Ed Sheeran’s Looper X: A New Way to Jam with Yourself

It’s hard to imagine a world where a single musician can sound like a full band, but Ed Sheeran seems to think it’s already here. The Looper X, his latest partnership with BOSS, lands in a matte‑black shell that feels as much like a high‑end phone case as a piece of studio gear. Right out of the box you notice the tiny LCD screen, the row of brightly‑lit pads, and the surprisingly generous battery life – a full eight hours of looping before the charger even whispers its way back onto the desk.

What makes the Looper X stand out is not just the hardware but the philosophy behind it. Sheeran, who built his early career on looping his guitar, vocals, and beatbox, wanted a device that would feel intuitive for anyone – from bedroom songwriters to street buskers. The interface is deliberately simple: tap a pad, start a loop, layer another, and watch the progress bar crawl across the screen. Yet underneath that simplicity lie features that would make a seasoned pedal‑head grin. There are up to 99 seconds of overdub time, four independent tracks, and the ability to export your loops via USB‑C straight to a laptop or phone.

Of course, no piece of gear is without its quirks. The loop length caps at just under two minutes per layer, which might frustrate those who love sprawling, cinematic soundscapes. The footswitch is optional but feels a bit tacked on, and the price tag – hovering around $250 – puts it in a bracket where you’d expect more extensive processing power. Still, for the price you get a device that is practically built to survive a tour: a sturdy chassis, a solid mute switch, and a robust build that survived a couple accidental drops during our testing.

One of the most delightful surprises is how well the Looper X plays with modern software. Pair it with a DAW, hit record, and you can bounce the loop back into Ableton or GarageBand for further polishing. Even the free Looper X app on iOS mirrors many of the hardware’s functions, letting you start a loop on your phone and then hand the device to Sheeran for the live‑performance vibe. It’s the kind of cross‑platform fluidity that feels designed for the TikTok generation, where a 15‑second clip can blossom into a fully‑produced track overnight.

In the end, the Looper X isn’t a miracle‑machine that will replace a full band, but it does deliver on its promise to make looping feel less like a technical exercise and more like an extension of your own musical instincts. Whether you’re a kid strumming in the garage or a seasoned performer looking for a compact backup, the Looper X is a solid, if slightly pricey, addition to the toolbox.