Boss RC-300 F.A.Q.

Started by shawnb, January 27, 2012, 09:05:03 PM

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shawnb

Yes, I picked it up.  Features looked too good.   And I'm always on the quest for a looper that works well in the studio & live (where I can change the tempo on the fly to follow my drummer), that I can share files back & forth with my computer, and that has as many tracks as possible, because sometimes I end up accompanying myself.   

First the positives & surprises:
  • No glitches or gaps experienced yet at all.   None.
  • Very clean.   Even when changing the tempo, the sound is clean.  Yes, there are artifacts created by changing the tempo, but they are much, much nicer than on the RC50...   Warmer, not mechanical.  If you try to speed up the tempo too much, it tells you "Tempo Too Fast!"....    However it always, nobly, tries to deliver.
  • You can program the EXP pedal (and all pedals except the STOP pedals) to do almost anything you want it to. 
  • The manual is a FRACTION of the size of the RC50's manual - but far more concise as well.   I think they really simplified the unit, and it shows.   The layout of the front panel is much improved as well, buttons & controls are logically grouped very nicely. 
  • There are 8 ASSIGN settings available per patch (nearly identical in function to the way the ASSIGN works in the VG99 & GR55). 
  • The assign targets in the manual (pg 23, manual dated 2/1/11) are an incomplete list.   There are many more assign targets available in the unit as shipped, very important.  Many assign targets start with the MEM prefix, which means they are for the 'PRESET MEMORY', e.g,. at the 'patch' level.   E.g., MEM LEVEL is the master output level for the whole patch, and this can be assigned to the EXP pedal on the RC300 unit.   Works fine. There are also TRK 'track' level assignments, e.g., you can assign pedals to make a phrase play in reverse, or change it's STOP mode (fade out, immediate, play full phrase).
  • The FX seem nice & subtle, not overblown.  Haven't played with them a lot, but what I've heard is actually usable...   This is a pleasant surprise, I thought I wouldn't use 'em...   I just might...
  • Lots of flexibility in signal routing - different tracks can have different outputs (either the SUB out or the MAIN out).   You can also specify where you want the RHYTHM track to go.  Also the USB audio.
Negatives:
  • Of course, it's big.  It's much bigger than the already large RC50.
  • Of course, it's pricey.
  • No global assigns, they're only at the patch level.
  • Here's a very odd one - Tapping the tempo using either the Tap Tempo button or one of the Stop buttons TURNS ON THE RHYTHM guide.
  • I would like to be able to assign the different inputs to different outputs for play thru.  As on the RC50, the three inputs are essentially mixed together & treated as one signal within the unit.   I would LOVE to have my guitar & synth both with discreet inputs and routing, e.g., to have my synth to go the PA thru the sub outputs and the guitar go to my amp thru the main outputs.   (The only looper I've found that has this is the Line6 JM4, which is far too limited in its other features.)
The tap tempo issue listed is interesting, because I believe it's a byproduct of the simplification, the re-engineering required to fix the problems of the RC50.   The RC50 actually tried to make a distinction between tempo sync and having the guide off or on.  This led to many gymnastics in the manual, trying to explain tempo sync on, guide off vs. tempo sync on, guide on, etc...   Now, you're either following the RC300's tempo or you're not (& of course you can turn the rhythm's volume down)...   In the end, I suspect this is how they got rid of the gaps...   A simpler, cleaner design.   

Terminology Differences -
RC50 Patch = RC300 Phrase Memory   
RC50 Phrase = RC300 Track
RC50 Guide = RC300 Rhythm

So far, so good.   Haven't used it in the studio with the gang yet.   But so far lovin' how clean it is.  We're in our honeymoon period.   At the moment, after a couple hours of playing, they sure seem to have learned lessons from the RC50 - and the lesson was that simpler is better.   

