Boomerang Phrase Sampler

I literally did not know very much about this product before bying one in the store. I tried out a 2mb model, and decided that an upgraded model would better fit my needs. I took it out of the box, plugged it in, and was off to a whole new world. Just looking at it explains the basic functions. The manual explains everything in detail, not that you need that.

As long as you play smoothly and have the volume set correctly, you couldn't go wrong. The have speed quality did not work for me. I will definitely will be using as a live sound in my band. It makes playing those killer rhythm patterns easy, if you don't mind using a device like this. I am using in a blues band, but will mainly use this for song writing, and learning lead guitar. I am using it with a few Fender Strats with Texas Specials, and a Ibanez RG770. For a amp, I use mainly a Fender Blues Deluxe and a Peavey Classic 50 4x10. The stack features work great. One example that I use is the classic blues song "Rockin' Daddy" by Howlin Wolf. I sample the main rhythm, and do leads over the top.

Yes... The case is made of steel. No need to worry.

Called the company to get info. They were very helpful in helping me contact a local vendor who had one in stock.

I play alot of Blues and Jazz... a little Rock. The backward function gives a great Hendrix sound, that I thought I would never be able to capture. I would buy another one in a heartbeat. I did compare it to many of the Multi-Effects pedals out there, that offer 32 second sampling, but I did not want all of the other effects. The thing is great for learning new riffs, or patterns. You can plug in a CD player to it and sample drums, bass, keys, or what ever you want. Best purchase I ever bought. Used along with my Kawai GB2 Session trainer, I am a one man band.

The Boomerang is very, very easy to use. If you can operate a tape machine's controls, then you've got it licked. The sampling rate at 2 minutes of loop time is 16 bit--drop that to 8 bit for 1/2 speed for 4 minutes of time. At high-res, it's pretty good. At lo-res, the highs definitely disappear. Stacking sounds in a loop is easy, and is a nice feature. The manual explains every feature nicely--and encourages one to experiment with new applications of the device. It's a small, concise manual. The company now only makes the 4mb model--as opposed to the once-optional 2mb version. I give the unit a 9 only because one might have some difficulty at first getting the hang of making clean loops.

Here's how it works in my rig: I run my Carvin DC127 into a Digitech Whammy pedal. That signal goes into a splitter box. The A signal runs directly to the guitar input of an AxSys 212. The B signal runs into the Boomerang--allowing me to make loops with the Whammy still in the picture. From there, the looped signal runs into my Aux channel of the amp--which lets me mix in clean loops with the original guitar signal. One nice feature on the Boomerang is that one can output either the loop and the thru/orignal signal--or turn off all sound except the loop. Works great for my setup. The unit is relatively quiet, unless you crank up it's output to the max. The input section is flexible enough for a variety of signal types to be pumped into the unit cleanly. The Boomerang offers many, many textural and looped possiblitlies. It works great with my improv trio, and really adds another layer to what we do. The long sampling time really makes its applications unlimited. I give it a 10 for it's sound quality for my applications and flexibility in my setup. I've seen other people complaining about the way it sounds--but for the frequency range of guitar sounds and loops, it's just fine.

It's very sturdy. I wouldn't be too worried about it. I do, however, try to take care not to beat on the hard plastic toe pieces. I'm sure they're strong as well, but I'd be mindful of them, and not stomp like a maniac on them. I would definitely use it without a backup. I give it a 9 only because of the plastic tap controls. The rest of the unit is built for war.

Michael at Boomerang Musical Products was VERY helpful on both the phone and via email when I was looking into the pedal. He was exceptionally friendly and responsive to questions and ideas. I feel that if I ever needed work on the unit, that there would be no problem. A 10 for this rarity.

I play experimental and improvised music. The Boomerang is a fine tool for this--and a perfect match. I've been playing for 19 years, and this device and the E-Bow are the two most fun and useful things that I've spent money on. If it were taken from me, I would get another immediately, if possible. I've love the fact that it's a powerful device for live performance--and how intuitive its controls really are. For looping and textures, it's just incredible. I compared it to several 8 second delay samplers and JamMan units, and felt that it was the clear choice for what I needed. I wish that it had storable memory , however--so that I could sample in a keyboard or percussive loop at home and haul it to the gig for incorporation into the set. At home, it's a great rehearsal and inspirational tool--at live shows it's super as well. Almost like another member of the band. It really does help and inspire my music. I give it a 9 only because I wish it had storable memory--and something other than a standard wall wart power supply.

