Boss RC-3 Loop Station Looper Pedal Review - Sweetwater Sound
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- Опубликовано: 25 ноя 2014
- Get the RC-3 Loop Station here: www.sweetwater.com/store/detai...
In this video, I put my attention on the BOSS RC-3 Loop Station. This is a feature-packed looper in the standard, BOSS compact-pedal format. Three hours of available loop-time, true stereo I/O, 99 memory slots, a rhythm guide, a stereo 1/8" MP3 player input, and a USB port are all part of this amazing little pedal.
As we have come to expect with all BOSS products, the RC-3 is very guitarist-friendly. It sounds great plugging a guitar in and going straight to a guitar amp. It also works perfectly with other pedals, as you can hear in the intro of the video; I used a BOSS DS-1X distortion for the non-looped, solo guitar. The RC-3 is rock solid and stage ready, and can be powered with either a standard BOSS PSA adapter or a 9V battery. This guy is ready for any pedalboard.
Boss did a great job of making all of the features accessible on the RC-3, even though there's not much physical space available for knobs and buttons. A little experimentation and a quick look at the owner's manual and I was navigating the RC-3 with no problem. I started building a loop at about the 1:50 mark in the video and you can see that most of the features are one or two buttons away. Start, stop, record, overdub, and erase can all be accomplished with the RC-3's built-in footswitch.
The Rhythm Guide makes seamless looping easier in a variety of ways. Simply having either a time keeper or a drum pattern lets you know exactly where to start and stop playing but the RC-3 also starts and stops recording on the measure so you don't have to have perfect timing with the footswitch. There's even the option to set up a "count-in bar" so the recording doesn't start until after one measure of the rhythm guide has played. There's a variety of onboard drum patterns and a separate volume control for the Rhythm Guide. You can use it to help build your track, and you have the option to mute it for performance.
Having a USB port offers the ability to save created loops to your computer or to upload tracks onto the RC-3 for use in loops. An external footswitch can be connected so more of the features can be one-touch available. This would be particularly useful if you were using the looper in a performance and needed footswitchable access to more parameters
Whether you're just getting your feet wet with looping, or you're a looping pro that needs lots of features in a small package, the RC-3 fills the bill. It's great-sounding, easy to use and I had fun making loops with it. Thanks for checking out the video!
-- Don Carr
#Sweetwater #Boss 
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Don, very simple but effective vid, great playing as well. Thank you for sharing this. Kind regards.
I just ordered this looper yesterday and I am really excited! I can hardly wait for it to arrive from Germany. :)
gonna buy this one
The best demo vid on RUclips about this product...thanks
I love the second and final blues demo this guy came up with! That was a really good demo of how that pedal really works. Kind of makes me wanna own one one day? LOL!
Great demo!
A pedal well worth it Merits, Boss works tirelessly to bring us luxury. I have one for the good cause!
I have a few pedals. I have the Chorus pedal, the Sdrum Pedal, the Tube Screamer, the Digital Delay as well as the Distortion Pedal. I also have an electronic pedal with every sound in it. A loop station sounds neat to own though as it appears to multi track record. I currently play in a worship band.
Don does great demos!
thanks for this video and great guitar playing
just AMAZING!
Many are having trouble with effects being added to all dubs not just the one they want. The order of effects is crucial. Look it up!! If you have a "send/return, run the looper through that, pedals after the guitar in ther PROPER order. YOu can find this in a hundred places here, just look up pedal order setup! If you have a Boss Katana, go to tone studio, "chain" section and find the chain out of the three that are there that only records the effect on the dub you want. EASY:)
cool playing..!
Love your playing, man. Reminds me of Prince....
Damn! Music from scratch!!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Absolutely awesome 💙💙👍👍
Amazing!
I have been wanting on for years! Fun just to mess around in your practice room and come up with some riffs or possibly a new song. This one has a drum machine built in right? I always thought so.
well explained. keep it up
You connect a U-Pad, Me-Pod, i-Pot, Do-Pit, My-Pud. It works floorless Lee straight right out the box.
