Experimental Textures with the BOSS RPS-10!

The Boss RPS-10 is an inconspicuous noise machine, and a go-to device in moments of creative sparsity. Some unusual features transform the basic delay into a texture generator, rhythm creator, and experimental noise maker!
As a result, today's video is quite experimental but there are some moments of musicality in there. I also created an epic sample pack of 50 textures, totaling over 80 minutes of sound!
#noise #synth #eurorack #delay
CONTENT
0:00 - Intro
1:17 - Basic Delay
2:58 - Pitch Shifter
4:07 - Crazy Features
9:42 - Sonic Explorations!
20:56 - Outro
AFFILIATE LINKS
(US):www.bit.ly/PCtheunperson
(EU): www.thomann.de/gb/index.html?...
PATREON
/ theunperson
PRESETS & SAMPLE PACKS
theunpers0n.gumroad.com/
SOCIAL MEDIA
/ the_unpers0n
/ theunperson
MUSIC
theunperson.bandcamp.com/
/ theunperson
open.spotify.com/artist/46c1Q...

[@TheUnperson]

Sample Pack! theunpers0n.gumroad.com/l/experiments

[@DetroitMicroSound]

You would love Nunomo Qun mk2.

[@lundsweden]

This used to be a pawn shop staple, you could buy any Boss half rack for next to nothing. I bought a whole stock of 'em about 20 years ago for $250 total. This one was in the stack, should've hung onto it. I really liked the sound of the parametric eq half rack too.

[@TheUnperson]

Man, that’s an insane bargain. I’m on the hunt for the RDS-10 :D

[@afxtwn126]

This was fantastic! I could watch you doing a 10 hour livestream of you playing with this setup. I just got totally lost in the sounds you were creating. I so wish I could afford this exact setup with the modular rig, OP-1 and the star of the show, the Boss RPS-10. Then I could just forget about the insanity of the world and live inside this new place. Thanks for the inspiration and escape you provided.

[@nckwntzl]

I know it's not the same, but cardinal, the open source fork of vcv rack, has an enormous amount of free modules built in. You may not have the exact same tools at your disposal, but there's a TON in there, including most of the mutable instruments modules. Absolutely worth getting lost in for as many days as you can spare

[@TheUnperson]

You can also achieve similar results with just the RPS-10 and any sound source. I tried it out using a cheap Casio keyboard as both the sound source and modulator and got some crazy results! :D Thanks for the kind words :)

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

​@@festuswilliams654who's von trap?

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

@@festuswilliams654 aaaah... thank you for the clarity, festus. I only watched the first vhs tape of that movie, many, many moons ago. maaaaybe I should give it another chance...(?)

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

@@festuswilliams654 hahaha!! I kinda figured that. ;-)

[@MegaJenski]

Exquisite! Sample pack bought! :D

[@CNTRRNDM]

Dude, I just love your vids! Thanks for making them😁

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you!! ☺️

[@thewesterj]

I picked up one of these for 50 bucks. I'm so glad you made this vid. I use it with my modular and never ever tried to tweak it much. Thx

[@TheUnperson]

An absolute bargain! Pop a gate into the hold and an oscillator into the keyboard control and let the madness commence :D

[@lundsweden]

You b*****d! Lucky you, enjoy!

[@baked88]

Really enjoyed this - thank you. My favourite so far of your always great videos. Gorgeous exploratory music. Bought the sample pack 👍🏻 cheers again

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you! Very much appreciated ☺️

[@apparently_sonam]

Some great moments of magic on this one. Always a great inspiration ally!

[@TheUnperson]

Cheers man!

[@kwilson529]

Unreal, fantastic demo!

[@TheUnperson]

Thanks!!

[@jeff-metal]

Thanks for showing this. Magically stumbled across one whilst in Japan. Such an amazing sound, already put to good use.

[@shoseinen]

The RPS10 is super awesome! Very good videoo

[@spiritembers]

This is incredible. I was surprised to see no Data Bender in your case, but then I heard the Boss with audio rate modulation and it all clicked. Eighties glitch machine!

[@TheUnperson]

I also surprised myself by having no data bender, and missed it a few times lol

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

the RPS-10 is definitely bending some data though, no doubt.

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

ali!! have you released any music that employs some of what you've done with this setup?

[@NoFishCanSwim]

Such beautiful and inspiring sounds.

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you! :)

[@michaelfowler3187]

Beautiful sounds it's like instant Radiohead fuel - it evokes similar feelings I mean and your note selections make up some of that too. Cool video!!

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you! Big Radiohead fan here ☺️

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

I see what you mean by "instant radiohead." mmm hmm... & that's always a good thing.

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

​@@TheUnpersonme too!!

