This is FREEK'N KOOL! 
by David from Missouri, October 2008
Music Background:  Hobbyist

Great play back fidelity. As for silent space at beginning of play back, you just need to keep playing phrase till machine starts to overdub. Reverse will get you some cool J.H. sounds! The panning feature is great.

  i cannot live without it 
by Ed Sinnott from Chicago IL, January 2008
Music Background:  musician

when you recieve the RC-50 - read the manual!
this is an amazing decive, you will not regret it!!!!!
i am using it for my rock/pop band.
i have prerecorded synth parts and guitar parts loaded onto the RC-50 in phrases.
i punch them in right on time with my foot and it completes my 3 piece band.

  Dont Listen to the NaySayers! 
by Sonny from Harrisburg PA USA, June 2007
Music Background:  30 year Vet live and Studio work

After reading a TON of reviews and owners comments on the net about the major Looping players, I picked up the RC-50 and brought it home for a shakedown in my studio. This next statement is important....First, to all the NAASAYERS... READ the manual cover to cover, and that alone will explain the majority of complaints I read about on the net. I found case after case where I solved the complaitants problems by simply ....READING THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL BEFORE BUST'N ON THE RC-50!!!! After only about 5 hours with this unit, I have concluded that it indeed is a POWERFUL AND ROCKING unit. PERIOD. Sure,,,,,it doesent do EVERYTHING....and you wont take over the Music World with it alone, or Conquer the Stage with it alone either. It may, or may not be the secret missing link that will solve all your live and studio needs... Like every single instrument or bit of computer software, YOU have to learn its limitations, and exploit its power. And believe me, the RC-50 has PLENTY of power for the price. I would tell you that I feel most people with a lick of sense could use this thing to ROCK STEADY, but one "Complainee" stated in his review that he, being a "Degreed Music Graduate/Teacher" Felt the RC-50 was only good as a door stop and was useless and ill conceived, rushed into production, yaada yaada yadda.... All I can say is he had a defective unit or TWO or he is an educated IDIOT, or Simply does not know how to R_O_C_k !! 'cause mine CRANKED right outta the box with Patch #1. I dont have a music degree, but I found that with a little practice and patience, this RC-50 has supprised me with both its Sonic Accuracy and many TRICK funtions. The USB jack also passes Audio through my computer and monitoring system which I can record in real time on my 32 Track Roland Multitrack Recorder, which is an added bonus, and something I didnt read in any of the reviews or specs. Of course, I could have a malfunctioning computer or RC-50, RIGHT?? Anyway, I am very Happily KEEPING this little looping Marvel, and Boss....if you're listing..... Thanks for yet ANOTHER GREAT PRODUCT. Hope this helps dispell some of the untruths and inaccuracies reported about this little gem of Boss technology. Best Regards. A True Fan

  Almost perfect! 
by MasOul from USA, June 2007
Music Background:  Pro Musician, Producer, MC

Why? because it lacks media storage capabilities (limited to onboard 49min; mono memory). No doubt, this is plenty, but the possibility becomes complete if the RC-50 had compact flash, SD, etc. for recalling the past live sets.

  Think before you Sync 
by Doug from CA,USA, January 2007
Music Background:  Composer, Electronic Music

Most of the problems people have with the RC-50 is because they are not setting-up the unit properly to sync with external clock, not tapping in the tempo before recording or they are ignoring the tempo guide beat. There may be other issues caused if someone connects the RC-50's midi in and out to a clock source. The tempo features are very advanced and have to be studied carefully. I have been doing electronic groove music for years and this unit will sync and playback just fine if you read the manual and set everything up properly!

  Midi sync causes odd time-stretching distortion 
by James from San Francisco, CA, September 2006
Music Background:  Recording Engineer/Producer, Semi-Pro Musician

I've been waited years for someone to manufacture a box with these specs. I have been an electronic producer/live P.A. for years and I wanted to be able to add some spontaneous instrumentation and vocal loops to my sets. Ostensibly, the RC-50 has that capability. However, I find that when I slave the RC-50's clock to an external source my loops playback with a weird studdering. It sounds like the RC-50 is trying to time correct my loop, which is odd because the original loop is recorded at the same tempo as the play back tempo. Bottom line, if you don't plan on syncing from an external midi clock the RC-50 is an impressive piece of gear. Think twice about dropping the dough if you're going to be slaving to an external midi clock.

  Leave the band at the house! You are a one man band with this RC-50 
by Marshall Hunter Cosme from Shreveport Louisiana, July 2006
Music Background:  Recording Engineer, Pro Musician The Unknown Star , Musictologist

First of all being a guitar player for over 25 years. Technology has come full circle with the RC-50 Loopstation! I can just imagine what Frank Zappa,Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia,Chet Atkins and so many other guitar greats or instumentalist could do with such an awesome device.
I plug in with my Roland VG-8 Guitar Modeler and there I go, Bass, Mandolin, Guitar, Lead, Rhythm, or layer vocals in a matter of minutes not hours. You can have a limitless artist scratch pad or performance machine that you can even save your work right to your own computer. I recently made a demo of a 45 minute lead solo for the guys at work. First of all I still don't think that they actually believe it was me playing live! But after I explained I had a little help from the RC-50 LoopStation, they began to understand that I cheated big time! Well if sounding that good is cheating , then I am a cheater! You can't beat the quality of sound and the features for the price on the RC-50 Loopstation and its loads of features. I sold my RC-20 XL to get my RC-50 ! If you can't go RC-50 the next best thing is the RC-20 XL, it is still a great live perfomance tool. If you are like me , you are going to want the big gun RC-50 Loopstation. I played with my new toy for so long , my hands got numb! I really did, it was so amazing , I was like a kid in a candy store and had a bunch of empty pockets to fill up! As for the lead solo, WOW|! Thanks for the help RC-50 the RC stands for Really Cool, Realtime Control, or just RC I don't really know and I don't really care! Because I got one and am turning peoples heads with it everytime I use it! Thanks Boss your still the Boss!

  Ummm. Wow. And I mean Wow. 
by Ledbetter from San Francisco, CA, USA, July 2006
Music Background:  Semi-Pro Musician, Street Poet, All around nice guy.

I started doing looping as a self-endulgent/jam-in-my-room type of thing. I borrowed my friend's RC-20 Loopstation for a few weeks. After getting turned onto fellas like KidBeyond and Keller Williams, I realized it could be so much more. I did some research and bought the Digitech Jamman (it had more bang for the buck compare to the Loopstation).

I played a handful of shows (guitar, vocals, beatbox, and some other instruments) with this new toy and was left wanting more out of a looper.

Then I found out about the then not-yet-released RC-50. I eagarly awaited its shipdate... as the good folks at Sweetwater can atest to :)

I've spend the past two weeks cracking the usage of the RC-50 and I could not be happier. Between the design and the indepth manual, the learning curve was fairly brief. I been able to turn the jams I created on the other loopers into more complex and dynamic arrangements.

With the addition of the optional expression pedals and footswitches this thing is unstoppable.

The only thing more powerful is going the Laptop route with Abelton Live & a Midi switch board.

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