Boss Audio Systems RC50 Loop Quantize in Action, Nuts and Bolts, Starting recording on an offbeat

There’s no on/off switch for Loop Quantize—it’s automatically enabled when you’re recording to one of the following references:

• The guide.

• A phrase whose Tempo Sync switch is on.

As shown in the following illustrations, this is the case whether recording is initiated at the start of one of the reference’s measures (the downbeat) or somewhere else (an offbeat).

• The phrase that determines Loop Sync playback length.

• An external MIDI device that the RC-50 is slaved to.

We’ll cover each of these recording scenarios later.

Reference

Rec start

Phrase

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Loop Quantize

adjustment point

RecordingPlayback

The LOOP QUANTIZE indicator lights when Loop Quantize is active.

In the RC-50’s computer brain, Loop Quantize is simply a tempo-matching function—when you’re recording to one of these references, it automatically adjusts your new phrase’s ending to create a phrase that matches the patch tempo. Since the reference’s tempo is the same as the patch tempo, your new phrase’s measure length will match that of the reference.

Press REC/PLAY/OVERDUB anywhere within this range to close the phrase

Starting recording on the reference’s downbeat.

Loop Quantize is used for recording phrases with measure lengths that conform to the patch tempo. If you want to make a previously recorded phrase play back at the current patch tempo, turn on its Tempo Sync switch. For details, see the RC-50 Workshop booklet Tempos and Tempo Sync.

Reference

Rec start

Phrase

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Loop Quantize

adjustment point

RecordingPlayback

Loop Quantize in Action

In practice, you don’t need to think about the patch tempo while you’re recording phrases with Loop Quantize enabled; you only need to focus on the rhythm of the musical reference you’re playing to. This is the natural way one plays music, and it suits working with Loop Quantize nicely.

Nuts and Bolts

If Loop Quantize is on when a phrase is closed, its ending is adjusted to create a phrase with a measure length identical to the reference.

Press REC/PLAY/OVERDUB anywhere within this range to close the phrase

Starting recording on an offbeat.

The point at which recording is started relative to the reference becomes the adjustment point for Loop Quantize. For example, if recording is started on the second beat of one of the reference’s measures (as in the second illustration), then it becomes the Loop Quantize adjustment point.