I havent had the opportunity to test the RC-10R (BOSS dont return my emails), but there seem to be quite a few negative reviews with people dealing with issues. The display is also segmented to show how different loops sync together. Apart from that, the RC-3 packs far more useful features in. Contained within BOSSs classic compact pedal format, the RC-1 is the most value-priced looper in the Loop Station lineup. The LOOP/TEMPO SYNC options are an important feature of the RC-300 that dictate the playback behaviour of the 3 loop tracks. This can be great when creating atmospheric soundscapes or complex rhythms. It might not seem like much, but it makes the looper so much easier to use. Check out the price and details of the RC-5 here (Amazon). The ability to connect to a PC to import/export audio files is a handy feature. Want to add some rhythms to your songs, well the RC-500 comes packed with 7 different drum kits and 57 different rhythms (like the RC-5), each with A/B sections - perfect for flicking between verse and chorus sections. This provides you with unparalleled control right out of the box. If you want to compare the BOSS loop pedals against other options, check out my Guide on Looper Pedals here for alternatives. The screen changes color to let you know what mode it is in. From the most value priced Loop Station (RC-1) through the entire range, the features you can find on every Loop Station are. If you only need a simple looper pedal, you might feel a bit stuck between the RC-1 and RC-3. While the RC-600 looks like a massive pedalboard, its actually quite smaller than the RC-300. One interesting effect that has been mentioned is a guitar-to-bass simulator. The RC-300 features 16 onboard FX, including such useful tools as GT>BASS (adjusts a guitars pitch and tone to sound like a bass), DELAY, ROBOT VOICE and TRANSPOSE (+/- 12 steps). For most guitarists, this difference is big enough for you to immediately choose the RC-500. This can be used to fix mistakes, but also useful for removing layers during a song. So in many ways, the RC-500 is a far better pedal. Ive never bought a more expensive model and wished I had fewer features. If you cant think of any reason to run two loops at the same time, then the RC-3 may have everything you need. The RC-500 is a slightly larger affair, but comes packed with an array of features to take your looping and performances to the next level. When you consider the RC-300 is over 10 years old, it would be hard to recommend it over the newer RC-600. They both have a strong focus on rhythms and two footswitches. This should be handy for live performers as I would expect that you should be able to tell in your peripheral vision what color the display is showing without having to look down.
Its certainly a great Loop Station to learn the basics of looping, but dont think its only for beginners. Having a way to see exactly what is happening with your looper pedal is a great advantage. MIDI control: when you get to this level of looping, youre probably going to want MIDI. Both pedals have two switches per track (Rec/Play & Stop). The stop/undo/redo functions can be controlled with an external footswitch if you need an easier way to control your loops during a live performance. Fortunately, the RC-1 has the basic functions written on the pedal. For example, lets say you have a delay pedal and you want the timing of the delay to match your loops. Lets take a look at the BOSS / Roland footswitches that are directly compatible with Loop Stations: BOSS FS-5U Footswitch(Compatible with all BOSS Loop Stations), BOSS FS-6 Footswitch(Compatible with all BOSS Loop Stations), BOSS FS-7 Footswitch(Compatible with all BOSS Loop Stations), Roland FC-300 Foot MIDI Controller(Compatible with RC-202 / RC-505 / RC-300), Roland EV-5 Expression Pedal(Compatible with RC-202 / RC-505 / RC-300), TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR LOOP STATIONDO YOU WANT KILLER BACKING TRACKS FOR YOUR LOOPER?BOSS TALK: THE DEFINITIVE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO LOOPINGTIPS AND TRICKS FOR ADVANCED LOOPERSLOOK MA, NO FEET! While theres a lot you can do with one footswitch, adding an extra footswitch can make a big difference. Any experienced Looper will tell you that there are moments when one overdub just doesnt go quite right. The very core of the looping concept. You dont need to guess whether your looper is in recording/playback mode as each mode is displayed in a different way using green or red lights. Undo: Imagine youve set up the perfect loop and you want to add a melody over the top of your loop. Also, the external footswitch jack can support either a single or dual footswitch (e.g. This allows you to create Verse/Chorus/Bridge song arrangements. The current range of loopers in the Loop Station range are (links to Amazon for price and details where available): In this guide, Ill go through each of the above pedals features and explain who each pedal may or may not suit. The rhythm patterns are also a great way to work on your