Sweet!
good for solo practising.
is it possible to go out 2 different outputs? one loop in other out and another in the second...possible?
You're cool, Don!
that was cool
Thanks.
very good!!
with the very long record time available (3 Hours) is it possible to create a longer studio piece as a demo, say up to an hour of music, pausing to add and change instruments as you go along, i guess it would mean going back to the start each time ? and waiting to introduce the next instrument ,or does the looping time stop when YOU stop only?
I,d love to use one of these when I'm busking, they have one in Dawsons Chester, what is the battery life like on this unit.
Grazie 🎸🎸🎸
How do you get it to record then overdub but include the drum sounds in the same saved file? Thanks
hi I just got one of these, is there any set length for a loop ? like if i play a rythem (acoustic guitar) with out the in built rhythm as I have a drummer, some times I hit to record for a while and i find it hard some times to hit the pedal just to stop the recording with out auto play back... any way love it, guess I need time with it..
Can the drum tracks be edited? Loaded via MIDI? Other instruments added into the loops, maybe from BIAB or RealBand?
Is it possible to change the sounds of the preinstalled drums? The acutal data via a computer
So, how would this compare to the EHX Nano Looper?
When I use an identical signal chain with multiple rhythm layers, the layers blend with each other and get very muddy. Any advice?
If i create 2 loops but i want to use the first how'd i do it ?✌🏼
When exacly does the RC3 quantize my loops? I have noticed it is not happening all the times. Am I supposted to set tempo/quantize settings somehow before recording? Please help
Hi.I ran into your question.Did you find an answer somewhere?I have same unanswered question myself.I simply could not learn to press start and stop at the exact proper time,so recorded loop is either too fast or it's too late,doesn't match the tempo of the song i'm playing,because my looper is without quantisation.Does that Boss looper provide the solution for that problem?
Hi...can it be used with a synth as well?
and also how do you store sounds youve recorded
can you save a beat a certain tempo?
What about minijack for haedphones ?
Does this pedal suits better for electric guitars then acoustic? I'm looking for a loop-pedal for my acoustic guitar would this one work good u think?
Viktor Z works for all
What does 10 hour loop time mean? Can yu record 10 hours or let it loop for 10 hours? Can someone please explain? :D
Can you record an entire riff to that loop? Like let's say that i wanna play something which is playing with 2 guitars, can i record 1 guitar and save it, and than play the second guitar while the first one is playing from the loop?
Yes you can man, you can record an entire songs guitar line for example, then a bass line, then anything you like. Once you are in overdub mode you can add anything anywhere and that will be added to the original line. You can save what you haver added at any time. As for laying down one line and just playing over the top without recording..of course:/ Why not do the two guitars, then add even more over the top of that, fill it right in, their great fun to play about with and very good for you playing in all areas. Timing in particular it really pulls into gear!
I have been using the 0-9 backing tracks provided as I get used to the RC-3. However, when I export the .wav file to my computer i find that (A) it's super quiet and even if I max the levels in Cubase it isn't as loud as I would like (i put the output level on the pedal and guitar to the max and still no difference) and (B) the pre-programmed backing tracks are not included in the .wav file when I play them back on the computer. Any ideas regarding these problems?
There is no answer man, the percussion will not record either. Only way is to mic up the amp, much better quality than the pissweak , tinny line in, with a mic it records whatever you hear coming from the amp, much better!
when you said 99 presets does that mean i can make 99 different loops store it in the pedal and just choose which one i hear when i hit play
+DeltaSigmaLLC Yes.
Ok this is probably a very stupid question. But do you have to have the distortion pedal? Because whenever I record a clean rhythm and then switch my channel on my amp to distortion to solo it makes the looped rhythm switch to distortion too.
Tiffany Thompson, actually a very good question. Since your looper pedal is plugged into the input of your amp, whatever channel or setting your amp is on will affect the loop. In this signal flow, the looper is BEFORE the distortion. In the video, I used a pedal to create distortion. In that signal flow, the looper was placed AFTER the distortion. This allows the recorded loop to play as it was recorded, regardless of whether the distortion pedal is engaged or not.
