Boss Loop Station Review

History:

Purchase: I bought this at a clearance sale for Alans Music in Adelaide, Australia for only $600 - thats about 33% off. It is pricey after this discount but I would be skeptical over paying more for it.

What I Like About This Unit: There is not a lot to offer other than the great 5.30 minutes of instantaneous repeat time. This is crazy. Its easy to use and will broaden any song ideas if you know how to use it properly. It has a microphone and guitar input. Soon I will be using it with another amplifier so that I can send a loop to one amp while playing lead through the second. This can be done on the one amp but the signals tend to clash and you get a mess. You can even plug ear-phones into this thing. A bonus feature is the 'reverse' button. It also has a tap timer and you can speed the tempo of your recorded tracks (11 slots available) without it getting warped. Its digital so there is no mucking around with tape. The greatest potential for this thing lies in the ability to plug a CD player into it - or your own samples made on the computer. Ive made sound effects that I can trigger easily. You have to pay a bit of money for a synth to hold this potential. Finally, you can layer track after track on this machine and if you follow a sensible, disciplined approach you can create lavish soundscapes that digital delays alone can not dream of. - Use this with a digital delay.

What I Do NOT Like About The Boss Loop Station: Its potential is limited. BOSS could have made this far more interesting with an extra send/recieve loop for more options. The tap tempo should work on a dial instead of holding down a button. Im not sure if you can play over a running CD too. Rather the CD passage must be recorded onto one of the tracks.

Loop Station Quality: Needless to say, Boss has a fine reputation for its quality of construction. There seems to be no exception here on the surface. But I certainly wouldnt try dropping this thing knowing its nature. It has a 1.5 gigabyte chip in it. Dont drop it. In fact, I'll be making its own little case to cushion the bumps.

Summary: It is so great because 5.30 minutes of repreat time is more than anyone could ask for. It is expensive for its limited functions and yet it seems to be the cheapest unit on the market for what it does. It serves well as a note pad to get down those ideas but go buy a proper digital recorder if this is all you intend to use it for. Personally, for me and my soundscapes, this is essential. You have to know how you are going to use it before you buy it because - that guy gave it such a good review.

Rating of this product: 4

This Boss Guitar Effects Review Submitted By: Shaun

Date: 2003-12-31