Tim and I just got an RC-2 Pedal! - Boss Content

[Tone2TheBone]

YEAH!!!

First impressions - VERY COOL. The drums sound pretty cool through a Marshall. First thing I did was listen to all the internal drum loops provided in the pedal. I'll probably spend this weekend practicing with the drums because it's one thing to play along with a human drummer....another to play along with a digital one. Once I read the manual, soak it in and practice, I'll try some simple loops with the rhythm. I may get my kids to video my attempts....or something.

Tim - When you get home email me and we'll talk shop.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Sweet, man. I have been enjoying "virtually" watching you enjoy your birthday. Hope the hangover tomorrow isn't too hard!

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

I've got an RC2 pedal on an UPS truck. It's for Christmas, but I'll have to try it out to make it works, won't I?

 

[Lev]

Would love to see a video clip of an RC2 in action!

That reminds me Robert didn't you promise us a video demo of your JamMan?

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Lev,

Here is the demo video from summer NAMM 06 in Austin, TX.

http://www.sonicstate.com/news/shownews.cfm?newsid=3255#

 

[marnold]

Cool video. Too bad that they had Captain Personality doing the presentation

 

[Robert]

Congrats Tone! Tell us more after you've played with it for a bit.

Lev, yes I will keep my promise, just have patience! I am just too darn busy lately.

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Ok I managed to learn how to save 3 loops. 3 different styles of blues beats. Dang cool. Took me awhile to figure out how to set the tempo each time I changed the drum pattern. The guide and phrase levels mix in perfectly with my guitar signal. I don't have to really change anything once I balance the output of the drums with the guitar level. The unit accepts overdrive pedals nicely. I still have yet to try adding a bass though.

2 things I want ask those who know how to use them.

1. What I understand about loop pedals is - if I am playing with the guide (drum sound) I am only able to record a "loop" of one measure. Right? I am limited to 4 beats of recording. Correct?

I tried using the drum beats and leaving the pedal in recording mode trying to play an entire 12 bar blues rhythm and it recorded everything I did but it overdubbed them over each other in 4 beat increments like 12 loops playing at once on top of each other.

2. When I don't want to use the drum beats I can record a long length of whatever I want but when it plays back there is a gap of time after my last riff before it starts up again. I was under the impression that I could record an entire 12 bar rhythm without stopping and have THAT be my loop and it would quantize to the beginning of the rhythm immediately after the last lick. I guess I was wrong.

Still being able to record ideas or melodies that I want to practice with or add harmonies with is really cool. It's a great tool for this. Looping will be neat too even if you are limited to 4 beats of recording time. I have to get fancy and record chord changes on the fly.

As ToT said it's nice to be able to practice along with a drum beat. It makes you play tighter and it's helping me work out guitar licks and phrases that sound tasty against a timed beat. Working out variations of a lick over the beat is well worth the price of the pedal. I've barely begun to scratch the surface of this unit. I hope to rub minds with some of you pros so I can get a little more creative with it.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Tone,

1. What I understand about loop pedals is - if I am playing with the guide (drum sound) I am only able to record a "loop" of one measure. Right? I am limited to 4 beats of recording. Correct?

I tried using the drum beats and leaving the pedal in recording mode trying to play an entire 12 bar blues rhythm and it recorded everything I did but it overdubbed them over each other in 4 beat increments like 12 loops playing at once on top of each other.

I don't know what you did, but I am able to record as long as I want (probably until I hit the 16 min limit) while using the drum beats. way, cool!

2. When I don't want to use the drum beats I can record a long length of whatever I want but when it plays back there is a gap of time after my last riff before it starts up again. I was under the impression that I could record an entire 12 bar rhythm without stopping and have THAT be my loop and it would quantize to the beginning of the rhythm immediately after the last lick. I guess I was wrong.

This works fine for me. I just stop recording right at the first beat of the next measure & everything flows mighty smoothly. It may be easier for me, because I got a Boss FS-5U momentary pedal & use it to control the tempo & and to stop recording, undo, & start the drum parts.

As ToT said it's nice to be able to practice along with a drum beat.

Hey! I just realized that tOt is both short for

tot Ou tard

and an anagram for it as well.


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Tone, can you explain the steps you are using to record with the drum tracks? We'll get this straightened out so you can play those 12 bar blues.

 

[Tone2TheBone]

You dog! How did you get the beat to work with the long recording! Tell me now!

Ok I just figured out auto record. Cooool.

