RC500 - Overview & Tutorial by Leon Todd

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00:00 - Intro
03:50 - Electric Guitar Example
06:05 - Features Overview
09:46 - Reverse
10:24 - FX
12:32 - Rhythm Functions
16:31 - Routing Options
17:23 - Assigns & Midi
20:44 - Midi Functions Jam
21:38 - Closing thoughts
The content of this video is entirely my opinion, and was not paid for, sponsored or dictated in any way by the manufacturer. Without divulging specifics that may be covered by a NDA, gear shown on this channel may be either sent by the manufacturer, on loan for review or purchased at a discount. Every now and then you will see a video on my channel with a sponsor; the primary content of such videos will generally not be directly related to the sponsor.
Thanks again for watching and supporting my channel.

[@marconazz]

You’re a great teacher Leon. Thanks for this video. I have this pedal and the way you explain it just cleared up all my confusion. Keep them coming!

[@thanksalot2488]

By far the best tutorial I have seen onbthis unit, absolutely brilliant

[@LeonTodd]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jwny72]

Fantastic demo, informative and entertaining! I have a Boomerang III with its Sidecar, and I love that system for improvised live looping with 4 loops that can be in serial sync or free sync, un not syncronized! The RC500 looks nice for it's rhythm tracks. I could fold it in...

[@AshPerrow]

Best review and demo I’ve seen... very clear explanations and to the point. Thanks brother!

[@LeonTodd]

I appreciate that!

[@mikeyc0014]

Thanks for an awesome demo....really well presented and a great overview with a lot of details in there too..cheers

[@indyrl12]

Really great information. Thank you for taking such a deep dive into this pedal's features and sharing it with all of us!

[@LeonTodd]

My pleasure!

[@zacharybruner765]

@@LeonTodd just bought this pedal and it just showed up today so im loving this video

[@jacobwilson6018]

This is what I wanted the RC10r to be

[@timhamlin3269]

Agreed. I was let down by the RC10r . so nearly useful but massively floored. Boss Should offer a trade in deal 😉

[@45zapatero]

@@timhamlin3269 what was wrong with the rc 10 r ? Did the software update not solve (most of) the problems ?

[@patrickcassidy2179]

Brilliant brilliant video! I can’t wait to set mine up to its full potential, thanks for your help

[@LeonTodd]

Glad it helped

[@Dan-nz2ts]

Perfect overview, thanks.

[@sonnydaze6071]

Thanks Leon I will have to watch this a few times to really grasp this. I am using two RC30s right now although I am looking to swap out to a new looper like the 500 or the 600. Thanks for your input and knowledge.

[@TomHarriganMusic]

This was excellent! I’ve been waiting for a breakdown on the looper like this, thank you 🙏🏻

[@LeonTodd]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gladejustglade]

Also see Loopop’s excellent review

[@TomHarriganMusic]

@@LeonTodd Hey man, I’ve got the RC500 and I’m running it for my acoustic gigs. I currently have the Boss F6 external foot switch that I’ve set up to control my Rhythm on/off. Once I’ve recorded a loop over the rhythm, there are situations where I want to stop that guitar loop (eg. for a bridge/chorus chord changes) however once I stop that guitar loop it also stops my Rhythm beat when I’d like that rhythm start/stop to be completely independent of the RC500s stop button and only controlled by my external foot switch. I’ve played around with a heap of settings with no luck so I’m wondering if you have had any experience with being able to do this in your set up? I do have a little work-around where I will record my guitar loop on track 1 then switch to track 2 press record for a few seconds to record nothing and then once this ‘nothing track’ is continually running I can go back to track 1 and stop it when I need to and the rhythm will keep playing as the ‘nothing track 2’ is playing in the background. So it’s fine but if there is a way where I don’t have to record that track 2 of nothing then that would be ideal. Any tips from yourself or anyone who reads this comment running the RC500 would be awesome! Anyway keep up the awesome content man! Cheers

[@SirBomann]

just saw your video on the Boss 500, I was Sold on it before , but now after seeing your demo, I have purchased it .. Thanks For the help , Im Sure i will be asking questions in the near future once I start jamming with it... Rock on...

