I had the EHX 720 for a while and got along well with it–not quite as full featured as the 1440, but has all the features you’ve explicitly called out.
The acoustic part on this track was pre-recorded into the 720 and the stutters are playing with the “loop progress” mode.
maybe stereo is not ‘essential’ for many use cases, but I guess it definitely doesn’t hurt to have in any either — apart, maybe, from when one needs to keep the device as compact as possible. But it’s not only about doing ‘complete’ recordings: if your sources are stereo, then you probably would prefer to keep the looped portion stereo as well… at least I do. A looper then becomes an extension of the instrument being looped (or rather, recorded, I’d say). Same with samplers, and most of them are stereo now, thankfully.
Thanks for the linked music, gonna give it a go. Though I don’t consider my words an attack, or any kind of a ‘stance’ — there’s no fight here, just opinions. I like artists being opinionated and critical, it’s not personal at all (I find Knobs and other chaps at ChaseBliss quite likeable persons!), it’s professional and that’s how I see art history develops. I respect those who push their vision forward or even just enjoying themselves and having fun. Not judging anybody’s tastes or positions, but glad when those clash and sparkles fire 
I enjoyed the conversation regarding infantilisation above, btw. Hope nobody took the offence from my own remarks.
Mono loopers are fine for mono sources of course, but stereo is at least more universal then, isn’t it? Most delays we have are stereo now, even the ones oriented towards guitar players, so why not (pedal) loopers? CBA made a logical move with Mood mk2, I fail to see negatives.
And I have to agree CBA loopers are special. Even if I find the final sound far from being ‘unavailable’ or ‘unexplored’ before, it’s definitely a very clever and contemporary package that would otherwise require many more devices and efforts. But that is a part of my problem with their devices… I’d love a Blooper XL or Habit XL — not just stereo, but with more control, less happy accidents all-sweet-spot machine and more sampler-like so to say. They seem to be happy to be locked in this small pedal format (which still has much potential with MIDI control though), oriented towards guitarists first of all, and (re)producing short bits of the original signal which enhance, not re-organise the latter. Wish Octatrack mk3 one day have an idea or two from their loopers (plus a Morphogene machine, and an EDP machine)). It’s all about when and where recording and playback start, and what happens to the previous layer — buffers, start/end points, overdub types, and being able to control or sequence operations. MLRE, NDLS are also great blueprints. And though I’m not satisfied with any of the aforementioned instruments, all of them seem more about re-structuring the sound to me, while CBA more about ‘effecting’ the sound.
But actually it feels like my Sunday will be wasted rewatching best Blooper and Habit videos again
(btw, if anyone can recommend the ones where CBA pedals are used more ‘structurally’, I’d be grateful. Or just your favourites which are not Knobs-style so to say))
My apologies, I read too much into it, I think I assume people use the word influencer mostly as an insult now. I’m definitely in favour of having stereo if it’s on offer, although it’s remarkable how little a lot of stereo devices do with it, most often just there to preserve a stereo source rather than even give you something as simple as panning.
Here’s two Habit videos that give a good idea of what it’s like to use it:
I really like it. I went through a few loopers and for me the EHX ones were the best. Great audio quality (in stereo), generous recording times, pitch shifting/speed shift, reverse, overdub, and importantly soft switches (so no loud clicks in the recordings). The EHX can change pitch/speed variably (unlike the EHX22500 which is just octave up/down although I really like that unit too), and if you do a very short loop (like as short as you can) it acts like a delay using the overdub as a feedback setting (been using it this way almost exclusively lately). And you can load /unload recordings to it and save 20 different loops which you can go back and forth from.
I don’t think I’d actually want any looper other than EHX ones except maybe CBA or Montreal Assembly or similar but they’re a different type of looper to me.
Guess it depends on what you want it for too - I don’t do rhythmic / sync’d music so I’m more interested in asynchronous long phrase looping with pitch and reverse options.
Thanks!
Do you have the 1440?
I’m leaning towards that one…
Yeah, I have both the 1440 and 22500. I almost considered getting two 1440s instead of the 22500 since it allows you to adjust the pitch/speed in semitones or smoothly (so with two you could get beating between two long drones etc) but I appreciate the 22500 having 3hours worth of playback and the possibilties that allows. I’m very happy with both for my purposes.
Thanks!.. I read that the controls on the 22500 are rather confusing, so the 1440 was looking like a good choice…
It’s not really confusing other than the fact that it’s very configurable (that’s confusing) but once set up, it’s super easy (again depending on your needs).
Thanks, good to know!
wasn’t aware of this, thanks.
gave it a go, and it’s definitely a work of palpable attention and effort. it has a certain sound, which received more depth and sonic dimension by addition of the chamber instruments, and electronics work in places. recorded and produced very nicely too!
maybe too same-ish and lacks contrasts/there’s not much ‘unsettling’ about it (ie he says “At times soothing, at times unsettling”), which imo would work in its favour, growing more ‘shaped’ forms inside of this fabrics (which could be still improvised), and it seems like it moves into this direction already in places. but anyway this personal impression doesn’t take anything away from what is already there. I’m glad to be proven wrong, and wish him best in his journey forward. I’d love to hear if he develops even more serious collab with chamber orchestra, maybe even live with jazz people, this definitely has potential.
hope these impressions make up for what I wrote above looking down upon him as an influencer (still think his approach to demos doesn’t do justice neither to devices nor to his music in the end). so thanks Knobs, more music less pedals now