timing skills and build up complex loops. If you are a guitarist who wants to play full verse/chorus style songs and jams in full using a looper and rhythm player, there is an alternative worth considering. Or if you want to practice working on a riff, lick, or solo, you can import the audio clip to your pedal and practice playing over the loop. This guide will unravel the differences between the models. There is a big difference between many of the Loop Stations covered in this guide. These effects are applicable to either a single track, multiple tracks, the master output, or even to the input signal. MIDI IN/OUT/THRU: A full MIDI interface means that the RC-300 is usable in conjunction with other MIDI devices to sync your performances. Importantly, the facility to add an external footswitch allows those functions to be controlled with instant precision. Update October 2021: BOSS has announced their new flagship loop pedal, the RC-600. On top of this, there is an entire effects section with 16 effects for you, some notable ones include a guitar to bass effect to give you some bass on your track without switching instruments and distortion for adding some dirt. Running two synchronized loops at the same time gives you a lot more freedom when building layers and starting/stopping parts. Loop Station is the name BOSS gives to their looper pedals. The RC-600 also removes the hardware sliders found on the RC-300 and are now controlled in the software. The Ditto Looper is mono while the RC-3 supports mono or stereo inputs and outputs. What if you used separate looper and rhythm pedals? Even beginners can start using a looper pedal to create simple jam tracks and practice parts. The above video uses a BOSS RC-50, which has been discontinued. The Ditto Looper became popular thanks to the low price and easy-to-use features. The BOSS RC-30(link to Amazon for price) packs in a lot of features, so the easiest way to think of it is it gives you everything the RC-3 has, then gives you the ability to run two loopers at the same time. With its 3 footswitch setup. My guess is that they were going to call this the RC-50, but because they had an RC-50 in the past (now discontinued), they felt that RC-500 would be a good model number. As you can see, the RC-1 is a bare-bones looper pedal compare to the other loop stations. A vital feature of the RC300 is that your 3 loop tracks can be recorded with differing loop lengths. However, youre free to decouple the loops and rhythm and instead tailor each to your specific needs whether its just using the looper on its own without the drums, or using the drum machine on its own as accompaniment with real-time fills and verse/chorus switching. With it's two separate recording tracks, with separate volumes, it makes for a perfect perfomance tool, allowing for more complex arrangements that can be manipulated on the fly with the builit-in fx;repeat, scatter, shift and vinyl flick are perfect to spice up your creations. While most of the other loop station pedals include rhythm playback, the RC-10R brings the rhythms out as the main focus. The RC10R is all about jamming away to yourself and creating complex patterns and rhythms and sections as well as being a small drum machine for live performance. Boss's simplest and most affordable pedal with 12 minutes of recording time and an easy to view indicator to let you know how far into your loop you are and when its starting again. Footswitches: The RC-300 features eight integrated footswitches and an Expression pedal. You tap the footswitch to start recording, then tap it again to enter into overdub mode.
Check out the price and full details of the RC-600 here. These come in a variety of styles that can be imported into the RC-5 and played back for a virtual band jam. How to use a looper pedal this lesson gives you some simple exercises to get you used to looping. Well-known musicians such as Ed Sheeran and KT Tunstall have thrust looping into the public eye. Here are some of the features the BOSS RC-3 offers: While the RC-1 gives you basic looping functions, it should be clear how much of a step up there is when you jump to the RC-3. At its heart, a looper is simply a digital audio recorder/playback device that offers the user the following features: A looper is one of the most creative tools a musician can own. While the RC-1 is a great pedal, its bare-bones compared to the RC-3. Stereo inputs and outputs: All BOSS Loop Stations support mono or stereo inputs and outputs. Enjoy exploring the possibilities! Contributed by Matt Walsham for the Roland Australia Blog, 1: LOOPING BASICS / SINGLE TRACK LOOPERS2: ADVANCED LOOPING / MULTI TRACK LOOPERS3: ACCESSORIESAppendix A: LOOP STATION Comparison Chart. More often than not, when you see a live performer creating loops, youll see an RC-30 on the pedalboard. I hope this comparison helps you choose the right loop pedal for your needs, but if you need any further advice, feel free to call us on 01279 432900 or pop into our store for a demonstration.happy looping!
