Hello EHX Community!

I’ve been a longtime user of the EHX 2880 (as well as a number of other loopers), and as I was playing a show the other day I got thinking about how EHX could do a new software upgrade for the 2880 to turn it into the best looper in its price range with a little bit of a rethink of how the product works. I’ve already started to map out some my ideas, but I figured the first step in making sure this upgrade is perfect is to do a collection of all of the issues people have had with the 2880, or possibilities people imagine the unit performing.

While gathering this information, let’s be realistic about the kinds of changes that can be made. By this I mean software versus hardware changes. For example, it would be realistic to add the ability of “Octave Up” but not the ability to have aux sends.

And just so you know: by no means do I think the 2880 is a totally flawed unit, in fact quite the opposite - it’s become the staple looper in my setup both for production and performing live. I just think that EHX could really capitalize on the piece of hardware they’ve built by doing a little rethink.

Thanks in advance for your input and suggestions!

I have gathered the following possible software changes from http://www.ehx.com/forums/viewthread/1464/

• Independent OCTAVE UP & OCTAVE DOWN function for each channel (at the same time Master Octave should remain)

• Independent REVERSE function for each channel (or even PLAY MODE button: play backward, play forward<->backward, one shot playback)

• Tap tempo

• Asynchronous loops

• A better LIVE mix-down (option to simply clear out the 4 loops when mixdown is complete, or something that would prevent a second pass over dub/jump in volume.)

• Save multiple loop sets

• On/Off switch for Feedback control with sliders

• Mute channel buttons

I have gathered the following possible software changes from:
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Electro-Harmonix/2880/10/1

• Midi tempo change “wooshes” sound trying to find tempo

• Asynchronous loops

• Undo feature

• Tempo in time signatures other than 4/4

I have gathered the following possible software changes from:
http://www.looproom.com/looperchart.php

PS - This is a great site for viewing the differences between various loopers out there.

• No undo

• No multiply

• Quantize is for one bar length

• Reverse limited to all five tracks

• Octave limited to all five tracks

• Tempo slider limited to all five tracks

• No timestretching

• No tap tempo

• No asynchronous/polyrhythmic loops

I have gathered the following possible software changes from:
http://www.amazon.com/Electro-Harmonix-2880-Super-Multi-track-Looper/product-reviews/B001C1C8EM/ref=cm_cr_dp_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

• Undo

• Clear track

The following software upgrade suggestion is from:
http://www.ehx.com/forums/viewthread/400/

• Make mixdown asynchronous

I have gathered the following software upgrade possibility from:
http://www.ehx.com/forums/viewthread/1864/

• Playback as one-shot

Hi,

Some comments .....

I think my biggest ‘wants’ out of a 2880 upgrade would be :

1. Add the possibility of polyrythmic looping.

2. Ability to enter ‘Constant Mixdown Mode’ without having to stop the 2880 first.

3. Clipping issue (this is probably hardware related) - my 2880 clips way too easily….would be nice if it didn’t.

4. Sort out midi sync so that its trustworthy and doesn’t do the ‘whoosh’ thing.

Whats the likelihood of an upgrade occurring ?  I’d gladly pay a small amount for an O/S upgrade…especially if it added the polyrhythmic loops feature.

Cheers

Simon

1. independent loop lengths ( could this be done in software anyway? ) not sure how this could be implemented gracefully with the current hardware design - you would almost want a button to link/unlink the loop lengths

2. erase track (without having to have it happen as a real time overdub) maybe with a simple press and hold of the track selector?

3. ability to mix-down live, how it works now, only have the 4 tracks erased when the bounce is complete - although a software bounce might be even better, where the four tracks would be mixed down seamlessly to the mix-down track and erase the four tracks when complete (all while being able to continue playing the loop without and hiccups/glitches/pauses)

...

im curious too, what are the chances of ehx doing a software update anyway?

One request. The most important one for me:

Make other time signatures available. Music is not ONLY 4/4, is it?

