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Boss RC-5 Loop Station Compact Phrase Recorder Pedal

13-hour Stereo Looper Pedal with Color LCD, MIDI I/O, USB Import/Export, and Onboard Rhythm Tracks
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13-hour Stereo Looper with Drums, MIDI, and USB Backup — And It Runs on Battery!

The RC-5 Loop Station, the latest iteration of BOSS's iconic red-boxed looper pedals, gives you 13 hours of pristine 32-bit stereo record time parceled out into 99 Phrase Memories. Phrase Memories store not only base loops and overdubs you've laid down, but also with tempo and reverb assignments to any of the 114 onboard drum grooves and seven drum kits you've chosen for accompaniment. This takes the RC-5 far beyond traditional looper territory and into something more akin to song management. Just think: Now you can quickly lay down chords, bass lines, melodies, and rhythms for scratch padding new ideas to potential bandmates. Or you can zhuzh up those loops and turn them into full-production live solo accompaniment. And thanks to the RC-5's USB connection, you can easily backup and reload loops by the setful. Through it all, the BOSS RC-5 Loop Station remains fast to learn, easy to use, and endless fun to play around with. The animated RGB backlit LCD keeps you apprised of measure, beat, and loop status every step of the way. Power user? The RC-5 also gives you stereo ins and outs, an assignable external footswitch/expression pedal port, and even TRS-MIDI in/out for syncing with drum machines and remote operation from your pedalboard MIDI switcher.

13 hours of 32-bit stereo record time*

When inspiration strikes, you can count on BOSS's RC-5 Loop Station to capture those fleeting moments of musical creativity. Loops and overdubs are recorded in flawless 32-bit depth to preserve the full dynamics of your performance without the presence of additional noise or overloading. Whether you're using the RC-5's 99 Phrase Memories to generate playback material on the stage or archiving your studio-worthy song ideas for further review and arrangement, the RC-5 delivers the run time and quality you're searching for.

*Maximum single track length: 1.5 hours

99 Phrase Memories + USB backup

As anyone with a looper will tell you, those memory slots store up fast. That's why the BOSS RC-5 gives you not only 99 Phrase Memories for instant recall — each complete with overdubs and rhythm presets — but USB import/export as well. So when you need to offload loops from your solo acoustic shows to make way for your Eddie Money-tribute sax lines, swapping out files is as easy as dragging and dropping.

Animated color LCD

Traditional loopers leave you in the dark when it comes to loop arrangement. But not the BOSS RC-5 Loop Station. Its animated RGB LCD screen keeps you apprised of beat, measure, and record (red)/playback (green) status. This visual reference lets you interact with loops in powerful new ways.

Battery or wall powered

When you just want a looper you can run into your amp without additional cables, the RC-5 Loop Station's 9-volt battery support pays off in a major way. Get up to two hours of runtime on an alkaline 9-volt battery. Or for more permanent pedalboard setups, run the RC-5 long-term on a standard 9-volt center-negative power supply, such as the Roland PSA-S (not included).

114 built-in drum patterns

When you're laying down a rhythm part, a backbeat can galvanize your grooves like nothing else. The RC-5 gives you 57 different rhythms tracks, each with A/B variations, which can be auditioned back through your choice of seven drum kits. Application is simple: tap in a tempo directly on the RC-5 as you create a loop, then just engage the Rhythm On/Off button for instant accompaniment.

Onboard rhythm reverb

Love ambient drums? You can assign the RC-5 Loop Station's rich onboard digital reverb to rhythm tracks for added depth and dimensionality. Reverb settings can be saved along with kit choice to the RC-5's 99 Phrase Memories.

MIDI and expression ports

Advanced features that set the RC-5 further apart from its contemporaries include TRS-MIDI in/out jacks (for remote control or beat sync with external devices) and a flexible expression/footswitch port, which can be assigned to any number of the RC-5's major functions: record start/stop, wet/dry mix, and more. Looking for a next-gen looper pedal that doesn't take up an entire pedalboard? Consider the BOSS RC-5 Loop Station from Sweetwater.

BOSS RC-5 Loop Station Features:

  • The latest iteration of BOSS's iconic red-boxed looper pedals
  • 13 hours of stereo record time
  • Flawless 32-bit/44.1kHz quality
  • 99 Phrase Memories, plus USB import/export
  • Animated color LCD shows measure and beat information as well as record/playback status
  • 114 built-in drum patterns (57 + A/B variations) with 7 drum kits and assignable reverb
  • MIDI and expression ports for remote control, external beat sync, record start/stop, and more
  • Runs off 9-volt battery or optional power supply (not included)
  • Support footswitches and expression pedals: FS-5U, FS-6, FS-7, FV-500H, FV-500L, EV-30, EV-5

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Tech Specs

  • Pedal Type: Looper
  • Looper: 99 x Phrases, 1-track Looper
  • Looping Time: 1.5 hours (1-track), 13 hours (max memory total)
  • Presets: 57 x Rhythms (2 variations), 7 x Rhythm Kits
  • Effects: Reverb (rhythm parts)
  • Inputs: 2 x 1/4" (A/mono,B)
  • Outputs: 2 x 1/4" (A/mono,B)
  • MIDI I/O: 2 x 1/8" TRS (In,Out)
  • USB: 1 x Type B
  • Other I/O: 1 x 1/4" TRS (stop/memory)
  • Bypass Switching: Buffered Bypass
  • Storage: WAV file audio (backup via USB)
  • Software: Boss Tone Studio
  • Power Source: 9V DC power supply (sold separately)
  • Batteries: 1 x 9V
  • Height: 2.25"
  • Width: 2.87"
  • Depth: 5.12"
  • Weight: 0.93 lbs. (excluding battery)
  • Manufacturer Part Number: RC-5

