I've been looking for a loopstation for a live looping project for a while. What is it about?
As you surely already know, playing with a loopstation involves the recording of musical pieces that will be immediately reproduced and on which we can add riff, grooves, etc…
Well, I want to focus on what I play and not become a dancer, because if you have already noticed in many videos, you have to push a lot of buttons scattered here and there. I will record all the operations necessary for the looper on a sequencer, which in turn will control the Boss RC 505.
5 tracks (Stereo) allow me great versatility!
This technique is used today by the likes of Zoe keating, Californian cellist and composer.
I'll succeed? follow me and we will find out.
Unboxing
The first impression with the loopstation turned off is that of a somewhat plastic object, large keys and sliders, very light. I turn it on and it really seems very “cool” to me, lots of beautiful lights and animations… Beautiful, but will it also be good?
I throw myself on the manual and find that:
- There are 5 stereo tracks that can be used simultaneously, each with its own controls and volume
- You can use an effect on the incoming audio.
- Each track has its own effect.
- 99 Memories are available, each memory contains the complete settings of the 5 tracks
- There is a rhythm section with 85 patterns
- You can connect a microphone with an XLR connection and a phantom if present
La RC 505 is a looper not designed to be grounded, so it has large buttons that can be used with the hands. However, it can also be used by guitarists, as external pedals can be connected (see next paragraph)
For a more exhaustive list of the features of this loopstation, I refer you to the previous article "Roland Rc-505, loopstation for NON guitarists", which however considered the Rc505 with the 1.0 firmware.
With the latest firmware new features have been added, in particular: Up to three simultaneous effects both in input and on the tracks.
- Up to three simultaneous effects both in input and on tracks.
- It is possible to select the sound output from the headphones (track loop or the MAIN)
- Added new effects including Ring modulator, Slow Gear e pitchbend
- Extended parameters added to previous effects
- Added the management of an external foot controller, ideal for guitarists and keyboardists
- Assignable functions are passed from 8 a 16
- Memory functions improved with individual track monitor via headphones, loop recording quantization
Only with the RC 505
The RC 505 allows you to use loops in two ways: SINGLE mode e MULTI-mode.
If we put a track in MULTI mode it can be played together with others, in SINGLE mode the tracks will be played one at a time.
What does it mean?
Let's imagine preparing a performance with a rhythmic loop and another track with Pads to be let in not immediately.
We put these tracks in Multi mode and we will activate one or the other to our liking, they will play alone or together.
On the remaining tracks, which we put in SINGLE, we are going to record for example, verse, chorus and bridge.
By pressing the button PLAY of the track, the one running will put in STOP the others.
Using a MIDI pedal
Although the RC 505 is a “tabletop” loopstation, it can be used with a MIDI pedal board or external controller.
In search of the MIDI documentation and I discover that there is a section "Assign”, Where up to 16 can be assigned to be performed following a MIDI message, the pressure of a pedal or other numerous events.
To experiment with Assign, I decided to dust off my old one behringer FCB 1010 enhanced by One firmware, a variant of the original third party firmware, which simplifies and adds new features to the pedal board.
To use MIDI Assigns with the RC 505 it is necessary to manually assign a function to each track, that is, it is possible to define an action to perform when the looper receives a certain input: a MIDI message, pedal pressure or other types of event.
For the configuration of the Fcb 1010 I used the function "StompMode" which offers ONE firmware.
That is, by pressing the keys from 1 a 5 are sent Control Change to the RC 505, which I assigned to the respective functions.
The tracks on the RC 505 must be set as "Moment”, For the keys I chose control changes from 21 to 30.
With this type of setting we will get a control change with a value that passes through 0 a 127 when we press a key of the FCB1010 and it returns to zero when we release the key.
For example by pressing switch 1 we will get:
Pressing switch 6:
Zoe's Setup
Zoë Keatingera's very first setup based on Electrix Repeater Pro, a loop recorder, that is a piece of hardware that allowed the recording to be recorded and played over and over again.
It was equipped with four independent audio tracks with independent inputs and outputs, MIDI In, Out and Thrue port.