If you have an effects loop on your amp, patch the looper in the effects loop. That way it will be placed after the source of distortion-which is your amp's preamp-in the signal flow. The loop will play as you recorded it. Hope this helps!
Thanks, Don Carr
Yeah u need a distortion pedal use to happen to me too till I got one
Ahhh mate the secret here is go to the "chain" section on the tone studio, and you will find the bottom one of the three is best for "delay" in my case, it will only delay the phrase you turn it on for, this took a while to find. For distortion it may be one of the other two chains, try them and find the best for you purposes. Its not ideal but its better than nothing, it will work for most things:/ Run your looper through the send return loop, any pedals through the input for guitar as usual. I thought it was just fucked up and i would have to get pedals, but finding the right chain setup works for most things saved the day,lol, only found it yesterday after a couple of months. I tried it when i bought the amp but did not get it to work cos i was not set up as described, i started with the looper straight after the guitar! Not the go:/ If you record and save to computer through the "line in" facility you will find the quality leaves a lot to be desired. You must mic up the ampo for best results. It does not record the percussion through line in either:/ Have fun:)
Are you ever afraid that the bass tone you put on, or the one that comes with the included backing track will blow your amp?
How do you change key? Assume you've got your loop in say, E, how do you then go from E to A to B and back again?
Hello, Gordon. Thanks for your question. The RC-3 will output what you put into it. There isn't a way to change the key unless you record more parts in another key. But if you're looking to change the key, give me a call and we can talk about how to accomplish what you're looking for.
Thanks again,
Ben Jimenez, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1312, ben_jimenez@sweetwater.com
Is this thing stage viable? I play in a 3-piece rock band and am looking to thicken up my guitar solos with backing tracks. Can I make one on the fly mid song on stage? Or do I need to prerecord it and then kick it on before my solo?
+Andy Griswold You can for sure use it on stage with a little bit of practice. I wouldn't recommend pre-recording.
Hi so I have a huge question about this looper pedal. I bought it and the clean sounds amazing but when I play with the recording on the distortion setting it like cuts out the sound from the recording when I play along with it. What am I doing wrong? I don't know if that makes sense but hard to explain. Someone please help :) asap would be nice! I tried adjusting the sound level on the amp and pedal but nothing works
Go to the chain section in tone studio and find the one out of the three that works in the given situation, different pedals need a different chain so it only records "Distortion" for example on the dub you want it to and not affect the others!
I just got one. The problem I am having is that if I change a tone setting to overdub say a lead channel over a clean rhythm then the entire sound changes to dirty while running the loop playback. Once the dirty is dubbed over the clean and the two loops are saved and played back, then I assume that you will then hear the dirty and clean, but during the overdub recording it sounds like shit and will effect your playing significantly. If you have an a/b switch and can run the play back through 1 source then can you overdub the recording without compromising your tone?
Although it is fun for journaling ideas to reference later as a writing tool and chops
Builder, the tone of your guitar and amp are noticeable when you remove the pedal from your effects chain.
having said that, it is very useful and a fun way to hold on to your new ideas
Tom RP same problem with me
Go to the "chain" section in tone studio, there are three, different chains. Different effects require different chains so that only the track you want is affected by the distortion for example. Try them to find what works in the given situation. Took me a couple of months to find that to have "delay" only in the dub i want required the bottom of the three chains. Other effects need a different chain, maybe, or maybe not. Experiment:) Run the looper through the send/return, pedals after guitar!
Hi guys, I got a question: between the loops there is like a three seconds pause, can I get rid of it to have like a non-stop, continuous loop? Thanks a lot.
My question too
You can you just need to keep playing and press the loop and the start and end of each cycle, takes some practise but you get the hang of it
hi
can you keep the clean sound that youve recorded and then play it back using a dirty sound for lead
hows that done ?
