Boss RC-202 Loop Station Review

Summary

• Pros: The Boss RC-202 has tons of features, is fairly user-friendly, compact and well-designed. It has plenty of memory locations, a wide range of effects on-board and good sound quality.
• Cons: Getting the most out of all of the Boss RC-202’s features does involve a steep learning curve. The plastic-y look isn’t to everyone’s tastes. And the tracks don’t have dedicated volume sliders.
• Overall: A great looper pedal for multi-instrumentalists, vocalists, and non-guitarists. Suitable for live use, but really hits its stride as a jamming, recording and practicing companion.

Compare Prices:

• Amazon: Boss RC-202 Loop Station
• zZounds: Boss RC-202 Loop Station

Full Review

The Boss RC-505 took looping in a new direction. When it was released, looping was really all about guitarists, and it still is today to some extent. But the behemoth of a looper was expressly designed with broader goals in mind. The “tabletop” looper was designed to be operated by hand. Vocalists and beatboxers (like DubFX), therefore, were the intended audience as much six-string wielding guitarists.

The Boss RC-202 is a newer looper that follows in this tradition.  While the Boss’s larger RC-505 was a five-track monster, the RC-202 trims things down a little. The fact that it only supports two track recording may be a downside for ambitious musicians. For anybody looking for the same key features at a lower price, though, it could be the perfect choice.

The Boss RC-202 Is Basically a Trimmed-Down RC-505

The Boss RC-202 is the little brother of the RC-505, just like the RC-30 is the compact alternative to the RC-300. The design is really similar to the RC-505. It has the same red and black color scheme, the same circular, LED-backed controls and the same general layout. It just with two tracks instead of five. The big difference is the size. The RC-202 measures in at 9.5 by 7 inches, compared to the colossal 16.5 by 8.25 inches of the RC-505. This means you get the same look and almost the same performance for less money and in a smaller package.

Note: If you want to know when the Boss RC-202 was released relative to other Boss loopers, we’ve made a timeline here.

A Busy But Capable Control Layout

Like the bigger model, the pedal’s controls can be split into the lower half and the upper half. The lower half contains two sections (one for each track) with the record/play button, a “track” button and one for stopping playback. Unlike on the RC-505, there is no volume slider for each specific track, though. You have to press the dedicated track button and then use the “value” dial instead.

Directly above the areas for the individual tracks, there are six buttons for some of the key extra features. The left three control starting and stopping the rhythm track, setting the tempo (by tapping the button), and telling the pedal whether you want to overdub when you record over an existing loop or replace the whole thing. The three to the right control reverse playback, undo/redo and whether you want loop or one-shot playback.

Above these, there are eight buttons to activate or deactivate the on-board effects. Each group (Input FX and Track FX) has a dedicated dial to control the main parameter for the selected effect. Finally, the top includes the display screen and some additional dials and buttons to control things like volumes, parameter adjustments on effects, andsaving loops.

Overall, the layout is pretty busy, but if you’re familiar with loopers you’ll find your way around it easily enough.

All the Connections You’d Expect

At the back, there are stereo 1/4 inch inputs and outputs. There is also a phantom-powered XLR for a mic, MIDI ins and outs, a USB port, a 1/4 inch spot for an expression pedal and the DC power jack. There’s also an aux input so you can load up audio files from a phone, MP3 player or other device.

Recording a Loop With the Boss RC-202

The best way to see what using the Boss RC-202 is like live is to understand how to record a loop and add effects. First, you choose an empty memory slot, using the “Memory” button to the right of the display screen. You turn the “Value” dial to choose a bank (which contain 8 memory locations each) and then the FX buttons (also labeled 1 to 8) to choose a memory location.

In total, there are 64 memory slots on the RC-202. You can record around 3 hours of 16-bit, 44.1 kHz stereo audio. This is more memory than you’ll realistically need. There’s also a USB port so you can store more loops on a computer if you really need more though. Once you’ve selected a memory location, the “Track” buttons will light up if there’s already something saved there.