With this setup Zoë stated that “it's like having an empty score, you have to play it to fill it with notes. The computer will worry about when to record the parts and play them back, just like an orchestra conductor would! "
Evolution
Zoë Keating's current setup is mostly based on Ableton Live, so it is in fact software based.
Sooper Looper it is used as a plugin with different instances (in some videos I have seen up to 4) and it is this software component that performs the loop station part.
The MIDI pedal board (initially an FCB 1010) is one Keith McMillen Soft Step 2
From some interviews, I understood that the pedal board is going to "trigger" some Apple script, which go to perform complex actions on Ableton Live, sequence of actions not achievable with MIDI messages only.
My Setup
You will have already found in the first Zoe setup a clue of what I would like to do, well historical courses and appeals, I will use the Boss RC 505 instead ofElectric Repeater.
Midi files
To control the RC505 I create a midifile with i messages of Control Change which I first used with the FCB 1010.
To edit the MIDI track I used Cakewalk BandCamp, which you can download for free.
Il midifile final can be reproduced with any application.
It is important to underline that it is necessary to activate MIDI Sync, ie to establish that the RC 505 will act as a Midi Slave and that it will therefore synchronize with the midifile reader we are going to use.
In the case of cake walk you will need:
- Enable MMC transmission with all parameters
- And on the RC 505: System Midi Sync Auto appears Master: Tempo Midi
Conclusions
5 stereo tracks with great flexibility are definitely the strong point of this looper.
For the MIDI part I would have preferred a complete implementation of the control messages, but the approach used with the assignment certainly makes life easier for the less experienced of MIDI.
Did I succeed in my project? Who knows, in the end the great ability to Zoe Keating is to imagine a sound building and be able to break it down into its smallest parts to perform it live every time.
Perhaps this is the effort that should be made, for a more creative and above all musical use of the loop stations.
I thank the Cav. Music House Quinto Fabio (SA), for giving me the possibility to use RC 505, leaving me the loopstation for as long as I needed in the various tests carried out.
Useful Information
Producer: Roland Boss
Distributor: Roland Italy
Model: RC505
Advised price: 470 Euro including VAT
Engineer Umberto Sorbo
I've been looking for a loopstation for a live looping project for a while. What is it?
As you surely already know, playing with a loopstation involves recording music clips that will be immediately reproduced and on which we can add riffs, grooves, etc…
Well, I want to concentrate on what I play and not become a dancer, because if you have already noticed in many videos, you have to push a lot of buttons scattered here and there.
I will record all the operations necessary for the looper on a sequencer, which in turn will control the Boss RC 505.
5 tracks (Stereo) allow me great versatility!
This technique is now used by Zoe keating, Californian cellist and composer.
Will I succeed? follow me and we'll find out.
Unboxing
The first impression of this loopstation is that of a slightly plastic object, large keys and sliders, very light.
I turn it on and it really seems very “cool” to me, so many beautiful lights and animations …
Beautiful, but will it be good too?
I throw myself in the manual and discover that:
- There are 5 stereo tracks that can be used simultaneously, each with its own controls and volume
- You can use an effect on the audio input.
- Each track has its effect.
- 99 memories are available, each memory contains the complete settings of the 5 tracks
- There is a rhythm section with 85 patterns
- It is possible to connect a microphone with XLR connection and possible phantom
- The RC 505 is a looper not designed to be grounded, this is why it has large buttons that must be used with the hands. However, it can also be used by guitarists, as external pedals can be connected (see next paragraph)
- For a more exhaustive list of the features of this loopstation, please refer to the previous article “Roland Rc-505, loopstation for NOT guitarists“, which however considered the Rc505 with 1.0 firmware.
Firmware 2.0
With the latest firmware new features have been added, in particular:
- Up to three simultaneous effects both on input and on tracks.
- It is possible to section the sound output from the headphones (track loop or MAIN)
- Added new effects including Ring Modulator, Slow Gear and Pitch Bend
- Extended parameters added to previous effects
- Added the management of an external foot controller, ideal for guitarists and keyboardists
- The assignable functions have gone from 8 to 16
- Improved functions on memories with individual monitor of the track via headphones, quantization in loop recording
Only with the RC 505
The RC 505 allows the use of loops according to two modes: SINGLE mode and MULTI-mode.