These can be independently controlled or manipulated. An obvious change is the lack of a built-in expression pedal on the RC-600. The ability to save recordings to the pedal can give you a lot of ways to create and experiment with music. If tap the footswitch twice, the loop stops. But this is the real world, as all of these pedals are so good I really have no problem recommending all of them.
Multi-track looping is where your creativity can really flourish. The BOSS RC-500 was released in 2020 and while the name implies that its a bigger and better pedal than the RC-300, it definitely doesnt look it at first. This is a significant improvement over past pedals and should include a decent number of useful effects. To add an extra dimension of spontaneity and realism, you can trigger drum fills whenever you want!
This gives you three possible ways you can assign functions to every footswitch. At some point, youre going to think about the features of the higher model pedal and regret not choosing it. The maximum size for our loopers comes in here with Bosss Flagship looper and everything is enhanced, added and utilized for a great performance or loop jam. Youre even able to connect a microphone directly into the pedal with an XLR cable, which allows you to use the looper for acoustic guitar, vocals, or any other instrument using a microphone. The downside of the RC-5 is that it still only uses one footswitch. You can sync both pedals via MIDI, so they can act as one. If youre stuck choosing between two pedals (eg: between RC-3 and RC-5), I generally recommend the higher model (eg: RC-5).
The best looper pedal depends on what you want from it. Youre able to switch the order of the modes to suit your needs. You have a lot more control over your loops, the ability to store recorded loops on the pedal, and mix in rhythm patterns. There is a BOSS Loop Station to fit everyone's needs and budget requirements, but finding the right one to suit may be a little confusing, so here is a little guide on each pedal to help you make the right choice. The feature set of the RC-300 is vast. Give these exercises a go when you get your first looper pedal. How often are you likely to want to play your loop in reverse or at half speed? There are different modes (as I cover in my review) you can set for recording order. There are two footswitches on the pedal, the left one for your loops and the right one for your rhythms. The main difference between the RC-1 and the Ditto is the indicator ring on the RC-1.
Remember that each track gives you unlimited overdubs, undo/redo, start/stop, etc. Although the RC-300 has been out for a number of years, it still reigns supreme as the heavyweight champion of floor-based looper pedals. Tap the pedal again and it enters playback mode. Check out the price and full details of the RC-30 here.
There are many uses for looper pedals with one of the most common uses for solo guitarists to create a rhythm track to play over in live performances. Both pedals make use of one footswitch and one level knob. You hit record and mess up the timing of the melody. Even the basic loop station pedals can be used this way. Check out the BOSS RC-1 at Sweetwater here. Created by Roland V-Drums specialist Simon Ayton, these patches were designed using the internal factory sounds and many of the techniques covered in the TD-50 guide. Thats enough for almost any single looping application. This is a really tough one in an ideal world I would thoroughly recommend the RC300 despite its size and look it's really the easiest to work with, its all laid in front of you with the controls clear and quickly workable, the tracks are easy to stop and start giving you complete control of your ideas at your feet and the effects section is wonderful allowing an easy bass line, delay or distortion without extra pedals or instruments. A quick look at the below photo and youll see why its considered by many guitarists to be the best looper available today: There is a lot we could talk about with the RC-300, so lets stick to the basics to give you a general idea of what it would be like to use. The big advantage the RC-300 still has over the RC-500 is the sheer number of footswitches, controls, and external device support. Backing yourself on stage to create a wall of sound with percussive playing, chord accompaniments, drum beats and even backing vocals, has been made easy all thanks to BOSS's range of Loop pedals. The most popular use according to what I see from RC-300 users online is for level control of a track. HOW TO GET HANDS ON WITH YOUR LOOPER, The RC-10R is a new breed of loop station which combines a song-structured two track loop engine with high quality drum grooves from the extensive, When most people think of a BOSS RC Loop Station, they envisage a big red stompbox. Ive already reviewed the RC-30 in full here, so Ill stick to the basics in this comparison. While there are a lot more features in the RC-3, it comes at a higher price. Any loop pedal is fun to use, great for creativity and is also a superb practice tool. Read about the RC-5 below before you decide on either one. The RC1 is great for a beginner looper and for someone with a full complement of pedals who just wants to build soundscapes and solo over them. Tapping the pedal again changes back and forth between overdub and playback mode. Want to hear about the latest news, products, offers, and have the chance to score some amazing freebies from Roland & BOSS Australia? The main advantage of the RC-3 is the ability to save your recorded loops to the pedal. BOSS released the RC-5 in 2020 and its an interesting upgrade over the similarly priced RC-3. Looping has become the solo performer's way of life. But if you want to create multiple loops, complex layers, and use other advanced features like what you saw in the above video, one of the more feature-filled loop stations like the RC-30, RC-500, or RC-300 might suit you better. Please let us know which of the following products you are interested in. But you can still achieve the same results with many of the pedals covered below. This allows you to record separate verse and chorus loops and switch between them at the press of a footswitch! Overall, the RC-600 is more compact, packs in far more features, and has a 10-year technology advantage over the RC-300.
