I mentioned the other day that American Musical Supply is blowing out
Yamaha Magicstomp pedals at a final cost of about $90 after rebate. I
bought one, and early impressions are favorable.
Out of the box, the unit contains a lot of preset sounds -- like various
types of amp and distortion emulation -- that don't work well with harp
at all, as well as a few such presets that are usable, maybe really good
with some tweaking. But you know, I don't have the stomach to do another
50 hours of tweaking on a box like this -- I've already done that with
the RP200. Note that all serious sound editing must be done via a
computer over USB -- the front panel only allows access to a maximum of
three parameters for any given effect. This immediately makes it less
tweakable onstage than the RP200, which allows EVERY parameter of any
given sound to be edited from the front panel of the device. If you
don't like editing patches on a computer, forget about this box.
My interest in the unit is largely about its reverbs, and these are very
high quality and almost immediately usable. Yamaha's website contains a
set of about 10 reverb presets that can be downloaded and transferred to
the UD-99 via USB. I did so, and found that the presets were obviously
designed for use in an effects send from a mixer, i.e. the reverb level
was set to 100% "wet.". Dialing back the wet mix from the device front
panel made them perfectly usable in-line between harp and amp, or in an
amp effects loop. It took about a half hour out of the box to get a
half dozen great reverbs set up for stage use. I expect to take another
half hour to tweak the hall and plate reverb presets into a half dozen
halls and plates of various sizes, and then I'll have a very nice set of
reverbs ready to go.
The unit's chorus, phasing, and flanging effects are very good, and some
of the presets include reverb into chorus or flange, which adds a nice
motion to the reverbs. Over time I expect to use these more frequently.
The unit is sturdy, and sets a new standard for "quiet." The effects
loop of my Peavey KBA-100 keyboard amp is ruthless when it comes to
amplifying noise from an effects device. I was astounded to find that
the UD-99 added zero perceptible noise to the loop, to the point that
you can't tell by ears alone that it's actually in the loop and turned
on. VERY impressive. This is the only stompbox I know of that's usable
both as a stage and studio reverb.
For those who have absolutely no interest in tweaking at all, the
Digitech X-series reverb is probably a better choice for a stompbox
reverb unit. For those willing to spend an hour or so setting their
reverb up for stage use, this device is well worth a look. It certainly
remedies the weak reverbs in my RP200, and it will follow the RP200 in
my effects chain from now on.
Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com
New live jammin' acoustic blues CD "All You Good People"
http://hunterharp.com/goodmain.html
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