[@tworoundrobins]

god, that is such lofi goodness. nice on, ali!

[@TheUnperson]

So much LoFi! :D

[@sonofsheepdog]

amazing sounds!

[@TheUnperson]

Thanks! :)

[@NicolasMelis]

sounds amazing 👌

[@TheUnperson]

Thanks! :)

[@LadyParysatis]

What a crazy cool thing, i love this 😊🌿🌿

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you! ☺️

[@I.O.M.]

Some great sounds and the pitch shift on that thing 👍

[@TheUnperson]

Yea the pitch shifter has character!

[@untartelette7545]

That sonic exploration is genius + beautiful

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you! :)

[@OoraMusic]

great vibes!

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you!! :)

[@easytoassemble54321]

Nice use of the Boss unit there. Love those devices. I have the RPS-10 and RSD-10 (but no modular setup, which I bet really unleashes it's potential). I eventually gave in and ordered the RSD from Japan, as they were too hard to find in the UK. They really are a secret weapon. One thing I like to do is have the pitch input controlled by speech, via Radio 4 or TV interview or similar, which gives some nice unpredictable results.

[@TheUnperson]

I’ve tried a few times to get the RSD-10 but keep getting outbid on eBay. Gonna keep trying and hope to own it one day!!

[@ukbloke28]

love this

[@locavoremusic3680]

this is the best video i've ever seen!!!

[@TheUnperson]

Haha you’re too kind! ;)

[@kharmatic9394]

this is awesome

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you :)

[@amelophile]

Do you know I really Enjoyed this .... Thank You 😊

[@TheUnperson]

Glad to hear it! :)

[@mrstephenjbroadhurst]

jeez got one of these in the attic, going to dig the bugger out! nice one!

[@TheUnperson]

Haha have fun!!

[@peterbsims]

Crazy cool sounds and good vibes. Peace,

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you! :)

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

man, ali!! you are gettin' some really amazing results with this setup!! I love it so much!! when you can use a pitch-shifter to get sounds that don't sound too... pitch-shifty...? that's a mighty good thing, me thinks.

[@TheUnperson]

Yea pitch shifter effects can sound really not great a lot of the time!

[@fallprecauxionsmusic]

@@TheUnperson mmm hmm... I actually even prefer digital delays not to emulate the doppler effect we get from adjusting the time setting of an analog delay. I like a pitch shift that sounds like crap. like, all crusty & degraded. & the boss rps-10 seems to have that in spades. I want one!!

[@oldmossystone]

Great sounds!

[@TheUnperson]

Cheers!

[@oldmossystone]

@@TheUnperson Do you play through in Edinburgh at all?

[@TheUnperson]

I did play at Wavetable last year and would like to do that again. Are there any other modular/electronic nights in Edinburgh?

[@oldmossystone]

@@TheUnperson Honestly I have no idea. I will be looking up wavetable though!

[@adamkempny2764]

Mine has a little mod, prev owner (back in 90s🎉) added front button with hold function.

[@TheUnperson]

Oh nice! I wonder if there’s any more cool mods!

[@p-zombie]

Very cool

[@TheUnperson]

Cheers!

[@formprim]

I've been scanning the web to somehow get an RPS 10 after watching and listening to this wonderful video but so far I wasn't successful😢. But at least I sampled the already amazing stuff you made. I'll show you once it's finished. Thx mate, wonderful thing!

[@TheUnperson]

It’s worth saving a search on eBay as they come up quite often. Would like to hear what you create with the samples! ☺️

[@formprim]

​@@TheUnperson I actually found one, just the fine knob doesnt work. Do you think it would still be worth purchasing it?

[@TheUnperson]

@@formprim so the fine knob is obviously important for changing the delay time, but it doesn't affect the pitch modes at all. If you want to use the rps-10 in the way I am doing in the video then you can do so without the fine knob. I guess it's up to you how much you value the delay section of the device!

[@effectosis742]

I have recently discovered the 80s Boss ROD-10 Micro Rack . It is Overdrive / Distortion pedal but it has also Fuzz , although Boss didn't have any fuzz pedal in production in the 80s ... cool series of products.

[@alexwestconsulting]

Jomox T-Resonator is the craziest delay ever. This one is good though, think I'll pick one up.

[@TheUnperson]

I’ve never heard of this one before ~ seems reasonably priced too!

[@quietandpeacefulman]

Great! I have a Boss DE-200 rack unit - 12 bit digital delay. It sounds great. But it has this great feature called Trig In which allows me to use it like an instrument - assigning a gate out from one of the pads on my Beatstep Pro I can sequence when it samples producing choppy synched feed back from whatever goes into it. Also has a pedal hold. I slightly modded it to manage line level input. Great bit of gear!

