Tech 21

It's a pedal with a built-in Sansamp, meaning a preamp with speaker simulation, plus a delay, a Plexi simulation and a 21dB boost. It's analog, with very sensitive controls, all of which have a real impact on sound. I use it live with a mixing console. So the Sansamp and the speaker simulation must always be active. UTILIZATION Very easy setup, if you know how to dial in an amp. Unfortunately, it has no memory, so settings can't be recalled The controls are a bit small for live editing, besides being very sensitive. Simple and clear manual with sound examples. SOUND QUALITY The Sansamp part is great. You really have the impression of listening to a very good tube amp, some of which don't even sound as good as this pedal, at least, to me. And it has a reverb, which many tube amps don't. The clean sound is quite all right. Increasing the drive you can get a light and very nice crunch. Everything is very responsive to the volume pot on the guitar. I use it with a Mexican Telecaster. The Sansamp part is truly interesting. But that's something I already knew, since I have already used similar Tech21 products. The Plexi sound is very... Plexi. You can really hear that fat Hendrix tone. A simple F#m7 on the 9th fret and, voilà, Foxy Lady is in the house! But that might be it's biggest defect. The sound is huge, apocalyptic, and a bit muddled when strumming the lower stings. Furthermore, the mixer input level is not very high. The delay is convincing and you can even get a chorus, depending on the settings. The boost... boosts, but it lacks a bit of oomph when the Sansamp + Plexi are engaged. I think it's more convincing only with the Sansamp. OVERALL OPINION It's a good all-in-one pedal. However, it doesn't quite suit my rhythm playing. This pedal has a big personality, but in my view as someone who is not good enough for solos and plays rhythm guitar in a band, it's not sharp enough, it's too fat, with lots of lows. It will probably do the trick for a '70s-like band with only one guitar player, but not for me. You really need to test it under the conditions you are going to use it. At home it was very good. I tested it live with another guitarist and I wasn't really convinced by it. I'm actually looking for an amp head in pedal format. On paper it's pretty convincing. In reality...I'll keep my AMT M2, which sounds really good.

Tech 21 in one of the most resourceful companies on the market today They have products in the hands of amateur musicians and professional musicians around the world. They have successfully provided the industry with pedals and effects that have been used to accompany many players rigs and clubs. They have successfully developed one of the most used power amps on the market today. This bass preamp is one of the most used on the market. This rack unit allows you to: * Show up at any studio with just a SansAmp RBI and plug directly into the board for premium tones without miking. * Gig with the SansAmp RBI directly through the house PA without using a separate amp. * Go to a gig with a SansAmp RBI, a Bass Power Engine 60 and run directly through the house P.A. system. * Take a more traditional set-up to a gig with a SansAmp RBI, power amp and speaker cabinet, and run directly through the house P.A. system. UTILIZATION Tech 21 SansAmp RBI Features: * Drive adjusts the overall amount of gain and overdrive. * Presence brings out the upper harmonic content and attack. * Blend allows you to mix the direct instrument signal with SansAmp Tube Amplifier Emulation circuitry. * Active Bass and Treble controls cut or boost ±12dB. * Dedicated Mid control, cut or boost ±12dB. * Individual Level control for the XLR out to optimize your amp's output relative to the P.A. system. * Effects Loop. * Mix 50/50 switch to configure the Effects Loop in series or parallel. * Quarter-inch rear input and XLR output with selectable levels. * Buffered uneffected XLR output to run a dry signal to a separate channel. * Footswitch input to engage unit. * Footswitch output to chain and toggle between another SansAmp RBI. SOUND QUALITY The preamp rack unit is a remarkable piece of gear. This has preamp has the ability to serve multiple function whether it be direct or in unison with a power amp. The tone of this amp is fantastic. You get a warm tone even for a none tube bass amp. This thing still sings great warmth with ease. This unit works well going direct in a house pa system and even if you want it to go into a power amp into a speaker cabinet it will sound equally as refreshing. The drive control in great for getting those dirty bass tones that hang with the drummer with feel and style. The presence knob is amazing too which allow you to dial it in better when using the normal configuration of power amp and speaker cabinet and felling out the room sound. This knob will give you a better control over how the amp performs and fills the air as rooms change if you are gigging in different places night after night. OVERALL OPINION At new this preamp come in right at around $329, which is a great price for how good this thing sound. It does top the performance of the foot controllers from Tech 21. This does present a better overall tone and feel compared to the Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI Programmable and the bigger brother the Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver Deluxe. Those units are great for what they do but they are no match for the tone and clarity of this rack bass preamp.

