BOSS

114
GUITARIST MAY 2020
IMAGES TO BE SHOT
T
he latest in Boss’s Loop Stations
earns its ‘R’ suffix by having a
built-in rhythm generator. Now,
while it’s true that the RC-3 and RC-30
both have onboard rhythm patterns, too,
what you have here is altogether more
sophisticated in the rhythm department,
making it almost a hybrid unit – a looper
crossed with a drum machine.
There are 280 preset rhythms covering
a host of musical genres and each includes
two unique sections (Pattern 1 and
Pattern 2) with transition fills and an
intro and ending. What’s more, there’s
onboard storage space for 50 imported
user rhythms in SMF (Standard MIDI
File) format that you can create on your
computer. All of the rhythms are played
back by your choice of 16 onboard drum
kits with sounds from the Boss and Roland
rhythm libraries. For your actual looping
(with or without the drums) there’s a
stereo looper with two independent tracks,
six hours’ recording time and 99 onboard
memories for storing phrases.
IN USE
The RC-10R is built into the same chassis
as the Boss 200 series pedals, so it has
two easily accessible footswitches – one
for looping and one for rhythm. Besides
standard pedalboard mono operation
there’s true stereo in/out operation if you
want it, and you can also utilise the L and
R outputs to send loops and rhythm to
separate destinations – typically loops
to your guitar amp and rhythms to a PA
or similar. If you’re sending the rhythms
to your guitar amp alongside your guitar
then there are some very useful output
filtering/EQ options available to apply to
the rhythm tracks, likewise for tweaking
your sound if it’s not going to a guitar amp.
The front panel is a model of simplicity
with separate volume knobs and excellent
rotary LED displays for loops and rhythm.
Besides these, there’s just a pair of buttons
and a press-and-turn encoder knob to take
care of adjusting parameters in the small
but very clear display panel.
To use rhythm patterns you select a
genre (funk, rock, and so on), choose a
named rhythm pattern in that category
and set the tempo in bpm. Hitting the
footswitch will play an intro then the basic
pattern, but you can hold the footswitch
down to move to the second (usually
This compact looper with complex rhythms provides a creative platform
Words Trevor Curwen Photography Phil Barker
PEDALBOARD
BOSS
RC-10R Rhythm Loop Station
CONTACT
ROLAND UK 01792 702701 / WWW.ROLAND.CO.UK
MODEL
RC-10R RHYTHM LOOP STATION
PRICE
£263
MANUFACTURER
BOSS
GIT458.peds_boss.indd 114 19/03/2020 17:32