Boss RC-20XL Loop Station

The Boss RC-20XL Loop Station, also sold as the RC-20XL Phrase Recorder, is a looper pedal from Boss: a floor unit that records what you play and plays it back so you can layer parts over it. It is a direct upgrade of the earlier RC-20 Loop Station, and it gives you a total of 16 minutes of recording time, which MusicRadar describes as over 200 per cent more than the previous version¹. It stores 11 phrases² and works entirely in mono, with mono input and output³.

It is a heavy, solid unit built around two multi-function foot pedals, and No Treble's reviewer, Russ Sargeant, called it the relatively inexpensive two-pedal "middle sibling" of the Loop Station family, at approximately $250 when he reviewed it in April 2010⁴.

What it does

The RC-20XL records a phrase you play and loops it back so you can overdub additional layers on top, building up a full arrangement by yourself. It holds 16 minutes of mono recording spread across 11 stored phrases¹². That capacity is what set it apart from the RC-20 it replaced: MusicRadar calls the 16 minutes over 200 per cent more than the previous version¹.

One feature reviewers highlighted is tempo control. The pedal can change a loop's tempo without altering its pitch⁶, so you can speed a loop up or slow it down without the recording shifting in key. The earlier RC-20 also offered realtime tempo change with hands-free control⁷.

Controls and jacks

The unit is controlled from two multi-function foot pedals. The left pedal handles start/stop recording, and the pedals can also control overdub, pause, undo and tap tempo⁴. External footswitch inputs let you reach phrase select and reverse functions without bending down¹.

The rear panel carries the Instrument input jack, Microphone input jack, AUX In jack, Output jack and Power Adapter jack⁴. Sargeant noted on the mic connection that "XLR would have been better"⁴.

Power

The unit runs on six AA-size batteries, so it can be used away from mains power, and it also accepts an AC adaptor through the rear panel jack¹⁴.

Where it came from and where it sits in the family

The RC-20XL is a direct upgrade of the Boss RC-20 Loop Station¹. Within the Loop Station line it sits in the middle: No Treble describes it as the two-pedal middle sibling between the one-pedal RC-2 and the five-pedal RC-50⁴. MusicRadar notes the smaller RC-2 packs in at least some of the technology from the RC-50 and the RC-20XL⁸.

The RC-20XL sits in the family as the successor to the original RC-20 Loop Station, keeping the same pedal format with two multi-function foot pedals for start/stop recording¹⁴. Like the RC-20, it is a heavy and solid unit built around those two footswitches⁴.

What reviewers said

No Treble's Russ Sargeant reviewed it in April 2010 with solo bass and found it dependable in use. He later added⁴:

His verdict was that the pedal is reliable, does not interfere with your playing, and is very intuitive⁴. MusicRadar's coverage of the line notes that with Boss's RC-20 and the upgraded RC-20XL, looping "went decidedly mainstream"⁵.

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