Its certainly a great Loop Station to learn the basics of looping, but dont think its only for beginners. Having a way to see exactly what is happening with your looper pedal is a great advantage. MIDI control: when you get to this level of looping, youre probably going to want MIDI. Both pedals have two switches per track (Rec/Play & Stop). The stop/undo/redo functions can be controlled with an external footswitch if you need an easier way to control your loops during a live performance. Fortunately, the RC-1 has the basic functions written on the pedal. For example, lets say you have a delay pedal and you want the timing of the delay to match your loops. Lets take a look at the BOSS / Roland footswitches that are directly compatible with Loop Stations: BOSS FS-5U Footswitch(Compatible with all BOSS Loop Stations), BOSS FS-6 Footswitch(Compatible with all BOSS Loop Stations), BOSS FS-7 Footswitch(Compatible with all BOSS Loop Stations), Roland FC-300 Foot MIDI Controller(Compatible with RC-202 / RC-505 / RC-300), Roland EV-5 Expression Pedal(Compatible with RC-202 / RC-505 / RC-300), TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR LOOP STATIONDO YOU WANT KILLER BACKING TRACKS FOR YOUR LOOPER?BOSS TALK: THE DEFINITIVE BEGINNERS GUIDE TO LOOPINGTIPS AND TRICKS FOR ADVANCED LOOPERSLOOK MA, NO FEET! While theres a lot you can do with one footswitch, adding an extra footswitch can make a big difference. Any experienced Looper will tell you that there are moments when one overdub just doesnt go quite right. The very core of the looping concept. You dont need to guess whether your looper is in recording/playback mode as each mode is displayed in a different way using green or red lights. Undo: Imagine youve set up the perfect loop and you want to add a melody over the top of your loop. Also, the external footswitch jack can support either a single or dual footswitch (e.g. This allows you to create Verse/Chorus/Bridge song arrangements. The current range of loopers in the Loop Station range are (links to Amazon for price and details where available): In this guide, Ill go through each of the above pedals features and explain who each pedal may or may not suit. The rhythm patterns are also a great way to work on your timing skills and build up complex loops. If you are a guitarist who wants to play full verse/chorus style songs and jams in full using a looper and rhythm player, there is an alternative worth considering. Or if you want to practice working on a riff, lick, or solo, you can import the audio clip to your pedal and practice playing over the loop. This guide will unravel the differences between the models. There is a big difference between many of the Loop Stations covered in this guide. These effects are applicable to either a single track, multiple tracks, the master output, or even to the input signal. MIDI IN/OUT/THRU: A full MIDI interface means that the RC-300 is usable in conjunction with other MIDI devices to sync your performances. Importantly, the facility to add an external footswitch allows those functions to be controlled with instant precision. Update October 2021: BOSS has announced their new flagship loop pedal, the RC-600. On top of this, there is an entire effects section with 16 effects for you, some notable ones include a guitar to bass effect to give you some bass on your track without switching instruments and distortion for adding some dirt. Running two synchronized loops at the same time gives you a lot more freedom when building layers and starting/stopping parts. Loop Station is the name BOSS gives to their looper pedals. The RC-600 also removes the hardware sliders found on the RC-300 and are now controlled in the software. The Ditto Looper is mono while the RC-3 supports mono or stereo inputs and outputs. What if you used separate looper and rhythm pedals? Even beginners can start using a looper pedal to create simple jam tracks and practice parts. The above video uses a BOSS RC-50, which has been discontinued. The Ditto Looper became popular thanks to the low