KT Tunstall - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

Tunstall’s looper of choice is the Akai E2 Headrush, a footpedal device that offers 16-bit digital delay, simulated tape echo, and a phrase-looping audio recorder with unlimited layering. The Headrush (which Tunstall calls my “Wee Bastard”) boasts a maximum delay time of nearly 24 seconds, tap-tempo echo, and individual outputs for the box’s four virtual “tape heads.” As loopers go, the Headrush provides simple operation via two footswitches: One starts and stops the loop, the other turns the recording (or overdubbing) function on and off.
To learn more about looping—its history, an overview of real-time looping hardware, and guitarists who make repeating audio the foundation of their music—read “Looping” in the April ’06 Guitar Player. Those shopping for a looper will want to read GP’s review of such devices (“Looping Pedal Roundup! Four Digital Repeat Boxes”) in the June ’06 issue. To explore the looper community, visit loopers-delight.com.

Akai Headrush