Boss RC-500 Dual Track Loop Station Pedal Overview
Boss RC-500 Dual Track Loop Station Pedal
Here’s What Boss Say:
“The RC-500 is the latest Dual Track Looper in our Loop Station range, which has been given a number or enhancements and optimisations, offering musicians a completely new way to get creative with their music. The previous RC-30 could possibly be the most successful Looper we ever released and the RC-500 has taken this Dual Track Loop Station to the next level. This includes a 32 Bit Processor, brand new optimised effects, a backlit display, assignable controls, MIDI in/out, improved rhythms and even more recording time. The more powerful processor, new effects engine and improved rhythm sounds make the RC-500 the highest quality sounding Looper we have ever made, bringing Boss Loop Stations to the future. There is no other Looper on the market that is able to have this amount of power, yet run off x4 AA batteries. For users that need more tracks, more buttons to have better control of your loops, as well as a builtin expression pedal, check out the RC-300. The Boss RC-500 comes a 3-year warranty when registered with Roland Backstage.”
Overview By GAK
The Boss RC-500 is the most powerful Loop Station on the market. Boss are the industry standard for Loop Stations and the RC-500 has brought them to the future.
The Boss RC-500 is a Dual Track Looper, meaning that you have two independent tracks to built/stack/layer performances. Each track is controlled separately, meaning you have far more creative control. There is a total of 13 hours recording time, meaning you can fill up the 99 Memory locations with 13 hours worth of audio. Either of the two tracks available on the RC-500 is quickly accessible thanks to the introduction of the dedicated Track Select button. This enables you to switch between tracks at the touch of a button. All the onboard buttons can be reassigned to whatever you desire, making your performances as slick as possible and personalised to the user. These tracks, as well as all the other settings of the RC-500, are clearly visible on the LED Backlit display, which features different colours to show which mode you are currently on (Red - Record, Amber - Dub, Green - Play) which is perfect for dark stages. Unlock the full potential of the RC-500 with the use of an external footswitch (sold separately), like the Boss FS-6 or Boss FS-7 or expression pedals such as the Roland EV-5 or Boss Expression Pedal.
The most important part of any instrument, product or recording is the quality of the sound. This may seem obvious, though it’s something that can sometimes be forgotten. The Boss RC-500 Looper Pedal is powered by a 32-Bit Processor, making the audio quality crystal clear and pristine. It’s double the resolution of the previous models, taking the Boss Loop Station to Ultra HDR levels. The recording will be far cleaner, luscious, richer, warmer and the unit runs much more efficiently, so no matter how many layers you add, the RC-500 will not clip/lose quality. To add to the audio quality further, the RC-500 has optimised effects, including LOOP FX (only for loop tracks) Beat Repeat, Beat Shift, Beat Scatter, Vinyl Flick and Reverb (only for rhythm part).
The RC-500 Loop Pedal also includes 57 Rhythm Tracks, meaning that you can choose between the high-quality preset drum sounds/rhythms, without losing one of your audio tracks to accommodate for it. The BPM of the Rhythm Track is automatically determined by the loop you have already recorded, making your performances less robotic and more human. This is a technology unique to Boss Loop Stations.
The Boss RC-500 Dual Track Loop Station Pedal seamlessly integrates into your live, home or studio setup due to the wide array of inputs/outputs. The RC-500 is “True-Stereo” In/Out, ensuring your sound is expansive as possible. You can plug into the RC-500 with any instrument you like, as there are traditional jack inputs, as well as an XLR input that can also provide 48v Phantom Power for condenser microphones. The RC-500 also has MIDI In/Out, enabling you to sync with external hardware, effects pedals or DAW. You could sync the tempo of your MIDI Enabled modulation/time-based effects, like the Boss 500 or 200 Series.
There is no other Looper on the market that is able to have this amount of power, yet run off x4 AA batteries.
For users that need more tracks, more buttons to have better control of their loops, as well as a built-in expression pedal, check out the RC-300.