[@TheUnperson]

That sounds really interesting! The rps-10 has an effect remote input. I wonder if that’s the same as the trig in..

[@0e0]

i love mine...even without circuit bending it you get crazy weird stuff with the CV control etc...but with circuit bending it becomes absolutely insane ha... also that roland signal path is so great too

[@0e0]

also there is an effect in the yamaha a-series sampler called "jump" that does something very similar to what you are doing here...but with a less lofi sound character

[@TheUnperson]

You have a circuit bent one?? 😮

[@ttikki]

Raymond Scott will sure loved it ;)

[@TheUnperson]

Yes! Such a legend

[@Rockky67]

Good stuff. I have the RSD-10 which is bonkers in its own way. I managed to pick that up cheap and have had an eye out for a similarly priced RPS-10. My tactic of searching second shops that haven’t bothered googling what stuff is worth takes a long time to bear fruit though. The RPS-10 in the vid looks mint condition so well done there.

[@TheUnperson]

I’ve tried a few times to grab an RSD-10 but keep getting outbid on eBay. The golden age of finding ungoogled vintage gear has definitely passed, but it does still happen!

[@Rockky67]

@@TheUnperson yes, keep ai it. Got mine in a cash converters last year for £80 Some example sounds from it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fXzFdXWuZ7upr7c

[@easytoassemble54321]

I have the RSD-10 (and RPS), and it is worth picking up. The RSD's trick is stuttering beats via a trigger going into the gate input. Can only imagine what a modular setup could do with that (I normally use a Keystep set to arp, and mess around with the speed dial).

[@Rockky67]

@@festuswilliams654 I’m guessing that was in London. Where I live you can get stuff from bins for free.

[@TheUnperson]

That’s the dream!!!

[@WokeUpScreaming]

Reminds me a little of the DOD DFX94, one of my favourite pedals ever, but a little more crazy!

[@TheUnperson]

So many great digital delays/samplers were coming out in that era!

[@robertsyrett1992]

As a RPS-10 owner, I can confirm it is really weird little guy. edit: cross patching with beads was really neat!

[@TheUnperson]

The beads thing was a pleasant surprise! :)

[@Magnacorpanicous]

I have had thes whole rack of R modules. For decades and never played with the keyboard controller. Can’t wait.

[@TheUnperson]

Oh nice! I’ve been after the RDS-10 for a long time! Enjoy ☺️

[@ChrisMills-AmbientSpace]

14:30 ❤❤❤ love these sounds.

[@TheUnperson]

Thank you! :D

[@vintageaudioworkshop]

Pan delay with footswich hold is a lot of fun... regret selling my one.

[@YomYestreen]

I wish so much that Boss would reproduce these. No changes, just literally reissue them exactly as they were. These things are unobtanium except from Japan and hobbyists shouldn't have to pay $500 to experience one. Bring them back, Boss!

[@TheUnperson]

Yes! I’d kill for one of these in eurorack format

[@tapeexperiments]

mmmm....coffee....🙂drinking mine as I watch this.

[@TheUnperson]

Coffee and synths! ♥️

[@StephenMcLeod]

I need to do more with my RPS-10.

[@TheUnperson]

Get on it! :D

[@wouternieuwenhuizen4305]

The pitch cv loves sequenced square waves🎉

[@TheUnperson]

Gonna try it out! :D

[@VirtualModular]

Nice. This would be interesting in a feedback loop, or what the kids call 'no input mixing' these days. 😉

[@TheUnperson]

That’s an amazing idea!

[@VirtualModular]

@@TheUnperson cheers, I reckon that unit would sound mental. I only use software FX these days but run it through a knackered old 4-track, which gives it a nice analogue saturation. Great fun 😉

[@TheUnperson]

And knackered old…..? Lol

[@VirtualModular]

@@TheUnperson I think it was knackered when it was new to be honest! It just distorts really easily. That's a good thing these days, people seem to love the lo-fi stuff 🤣 I might try and make a video on it if I get time.

[@ringsystemmusic]

oh this is interesting. good fart noise generator @ 8:00. kind of does what i want clouds to do.

[@TheUnperson]

The ultimate fart generator!

[@iosifkalpaktsoglou2045]

You can never go wrong with boss. Even their multi guitar fx that go for 70 dollars online and in pawn shops have some cool functions. Ring modulator of the me70 for example

[@TheUnperson]

So true, and the guitar pedals are built like tanks. I’ve had a dd-3 and ds-1 for over 20 years :)

[@iosifkalpaktsoglou2045]

@The Unperson True. I have the dsd3 since 1996( which I "found" in a shared rehearsal space) and have been using it live since then. Still not sure what the trigger in does.