[@LeonTodd]

That's super cool to know, enjoy!

[@gianthonour]

Looking into one of these this weekend. Great little video thanks. That Poly pedal is very cool, definitely checking that out 👍

[@LeonTodd]

The Poly is so versatile, a really inspiring little beast!

[@chrisvassos9929]

Easily the best review out of atleast a dozen Ive watched on this! Convinced to buy it over the RC-10R for acoustic gigs.Thanks heaps dude

[@LeonTodd]

Glad I could help!

[@LockStoppageSandwich]

Great stuff

[@professorhamamoto]

Well done.

[@taceted]

Damn good video. Really like the deeper dive rather than the usual. All made better by the Barracuda wreck in the background. Redbeard would be proud.

[@stevensrp2music985]

Been waiting for this one bro

[@LeonTodd]

Enjoy! If there's anything I missed let me know

[@mylifemark2747]

this is the 2nd review i've looked at, great demonstartion, i've just ordered it, goodbye ac power adaptor !

[@DeefPirmasens]

Great demo and explanation. Thanks a lot! 👍🏻😊

[@LeonTodd]

Glad it was helpful!

[@meteoroz]

Well done. Thanks.

[@lavendertuesday]

Thanks, dude!

[@pino_7428]

Thanks! Great video.

[@LeonTodd]

Glad you liked it!

[@Wookiewithacookie1]

Thank you sir!

[@LeonTodd]

You are welcome!

[@UTAH100]

Very nice.

[@ArcticAnalysis]

bunch o’ faces, perfect!

[@MrD3000]

Great video, man. You really know your stuff. Thank you.

[@LeonTodd]

Much appreciated!

[@seventhsealhere]

Cool pedal! 👍

[@LeonTodd]

This thing is going to be very useful

[@timhamlin3269]

Best Demo Tutorial out there for this so far. Excellent work Leon! Answered all my questions about it. Much Appreciated

[@LeonTodd]

Thankyou! I'm still learning new things this can do too

[@erichartwell6792]

Just got mine so need to get used to using it

[@courtney2018]

I love loopers. Everyone one has something a little different. This one looks really good. I have a few of the JamMan loopers from Digitech, and the big looper from Electro Harmonie. Might have to get this one too as it has different functionality....and the price isn't too bad.

[@LeonTodd]

This is like a super customizable jamman with great sounding drums hey

[@MarkGardner66Bonnie]

First time viewer...great review. Well done and informative. That helped seal the deal.

[@LeonTodd]

Thanks, glad it hit the spot :)

[@jahstix]

Hi great video, well presented got one question, I've watched the video but not sure if you covered it and I missed it , how do u do a verse / chorus on this unit? I can't seem to figure it out . Thanks

[@johntdoherty7469]

I’d love to see what you have on acoustic board

[@jdpower6360]

I play through a Soldano as well. Respect

[@Lorenzo_Lanni]

Ok i’ll buy it

[@theinfinate]

This looks like boss are headed in the right direction, Im looking forward to the rc300 replacement if they ever decide to make one. A floor type rc505 would be great too, 3 loops are not enough if your whole set is based on looping in my opinion. 5 loops is perfect, if I was to design this said unit it would have 5 loops, 2 buttons for each loop, one button for record/ovrdb which is also 2 other functions via double tap and hold and the other button is for undo/redo. Give it input fx like rc505 but a better quality reverb and delay. This would be my dream pedal!

[@LeonTodd]

yeah if they reboot the 300 but with the sort of specs this has and loads more loops...lord help me.