price and easy-to-use features. The BOSS RC-30(link to Amazon for price) packs in a lot of features, so the easiest way to think of it is it gives you everything the RC-3 has, then gives you the ability to run two loopers at the same time. With its 3 footswitch setup. My guess is that they were going to call this the RC-50, but because they had an RC-50 in the past (now discontinued), they felt that RC-500 would be a good model number. As you can see, the RC-1 is a bare-bones looper pedal compare to the other loop stations. A vital feature of the RC300 is that your 3 loop tracks can be recorded with differing loop lengths. However, youre free to decouple the loops and rhythm and instead tailor each to your specific needs whether its just using the looper on its own without the drums, or using the drum machine on its own as accompaniment with real-time fills and verse/chorus switching. With it's two separate recording tracks, with separate volumes, it makes for a perfect perfomance tool, allowing for more complex arrangements that can be manipulated on the fly with the builit-in fx;repeat, scatter, shift and vinyl flick are perfect to spice up your creations. While most of the other loop station pedals include rhythm playback, the RC-10R brings the rhythms out as the main focus. The RC10R is all about jamming away to yourself and creating complex patterns and rhythms and sections as well as being a small drum machine for live performance. Boss's simplest and most affordable pedal with 12 minutes of recording time and an easy to view indicator to let you know how far into your loop you are and when its starting again. Footswitches: The RC-300 features eight integrated footswitches and an Expression pedal. You tap the footswitch to start recording, then tap it again to enter into overdub mode.
Check out the price and full details of the RC-600 here. These come in a variety of styles that can be imported into the RC-5 and played back for a virtual band jam. How to use a looper pedal this lesson gives you some simple exercises to get you used to looping. Well-known musicians such as Ed Sheeran and KT Tunstall have thrust looping into the public eye. Here are some of the features the BOSS RC-3 offers: While the RC-1 gives you basic looping functions, it should be clear how much of a step up there is when you jump to the RC-3. At its heart, a looper is simply a digital audio recorder/playback device that offers the user the following features: A looper is one of the most creative tools a musician can own. While the RC-1 is a great pedal, its bare-bones compared to the RC-3. Stereo inputs and outputs: All BOSS Loop Stations support mono or stereo inputs and outputs. Enjoy exploring the possibilities! Contributed by Matt Walsham for the Roland Australia Blog, 1: LOOPING BASICS / SINGLE TRACK LOOPERS2: ADVANCED LOOPING / MULTI TRACK LOOPERS3: ACCESSORIESAppendix A: LOOP STATION Comparison Chart. More often than not, when you see a live performer creating loops, youll see an RC-30 on the pedalboard. I hope this comparison helps you choose the right loop pedal for your needs, but if you need any further advice, feel free to call us on 01279 432900 or pop into our store for a demonstration.happy looping!
These can be independently controlled or manipulated. An obvious change is the lack of a built-in expression pedal on the RC-600. The ability to save recordings to the pedal can give you a lot of ways to create and experiment with music. If tap the footswitch twice, the loop stops. But this is the real world, as all of these pedals are so good I really have no problem recommending all of them.
Multi-track looping is where your creativity can really flourish. The BOSS RC-500 was released in 2020 and while the name implies that its a bigger and better pedal than the RC-300, it definitely doesnt look it at first. This is a significant improvement over past pedals and should include a decent number of useful effects. To add an extra dimension of spontaneity and realism, you can trigger drum fills whenever you want!
