The loop pedal: a funny word for a tool musicians use to honestly become a “one man/woman show.”

After all, who really needs a band when you can use your voice or other instruments during a live performance to create one all by yourself? With a loop pedal, you’re able to do this, since with every click and adjustment you make to it, you are able to enhance layer upon layers of tracks that can build to sounding just like a full version band.

The loop pedal has become more affordable over the past couple of decades and has allowed both professional and amateur musicians alike to add infinite layers of sound created solely by them to build layer upon layer onto one track of song. After having originally being used for radio broadcasts in the late 1950’s to dub over different sounds, the formerly known “tape loop” has since been converted into digital use for easier, more affordable use. Although, some musicians and composers still use this device with analog versions to record their material.

The loop pedal has been easily converted to the use of one’s foot, consisting of a different amount of switches that depend on how many one purchases a pedal with. One of the most famous examples of a loop pedal being used on a track is the intricate guitar work on Don Caballero’s American Don, which showcases compound guitar riffs over tracks and tracks of other guitar riffs by guitarist Ian Williams.

These days, the loop pedal has become more common among young musicians and can be seen being used at many local venues, such as in AHS alum, Jeff Bynum’s, guitar work in his performance at Annandale High School’s 2011 Battle of the Bands. Washington D.C. native, Margot MacDonald, also commonly uses the loop pedal in her performances at local venues and excels at using the tool in creating her own sound effects without the need of a band, sometimes with just the simple sound of her voice.

Loop pedals are usually priced from around three hundred to five-hundred dollars, but can vary according to the brand, how they are made, and by their size. Though, they can be bought in some places (such as at eBay.com) for as little as $160 dollars.