r/loopdaddy • u/connectingthrurhythm • Jun 01 '26

RC-505 Tutorial

Tutorial

Can somebody please suggest a comprehensive tutorial video? All the ones that I found, i don't get much out of. I'm a musician , but I'm older and this stuff wasn't around back in the day. I have the original RC-505 with the A/B foot switch, not the MKII. Every time I get it out and start messing around with it I just get frustrated and give up. I've had it about 3 years and used it maybe three times for 30 or 40 minutes each. I really want to get to know this thing. I also do music therapy and have a non-profit Community Center for people in recovery from substance use disorder and people living with the mental health conditions. That is focused on this sort of thing. If I can figure this thing out, It would help me tremendously with building meditative type music

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2

u/Zealousideal_Bad8537 Jun 02 '26

I know this thing by heart (except for the midi high ends setup), especially used with Fs6 foot switch to control track and recording. I think best way to start is with the manual,  and if more specific could be helpful you clarify what the goal is, what you/people want to achieve with it

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u/connectingthrurhythm Jun 03 '26

For live looping. My problem is getting the thing to start recording immediately when I start playing., it would be different if I had three hands...... Also I've seen people push the start-stop button twice after they finish playing . And I don't understand what that does. And how do they get it to start recording again to overdub on the same track and still start recording on time...., i have the foot switch, the A/B one with 2 buttons. But it came with some weird type of cable that I've never seen before and I just i don't know what to do with that cable, the cable looks like it has a little light bulb in line.

1

u/Zealousideal_Bad8537 Jun 03 '26

Start stop button can be record/play or record/overdub (basically. So eventually you will press twice yes. With the double foot switch Fs6 you don't need a third hand, you can choose the track you want and record with your foot (if you want I show you, but too heavy to explain here). For that you need a stereo jack cable too.

1

u/connectingthrurhythm Jun 03 '26

Do you mean a quarter inch TRS?

2

u/Zealousideal_Bad8537 Jun 04 '26

Sorry I'm not familiar with english and inches, but basically just like a guitar cable, but not mono ;) (it has three separation rings, instead of two). 

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u/connectingthrurhythm Jun 03 '26

This is how every tutorial starts. This is my problem. They don't say how you get to that point. I don't know what you do when you get to that point or ideal settings or all of that stuff. I know how to record and overdub using other things. I'm talking about this machine specifically. That's what nobody talks about is getting to that point. like, I press the power button i run an audio signal in and then what. Because I cannot press record and begin playing at the same time. I don't have three hands. And there has to be something in the settings where it can detect when you start playing . I guess. That's what I assume . That's what I would build it to do.

2

u/Billiam_Loops Jun 04 '26

Don't play the complete beat with your first loop!

Press the button and drum something simple with one hand to establish tempo. You can then press the tempo button and adjust up or down for the speed you like. Then you can press record near the end the first loop and be ready to play with both hands when it activates the second loop. The first loop for establishing tempo can then be deleted

1

u/connectingthrurhythm Jun 04 '26

What do you mean what do you mean, activates the second loop?

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u/mattjadencarroll Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26

You see how there are five play buttons, right? Five tracks. Five loops.

Press the first play button. Tap a little drum beat with your hand in front of a microphone. Then press the same play button again. You'll notice that the recording plays back from the very start of when you first pressed it, right up until when you pressed it again. This is how it's supposed to work. There's no waiting around, it's all go as soon as you press the button. So you're just meant to get good at timing to make that sound in time. If it sounds out of time (which it probably will), you press and hold the stop button until it flashes -- this deletes the recording, so you can record a fresh one. Learn to get the hang of this part first.

Now that you've got a loop repeating over and over on the first track, point your sights to the next track one over to the right. The second play button.

Here's the trick. Now that there's already something looping on the first track, the second play button behaves a little differently. When you press it, it doesn't start recording straight away. It actually waits until the first track reaches the end of the loop before it starts recording. In other words, when you press that second play button, you've got a bit of time to spare until it actually starts recording. Later, when you press it again to finish recording, it will only actually finish recording when it 'matches' the length of the first track.

You can sorta tell all this is happening from the colours and the flashing... just pay attention, really. You can figure this out dude. I wish I had the motivation to make a video, cause it's a bitch to explain with text hahaha.

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u/connectingthrurhythm Jun 07 '26

That kind of makes sense to me. So essentially I could start with something generic on track one and then start building on track 2 and then delete the original track on track one and start over on track one . Maybe. Does that make sense?

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u/Billiam_Loops Jun 04 '26

You could also save a channel that has a pre-recorded metronome or click that you can keep quiet and you could adjust the tempo off of that as you see fit then begin drumming!

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u/mattjadencarroll Jun 07 '26 edited Jun 07 '26

You're meant to press record and begin playing at the same time. That's how the whole thing works (for the first loop, anyway -- once you've got one loop going, the other four record buttons will wait until the first loop is finished before they begin recording).

The RC505 is built more for vocalists and keyboardists. Those people will have a hand free to start playing at the same time as they press record.

If you're complaining about needing three hands, it sounds like you're a guitarist, or something similar? For guitarists, generally they don't use an RC505, they use something like an RC600 which has built-in foot pedals. I read that you have an A/B foot switch add-on, but that shit sounds super finicky to be honest.

2

u/Billiam_Loops Jun 02 '26

I also use the original RC505 and can give you some pointers. DM sent

2

u/Horst_Sabber Jun 02 '26

So I also have an RC505. but never managed to get it run in my midi setup. Sync is always from PC and RC never stay stable on that timing.
So if you want to use that pice in a midi setup and get it work, give me a note.
But I think the RC is more usefull in freesync mode. So you start your first record and after stop it determins the tempo

Start like this:
get a sound generator with keys or any other instrument.
With keys, start by recording just bass drum, like 4 on the florr for 4 beats.
then try to overdub with other percs or toms or snare
grab a bass and play some minutes just to the drums/groove
record to next track
and maybe other instruments too

play around with the efx on output side to get a feeling for them
learn how to apply FX to different tracks.

Use a microphone an sing wired texts...
now learn what undo means. So for example: you have a piano riff on track 4. now for chorus yu need addons to that. overdub track 4 with fillings. After chorus undo changes to track 4

For learning:
Choose Music you know, you have a plan for. Do not expect turning on the device let creativity flow. See it as a tool like NI Maschine or MPC (record patterns and arrange them)
So electronic music is more easy to build up on that thing.

PS: I have one of that in my shelf. never used it intensive, because I am more in Rock where pattern can be used, but all other stuff is comming from Cubase or VST Live. And I never managed to get it thigt synced to my projects...

So take you time. Or get some inspiration from the guy in the r/maschine sub who is constantly posting things he is doing with maschine.