DigiTech JamMan

When i first had the pedal,it took me some time to really understand how it works.The thing is that you gotta have PERFECT time to make loops with this,it means you must press the stop pedal SIMULTANEOUSLY with the end of your loop,or you will have the loop not running smooth.
But once you've mastered how it works,you will get addicted to this pedal,it means hours and hours of improvising and fun.
It sure helps improving your playing,if used in the right way.

The only thing i don't like is that the pedals must be pressed very deep,and you have to do a very quick shot with your feet on it.So it's not that naturaL to do,you must press very much with the foot.

I would have prefered two big buttons instead of these,so it's a 8/10.

Well this is where it really shines.
When you transfer your recording to the pc,you will hear exactly what you've recorded,16 bit 44.100.It's fantastic.

It looks really well builded and solid,except for,another time,the two pedals.
They dont seem so solid to me,they move a lot and they make
*clank clank*
I really fear that someday i will have to replace them after a lot of use.

Another thing,for the price this thing costs,a soft case(like the POD one,for understanding)would be really appreciated,especially if you want to use it live.

dont know,never had to do with Digitech.

I play basically rock with some funk and blues in it,and i record my chords and other stuff in it to improvising and write songs.
At first i was a bit disappointed because i couldn't make very "in time" loops,i always ended with some silence in it.
But after 10/15 minutes i started to loop,and stopped 2 hours later,so...well spended money!
Buy it,you wont regret it!!
I think i will never sell this unit,it's a lot inspiring jamming with yourself in front of the amp.

I will post a song recorded with it on the digitech website(forum/jamman section)so you can hear what you can do with this baby.

Other things i appreciated on the Jamman:
- power supply is included
- smart card is included
- virtually endless looping time(6.5 hours!!will you ever need more time?!!
- the rythm guide sounds are very musical,they don't disturb(example:cubase click.Arrgh it smashes your ears!!) :)

BUY IT!!

You've probably read reviews that the Jamman is hard to get a smooth loop out of. It takes getting used to. If you just imagine the opening note you play in your head... and your foot is going to "play" that note by stepping on the pedal...It might help in training yourself to get things right. It does take practice. It's nice that they postes basic instructions on the back of the pedal...but it seems you will always need the manual with this pedal to reveal the combination of buttons to push to clear the memory bank, format a new memory chip, get the tempo to work in 3/4 time...etc.

It does degrade your tone a bit. Not in a bad way, but it takes a bit of the sparkle out of the tone and replaces it with that same Digitech sterile quality you hear, for example, in one of their RP series multi-effects pedals. This occurs even when the pedal is "bypassed" On the up side, it's not noisy at all, and the repeats don't degrade in quality. SO no real defects, but it takes a bit of that presence out of your signal (even when it's off) But it doesn't degrade or become noisy easily even wityh overdubs.

Haven't ever dealy with Digitech on a reliability issue.

Ditto

This is the new kid on the block. The obvious selling point is the ability to store LOTS of loops and for a LONG 6 hours. (Something tels me that might be less if you overdub a lot on the loops.

One problem I've notice already with this pedal is that you have to have a strong signal going into it or the pedal, or it won't start and stop properly because it's not recognizing the signal. It drove me crazy (thinking it was defective) until I used it in my pedal board with the initial pedals boosting the signal. It won't run on batteries or the typiacl 300mA 9v
power in your pedal board.
It doesn't have "reverse" which some people complain about. It's an odd effect I have in my Boss delay pedal anyway. It doesn't have MIDI outputs if you are into that.
It DOES have a USB port that apparently lets you manipulate your loops and import and export them to your PC, but I haven't tried that feature yet to comment on it. It would be great for say, stealing the intro to Baba O'Reiley by the Who etc....
My friend has a Boss Loop Station and he's wanting to sell his to get THIS pedal because of the increased memory space and loop time. The sound quality between to two seem the same. And the price is very right. Something tells me this pedal might be seen a lot in the future...Until someone comes up with a looper that does all this AND acts as an 8 track recording station.

After you get your stomp-timing down, it's really easy to use. I've also owned (and returned) the RC20XL, which the JamMan is modeled after. Both units operate very similarly (if not exactly the same).

