The Boss RC-505 Loop Station became a go-to for musicians in all genres upon its release in 2013. While that first generation is still a titan in the looper space, Boss is now offering a second-generation model, the RC-505mkII, that's expected to start shipping later this year.
Not too much is changing about the loop station, though a few notable features have been added. These include new effects—like Slow Gear, ring modulation, pitch blend, and more—and the ability to engage up to three effects simultaneously in both the Input FX and Track FX sections. Existing effects have also been updated with extended parameters, including dotted and triplet note values for tempo syncing.
Other additions include better external foot control (particularly useful for guitarists and keyboard players) and 16 assign functions (up from the original's eight) for increased control via the front panel, external footswitches, expression pedals, and MIDI. The new RC-505mkII also features individual track monitoring, quantized loop recording, and other enhanced phrase memory functions.
Though many users of the RC-505 pair it with external gear like mixers and separate effects, these additions certainly make this second generation model even more appealing and flexible as a standalone instrument.
You can preorder the new RC-505mkII now, but if you don't want to wait, the first generation RC-505 is still a more than worthy beast. You can check those out on Reverb right here. While you wait for yours to ship, take a look below at some of our favorite live-looping performances featuring a Boss RC-505.