Boss RC-1 Loop Station Pedal

Does simple very well. Basic functionality but well done - the sound quality and level is very very good. The visual aid is great but still takes practise to keep your loop tight and drummer happy. Stereo out is a bonus. Due to the high quality I think it's good value for money, I've had cheap 2nd hand loopers die on me - only had for a few months but I get the feeling this one will last. Likely to be paired with laptop looping or more complex multi- channel unit. But there's also a place for the rc1 - I don't see myself passing this on.

As advertised-works great!

Lots of lists online rank this as the go-to entry-level looper pedal. I was in the market for one for years, but kept talking myself out of buying any sort of looper with the rational I could just use my DAW. Now, with opportunities to play live solo gigs, and without a powerful enough laptop to run my DAW portably, I turned to pedals again. A family member suggested this one, and I took the plunge. I haven't performed a show with this yet, but from my first couple of practice sessions, I can say it works as advertised. Assuming it lasts as long as my other Boss pedals, I'm fully satisfied for the price. One thing to note is that it doesn't come with a 9v power cable. Luckily, I had a few lying around, but you'll either need to buy a separate power cable or run this ... MoreLots of lists online rank this as the go-to entry-level looper pedal. I was in the market for one for years, but kept talking myself out of buying any sort of looper with the rational I could just use my DAW. Now, with opportunities to play live solo gigs, and without a powerful enough laptop to run my DAW portably, I turned to pedals again. A family member suggested this one, and I took the plunge. I haven't performed a show with this yet, but from my first couple of practice sessions, I can say it works as advertised. Assuming it lasts as long as my other Boss pedals, I'm fully satisfied for the price. One thing to note is that it doesn't come with a 9v power cable. Luckily, I had a few lying around, but you'll either need to buy a separate power cable or run this off of 9v batteries. There is a battery included, however, and the life is good-about 3-4 hours.

Easy and fun

Sounds great. Controls are easy to understand and use. Battery lasts nicely so far, and it came with a battery installed. Long loop time. I like that it has a few options for customizing the way the button works, but one option is missing. You can change the order in which the pedal cycles through record, overdub, and playback. By default, the first press activates recording, the next press marks the end of the loop and switches to overdub, and the third press switches to playback. From there, you can create a new overdub with another press of the switch. The manual includes instructions for switching the order to record, playback, overdub.My one complaint regards clearing the entire loop, as opposed to undoing/redoing the previous overdub. You double press to ... MoreSounds great. Controls are easy to understand and use. Battery lasts nicely so far, and it came with a battery installed. Long loop time. I like that it has a few options for customizing the way the button works, but one option is missing. You can change the order in which the pedal cycles through record, overdub, and playback. By default, the first press activates recording, the next press marks the end of the loop and switches to overdub, and the third press switches to playback. From there, you can create a new overdub with another press of the switch. The manual includes instructions for switching the order to record, playback, overdub.My one complaint regards clearing the entire loop, as opposed to undoing/redoing the previous overdub. You double press to stop playback. Now there's no sound from the looper. Then you hold the button for two seconds to clear the memory. Unfortunately, this starts playback, so you get two seconds of the loop you're deleting. This is not a problem at home, but would be irritating in performance any time you transition between songs. The only way around this, according to the manual, is to buy an external footswitch to use as a stop button.I don't know if similar one-button loopers work the same way or not.Other than that, I'm thrilled with the RC-1.

Fun and Easy to Use!

Very easy to use. Great for practicing by yourself- I've used it to practice playing guitar solos over chord progressions. Also great for arranging multiple parts and hearing how they can work together without having to go through a more complicated recording process. Would be great for live performances. I have also used a mixer to run multiple instruments though it- recording a guitar line, bass line, and drum beat all in the same mix, then singing and playing along with it- it can literally be a full band if used right! I've also used it to practice singing harmonies, running a mic into a mixer and then into the pedal. Of course, that application is limited to songs that dont really change much, but its great to practice and mess around with, and can be used for ... MoreVery easy to use. Great for practicing by yourself- I've used it to practice playing guitar solos over chord progressions. Also great for arranging multiple parts and hearing how they can work together without having to go through a more complicated recording process. Would be great for live performances. I have also used a mixer to run multiple instruments though it- recording a guitar line, bass line, and drum beat all in the same mix, then singing and playing along with it- it can literally be a full band if used right! I've also used it to practice singing harmonies, running a mic into a mixer and then into the pedal. Of course, that application is limited to songs that dont really change much, but its great to practice and mess around with, and can be used for live performances with great ease. It is simple but incredibly easy to use, and if you get creative you can use it for a lot of different purposes.

Needs 1 more memory bank.

This is an entry loop pedal. Teaches you how to make good loops without confusing you with all the bells and whistles you don't need as a beginner. Entry loop pedal, doesn't mean poor quality. The construction is excellent and will last for years. Only needs a second memory bank. As a beginner I want to be able to record the same loop twice and compare and choose the best loop.