You know I should also get one of those pedals you have tOt (actually it should be tOt instead of ToT you're right). Tapping the large boss pedal which sits above my other pedals on my pedal board is a little tricky. I thought of moving the loop pedal on the bottom row...but I just might get one of those FS-5U pedals.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

You dog! How did you get the beat to work with the long recording! Tell me now!

Ok I just figured out auto record. Cooool.

I don't think I'm using auot record. My understanding of auto is that it determines the tempo after the fact. I have the knob set on the circle/triangle
(ie stop/play) ...lemme go get the manual....
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Well, nothing in the manual says exactly what I do. It's because I am using the FS-5U and just stumbled my way into it.

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Tone, can you explain the steps you are using to record with the drum tracks? We'll get this straightened out so you can play those 12 bar blues.

I start out by selecting a blank phrase spot on the phrase knob. Then I take a listen to the drum beats I want. Then I set the tempo on the drum beat....turn the knob to dot arrow (o>) and play with the beat and it only records 4 beats of the first bar of the 12 bars. If I continue to record the 12 bars while the beat plays it overlaps the first bar with the 2nd bar like it's just overdubbing in 4 beat increments. What am I doing wrong? *bangs head on desk repeatedly*

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

I'll remove my FS-5U & see if I can reproduce what you're doing...

 

[Tone2TheBone]

I'll remove my FS-5U & see if I can reproduce what you're doing...

Ok. Thanks for your help. R Maybe you can explain to me the steps YOU take. Maybe I can catch something I'm not doing right or something?

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Sure enough, it behaves exactly as you say--overdubbing the second measure onto the first and then the third onto that. It gets very thick quite fast.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

With the pedal stopped and the dial set on circle/arrow

(on the back of each one saying what each one was...sorry, I went a little Arlo there)

and the memory cleared I set the tempo with the FS-5U. Then I step once on the RC-2 at the top of a measure, one measure later the RC-2 starts recording.
When, I have finished I step once on the FS-5U to stop the recording and then the playback starts immediately.

To stop the playback I step once on the FS-5U. To undo I wait for the lights to stop blinking and then I hold down the FS-5U until the the lights stop blinking. To start up the rhythm track again, I just step once on the the FS-5U and lather, rinse, & repeat!

Tomorrow, I'll see if I can figure out how to do all that without the FS-5U.

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Wow. Ok so I need an FS-5U then it sounds like. Thats interesting. You see how I was getting that overlapped stuff? It was crazy huh. I wonder if Guitar Center has the FS pedals. If not I'll have to order one from MF. Sounds like I can get what I want to do with that extention pedal!

To review...the steps you took above allowed you to record 12 bar with drums yes?

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Tone try this:

1) Set the knob on music note NOT circle/arrow.

2) Tap out the tempo.

3) Hold the pedal down to set the tempo (wait for the lights to stop flashing).

4) Step on the pedal once at the top of a measure to start recording.

5) Step once at the bottom of the last measure and once again at what would be the top of the next measure to stop recording.

6) Playback should be immediate.

7) Hold down the pedal to undo (wait for lights to stop flasing).

It worked on mine. 12 bar blues city.

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Tone try this:

1) Set the knob on music note NOT circle/arrow.

2) Tap out the tempo.

3) Hold the pedal down to set the tempo (wait for the lights to stop flashing).

4) Step on the pedal once at the top of a measure to start recording.

5) Step once at the bottom of the last measure and once again at what would be the top of the next measure to stop recording.

6) Playback should be immediate.

7) Hold down the pedal to undo (wait for lights to stop flasing).

It worked on mine. 12 bar blues city.

tOt was this without the FS-5U? I'll try it a little later. My kids are watching a Christmas movie ( I love Christmas movies) so I'll give it a whirl after a bit. Thank you for your help man!

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Ok I tried it and it worked. Only thing is that the playback is missing one measure. When I do the steps you told me to I play the 12 bar like you normally do and finish off the recording and it immediately plays back like you said. Problem is that it's missing the very first measure. It plays everything else perfectly and even segues into the beginning perfectly. I get 3 measures of E instead of 4....then it continues to the A for 4 and back to the E for 4 etc. I THINK I'm tapping the recording at the top of the beat. Maybe I'm tapping it at the bottom thats why I'm shy one measure? But if the loop is one measure long I don't see how I can screw that up? Also when I tap in to start recording the beat goes haywire for a split second and I have to guess where the downbeat is to play correctly on time otherwise I'm playing on the up beat and I have to start all over again. Here's the steps I'm doing...

