Re: BOSS RC-20XL

["Mark Smart" <mwsmart@insightbb.com>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andrew Kolbeck" <interstellar_andy@hotmail.com>
To: <Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 6:40 PM
Subject: BOSS RC-20XL


> Hi, first time poster here,
>
> I just recently purchased the RC-20XL to play ambient
soundscapes (delays
> and filters - this is my first foray into looping) and my
only question
> is...
>
> I can save a loop on Phrase 1, and keep overdubbing... But
how do you get
> the phrase to 'move along'?  Is it possible to play phrase
1, keep it
> playing, and be recording into the phrase 2 setting so you
can improvise a
> bit more with it and get a bit more natural progression of
sounds?  Or do
> you have to have pre-recorded loops and mash them
together, like sequencing?
>   Do the phrases HAVE to be recorded earlier or is there a
way to record
> them on the fly?
>
> I like how you can overdub until there's no tommorrow, but
with just 1
> phrase to build on, how can you make the music take on a
different idea?  I
> guess that's my main beef.  If it can't do what I'm
hoping, I'm going to
> return it.
>
> Thanks a million,
>
> Andrew.

I have 2 older RC-20's. I haven't played with the newer
RC-20XL yet, but
unless it has a bunch of new features, I don't think it's
possible to do
what you want. Even if you did what I did, which is to put a
Dunlop knob
and rubber cover on the "Phrase Select" knob to make it
turnable with
your foot...

http://www.marksmart.net/gearhack/jazzpedalboard/jazzpedalboard.html#V2

, or used the "next phrase" pedal to move to the next one,
the RC-20
would forget the first loop when you went to switch
to the second one, unless you hit both buttons to "save" it
before
switching to the new loop. And even if you did that, you
couldn't have
one playing while you recorded the second one. You could do
it if
you had 2 RC-20s strung in series, but not with one.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Old RC-20s are probably
really cheap
now that the new one's out...you might be able to get two of
them
for the same price as one RC-20XL.

There's probably some way to do that with an Echoplex, too,
but I can't
think of it offhand because I never do that particular
thing.

Mark Smart
http://www.marksmart.net/