I've wanted to get a looping pedal but at $100+ I've hesitated because I'd rather just get an adapter to plug my guitar into my PC and simulate pedals in software than spend $100 for every pedal I need. From my research an iRig2 is what I should get but open to any suggestions?
If you are a little patient, you can pick up an Avid mBox3 for ~$50 including shipping off eBay or Reverb (mine was $30). They are USB class compliant, built solid, and have high quality electronics consistent with a $500 price when new...two mic preamps with 70db gain for ribbon mics. They also do direct input and have additional jacks on the front...you could spend a lot more and do worse on an audio interface. [1] Avid is a high end company.
But of course, I am advocating used gear.
[1]: Also makes a pretty good headphone pre-amp that just needs USB power (like from a power brick).
There's $20-30 looper pedals on Amazon and Ali Express that do the job just fine.
Most any USB audio interface will have an "instrument" input/mode that will allow you to plug directly in and will work with Mac/Windows/Linux directly with low latency. Most of the come with some software bundles as well with free amp and pedal models.
