Matt the Cat Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Hi Does anyone use a Boss Loopstation (RC 2 or RC 20) in their live setup. Have only ever read reviews by electric players and want to get some thoughts from acoustic users on how it sounds/works etc. Thinking of getting one myself and wanted to ask here first as I reckon you guys are a pretty trustworthy/friendly lot. If I do get one I'll let you know what the first song is that I loop! Cheers, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengin Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 KT Tunstall used a loop station (not a boss one though) one with an acoustic on "Black horse & cherry tree" on Jools Holland I think. Good demo of what you can do with one and an acoustic I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt the Cat Posted January 13, 2009 Author Share Posted January 13, 2009 Yeah, I've seen her doing that. Pretty amazing stuff. Sort of thing I'm after sound/style wise. Just want to know if anyone has experience of the Boss pedals as I want to loop vocals and guitar at the same time. The Akai one she uses doesn't do that (think she uses a small mixer to combine the signals). Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chengin Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I haven't used the individual RC2 or RC20, just used the one built into the Boss GT-10, which is a bit tricky to get the timing right on the loops, takes a bit of practice. Also a pity on that one that you can't subract the loops or layers individually after you build them up. Once you stop the looping you stop all layers. I guess whats used in the GT-10 is the same as the individual pedal, but maybe you get a bit more control on the standalone pedal. Would be good to know if the RC2 or RC20 allows you to subtract layers. Maybe this is not possible on other units either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerpopper Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I just picked up the Akai e2 Headrush with a small Mackie mixer this weekend. Ended up being $299 for both out the door. Not an elegant option, but I can now loop guitar and vocals. I also looked at the Digitech JamMan, Line 6 JM4 (huge footprint) and the Boss RC-20XL and they all seem geared toward electrics (no shock there). I could be wrong, but I don't think any of them can handle vocals and guitar without the mixer. Of that bunch, the Akai was the least expensive option and I'm quite happy with the setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Player Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I use a Boss RC20XL but I don't gig. I use it quite a bit with both electric and acoustic. For me it works as a great practice tool. I am trying to learn some lead guitar on electric, so I lay down a backing track (either acoustic or electric) and then jam along. You would be surprised how time just flys as you solo to loops! I also use it when playing fingerstyle tunes. I can layer in some great sounding harmonies by playing the song through, looping it and playing a second part along with the first. A great song to do this with is Pacabel Canon in D as you can layer 3-4 parts and still be playing a different part and it sounds great. (I did use that in a church while playing at a wedding and it worked great!) I have used the vocal input and added bongo drums and other percussion with a mic but since I don't sing, I can't help you with how well vocal loops go. I found mine on Craigslist for about $175 and it was money well spent in my opinion. I hear the jam man is also good and it uses a micro card which can be used to download your loops to the computer. That would also be a nice feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 behold - the loop gospel according to david ford and howie day. enjoy. howie's looping starts at 4:30. great tune as well. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15_MWYT-Szk&feature=related Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcorner Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 I have an RC-2 loop station I bought in October '08. I connect my Boss BR600 to it and load the loops from the recorder to the pedal and then play along. This allows me to work with a larger and longer memory on the BR600 and also allows me to incorporate features from the BR in the loop (drums, effects, etc.) It took a lot of playing around to get the setup working the way I wanted it, but with a control pedal plugged into the recorder and another into the pedal I am able to keep the units on a music stand in front of me where the controls are easy to reach and if a screw up comes around I can disconnect really fast. The fidelity quality of the RC-2 is excellent, but its real value for me is a learning tool for playing solos. It takes a few seconds to input a chord progression, and then you can play it all day. I have found, as most people likely will, that the RC-2 is more well suited to electric guitar than acoustic. There is an airy quality to acoustic inputs when they are played back - probably the result of compression required to make the data fit the chip. Still, I am really pleased with the unit both for practice and for live playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt the Cat Posted January 14, 2009 Author Share Posted January 14, 2009 Thanks for the replys and links guys. Great help. I'm probably gonna look at the RC 20xl as it has a dedicated vocal input so I can loop guitar and mic at the same time. Hoping to add greater dimension to my one man show, can't wait to get hold of one and start playing around with it. Cheers Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerpopper Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Thanks for the replys and links guys. Great help. I'm probably gonna look at the RC 20xl as it has a dedicated vocal input so I can loop guitar and mic at the same time. Hoping to add greater dimension to my one man show' date=' can't wait to get hold of one and start playing around with it.Cheers Matt[/quote'] My bad, Matt. I didn't know the Boss had a vocal input. Turns out the Digitech JamMan has an XLR input even. Enjoy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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