[@dezscott46]

Hi great Demo just need to know when you use the rhythm while recording a loop and come to save it does it save the the rhythm as well as the guitar playing .Been looking for this info but cant seem to find an answer Thanks

[@robronin3394]

Thanks mate. Skal!

[@sandyturner1911]

I finally have the money to get one of these. So, when you go to transfer to the computer, the Drums won't be included, unless you want them to be, right? That way, you can put different drums on a track, if you want, once it's in your DAW? I'll be using a simple Boss foot switch, just to toggle the Tracks, up and down.Thanks!

[@ReedHarrison]

Excellent 5:45 demo.very satriani like ❤

[@LeonTodd]

Thanks!

[@Saxofaxo]

I reckon, drum parts and effects are also controllable with the FS6 Footswitch? Love that one that takes the snare in and out.

[@richieknight5423]

Skinny little twins pedal requires no power.

[@_superunknown_]

Ciao Leon thanks for your tutorial, very helpful, if you can , could you pls explain any difference between RC 500 and RC 202? I know RC 500 Is more useful for guitarist due to easy way using foot, but I mean for sound/effect etc...do you think RC 202 include more options than RC 500 ? Thanks for your comment

[@matthewhackett3429]

You mentioned you would discuss the external foot switch functions. I’m interested in assigning a boss FS7 to control the stutter/vinyl stop effects

[@LeonTodd]

Basically the same as the midi assignments - just set the assign source as ctl 1 or 2 instead of a midi cc

[@richieknight5423]

Skinny little twins pedal, take a look.

[@dkijc]

Thanks for the demo! This was great. I mentioned this in JLeonard's demo too but the issue I'm finding with the auto rhythm is if you play anything below ~80bpm, it doubles the speed and plays the drums in 150 and up... I'm hoping they can fix this in a firmware... or maybe I'm doing something wrong...

[@FrancisChavezMusic]

Hello can i insert a line level from focusrite outputs to this new boss rc 500? Thank you!

[@DoVi44]

Great review! Can you tap tempo with the tempo button?

[@doctorr2]

Thanks for the demo, but i was hoping to see how you use it during an acoustic performance.

[@DarrenchalkRourke]

Wicked bloke nice review. I'm stokt that I purchased one of these beauties. Your review n vid blows mind as I didn't think it did so much. I've never played with a Looper, first one your review sounds like the right one. Cheers bloke have to agree best rundown I've seen to date Chalki ⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡👍😎🎸🎵🎶🎶🎵⚛️☯️☮️♾️⚡🏴‍☠️🥳

[@rockonileva]

Nice! I am looking for a new Looper, I wanted a dual delay, so I can record different parts of the song, and move from one another during the song. But all these functions seems to be kinda overwhelming playing live, IDK...

[@timjones4844]

Great vid , Q ; if your banking up tracks can you delete just the last track you recorded ( in case you mess the last track up ? )

[@RickFiorentino]

Great video! Thank you. Have you by chance used the MIDI interface to change presets/drums/kits? Does it sync to external MIDI clocks well? I use OnSong for my sheet music and would like to have OnSong send a MIDI message to select the RC500 drums, kit, patch etc...it seems possible, but I am not sure if it is reality.

[@aaronshortmusic]

Yes it does sync to MIDI and can be controlled by MIDI as well.

[@Okheerz1]

Best demo out there, props. But still need perfect tap timing? No quantizing?

[@danyoung3245]

From what I can tell I can only do some functions, such as turning the snare on and off, through a midi controller. I don't think I can assign it to the CTL 1 or 2 output (they just seem to allow play and stop of the rhythm). Is this correct? If so I guess I need to go out and buy a small midi controller in addition to my boss FS-FU

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

Very cool man. You and roland have the best demos brother...

[@LeonTodd]

Hahaha thanks man. Hope you're doing alright

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

@@LeonTodd Have had bronchitis and now pneumonia, but will get better my cool friend!!!