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

Next-Level Looper

Like many other reviewers, my only prior experience with a looper has been with the RC-1. It is a very good pedal and I highly recommend it as a starter pedal and/or for the loop-curious who aren't sure if a loop station is what they need.
That being said, I am amazed with the RC-5 and its' capabilities. The 32-bit sound quality alone makes this pedal worth the money, imo (the RC-1 is 16-bit). The pristine, crystal clear recordings I'm getting have wowed me from the first time I used it.
There are more rhythym options & settings than I'll ever need or use, but that's a good thing. It means that anything I could possibly want is in there.
And HOW it works and records is also fully customizable in more ways that can be explained here.
There is, as others have said, a learning curve, but there are many useful videos on YouTube to help you with that. A little time spent in exploration will be greatly rewarded.
Btw, mine came without a manual, for some reason, (an oversight at the factory and not Sweetwater's fault). I had no trouble figuring out the basics and was looping within minutes.

**Two Important Notes**
1) This pedal draws 170ma. Make sure that your power supply is up to snuff. (I have a Voodoo Lab so no worries there). I have read some reviews that mention performance issues and I strongly suspect that these are due to insufficient power supplies.
2) The default settings are LOUD! If you are buying this to practice at home, then BEFORE you start looping, set the Rhythym Level to about 25-30 and the Loop Level to about 50-70. Otherwise you'll wake up everone in the house, LOL.

Finally: The quality & versatility of this pedal is phenomenal. If you're ready to take your looping to the next level, it's hard to beat the RC-5.
Music background: 40+ Years Experience
Rated 5/5

My new favorite pedal!

This thing is amazing and I know I'm only scratching the surface!! Will help with practice, songwriting and more!!

Highly recommended!!
Music background: Guitarist in Process
Rated 5/5

I love this pedal

My RC-5 sits on top of my Yamaha MX88 keyboard and is activated with my cloned FS6 footswitch. I can't think of one negative thing to say about this looper. I love it.
Rated 4.5/5

This was the right one!

Here's the quick review: I love it. It's a really fun and functional looper that does everything I need – and most of what I want [I'll explain in a minute]. It's well-built, it sounds great, it's easy to use…

The stereo input/output can also be used as a dual-mono in/out, which means you can plug in two different instruments (ex: guitar, bass) at the same time and then run those two signals into two different amps (in my case, Champ 20 & Rumble 40, respectively). What's great about this is that my bass line – and rhythm guitar, if I'll plug and play through that channel – can run into a "clean" amplifier while my lead guitar runs into the modeling amp with its overdrive and such. Obviously, if you've got some other effects pedals, you can put those in front of the looper and have more flexibility, but this dual-mono feature – in and of itself – makes the Boss brand pedals (all of which are stereo) an undeniably better choice (at least for me) over some other popular brands.

And as far as other Boss loopers are concerned… Anything fancier (like the RC-500) would be overkill; I just don't need all that. But, I did strongly consider the RC-1… Here's why I'm glad I splurged for the 5: I had initially thought the drum tracks on this model were something I could do without — after all, I can just use an auxiliary line-in with a drum track from my phone, right? – but having these built in is a huge plus; it's just infinitely more convenient having the drums synced and saved together with your loop rather than trying to sync up (and not be able to save) from an external source. And having the drums just makes it all sound so much better! For my purposes, and I would say for anyone who wants an all-in-one package, this is ideal. Treat yourself to the 5, if you can afford it.

Also, the RC-5 has tons more control over how the loops function, how the display looks and functions, etc. It's surprisingly versatile and customizable. I've dug into some of the settings... Boss provides a QR code video link, but their tutorial barely scratches the surface. There are some YouTube videos that go into way more depth and have really helped me learn how to navigate the sub-menus more efficiently. But, don't get me wrong; it's pretty easy to master the basic functions within just a few minutes, if that's all you want to do.

My two gripes: 1.) I kind of wish that you could not only undo the loop you just laid down but that you could somehow keep mashing the pedal to undo loops that are further back — because if you ever lay something down and accept it, then you move forward and do another layer but THEN you realize "oh, that previous loop was trash," you've just got to start over from scratch – which is a little annoying if you are like seven or eight layers in! I'm not doing anything except having fun and messing with it by myself at the house right now, so it doesn't really matter, but I think if you were performing in a coffeehouse or something you would really need to make sure you got a good loop before going on to the next layer. And, 2.) the drum tracks (which I do love) are WAY too loud until you go in and set them at like 10 or 20% volume. The default setting is basically like having an actual drummer right next to you (i.e., TOO LOUD), which is not some thing I need while I'm practicing at the house.

Otherwise, I unequivocally recommend this product.
Music background: Old dog learning new tricks.
Rated 5/5

Awesome unit!

It is compact, not too difficult and does what I need it to do. I reviewed other units and they are a bit too involved and much bigger. You can go wrong with Boss Products!
Music background: Guitarist
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