DigiTechDIG0182 FreqOut Natural Feedback Creator Guitar Effects Pedal

I almost passed on the DigiTech CabDryVR after discovering that my Hotone XTOMP already had an assortment of cab sims that worked pretty well, but I read enough good things about the CabDryVR that I wanted to give it a try so I didn't lock up my XTOMP for a very limited purpose. The CabDryVR is a standalone cabinet simulator, but it's capable of a lot of different functions that are useful for playing direct, recording, or even just blending different cabinet sounds for a unique stereo setup.What you get with the CabDryVR is access to 7 different guitar cabs and 7 bass cabs. I'm kind of a nerd, so I made a very small reference table that I taped onto the front of the unit, after digging around for what the various cabs were based off of:GUITAR CABSG1 - Fender 2x12" (Eminence)G2 - Vox AC30 (Celestion V30)G3 - Marshall Slant 4x12" (Greenbacks)G4 - Marshall Straight 4x12" (Celestion 75T)G5 - Mesa Dual Rec 4x12" (Celestion V30)G6 - Custom Cab 4x12" (K85)G7 - Fender Champ 1x8" (Eminence)BASS CABSB1 - Flexy 1x15"B2 - Basic 1x15"B3 - Big Blue 1x18"B4 - AmeriTweed 4x10"B5 - Gold Diamond 4x10"B6 - Vintage Fridge 8x10"B7 - Blonde Basement 2x12"There are dual inputs and outputs (labeled "A" & "B"), and you can do a variety of things with this setup. You can run just run a standard instrument signal (mono) and apply a cabinet to that as a mono output. You could also split a mono signal into two channels to send to two different speakers, using the same or different cab simulators. You can also set "A" to a cab sim, and then "B" to Dry, and then you have the ability to send out a cab sim single plus a dry signal to play into a guitar amp (or capture in a DAW for use with cabs/reamping in the program). I believe you can also run two completely isolated signals through each input/output, so it could service two instruments at the same time (have not tried this). And there are probably countless other possibilities for using the CabDryVR that I'm either forgetting or are beyond my more limited needs.Why did I want a cab simulator in the first place? Well, I have a pretty good collection of both gain pedals and amp-in-a-box pedals, most of which are designed to go into the front end of a combo amp or head and shape the tone that way. But there are a lot reasons you might want to play directly into a mixer or recording interface, not to mention the obvious fact that you don't need to lug a 30-pound amp around. Distortion/overdrive pedals like the Wampler Pinnacle and Ramble FX Marvel Drive are "preamps", so they have the necessary output to play direct like this. But without a cabinet simulator in between, the frequencies they put out are harsh and abrasive to the point of being unlistenable. By running my favorite gain pedals into the CabDryVR, I have a completely believable amp sound that can be easily recorded or monitored using FRFR speakers or headphones. Throw in a reverb pedal just before or after the cab sim, and you can further expand your sounds. And it's all done without a guitar amplifier anywhere in the signal chain.There is a 3-color LED that indicates whether the pedal is set for guitar or bass (adjusted with toggle switch on the top), and it apparently flashes red if you are "clipping", which happens when you introduce too strong a signal to the input of the device. When recording, it's also nice to have a separate level control for the cabinet, as opposed to just the preamp pedal. It's a nice way to attenuate volume/output without changing the gain structure of your tone.Not much has disappointed me about the CabDryVR yet, except that I wish there were just a few more guitar cab options. Some people have complained that you can't use a guitar cab on one output and bass cab on the other, though I believe DigiTech noted a workaround by using B4 as a guitar amp, since I believe it is based off a Fender Bassman (a vintage amplifier originally designed for bass, but popularized as a guitar amp). Also, there is a "size" control for each amp, but it is actually more of a resonance control. It can be a bit touchy, and if set wrong, the CabDryVR won't do much to tame the harsh frequencies of the signal that comes before it.I should also note that this is a digital product running impulse response files (IR's) with very low latency. As such, it draws about 200mA, and needs to be run with a power supply/wall adapter, not a battery. DigiTech probably should have included their adapter, which they have with several similarly priced products, but it must have been a bit of a challenge to hit a $150 price point with this product, so perhaps that is why it was omitted.The best thing about the CabDryVR is how much functionality it adds to the gear that I already own. Competitor products would include the AMT Chameleon Cab (cheaper) or Pangea IR loader (about $100) more. There are tons of excellent cab sims, but virtually all of them cost about double what this one does. I think the CabDryVR is excellent for both gigging musicians (in need of a backup option or the ability to send their pedal board directly to a club PA) and many home guitarists (who benefit from the added flexibility of playing into a mixer or recording direct without needing to get an amp involved).

