About the RC-50 Workshop Series
The BOSS RC-50 Loop Station sets a new standard for performance loopers.
With 49 minutes of mono recording time (or 24 minutes in stereo), onboard
storage for up to 297 phrases, and massive realtime control, the RC-50 is a
powerful realtime performance tool. While looping is its primary function, it
can be used in many other ways as well: as a sampler, a backing track player,
a practice aid, and more.
Each RC-50 Workshop booklet focuses on a specific topic to help you
get the most out of your RC-50 and spark some ideas for its creative use.
RC-50 Workshop booklets are intended as companions to the RC-50 Owner’s
Manual.
About This Booklet
The RC-50’s built-in guide provides a handy timing reference to play
with while creating phrases, and offers a multitude of patterns and time
signatures. Loop Quantize works during phrase recording, automatically
adjusting phrase lengths so they ’re in per fect time with the guide and/or
other phrases. This booklet covers these features in detail.

Background Information

The Guide and Loop Quantize provides information beneficial for all RC-50
users, from beginner to advanced. However, it assumes that you’re familiar
with the RC-50’s two Play modes—Single and Multi—and that you know
how to do basic phrase recording and playback . For information on these
functions, see the RC-50 Workshop booklets Using Single Mode and Using
Multi Mode and the RC-50 Owner’s Manual.

Understanding the Symbols in This Booklet

Throughout this booklet, you’ll come across information that deserves
special attention—that’s the reason it ’s labeled with one of the following
symbols.
A note is something that adds information about the topic at hand.
A tip offers suggestions for using the feature being discussed.
Warnings contain important information that can help you avoid
possible damage to your equipment, your data, or yourself.

Hot Links

Each Workshop booklet is meant to be read in order from
beginning to end. However, if we mention an upcoming
section—and you see this arrow—you can click the arrow to
jump there immediately.

Terminology

On the RC-50, a “phrase” is a container for audio data.
An RC-50 patch contains three phrases, and each can loop indefinitely
or be triggered sampler-style using the “One Shot” function.
When a phrase is empty, capturing audio into it is called “recording.”
While recording a phrase, pressing the REC/PLAY/OVERDUB pedal
stops recording and starts the phrase playing back from the beginning.
This action determines the phrase’s length, and we call it “closing the
phrase.” Alternately, a phrase can be closed by pressing the STOP pedal
during phrase recording.
When a phrase already contains audio and you wish to layer more—or
replace some—you “overdub” audio into the phrase.
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