Small overdrive/distortion pedal (it's truly somewhere in between), with a very "boutique" tone. Gain, level, tone, warp (which controls the type of harmonics, solid-state/tube, progressively). UTILIZATION It's easy to dial in if you have a good pair of ears, and even if you don't. The distortion rate is not very high (average for metal), and it's a bit noisy. SOUND QUALITY I struggle to find good distortions, with a guitar that sometimes makes my life pretty hard (mid-scooped sound with a lot of output power, so the sound is muddled or fuzzy-yuck sometimes). This one is one of the few that respects the sound of my guitar. Its tone is not very shapeable, so you'll need to work with it. I'd say it has a '70s rock sound, without being a fuzz, it's perfect to play Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple. It's neutral in a way, so it will leave you enough room to create your own sound depending on your amp. The warp control is not a gimmick, it will allow you to define the modernity of the tone. This is one of the rare distortion pedals that allows me to turn down the volume pot on the guitar and get an almost clean sound, which means it respects the sound of the guitar! OVERALL OPINION I use it with a Delta Blues, when I need a more rock or more modern sound than with the built-in overdrive. The noise is a drawback. The first finish in brushed aluminum was nice, but you'll find it in a more discreet black casing, but it's the same pedal. I tested quite a few other models, I won't tell you what I think about the DS1, Rat, because it's a matter of taste, but they don't convince me, like many other "new" products (mxr-cae, visual route 66, bbe, etc.). The small marshalls, which are really flexible (sometimes in excess, like the jackhammer, which can really turn into a Rube Goldberg machine) don't have any personality. The Blackstars don't really offer results on a par with their technology (and their price tag), but they are certainly more "classy" in terms of sound than the Vox, which are more biting. No, for the time being, I haven't found a better solid-state pedal than the XXL. Xotic is the only brand I haven't tried yet.

The Vox AC30has always been one of my favorite amps. It has a darker characteristic to them them that is very appealing and full of tone. This pedal is the pedal that attempts to emulate the tone and voicing of a British Vox Ac30. The Vox Ac30 is one of those amps that is really timeless now a days. The reason is that the Beatles used it as their main amps and now many players have inspired to sound like the Beatles gravitate towards the tone of a Vox Ac30. Tech 21 as done a great job of emulating the voicing of those amps and correctly naming the pedal the Liverpool after the boys in the Beatles. This pedal sound pretty good and convincing enough for a pedal when using it directly to you computer. If you use it in front of an amp it doesn't sound anything like the Vox CA30. And that is the trick to these character series pedals from Tech 21. You need to use it as a direct into protools or whatever for it to retain the nature of the what it is going for. UTILIZATION Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series Liverpool Pedal Features: Authentic-sounding tones, from jangle to top-boost growl Six level-, tone-, and drive-shaping controls (Level, Mid, Character, Drive, Low, and High knobs) Switchable speaker emulation Use as a stompbox, preamp, or standalone recording tool Proven SansAmp quality and reliability SOUND QUALITY This thing can do the BEatles tones very easiliy. You can dial it in for a nice crunch ala Brian May and Queen. You can also get a good Edge tone from U2 with this pedal, just by dialing in the character control knob and smooth out the drive a little bit. Use a nice Fender Stratocaster and get the mids to around 2:00 and the bass and treble at around 11:00. The character should be around 2:0 and the drive at 3:00. Then just set you level to your desired volume. There you will have a great tone for the the Edge tones. Now all you will need is a delay pedal and you're on your way. OVERALL OPINION At new these pedals come in at around $169, which is not a bad price for this pedal. It does sound like a Vox Ac30. However it sounds like garbage when running in the front of an amp. This pedal only really sound good when using it direct into you computer. I feel it looses some of its character when running in front.

The Tech 21 SansAmp GT2 is an analog guitar effects pedal. Kind of the first modeler before there was digital. The SansAmp GT2 is a direct-in or preamp-in tube amplifier emulator. Basically, that means this product helps the user reproduce that warm, natural sound of a tube amp, all while allowing the tonal personality of the instrument to remain unaltered. To go a step further, the GT2 doesn't just emulate a "generic" tube sound, but instead can be adjusted to emulate the tones of some of the worlds greatest tube amps like Fender, Marshall, and Mesa/Boogie. And the best part is that getting these great tones is easy. The pedal is analog so it directly cannot be edited with a computer. It has a regular 1/4" jack in and out and a 9v adapter in. UTILIZATION It is easy to get a great sound. The SansAmp GT2 has 4 guide knobs and 3 "Character" switches. The "Drive" knob controls the overall amount of gain and overdrive. The "High" and "Low" knobs are active tone controls. As the manual states, boosting Low and High compensates for the limited range of speaker cabinets and combos. The "Level" knob adjusts the output level without altering any of the tonal characteristics. There are 3 "Amp" switch settings located on the SansAmp GT2 and each one represents a different style of amplifier. The "Tweed," "British," and "California," represent the Fender-style, Marshall-style, and Mesa/Boogie-style, respectively. The "Mod" switch is used to influence the gain of the Amp-style selected. Clean" resembles a stock tube amp set up, while "Hi-Gain" and "Hot-Wired" push out a more overdriven sound. The last of the character switches is the "Mic" switch. Here the "Classic" setting increases the mid-range and gives greater definition to the notes. The manual recommends this for classic early tube amp sounds and for live applications. The "Center" setting gives greater high mid-range and increased low end, and is recommended for getting a bigger, stronger crunch sound. And the "Off-Axis" setting is similar to the Center setting, but produces a smoother sound with less upper mid-range. The manual is clear and sufficient. SOUND QUALITY The sound quality is very good. There are many options available for it being analog. I have used it live with guitars and have recorded guitars and bass with it. The bass recorded and the hi-gain Boogie tones are my favorites and it does pretty good cleans, too. I didn't like the Marshall tones too much- just sounded a bit thin to me. OVERALL OPINION For what this is and what it did before there was a lot of digital modeling, it is a nice piece of equipment. I like the recorded bass and hi gain Boogie sounds the most. Value for the money is good and they can still be bought used for a good price if you want to experiment. I think these pedals work best with direct recording and can be used live if you really need to. I did not try other models before getting this - there weren't too many options back then. I would make the same choice back then - but now there are so many options for this type of thing like Line6 and Fractal - I would explore the alternatives. So I'll give it an 8 for what it was back in the day and a 5 for this era.