the most intuitive piece of equipment i have ever had the pleasure to use - a quick read of the manual will take you to the details that aren't already blatantly obvious

pretty damn good - it is 16bit i believe so not absolutely hi fi - but as far as live goes it is pretty much indiscernible (i can speak for bass only though)

yes it is a really rugged bit of gear

unbelievable - call up support and speak directly with the guys who designed and built it. They have set new levels in customer support for me - an absolute pleasure to deal with and responsive - willing to listen to suggestions, they actually care about the customer and want to help out. I can't speak highly enough about their support.

this is a fantastic piece of gear, for practise, and as a creative tool, and also a phenomenal piece of gear for live performance, quite a challenge to conquer and find the right context, (unless you are just doing wierd ass experimental stuff) - however i believe that this is really an instrument in its own right - if anyone can conquer this and be as confident and fluent and expressive with it as they are with their instrument then they will be able to take their instrument and sound to a new level. (please keep in mind that i play bass and this is written from a bass players perspective). I use the boomerang in an experimental electronic/dj/live instrumentation, and also in a more 'normal' band context, and also for song writing, and practice. (i think it is probably not as hi fi and does not have as many features as the echoplex, not as many features as the jamman, but i have not personally ussed these things - read reviews about these as well, as i believe these cover some of the same turf as the boomerang)

The unit is straightforward and simple, although doing some of the more technical operations requires fast pedal-pushing, its response is always accurate.

The sampling rate is slow, so the sound quality isn't great (especially at low speed) but the tradeoff is long sampling times (32 seconds without the upgrade!) at a low cost.

I've dropped it on hardwood floors, cement floors, pavement, and my cat... so far no problems.

I play rock with it mostly. The only other effects gear I own is a wah pedal which I lay in front of the 'rang and it's all i've needed. You can create your own delays with it, and you can generate ambience for the background. If you get used to it, it can be easily incorporated into the writing of a song itself to make a band more full. Good luck with a drummer, though. Even with a drum machine, there's no timing output so you're on your own and bound to lose track.

Intuitive- even a bonehead guitarist will get it easily.

make up your own mind- call it a lo-rez aesthetic

Just wanted to clarify my earlier review.
A lot of people had assumed that I was slagging the Boomerang. I wasn't and now that I know that the guy who makes them is very cool, I have been sort of racked with guilt.
I guess what spurred this is that I sort of wish I had one- let me explain.
When I was looking for a looper, I was looking for something where I could play a line, loop it, and add harmonies and the like. When I tried out the B'rang, I tried to loop out a few bars and play other chords on top (using the bridge pickup of a telecaster), it all came out a bit muddy.
So I bought a JamMan.
Now, on those rare occasions that I use the JM with other people (because it is a bit of a pain in the butt, requiring a separate rack, massive Ground Control pedal to control all the functions, etc.,etc.) what I do mostly are long, amorphous ebow pads, etc, etc- stuff that doesn't require a lot of hi-fi reproduction. Plus low sampling rates can be very tasty- I have a friend who has an old Digitech RDS-900 with a really, really gritty sampling rate. Sounds amazing though.
The JamMan is getting to be a bit of a hassle- I am thinking of sticking it in my home recording rack and just using it as a songwriting tool- which it is ideal for. Doesn't complain, doesn't make mistakes, and will patiently let you try out every conceivable harmony.
For live use though- at a gig, I already have to set up 2-3 guitars, six effects pedals, and an amplifier, make sure that my lever is not too loud for the soundman (that would interfere with his all-drum, all vocal mix) making sure my mike works, making sure I can hear myself sing, getting the other mikes working, cuz no one seems to be able to figure these things out...
In other words, I really don't feel like setting up a midi pedal, mixer, effects sends, etc., etc., etc.
It would be nice to just plug in a B'rang.
Anyway, the point of this rambling narrative is this:
1) the B'rang is not something that you are going to layer three sets of chords with a counterpoint harmony line and maintain crystal clarity.
2)If you make simple and/or textural loops, this box makes a lot of sense.
Of course MAKE SURE THAT YOU TRY THE BOX OUT YOURSELF! Determine your own needs.
Bear in mind that some people's ideas of high fidelity may be lower/higher than yours.