Shawn
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

shawnb

#1
Sharing, since the manual is woefully incomplete on these:

Assign Target Values:
TR1 Play Mode (Loop or one-shot)
TR1 Reverse
TR1 Stop Mode (immediate, fade out or loop-end)
TR1 Play Level
TR1 Rec Level
TR1 Pan
TR1 Output (Main, Sub, or Main+Sub)
TR2 (same as above, but for track 2)
TR3 (same as above, but for track 3)
RHY Pattern
RHY Level
RHY Output (Main, Sub, or Main+Sub)  *** I'd like MUTE here, but it ain't...
MEM Level (overall level)
MEM Input Out (Main, Sub, or Main+Sub or MUTE)
MEM MIDI Sync (Internal or MIDI Sync)
MEM Overdub Mode (Overdub or replace)
MEM Rec Mode (mono/stereo)
MEM Tempo
MEM Tap Tempo
MEM Single Track Play
MEM Track Change (immediate or loop-end)
MEM Reverb Level
FX Target    (Input, track#, Main out tracks, Main out trks&Rhy, Main out total)
FX Type   (transpose, flanger, etc...)
Effect Control ("suitable for the selected FX type")
Memory Inc   (change patch)
Memory Dec   (change patch)
Loop FX on/off
FX Type Inc
FX Type Dec
Undo/Redo    (last recording)
TR1 Undo/Redo
TR2 Undo/Redo
TR3 Undo/Redo
TR1 Play/Stop
TR2 Play/Stop
TR3 Play/Stop
ALL Play/Stop
Track1 CLEAR
Track2 CLEAR
Track3 CLEAR
INPUT Master Level
INPUT Mic Switch
CC#1 thru CC#31
CC#64 thru CC#95

Assign Source Values (this matches the manual):
EXP1 Pedal (on the RC300)
LoopFX Pedal  (on the RC300)
CTL1 Pedal
CTL2 Pedal
CTL3 Pedal
CTL4 Pedal
EXP2 Pedal
EXP3 Pedal
EXP4 Pedal
TRACK1 Rec/Dub  (*** Interesting - Rec/Dub and Play are different states of the same pedal on the rc300)
TRACK1 Play        (*** Interesting - Rec/Dub and Play are different states of the same pedal on the rc300)
TRACK2 Rec/Dub
TRACK2 Play       
TRACK3 Rec/Dub
TRACK3 Play       
SYNC Start/Stop
CC#1 thru CC#31
CC#64 thru CC#95
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

aliensporebomb

Thanks for the overview and the additional technical data.  I'm a bit surprised that it's actually larger than an RC-50!  Is it larger than an FC-300 then?  Do you have any audio demos you could give us - just a quick and dirty MP3 or something to let us know what to expect?
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

shawnb

#3
Day 1 Continued - How Big Is The Beast?
The RC300 is as wide as the FC300.  Almost as "tall" if you compare the height of the expression pedals (though not the rest of the body).   But about an inch shorter front-to-back.   And lighter than the FC300, but then again, so are most bowling balls.   

The RC300 is about 1" taller than the RC50 (due mainly to the exp pedal), 2.5" wider than the RC50 (also due to the exp pedal) and about 1" longer front-to-back.   

So it lands squarely in the middle of the RC50 & the FC300.   

Maybe a recording this weekend - I'm still experimenting, mainly accoustic stuff for now.   

I have not yet experimented to see how well it plays as master or slave wrt midi clock.  I need to do that this weekend before I formally replace the RC50 in my setup...   I'll share those results when done. 
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

shawnb

#4
RC300 - Day 2

OK, still in the honeymoon period, though we did have our first spat!

First some notes on the RHYTHM
Rhythm deserves some special attention because they've done a few things a little differently:
  • You can have a count-in, very helpful
  • You can play the rhythm while NOT recording/playing tracks, very helpful
  • The "All Start/Stop" pedal turns the rhythm off & on along with your tracks
  • The RHYTHM sounds like a toy at low volumes, but doesn't sound too bad at volume over a PA.  When jamming with buddies, once in a while none of our FOUR drummers shows up...  We've used the RC50 effectively before, and the RC300 is much better suited for doing this given the notes above.

MIDI....
The MIDI functionality is (unfortunately) almost exactly like the RC50:
  • You can send & receive PC to other MIDI devices
  • You can send & receive CC to other MIDI devices
  • You can send MIDI tempo & start/stop to other MIDI devices, & sync tempos downstream
  • You can do FULL synchronization of two RC300 devices, including tempo sync, loop sync, etc., across both, exactly as if you had a '6 channel' RC300.  Seamless.  (Though one might ask who would really do this???)

Note that you cannot drive the tempo on the RC300 from another device (other than another RC300).  As a result, the RC300, like the RC50, makes a good timing master, but a poor timing slave.  The RC50 took a LOT of heat in various forums for this, and I think the RC300 will receive similar criticism...  (See pgs 38 & 39 in the manual.)