Tech 21 in one of the most resourceful companies on the market today They have products in the hands of amateur musicians and professional musicians around the world. They have successfully provided the industry with pedals and effects that have been used to accompany many players rigs and clubs. They have successfully developed one of the most used power amps on the market today. They don't' stop with there but continue to break down the competition with useful direct boxes such as this one. SansAmp Para Driver DI Features * Active tone controls with 12dB of cut or boost * Sweepable semi-parametric EQ * 1/4-inch 4.7 megOhm instrument level input * 1/4-inch and XLR outputs with selectable levels * Parallel, uneffected output to run a dry signal to a separate channel UTILIZATION Sample Settings Included in the Owner’s Manual for : * Acoustic Guitar * Mid-Boost Guitar * Champ * Money for Nothing * Sparkle Electric Guitar * Schenker * Deep Tube Bass * SVT Bass * Jaco Bass * Lead Bass * Upright Bass * Active Bass Simulator * Electric Violin * Clean Boost * Electric Piano * Hammond Organ * Hip-Hop Drums * Kick Drums * Snare Drum * Stomp Box (Compressor) Direct-Clean * Stomp Box (Distortion) Direct-Rock * Stomp Box (Distortion) Direct-Metal SOUND QUALITY This little box is a sound man's dream setup for direct boxing an acoustic guitar. This direct box is a great price and a very useful unit that happily captures the real sound of am acoustic guitar all the while blending in the perfect balance of the instrument through the house sound mixer. You will alleviate problems of EQing the right acoustic with the help of the direct box. The user manual is great as well giving you tips and direction on how to use this direct box in certain situations for multiple instruments. It doesn't stop with the acoustic guitar but branches out towards the electric, bass, string instruments such as violin and cello, and even drums. They have broke it down for you the best way to Eqing this box to get the best out of whatever instrument you are hooking up. OVERALL OPINION At new these units come in right at around $200, which is a great price for this direct box. These units can climb in price quickly with certain manufacturers and this company tries to keep those prices competitive. I would recommend this box to anyone who need a basic direct box with a few extra features and doesn't want to spend a whole lot of money.

This pedal is a very cool and a very unique pedal. This pedal is Tech 12's take of the vintage early Brit sounds from the 70's. Basically emulating a Hiwatt amp which was a very important guitar amplifier that was coming out of England with many bands of that day such as Pink Floyd, The Who, and Led Zeppelin. All guitarist of each of those bands played through a Hiwatt amplifier either on stage or in the recording session. This pedal has some interesting control knobs such as the character control knob which takes the voicing of the pedal on a ride through different styles. Also the Fane speaker simulation which would have been the speaker of choice for Hiwatt amplifiers cabinets at the time and still to this day. UTILIZATION Tech 21 SansAmp Character Series Leeds Amplifier-emulation Pedal Features at a Glance: The definitive tone of '70s-era UK punk, rock, and pop bands Super-aggressive Fane-style speaker emulation Speaker emulation defeat switch for use with a real amplifier Level and Drive controls act like those on a traditional, well-equipped amp Active Low, Mid, and High EQ controls let you dial in your sound Continuously variable Character knob moves seamlessly among different voicings SOUND QUALITY This to me is a real sublte pedal and it doens't take over your natural tone of your guitar of your amp. It mostly just enhance the sound of the rig you are playing through and highlights the tonal characteristics of your rig with a HIwatt voice added. I have to say this pedal sounds nothing like a real Hiwatt DR103 or any other Hiwatt amp. If you have played a real Hiwatt then this pedal is going to be a little bit silly. This pedal in a live setting doesn't really sound anything like a Hiwatt. I have not heard it in a speaker simulated output into a recording session so that feature might be a where this pedal can come in handy. OVERALL OPINION This isn't a bad pedal for some nice British tones but it doesn't sound like a Hiwatt to me. It still can be used as nice subtle overdrive pedal or something hat drives the front of your amp a little more. At new these pedals come in at around $169, Not a bad price for the use of this pedal. You get a wide range of possible operations. This is a about the same price as the AMT pedals that do the same emulation speakers.

This is a pretty nifty preamp rack that I got from a friend, pure solidstate but 100% analog circuitry. It is not discontinued and been replaced with the PSA 1.1, the biggest differences being an on/off power switch, 128 presets as opposed to 99, a master volume control, an XLR ground lift switch, phantom power, midi output and a dedicated headphone out. Specs (front panel): Input, Preamp, Buzz, Punch, Crunch, Drive, low, high, Level, down/up for preset switching. (back panel): Midi thru/out, Midi In, footswitch, Output Left/Right with -10db pad XLR, output Left/right 1/4" Line with -10db pad, Effects loop with 50/50 Mix, Input 2 with -10db pad. I should note that this preamp is designed for ONE instrument at a time. Although it has 2 inputs, the 2nd input is not meant for simultaneous instruments. The manual says input 2 is actually disconnected if plugged into input 1 on the front panel. Input 2 is cleaner, and has the least amount of distortion, meant mainly for rack and patch-bay applications. So if you were plugging this in, in a straightforward fashion without extra signal processors just to a power amp or head/combo, input 1 is what you'd want to use. There are 99 total presets. 49 of which are already made by tech 21 and cannot be erased. The other 49 are for you to store/save/tweak etc. There are many ways one can use this preamp; traditionally with a head/stack or combo, or direct through to a PA or mixer or right to your computer's preamp. The preamp has a built in speaker emulation for direct recording, which gets rid of some of that fizziness found in other preamps. There are no special effects, just clean and dirty. With the amount of settings available, you can tweak your distortion sounds to go anywhere from breaking up to high gain uber metal. I'm not a huge rack guy so i like the layout, it's one of the simpler preamps I've dealt with. Guitars AND Bass can go into this unit. UTILIZATION Tech 21 has basically nicknamed the basic EQ controls to more confusing ones, I don't know why. But if you read the manual or play around with it a little bit you can get to understand it a bit more. Buzz controls the bass. Punch is like a mid control. Crunch is like the treble. Drive controls the amount of gain. The Low and High are like to extra boost/cut options. And Level controls the overall level of the outputs on the rear panel. The footswitch option is good too, you can connect something like a momentary single button footswitch to step through the presets. Or you can hook up a midi moose or any other midi controller to select presets. Generally it's very usable. Though not the all-in-one sort of package. FX loop, midi, Footswitch, -10db pad. 50/50 Mix knob is cool too. But then, I mean 99 overall presets of just clean and distortion seems excessive. And no on/off switch? Everything has an on/off switch! SOUNDS Let me first say, that I am NOT a tube snob. Though I DO prefer tube amps majority of the time. I also like good sounding solidstate gear if they sound great. So most of my judgements are NOT comparisons to tube amps. They are simply a matter of what sounds good to me or doesn't. For Direct Recording: The manual has a few suggested settings that you can try, most of which I found were way too fizzy and trebly for a standard tuned 6 string guitar. I've tweaked with the controls quite a lot and experimented using impulses, other preamps, EQs in the loops etc etc. All of which can sound pretty decent if the end result is mixed in with drums and bass etc. The thing about recording is that it's like looking at something with a microscope, everything is picked up and heard. And this unit is fizzy and fuzzy in general. It DOES require a lot of tweaking and external equipment to get it to sound GREAT in a mix. By itself, it sounds average. The cleans are quite good in general they can get quite chimey. As for distortion sounds for most genres that require medium gain, or low gain or even high gain but standard tuned metal, it's too buzzy. HOWEVER, with the type of music out there now a lot of heavy metal/death metal etc bands are using super detuned guitars and 8 string guitars. With that type of genre and those super low frequencies, this preamp SLAYS!!!! It's like instant Meshuggah!!! And since it sounds awesome with downtuned guitars, it sounds great for bass also!! Cleans and dirt! The distortion in general is a stiff sounding distortion with no power-tube