[@els1f]

Has anyone made this into a module? This seems PERFECT for that form factor and I imagine it could be much smaller 30 years later! 🤯🙌

[@TheUnperson]

I would kill for this in module format! :D

[@atdubya]

Such cool sounds. The only things I can think of that could be approximately in this territory in Eurorack is the Doepfer A-112 and Tyme Sefari - both quite unusual ones

[@vinylarchaeologist]

I don‘t know how exactly, but every piece of gear you use sounds unmistakably “you”. It just dawned on me that perhaps despite your name, you are _A Person_ 😮

[@TheUnperson]

Haha! It’s good to know I have a recognisable sound! :D

[@distorson]

Nice! I have one at home as well. So far I didn't use it with my modular setup. Are you going into the RPS-10 with modular level, or are you attenuating the level?

[@TheUnperson]

I’m going directly into the rps with the op1 so it’s not at modular level, then out into beads :)

[@distorson]

@@TheUnperson thanks for the reply. And how about the input for the pitch modulation, is that coming from the modular? Are you attenuating the level on that one?

[@TheUnperson]

I have the oscillators going into a vca but it’s not essential. I’ve found that any level of signal seems to work fine!

[@HumbleInitiative]

Amazing video, but I’m a bit lost on what just the Boss RPS-10 is actually doing at different points. How much of these wonder sounds are the Boss unit?

[@TheUnperson]

Typically the RPS-10 is creating the repeating/droning sounds at all points of the video. There’s never anything coming out of the op1 accept for what you can see me physically playing. And there are some added effects coming from beads and the fx aid modules too.

[@doublebass]

I've been wanting one of these for years, a while back I saw a guitar center had a used one for sale for $99 and by the time I drove there 30 minutes later it was gone.

[@TheUnperson]

Ahhh! The same thing happened to me with an original Z-Vex pedal. I went to get money out the bank and came back and it was gone 🥺

[@alexthebeast]

This reminds me of what i do with my Ibanez hd1500

[@TheUnperson]

Have never heard of this unit but it looks fun!!

[@ahumanonplanetearth]

I assume the BOSS RPS-10 is mono? Are there any issues with connecting it to a stereo source?

[@bnz70]

I believe Autechre used this a lot.

[@JohnLunney]

A poor man's Lexicon Prime Time!

[@TheUnperson]

One of my dream pieces of gear!

[@PinkKittenTech]

I love a weird little guy.

[@TheUnperson]

Haha me too!

[@Raumweiter]

do you know other Boss gear that has a similar vibe? Lofi-esque dreamy delay etc

[@TheUnperson]

The boss DD pedals are a lot of fun. Can pick up a dd-3 for pretty cheap still :)

[@nicoa9895]

Does anyone have some good links where i could get more information about how its routed and how the keyboard input influences on the effect?

[@TheUnperson]

I did make a video about it a couple years ago which perhaps explains it a bit more thoroughly kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6fcaamsrLhsnqM

[@nicoa9895]

@@TheUnperson yeah I’ve seen it and it’s great, I’m just looking for a thorough explanation, I would like to try and recreate it on max msp since I can’t seem to find one on nowhere

[@TheUnperson]

@@nicoa9895 That would be amazing if you could. I'm a total dunce when it comes to programming and such.. but I guess it's basically a sampler first and foremost, which is typically pitch-controlled by MIDI information. Is there a way to replace the MIDI control with external audio control? Maybe you could have an option to use another track on Ableton as the pitch control kinda like how a vocoder works?

[@jesseowenastin]

The arion digital delay / sampler has very similar vibe

[@TheUnperson]

I have one but it’s the DDS-1 and has a very short delay time ~ would love the DDS-4!

[@jesseowenastin]

@@TheUnperson yes the DDS4 is the one I have. great piece

[@clownzoneguru]

Does anyone know of a VST that works like this?

[@TheUnperson]

That would be amazing, and should be possible as it is a digital device…

[@open_sourc3]

hey, what power supply are u using with this thing? is it the boss psu

[@TheUnperson]

Yea just a standard boss guitar pedal psu

[@open_sourc3]

@@TheUnperson is it one of the vintage ones?

[@TheUnperson]

any 9v should work fine :)

[@patrickquine3945]

Half rack version of the PS-2 pedal

[@TheUnperson]

Yes! Mixed with the DD pedal series

[@painteater.]

Stop making the prices on these go up please

[@TheUnperson]

Haha sorry! It’s too good not to share :D

[@ZenMountain]

?? No.

[@vinylarchaeologist]

The answer is always NO. But still a good thumbnail. And a great video.