BOSS and beatboxing have a synergistic relationship—a bond that continues to deepen over time. Loop Stations are beloved by the genre’s practitioners and the BOSS RC-505 has become the industry standard for beatboxers everywhere. Swissbeatbox serves as an online home for the movement, showcasing beatboxing videos from artists across the globe. In fact, it’s even a requirement to use a BOSS Loop Station to compete in SBX battles. Learn from this vibrant community of vocal gymnasts as they showcase the BOSS RC-505mkII, which brings powerful new features and functionality to the legendary looper.
Basic Beatbox Settings with Sinjo
Sinjo, head of sound for SBX, walks us through the fundamental audio specs and setup for the RC-505mkII. Topics include connecting to a DAW, input effects, phantom power, adjusting levels, and more. Let Sinjo help you achieve what he calls “a nice basic sound for your raw solo beatboxing.”
Preamp with Gene Shinozaki
In this in-depth tutorial, Gene Shinozaki from The Beatbox House uses a guitar to illustrate how to use the amp simulators and tones in the RC-505mkII Preamp effect. Shinozaki covers the twelve parameters including amp, speaker, and microphone type.
Transpose with Saro
Saro shows how to utilize the Transpose effect on the RC-505mkII. This effect is a key component of the artist’s track “Walk,” which he created entirely with the looper. Saro walks step by step through his creative process in real-time, praising the effect that allows him to “create so many different melodies.”
OSC Vocoder with Inkie
Acclaimed beatboxer Inkie takes us on a tour of the powerful OSC Vocoder (m), an effect that applies different types of waveforms to a dry signal. Inkie shows us the basics as well as how to pair the effect with a MIDI controller for expanded possibilities.
OSC BOT with Rythmind
Rythmind demonstrates the basics of the OSC BOT effect on the RC-505MKII Loop Station. He describes the effect as “a kind of a synthesizer that receives my vocal signal to trigger an oscillator.” Then he showcases the unique synth-like tones it can create from the human voice.
CTRL Panel Layers with Inkie
The RC-505mkII is a deep instrument with many layers to unlock and explore. Inkie shows how to utilize the CTRL Panel layers to properly map the Track and FX button inputs and unlock more control over your device.
Harmonizer with Gene Shinozaki
In this tutorial, Gene Shinozaki from The Beatbox House dives into his personal favorite BOSS RC-505mkII Loop Station effect: Harmonizer. The multitalented artist guides us through the six different parameters and how to use them to create rich harmonies of your own.
Beatboxing and Beyond
Like beatboxing itself, the RC-505mkII is an instrument of fathomless potential, ripe for new modes of expression. Read more about Inkie, Rythmind, and Saro and learn how they achieve their unique sounds. Then, dive into this exploration of the RC-505mkII Loop Station and see how it’s blowing sonic possibilities wide open.