If we put a track in MULTI mode it can be played along with others, in SINGLE mode the tracks will be played one at a time.
What does it mean?
Let's imagine preparing a performance with a rhythmic loop and another track with some Pads to let in not immediately.
We put these tracks in Multi mode and we will activate one or the other at will, they will play alone or together.
On the remaining tracks, which we put in SINGLE, we go to record for example, verse, chorus and bridge.
By pressing the PLAY button of the track, the one in execution will put the others in STOP.
Using a MIDI pedal
Although the RC505 is a “desktop” loopstation, it can be used with a MIDI pedal or an external controller.
In search of MIDI documentation I discover that there is an “Assign” section, where up to 16 can be assigned to be executed following a MIDI message, the pressure of a pedal or other numerous events.
To experiment with Assign, I decided to dust off my old Behringer FCB 1010 powered by ONE firmware, a variant of the original third-party firmware, which simplifies and adds new features to the pedal board.
To use MIDI Assigns with the RC 505 it is necessary to manually assign a function to each track, ie it is possible to define an action to be performed when the looper receives a specific input: a MIDI message, pedal pressure or other types of event.
For the configuration of the Fcb 1010 I used the “StompMode” function which the UNO Firmware offers.
That is, pressing the keys 1 to 5, Control Change message is sent to the RC 505, which I assigned to the respective functions.
The tracks on the RC 505 must be set as “Moment“, for the keys I have chosen the control change from 21 to 30.
With this type of settings we will obtain a control change with a value that goes from 0 to 127 when we press a key of the FCB1010 and returns to zero when we release the key.
For example pressing the switch 1 will get:
pressing switch 6:
Zoe's Setup
The very first Zoë Keating setup was based on the Electrix Repeater Pro, a loop recorder, that is, a hardware that allows recording and replaying recordings over and over again.
It was equipped with four independent audio tracks, MIDI In, Out and Thrue.
With this setup, Zoe said: “it's like having an empty score, I just have to play the notes into the score, and the computer takes care of bringing the sampled parts in and out for the audience, somewhat like a conductor would do.”
Evolution
Zoe Keating's current setup is mainly based on Ableton Live, so it's actually based on software
Sooper Looper is provided as a plugin with several instances (in some videos I have seen up to 4) and it is this software component that performs the loop station part.
The MIDI pedalboard (used an FCB 1010) is a Keith McMillen SoftStep 2.
Zoë Keating Setup - Ph Michael Lebor
From some interviews, I realized that the pedalboard goes to “trigger” some Apple Scripts, which go to perform complex actions on Ableton Live, sequence of actions not achievable with my MIDI messages.
My Setup
Having already found in Zoe's first setup a clue to what I would like to do, well, historical courses and appeals, I will use the Boss RC 505 instead of the Electric Repeater.
Midi files
To control the RC505 I create a midifile with the Control Change messages that I used before with the FCB 1010.
To play the MIDI track I used Cakewalk BandCamp.
the end midifile can be reproduced with any application.
It is important the activation of the MIDI Sync, ie that makes the RC505 act as a Midi Slave and that will then synchronize with the midifile player that we are going to use.
In the case of cake walk it will be necessary:
- Enable the transmission of the MMC with all the parameters
- And on the RC 505: Midi Sync Auto System Master Master appears: Midi Time.
Conclusion
5 stereo tracks with great flexibility are certainly the strong point of this looper.
For the MIDI part I would have preferred a complete implementation of the control messages, but the assignment approach certainly simplifies life for the less experienced of MIDI.
Did I succeed in my project? Who knows, in the end Zoe Keating's great ability is to imagine a sound building and be able to break it down into its smallest parts, playing it again for every live show.
This is perhaps the effort that should be made, for a more creative and above all musical use of the loop stations.
Useful information
Builder: Roland Boss
Model: RC 505
Price: 470 Euro including VAT
Ing. Umberto Sorbo
Italian to English translation: Umberto Sorbo