The boomerang is in my set-up because the interface is the most musician friendly I've seen. I've had a jamman for the last several years and, frankly, have to work too hard to take advantage of it's features. By contrast, I was getting around very well on the rang within the first few minutes. And the features are also geared toward individual creativity...these guys started from the player's point of view, not some industry statistical standard... It allows me to create incredible textures and atmospheres almost effortlessly. The flat switches are amazingly responsive and the functions are laid out logically. Rather than dealing with editing patches, the rang features analoguish toes-on simplicity, giving the "pilot" more realtime control of the outcome.

I use both the jamman and boomerang loopers. With the exception of a few characteristics, I prefer the rang BUT the sampling rate IS lower than the jamman. So, when highs are more important to the sound I'm going for (as for percussion or vocals), I use the jamman. And when I'm playing bass, guitar or trombone, where mid-range harmonics rule, the sound quality of the boomerang is great...and the sampling time!!! Even with the jamman maxed out, that 32 second barrier is always breathing down my neck. I've also maxed out the rang and love having all that luxurious time to create whole through-composed pieces, NOT just little chunky phrases. I'm giving it a 7 due to lack of highs.

metal chasis with very durable exposed parts. I've put this thing through hell (drop test, spilled beer test, dust, smoke, you name it) and never had a single problem.

I've never needed service, though I've talked to one of the owners about new upgrade features, including hardware and software and he was very curious about my needs as a musician in search of more expressive options. They are definitely as interested in making a better product as they are in making a profit.

The boomerang is a great addition to everything I'm doing these days. I play a wide variety of styles with many different set-ups. From a single mic and minimal processing, mostly playing trombone...to "The Hindenburg" rig, incorporating a Nordlead synth midied to various modules, bass, guitar and horn/vocals through a Mackey mixer...with processing including the rang, jamman, 2 digitech whammy pedals (one for the mic, one for the bass), various (mostly boss) stompboxes... and a bag of toys (percussion, melodica, talking drum, etc.) I've often thought about adding another rang, but, as you can tell, I'm a gear lover and, if something's good, I always want 2...at least. In GOUGE, one the bands I play in in Dallas, three of us have boomerangs and the fourth guy is not far behind. We improvise mostly "world jazz" with touches of triphop and Zappavant garde. We love being able to get a loop texture going and walk out into the audience to listen and play along. Finally, as a practice device, working on musical ideas and techniques on the fly, I can't imagine a more perfect companion... well, I can imagine it, but it doesn't seem to exist. There's always MORE you can do, but the rang is pretty damn fine, as is.

It is very easy to use. It is laid-out nicely so that everything is easily accessible with a tap of your foot.

Sound quality is very good. I generally play very clean: no reverb, no chorus, no nothin'. The Boomerang reproduced my guitar sounds quite faithfully. Upon listening very closely, the main thing I noticed was that it's weird to hear your guitar playing back through your amp but not feel it vibrating in your hands!

The pedal itself is extremely rugged - very heavy duty construction. It uses a wall-wart instead of a real powersupply/power cord, so that is a potential weak point (those tiny wall-wart wires). I would use it without a backup, but I would be most comfortable if I had a backup for the wall-wart.

