DigiTech JamMan Stereo

The DigiTech JamMan Stereo is a stereo looping station pedal: a floor unit that records what you play and plays it back so you can layer parts on top, practice against your own backing, or run backing tracks live. DigiTech built it with a dedicated Rhythm Output that isolates the rhythm guide track from the left and right outputs and provides a mono mix of the looped audio, so a click track can be sent out to keep the rest of the band in sync.¹ Loops are stored as 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo uncompressed WAV files, and the unit measures 6.84" in length and weighs 2.22 lbs.¹²

It is no longer in production. DigiTech lists it as a past product that may still be available through local and online retailers.²

What set the JamMan Stereo apart at launch was true stereo recording with reverse playback, which MusicRadar called "perfect for playing backing tracks", plus a balanced XLR microphone input with a dedicated gain control, so a singer could loop vocals through the same box as their guitar.¹

Memory and loop time

The JamMan Stereo stores over 35 minutes of stereo, CD-quality loops in 99 internal memories, with a maximum of 10 minutes for any single loop.² Loops are saved as uncompressed 44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo WAV files, so they can be moved to and from a computer over USB.²

For players who need more storage, there is an SD card slot. The pedal takes SD or SDHC cards up to 32GB, and DigiTech says a 16GB or larger SDHC card gives over 16 hours of recording time, at a rate of 10.6MB per minute, in an additional 99 loop slots.² MusicRadar's launch coverage described the same expansion: an SD memory card slot giving the artist up to 16 hours of material in another 99 slots.¹

Stop, Finish and Fade modes

Most loopers stop a loop the instant you hit the stop footswitch. The JamMan Stereo offers three stop modes, so you can choose how a loop ends.²

Finish and Fade matter most for live use: a backing track that plays to the end of its phrase, or fades out over 10 seconds, sounds more like an ending than a hard cut. Stop mode is the conventional behavior, useful when you want the loop gone right away.

Inputs, outputs and control

The pedal has four metal footswitches for looping and loop selection, which Delicious Audio's reviewer called "four sturdy metal foot switches", in a metal chassis DigiTech describes as rugged and reliable night after night.²⁴ For hands-free control beyond the built-in switches, there is a 1/4" stereo tip-ring-sleeve footswitch input compatible with the optional DigiTech FS3X three-button footswitch.²

Connectivity is where the Stereo earned its name:

• Balanced XLR microphone input, female, pin 2 hot, with no phantom power and a dedicated gain control²¹
• True stereo loop recording and playback, with reverse playback¹
• A Rhythm Output that isolates the rhythm guide track from the left and right outputs and provides a mono mix of the looped audio, so a click track can be sent to the rest of the band while the audience hears only the loop²
• USB 2.0 High Speed (USB 1.1 compatible) over a 4-pin Type B connector for transferring WAV loops to and from a computer²

JamMan Stereo and JamMan Solo

The JamMan Stereo was announced together with the JamMan Solo, a compact mono model.¹³ Both pedals share the core spec: 35 minutes of CD-quality loops in 99 internal memories, SD card expansion and USB syncing.¹⁵ The differences are the Stereo's true stereo loops, reverse playback and the balanced XLR mic input with its own gain control.¹ MusicRadar's looper buying guide listed the JamMan Stereo at £188 in the UK in July 2010.³

DigiTech has since carried the JamMan line forward, including the JamMan Express XT and, in 2024, the JamMan Solo HD, an upgraded successor to the Solo XT with 32-bit conversion. For a wider look at the category, see looping pedals.

What reviewers said

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions