Digitech RP100A Artist processor

David Doggett · Posted 26 Apr 2004 5:51 am

Anybody tried one of these for pedal steel? My POD XT was stolen a few months back, and to replace it I decided I didn't need all that stuff. All I really need are some reverb choices, delay, and some raunchy controlled distortion for playing slide guitar blues licks on pedal steel. This is the middle priced Digitech processor ($99), without a pedal. I'll mostly be using it with a Dual Showman or Vibrasonic head through a 15" speaker.

I've just read throught the instruction manual, and haven't really started playing with it yet. It looks a little easier to program than the POD. It has 40 user presets, 40 factory presets (with fairly accurate descriptive names like Clean Tube, Scoop, Gainster, Crunch, Studio Clean, etc.), and 40 artist presets.

The irritating part is that you can't build your user presets from scratch. They all start as a duplicate of one of the artist presets. So you have to separately bypass each of about 11 effects to get a clean slate to start on. Of course the 40 artists are six-stringers, most of whom I never heard of, and their settings are mostly unhelpful.

I'll update this after I've experimented a little more. Just curious if others have had good or bad experiences with the latest Digitech processors.

Kevin Macneil Brown · From: Montpelier, VT, USA

I use an RP 100 for stage and studio. It's a very useful modeler for direct recording of guitars and steels; you do need to mess with the presets quite a bit to build a sound for steel. There's a definite graininess to the sound; I find it better for vintage-ey sounds than I do for clean and hi-fi (I also use a tube pre-amp, which helps to add girth and smooth out the sound.)
It's fine live; I just use one or two self-tweaked presets for some reverb and delay, maybe some tremolo; I skip the cabinet and mic models on stage.
I have noticed that the pedals can be sticky and tricky for scrolling. I've also found that I have to be careful with the out-put level going into my amp, or I get some crackly, definitely un-musical clipping.
Hope this helps.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Great live
Too noisy (white noise / hiss) for the studio to these old ears.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

David Doggett · Posted 27 Apr 2004 5:37 am

Okay, I played with it a little last night while rehearsing with my blues group. The noise gate that is in every preset doesn't work with my volume pedal (Hilton), so the first thing you have to do to try each preset is turn that off. I presently go from my Hilton volume pedal to the Digitech processer to the input jack of my Dual ShowmanReverb. I'm wondering if the noise gate would be a problem if I put my volume pedal after the processor.

I was playing my POD XT through a Nashville 400, and I didn't really care for it. The louder you played, the more it sounded like the Peavey solid state and the less it sounded like whatever was supposed to be modelled. Not good. But this time, with the grand old tubes of the Dual Showman shining through, all the models sound really good. Most of them aren't to my taste for steel, but they sound good for what they are. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to find something that sounds good for me. I just wish the people who design these things would give us some blank user presets to start with. It's a helluva lot easier to add the two or three effects you want than it is to click through the whole list turning everything off.

ROBERT MYERS · From: HEDGESVILLE, W.VA. USA

David, when I bought my rp100 and first tryed it I just about got blowed off my seat with what the factory settings are so I went and erased everything in the user patches and then just started over. It's not hard to program at all once you get use to it. I've got about 20 right now and still add a few when I get time.Good luck with it I think you will like it.

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Bob Myers Derby SD10 3&4
S10 Emmons p/p Nashville 400

David Doggett · Posted 29 Apr 2004 5:51 am

Okay, it'll be trial by fire tonight on a blues gig. Last night I replaced all the artist presets in the 40 user presets with the 40 factory presets, with the noise gate turned off on each one. The noise gate cuts in abruptly at some random point on my volume pedal. Putting the pedal after the processor solves that, but the processor sounds tinny that way. At least with the factory presets there is some description of what to expect; whereas, I have no clue what to expect from the artists they used - and clicking through them I found nothing usable. A few of the factory presets are usable to put a little grit in my Dual Reverb tone for dirty blues, which is what I got the processor for.

One question I have is, how do you know what the settings are in each factory preset? Once you touch one of the control knobs it jumps to where the knob is, and you don't know where it was to start with. And what are the numbers and symbols it keeps cycling through when you hit the select button?

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

Dave,
The numbers and 'code' that flashes when you are in edit mode ARE THE SETTINGS.

e.g., go to EQ
say your settings are Bass 5; Mid -3; Treble 2
this will flash by:
P1 / 5 then P2 / -3 then P3 2
those are the bass, mid, treble parameters (Parm 1, 2, 3)

Same goes for the Fx and other functions -- there are 3 settable parms for each and that's what flashes on the LCD.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

David Doggett · Posted 29 Apr 2004 8:56 am

Ooohhh..., now I get it. I sort of thought it might be something like that, but the Ps threw me. So now it does seem to be a pretty straight forward processor.

One irritating thing about all these processors is that the volumes are so different on the different presets. Steelers have some protection with our volume pedal. Without the noise gate, the noise is a big clue. When you select a preset and hear your amp give you a standing ovation, you can be pretty sure you have a Big Muff volume that will knock you off your packaseat if you aren't careful with your foot. You would think six-stringers would want to be able to change their sound between presets without drastically changing volume. If you wanted a little volume boost on some presets, you could store them that way. As it is, you have to store any preset you want to use, then go back and forth between your stored presets adjusting the volume to approximately the same level. I'm guessing the computer geeks who program these things figure that the mouth-breathers who like the Big Muff presets don't have the mental capacity to know to turn up the volume if they want it maxed out.

Well, anyway, thanks, Larry.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

I've never used a setting from the factory presets on any device I've ever owned. They are worthless. I don't like Peavey FEXes, so I've used just about every brand out there: Digitech, Alesis, TC, Boss/Roland, etc. Each has a different user interface and features, but some things are common. E.g., you have to be very careful on multi-fx devices to get the gain structure just right or else it will make unwanted noise.

My current favorite is the Boss GT-6. Has KNOBS for EVERYTHING. You can turn off/on and adjust one or two parameters for Reverb, Chorus, Delay, set the EQ and gain for the preamp, and a bunch of other stuff RIGHT FROM THE FRONT PANEL. I used to use separate fx units to get that array of knobs I needed, but the GT-6 is really all I use these days. Check it out.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 29 April 2004 at 02:56 PM.]

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