I was longing to get the RC-600 for 8 months before I finally decided to do it. Delivery was speedy (less than 5 days) and there was a nice discount on the looper so great timing to get it.
I am a nerd, and I have studied the manual, the parameter guide and possibly ALL the YouTube videos related to the RC-600 before getting it and I'm glad I did because I was able get through MY set up without too much struggle. Some struggle though but not starting from zero !
I said "my" setup because that things can be configured with 100's of different combinations to suit any needs, if you are willing to spend the time doing it. Because if it's your first looper purchase, you are going to cry and feel really frustrated, fast.
I personally have a good understanding of the unit but still, I find it very overwhelming. I spent 2 hours (easily) trying to navigate menus, assigns, pedal control, options for each tracks, effects, routing etc... It is daunting. It drained my energy, and even with my acquired knowledge over the months, I still struggled to do a simple looper task.
But yet I still felt excited by the prospect of replacing my trusted RC-500 with its big(ger) and mighty brother.
I use my 500 in a very specific way (like any other musicians, I have my habits and my needs) and I was hoping this 600 unit would do the same, and even more + change. But my needs are so specific that I find the Rc-600 too complex and powerful. Overkill. Over the top. So much so that I am contemplating returning it. It basically does all the same thing the 500 does and it's more complicated to achieve... I spend another 2 hours recording 3 tracks of a Coldplay song. Even though I managed to do it, I couldn't make it work the way I wanted, with the drum track, the transitions from Track 1 to Track 3, or linking track 1 + 2 together as my verse and move automatically to track 3 for my chorus... it didn't sound "right" to me. It didn't work for me the way I need.
So, in short, if I end up only being able to use 2 tracks why do I need 6 ?? why do I need to complicate my life... I don't need this... I'm underwhelmed ! Really...
Pros:
- Very nice looking unit - sparkly red is sexy
- Strong built
- Enormous capabilities (customisation, function, drum pattern creation...)
- Sound is clear
- Routing options (fantastic)
- MIDI expansion (good luck!)
- some good FX in there
Cons:
- very complex
- huge learning curve - Enormous capabilities (customisation, function, drum pattern creation...)
- Confusing
- Frustrating
- No USB-C ??? !! What ? Come on Boss/Roland!!
- UI is ..... Not good
I'll keep trying, I'm determined to give it a serious chance, so I can expand from 2 tracks to 4 or 5 or 6 maybe...
(update)
"You will always fear what you don't understand" - Carmine Falcone.
As of today (2 weeks after purchase) I kept the Rc-600 and I'm glad I did. Because my needs (as mentioned above) can be adapted to the tool. Never blame the tool. I didn't understand the process at first and I was ready to give up, but I persevered and I am glad I did. Still a complex machine...but the possibilities are endless if you put your mind to it.
i'm really starting to enjoying it a lot... it's like my creativity got rekindled.
