Second Impressions on the Digitech RP360/360XP
Digitech has officially released the RP360/RP360XP, and it’s an interesting box. A few highlights:
Bigger, Louder, Deeper: The Mackie Th15A Thump
I was given a Mackie Thump TH15A powered speaker this Christmas, and I’ve replaced my Peavey KB2 with it in my rig. The Mackie is louder, deeper, and lighter-weight than the Peavey. The Mackie has 400 watts divided between the woofer, which is a 15″…
What a Difference a Mic Makes, Part 2 (of 2)
I published samples recently of a set of blues licks played with three different mics–the Shure 545SD, Audix Fireball, and Bottle o’ Blues–through my Digitech RP500 with a patch of mine that models a Gibson GA-40 amp and cabinet. The clear conclusion I came to…
Got Pitch (shifting)?
Harmonica players tend to play traditional roots-based styles (like blues) with traditional equipment, and lots of harmonica players have never tried out the sorts of FX that guitarists have been using with great success for a long, long time. We’re going to talk about one…
What a Difference a Mic Makes, Part 1 (of 2)
I get a lot of requests to make patches sound tougher and more distorted. (Nobody ever says “make something that sounds angelic.” I do it anyway.) Anyway, I realized recently that I’ve been focused on making the patches in the RP tougher, and I haven’t…
Checking out the new amp models in the RP500
I’ve been working on new sounds for the Digitech RP500–no surprise there–and I’m having a lot of fun with the Gibson GA40 and Digitech Blues amp models, neither of which are available on the RP355 and down. The GA40 amp model is a raw-throated kind…
Recording for Lowlands with the RP355
I’ve done a few recordings with the Italian band Lowlands, and a few weeks ago Ed Abbiatti, the leader, sent me some rough mixes for their next record and asked me to lay down some tracks. It was another opportunity to check out the RP355…
How to Set Your RP Up for Multi-Layered Looping
Now that the Huntersounds v17 Patchset for Digitech RP500 is shipping, I’ve started configuring my RP500 for live performance, which means adding in patches that are song-specific and setting up the sequences of patches that I use in my looped performances. Every looped song is…
Pedalboard Mode on the RP500 is, Like, Perfect
I’ve written previously about pedalboard mode on the RP355, and it’s certainly a nice feature. But it takes some fancy footwork to get in and out of it. Pedalboard mode on the RP500 is much, much better. On the 355, once you enter pedalboard mode–where…
The Bug in the RP’s LFOs
I give my Digitech RP355 and RP500 pretty good workouts when it comes to exploring their features and functions. One of the things I like on these devices is their twin LFOs–low frequency oscillators–which give you lots to work with when you’re looking for complex…
