Recording - July 2011 - 45

RC-30’s newer features easily foot-controllable, some of the familiar foot operations of the RC-20XL have been changed, and some features are gone entirely. It’s still possible to select Fade Out and Loop-To-End modes for playback, where stopping a Phrase causes it to either gently fade out or to stop when it reaches the end of the loop... but now you can assign these modes only as stored functions in a saved Phrase. You can’t have a loop you’ve created live on stage fade out or end in sync... it just stops when you hit the Stop pedal. For many live loop-based players, this one change will be a deal-breaker. The RC-20XL let you record audio from the Aux Input with a Center Cancel and/or Amp Simulator effect; those are gone on the RC-30. Also removed: the well-liked Reverse Playback mode. If you have audio on both Tracks, you can’t switch between playing only Track 1 and playing only Track 2, as you might want if going between A and B sections of a song. Finally, there are some important operations that are either tricky or impossible to do with just your feet, like clearing a Track (somewhat tricky), starting playback of both Tracks at once (very tricky), or changing the Loop FX type on the fly (somewhat tricky with an external dual footswitch, impossible without one). Put together, these changes strongly suggest that the intended user for the RC-30 is the player working in the studio and sitting down with easy access to the unit’s front panel controls, rather than the live improvisational player that was the RC-20XL’s target audience. This isn’t a good or bad thing, just a difference in intent, and prospective buyers should be aware of it. It may seem strange to those new to looping as a performance technique, but the practiced loop player comes to rely on his looper’s features working in a certain way in order to develop reflexes and techniques for seamless live performance. You wouldn’t tell a player with decades of practice using a certain type of guitar that his music won’t really suffer if you take it away, and it’s no different for folks with a lot of time and practice invested in a wellestablished looper like the RC-20XL. Those folks will see the RC-30 as a step backwards; its stereo capability and improved audio aside, they won’t care about the Loop FX and will want their missing live-performance-friendly loop operations back.
RECORDING JULY 2011

However, while we have to point out what the RC-30 won’t do in a live situation, we have to acknowledge that its easy integration with a computer studio and its emphasis on working with a library of ready-to-use Phrases with performance tweaks already in place points to a new and different workflow for

creating loop-based music. Given this new workflow, many users will get a real kick out of the Loop FX and the Rhythm track, and will enjoy working with the RC-30 as a compositional tool in the studio and taking it on the road with pre-recorded Phrases as part of their shows. Looping has never been a one-size-fitsall process, and this new Loop Station points to a whole new way to create music with loops, on the stage and in the studio. It’s up to you to decide how well it fits with your compositional and performing styles. Price: $418.40 More from: BOSS, www.bossus.com.

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Recording - July 2011

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