CD Quality 44.1kHz sound quality - What more could you ask for?

Digitech offers a Full 6 year warranty - How reliable is that? If they're willing to stand behind their product for that amount of time, then I think the JamMan will be very reliable!

Their website is the absolute bomb! It's the most comprehensive websites for any musical gear I've ever owned! Very detailed product descriptions and demos. They have phone support, email support and snail mail support. And to top it off, they host the best user forums for their products, in cyber-space! You can ask a question and it's almost a guarantee someone will come to your aid - that just absolutely ROCKS!

This is absolutely the best value in the world of looping - with it's ease of use, un-believeable feature set, CD sound quality, excellent customer and user support, and top notch Made in the USA quality - You'd be hard-pressed to find another product like the Digitech JamMan!

Its easy to use. About as easy as the RC20XL by Boss. Although, I found it was more difficult to get clean start and stop point on the loop. It doesnt seem to put in fades at the beginning and end like the Boss. So oy uget very abrupt changes unluess your punches are perfect. I am an experienced looper. I own a Repeater, a, RC20 and have had Echoplex's.

Sounds good. My problem other then the punching in and out, is that the record/play pedal makes a very loud clank if its pushed even slightly hard. This makes it very hard to be stealthy with it in a live performance. Again, the Boss has an edge here as well.
I can see where this pedal has its uses. The storage of loops, the size of the memory, etc. make it a useful studio tool. However, for live performance where your requirements are different, the Boss is better.

Don't know. I returned immediately.

Again, I dont know.

I can see where this pedal has its uses. The storage of loops, the size of the memory, etc. make it a useful studio tool. However, for live performance where your requirements are different, the Boss is better.

It's very intuitive, especially if you already own the Boss looper as I do. However, I have a huge problem with this device. I just want to plug in, noodle around, and then grab ideas on the fly, which is what I do with my Boss and Line 6 loopers. Starting recording is no problem with the Jam Man, but the problem arises when you try to stop. The loop end point doesn't generate at the moment you hit the rec pedal. There is a huge time gap before recording stops (at least half a second). It totally throws off the rhythm of your loop. This problem doesn't happen if you set the tempo first, but doing so creates a huge obstacle which blocks any spontaneous creativity.

I'm thinking mine might be defective because I can't believe anyone would put up with such a bad glitch. In fact, I came to harmony central looking for people with the same complaint. I'm going to play with another one at Guitar Center before I ask for my money back. If mine's not defective, this product is a joke.

It sounds great. It's way better than the Boss looper in this department.

Like every one else said, it's all metal. It's definitely built for the raod, which leads me to believe it's more of a "one-man-band" night club device rather than a serious creative tool.

However, one of the six buttons on the top of mine didn't make a solid click when pressed. If I keep it, I have a feeling it will eventually break.

I'm sure Guitar Center will let me try another one. As for Digitech, I'd rather not bother. If I'm not totally into something as soon as I start using it, I get my money back. It rarely happens because I do my research, and this device absolutely doesn't perform as advertised.

If it made seamless loops, this device would be the hub of my studio. With a two gig card in it, it would be a dream come true. I've been waiting for something like Robert Fripp's gear to become affordable for about ten years now. I guess I'll keep waiting.

This is my third looping pedal. I'd previously owned the Line 6 DL4 and still own the Boss RC20 (not XL). I've also played with the Boomerang.

It is very easy to get a good sound. Basically, if you know how to set up the inputs and loop level, it is a breeze.

The manual is pretty straightforward. No issues there.

I'm rating this a 9 only because looping pedals are a bit tricky for newbies. Not the fault of the looping device, more the fault of the looper (human).

Very clean sound. Much better than my Boss. What goes in is what comes out.

It seems to be built like a tank. Too soon to really tell, however.

Never dealt with them.

This unit's main feature that caused me to plunk down the cash is that you use compact flash cards to save your loops and it has a USB connection for interfacing with the computer. There are 99 user banks. Plenty for my needs. I'll load the thing with lots of backing sounds and then sound a lot fuller when I play my solo gigs.