[@LeonTodd]

@@hoosierdaddy2308 sheesh that's rough dude. Hope you're on the mend.

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

@@LeonTodd slowly my friend

[@sideve5526]

Hi, congratulations for the video! A question, can I use the external pedal (BOSS FS-7 or FS-6) to start (and possibly stop) a backig track (a .wav file saved in "track" memory)? Thank you.

[@macshock632]

I have it and so far like it quite a bit. A perfect looper for my needs. The only thing are the jazz swing rhythm. I am not an expert but it does not really sound jazz to me. What do you think?

[@ogcontraband]

My voicelive 3 x footswitch broke, thinking of changing. Anybody know, is there different modes where you could play track 1 then play 2 when track 1 over? I mean a sequential mode vs parallel

[@lucas.oliveira.pessoal]

how do i use my behringer FCV-100 volume pedal with my RC500? How do I setup my RC500 to accept to control the current track volume?

[@barakados]

Great vid. Do you think there's a way to use it for verse/chorus application but with wav downloaded loops files?

[@tonisalic6300]

great video. The drums are good enough for live ?

[@VirtusLenon]

Really awesome, how would you compare this to the new Sheeran Looper +???

[@Sattvaarising]

I’m having trouble with my RC 500. I playback a guitar part I’ve just recorded and it sounds fine but, when I turn off the power to my RC and then turn it back on the guitar part sounds wobbly. Does anyone know why?

[@LCRLive687]

Nice but if I am in a band and want to have the stereo-recorded drum track play since I have no drummer, plus occasional stereo-recorded rhythm guitar to play while I solo, can this be the right unit for this? Or do I just need to use some mp3 player instead?

[@rodrigofrancampos2142]

I have a question, does RC 500 have efx like reverb or EQ for the 2 traks? Can i use it with a acustic guitar and have reverb and EQ on? or do i have to have another pedals before to do that?

[@mike1967sam]

Please somebody explain how you can assign different rhythms one to each track when you have the RC500 in single mode and you're using each track as Verse and Chorus. Thanks.

[@gueringaetan9757]

Hello, I have it, and I have a question. I don't understand how the variation change of the rythm works... Because, with mine, there is no variation (measure or loop end) 🤔 Thanks for the answer!

[@martinaleksandrov7080]

Hi everyone! I have an issue with RC-5 & Rc-505. When using the loopers as midi clock slave devices, synced to Maschine software, there are glitches / artefacts all over the place. BOSS recommends to turn Tempo Sync off for each track to avoid those issues, but this led to another issue (tracks start / skip bars / stop randomly). SO that was not a solution. I have contacted BOSS about this, they said they tested it with Ableton and it works fine, but in general their loopers dont like to be slaved. However, no matter how i put the MIDI settings on the looper, nothing helps. Is this also the case with RC-500?

[@grenbrg]

Maybe someone here can answer my question. Can this be synced with Bosses RC-505 or RC-202? Some friends and I want to sync loops in real time and as a guitarist the RC-505/202 is not so ideal considering it can't be used by foot. Thanks!

[@tomloops8132]

Best demo I've seen. Fantastic 👏. I just want to know can you tap tempo with a footswitch for the drums prior to playing a loop. Asking for a friend who is constantly worried about being in time...definitely not me

[@LeonTodd]

Yep tap tempo works great for that!

[@tomloops8132]

@@LeonTodd so you can do that with rc500? I definitely need to sell my rc 300 and get one of these

[@RommelTuico]

I have a question. Is it possible that we can record dub then play in one track? If not how can we achieve that using the 2 tracks... RECORD DUB PLAY

[@joebowbeer]

Aside from the mic input (which you aren't using?), what is biggest difference between this and RC-10R? Featurewise, I think they are *very* similar. RC-500 has battery power and you can name the tracks, and of course an extra button, but is there an important functional difference? Do the loop FX warrant the wider footprint?

