If you prefer to slot into a larger system, synchronisation with MIDI clock is as solid and reliable as before. For example, it’s so handy having your favourite effects primed in advance, or specifying the type of overdubbing, whether tracks loop or play just once, and whether each track operates in single or multi mode.

There are a raft of significant improvements but, for me, the longer sliders and track FX buttons proved an instant hit for live performance.I've currently set aside any pipe dreams of getting anywhere with my own songs and I am enjoying playing covers in function bands. French beatboxer extraordinaire Saro shows exactly how he crafted his track “Walk” using solely the RC-505mkII and his voice. For example, the handling of polymetric patterns is ripe for improvement and, at the very least, a bar counter should be added. Personally, I’d be tempted to replace those encoder caps with rounder ones, but, as you can probably tell, I’ve reached the nit‑picking stage.

Most eye‑catchingly, its large buttons and tabletop format marked a clean break from pedals with small metal buttons and guitar fixations.

The RC-505 is outfitted with a number of simultaneous inputs, allowing you to capture and mix a variety of different audio sources as you build loops.

This is just as well, because this model can bounce down and consolidate tracks, and print effects, a feature that was probably high on many users’ wishlists. Assuming you didn’t specify a length in advance, these are the pages where you discover how long your loop actually was, along with deciding its optimum level, panning and play modes. After an initial exploration, you soon realise the value of storing a few empty patches as templates. It’s not an ideal swap but is understandable, given there are now a total of six inputs — two for XLR microphones (with phantom power), plus two pairs of inputs for synths, mixer sends, and so on. Neither the original RC‑505 or the MkII are typical loopers, so their feature sets are difficult to match exactly.The control target functions have been greatly expanded as well, providing a wealth of external control options for musicians who loop with guitars, keyboards, and other instruments.

Other time‑savers to set up for convenience might include tying tracks to specific inputs or to certain sub outs, or setting up unusual loop lengths. There’s an XLR microphone jack with phantom power, mono/stereo ¼-inch inputs for guitars, synths, or other instruments, and a mini-jack for connecting a smartphone or other stereo device.

Other I/O: 2x 5-pin DIN for MIDI, USB-B socket, 2x 1/4” TRS jack for expression/control footswitches. With the RC-505’s large selection of built-in effects, it’s easy to enhance your sounds as you perform. Having delved in here, it’s easier to understand the architecture of the RC-505 MkII, from effects and rhythm accompaniment to memory management. And in a machine designed for real‑time performance, it’s odd that some functions need a stop/start to engage. Familiar processors include filters, octave effects, slicers, phaser, flanger and chorus, but the real magic is in the more exotic entries, with names such as Twist, Rise, Electric and Robot.