2HP Loop (2013–2023)

Name: 2HP Loop
Brand: 2HP

Five minutes of pristine looping crammed into a sliver of Eurorack—this tiny module turns silence into symphonies with the flick of a gate.

Overview

A 2HP-wide module is barely wider than a single patch cable. The 2HP Loop fits into the smallest gaps in a rack and gives you a digital looper with five minutes of recording time. It captures audio at 24-bit/48kHz, which makes it one of the cleanest-sounding loopers in the Eurorack ecosystem. It isn't flashy, but it's reliable. It can turn a single oscillator blip into an ambient bed, or layer percussive stutters into something rhythmic.

The Loop sits between utility modules and full-featured samplers. It's more flexible than a simple delay and less complex than a granular processor. There are four recording modes - Sound on Sound, Dub, Replace, and Reverse - and no menus or shift functions to get through. The interface is one knob, one button, and a handful of jacks. You record with a gate signal or the front-panel button, and the knob adjusts playback speed and direction. No screens, no parameter diving.

Despite its size, the Loop doesn't feel like a compromise. It's the module you reach for to build a loop quickly, capture a happy accident, or layer textures without patching a dozen cables. It's not a centerpiece, but it often works as the glue that turns a static patch into something evolving.

Specifications

Manufacturer	2HP
Production Years	2013–2023
Original Price	$149
Format	Eurorack
Width	2HP
Depth	40mm
Current Draw +12V	80mA
Current Draw -12V	20mA
Audio Input	1/8" (3.5mm) TS
Audio Output	1/8" (3.5mm) TS
Record Gate Input	1/8" (3.5mm) TS
Record Gate Output	1/8" (3.5mm) TS
Loop Length	Up to 5 minutes
Sample Rate	48kHz
Bit Depth	24-bit
Playback Modes	Normal, Half-speed, Reverse
Recording Modes	Sound on Sound, Dub, Replace, Reverse
Weight	35g

Key Features

Four Recording Modes for Expressive Layering

The Loop has four recording modes. Sound on Sound is the classic infinite overdub, good for stacking drones or rhythmic loops. Dub mode lets you selectively overdub over existing material, like a tape echo with memory. Replace erases the previous loop and starts fresh, which suits quick sketching or rhythmic resets. Reverse does what it says: it flips the incoming audio and records it backward. The modes aren't hidden behind menus or shift functions. They're hardwired and cycled via a simple gate input, so you can switch them while playing.

Half-Speed and Reverse Playback

The front-panel knob controls playback speed and direction. Turn it one way and the loop slows to half-speed, which thickens the texture and drops the pitch. Turn it the other way and playback reverses. This isn't sample-rate reduction or bit-crushing. It's clean time-stretching and reversal, so the original signal stays intact and you can warp a loop on the fly without mangling it.

Compact Design with Full Signal Path

At just 2HP wide, the Loop packs input, output, record gate in, record gate out, and power onto a panel barely wider than a single jack. The 3.5mm (1/8") jacks are a signature of 2HP's design language, and they save space. Some users report difficulty patching when the module is surrounded by wider gear. The trade-off is that you can fit three Loop modules in the space of a standard 6HP utility. Because it's digital, it doesn't load down your oscillators or degrade your signal chain.

Historical Context

The 2HP Loop launched in 2013, when Eurorack was growing fast but wasn't yet drowning in options. Most loopers were either full-sized samplers or crude buffer modules with seconds of memory. The Loop offered professional-grade recording in a footprint previously reserved for attenuators and multiples. It wasn't the first digital looper in Eurorack, but it was among the first to deliver high fidelity and meaningful features in such a small package. While many manufacturers were chasing complexity, 2HP went minimal.

Its closest competitors weren't other loopers but modules like the MakeNoise Morphagene or the Mutable Instruments Clouds (later Rings), which offered granular or spectral processing in compact forms. The Loop didn't try to be a sampler, a granulator, or a buffer mangler. It just looped. It became a staple in ambient, experimental, and live performance setups, where reliability and immediacy matter more than endless modulation options. Over its decade-long production run, it remained largely unchanged.

Collectibility & Value

The 2HP Loop was discontinued in 2023. It's not yet a "rare" module, but it's no longer in production, so used units are the only option. In excellent condition, a Loop typically sells for $180-$220, with black and silver faceplate variants commanding similar prices. Units with cosmetic wear or untested status can be found for $140-$160. Buyers should be cautious. The module is solidly built, but the 3.5mm jacks can loosen over time, and the PCB is tightly packed, which makes repairs tricky.

Common issues include intermittent audio dropout, usually caused by failing solder joints on the audio jacks or power rails. Some users have reported a low-level hiss when passing signal through the module even when not recording. It's inconsistent - some units are dead silent, others have a faint noise floor. Documentation doesn't list a replaceable buffer or op-amp, so noise issues are difficult to fix without deep electronics work. Power draw is modest (80mA/+12V, 20mA/-12V), but the module is sensitive to dirty power, so a clean, well-regulated supply is recommended.

Before buying, test both input and output with a known-clean signal, check that all four recording modes trigger correctly via gate, and verify that half-speed and reverse playback work without glitches. The Loop has no user-accessible storage or firmware updates, so there's no risk of bricking. There's also no way to upgrade or reset it. If it's broken, it's broken.

For a stereo looper setup, running two Loops in parallel is a popular workaround. They won't sync automatically, so external gate control is required to start and stop both units simultaneously. Some users have reported drift over long loops, so a dedicated stereo looper might be a better choice for critical stereo applications. For most, the Loop's affordability, fidelity, and footprint still make it a worthwhile addition, even in 2026.