Hey, Gregory! If you put your distortion/overdrive pedal before your RC-3 in the signal path, you can turn on your dirty tone without effecting the loop that you are already playing back. If you still have questions or if you want to discuss it more, feel free to call or email me. Thanks for your interest!
Connor Smith, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1793, connor_smith@sweetwater.com
Hello! Paolo from Italy.One question : During the recording of more loops. I record the first loop and it's fine. I record the second one and it's fine.I record a third one, but I make a mistake. Can i just erase this third recording loop without erasing the first and second ones?Thanks guys
yes,i believe on this model one long press removes last loop, he did this then started again. Easy enough to check mate:)
Paul R. Hold the button down for 2 secs I think
Of course you can mate, thats the idea:) Hold down the pedal , the light will flash "Un" When it stops flashing and it reads the track number again release the pedal. This may take two seconds, maybe three, so do it as described! To wipe every thing, hold down the pedal after pushing it two or three times in a deliberate manner. It varies, sometimes two pushes, sometimes three. Dont rush the pushes, be deliberate. After the second, hold down the third, when the light stops flashing and the track number is solid, release and the track is clear. The instructions are not close to good enough. A lot of trial and error to get it right and find all the functions. Any questions let me know, ive learned mine and i wish i had had someone to show me:)
the big question for me about loopers is:
say you want to play in a simple 4 beats per bar. Now when you start recording a loop you start on the first beat and when the 4th beat is done you press the button again, so then you have your loop playing over and over again.
but now, say I start recording another layer on the first beat, what happens if I stop this one at the 3rd beat? will the looper fill in the entire last beat with a pause automatically? Or do you have to time this yourself completely?
Hi Bram Leferink, give us a call at 800-222-4700 and one our knowledgable and friendly Sales Engineers will be able to help answer all of your specific questions. Thanks!
SweetwaterSound
Guess that was a simple question, why don't you answer it in the comments?
+SweetwaterSound There are so many people watching that won't want to call an overseas number, also, why not provide the answer for everyone to see? There is nothing more frustrating than not having your questions answered.
+Bram Leferink My only experience is with the HOLD function of a Boss DD-7, which is essentially a basic looper. To answer the best of my knowledge the looper will fill the gap with silence. Put it this way, whatever length your first layer is, will set the length of all that follow it. You can record anything less than the first layers length without having to time it. The looper keeps track of all that for you.
+Bram Leferink No, it won't fill it in for you, but it isn't a problem really. If you only want to play over the first 3 beats, then play it and delay hitting the pedal for another beat. Easy peasy.
does anyone know what button to press, or what to do once you've recorded a loop, to save it to the pedal? thanks x
Jess Meyer press write twice 😊🤘🏻press write , should start flashing and then press it again
@@immattbailey Thanks so much for the help! I got it working now :)
Jess Meyer you’re welcome ! I came search trying to get a nice clean loop, you can hear my loop start and stop ever so slightly. Trying to get it smooth . Feel free to check out my song #crewlife as well .
Makes for a good alarm clock for three hours just crank it up to 10
how many loops can it hold in one go? meaning if I recorded one loop, how many more recordings will it take?
As many as you want, but it gets busy fast, the discretion suffers bad if you add too many layers! Less is more here:) As few overdubs as possible to get the job done!
Question... can you record and play over an overdriven guitar? When I do my lead and the loop compete for volume.
I just got mine today, and am having the same problem.
You set the guitars level before adding a dub, simple:/ Also set the record level on the looper lower when adding an overdriven dub . Dint just leave levels the same for every dub. To get the best quality and discretion you must set up for every dub!
I have this pedal but when I record a track in clean and then want to play over it with distortion it switches them both to distortion any suggestions on how to make it not do that or is it just the way the pedal works
Kaylum Mclachlan gotta have the looper after the distortion.
Nick Simms I figured it out thanks. But my loop is actually before my distortion pedal.
How can I delete a melody?
I can't find the operation!
there s thick manual press writing or somethin hate dis modern stuff
It looks like he just held the pedal down for 2 seconds to delete the last recorded phrase (last loop/sample layer). The display said "Un", probably for Undo.