sag. Though it's all analog it's still fizzy even with the speaker emulated out. For Live use: This is where it shines. It sounds great in a live mix with a full band, all the fizz is gone and the tweakability is nice to have. Depending on what poweramp you're using, it'll sound slightly different. The basic sound is great. Does it sound like a tube amp? There's two ways to think, first: I'd say, with a band, and a crowd of people, playing live on stage. YES definitely. Second: with just the guitar rig, and beside it, another full tube rig. No. This is one of those things most guitar players go through with the mindset. You only really notice the difference if you have something to compare it to. But if you use it in it's context, you'll be takin off!! OVERALL OPINION Overall, after owning this for nearly a year and using it nearly everyday I've found the pros and cons for the unit which I will sum up here. PROS: - Great cleans for guitar or bass - AWESOME METAL distortion for downtuned/8string guitars or bass live OR Direct -- better with Impulses - Reliable construction. CONS: - Horrible distortion sounds for any guitar in any genre other than downtuned metal. Way too fizzy. - Wish it had at least an on/off switch like the upgraded version. (Sort of seems like they just forgot when they released the first version) Overall, it's a good unit for certain things and not so great for a lot of other things. Live use is always simpler and therefore sounds great. Also, most of the reviews are dated! Majority of them aren't comparing things to today's new solidstate stuff that sounds better for cheaper. So I can see why a lot of other revews are high. But for recording, and for this day and age with so much new technology and improved solidstate gear. This unit is average at best BY ITSELF. Since it requires, at least for me, a LOT of external equipment to start sounding decent. The old manual still has it's old price, of back when this model was first for sale, $795. And nowadays a used one is at most $300. This unit does not stand the test of time. It's only ok for what it is. Therefore, I'm rating this unit a 5.

(Originally written by Froideval/translated from Audiofanzine FR) Everything has been said! This product is not very practical for live gigs because of its size and controls. I use it with my DAW. UTILIZATION Very effective controls. Depending on your setup you'll get a good sound really fast. My setup: - Guitar -> GT2 -> Behringer DI box -> mic input of my sound card. - Guitar -> GT2 -> Palmer speaker simulation -> mic input of my sound card. - Guitar -> GT2 -> VTB1 preamp -> mic input of my sound card. SOUND QUALITY Excellent sound (especially the British emulation)! I own several simulation devices (POD XT, V-Amp, guitar plug-ins) and it's clearly the best regarding sound. The sound is dry, raw and effective. I haven't found my ideal clean sound yet but I'm sure I'll find it... Currently my favorite setting is: Mic = center, Mode = clean and Amp = British. OVERALL OPINION I've owned it for two days... The first thing that comes to my mind when I try to describe it is... that it's a pedal for men... it's no toy... Serious business! Effective, responsive, accurate. I bought it secondhand via the Audiofanzine website and I think I will never sell it again (I would certainly regret it). I haven't found any cons. I'm fully satisfied!

No matter what kind of distortion you wanna get with your bass, be it a little fuzz, a moogy synth effect, or all out badassery that'll punch you in the face so hard you'll beg for mercy, this bad boy gives you anything and everything you'd want from a bass distortion standpoint, with total control to mess with your tone. UTILIZATION Editing is easy, and it comes with some preset suggestions with descriptions and photos of the suggested settings that are a great place to start. Has wayyy more than your average distortion pedal. SOUND QUALITY Sounds absolutely amazing on bass. My buddy's had good results using it on a guitar as well. OVERALL OPINION Us americans love to exaggerate, but this is truly the best distortion pedal I've ever tried. Not bad to look at either! The ONLY problem is that it doesn't come with a battery or power cable, so be ready to get those separately in case you don't already have them. If not for that, I would give this 10/10 without hesitating. My first time messing with tech21 and I'm so glad I did!

