Well, it’s a done deal: NAMM 2021 is not happening; at least not in person. Companies had already begun to release new products throughout the year, a trend that will no doubt increase with no centralized show for which to save them. So… I will endeavor to up my new product release coverage, of course concentrating on those of interest to modern guitarists. First up, a cool bit reducer from EHX. and then a couple of new pedals in the Boss looper line.
Tired of standard overdrive, distortion, and fuzz pedals? Electro-Harmonix has introduce the Mainframe sample rate reducer and bit crusher equipped with comprehensive controls and features, as follows:
Sample Rate Reduction ranging from 48kHz to 110Hz
Bit Depth Reduction ranging from 24-bit to 1-bit
Selectable High/Low/Band-Pass filter to shape the artifacts of the bit crushing and sample rate reduction
Sample Rate Tuning Mode allows you to set the sample rate to match the key of a song, or continually adjust the sample rate based on what you play on your instrument
Programmable preset or expression pedal setting allows you to save your sound or control any combination of the Mainframe’s knobs with an external expression pedal
Secondary knob parameters allow you to fine-tune the Mainframe’s effect.
High quality buffered bypass and silent switching
The Mainframe comes equipped with a standard EHX 9.6DC200mA power supply and features a USA street price of $179.00.
Boss has updated the RC-20 Loop Station as the RC-5
Features include:
Advanced BOSS looping features in a compact footprint
32-bit AD/DA and 32-bit floating-point processing
Stereo looper engine with 13 hours of recording time
LCD with multi-color backlight for viewing loop status and editing parameters
Reverse function for infusing loops with interesting textures
Seven different drum kits and 57 preset rhythms with A/B variations
Support for expanded control via external footswitches, an expression pedal, or MIDI
Full MIDI I/O provided with space-saving mini TRS jacks (BMIDI-5-35 adaptor cable available separately)
Onboard storage for 99 phrase memories
Back up and load WAV loops via USB
And the RC-500 Loop Station whose features include:
Two-track looper with onboard mixing and deep control options
32-bit AD/DA and 32-bit floating-point processing
Stereo looper engine with 13 hours of recording time
LCD with multi-color backlight for viewing loop status and editing parameters
Mono/stereo inputs for easy pedalboard integration, plus independent XLR mic input with phantom power
Reverse function and Loop FX (repeat, scatter, shift, and vinyl flick) for dynamic and engaging loop performances
16 different drum kits and 57 preset rhythms with A/B variations
Support for expanded control via external footswitches, an expression pedal, or MIDI
Full MIDI I/O provided with space-saving mini TRS jacks (BMIDI-5-35 adaptor cable available separately)
Onboard storage for 99 phrase memories
Back up and load WAV loops via USB
Runs on four AA batteries or optional AC adaptor