I'd guess via USB
Is it hard to get the timing right having to click the pedal twice to turn it off?
Smitty i would've thought so, but i have this pedal and its actually really easy
did u just get used to it? because i have the same problem..
plug in an external footswitch into the RC 3 external footswitch input, that allows you to press the pedal only once to stop the loop, or press and hold to erase the entire loop
It's not that hard really, you gonna have to get used to it. I think it's easier when you first started strumming a guitar.
Its hard when you're playing a kick/stomp on the left foot, while singing, and playing to double tap at the right timing. Probs fine if you're SUUPER co-ordinated . I bought the ammoon micro looper to learn (1 button) then started using my POD HD500 (has all seperate looper buttons but only 48 pathetic seconds of loop time) stopped using it for acoustic solo now (coz sound quality is crap compared to my mini mixer) but after having a dedicated start stop button will only consider 2+ button loopers. Gonna get the EHX 720 but for someone on a budget (the 720 clone) Ammoon Stereo Looper would probably suit. Hope that helps with any folks decisions.
ew the tone
Remember...you’ve got to plug the Output A in to turn the unit on !!!
This or the Digitech Trio+ or the Nux Looper Pro or the Beat Buddy v2 ??? Any input greatly appreciated. Don & Mitch are Legends. Love Sweetwater.
Depends what you want to do- they are 3 different things. I bought the Trio- too tricky for me anyway to get it to do what I thought it would do. I haven't used it once since. Beat Buddy is nice but a good looper is an absolute necessity so I would go for that. The RC-3 is a great choice- and it has some beats built in. Otherwise, I just use backing tracks. If you can swing it, spend a lot more and get the new Fractal FM3- an outstanding effects floor unit with a build in looper- pro grade gear.
MARAVILHA,Q TRISTEZA NAO TER DINHEIRO. ........
no matter how many videos I watched it does not tell me whether I need a tip ring sleeve or tip sleeve. Is this common sense? Am I missing something?
Aren't BOSS loopers made to operate differently from the TC Electronic ones? As far as i've seen in video reviews, the BOSS loopers are operated in the following way: You activate the recording, record something, push the pedal, and after you push the pedal, the loop starts playing, but you are also over-dubbing. On the TC Electronic, you record something, push the pedal and after that, the loop starts playing but you ARE NOT over-dubbing. If you want to over-dub, you should press the pedal again, which is not the case with the BOSS loopers. Did i miss something, or they are really made to operate differently? Thanks in advance.
+Torwalk
so far on my newly rented rc3, it overdubs the first time unless you hit the pedal twice. after that you only have to hit once. kind of stupid, possibly reprogrammable.
It is reprogrammable, see the manual.
+Torwalk You can change all of those settings actually, on the BOSS looper via. the manual
How many loops you can play at the same time???
You can only play "one" unless you have more than two arms,lol. A bit hard to get what you mean man, But I"ll have a go. You can lay down as many overdubs as you want, but try to keep it to a minimum for the best quality :)
Can anyone tell me how to add more bars?
Themackman just keep playing in your base layer for as long as you need it to be
The problem i had was the auto drums , you couldnt play and the drums kick in like the rc2 .you hear the drums first .i dont know why they made it like that? Went Back to the rc2 .....
does it only support .WAV files? Can it play MP3? if only .WAV where can I get .WAV files as backing tracks? Are there free sites for that? If not can I convert .MP3 to .WAV and what is best?
Can it be powered by battery?
Hey there, Night Owl! Thanks so much for reaching out. The RC-3 can be powered by a 9v battery.
Cheers,
Miles Patterson, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1266, miles_patterson@sweetwater.com
Wish mine didn't have a 1 second delay in it.
Nice vid but the distortion sounds electronic and everything but substantial ihmo!
+SweetwaterSound This is probably a dumb question but you can loop vocals with the RC-3 correct?
yes, dedicated mic input.
So is that a built in drum machine?
does it do 3/4 ?
