REVIEWED
BOSS RC-3
Words: Tim Slater
If you love to loop then there is a myriad of excellent looping devices on the market offering everything from the facility to virtually store a complete albums worth of multi-tracked loops to slightly less sophisticated but no less fun looping devices. The boss RC-3 represents something of blend between the two, sharing several basic functions with its larger stable-mate the Boss RC-30 Loop Station whilst squeezing its impressive power into a pedal board- friendly Boss compact pedal.
Memories are made of this…
Compact it may be but the RC-3’s potential shouldn’t be underestimated. For starters, this looper doesn’t exactly skimp when it comes to memory; with a maximum three hours looping time to hand (or foot!), Boss claim
BOSS RC-3
SRP £189.00
All prices include VAT CONT
ACT
Roland UK T:
W: 01792 702701
www.roland.co.uk 26 3pickup
Boss RC-3 Loop Station
Loop Station
This compact pedal size looper still offers up to three hours of recording time, plus USB connectivity…
that the RC-3 currently offers the longest recording time of any pedal looper, which is pretty impressive. The RC-3 also offers a very generous and flexible facility for loop storage via 99 separate onboard memory locations that can store anything from tiny sound samples to complete performances for jamming along or overdubbing. The RC-3 pedal’s USB 2.0 port also demonstrates how far looping has entered the mainstream, smoothly exporting audio WAV files for further development in your computer’s DAW or vice-versa whereby backing tracks or samples can be imported into the RC-3 and used as loops for jamming or even the basis for a complete performance piece. Stereo I/O offers extra opportunities to connect to split the output between two separate amplifiers or even side chain other effects between the left and right outputs, plus the RC-3 can be powered up by either an AC mains adapter or a single 9v battery, which potentially frees-up the RC-3 to be used as a back up for busking or any environment when mains power isn’t readily available.
In Use
The RC-3 feels fairly intuitive to use more or less straight from the box but you still need to be able to nail the start of your loop on the correct downbeat to help the pedal’s auto-quantize lock the loop into the pedal’s internal clock. Auto-
quantize seamlessly synchronizes the recorded loops but practice is still required until nailing it on ‘The One’ becomes second nature. However, we really like the RC-3’s improved ‘one step’ recording mode that allows the recording and overdub process to be performed with one press on the pedal. If timing is an issue, the RC-3 also includes built-in rhythm tracks to help you play along in time. These start from a basic click track and progress through a series of nine solid but nonetheless quite powerful-sounding rock and Latin rhythms whose default 4/4 time signature can be changed to ¾ and other non-standard time signatures whilst still keeping the groove going. Another aspect we particularly like about the RC-3 is that it generally feels very easy to use and it sidesteps complex menus in favour of a comprehensive features set that puts the performance side first whilst still giving the user the
necessary tools to control important elements like tempo, time signatures and recording without much recourse to delving into the manual to get started. Funnily enough, the tap tempo function was really the only feature that confused us; tap tempo is controlled by a button illuminated by a softly flashing LED whose pulse indicates the current tempo speed. It took quite a while to figure out how to edit the pedal’s default tempo to change to a new tempo. Jabbing at the button with a fingertip didn’t seem to elicit much of a response until we worked out that tap tempo edit mode only kicks-in when the RC-3’s rhythm section is in edit mode, after that it’s easy as pie. Once sussed, the RC-3 is so much fun to use that it borders on the addictive, and you can even use the tap tempo function to speed up and slow down recorded loops in real time without altering the loop’s original key or pitch. Bags of fun! PM
SHOULD I BUY ONE?
Whether you are an entry-level looper or an experienced loop veteran the RC-3 is still a great little tool. OK, so there are certain limits (you can’t play recorded loops backwards, for example) but it would be somewhat unfair to criticize the RC-3 on this point because in all other areas it does its job perfectly. In typical Boss fashion, the designers have done a great job of balancing ease of use (vital in this compact pedal format) with enough features to keep all but the most demanding looper happy. The RC-3 is great fun, highly portable and a superb practice tool. Check one out, sharpish!
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