[@rogerYT69]

rc 500 has no intros and outros ...only one point

[@miahmcbride5415]

Does this do a phrase longer than 4 bars? Every demo I see, it only being played for short riffs. Is this a limitation of the looper or the loopist?

[@marcroberts9002]

Man, you are in outer space with the midi. I can barely figure out how to do two tracks!😢 But I love the 32-bit aspect, and also, easier to play with a drummer since it seems to self-correct ill-timed stomping on my part. I don’t believe the RC-30 was capable of that.

[@michaellux5849]

Had you had any issues with loops playing louder in playback? After a few overdubs the play back is considerably louder than the original recording. This is my first loop pedal and not sure if this is just the way it is.

[@EthanConway]

turn the track 1 and 2 level to 50. dont know why this isnt as standard but 50 is unity gain

[@MikeCapeMusic]

Great tutorial but one question. Can this be used live in a verse chorus type situation to seamlessly switch back and forth?

[@theobailey7589]

Yes

[@karlagazzard928]

How can it be used in a verse / chorus situation? Just got mine and can't do it? 2nd track keeps coming out on 1st track?

[@geraldkunde3208]

Is it possible to change the time signature and choose for 3/4 or 6/8 rhythm? It's because I lose playing songs in Waltz-Time 3/4 or Blues-Ballads in 6/8 !

[@obiwankenobi6271]

Is it possible to change chord progression during the jam, it’s seem to be impossible? With a 8 track recorder, it would be amazing

[@fasteddie8782]

I just got one. And I am looping...

[@evillemonkey]

Can you have pedal 1 play variation A of the rhythm, and pedal 2 play variation B of the rhythm? I changed assignment 1 to pedal 2 with target source as variationChange but pedal 2 seems to be following whatever is set for its “control” function instead... Nvm I figured it out. Had the wrong target source. Instead of VariationChng it should be just Variation for the target source.

[@kercount]

Really great review and demo!! Thank you! I have a few questions: - Is it possible to output the loop on one side and the direct sound on the other, so that the sound engineer makes its own mix? - Is it possible to synchronise the tempo of a delay pedal who have a midi input? (like the Trex replica) - Is each output jack a mono output? Or can we plug in a stereo cable? (for example to output a pre-recorded stereo backing just on the left output, and the loops recorded from above to the right)

[@LeonTodd]

-You can definitely route each track to it's own output, pretty sure you can do that with the ins too -You can midi it all up and sync the tempos -Pretty sure each jack is just mono

[@kercount]

@@LeonTodd Thank you! This is a really cool product!

[@kaosmos4715]

I didn't see but is it possible to clear a loop while the other loop is playing back ? That's not possible on rc-30.

[@MrVinniecamaro]

I'm buying this one I really like the way you reviewed it but I have a question I would like a guitar multi-effects to connect to it and also be able to control some of those cool functions like the vinyl and repeat what would you recommend

[@LeonTodd]

The airstep is a a highly functional and affordable midi controller to use with this

[@MrVinniecamaro]

Thank you so much you was so helpful PS I love the channel 👍🏻

[@ChicagoJ351]

I’ve got a boss rc-30 which has a lot of the same functions. Not sure what’s different other than the pedals vs the switches. But, it’s a really cool looper. Having something that manages amp models helps too since going straight into an amp with a looper is limited as all output goes back through the amp. A guitar into a modeler into the looper into pa or speaker is ideal.

[@robertstorrow3990]

How do you switch from song to song? I'm really not interested in overdubbing multiple layers. I just want a rhythm track playing when the song gets to lead break sections. Then I want to effortlessly switch from song to song to song via foot. In a live situation without having to bend down and turn a knob to get to the next song

[@PhilDoughty]

How can I get the RC-500 to recall the saved patterns? I'm using an external footswitch to control the assign features of my RC-500 like this: ASSIGN1 = Alternates between rhythm patterns FUNK3 & LATINBEAT3 When I tap the button to change from one rhythm pattern to the other, the RC-500 stops & then the previously saved patterns are changed to "SimpleBeat1" & "Blank". The same problem persists when assigning the onboard control Buttons. This functionality is available on the RC-300. So once again, How can I get the RC-500 to recall the saved patterns?