I would buy it again. I use it primarily as a composition and practice tool - set up a loop and jam over it for a while occasionally stacking some additional parts. It's pretty pricey for that, but I feel that it has been tremendously helpful for my playing (and I was pretty good to start with!).
I don't like the wall-wart (but who does?!).
I compared it to the JamMan but preferred this for its longer sample duration, self-contained aspects (you need trigger pedals for the JamMan) and because for me it was more performance-oriented than the JamMan.
Here is part of a review I did for friends:
Description: It sits on the floor and it's about as big as your average computer keyboard. It's got 5 buttons on it ([Record/Play] [Play/Stop] [Once] [Direction] [Stack/Speed]), a "thru mute" footswitch and a volume "roller". It can record 30 seconds of high quality sound or 1 minute of sound at half the quality. It lists for $459. I got mine for $375.
There's a picture of the pedal at http://www.netbutler.com/boomerang/
Uses: This pedal is great for practicing and developing leads, working out "second guitar" parts for songs, composing, messin' around having fun, and idea-generating in general. It can also be used to sample commercial recordings and loop them or slow them to half speed if you're trying to figure out a part. It is the rhythm player that never gets bored.
Making it do its thing: The simplest way to use it is to start playing and hit the [Record/Play] button once. When you've come to the end of your phrase you hit the [Record/Play] button again. It then starts looping the phrase you just recorded.
This way, to play a song, you just play your starting chord progression once (while recording) and then let the pedal loop it repeatedly while you play leads or whatever over it. Then when you're ready to go to the chorus or the next part of the song you can hit the [Once] button to stop the playing when the loop finishes. You could then either record your chorus progression first time through and loop that _or_ you could just save the first progression you recorded and hit [Play/Stop] when you're done with the chorus part.
The [Direction] button lets you play a phrase backwards. The [Stack/Speed] button lets you stack more stuff on top of a phrase that's playing. If the pedal is sitting idle, this button lets you choose full speed/resolution or half speed/resolution. Using stacking, direction and speed, you can record any combinations of forwards and backwards tracks, half speed and full speed tracks, etc. You can record a quick melody line and then hit the half speed button to drop it an octave and turn it into a bass line. Then hit the direction button and let it play backwards. Then hit the stack button and stack a lead on top of it. Then play it forwards again and your lead is backwards. The possibilities are endless!
Other stuff: There are other cool features like the "thru mute" footswitch. This allows you to record phrases silently - the original signal from your guitar (or mic or line-level signal) doesn't pass through when you've got this switch engaged.
One of the coolest features is the volume foot-roller. It's a roller knob that's textured so it's really easy to adjust with your foot. Unity gain on playback of your loops is achieved when the roller is about at its halfway point. That means that you can turn your loops up in volume considerably or you can turn them way down. That makes it very easy to "mix" the levels of your loops with your live playing.
There are a few other secret super-cool features, but you'll just have to buy your own and read the tiny 8 page manual to find out (hint: think real-time backwards leads).
While being a heck of a lot of fun, it just may make me a better guitarist!

very easy

The whole reason I'm writing this is that I found the Boomerang's sound quality to be sorely lacking. My guitar loops (and the loops of several other players) really showed just how low the sampling rate of this gadget is.

I hate to put out such a negitive opinion, but I know that if I had bought this pedal sight-unseen (as the previous reviewer had) I would have been sorely dissapointed.
It is great that the guys who make the product answer the phones themselves. I wish there were more people who cared that much. I wish them the best and have a bit of constructive criticism from someone else: there is a way to double the recording time by cutting the sampling rate in half., Why not have it record at twice the sampling rate for half the time? I think it will hold a loop of up to four minutes with the memory upgrade. That's a lot of sampling time. I bought a JamMan instead for higher quality and less sampling time (after looking at the Boomerang first).
I belong to a newsgroup by and for people who use looping devices. There is a matching web site maintained by Kim Flint (the 1/2 time/double sample rate is his idea (I think)) and the address is: <http://www.annihilist.com/loop/loop.html> Check it out- there is a ton of info from people who use this stuff. Right from the horse's mouth, as it were.

This is a brand new product. It is similar to the Oberheim Echoplex which was popular in the 70's. It is a 17 in long floor unit that digitally records your chord progression/lead/vocal/etc., and loops it back through your amp/pa on command. A great performance/practice tool and super easy to use. I had mine operating perfectly in about 10 minutes. I do the solo acoustic/vocal thing in Chicago area clubs and this has really added to my repertoire. I hit a button with my foot, play a chord progression and then hit another button and the loop begins. Simple.

Since it's digital with no tape loop - it sound's exactly like what you put into it. There is a cool little foot roller which controls the out put volume and there is also a trim pot to regulate input trim. You can record at 1/2 speed and play back at full speed. This raises the pitch one full octave ( also plays back at 2X speed) I can make my guitar sound like a mandolin by recording at 1/2 speed and playing back at regular You can also record and play back in reverse. A very, very, cool effect. It may be the path I'm using but there is the littlest bit of sonic drop-out during playback. Nothing to worry about.

I have only had this effect for one week and have used it on three gigs with no problem. It seems to built extremely well and it has a 6-month warranty. Too new to judge reliability.

The company is a basically a couple of musician/technoheads who had a great idea and brought it to fruition. I spoke to one of the principals before I ordered and he was eager to talk and real helpful in my decision to purchase. I bought this product on concept alone. Sight unseen. I suppose that when the owner returns your phone call you have to give a favorable review of customer support. (Try to get Hartley Peavey to call you back.) Who knows how they'll handle probable growth but for now it's a 10.

I love this thing. Great composition tool, practice buddy, rhythm player. It hasn't complained yet about endless three chord progressions. Every one I've showed it to wants one. It's a little pricey - but if you love to play it's probably worth every dime.