Digitech releases JamMan Solo HD looper pedal

July 4, 2024 · 5 sources

Digitech announced the JamMan Solo HD, a compact stereo looper that succeeds the JamMan Solo XT, with availability given as July 4th, 2024 and a US retail price of $249.99¹². The pedal is the next model in the JamMan line, which the maker traces to a rack unit from its sister company Lexicon³.

The Solo HD has 35 minutes of onboard stereo looping memory, and a micro SD card slot that the maker says extends looping time up to 32 hours³. Bass Magazine and Recording Magazine report an additional 200 slots and up to 16 hours of recording time via a micro SD card¹². Guitar World reports a further 32 hours of recording time from Micro SD/SDHC cards, as well as 200 memory slots to complement the 200 already onboard⁴. The audio path uses what the maker describes as improved high-definition, low-noise, low-distortion A-D/D-A converters³; Bass Magazine, Recording Magazine and Guitar World describe a next-generation 32-bit A-D/D-A converter¹²⁴, and Guitar Pedal X gives the conversion as 32-bit/216kHz⁵.

Controls include a Loop Level dial for the loop output level and a Rhythm Level dial for the Rhythm Guide Track, with a color-coded status LED showing record, play or overdub¹². The pedal offers glitch-free time stretching, which slows down or speeds up a loop without changing its pitch, and auto quantization³⁵. JamSync, via two 1/8 inch jacks, links multiple compatible units as master or slave for multitrack looping or to sync Digitech's SDRUM³¹. Ten drum loops performed by Pat Mastelotto are included³⁵. A USB mini jack connects to a computer running the JamManager HD loop librarian software¹², and an optional FS3X footswitch adds functions⁵.

Guitar World's review lists a 10-minute maximum individual loop time, nine onboard rhythm patterns, and the first 15 memory locations factory-filled with rhythmic loops⁴. Its reviewer called the pedal "not exactly intuitive" at first and said the manual is essential, while listing compact size, sound quality, storage and the Auto Record feature among reasons to buy⁴. Guitar Pedal X compared the pedal with the Boss RC-5, priced at $199, noting the RC-5's 13 hours of looping time, 99 memories and 114 drum patterns against the JamMan's 10, and criticized the use of a Mini-B USB port⁵.