Product Reviews

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Features		Quality
Value		Overall
Product Experience	I own it	Closest Store	Cambridge Ontario
I just got the very first BOSS RC-300 that came into Long & McQuade in Cambridge and I am very pleased with it. I have been looping since the first Boomerang Phrase Sampler was released several years ago. After a few years, I upgraded to a Digitech JamMan and I really liked being able to save my loops, but I really wanted a looper that would allow you to work with more than one track at a time. The Boss RC-50 had that capability, but it did not have nearly enough memory to work for me. Finally, the new Boss RC-300 was announced and it seemed to have everything I needed and more. I perform live with a looper, so I need one that is very reliable, has lots of memory and can be operated fully hands free. I like to have several pre-recorded loops stored on my looper for solo work but I also create loops in real time on the fly when performing live. The RC-300 has plenty of memory - three hours in 99 “phases” with three independent “tracks” in each phrase. I love being able to name my phrases, so I don’t have to carry around a list to refer to onstage. Also, it can be operated very effectively hands free, so it is great for live performance. I must warn you that it is very complicated compared to other more basic loopers, because it has so many features and options. You will have to spend quite a bit of time learning how to set it up and how to use all the features effectively. Furthermore, you will likely have to adjust a number of settings to make it suitable for your particular needs, so be prepared to spend quite a bit of time experimenting and studying the manual. If you are willing to put the time in, you will likely find all of the features you are looking for in the RC-300. I didn’t like some of the factory settings, so I changed several things to suit my needs. For example, I changed the play mode for most of my phrases to “single track” (rather than multi-track) and turned off the “loop sync” on the three tracks within the phrase. This way, I can record and playback any one of the three tracks independently which allows me to use one for an intro, another for the song and a third for an ending or a vamp. I can move from track to track easily (hands free) allowing lots of variety in my performance. Another big plus with the RC-300 is the onboard expression pedal. From the factory, this pedal is assigned to control the built-in effects, but I re-assigned it to control the playback volume of my phrases. I don’t use effects that much, but being able to control the volume of my loops is very useful for live performance. There are lots more features such as stereo panning, a phantom powered mic input, etc. You can even direct some tracks to different outputs if you want to separate things, such as having a bass part coming out of a different amp. Overall, this is one serious looper. I love it! Pros: Lots of memory, handsfree operation, tons of features and options, built like a tank. Cons: Quite complicated, some of the factory presets seem odd, it's a little on the large size, expensive. Overall impression – Probably the best looper on the market if you don’t mind the complexity. Posted by Keith on Dec 29, 2011