I’ve only used it a bit with my Wurly as arm pain prevents me playing guitar or piano normally at the moment but I’ve found that it is surprisingly well designed and easy to use once you get used to the way it works. The manual isn’t quite the best but between the screen and the simplicity of the interface it doesn’t take long to learn. However, the Donner takes the lead when it comes to foot-switches & overall control. While the RC-5 has 1 single foot-switch, the Circle has 2 (4 counting the control knobs which also function as buttons).

The Nux also offers more in th way of recording time in comparison to the Circle. At 300 minutes, that figure’s close to double!! Especially when to label something ‘the best’ is actually pretty daft. To claim such a thing is pretty much like saying something smells awful or like rotten fish – it’s an opinion, not fact.Keeping time with this loop station is no issue either. Donner’s Circle comes with 10 types of metronome. All of which are really good at helping you keep in time & on beat. I think the two button controls are worlds easier to use than a single button looper however I haven’t tried any of the Donner Single Button Looper’s. The added LED display is a nice touch and I would rather see this then the blinking light on most pedals. Just remember if your a beginner you need to think about your timing when it comes to looping – play something simple first and try looping that – build your confidence first. In my mind its perfect for beginners because it has the metronome and drum machine. Focus on your timing and the looping will follow. Another plus for the RC-5 comes with its sound quality which features 32-bit sound processing, while the Flamma FS21 has 24 bit sound processing. Plus, the RC-5 provides 99 memory slots with 13 hours of recording time in total. The numbers for Flamma are 40 memory slots with 160 minutes of total recording time. The circle looper is really simple to use, if you want your loops in time with one of the many decent drum patterns press the merge button, choose a drum pattern with the drum knob, then choose a memory location with the memory knob, press rec foot switch to start recording, press stop foot switch to stop recording. Its that easy!

Its sound quality is more than satisfying both for the looper and the drum machine. Plus, it supports stereo sound, which is not the case with the looper pedals of this price range. Furthermore, the option to connect it to a computer for importing-exporting audio files is impressive to keep things interesting for practice and live performances. On the subject of screens, the difference is pretty clear. The Donner has one, while the Trio just relies on clusters of LED lights. For this alone, the Circle is (in our opinion) more user friendly. Also the drum parts are obnoxiously loud at first, until you figure out how to access the level parameter and the memories are populated with loops and drum settings from the factory so when you go to a new slot those drums will be deafening again. I may just go in and delete a whole bunch from the computer to avoid the rigmarole of undoing the horrible settings. There is a metronome or three in there (different time sigs) so the rather unsubtle drum parts can be avoided without losing out on the syncing between the rhythm and looper functions. While the Donner Circle Looper Pedal is undoubtedly a formidable addition to any guitarist’s toolkit, it’s important to weigh your options. Longer Looping Needs Form factor– In comparison to its rivals, the Donner Circle is reasonably travel friendly. It’s footprint is small at just 12.1cm x 5.6cm x 9.9cm (Width x Height x Depth), as is its weight. For a looper pedal with 2 foot-switches, a screen, 2 volume-type knobs 7 a whole host of inputs/ outputs, a curb weight of less than 400g is impressive!!

It is a highly portable looper pedal that weighs around 0.86 Ibs (0.39 kg) and has measurements of 4.76” (12.1 cm), 2.22” (5.6 cm), and 3.9” (9.9 cm). It won’t take much space on your pedalboard, which is a great plus for crowded pedal setups.

The One looper doesn’t come with any sort of screen. Whereas the Circle looper does. In fact, the LCD screen is very useful, especially when it comes to managing all the various settings. One of the standout features of the Donner Circle Looper Pedal is its sheer versatility. Whether you’re a seasoned guitarist or just starting your musical journey, this pedal caters to a wide range of needs. The ability to record and loop up to 4 minutes of your playing opens up a world of creative possibilities. It’s perfect for building complex compositions, practicing scales, or simply jamming with yourself. Groove to the Beat KHZ 24bit Looper: The pedal boasts a high-quality 44.1kHz 24-bit looper, ensuring top-notch audio quality for your recordings and loops.

The last button is the “ Merge Control” button in the center. This button is there to turn on and off the synchronization of the looper and the drum machine. If you are a beginner or intermediate player and want to spice up your practice at home, Donner Circle will get the job done. Or, if you want to experiment with your composition ideas with some looping again, Donner Circle Looper is a great choice with its low price tag and great features. It sounds good, has enough capacity for recording, and has some great grooves to play along. The Donner Circle Looper kind of looks like an off-brand Boss RC-10R in terms of layout. It’s just a little flatter and with a friendlier-looking color scheme. It measures 99 by 121 mm (4 by 4 and 3/4 inches), which makes it much more compact than many loopers out there. In fact, it’s even a little smaller than the RC-10R. There are 2 knobs on the control panel. The first one is used for adjusting the looper settings like the memory, level, and fade out, while the second one is for the drum machine settings such as selecting the pattern, volume level, and bpm. There is a screen for ease of use, and the LED indicators show which setting is currently adjusted. Thanks to these features, it is pretty easy to navigate through the pedal settings.

The layout of the Circle looper is VERY beginner friendly. Controls for the Looper are all onthe left, while those for the drum machine are to the right. There’s few compact loopers with such a logical layout!! Many artists use looper pedals to build up their riffs on the fly, such as Tash Sultana, Ed Sheeran, and David Torn, while other artists use them to play pre-recorded samples to add spices to their pieces. As technology advanced, looper pedals now often support importing and exporting sound clips or external memory cards, making things much easier and more versatile in terms of usage and creativity. If you require advanced arrangement capabilities like setting up intro, bridge, and chorus sections within your loops, this pedal might fall short. While it excels as a looper, such features could potentially be enhanced through software updates. CONCLUSION: SUMMARY OF THIS DONNER CIRCLE LOOPER PEDAL REVIEW ARTICLE Importing/ exporting loops using either looper is simply a case of ‘drag & drop’. Both loopers are very beginner-friendly! Another significant aspect of the JTC Pro is its 6 hours of recording capacity with 256 slots which is much higher than the capacity of Flamma FS21. JTC Pro also offers different ends to the loops, such as immediate stop, stop at the end of the loop or fade out.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Just like the Donner Circle Looper, the Trio+ also works with 24-bit processing, but I can indeed say the sound quality of the looper and the band creator is better than the Donner Circle Looper’s quality. But the sound quality difference is not big and easily noticeable. Unlike some cheap loopers, the Circle does support an external foot-switch. Something that we’d say makes it the ideal weapon for gigging!! I wondered whether I should really be comparing looping pedals 3-5 the price of the Donna Circle Looper and if that’s really a fair comparison. However I think if there’s an option that’s easier to operate and cheaper this pedal is worth considering The Circle offers the player far much more control over their sound. There’s 2 volume knobs, opposed to the 1 you get on the Triple. Plus, on the Circle, these also double as buttons. A perk you don’t find on the Triple.