NUX JTC PRO might be the best guitar looper right now

There is a very specific reason for this.

Loopers are easy to find of all various shapes, sizes and capabilities. But the NUX JTC PRO has something to it that's really nice which actually has nothing to do with looping at all.

What most guys who use loopers want is something with a drum machine in it. There are several loopers that do that. However, a very longstanding complaint is that there is no way to separate the output of the drums from the looped guitar.

Well, you can with this one. It is literally as easy as outputting the looped guitar to the L (left) channel and drums to the R (right) channel, feed to a multitrack unit like the ZOOM R8, and ta-da, done.

To be clear, many loopers with drum machines built in can have drums vs. loop volume levels adjusted, but you cannot separate the signal path of the drums from the loop, whereas you can with this pedal.

By easily outputting two separate channels, this actually works out very nicely for both live performances and when you want to feed your loops/songs to a multitrack unit later.

I'm not saying the drum machine in the NUX is great, because it isn't. The drums are basic but they sound good enough. It's the fact you can separate the signal paths that really makes this thing worth getting.

I should also note that this is an advanced looper, meaning it's not super easy to use. This isn't the fault of NUX at all. Any advanced looper takes time to go through to figure out everything it can do. However, the NUX does have a good design to it. Yes, it's a "double wide" pedal, but that's what allows it to have all its inputs/outputs on the rear side.

Some may disagree with having all the jacks on the back as that doesn't make it the most pedalboard-friendly, but I believe it makes for easier cable management.

Is this NUX a true stereo looper? No, because it does not have left and right inputs. It has left and right outputs for signal path separation, but that's it. This means you will have to live in mono-only world with this looper.

Given the nice price of this looper, that's acceptable.

Published 2021 Jun 17