenient for a verse/chorus arrangement, but there may be times when you
don’t want to wait for the first loop to end before recording. Flip switch 3 to the
“ up ” position to allow the second loop to begin recording immediately upon
pressing its footswitch.
Sync mode
This mode was primarily designed to allow 2 independent loops to be played
on top of one another in perfect synchronization. However, some players like to
approach looping in a more ambient and experimental way, which is why Sync
mode can be un-synced! Setting switch 3 to the "up" position allows loops 1 and
2 to have different lengths, enabling creative "whalesong" layers of audio that
loop at different intervals.
Switch 4
True Bypass mode is a hard-wire bypass that gives absolutely no coloration of
tone when the pedal is bypassed. This is the default mode for your effect pedal.
Using True Bypass on all pedals is a perfect choice in setups with a few pedals and
relatively short cables before and after the pedals.
If…
–
you use a long cable between your guitar and the first pedal or
– if you use many pedals on your board or
–
if you use a long cable from your board to the amp,
…then the best solution will most likely be to set the first and the last pedal in
the signal chain to Buffered Bypass mode. Can you hear the difference between
a pedal in True Bypass or Buffered Bypass mode? Maybe, maybe not – many
factors apply: active/ passive pick-ups, single coil/humbucker, cable quality, amp
impedance and more. We cannot give a single ultimate answer, so experiment
with switch 4 in the
“
up
”
position to hear what sounds best to you.
9. Firmware Updates
TC may provide updates for the built-in software of your pedal, the firmware.
Updating your TC pedal’s firmware requires…
– a computer running Microsoft Windows or OS X with a standard
USB interface
–
the specified DC power supply for your pedal.
Preparing the firmware update
1. Download the newest firmware from the “Support” page for your TC pedal.
There are updaters
– for Microsoft Windows (these are ZIP archives containing the
firmware installer) and
–
for OS X (these are disk image files containing the firmware installer).
2. Unplug all cables (including the power supply) from your TC pedal.
3. Connect the pedal to your computer using a USB cable.
4. Press and hold the leftmost footswitch on your TC pedal.
5. Insert the DC power supply plug. The leftmost LED on your pedal should
turn green.
6. Release the footswitch.
Your TC pedal will now be recognized as an updatable device.
Applying the firmware update
7. Quit all MIDI-related applications (e.g. your DAW) on your computer and
launch the firmware updater you have downloaded in step 1.
8. In the firmware updater app, select your TC pedal from the drop-down list
under the “STEP 1” heading.
If you are using Windows XP, select “USB Audio Device” from the list.
9. When the “Update” button under the “STEP 2” heading turns green, click it.
The updated firmware will now be transferred to your TC pedal. Wait for the
progress bar to reach 100%. When the update procedure is complete, the pedal
will automatically restart.