1. I pick a drum beat and set the tempo using the music note and then tapping the tempo.

2. I step on the pedal to save the tempo...yellow light flashes...beat keeps playing at tempo set.

3. (begin recording?) I listen to the beat and just before the beginning of the measure I tap the pedal (this is where the beat goes awry for a split second)...then I ignore the bump in the beat and try to play with the correct downbeat and play the whole 12 bar to the end.

4. At the end of the 12 bars I tap the pedal again and it stops recording and the playback starts up right away which ends up sounding good but it is missing the first measure.

????

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Snap! Alright things are happy now in loop land. According to the fine print the recording doesn't kick in until the first measure is played after tapping the pedal. That explains why the recording was short a measure.

THIS PEDAL IS AWESOME.

 

[tot_Ou_tard]

Snap! Alright things are happy now in loop land. According to the fine print the recording doesn't kick in until the first measure is played after tapping the pedal. That explains why the recording was short a measure.

THIS PEDAL IS AWESOME.

Ooops, I forgot to tell you that!

I'm glad that it's working now.

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I agree that it is awesome.

 

[Spudman]

If you don't have the Boss FS-5 but you do have any other button foot switches laying around the gear pile, try plugging one in to the FS-5. Momentary switches (non latching) seem to work the best. Still with a latching foot button you just have to push it twice. This might enable you to get a little bit more out of your pedal before you buy an accessory pedal.

Amph channel changers, keyboard foot switches, rack effects control pedals, anything like those might work so that you can get more functions from your RC2.

 

[Tim]

Ok guys, I am back home an unwounded. I am jumping into this RC-2 lopper thread.

I have experienced the same difficulties Tone has mentioned, but after reading the discussions between Tone and tOt I am going to play with the looper before asking any question. I will also find an old button pedal to help with the stomping and configuring the RC-2.

The missing measure I knew was in the timing, but I did not know it was at the beginning. It’s time to return to the looper. Loop on!

Tone I sent you an email as you requested.

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Spudster - I have a real old school momentary switch up in the attic. I'll have to look for it. I knew someday that old thing would come in handy...(lets hope anyway)....so I kept it. Now if I can only find it!

Man thanks so much tOt for your help and guidance last night. I've redone all my loops from phrase space 1 through 6 and this evening I added some Jazz Bass. *thumbs up* The pedal buffers good. It won't allow a bass signal to come through too strong which I think my amphs will love. I did in fact have to up the signal just a tad with my trusty Micro Amp pedal. Bass blends in perfectly with my guitar rhythm. I'm a freakin' one man band!

 

[Tone2TheBone]

Well I couldn't find that old momentary switch so I bought an FS-5U foot switch today. I'd like to post the question as to why an external footswitch like this would be better than using the pedal itself. What is the significance of using such a footswitch to those of us that might not understand?

 

[oldguy]

I'm not familiar with the rc-2, but on the jamman you can use it to jump up or down to your loops. For instance, if you lay down a short loop for a verse, the go up to the next preset and do a chorus loop, you can jump up or down between them. It would be more flexible than doing a 3 to 5 minute loop for an entire song. Make sense?

 

[Tone2TheBone]

I'm not familiar with the rc-2, but on the jamman you can use it to jump up or down to your loops. For instance, if you lay down a short loop for a verse, the go up to the next preset and do a chorus loop, you can jump up or down between them. It would be more flexible than doing a 3 to 5 minute loop for an entire song. Make sense?

Yeah that makes good sense. Robert and I were talking about this today and he mentioned wanting the footswitch to do just that on his Jam Man. I told him that I thought the Boss unit only uses the footswitch to tap tempo and stop recording...some of the things tOt has done with his. I'm not sure if you can switch saved loops on the fly using the footswitch...I think you have to turn the saved phrase knob on the pedal. (is that right tOt?)

I am probably totally wrong in limiting the footswitch's use here that's why I am asking you guys what the benefits are. I guess I am thinking that having an external footswitch allows smoother tap tempo setting and less wear and tear on the actual pedal unit in doing this function? Any more benefits that I need to know?

 

[oldguy]

OOPS! Sorry, tone, I was thinking of the FS3X pedal for the Jamman.
Don't know if that works with the RC-2 or not.
Sorry.

 

[Tim]

Tone - read page 29. Something there about using the FS-5U with the red stripe. You can change phrase tracks in sequence order.