A Full Band in a Boss-Sized Box
If you've ever wished you had a bassist, drummer, and rhythm section showing up to your practice session, the Boss RC-5 Loop Station is the next best thing. It's the familiar Boss compact footprint — the same one you've been stomping on for decades — but loaded with more looping power than you'd expect from something that fits in a gig bag pocket.
The RC-5 is built around a stereo looping engine that records in 32-bit quality, which means your layered overdubs stay clean and clear no matter how deep you stack them. You get 99 phrase memories to organize your ideas, and each one even remembers which rhythm pattern and drum kit you had dialed in — so when you pull up a loop from last Tuesday's practice session, everything is exactly how you left it.
Whether you're a guitarist sketching out song ideas at home, a bassist building live solo arrangements, or a keyboardist who just wants a reliable way to loop on stage, the RC-5 has the depth to grow with you without getting in your way.
Recording Time and Memory That Keeps Up With You
The RC-5 gives you 13 hours of total stereo recording time spread across 99 phrase memories, with each individual phrase holding up to 1.5 hours of audio. That's enough space to capture a lot of musical ideas before you ever need to think about clearing anything out. And when you do want to archive or swap loops, USB connectivity and the free Boss Tone Studio software let you drag and drop WAV files to and from your computer — so your pedalboard can double as a playback hub for backing tracks and lesson material.
Each phrase memory stores not just your loops and overdubs, but also the tempo and rhythm assignments you had set — a genuinely useful touch that makes jumping between songs at a gig much less of a tap-dance.
The RGB LCD: You'll Actually Use It
The RC-5's backlit color LCD display shows you beat position, measure count, and loop status in real time. The backlight shifts color to indicate whether you're in record mode (red), playback (green), overdub, or just browsing an empty memory slot (blue). It sounds like a small thing, but when you're mid-performance and need to know at a glance exactly where you are in a loop, that visual feedback is genuinely helpful. Navigation is handled by a single multi-function encoder knob alongside four backlit buttons, so dialing in rhythms and settings is quick even under stage lights.
Built-In Rhythms, MIDI, and Expanded Control
The RC-5 comes loaded with 57 preset rhythm patterns across 7 drum kits, each with A and B variations — plenty of variety to find something that fits your style, whether you're playing folk, blues, funk, or anything in between. You can apply reverb to the rhythm parts as well, which gives them a more natural feel in a room.
For players who need more control, the RC-5 supports up to two external footswitches and an expression pedal via the control jack, plus full TRS MIDI I/O (using compact 3.5mm jacks) for syncing with drum machines, DAWs, or MIDI foot controllers. Power comes from either a 9V alkaline battery — good for about two hours of use — or a standard 9V center-negative power supply (sold separately). Note that the RC-5 uses buffered bypass.
Product Features:
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Recording: 13 hours total stereo recording time; up to 1.5 hours per phrase
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Memory: 99 phrase memories storing loops, overdubs, tempo, and rhythm settings
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Audio Quality: 32-bit AD/DA conversion and 32-bit floating-point processing
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Bypass: Buffered bypass
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Rhythm Section: 57 preset patterns with A/B variations across 7 drum kits; reverb available for rhythm parts
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Display: RGB backlit graphic LCD (96 x 32 dots) with multi-color status indication
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Controls: Memory/Loop Level knob, Memory button, Setup button, Rhythm On/Off button, Rhythm Tempo button, Pedal switch
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Connections: Stereo 1/4" inputs and outputs (A/Mono + B), 1/4" TRS Stop/Memory control jack, USB Type-B, TRS MIDI In/Out (3.5mm mini jacks), DC In
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Expanded Control: Supports up to two external footswitches or an expression pedal; TRS MIDI I/O for remote operation and sync
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USB: Loop backup/restore via USB; WAV import via free Boss Tone Studio software
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Power: 9V alkaline battery (approx. 2 hours) or 9V center-negative AC adapter (sold separately)
Brand: Boss
Model: RC-5 Loop Station
SKU: RC-5
Condition: New
Since 1872, C.A. House Music has been helping musicians across the Ohio Valley find the right gear -- with real advice from a team that actually plays. We're your authorized dealer of all the big names in guitars, keyboards, band instruments, drums, pro audio, and more. With four family-owned and operated locations in Ohio and West Virginia (plus a full online store), you don't have to go far for instruments, lessons, rentals, and repairs. No matter your musical needs, our team of musicians wants to help you Play Music for Life.
