[Harp-L] Re: Vox Stomplab IG



I spent an hour or so working with the Vox Stomplab IG.  The interface is still fiddly, but I've managed to produce a half dozen decent blues-rock amped tones for it, one of which is an uncanny match for the tone that I put together on the Digitech RP500 for the lead harp on my looped arrangement of "Key to the Highway"-- a big loud amped sound with a slapback delay.  In other words, the Stomplab sounds good, and it's pretty loud too.  

In fact, it's got a lot of stuff going for it at its price point of $70: a metal case and two metal footswitches, four bands of EQ on every patch, good FX, including nice delays and spring reverb plus a rotary speaker effect that sounds very good, and a broad selection of good-sounding amp and cabinet models, including some very crunchy ones.  I really like the echo models, which have a big fat sound that adds a lot of depth to the harp tone.  The architecture of a patch is very similar to the Digitech RPs, with 7 FX in a fixed order.  If the thing had a USB port, it would be terrific.  Unfortunately, the Stomplabs don't.

So an interesting device.  I'll post a clip or two soon.

Regards, Richard Hunter

Richard Hunter wrote:
<The Vox Stomplab IG is a full-blown multiFX device that includes amp modeling, dynamics processing, a rnage of FX, delay, and reverb, all in a two-<button stompbox design that runs on 4 AA batteries and sells new for under $70.  I've had good experiences with Vox modeled amps, and I decided to <give this box a try, especially because I'm not yet entirely satisfied with any of the battery-powered devices that I use for jam sessions and <other situations where setup time is at a premium and AC isn't always conveniently located.  
>
>The IG arrived from Sweetwater Sound yesterday, and I have a few first impressions.  The form factor is very nice: smaller than a Digitech RP155, <and very lightweight.  The overall design could be improved.  Yes, it runs on batteries, but to load the batteries you have to remove the rubber <feet from the bottom of the device with a screwdriver.  Whatever happened to removable panels?  The device's layout and user interface is fiddly <and a bit complicated; most of the controls serve two functions at least, and the functions are coded as 2-digit mnemonics on the display, which <means that you either memorize what all those 2-digit codes mean, or keep the manual close by while programming.  The same issue applies to the <RP155, but the RP can be programmed using Digitech's very good Xedit program; the Stomplab has no USB port, so you can't connect it to a computer <for editing, saving, and loading patches.  in other words, programming this thing is more difficult than I'd prefer.
>
>The programmable memory is also much less extensive than the RP155's: 20 user slots instead of 50.  However, keeping in mind that I bought the <thing for use in jam sessions, where you usually only need a few good sounds at most, that may not be a problem. 
>
>I haven't plugged the thing in yet to hear how it sounds, but I'm generally expecting that it sounds good; certainly my Vox DA5 mini-amp sounded <very good, and Brandon Bailey chose the much larger Vox VT-30 (which uses many of the same amp and FX models) for his stage rig, so Vox's <electronics don't suck.  I'm kind of scratching my head over how I might sell patches for this device, given that there's no way to do an <electronic patch transfer, and if I offer patches in written form, the user has to deal with that fiddly interface to get the device set up.
<>
>At a price point of $70, I guess one has to accept some significant limitations.  Anyway, I'll plug this thing in tonight and hear it in action.  <Stay tuned for further commentary.
>




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