REVIEW: STRICH Stereo Looper with Built-in Drum Machine – Affordable Stereo Looping?

The STRICH Stereo Looper Guitar Pedal offers a powerful 2-in-1 design, integrating a looper and a drum machine into a single unit to support both creative jamming and rhythmic practice. We take a look at this affordable stereo looper pedal and share our thoughts on its key features. 

STRICH Stereo Looper Overview

The pedal boasts a robust looper capable of storing 40 presets, with each offering a maximum recording time of 4 minutes, culminating in an impressive total recording capacity of 160 minutes.

It utilizes a 24-bit/44.1kHz DSP chip, which ensures accurate reproduction of the recorded sound from both instruments and microphones. A bright display keeps the user informed of the current loop mode, time progress, and precise timing.

Drum Machine

Adding to its versatility is the built-in drum machine, which features 10 different drum styles, each with 10 unique rhythmic patterns, providing a total of 100 drum patterns. The available styles cover a wide range of genres, including pop, rock, metal, Latin, blues, jazz, fusion, hip-hop, funk, and disco. It also features a basic metronome for those who prefer to practice to a steady pulse.

Basic Pedal Connectivity

Connectivity is handled through dual inputs and outputs. The pedal features two mono 1/4″ inputs, allowing for the simultaneous connection of an instrument and a microphone, which enables the recording of multiple sources. Additionally, it includes two mono 1/4″ outputs that support stereo output.

The pedal also includes a USB-C port for Audio Import/Export via a basic Software Editor (more on this later). It requires an external 9V DC power supply (not included) with a minimum of 300mA and a center-negative adapter.

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In the box, they include a USB cable (for software use), a set of rubber stick-on feet, and a basic manual that explains all the functions of the looper.

The STRICH Stereo Looper has a robust metal enclosure with a solid feel, the primary inputs and outputs are all clearly labeled, and once powered on (we used the STRICH MINI 15 pedalboard for this, which we will be reviewing separately at a later date), the main screen lights up and is clear and easy to read.

The two main controls on the front of the unit are rotary encoders with push switches built in, which are multi-functional and have a smooth, notched feel when turned or pressed to select specific menu options.

One encoder knob is labeled LOOPER, and the other RHYTHM. The pedal features two footswitches: Record/Dub/Tap (the latter for the drum machine’s tempo) and Stop/Play/Clear, which also controls the Stop/Play function for the drum machine.

Looper and/or Drum Machine?

The looper pedal itself is straightforward to use, and I didn’t need to refer to the included manual to get up and running. To switch between the looper and drum machine modes, press both footswitches together.

Between the two main encoder knobs, you will find the Merger Control, which allows the looper and drum machine to operate either simultaneously or independently. It will also delete the last thing you recorded if you hold the button down for a few seconds, making it useful for editing before a performance, but not during.

The main screen clearly indicates your current position when looping and/or overdubbing. Then, when it is in drum machine mode, you can see the drum patterns clearly.

Personally, I felt that the drum patterns would be more enjoyable to practice along with than a standard metronome. This makes this a useful practice tool for guitarists, especially beginners. I’m not sure how practical they would be as a backing track, especially as this pedal offers multiple 4-minute slots that can be preloaded with audio backing tracks if needed.

The drums are fairly basic; there are no fills you can trigger, just variations on the main styles. The actual sound quality of the drums is passable, but nothing to write home about. I would not buy this pedal solely for the drum sounds, but they are useful when you need to try out some ideas, and they are better than having no drums at all.  You cannot program the drums; choose a built-in drum loop and set the tempo.

Tap Tempo allows for easy adjustment of the drum tempo via the footswitch, or it can be controlled via the BPM setting on the main menu using the rotary encoder to adjust the speed.

The pedal also features an external input for adding a two-button control pedal, which should be useful for anyone who requires more control over the unit. It can be used to cycle through drum patterns or loops via up and down controls.

Loop Time & Looping

It’s a single-track looper, making it relatively easy to use and get up and running.

Having up to 160 minutes spread across forty 4-minute loops is probably going to be enough for most musicians. The free editor software acts as a librarian for your loops, as the pedal stores them when turned off. This allows users to load essentially ‘4-minute backing tracks’ in any of the 40 slots. Or you can just loop as normal and overdub as you go, etc.

There is also a Fade Out option (up to 5 seconds), which will slowly fade your looped track once you have stopped it from looping. Handy for performance, and you can adjust the fade-out time easily beforehand in the main menu.

The two main footswitches are easy enough to use, and it takes a little bit of time to get into the timing for looping. Overdubbing is very easy, and the main display indicates your position in the loop and whether you are overdubbing.

Software & Potential Issues

Obviously, the software editor is also a handy tool to have if you want to prepare loops or backing tracks beforehand.

Unfortunately, the download for the free software editor is not easily accessible (the company’s site is minimal and not user-friendly), and I was unable to get it up and running easily on my Mac at the time of writing this review. I managed to use a search engine to find the correct software and successfully imported audio from my MacBook Pro to the pedal.

The software does not edit audio files; it just loads them from your computer to the pedal or downloads them from the pedal to your computer. So, for basic importing and exporting of audio files, it does the job, but don’t expect to be able to edit the audio files within the software itself.

I have spoken to a representative at STRICH, who informed me that they are working on a new site for customers and that it will be far simpler to find the software in the future.

Timing

Another potential issue I discovered and have seen mentioned by the video reviewer below (in a follow-up to the video posted) is that the start of the loop, when triggered by the right foot switch, can feel like the timing is off.

However, it triggers the audio when you remove your foot, so I suspect it uses a micro-switch on the main PCB, which engages on release.  Essentially, if the loop is off and you want to start playing it again, put your foot down first and release it when you want the loop to start playing again.

It is not ideal, as most looper pedals would normally work when the footswitch is engaged by pressing down. Once you understand that this switch works on release, then it’s not a major issue.