In the RC50 manual & promo materials they boasted amazing MIDI featuers on the RC50, but it couldn't accept a simple tempo.  Actually that's not entirely true.  Truth is, they COULD receive a tempo, but it needed to be associated with MIDI START/STOP messages, e.g., from a DAW.  It appears they intended the RC50 to be part of a 'staged performance' setup - i.e., driven by a DAW, to play phrases in a sync'd scripted performance, ala Pink Floyd. 

The RC300 appears to be very similar, with the exception that they now explicitly support linking two RC300s. 

Down the road, I'll experiment with syncing the RC50 with the RC300 or a DAW with the RC300.  I suspect they both will work.   Some other day... 

Manual:
http://media.rolandus.com/manuals/RC-300_OM.pdf

Bottom line:
I'm loving it.  Easy & intuitive to use, which you don't often say about BOSS gear...  Clean.  With the simpler design, cleaner output, greater memory, & new features such as FX, I think they accomplished the major step up that they were aiming for. 

I have not experienced poor audio from the RC300, though I would occasionally get poor audio from the RC50 (which I am convinced was due to mangled sound due to the 'auto quantize' feature).  As noted before, it handles tempo changes much better. 

The lack of receipt of MIDI tempo, which I'm sure will be a major issue for many, doesn't bother me, as I have it at the front my chain anyway.  One can hope that they can address this with a firmware patch.  There really are times we just want our loop & delays sync'd to avoid chopping off FX tails in awkward places - and don't need extensive syncronization of phrases throughout a song...   It wouldn't be too hard for them to offer a 'TEMPO ONLY' vs 'FULL SYNC' switch, I'm sure. 

Thoughts, corrections, criticisms, questions welcome!

Shawn
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

shawnb

#5
Some other learnings about the RC300 worth noting.   It is frightening how much bad info there is out there reading other reviews & user reviews.   I'll straighten some of this out for our forum members. 

Inaccurate criticisms of the RC300:
  • Many have reported there is no reverse function.   This is false.
  • One prominent review noted that the RC300 still has a gap during playback.   This is FALSE...   The author noted that this is because there is no way to disable a default FADE-IN and FADE-OUT for each track.  First off, there is no FADE-IN (see notes below).  Second, you can turn off the FADE-OUT.
  • Many have reported there is no longer a Tap Tempo foot pedal, that the only way to tap tempo is with the tiny finger button.  This is false - each of the three STOP buttons work out of the box as tap tempo.  (For some reason you cannot reprogram the STOP pedals via assigns.  The STOP pedals are fixed at providing STOP/UNDO/CLEAR/TAP TEMPO.)

Accurate criticisms of the RC300:
  • The RC50 had a setting for START MODE, & allowed a phrase to FADE-IN.   Apparently keyboard users loved this, and miss it on the RC300 - a big step backward for them.

I dunno:
  • I read a review that said that the RC50's AD & DA converters were 24 bit, and that the RC300's converters are 16 bit, so the sound quality is inferior.   I can't find a way to confirm or deny the converter specs...   The RC50's documentation clearly states 24 bit, and the RC300's documentation does not state.   HOWEVER...   As I noted above, the sound quality on the RC300 is MUCH better and more consistent than the RC50 overall: warmer, cleaner, no mechanical artifacts.  Note, both devices actually store the audio in CD quality settings - 44/16.

I read one thread where some guys where chiding that they made the pedals easier to use - to make the FC300 easier to use for noobs than the RC50...   Can't please everybody...   The new layout makes it MUCH easier to get most looping tasks done with one tap.   

Shawn
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

Elantric

#6
It might be a winner, but to me :
* its too large of a foot print on stage.
* I fault the lack of an SD card slot, for easy loop ingest / retrieval to computer.

I'll stick with my JamMan stereo delay 
http://digitech.com/en-US/products/jamman-delay



Quote
  • I read a review that said that the RC50's AD & DA converters were 24 bit, and that the RC300's converters are 16 bit, so the sound quality is inferior.   I can't find a way to confirm or deny the converter specs...   The RC50's documentation clearly states 24 bit, and the RC300's documentation does not state.   HOWEVER...   As I noted above, the sound quality on the RC300 is MUCH better and more consistent than the RC50 overall: warmer, cleaner, no mechanical artifacts.  Note, both devices actually store the audio in CD quality settings - 44/16.
The RC-300 employs  24 bit A/D > D/A


shawnb


Yes, a gigging guitarist with limited stage space will have major issues with the RC300.  It would be flat out unworkable. 