<< Click here to learn more about Boss Loop Stations >>
- Advanced two-track looper with onboard mixing and deep control options
- Class-leading sound quality with 32-bit AD/DA and 32-bit floating-point processing
- Stereo looper engine with 13 hours of recording time
- LCD with multi-color backlight for viewing loop status and editing parameters
- Mono/stereo inputs for easy pedalboard integration, plus independent XLR mic input with phantom power
- Reverse function and Loop FX (repeat, scatter, shift, and vinyl flick) for dynamic and engaging loop performances
- 16 different drum kits and 57 preset rhythms with A/B variations
- Support for expanded control via external footswitches, an expression pedal, or MIDI
- Full MIDI I/O provided with space-saving mini TRS jacks (BMIDI-5-35 adaptor cable available separately)
- Onboard storage for 99 phrase memories
- Back up and load WAV loops via USB
- Runs on four AA batteries or optional AC adaptor
- Sampling Frequency - 44.1 kHz
- AD/DA Conversion - 32 bits
- Processing - 32-bit floating point
- Recording/Playback
- - Number of Track: 2
- - Data Format: WAV (44.1 kHz, 32-bit float, stereo)
- - Maximum Recording Time: Approx. 1.5 hours (1 track), Approx.13 hours (total of All memories)
- Rhythm Type - 57 Patterns x 2 Variations
- Rhythm Kit - 16 types
- Effect
- - LOOP FX (only for loop tracks)
- - Type: BEAT REPEAT, BEAT SHIFT, BEAT SCATTER, VINYL FLICK
- - Reverb (only for rhythm part)
- Memory - 99
- Nominal Input Level
- - MIC IN:-40 dBu (variable)
- - INST IN A/MONO,B: -10 dBu
- Maximum Input Level
- - MIC IN:+8 dBu
- - INST IN A/MONO, B: +8 dBu
- Input Impedance
- - MIC IN: 4 k ohms
- - INST IN A/MONO, B: 1 M ohm
- Nominal Output Level - OUTPUT A/MONO, B: -10 dBu
- Maximum Output Level - OUTPUT A/MONO, B: +8 dBu
- Output Impedance - OUTPUT A/MONO, B: 1 k ohm
- Recommended Load Impedance - OUTPUT A/MONO, B: 10 k ohms or greater
- Bypass - Buffered bypass
- Controls
- - REC/PLAY switch, STOP switch, TRACK SELECT switch, MEMORY/VALUE knob, MIC LEVEL knob,
- TRACK 1 slider, TRACK 2 slider, TRACK 1 EDIT button, TRACK 2 EDIT button, RHYTHM TEMPO button, RHYTHM ON/OFF button, MEMORY button, MENU button, EXIT button, ENTER button, INPUT button
- Display - Graphic LCD (96 x 32 dots, RGB backlit LCD)
- Connectors
- - INST IN A/MONO, B jacks: 1/4-inch phone type
- - MIC IN jack: XLR type (balanced, phantom power: DC 48 V, 10 mA Max
- - OUTPUT A/MONO, B jacks: 1/4-inch phone type
- - CTL 1,2/EXP jack: 1/4-inch TRS phone type
- - USB port: USB micro B type
- - MIDI (IN, OUT) jacks: stereo miniature type
- - DC IN jack
- Power Supply
- - Alkaline battery (AA, LR6) x 4
- - AC adaptor (PSA-S series: sold separately)
- Current Draw
- - 330 mA (with phantom power)
- - 240 mA (without phantom power)
- Expected battery life under continuous use
- - Alkaline: Approx. 3.5 hours (without phantom power)
- - Approx. 2 hours (with phantom power)
- *These figures will vary depending on the actual conditions of use.
- Accessories
- - Owner's manual
- - Leaflet ("USING THE UNIT SAFELY," "IMPORTANT NOTES," and "Information")
- - Alkaline battery (AA, LR6) x 4
- - Rubber foot x 4
- Options (sold separately)
- - AC adaptor: PSA-S series
- - Footswitch: FS-5U
- - Dual Footswitch: FS-6, FS-7
- - Expression Pedal: FV-500H, FV-500L, EV-30, Roland EV-5
- - TRS/MIDI connecting cable: BMIDI-5-35
- SIZE AND WEIGHT
- - Width - 170 mm, 6-3/4 inches
- - Depth - 138 mm, 5-7/16 inches
- - Height (including rubber foot) - 62 mm, 2-1/2 inches
- Weight (including battery) - 950 g, 2.1 lb
- * 0 dBu = 0.775 Vrms
- *The specifications are subject to change without notice.