I posted a message about this on the Loopers Delight and got the following message from Jeff Duke:

Hi Myke,

I read your posts on the forum and have to say you nailed it for me on some of them. The main changes I would love to see are for more individual control of tracks. Mute, Reverse, Octave ( I like the idea of up or down), the ability to set loop length independently, and my most desired feature: feedback control over all tracks even when not recording on them or even when they are muted.

I would also like to be able to tap in new loop length at least when in overdub mode. The DD 20 does this but it is a delay not a phrase sampler or at least I only use it in delay mode. I don’t want to stir up problems with the definition of a phrase sampler vs delay :(

One other thing is that reverse on the 2880 just doesn’t sound as good as the reverse on the old 16 sec delay to me…I don’t know why that is. might be just me although others have mentioned it I believe.

Really I never use punch in or would probably not use undo. I have no need of midi sync and I always play with it un-quantized in an attempt to make it seem more “delay” like rather than phrase sampler like. One other thing I wish I could change on it is when ending the recording of a loop with pressing New Loop, it always switches to the next two tracks, I play in stereo mostly. This is a slight problem because I don’t use the others much because of the feedback issue. I play more of an evolving, everchanging sort of delay loop thing so I need to be having loops fading as I add more. With your proposed features I could really expand my use of it. Right now I use a Boss DD 20 right before the 2880 and just deal with the limitations in both units. They are both really close to what I want in many ways.

If you need me to sign a petition you have my vote!

BTW, it seems some of these feature are availiable via midi although I have never tried it. Have you read the info in the software upgrade 1.5?
If you haven’t I will send it to you off list.

best,

Jeff

http://www.myspace.com/loopsinphasespace
http://jeffduke.bandcamp.com/
http://www.vimeo.com/jeffduke

Also, to anyone viewing this thread, if you could take two minutes to answer the polls on these other forum posts, that would be super helpful. Thanks in advance!

QUESTION ABOUT PUNCH-IN:
http://www.ehx.com/forums/viewthread/2456/

QUESTION ABOUT MIDI:
http://www.ehx.com/forums/viewthread/2455/

I don’t know if EHX would be willing to do this, but if you release the source code of the 2880 as open source (or limited open source—free to develop with no warranty implied, but not to re-sell the results) it would help people to program / develop these features. Like me!

iode131 - 02 January 2010 01:54 AM

One request. The most important one for me:

Make other time signatures available. Music is not ONLY 4/4, is it?

I absolutely agree, I bought the EH2880 few weeks ago and i was really disappointed by the fact that
only 4/4 time signature is available.

I really don’t understand this choice, i think this s BASIC feature for every loopstation
in this range of price, i’m disappointed mainly because i think this feature is pretty easy
to implement in software.
Why EH engineers didn’t implement this feature?

P.S Sorry for the bad english, i’m from Switzerland.

nneekolas - 08 January 2010 07:04 PM

I don’t know if EHX would be willing to do this, but if you release the source code of the 2880 as open source (or limited open source—free to develop with no warranty implied, but not to re-sell the results) it would help people to program / develop these features. Like me!

I think this is a great idea.

I’m getting more comfortable now with my 2880, and also like to see some things mentioned:

1. on/off and 2. separate reverse/octave controls for each channel via a second (or new) foot switch

3. tap tempo

4. xlr input

something I haven’t seen anyone else mention is a digital read out of bpm, and I’d like to see another read out of measure number. If we could get that, you could make loops for different time signatures, though it might take a little math if you did anything out of x/4 time. But it’d make x/4 signatures a lot easier.

What I do like that I didn’t think I’d use is the transfer file ability to computer. this is as easy as dragging and dropping if you use Garage Band.

Here’s some tunes I made with Garage Band, my 2880, and my Dano 6/4:

http://www.last.fm/music/supercooled+droplets/looper+songs

I have also used the midi to sync with drum beats in garage band using an m-audio usb-midi cable. I had to download a freeware program but it works well. I think this is it:

http://www.futureproducers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69987

Not sure if I could really do what I wanted live with how this thing is set up now though. I’ve seen things on the big Boss looper that will do on/off different tracks, unfortunately I’ve read it won’t slave for midi. I’d like to stay with EH though, they are great. hope they can make an inexpensive fix!