It is perfect for the folks that require the significant additional specs - 'one man band' guys & looper specialists - or for folks like me who don't have space limitations.   

I have no problem using the USB cable vs an SD card, though.   


Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

Fred132

Thanks for all the good info, I've been looking pretty hard at one of these. 

Pricey at first glance, but when you consider all it can do out of the box it seems not so bad to me.

W/ regard to the large size, along with it comes an ease of use factor which fumbling feet like mine could appreciate. Not sure how I can squeeze it into my modest studio space, but I think I could find a way.  ;D

groovey1

Thanks for all the detailed info, shawnb. I've downloaded the user manual and will be going through it soon. But maybe you can answer this question: do you need external foot switches to use the assign functions?
Thanks,

shawnb

Quote from: groovey1 on February 13, 2012, 04:05:00 PM
Thanks for all the detailed info, shawnb. I've downloaded the user manual and will be going through it soon. But maybe you can answer this question: do you need external foot switches to use the assign functions? Thanks,

No, but it helps!   You can put assigns on all controls except the STOP pedals, & you can also put assigns on MIDI CC events.  The list of possible Sources for assigns is listed above.   
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

thervantes

Hello! I just opened me new RC-300 and when i pushed the "on" button, it opened on phrase memory number 3, and i noticed that the first three phrase memories have been "used". Is it the same to yours? I wonder if it is a factory setting, or i have been selled a used RC-300?

mbenigni

QuoteInaccurate criticisms of the RC300:
...•One prominent review noted that the RC300 still has a gap during playback.

What about the gap when switching up/down from one loop to another?  Is this still an accurate criticism, or does your note about disabling fade out address the issue?

I'm a couple of days, at most, from pulling the trigger on a new looper, and I think it's down to the RC-30 or the Jamman Stereo.  (The Boomerang III is tempting, but I think I'll get more practical use out of a looper w/ storage.) 

Any feedback as to which you guys prefer and why would be appreciated.  It looks like the Jamman is more feature-rich out of the box, but something tells me the RC-30 would be more intuitive.  (I can't put my finger on it, I've just never really gotten along w/ Digitech stuff all that well.)  But the timing issue when moving between RC-30 loops sounds like a drag.

bbob

To confuse you even more here is another one coming out:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/InfinityLoop/

Elantric

Just wish it had on board storage


mbenigni

My first impression was that the Pigtronix looks more like competition for the Boomerang, i.e. a really good live looper, without permanent storage.  But I just noticed his mention in the video that it runs off a micro-SD card, so now I'm not so sure. 

It does sound like it has some interesting features, most notably the ability to record a short loop and then record a longer multiple over it.  (I think that's the way most musicians would naturally tend to lay down a bed of sound, e.g. a bar or two of drums, n bars of bass or chord progression, a longer lead part, etc.  It's weird that so few loopers, even in their 3rd or 4th generation, allow for this.)

I have to assume since he specifically refers to sequential parts, that means the Infinity will do so without any hiccups in timing.  But I also have to assume - since this is a smaller company - that it will be quite expensive.  Has anyone heard anything about a release date or price yet?  I can wait a couple of weeks, but not a couple of months - and if it costs $500+ it's not for me anyway.

In the meantime, who wins in a gunfight - the RC-30 or the Jamman Stereo?

shawnb

Quote from: mbenigni on March 27, 2012, 02:08:13 PM
What about the gap when switching up/down from one loop to another?  Is this still an accurate criticism, or does your note about disabling fade out address the issue?

Yes, it's an accurate criticism.  The RC300 basically 'turns off' when you change patches, meaning all phrases stop.   There is no way to go from patch to patch and have seamless play.  However, each patch can have THREE loops/phrases designed to work seamlessly together (six if you include overdubs).   If you need more than the THREE, they want you to buy another RC300.   (Tho I'm not sure anybody has that much floorspace!   :D  )

I'll take a stab at answering your other questions below.  (I don't own a Jamman or an RC30, the info below is based on my reading of the manuals.)

My understanding is that the Jamman is almost like one "patch" with 99 loops/phrases.  You can navigate seamlessly, but you really only have ONE play at a time (two if you include overdubs).   You can, however, seamlessly queue up another phrase.   On the RC300 you can have the 3 loops play, either in serial or in parallel.  But if you really need more than 3 loops in your song, you're out of luck based on the 'full stop' described above.   

