Description
Named after the total number of seconds available in its 10 memory banks, the Electro-Harmonix 720 is a stereo phrase looper pedal designed for electric guitar. It provides a digital signal path for your loops, recording and playing them back at uncompressed sample rates and 16-bit/44.1 kHz resolutions, allowing you to store your loops in ten different, selectable memory banks. Also provided are unlimited overdubbing capabilities, undo/redo to remove/restore your last pass, half-speed and reverse effects, fades, visible loop progress, and analog pass-through for your unaffected signal.
The pedal offers a level knob to control the loop output volume, while LED indicators show recording, playback, effects, and memory modes. Your dry signal will always remain at unity gain, and as you add overdubs, you will hear no volume loss on the tracks previously recorded into the loop.
A stereo signal path is provided, giving you two 1/4" input jacks and two 1/4" output jacks. In addition to plugging in a stereo instrument, you can also connect external effects pedals via the right input jack. If you wish to control certain parameters of the 720 Stereo Looper from a compatible external footswitch, you can do so via the 1/4" TRS foot control input jack.
All your recorded loops remain in their memory banks until you manually erase them. And, if you wish to bring your loop banks back to their default blank state, you can do so globally by unplugging the pedal and holding down both footswitches. This saves you from having to erase each bank separately. The pedal is powered by a 9V battery, but includes a power supply to avoid having to unscrew the back panel whenever you need to replace a battery.
Features
12 minutes of looping recording time
10 selectable and independent loops
Loops remain in memory until you erase them
24-bit / 44.1 kHz sample rate digital architecture
Undo/Redo function (also available via optional footswitch)
Reverse and 1/2 speed effects at the touch of a button or footswitch
Selectable footswitch for Stop or FX
Playback progress mode with seek function
Unlimited overdubbing
Optional external foot control for loop selection and Undo/Redo
Adjustable fade time (trails)
Programmable loop order: REC/PLAY/DUB or REC/DUB/PLAY
AC adapter included
Accepts 9V battery power
Controls Explained
LEVEL knob: This controls the output level of the loop currently playing. Your dry signal remains at unity from input to output. The dry signal also remains analog throughout the pedal's architecture.
LOOP footswitch: Use this footswitch to record, overdub, and play loops. The LOOP footswitch can also be used to stop and undo loops.
STOP/FX footswitch: This control can either stop a loop in its track or activate the reverse and half-speed effects. You can select its mode by pressing and holding the PUSH: MODE knob for 2 seconds. In STOP mode, a dot appears on the display next to the STOP label. In FX mode, the dot is off.
REC LED: This indicates when a loop is being recorded or overdubbed.
PLAY LED: This indicates when a loop is playing or being overdubbed.
MEM LED: This indicates that loop audio is in memory for the current loop bank.
LOOP knob and PUSH: MODE knob: The knob itself has no pointer because it is attached to a rotary encoder that can turn continuously in either direction. The knob can also be pushed like a button, which performs two functions: 1), to cycle through modes, and 2), once a mode is selected, to adjust the value of that mode from 0 to 9. All modes and values are shown on the digital display.
REVERSE button: Press the REVERSE button to play the loop backwards. The REVERSE button lights up red when activated. Reversing can be used at any time to play or overdub a loop.
1/2-SPEED button: Pressing this button lowers the loop's pitch by one octave and the tempo is halved. If a loop is overdubbed in half-speed mode, returning to normal playback speed raises the pitch of the overdub by one octave and doubles the tempo. The button lights up red when activated and can be used at any time during playback or while overdubbing a loop.
FX LED: This indicates when an effect is active, lighting up automatically when the REVERSE or 1/2-SPEED buttons are used and the STOP/FX footswitch is programmed to operate in STOP mode. Alternatively, the FX LED will turn on/off whenever the STOP/FX footswitch is pressed and programmed to operate in FX mode.