DIGITECH JAMMAN SOLO S229Lr I l l , i , i ' l - '

OigiTech JamMan Solo t22eDigiTech shoehorns its JamMan looper technology into acompact pedal bg Trevor Curwen

igiTech's latest additionto its JamMan familycouldbe rightupyour

street ifyou fancy adding alooperto your rigbut are abittight on pedalboard space. TheJamMan Solo Looper/PhraseSampler puts awhole range ofclassic JamMan features intoa standard compact pedal,providingthe abilityto store 35minutes of mono CD-qualityloops in 99 internal memories.If you need more capacitythere's an SD memory cardexpansion slot under thefootpedal giving you the abilityto store over 16 hours ofmaterial in an additional gg

slots using an BGB or higherblJlau memorv caro.

Powered from a supplied eVadaptor (oryour own powerdistribution boi. the JamManSolo offers standard jackmonoinput and outputs and also amini stereo jack auxiliaryinputsoyou can import music fromCD and mp3 players. A USBsocket allows transfer of audioto and from computer aided bythe JamManager LoopLibrarian software, which is

designed to organise andarchive your loops.

InUseBefore you start recording aloop you have to first choose amemory location for it from the99 onboard - the number ofthecurrent location is shown onthe pedal's display and you canscroll through the memorieswith a pair of up/down buttons.Recordingan actual loop andplayingitback is prettystraightforward and canallbe done withthe pedal'sfootswitch - one push initiatesthe recording, a second endsrecording/sets the loop endpoint and starts playback, whiletwo quick pushes stops the loopplaying. A large LED lights upred, yelloworgreen to showwhich part ofthe cycle you arein, and there's a knob to set theloop level. You can make asmany overdubs to the loop asyou like with more pedalpresses, and ifyou make a messofone it can easiiybe undone bypressingthe pedal switch fortwo seconos.

There are bothvisual andsonic aids availableonboard to give you acount-in and help withthe timing of your looprecordings. You can seta tempo for your loop(with t-Eos flashingintime) eitherbytappingthe tempo button orhands-free with acouple ofpresses on thepedal switch ifyouhave the JamMan Soloset up in its 'pedaltempo'mode.Accompanyingthevisual clues, you alsoget a rhythm track, ifdesired. This has itsownvolume knob anda choice ofnine rhythmpatterns, from a simplemetronome clickthrough to varioussampled drum sounds,all available in varioustime signatures.

Once you're familiar withthe JamMan Solo it's reallyeasy to build up complex guitarIoops onthe flyin liveperformance or to quicklyrecord rhythm guitar parts topractise soloing over. As apractice aid, the pedal hasanother trick up its sleeve inthat loops can be sped up orslowed down withoutchangingthe pitch, making i ta real ly useful phrase-trainingasset into which you can loadtracks thatyou need to learn.

It's also possible to load itwithbackingloops (theJamMan Solo will convertstereo to mono). that can betriggered in live performance.But ifyou need to change loopshands-free during a song,perhaps change from a verse tochorus - somethingthat theJamMan Solo will doseamlessly at the end of thecurrently playingloop - you'dhave to plugDigiTech's FS3Xtriple footswitch into theJamMan Solo's footswitchsocket. That would somewhatdefeat the object ofa compactlooper by taking up more stagespace and you maybe better offpaying abit extra for the fuller-featured JamMan Stereo.

VerdictIfyou want to build loops onthe fly in live performance, orhave a pedal that is great forpractising parts and phrasetraining then the Solo willgive you all you need in averypractically sized package, andat a keen orice too. @

The Bottom LineWe l ike: Compact size: largememory (also expandable);c lear v isual t iming indicat ionWe dislike: Extra footswitchneeded i f you want to scrol lthrough loops handsJreeGuitarist says: Foot-control lable looping in ahandy sized stompbox

TheRivalsThe RC-2 Loop Station(S172) is BOSS's compactlooper pedal featuring up to16 minr-,tes of record t imeplus store and recal l for 11phrases. Both BOSS andDigiTech also have largerlooping pedals, and there areseveralaVailable fromothers. Line 6 s JM4 (S316)features up to 24 minutes ofrecording t ime. with extracapacity via an SD card slot,and dedicated footswitchesfor record/overdub andmore. Electro-Harmonix's2880 Super MultitrackLooper (5,249) includes a1GB card providing up to 31minutes per track.

DigiTechJamManSolo

PRICE: S,229TYPE: Looper/phrase sampler pedal0RlGlN: USAEXTRA FEATURES: Guide rhythmtracKsSAMPLING RATE:44.1 kHzADIDA C0NVERSI0N: 24-bitCONNEGTI0NS: 6.4mm jack guitarinput, 3.2mm mini stereo jack auxinput,6.4mm jack output (stereoheadphone compatible), USB,footswitch socketMEM0RIES:99 onboard (99 morewith optional SDHC card)DIMENSIONS:69.7 (l) x 127 (w)x 54.1mm (h)WEIGHT (kb/lb): 0.35/0.78POWER SUPPLY: Power adaotorPS200R (included)EXTRAS: JamManager LibrarianSoftwareOPTIONS: SDHC card. FS3Xfootswitch (152)RANGE 0PTl0NS: The JamlVanStereo (S,340) and.JamMan Delay(s387)Sound Technology UK01462 480000www.digitech.com

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