If you are looking for a compact looper pedal with full stereo functionality, a heap of phrase recording features, and the capability to sync it up with other units, your ship has officially come in, and it is called the JamMan Solo HD, brought to you by DigiTech.
It might not take up much pedalboard real estate but it could well have all the looping power any guitarist could need and then some. DigiTech is bullish on the JamMan Solo HD’s capabilities, promising that it raises the bar for looping.
“From coffee-houses to subway platforms, backyard parties to arena stages, the recording studio to the living-room, DigiTech’s updated Solo HD is the pinnacle of compact stereo phrase looper development,” it says. And it has put some considerable specs behind this claim.
There is a whopping 35 minutes of onboard storage time, with up 32 hours in total – from 200 memory slots – should you choose to insert the MicroSD card. You can record stereo loops of up to 10 minutes.
This is very much a next-gen JamMan Solo XT and the apple has not fallen too far from the tree, with all the same functionality available here.
We still have the stereo looping, the selectable Stop Modes, Auto Record, and JamSync feature that allows Jedi-trained loop users to effectively daisy chain these with compatible units for via a pair of 1/8” connections on the top of the unit to create even more complicated tracks.
There is a footswitch input, which allows you to perform a variety of functions should you have a DigiTech FS3X footswitch to hand. The FS3X is priced around £30 street, sold separately, and can be used to cycle through your loop presets, use tap tempo, stop and clear loops, making it an even more performance-friendly tool.
One cool feature is the capability to change the tempo on your loops, on the fly, without changing the pitch of the loop, and without any glitches.
Buskers and open-mic soloists are the obvious demographic for any looper pedal, and it is not any different here, but loopers are similarly useful as a writing tool, and with so much memory available, this could be a secret weapon when composing tracks.
DigiTech JamMan Solo HD review
"A powerful tool for the live guitarist, the huge storage and ability to load your own loops make it an instrument in its own right..."
Players can also incorporate music from an external source. Loops can be mixed, matched and managed via the JamManager HD software; just hook it up to your computer via USB. Under the hood, there is a 32-bit A-D/D-A audio converter ensuring that your playback is crystal clear.
For more details, head over to DigiTech. The JamMan Solo HD is priced £/$249. MusicRadar’s verdict? It “offers huge potential for a variety of looping needs. A powerful tool for the live guitarist, the huge storage and ability to load your own loops make it an instrument in its own right.” Read our review here.
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