In this product review article, we’re going to be talking about and reviewing the Boss RC-505 Loop Station.
The Boss RC-505 loop station is looper unit, ideal for beatboxers, vocalists and performers who are looking for a high-quality, reliable unit for looping their input signals.
For those who may not be aware of Boss, they are one of the leading effects processor manufacturers in the world, being a division of the Roland Corporation.
The company was founded in the year 1973, which means that they have over 46 years worth of experience creating effects pedals for vocals, guitar, bass, and other instruments. Because of this, Boss has been able to provide their customers with some of the highest quality effects units around.
However, let’s talk more about the Boss RC 505!
We’ve structured this review article in a format that not only displays all of the product’s features, but the article also includes high-definition images so that you have a clear view of the unit’s controls, inputs, and outputs.
Not only this, but we’ve also included video demonstrations of the Boss RC 505 in action, which means that you’ll be able to see first-hand how the looper is operated, and what it’s capable of.
Ok, so let’s start by discussing the main features/benefits of the Boss RC 505, shall we!
Contents
Boss RC-505 Loop Station
Main Features/Benefits
- Tabletop looper station, ideal for singers, beatboxers and club performers
- Backlit interface for stage use
- 5 simultaneous stereo phrase tracks with independent volume faders and dedicated controls
- A wide array of input effects and track effects for your processing loops, including DJ & sample-style effects
- 99 phrase memory banks, each containing 5 phrase tracks & custom effects/playback settings
- 85 onboard rhythm patterns, including odd-measure beats
- External control via optional footswitches, expression pedal or MIDI
- XLR microphone input with phantom power, monophonic/stereophonic inputs & stereo aux input
The recent version 2.0 update adds even more features
- Up to 3 effects can be used simultaneously (both for the input effects and track effects sections)
- M0re effects types, which include ring modulation, slow gear, pitch bend and more
- Extended parameters including dotted and triplet note values for tempo sync
- New features for external foot pedal control, making it ideal for musicians who play guitar, bass, keyboards, and other instruments
- 16 Assignable functions, providing expanded performance control via the front panel interface, external footswitches, expression pedal and MIDI
- Enhanced phrase memory functions, which include individual track monitoring via headphones, quantized loop recording and more
- Additional system functions, including loop indicator status settings, and more
Setbacks
- The Boss RC 505 loop station price is potentially a little expensive for some. However, it is an investment and will be by your side, accompanying you throughout your performances for years to come.
- Unlike a lot of equipment created by Boss, the RC-505 unit is mostly comprised of plastic parts, and despite it being well-built, it isn’t as rugged as Boss’s more commonly known metal chassis units.
Controls
The RC 505 is quite a large unit, and because of this, it has a rather clear user interface, which provides a lot of functionality.
However, let’s start from the beginning!
The RC 505 has 5 tracks which can be played simultaneously, and each of these tracks has track settings which can be accessed via the ‘EDIT’ button.
Once the ‘EDIT’ button has been pressed, you can use the arrow buttons and the ‘Memory Value’ rotary knob (located directly to the right of the LCD screen) to select and engage different effects (filter, phaser, synth, lo-fi, echo, octave, delay, etc), alongside making volume adjustments, control panning and much more!
Each track has an individual fader control, which makes it easy for the user to build up sections of the performance, by bringing certain tracks in and out of the mix.
There are also rhythm effects & sample patterns that can be added through the RC-505.
With that being said, you can make adjustments to these rhythm samples, through the use of the ‘Memory Value’ rotary knob.
Now, let’s talk more about the unit’s connectivity
The RC-505 is powered by a DC power cable, and has several inputs and outputs, making it suitable for those musicians who’re looking for a unit which can handle MIDI devices, microphones and instruments.
As you can see, the RC-505 has a MIDI input/output, alongside a stereo instrument input for instruments and an XLR input for microphones (with 48v phantom power).
Finally, the unit has a line control input which is suitable for a footswitch, expression pedal, so if you’re using instruments it makes it more practical to control the RC 505 via this method.
Performance
We’ve included a video demonstration of the RC-505 in action, highlighting its usage for both singers/beatboxers and for those who want to incorporate an instrument with the looper:
Conclusion
In our opinion, the Boss RC-505 Looper Station is a fantastic unit for most kinds of performers, from beatboxers, singers to those who want to loop instruments.
The unit has a ton of functionality, including the ability to pay 5 tracks simultaneously and add a wide range of effects to the tracks and overall mix.
However, the true selling point of the unit is that unlike a lot of other loopers (which happen to be a lot smaller), the RC-505 makes handling your loops more straightforward, and this is mainly because it has a clear interface.
One of the other great selling points of the unit is that it has a wide range of inputs/outputs, making sure that instrument integration is readily available for users. Not to mention, the footswitch/expression pedal integration is also a fantastic selling point for those who require this.
Overall, you only have to take a read of the Amazon reviews (we’ve linked to them directly below), to see why it’s such a popular looper unit.
Therefore, we have to give the unit a thumbs up!