When you’ve connected your instrument or mic and have set your input volume (which is easy), you’re ready to loop. Press the “Play/Record” button on track 1 to start recording. Then hit it again when you’ve laid down your first phrase, at which point it will play back. Now you can either overdub or start on track 2 by pressing it’s “Play/Record” button. The red LED arc around each button shows the time remaining in your loop, so you can see when to come in at a glance.

Working with Effects

You can add effects to either your input (the pitch shift, lo-fi, ring mod and delay effects) or the track itself (the beat, filter, slicer and delay effects). To turn an effect on, you simply press the dedicated push-button to make it light up in red, or press it until it’s blinking in purple to edit the parameters before activating. The Track effects can be assigned to a specific track using the relevant track button. You turn the effect off by pressing the relevant effect button until the light switches off.

Onboard Drum Rhythms

You also have several other options you can use when constructing your loops. The in-built rhythm tracks are useful if you don’t have an electronic drum kit, beat-boxing skills or some clever percussive guitar-playing to fill the gap. You get 17 patterns across pretty much any time signature you’re likely to need. The simpler ones in particular work on everything the Boss RC-202 supports, but a couple are only available in 4/4. It’s a good selection, but there’s an aux input you can use to add any backing beat you want if you need more options.

Undo/Redo is Also Here

The undo/redo function, the ability to play your phrases as loops or just once through and the reverse effect all work in the same way. Tap the corresponding button, and then choose a track to apply it to. Undo/redo is a must-have feature for any looper, and for the Boss RC-202 (and RC-505) in particular, “one-shot” playback is really useful because it essentially lets you use the pedal like a sampler.

It’s a Breeze for Live Use

Changing between memory slots is a smooth process – with the new phrase starting just as your previous one finishes – which works excellently in combination with one-shot playback and makes it really easy to change between song sections if you’re performing live. Other features like the automatic quantization and the MIDI capability make the RC-202 well-equipped for live use.

Overall, the RC-202 gets a lot right when it comes to looping. It offers a solid set of features that you can get to grips with easily enough whether you’re new to looping or you’ve used similar pedals before.

Really getting the most out of it means spending some time getting to grips with the combinations of button-presses for on-the-fly adjustments, learning the three-digit codes used by the small display screen (mainly so you can adjust more than just one effect parameter easily) and the like.

While using the pedal to its full potential is a skill of its own, it’s easy to get started. The manual is also mercifully short, so it’s not too difficult to get up to speed even if this is your first looper.

Is the Boss RC-202 Worth Picking Up?

The big question is whether the Boss RC-202 is worth the price tag? As usual, the answer depends. While the plastic aesthetic gives the looper a slightly inexpensive look and feel, it has a ton of great features. The size – especially in comparison to the huge RC-505 – and reduced number of tracks might be an issue for the more ambitious loopers. But for more casual players, the compact size and the two simultaneous tracks are more than enough to work with. It’s even a solid choice for live playing as long as you can keep your songs relatively simple.

One way to think about it is that the RC-202 is essentially a pared-down, somewhat less impressive version of the RC-505. Put like that, it might not sound great. But for $200 less than the bigger unit and with more than enough functionality for live or home use, you shouldn’t dismiss it. In fact, if you don’t want to use a floor pedal and you don’t need a beast like the RC-505, this is really one of your only options.

For guitarists, the Boss RC-202 definitely has enough to keep you happy, but given the tabletop style you’ll need to buy an additional pedal to really get the most out of it. Add in that extra expense and the case for just getting a floor model, guitarist-focused pedal is too strong to ignore. However, if you’re a multi-instrumentalist, or basically anything other than solely a guitarist or bassist, it’s still a great offering.

Conclusion

So, it isn’t the perfect looper, and if you’re serious about looping and playing live, the five tracks of the Boss RC-505 – each with dedicated volume sliders – and the additional space it provides can really be worth the extra money. But if you have less ambitious goals and still want the tabletop style, the RC-202 is really hard to beat.

Where to Buy to the Boss RC-202?

• Amazon: Boss RC-202 Loop Station
• zZounds: Boss RC-202 Loop Station

Boss RC-202 Product Video