Canadian Musician - November/December 2018 | Page 23
ROAD
TEST
Electro-Harmonix 95000
Performance Loop Laboratory
By Kevin Young
I
f you’ve been on the hunt for a high-
functioning, user-friendly looping device, you
may want to pull the trigger on the Electro-
Harmonix 95000 Performance Loop
Laboratory.
Overview
The 95000 allows the user to record six mono
or three stereo loops (or any combination in be-
tween) and one stereo mix-down track per loop
number. The provided 16 GB microSDHS Card
will hold 100 loops or roughly 375 minutes of
audio in WAV format, so there’s a fair bit of space
to play with, though the unit’s rear slot accepts
cards from 4-32 GB. For backup, the unit’s USB
port allows you to transfer and store loops on a
computer easily and restore selected loops to
the 95000 as needed.
In Use
About 10 minutes after unpacking the 95000 and
cracking the manual, I’d mixed down my first six-
track loop and was moving on to see what else
it could do. From there, time – as it does with
any device that inspires creativity with a minimal
learning curve – passed very quickly.
Plug your instrument of choice into the com-
bination 1/4-in./XLR inputs (phantom power is
provided), adjust your input level using the in-
dividual L/R knobs (each has its own clip meter),
and set your dry output level for playback via the
stereo outs and/or headphone jack and you’re set
to record. Each dry out has a dedicated pan knob,
as does each of the individual/stereo tracks. Click
level, headphone/monitoring, and master out are
all controlled via individual knobs.
You can record in quantize mode to a click
track (CLIX) or free form. Click tempo is set using a
tap button or slider. Also handy are two LEDs just
above the tempo controls, the right displaying
beats and the left lighting up at the beginning
of each bar. Hitting record in quantize provides
various options for count-ins, which are set using
the LED display in one of the 95000’s three primary
page modes, so if you want a loop with a non-
standard time signature, no problem.
In quantize, if you finish recording within the
first half of the next bar, the 95000 will round
down to the previous bar; if you finish within the
last half, it will round up to the end of that bar. If
quantize isn’t enabled, recording begins and ends
when the record stomp switch is released. Only
the monitor and headphone outs reproduce click;
W W W. C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N . CO M
the L/R master outs do not.
Individual tracks or full loops can be erased
simply and permanently, but there’s also an
undo/redo stomp switch that will allow you to
erase or restore one layer of recording, whether
it’s a mono, stereo, or mix down track. Additional
stomp switches are as follows: the track switch (to
advance through tracks and mix down), a play/
stop switch, and dedicated loop up/loop down
switches.
These switches, in addition to their main func-
tions, may be used singly or in combination to
erase an individual track or entire loop. Individual
tracks (or stereo tracks) and the mixdown track
can be selected via the footswitch or dedicated
buttons above the corresponding track level fader.
If you hit record after pressing the new loop but-
ton, all pre-existing information will also be erased.
While capturing your performance, once you
hit record after first recording a new loop, you can
overdub on the same track (or the others) simply
by hitting record again. This is ideal for creating
complex textures or just working out which sonic,
harmonic, and melodic elements you want for
a given track. As an example, for a quick drum
loop, record your bass drum on track one, drop
out and then back into record, and layer up the
rest of the kit.
Utilizing the 95000’s entire feature set is
extremely easy primarily because there’s noth-
ing arcane or tricky about interpreting the LED
screen’s messages or the page layout in general.
The default display (LOOP/DUB) indicates (from
left to right) loop number and the overdub feed-
back level of the chosen track. A dot between
the two numbers indicates a loop exists in the
location already. Cycle between this and the other
two primary modes – BARS/BEATS and MIDI CH/
SYNC – by pressing the page button. To enter the
secondary modes, hold the page button down
until it blinks, then use the VALUE knob/button to
select either CX (click), TM (tempo), CT (count-in),
FD (loop fadeout), and to adjust the parameters
in each mode.
While there is a learning curve to adopting
a fluent and seamless workflow, it’s not terribly
steep, and each step along the way makes perfect
sense after you’ve run through it once.
In addition to the previously mentioned tem-
po fader/button, there are other useful onboard
controls: punch-in; octave switching (allowing for
speed/tuning up/down in a two-octave range);
and reverse (which affects the entire loop, not
individual tracks) – each with a dedicated button.
As a practice tool for fleshing out or learning
tricky bits, say by looping a section of a record-
ing, or for composition, choosing instrumentation
and crafting hooks and solos,the process is pretty
much hands-free. Granted, you can accomplish
the same things in your DAW of choice, but unless
you’re blessed with a high degree of “toe dexterity,”
not by stepping on your computer.
In MIDI CH/SYNC mode with the two rear MIDI
ports (IN and OUT/THRU) you can also operate
the 95000 by using or syncing to an external MIDI
device. Additional control can be applied via a rear
pedal-in jack.
Summary
User-friendly, heavy on features, compact, and
sturdy, the 95000 is an extremely useful device
regardless of your past experience with loop boxes
or the sheer amount of duty you need it to handle.
All that said, you could easily find a cheaper
looping solution, but unlikely one as easy to use
and feature rich as the EHX 95000. Given its ver-
satility, at approximately $700 CAD, the 95000 is
worth every penny and then some.
Kevin Young is a Toronto-based musician and
freelance writer.
C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N • 23