So there's a tradeoff - do you want one or three simultaneous loops?   If you require THREE, the RC300 is the way to go.  The RC30 should work if you need TWO simultaneous phrases.

Do you need to be able to 'queue up' more than three phrases serially?   Then then go for the Jamman, which theoretically can give you 99, but serially, no parallel capabilities (beyond an overdub).   

I believe the RC30 behaves very much like the RC300, but with TWO simultaneous phrases (4 with overdubs) vs THREE (/6).   

Comments/corrections welcome.   

Shawn
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

shawnb

Quote from: mbenigni on March 28, 2012, 07:47:04 AM
It does sound like it has some interesting features, most notably the ability to record a short loop and then record a longer multiple over it.  (I think that's the way most musicians would naturally tend to lay down a bed of sound, e.g. a bar or two of drums, n bars of bass or chord progression, a longer lead part, etc.  It's weird that so few loopers, even in their 3rd or 4th generation, allow for this.)

Yes, I would think more loopers would offer this.   I understand the Boomerangs do this (a friend showed me).   

The RC300 can do this, if you define a patch in advance with specific sizes for each phrase.   E.g., I've defined a couple of patches for improvising where phrase 1 is 2 measures, phrase 2 is 4 measures & phrase 3 is 8 measures.   The RC300 allows you to do this.   

The Pigtronix is appealing because, in a compact unit, it seems to have a few of these more advanced features. 

My favorite feature is the discrete input/output routing - e.g., you can have multiple inputs, & each go to its proper output.   Following the video, it appears you can have your guitar synth go to your PA and your guitar to your amp & loop either.   Very nice feature, if I understand that right. 

I'd love to get my hands on one, play around with it & confirm some of this!!!
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp

mbenigni

Thanks for your replies, Shawn.  Man, loopers are so confusing to even read about, but this is helpful information.

SLICK

Quote from: shawnb on March 28, 2012, 08:21:44 PM
Yes, I would think more loopers would offer this.   I understand the Boomerangs do this (a friend showed me).   

The RC300 can do this, if you define a patch in advance with specific sizes for each phrase.   E.g., I've defined a couple of patches for improvising where phrase 1 is 2 measures, phrase 2 is 4 measures & phrase 3 is 8 measures.   The RC300 allows you to do this.   


As far as I have seen none of the current gen of Floor loopers really allow you to lay down a couple of bars of Bass n Drums then seamlessly extend that with a 8 bar chord vamp and finally solo until your fingers hurt without either predefining the lengths or bending down to twiddle with a knob or button.

The only solution that I have used and can testify to working would be a Sw looper called 'Mobius' :
http://www.circularlabs.com/
This is a free (donations welcome) program and you can set up each 'track' to loop any length or synchronised multiple of length of any of the other 8 tracks (if that makes sense)
Added bonuses:
All of the parameters are easily mappable to MIDI CC or Note data so you could trigger a loop record by Playing a note.
An infinite number of over dub / undos for each track
real time panning / level control for each track
Save any track individually or as 'mixed stereo of all active tracks'

I have run this on very modest HW (G4 iBook) and it works pretty well. I recognise that only a few would want to use a PC as a looper but as far as I have seen it's the only way that allows this type of flexability.
All in all you could easily purchase a laptop , FCB 1010 foot controller and the software for less than the price of a new RC-300!!
Pretty sad as I'm sure it wouldnt take much to port this to a dedicated floor pedal with an appropriate FPGA/ audio orientated processor.
I guess that the outlay for a company to develop a HW based looper that actually does what we want it to do is prohibitive.
Parker fly deluxe,
Roland GR-55,
Laney LC30II

Elantric

#20
QuoteThe only solution that I have used and can testify to working would be a Sw looper called 'Mobius' :
http://www.circularlabs.com/

Another software looper is

AmbiLoop

http://www.ambiloop.com



and there are now dozens of iPad IOS based Loopers too ( best with an Alesis I/O Dock).

groovey1

Quote from: Elantric on March 30, 2012, 11:00:08 AM
Another software looper is

AmbiLoop

http://www.ambiloop.com


Thanks for the tip ... have you tried this out? Are you finding it useable?
I've thought about trying Mobius, but I've been put off by the UI ... AmbiLoop looks like it would be easier to understand.