This gives you three possible ways you can assign functions to every footswitch. At some point, youre going to think about the features of the higher model pedal and regret not choosing it. The maximum size for our loopers comes in here with Bosss Flagship looper and everything is enhanced, added and utilized for a great performance or loop jam. Youre even able to connect a microphone directly into the pedal with an XLR cable, which allows you to use the looper for acoustic guitar, vocals, or any other instrument using a microphone. The downside of the RC-5 is that it still only uses one footswitch. You can sync both pedals via MIDI, so they can act as one. If youre stuck choosing between two pedals (eg: between RC-3 and RC-5), I generally recommend the higher model (eg: RC-5).
The best looper pedal depends on what you want from it. Youre able to switch the order of the modes to suit your needs. You have a lot more control over your loops, the ability to store recorded loops on the pedal, and mix in rhythm patterns. There is a BOSS Loop Station to fit everyone's needs and budget requirements, but finding the right one to suit may be a little confusing, so here is a little guide on each pedal to help you make the right choice. The feature set of the RC-300 is vast. Give these exercises a go when you get your first looper pedal. How often are you likely to want to play your loop in reverse or at half speed? There are different modes (as I cover in my review) you can set for recording order. There are two footswitches on the pedal, the left one for your loops and the right one for your rhythms. The main difference between the RC-1 and the Ditto is the indicator ring on the RC-1. Remember that each track gives you unlimited overdubs, undo/redo, start/stop, etc. Although the RC-300 has been out for a number of years, it still reigns supreme as the heavyweight champion of floor-based looper pedals. Tap the pedal again and it enters playback mode. Check out the price and full details of the RC-30 here.
There are many uses for looper pedals with one of the most common uses for solo guitarists to create a rhythm track to play over in live performances. Both pedals make use of one footswitch and one level knob. You hit record and mess up the timing of the melody. Even the basic loop station pedals can be used this way. Check out the BOSS RC-1 at Sweetwater here. Created by Roland V-Drums specialist Simon Ayton, these patches were designed using the internal factory sounds and many of the techniques covered in the TD-50 guide. Thats enough for almost any single looping application. This is a really tough one in an ideal world I would thoroughly recommend the RC300 despite its size and look it's really the easiest to work with, its all laid in front of you with the controls clear and quickly workable, the tracks are easy to stop and start giving you complete control of your ideas at your feet and the effects section is wonderful allowing an easy bass line, delay or distortion without extra pedals or instruments. A quick look at the below photo and youll see why its considered by many guitarists to be the best looper available today: There is a lot we could talk about with the RC-300, so lets stick to the basics to give you a general idea of what it would be like to use. The big advantage the RC-300 still has over the RC-500 is the sheer number of footswitches, controls, and external device support. Backing yourself on stage to create a wall of sound with percussive playing, chord accompaniments, drum beats and even backing vocals, has been made easy all thanks to BOSS's range of Loop pedals. The most popular use according to what I see from RC-300 users online is for level control of a track. HOW TO GET HANDS ON WITH YOUR LOOPER, The RC-10R is a new breed of loop station which combines a song-structured two track loop engine with high quality drum grooves from the extensive, When most people think of a BOSS RC Loop Station, they envisage a big red stompbox. Ive already reviewed the RC-30 in full here, so Ill stick to the basics in this comparison. While there are a lot more features in the RC-3, it comes at a higher price. Any loop pedal is fun to use, great for creativity and is also a superb practice tool. Read about the RC-5 below before you decide on either one. The RC1 is great for a beginner looper and for someone with a full complement of pedals who just wants to build soundscapes and solo over them. Tapping the pedal again changes back and forth between overdub and playback mode. Want to hear about the latest news, products, offers, and have the chance to score some amazing freebies from Roland & BOSS Australia? The main advantage of the RC-3 is the ability to save your recorded loops to the pedal. BOSS released the RC-5 in 2020 and its an interesting upgrade over the similarly priced RC-3. Looping has become the solo performer's way of life. But if you want to create multiple loops, complex layers, and use other advanced features like what you saw in the above video, one of the more feature-filled loop stations like the RC-30, RC-500, or RC-300 might suit you better. Please let us know which of the following products you are interested in. But you can still achieve the same results with many of the pedals covered below. This allows you to record separate verse and chorus loops and switch between them at the press of a footswitch! Overall, the RC-600 is more compact, packs in far more features, and has a 10-year technology advantage over the RC-300.