[@mobizoid8261]

Nice review. Hey is there a way to vary the decay of a loop? Like how fast it fades out. Sometimes called aging on other loopers.

[@LeonTodd]

Yes indeed!

[@mobizoid8261]

@@LeonTodd Thanks Leon. I only asked because I did not see any mention of it in the manual. I am thinking about replacing my RC10R with the RC500, but this is a must have feature. You say it's there so I think I will go through with the purchase today.

[@mobizoid8261]

@@LeonTodd Is this how you do it? ; Hmmm....I was just looking at the manual again and it looks like aging is accomplished by setting Dub Mode = Replace in conjunction with the Loop Length option to manually specify loop length.

[@irishRocker1]

Did you buy one in the end? Have you seen anything since this video you would consider instead in 2021? Or is it pretty much the best option? I saw a review of the RC10R and it said it had more customisable rhythm but from this video it seems like this has a lot of flexibility

[@LeonTodd]

Of you need more loops and footswitches the rc600 is pretty awesome. This one does hit a sweet spot though.

[@ARRiiVE]

How exactly can that Poly Effects Digit integrate - that's a sneaky thing you put in here that looks like it offers gazillion additional options - yes? Examples of what could be done? Maybe a video just for that - way cool stuff Leon. Appreciate big thumbs up!

[@LeonTodd]

I have a Digit/RC500 looping vid planned. There's some standalone Digit vids here on the channel that showcase how powerful it is!

[@buddyboy66]

is it possible to save a loop using one of the foot pedals (even extension pedals)? i cant find any reference to this anywhere.

[@OscarMaletAnimationsArts]

Is it possible to use track 1 as a verse and track 2 as a Chorus and to jump from one to the other, with the drums' variation switching too? (Like the RC10-R) Btw, thanks a lot for your detailed review, it helps a lot!

[@LeonTodd]

great question, and one I'll have to add to the list of things I look at in a follow up video :)

[@OscarMaletAnimationsArts]

@@LeonTodd It could be great! Apparently, you can "hit variation and it will play a fill and the switch and you could change tracks at the same time"... It seems to be doable, but if you try this in another video, I would love to see that! :)

[@michaelmoreland2500]

A little on the advanced side but it did demonstrate the versatility of the pedal.

[@MikeyVonSwank13]

I want my loop to keep playing. I don’t wanna have record what I am playing for while just to have the backing track to keep playing. You can hear my playing stop then it starts again. Anyone know what I mean ?

[@pasqualecozzolino1432]

Hi dear, for you rc 500 it is better than Rc 10r?

[@vorakeyur]

Between this and boomerang or rc 300?

[@mylifemark2747]

i just bought the RC500 and noticed an immediate problem. when i record a loop in either track and alter the tempo even slightly, it cause the loop soung to distort as a warble. i've updated the system version to 1.02 and turned off all loop FX, still the same problem. i've contacted Boss and waiting for an answer. do i have a defective unit or is this a product design defect?

[@fabricirillo]

Is possible to fix the two tracks in serial mode??? vera e and chorus? ps.Really nice phrasing man!

[@LeonTodd]

I believe so!

[@adamcherry434]

Thanks Leon, v informative deep dive that's for sure, time to sell the RC 3 and move in to the 500. You dont happen to know where Tim from MT guitars is do you ? His Text machine has gone v quiet. Thanks Adam

[@LeonTodd]

Flick MT a message on their instagram!

[@zevik84]

I have almost no sound when I connect it to stereo fx loop. Can you please advise?

[@alfredoverton9649]

Is it possible to pull off With or Without You by U2 with this?