Review: DigiTech iStomp Stompbox

Have you ever shown up to a gig, set up your amp, tuned your guitar, and upon setting up your pedal board realized that the pedal you need isn’t in your gig bag? Or perhaps your favorite pedal dies on you in the middle of a performance? Or maybe you’re just looking for a way to experiment with different sounds without investing in as many pedals as your girlfriend has shoes? The DigiTech iStomp is ready and willing to fill in for any of these scenarios.

DigiTech seems to be paving the way in the use of iOS technology in effects pedals, and the iStomp, for being the first one of it’s kind out of the gate, will be tough to improve upon. It’s extremely simple to use, sounds fantastic, and like most iOS software, the user interface is incredibly intuitive.

Here’s how it works: First, download the free DigiTech Stomp Shop app from the appstore on your iPhone or iPad (must run iOS4 or better), and download the fx pedal of your choice. Not sure what sound you’re looking for? Each pedal can be run in demo mode for five minutes, and you can listen to samples right on your phone. After the 30-45 seconds it takes to download a pedal, plug your iPhone into the iStomp with the included cable, and select your pedal.

From there, it operates just like any other stomp box fx pedal. There’s an on/off stomp switch, and four parameter controls on the iStomp. Once the pedal is loaded, you can disconnect your iPhone and adjust any of the parameters that you desire. Really, it’s that simple.  With the iStomp, you’re literally walking around with every stomp box fx pedal you’ve ever dreamed of in your back pocket, except that it’s completely interchangeable, and upgradeable. Two fx pedals; DigiTech’s Total Recall digital delay and Redline overdrive, are included to get you started, along with several stick-on labels that you can use to keep your ever-expanding arsenal of pedals organized.

From there, you can purchase any number of delay, overdrive, reverb, fuzz, tremolo, phaser, or other miscellaneous pedals that you can think of for anywhere from $4.99 to $9.99 per download. The effects sound great, and since all the signal processing happens on the iStomp, not on your phone, there’s no delay time, or risk of a phone call interrupting your show.

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