Review of BOSS RC-1 Compact Loop Station Looper Pedal

So easy to use, even I can use it. Straight forward display to tell you when you're recording/overdubing and doesn't have too many features to over complicate. I did several styles including a 12 bar blues sequence to The Floyd's Shine On You Crazy Diamond intro. The casing is made of metal and is very sturdy. I can pretend I'm Katy Tunstall now - lol

Simple loop pedal

Great looper for those new to a loop pedal, like myself. It has a very simple design and operation. There aren't any extra buttons, sub-menus, or PC interface software to confuse or complicate its operation. I personally felt I would have been so lost in pushing buttons and turning knobs with other loopers. I like the simple tap record, tap again to stop recording and start play back. It has a couple of different loop modes, but I prefer the default settings. The ability to layer multiple loops over each other (a percussive loop, bass loop, and rhythm) is great. I also like the led display because it tells what it is doing ( playing, recording, over dubbing, paused, and where it is in the loop). I also like how it stores the last loop when it is turned off so it's ... MoreGreat looper for those new to a loop pedal, like myself. It has a very simple design and operation. There aren't any extra buttons, sub-menus, or PC interface software to confuse or complicate its operation. I personally felt I would have been so lost in pushing buttons and turning knobs with other loopers. I like the simple tap record, tap again to stop recording and start play back. It has a couple of different loop modes, but I prefer the default settings. The ability to layer multiple loops over each other (a percussive loop, bass loop, and rhythm) is great. I also like the led display because it tells what it is doing ( playing, recording, over dubbing, paused, and where it is in the loop). I also like how it stores the last loop when it is turned off so it's ready to go next time you use it. I would recommend reading the manual and buying an ac power adaptor. It does run on 9v batteries, but the battery on lasts about 4-5hrs. Once the battery starts to die the looper begins loosing volume, which was very confusing the first time it happened to me.I would recommend this to loop beginners and experienced loopers that just want a simple loop pedal.

Solid, easy to use looper with an informative display.

For a compact looper pedal this has, great features. The deal breaker is the circular led panel. While this pedal functions in a basic way the led tells you exactly what is happening and where you are in you loop. That knowledge makes me far more confident to use it live. You can end the playback and erase the loop silently or pause the playback and use it again - useful if a lead break is later in the song. You record the rhythm part, pause it and start it later on in the song. There options for adding extra pedal to control things but I found I got on OK without them. Basically a solid looper with a useful display that is, easy to read in a live situation. The trick to silently erase is to double tap and hold the second tap. Stops instantly and the erases a couple ... MoreFor a compact looper pedal this has, great features. The deal breaker is the circular led panel. While this pedal functions in a basic way the led tells you exactly what is happening and where you are in you loop. That knowledge makes me far more confident to use it live. You can end the playback and erase the loop silently or pause the playback and use it again - useful if a lead break is later in the song. You record the rhythm part, pause it and start it later on in the song. There options for adding extra pedal to control things but I found I got on OK without them. Basically a solid looper with a useful display that is, easy to read in a live situation. The trick to silently erase is to double tap and hold the second tap. Stops instantly and the erases a couple of seconds later - this isn't clear in the instructions.

Sorry I ever got rid of mine

I had one of these and I traded it in with a bunch of other pedals because I wanted the Boss VE-8 and that had a built in looper and what a mistake that was! I miss having the led display to keep track of where I'm at and with the optional footswitch it was a breeze to use. My only complaint is in the heat of a performance if you stomp on it too hard then the pedal makes a loud click, i have since discovered on another Boss pedal that a little adhesive felt under the pedal cures this. As far as other people's complaints 1) what single Boss pedal ever came with a power supply, do your research before you buy! 2) if you want the sound of your amp to come through the looper put it in the effects loop! 3) Why save up for for RC-3 because it has memory slots? What are ... MoreI had one of these and I traded it in with a bunch of other pedals because I wanted the Boss VE-8 and that had a built in looper and what a mistake that was! I miss having the led display to keep track of where I'm at and with the optional footswitch it was a breeze to use. My only complaint is in the heat of a performance if you stomp on it too hard then the pedal makes a loud click, i have since discovered on another Boss pedal that a little adhesive felt under the pedal cures this. As far as other people's complaints 1) what single Boss pedal ever came with a power supply, do your research before you buy! 2) if you want the sound of your amp to come through the looper put it in the effects loop! 3) Why save up for for RC-3 because it has memory slots? What are you storing on there? If you need to record projects use GarageBand on your iPhone! 4) I had mine for a couple years and never had any kind of functionality problems with it or any other Boss pedal for that matter, I've even dropped them on occasion and they still worked like they're supposed to, they're built like tanks. 5) If you need a power supply either buy a Boss one (they're not that expensive) OR check the specs on your current power supply and make sure the voltage and current output matches the Boss one, once again do your research!

Works great with the FS-6 pedal

Sound:It's a basic looper, but the footswitch allows to stop with one tap. All I need for acoustic show.Overall:I purchased the RC-1 for my weekly acoustic shows to replace my RC-300 that I purchased several years ago and love to use, but after lugging up three floors for a show at a wine bar, and the fact that I don't even use the 2nd and 3rd tracks for acoustic show, I decided the only thing I really need for most of my acoustic looping was just one track. In no way could I get used to double-tap to stop, but I have my FS-6 footswitch that works great to stop the RC-1 with one tap AND I can move the footswitch a few feet away so I don't have to be 'perfect' on the stepping like I would the Rc-300. I would still use the 300 for rock/electric shows, as it has ... MoreSound:It's a basic looper, but the footswitch allows to stop with one tap. All I need for acoustic show.Overall:I purchased the RC-1 for my weekly acoustic shows to replace my RC-300 that I purchased several years ago and love to use, but after lugging up three floors for a show at a wine bar, and the fact that I don't even use the 2nd and 3rd tracks for acoustic show, I decided the only thing I really need for most of my acoustic looping was just one track. In no way could I get used to double-tap to stop, but I have my FS-6 footswitch that works great to stop the RC-1 with one tap AND I can move the footswitch a few feet away so I don't have to be 'perfect' on the stepping like I would the Rc-300. I would still use the 300 for rock/electric shows, as it has mega capabilities, but for my acoustic show where i just usually either want to loop the solo section, or the entire song, this little inexpensive RC-1 works great, and the $100 price justifies the purchase.