Hey All,
i try to sync my BB with my RC-5 Looper. I’m sure that I’m using the right cable and adapter. I use the midi-out from the BB and the midi-in of the looper. I restored the settings on both, but they don’t want to communicate.
What do I wrong? Please help me.
Thanks a lot
Thank you persist for your answer, but I cannot find any solution for my problem. In the videos on youtube they connect them and it works. But my BB and Looper don’t want to and I don’t know why.
So you have the right midi cable ?
RC-5 takes a type A midi cable ( they are the most common )
There is also a type B midi cable it looks the same but is wired different. The type B cable will not work with the boss loopers.
Here is a link to the right cable on amazon
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0797SG8RS?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
I just recently got an RC-500 and haven’t yet tried the MIDI sync from the BB as I just ordered the type A MIDI cables. The RC-500 has a few MIDI settings to allow syncing from an external device and assume the RC-5 is much the same. The defaults shown in the RC-5 manual ‘should’ allow sync to happen, but it might be worth a look at the setting in your RC-5 to ensure it will receive the sync from the BB. The MIDI settings are in the Reference Manual and highlighted as bold and blue for default values.
Also check the MIDI settings in the BB. I’m not sure what the default settings are there, but I do know that if the ‘MIDI-OUT’ > ‘Output Type’ is set to ‘Disable’ the MIDI sync will not be output. Set to ‘MIDI-OUT’. (This is for BB v4.1.0 firmware FWIW)
Side note since I have to get a type A MIDI for the RC-500. I kinda wish the BB had type A connectors for MIDI rather than the special breakout cable. The type A cables are easy to come by and cheap ($5 at Sweetwater). Would have been nice to just connect the BB and RC-500 with a simple TRS cable and it would have been less bulky.
Thanks for answering.
I use this cables. It’s a Type A cable.
https://www.thomann.de/de/rockboard_flat_trs_midi_cable_30_cm_a.htm
https://www.musicstore.de/de_DE/EUR/Singular-Sound-MIDI-Sync-Breakout-Cable/art-SYN0004809-000
All of my settings in Midi-Out and -In are “enable”. I have the same settings like in the famous video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-igATLSTkg with the different, that it doesn’t work.
Just may be the way it’s worded, but when you say you’re trying to sync your BB with your RC-5, it kind of hints the RC-5 might be used as the master (the pedal you control from) and the BB is the slave (the pedal you control from the RC-5). The Youtube video you linked shows the RC-5 as the master controlling the BB as the slave. You appear to have your cables connected so the BB would be the master and the RC-5 as the slave which is opposite from the video. Some settings in the RC-5 may be different for BB master to RC-5 slave.
Just to be sure of what device you want as the master and slave, which one below are you trying to do?
1 - RC-5 (master) >-----MIDI-------> BB (slave)
2 - BB (master) >-------MIDI---------> RC-5 (slave)
I did try the BB as a master to a Boss DR-3 drum machine as a slave and it synced OK when the BB’'s MIDI-OUT is set to ‘Enabled’ as you said you have done.
This Youtube video below shows the BB as the master and the RC-5 as the slave. Not as clear or well done as the one you posted, but as he goes through the settings he uses and it may be of help
It’s right, that I want to use the BB as master.
I copy the settings of the video but there isn’t any synchronization.
I got the MIDI type A cables yesterday and a quick check with the BB and the RC-500 I was able to get it to sync with the BB as the master and RC-500 as the slave. I also got sync to work with the RC-500 as the master and the BB slaving to it. If I get chance I’ll look at how I had it set up with the BB master/RC-500 slave and make note of the settings.
Played around a bit with the BB and RC-500 (pretty much the RC-5 with two tracks).
A factory reset of the RC-5 will set its MIDI up correctly to receive sync from the BB.
I did not do a factory reset on my BB and I couldn’t find documentation as to the defaults. The settings I found that set up the BB to send sync are as follows and probably how the factory reset will set it up.
With the settings above, pressing the TEMPO button on the RC-5 with both units powered on and the cable connected should show TEMPO > MIDI in the display. If it doesn’t, the cable may not be working properly as the video LakeLife posted suggests. Powering off the BB will cause the RC-5 to revert to its internal clock for sync and display the BPM when the TEMPO button is pressed.
One additional thought if it doesn’t work. Check that the BB MIDI breakout cable connector is fully seated into the socket on the unit. Mine is pretty tight and could give the appearance of being connected but not inserted enough to make the connections.
Good luck…
Hi, I have BB and RC5 synced with BB as the master. My problem is that I want to have loop stop/pause but still have BB play beat after loop is stopped. Right now everything stops. Thank you for any possible solutions.
Thank you guys for your support. My problem was, that I used the wrong cable. I bought the midi-cable from Boss and now it works perfect. So the cable of “Rockboard” doesn’t work.