As a studio tool it’s somewhat useful but for stage use it’s great. No longer do you need intense volume and specific proximity to the amp or monitor to get your feedback. Now it’s just the push of a button. It doesn’t sound completely natural but with practice you can get it to a point to where it’s indistinguishable from real feedback.Best part you won’t lose your hearing trying to get it to scream!It is a one-trick-pony in terms of ability but, man, it’s earned a full time spot on my pedal board.

super

Se lleva perfecto con los demás pedales lo agregue al principio de la cadena y se lleva bien con pedales análogos y digitales

Digitech es posiblemente, junto a EHX, una de las marcas que más variedad de pedales nos ofrecen a un precio bastante comedido.Este pedal cumple con lo que promete, un feedback bastante creíble a unos volúmenes bajísimos. Ya no hace falta subir la ganancia hasta 10 o hacer equilibrios delante del altavoz para conseguir este efecto.El feedback consigue seguir el bending de la nota sin mucho problema, consiguiendo un efecto muy realista con respecto a otros efectos digitales de feeback.Tiene dos potenciómetros (uno de ellos con doble control) que controlan tanto el volumen del efecto como el tiempo que tarda el efecto en aparecer y otro para controlar el tipo de feedback (suboctava, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, natural low, y natural high).Sin embargo este pedal se queda en un casi perfecto, ya que a pesar de conseguir un buen efecto, peca de una falta de refinamiento en su programación que acaba limitando su uso.El primero de ellos es el tiempo de duración del efecto, es muy corto, aproximadamente 6 segundos. Esto nos limita bastante y quedaría mejor si se prolongase hasta los 10 segundos por lo menos, ya que a veces requerimos de un feedback bastante prolongado. A su favor está que si seguimos haciendo bending puede continuar alimentando el efecto quizá unos 4 segundos más, pero pocas veces lo consigue prolongar tanto.El segundo es la ganancia del efecto, es bastante difícil buscar un volumen adecuado y dejarlo ahí como un always-on, prácticamente hay que toquetearla cada vez que cambiemos de tema. Ya que la diferencia de volúmenes es bastante notable dependiendo de los efectos que activemos en nuestra pedalera.Le siguen sus switches, tiene dos, uno de ellos encargado de hacer el footswitch momentáneo o permanente y el otro dedicado a hacer la señal dry o wet (en dry la señal que sale es sólo la del efecto).Desgraciadamente para usarlo como momentáneo, es decir pulsar y mantener pulsado el footswith cuando queramos el efecto, tenemos que pasar por un buffer; dejando nuestra señal a merced de este. Y, a mi pesar, no es el mejor buffer in-pedal del mercado.Si lo colocamos en permanente (off) el efecto solo se activa cuando pulsamos el footswitch y debemos volver a pulsarlo para desactivarlo, sin embargo siempre se cuela un pop eléctrico al hacerlo, lo cual es bastante negativo.Y el último, el más desilusionante de todos, es el fade-out del efecto (desvanecimiento). Prácticamente se corta a los 6 segundos, u 8 si conseguimos alargarlo. Parece un fallo garrafal de programación de este pcb, ya que le quita toda la ilusión de ser un efecto de feedback perfecto.Se coloca al principio de nuestra cadena, y normalmente si tenemos reverb o delay este corte se consigue disimular algo, pero sigue siendo bastante evidente. A veces es un corte ligeramente suave, pero por lo general el tiempo de fade-out es cortísimo, dándonos una sensación de corte inmediato.Es un buen pedal, y posiblemente el único del mercado en conseguir un efecto de tan difícil control al alcance nuestros pies, pero esos problemas finales lo dejan en un pedal que se acaba limitando a si mismo. Quizá algún día saquen una segunda versión u otra marca se anime a emular este efecto y pulir esos detalles finales.