I like the idea that I can create my loops on the computer and import them into the unit.

My only complain is that there is not a way to control the volume of the loop via a foot pedal without affecting the guitar's live volume. The Boomerang has a great roller pedal to do this. I'd love that feature.

This is an amazingly easy pedal to use! I was surprised by the simplistic layout of how it's made but the complex sounds you can get. I was using it as well as I had hoped an hour out of the box. It's super easy to use and figure out.

I'm using my Yamaha FG-345 'cause I'm a sucker for acoustics. I'm running the unit through my Yamaha MG10/2 (that's right, I'm a Yahama fan)and all ending at a Yorkville 100K Mixer Amp. I'm keeping everything relitively quite for now, but the volume is soon to increase. My favorite guitar player of all time is Jacob Moon who is a pro at looping. I've tried to play some songs of his and the accuracy is something to marvel at. The sound is incredible.

I've owned it for a few days, but I can say that it seems really well build. Heavy, that's for sure. I perform at least once a week by my lonesome and I intend on using it without a backup. Therefore, a 10, 'cause it's been dependable thus far.

I have not dealt with the company since buying the product, however, I have dealt with the company before with questions and such. They have been very helpful and comfortable to talk deal with.

I play Christian Praise and Worship infron of hundreds multiple times a week. I absolutley love what this product enables me to do. It has expanded my sound and playing ability further than I could ever imagine. It is definatly the best pedal I have bought. I give it a 10 overall 'cause it's brilliance. I would definatly recommend this pedal to anyone who asks and would buy another one if it got stolen or lost.

I bought this gear in germany and my supply had only a manual in english with it. Personally I've no problem with (the manual itself I would say is excellent) but nevertheless I think a manual in the language of the country things are sold should be possible even as there's a downloadable version at Digitech provided.

My very first impressions: What the hell is in that box, it's really heavy weight. Very solid (really like a tank) and well designed.

The Jamman is very intuitive to use and if one has little experience with that type of gear should be able to handle within minutes (if not, add 10 minutes)

Editing is very simple because of well marked knobs. Using Mic and Instrument at the same time and additionally mixing function (via input levels)- great idea.
Very good is the undo/redo function for overdubbings and the possibility to speed up/down a loop (in moderate range still quality is ok).
Setting rhythms is easy (also hand free possible) but I've not used it very much yet. As I understand there's no quantize function implementet and so I don't know how to use properly.
For my opinion especially the start/overdub footswitch is a bit too hard to push (and maybe if there were a pressur point it would give a better feeling). But it's not a serious problem, just needs to gettung used with.
Autorecord is also a very good thing, especially in combination with a separate footswitch.
Apropos Footswitch. This optional gear adds a separate dimension to the Jamman because of the possibility to switch between stored (and what a pitty, loops to switch between must be stored).

There's no possibility to safe a Loop hand free. To be honest, I expected this feature. Would have been very helpful (therefore the 8).

99 Loops to be stored should be enough but using all of them the 24 minutes recording space of the compact flash card has to be extended.
The Idea to store on compact flash cards and the possibility to use a Computer for archieving/editing loops is great. As every loop needs an additional file for the Looper (wich is generated by the Jamman by storing the loop automatically) I wonder if there is a possibility to "load" computer generated files directly via USB (without recording via AUX in)

I plug directly in a mixing console -- Sound played in comes out - that easy. No hiss, no noise, smooth transition at Loop ends, no problems and quality is excellent. I use it with acoustic guitars and Mic's for rehearsal (and meanwhile more and more just for improvisation - be prepared, it's addictive).

Seems to be very dependable - I trust in it, but I've used it for a too short periode of time to give a serious opinion

No problems yet therefore no contact

I've been playing for about 30 years now and searched a Looper like this for the last 2 Years. As the Boomerang is very difficult to get here in Germany there seemed to be no unit suitable for me on the market (I wanted not to be limitied by a few seconds, with the Boss unit I hesitated because as I tested it on once I felt the Sound quality with accoustic guitars not as good - and this is how I use it). Therefore I dealt a lot with Ambiloop (free PC based looping software) wich is great but you need a computer and Midi footswitch for controlling).