Elantric

Not a lot of experience here

But Ambiloop has an active user area at Yahoo Groups

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/ambiloop/


geormiet

hey guys,

I'm a cellist, and I got the rc300 a month and a half ago.   It's my first looper, and first experience at anything electronic even... but I've put in lots of time every day so I'm starting to feel comfortable with it.   I'm trying to do the one man band thing, as well as playing with a drummer.  lots of noobie questions...   Would be so appreciative to have any of these questions addressed, hopefully I'll be able to return the favor down the road as I gain experience!  :

1)  What's the best way to make decent sounding recordings of a performance?   Right now, I am connecting via usb, and just using a free program (trakx) and hitting record.  The result is a bad sounding mono mp3.    Is there a way to get three separate tracks recorded from a performance?

2) I also have a kaoss pad3, which i want to use for its effects.   One thing which would be cool is if I could record a loop on the rc300, send it to the KP3, add FX, and then send it back to the rc300.   Unfortunately the L/mono input jack is already taken up by my cello...

3) click track for me and drummer.   Right now the only way I can achieve this is to route the rhythm to the sub output and plug in headphones.    problems with this are, its mono, its too quiet even when turned up all the way, and when the tracks stop, so does the rhythm.   I wonder if the MIDI connection with the KP3 can help out here...

4) whats the sub output even for? :p

that's it for now...thanks






shawnb

#24
Hi Geormiet & welcome!   

I'll take a stab at a few of these questions:

Quote from: geormiet on March 31, 2012, 07:23:19 AM
1)  What's the best way to make decent sounding recordings of a performance?   Right now, I am connecting via usb, and just using a free program (trakx) and hitting record.  The result is a bad sounding mono mp3.    Is there a way to get three separate tracks recorded from a performance?
There are so many options for recording, this is a broad topic just by itself...  I am not familiar with trakx, & I'm a little surprised you can only get a mono mp3 out of it...   If you're looking for something portable, there are many options available, here are several examples of portable recording devices covered elsewhere on this forum:
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=4606.msg31056#msg31056
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=3207.msg31707#msg31707
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=3452.msg22993#msg22993

Given you have a USB hookup, I'm assuming you have access to a PC or Mac?   If so, I'd look into any of the DAWs; this will provide you with any degree of flexibility you want.   I'd look into Cubase, Reaper, Sonar, Nuendo, Logic...   Many of these have affordable or even free versions.   ANY of these will give you the ability to produce a high quality recording. 

Yes, you can also directly access the recorded .wav files on the RC300.   When your computer is hooked up by USB, and your RC300 is in "Storage" mode, you can access the different loops/recordings directly.   See pages 36 & 37 in the manual. 

Quote from: geormiet on March 31, 2012, 07:23:19 AM
2) I also have a kaoss pad3, which i want to use for its effects.   One thing which would be cool is if I could record a loop on the rc300, send it to the KP3, add FX, and then send it back to the rc300.   Unfortunately the L/mono input jack is already taken up by my cello...
How you want to hook it up depends on where you want the FX in your chain.   You could either apply FX on your input signal, & record it with FX applied.   OR you can run either your Main or Sub outs thru the KP3, and route the signals you want processed to that device.   

Bear in mind you actually have THREE inputs: your XLR input, your AUX input and your instrument input.  Note you also have three outputs:  Main, Subs & Phones...   Sounds like you might want to make use of the AUX IN.   

Quote from: geormiet on March 31, 2012, 07:23:19 AM
3) click track for me and drummer.   Right now the only way I can achieve this is to route the rhythm to the sub output and plug in headphones.    problems with this are, its mono, its too quiet even when turned up all the way, and when the tracks stop, so does the rhythm.   I wonder if the MIDI connection with the KP3 can help out here...
Sounds like you have a level set too light somewhere, either your Rhythm level (Pg 20 in manual) or your sub output level (see pg 33).   It's possible you saved a patch with one of these set low.   

Yes, the rhythm stops when everything stops.   However you can have lead in counts setup for your rhythm track (see pg 26).

Quote from: geormiet on March 31, 2012, 07:23:19 AM
4) whats the sub output even for? :p
The short version is - whatever you want to use it for!   I think the intiial intent was a 'submix' to be sent to the house or PA.   E.g., lay down some backing/rhythm tracks, send that to your mixer/PA, and have the rest go thru your instrument amp.   But you can use it however you like, e.g., sending a click to your drummer as you describe above. 

Hope this helps!
Address the process rather than the outcome.  Then, the outcome becomes more likely.   - Fripp