The Boost DLA from Tech 21 is a boost and delay pedal in one. It offers around 1000 ms of delay and a healthy amount of volume boost. It’s a sturdy pedal with an all metal chassis metal footswitch and metal jacks. The bypass switch is a soft switch style and the pedal requires 9 volts of power. Controls allow you to change the decay of the delay, the time of the delay, the mix of the delay, the amount of boost, and the amount of modulation or “flutter” as they call it on the delays. You can set the pedal as a boost or as a basic delay, but boost and delay are not available separately via footswitches. UTILIZATION The idea behind this pedal is great; it’s the perfect solo pedal for me. Before I had the DLA I had to engage the delay and boost separately so either the boost was later than the first note of the solo or the delay was late, this pedal solves this problem and saves space on my board to boot. The soft switch is great and allows the pedal to be turned on and off seamlessly without the dreaded click coming through your amp like you get from some pedals. The pedal is built like a brick so I have no issues with using it live and I do so all the time with no problems whatsoever. The layout of the pedal is straightforward and the knobs are not in a position where they will be bumped easily by your foot when you engage it, but they also are very easy to bend over and tweak if needed. It gives you several options for changing the delay sound and more boost than you’ll need to cut through the mix. SOUND QUALITY This pedal just sounds great. It’s fairly simple to use and the warmth of the delays is great. I roll off a little of the tone and get a nice analog sound, but you can crank the tone and get a crisp digital sounding delay if that is what you are after. There is plenty of delay on tap for every application that I’ve used it for (slapback, rhythm, solos) but I guess some people out there may need more than 1000 ms of delay for some reason. I’ve never felt the need to even max the pedal in that department though. The boost is great and doesn’t really color you base tone, it just increases the volume as it should. I use my pedal in the effects loop and that gives me more of a volume boost than a gritty gain boost like it would in front of the amp. The “Flutter” control sounds nice for atmospheric textures, but I generally don’t use it for solos unless I want something a little different, I like an unmodulated tone, but it’s there if I ever feel the need to pull out some Pink Floyd tones. OVERALL OPINION Overall this is a great pedal for certain applications. It makes a great solo tool to boost your overall volume and add some dimension and space in your solos. I play in a three piece so this really helps fill the gap when I drop from rhythm playing into a solo. The modulation is nice, though I rarely use it. I would buy this pedal again, but I would probably go for the newest version of the pedal. It adds a tap tempo and triplet button, which honestly I probably wouldn’t use, but if also adds a trails button which is the only thing I’d add to the original. The only thing I don’t like about the V1 is the cutoff of the delays. I think you can get a delay that has these tones for less money, but I have yet to see one that also incorporates the boost for less. If you think you’ll use both the boost and delay as I do on solos, then grab this pedal. If you want delay and boost separate you have to look somewhere else.

I'll admit I bought this having no idea what it did. I've been known from time to time to purchase something on a whim just because it looked unique. And after all, isn't that why they invented the 30 day return? I'm generally a traditionalist and I rarely use wacked out effects to tell the truth. But sometimes I'll be in the studio and I need something that sounds NOT like a guitar...but is still...a guitar? Yeah, I know. Anyway, I bought this a couple months ago and spoiler alert...I still have it. Turns out this is a rotating speaker emulator? Who would've thought. Controls are pretty simple for the most part. Level/bass/treble/drive. Then you have the position and the speed knobs which even I can mostly understand what these are, and I rarely use pedals like this. UTILIZATION The editing is pretty simple. It's nice to have a fast and slow switch in addition to the on off switch. This makes the pedal that much more versatile. The manual is good but personally I think this pedal is more like a tremolo/flanger than a rotary. SOUND QUALITY You can get a ton of sounds out of this box. Really. It can get choppy tremolo stuff or really phasy flanger airplane style sounds. It's a nice combo of modulation and tremolo functions. In fact, if you want a rotary pedal combined with a chorus...this is probably just what you need. Probably the best feature though is the drive control which lets you emulate that old busted out horn sound. Of course there's also the wacky crazy sounds you get when you go extreme on the settings. They usually end up sounding pretty alien. It's hard to get it to sound really bizarre though. Don't expect any chaos. It's still just a chorus rotary. OVERALL OPINION All the tech 21 pedals can go direct which is nice for recording emergencies. I rarely use this in a live situation only because I rarely need it and it takes up too much space on the board to warrant it being there. However I use it in the studio all the time, although in a more non-traditional way. Overall though this is a very cool pedal and worth the price. Definitely check it out if you want a rotary/chorus/tremolo type pedal.