TC Electronic Ditto X4 Looper

The TC Electronic Ditto X4 Looper is a dual-track looper pedal from TC Electronic, introduced at NAMM in January 2016 and priced at $249 when it launched¹. It puts two independent loopers side by side in the same four-footswitch pedal format as TC's Flashback X4 delay, each loop holding five minutes of recording². On top of the basic record, overdub and play functions, it adds seven loop effects, loop decay, MIDI sync and USB file transfer³.

Guitar.com called it the sixth member of TC Electronic's Ditto looping dynasty, with the original Ditto Looper as its older, simpler sibling⁴. Guitar Interactive Magazine described it as taking the ease-of-use and audio quality of the original and adding two loop tracks, two loop modes, seven loop FX and loop decay⁵.

What it does and how it sounds

The X4's core job is recording a phrase and playing it back while you overdub on top, but the two tracks give it more range than a single-loop pedal. Each loop has its own footswitch, and there is a dedicated stop footswitch that stops a loop with one tap and can stop both loops at once². Each loop also has a large knob to set its playback volume².

A decay knob determines how much volume is lost each time a loop repeats, ranging from the loop playing back only once to no volume change at all². That gives you anything from a fading, tape-loop texture to a loop that repeats indefinitely at full level.

MusicRadar's reviewer, Trevor Curwen, found the pedal carried over what made the earlier Dittos work²⁵:

The two loop modes: Serial and Sync

The X4's two loop tracks can work in two ways¹:

Serial mode suits a player who wants a verse loop and a chorus loop available separately, switching between them as a song moves. Sync mode suits building layered parts that play simultaneously, with the second loop constrained to a whole-number multiple of the first's length so the two stay in time².

Loop effects

The pedal has seven built-in loop-centric effects that can be activated and applied to loops in real time⁸. Guitar.com's review named the highlights:

The FX footswitch also offers alternative ways to stop loops: at the end of a cycle or immediately, with either a fade or a tape reel-style slowdown².

Controls and configuration

The front panel keeps things simple: a loop footswitch per track, the dedicated stop footswitch, an FX footswitch, a volume knob and a decay knob per loop². Each track also has an unlatching micro toggle that stores the loop you have recorded for use elsewhere⁴.

Four set-and-forget switches on the rear panel configure how the pedal behaves, covering how the overdubs work, how the serial loops record and the bypass mode².

MIDI sync and USB

The X4 offers MIDI sync, accessed via MIDI in and thru jacks on the back of the pedal⁸. MusicRadar's looper group test noted that MIDI In adds external sync, so loops can follow an external clock rather than your foot timing⁹. This is a step up from TC's own Ditto Jam X2 Looper, which does not sync to MIDI clock or a click track and instead follows a band's tempo through built-in microphones.

The pedal also connects to a computer through a USB port on the back, for backing up and loading sounds⁸. Guitar.com found you can import audio files through an unfussy drag and drop interface⁴, and GuitarPlayer's guide highlighted USB loop transfer and the ability to store backing tracks⁷. MusicRadar's group test noted that with five minutes available per loop, comprehensive backing can be loaded in, and the memory is held when the pedal is powered off⁹.

Power and connections

The Ditto X4 runs on 9V DC, center negative, drawing 300mA³. That current draw is well above what a typical compact analog pedal needs, so it calls for a proper power supply rather than a battery. It has stereo inputs and outputs⁸, and works with guitar and other instruments⁸.

Where it came from

TC Electronic built the Ditto line from the original compact Ditto Looper onward, and the X4 expands the series with the dual-track, effects-equipped format⁶⁵⁴. MusicRadar's review of the earlier Ditto X2 described the original Ditto as an easy-to-use compact looper that ran on a nine-volt supply or batteries¹⁰, a contrast with the X4's higher-current, battery-free design. The X4's four-footswitch chassis is the same pedal format TC used for the Flashback X4 delay².

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen found the sound quality top-notch and the operation simple, and praised the practical touches: the dedicated stop footswitch, the decay knob and the rear-panel configuration switches². Guitar.com highlighted the Tape Stop effect and the drag-and-drop file import⁴. MusicRadar's looper group test concluded that "the TC quality, including hard bypass, is hard to beat"⁹. GuitarPlayer's 2026 looper guide lists the X4's true bypass, four footswitches and 24-bit conversion among its features, and calls its USB loop transfer and backing-track storage an asset⁷.

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