What I love: -- unwrap and play with a solid piece of equipment in combination with an excellent sound.

Wishes: Handfree storing of loops, Midi (for syncronizing with a drum computer) and maybe stereo).

If it were stolen or lost I'd try to get another one witzout hesitation

It has many functions, and it's not that hard to use'em.
However, there isn't even a single line about TroubleShooting in
manual. EASE OF USE? well, it wasn't easy. follow this review.

I WANT TO HEAR THE LOOPS.
(read more, you gonna understand this.)

Okay,brother,here's my story.

Features of This JamMan is way beyond than BOSS stuff or any other.
It's a Loop monster. USBs,1Gb of flash.. how sounds good this is !

HOWEVER.

In my case, I bought this with more than 300bucks,
this shit doesn't work anymore since I used it just for couple of hours. I used it and plugged it out,then plugged in this again,then
it doesn't work. ShXX's leds litting fine,looks okay,but it's just like your(and mine) MS windows when it shows you Blue screen.
No responses,and stomps and all the buttons don't work. leds are keep litting, nothing recorded,nothing played.

Read below.

So I sent an email to digitech for tech support,
in reply mail, they recommended me to use this shit with brand new flash media(CF). That was what I going to do, so I bought brand new TrescendCF 64MB. Then, I worked. Yeah! I screamed with joy.

But you know what?

After I plugged it out ang replugged in,
This XXXX DOESN'T WORK again, just same as past failure !!

How do they make this kind of shXX?!

Whatever happend, This is my personal Problem with gear.
BUT what I REALLY want to say is this.


NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY SOME PEOPLE STILL USE
BOSS/ROLAND AND OTHER'S,
AND NOW I REGRET THAT I'VE CHOSEN THIS.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH MINE ?

within a few minutes of manual scanning and a few seconds of tweaking it proved itself worthy of a new home. this is clearly Not made for drummer with all the knobs and tiny lights but it's perfect for sitting on top of a keyboard. I have little need for the metronome function and also wish the switches were flatter, like the boomerang, but these switches are still way better than the original jamman long throw variety. since all I do is improvise, with all the live tweakability, I doubt I ever put it on the floor. besides, it's so beautiful.

currently, I'm enjoying a fairly small set up. nord lead 2 and motif rack into a mackie mixer bussing out to a boomerang and kaoss 2. I'll probably put the jamman in the kaoss chain. sometimes I add a second boomerang and 3 loopers could make for some very interesting on the fly orchestrations.

contrary to the earlier review, the jamman is actually a 24-bit machine and extremely quiet. the only thing that bothers me here is the same thing the loop station and other such devices seem to have and that's the annoying glitch if you turn the loop off when it's sounding.

the boomerang doesnt do that. so, I'll have to give it a 9 despite its otherwise pristine sound quality.

havent had it long enough to know it Wont flazz out, but...

as mentioned, the first thing I noticed was the tank like construction quality. plus you can always tell by the feel of the knobs how professional the gear is and the jamman feels really good. very minor complaint, the loop selector knob is a bit soft so it's easy to stumble passed the number you want but that's more about touch than design. the ever present boomerang is my backup.

I'm guessing this bad boy is built to last, like my ageless digitech delay sampler from the early 80s.

unknown.

I improvise exclusively so loopers have always been a great way to create multiple orchestras between players. I usually play with an electronic drummer (using my old jamman) and a jamman weilding guitarist. we dont midi up the loops and that keeps it exciting.

the new jamman is intuitive, the controls are easy to manipulate and, I think, it will quickly become one of my favorite toys. with multiple inputs, the mixability may let me skip the mixer now and then. love the one load in set up.

what sold me initially was the undo feature. boomerang doesnt have it and I've been begging them to add one to their next generation. they've been telling me they will but that will be years from now.

plus the boomerang costs quite a bit more. dont get me wrong, the boomerang is a dream to play. it's great. but with these features at this price on the jamman...the competition just got a lot hotter.

this thing beats the snot outta the looping station and everything else I've seen for the price. it's the new bomb.