MusicRadar Verdict
Initially fiddly, the RC-2 remains a powerful looper that'll not only be very valuable to the practising musician but also for the tentative performance looper.
Pros
- +
Well spec'd looper - hours of fun.
Cons
- -
Unfathomable manual. A little fiddly to use thanks to compact design.
MusicRadar's got your back
By design a looper takes a piece of audio (live or pre-recorded) and plays it back endlessly in a loop while you sing, dance, or solo over the top.
Boss´s RC-2 compact effects pedal aims to cram in at least some of the technology from the much-lauded RC-50 Loop Station and the smaller Twin Pedal RC-20XL.
It´s certainly well specified with 11 patch memories, a maximum of 16 minutes capture time, loop quantise, 35 drum kit-style rhythm guides, aux input for external music sources and external pedal input to expand performance use.
In use
Initially, the supplied manual seems impenetrable. Eventually, when you get the hang of things, the RC-2 is really quite straightforward - although the various input modes (for example, instant, audio-sensing auto or working to a tapped tempo) all seem to have their own idiosyncrasies: once inputted, the phrase is seamlessly looped and you´re ready to overdub. Huge multi-layered soundscapes are possible, although, as with any sound-on-sound layering, you begin to loose your initial ‘track´ quite quickly.
The drum kit-style rhythm guides are obviously basic, but good sounding and very usable, yet you have to step through one-by-one to find what you like. And indeed there´s a lot crammed into this pedal. The additional footswitches (either two FS-5Us or one FS-6) make things a little easier and allow patch change from your foot not fingers. Most other footswitchable features seem covered although, as you´d expect, the tap-dance skills are required… preferably in time.
MusicRadar is the number one website for music-makers of all kinds, be they guitarists, drummers, keyboard players, DJs or producers...
- GEAR: We help musicians find the best gear with top-ranking gear round-ups and high-quality, authoritative reviews by a wide team of highly experienced experts.
- TIPS: We also provide tuition, from bite-sized tips to advanced work-outs and guidance from recognised musicians and stars.
- STARS: We talk to musicians and stars about their creative processes, and the nuts and bolts of their gear and technique. We give fans an insight into the craft of music-making that no other music website can.
“Its provides the mix ‘glue’ that makes everything sound cohesive and finished”: Here's how to compress your mix bus for sonic punch
“I remember thinking: ‘Wouldn’t it be great if I could ask Sting to sing that line?’ Suddenly someone said: ‘Sting’s here on holiday! He’s on the beach!’” How Mark Knopfler got lucky with Money For Nothing
“I got to jam with Stevie Wonder. Just me and him, one afternoon. We each had a keyboard and we were just trading riffs and jamming together and it was like, ‘Wow’”: Howard Jones talks vintage gear, his new piano album and that 1985 Grammys synth medley