RC-20XL Loopstation

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Super long recording time: up to 16 minutes!
Save up to 11 loops at a time
Undo function makes it easy to create perfect loops
Built-in auto quantize for simple and accurate loop timing
Change loop tempo without changing pitch
Footswitchable loop select (with optional FS-5U/FS-6)
More, Better
The RC-20XL picks up where the popular RC-20 leaves off, as it offers more recording time and more features, but at the same affordable price as its predecessor. The RC-20XL inherits the same “hands-free” pedal operation from the RC-20: Record, Play, and Overdub can be done with the left pedal — all the while your hands are free to play your instruments. But now you get approximately 16 minutes of recording time to capture and store loops or one-shot phrases (three times that of the RC-20), and you can work your way backward thanks to the new Undo function, a necessity when making mistakes during overdub.
Performance Tools
The RC-20XL has 11 memory tracks, in which you have the choice of storing either one-shot phrases or loop phrases. During your performance, you can switch between the tracks with an optional FS-6 Dual Footswitch, or two FS-5U footswitches (momentary-type). The Undo function can be a useful and musical function for erasing your previous phrase and instantly layering a new one. After you have dazzled your crowd, now its time to bring it to an end. The RC-20XL offers three stop options for this purpose. When you hit the pedal, you can either immediately stop the playback, let the phrase play until the end, or fade it out.
Record loops and overdub in real time for lightning-quick track creation live or in the studio.
You might reasonably ask what a review of a stomp-style guitar pedal is doing in Sound On Sound, so let's get that out of the way right now. Firstly, the RC20XL builds on the concept of the now discontinued Lexicon Jam Man (and the looping functions of the more recent Line 6 Delay Modeller) insomuch as you can record loops (called Phrases in Roland-speak) and then overdub onto them live. The Jam Man elicited a lot of interest from our readers, especially when Lexicon stopped building it — it seems that you always want most that which you can't have! The second reason I find this product interesting is from a technology standpoint, as to my knowledge it is the first looper to use flash memory, which means segments of audio can be retained in memory indefinitely for live performance use. Better still, as memory is now much cheaper than it was, the recording time is measured in minutes rather than seconds. In fact a maximum of 16 minutes of memory is available, split between the various loops you wish to record. Clearly this pedal is ideal for admirers of Robert Fripp's guitar wizardry who want to play semi-experimental music live, but it can also be a creative studio tool, as you can build up loops in a very intuitive manner before recording them into your sequencer for future use as the basis for a new song.
Loop Recorder Stomp Box
The pedal itself follows a familiar Boss format with two footswitches controlling most of the live action. Two further footswitches (one of which can be a dual up/down pedal) can be connected via rear-panel jacks to control Phrase Shift, which I'll talk about a little later, and Reverse, which does just what it says — plays the recorded loop backwards. Although this unit is designed for use mainly with guitar, there's also an unbalanced jack mic input, though I wouldn't recommend this for serious recording work. However, it is useful for those high-street busking sessions with a digeridoo (or whatever) and you can even use the mic and instrument inputs at the same time if need be. The output of the unit is strictly mono and power can come from an optional PSU or from six AA batteries. Digital units like this tend to be fairly hungry on batteries, so the mains adaptor is a good idea — unless you're busking in the high street using a battery amplifier!
Working with loops can be a problem, because if you get an overdub wrong, you generally have to go back to square one. However, that's no problem here, as there's a very welcome Undo/Redo button. To help timing, there's also a useful metronome and a facility for having the loop recording end precisely on a beat rather than exactly where you hit the pedal. This is really helpful in creating tight-sounding loops. Once a loop has been recorded, its tempo can be changed without altering its pitch, though as with most time/pitch manipulation there's only so far you can go before the processing artefacts start to show.
Other live performance niceties include the ability to store multiple Phrases, then decide whether each should play back as a 'one shot' performance or loop continuously. Because this pedal can store multiple Phrases, and store them after power down, you could load up a few backing tracks into it (from CD, your computer or any other suitable audio source) ready to perform. There's no way to back up loops other than to record the audio output, though, and from my own perspective the ability to dump and load audio files via USB would have made a lot of sense.