Hey there, Kirby! Thanks so much for reaching out about the RC-3. Yes, it will do the rhythm in 3/4. You hold down the rhythm button until the screen changes to R0 or R9, release the button, then press and hold it again. It will show b3 or b4. Press the up or down button, you want it to show "b3", as that's the 3/4 setting. I hope this helps!
Cheers,
Miles Patterson, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1266, miles_patterson@sweetwater.com
3:05
yeah. wouldn't it be better with a separate speaker? like a 112 or another amp? I've got small monitor speakers but they're stout. I ordered an RC 3. I think that's the more expensive one. that's what I ordered. any suggestions???
suggesdtions for what man, any questions about the RC3, i just spent a couple of months learning it by trial and error, the instructions are pathetic:/
Stiff Yet Flacid
What a strange comments section
Yo I love mine I have had an RC3. 4 years. But I suddenly started noticing a strange problem. ---- has any one ever had this problem
My rc3 began to act like the entire pedal was a diaphragm membrane. On a microphone . in other words. I could lightly touch the pedal and clearly heard its sound coming. Out of my amp
I am fairly certain this is not an intended feature. As it has three distinct audio input . but nowhere is a microphone pick up indicated on the device. Nor in any info provided
I have phrased my searches. Every which way the sun shines and there is. Not a scrap of. Info about any guitar pedal ever doing this or its so far down. The list. I would never find it as the web thinks I'm intending to figure out 2 run a mic thru an FX pedal
Really annoying. And down right enraging at times
I've seen more expensive pedals. But the rc3 was 200 bucks. So I feel like I paid for quality. But I got shat on. As now what was once my constant joy.
I apprenticed fixing electronic music gear I know how to fix basic shorts and other stuff but this crap is above my knowledgeability
Please. Anyone know about anything like this ever happen to them with any pedal. Of any kind
If you know why its happening or how 2 fix I would certainly appreciate it
Thank u in advance
Respectfully
OTIS MALY Tennessee
Dees a beri beri intrasing pedal. My likum much.
GET A WARRANTY! My pedal stopped all power within the first day. I need help.
You get two years warranty minimum for buying more or less any Boss products. So if you didn't get one, you were screwed by whoever sold you the pedal.
3 hours of loop time!?
Okay.......
BUT WHY?
You can pre load loops for a gig. Can also record a full session.
ojeh just boght it hope can dial in sounds fuzzi in low vol distorted amp demo sounds good almost think need separate amp lets see prerecorded loops useless i play432
HOrrible tone
Not digging the distortion pedal.
CHEAPTHRILLONTHETUBE good thing thats not what the video is about then? Jesus christ. If you're going to whine about something so small just keep it to yourself
@@Eung-Homie Well, not to defend whining in general, but his comment made me understand the sound is not due to the RC-3 itself. So in a way, it helped.
@@osenseijedi Did you really think the sound and tone came from the RC-3? It's just a looper, it'll loop whatever you feed into it.
this seems expensive and unnecessary to me. The only time i would use this is if i just want to jam in my bed room.
+Kain Motthasmews So really not that unnecessary then? Plenty of people want to jam in their bedroom. Also check RUclips for some of the amazing stuff people can do with these pedals.
Malcolm Powder fair call. but personally i'm happy to spend less money and grab just a normal looper for practicing or jamming.
well, turns out i got given one of these as an xmas gift, unknowingly. you happy now? :P
Haha, delighted.
I just got one too but haven't had a chance to play with it yet. The features I was most keen on over a regular looper were the ability to save multiple loops, back them up to PC, and to download other peoples loops to muck about with. The built in rhythm tracks could be useful too.
yeah, that stuff can be useful if you want to hang on to, or send someone a compositional idea or something. so it's handier than i first made it out to be. apologies.
That's not a review, but an advert
Show us, don't tell us.
Why did I buy that stupid ditto - I should and likely will buy this. I spent too much time on gearpage.
nux loop core is 500 times better and way cheaper and more features then the boss rc-3
Save your time and watch another demo or review video, there are better ones
Your hair looks lovely but, you explained zero about the looper
too much talking