DJFX Looper: my favorite kind of glitch, for everyone

DJFX Looper has been my favorite effect on the SP for years. It is a big part of why I love that instrument.

There are plenty of ways to chop audio. What I keep coming back to is the way this kind of short-loop effect can smooth a fragment into a bend, a swoop or something that almost sounds animated. I described it while testing as “the Jetsons kind of sound effect.” That still feels like the closest way to explain why I love it.

I wanted a software version that felt right under my hands. After the work on QuotaFX’s DJFX Looper, I want to make that focused effect available on its own, completely free.

Three controls are enough to get lost in

Length chooses the short window of audio. It shapes the sound even when Loop is off, which is easy to overlook when comparing settings. A tiny change in the window can turn a rough chop into something much smoother.

Speed moves from forward playback through a stop and into reverse. Between Speed and Length, a small slice can become a rhythm, a pitch bend or a little science-fiction sound.

Loop catches the window. Momentary is the default: press, hold and release. Toggle is there when you want to leave it running. Both use the same underlying Loop control, and saved instances retain the behavior you selected.

A focused app and plug-in

DJFX Looper shares QuotaFX’s scope views, knobs, sliders, steel and wood surfaces. Resize the desktop window or use the touch layout on a phone or tablet. The settings live behind one button, leaving the performance view centered on the sound.

DJFX Looper is available now for Mac, Windows and Linux, and the tested Force setup. Get Rare Data HQ 1.1.3, then find DJFX Looper and choose Install & manage. Desktop plug-ins are AU/VST3 on Mac and VST3 on Windows/Linux. Standalone installers, including universal Mac support, are on the product page.

The Force edition has three native Q-Link knobs. Loop is OFF through halfway and ON above halfway. It was auditioned on Force 3.9.1.2 with existing compatible root SSH, executable storage and QuotaScope helpers. HQ installs the effect and keeps its previous installation for recovery; it does not enable SSH or change helpers, firmware or startup hooks. Save your project and stop playback before installation, because the instrument software restarts. Other MPC models and firmware versions are not verified.

HQ requires macOS 13+ on Apple silicon, Windows x64, or Linux x64 with glibc 2.39+ and a desktop browser; Ubuntu 24.04 is tested. The DJFX manual Mac installer also supports Intel; the Linux effect archive requires glibc 2.38+.

The iPhone and iPad app is submitted and waiting for Apple review. It will be free too, but its App Store release is still pending.

Free to make music with

There is no trial period and no paid unlock. All source remains private for this release, including the DSP, adapter, interface, scopes and artwork. A possible source release is a separate decision; downloading the effect does not depend on it.

This is Rare Data’s implementation, informed by hardware listening and behavioral analysis. It is not Roland firmware, an official Roland plug-in or a claim of endorsement.

Part of QuotaFX, free on its own

DJFX Looper is part of the QuotaFX lineup. The separate effect stays free. If it is the only part you need, that is fine with me.

I know how much time can disappear into making something feel right. This one matters to me. Making it free is one way I want to give something useful back to other people making music.

Get DJFX Looper · Quick guide · Installation and support