DigiTech Announces a New Preamp/Processor

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The new RP-21 from DigiTech--the successor to last year's popular RP-20 Valve-is a fully-programmable, tube-driven guitar prearnp/multi-effects floor processor for studio and live applications. Designed to provide guitarists with outstanding valve preamp tones and lush digital effects at their feet and fingertips, the RP-21 places easy-access parameter controls directly in front of the user, providing instant control over principle aspects of their sound.

In addition to traditional 1/4-inch outputs, the RP-21 offers a S/PDIF digital output for use with hard disk recording workstations and other digital setups. The RP-21 also features enhanced new tube voicings, as well as several new digital effects, including Reverse Delay, Mono and Stereo Samplers, Stereo Detune and Time Warp-which is a type of reverse delay. Controlled via the expression pedal, Time Warp is similar to the effect of slowing down a tape recording to a stop and then starting it back up in reverse. Furthermore, a new volume pedal update utility allows the user to select whether or not the expression pedal's position is updated after a program change whenever it is linked to volume in a program, just like a real volume pedal would work.

The digital effects of the RP-21 can be moved around within configurations, giving the processor the best combination of flexibility and ease of use. Another unique feature in this product is its dual distortion paths. The RP-21 has the ability to run tube and solid state distortions in parallel. They can even be panned hard left/right to produce mammoth guitar sounds. These dual paths also allow smooth morphing from clean to distorted tones. The unit's S-DISC II processing chip offers a seemingly endless menu of pristine digital effects that can provide the user with almost any effect imaginable. A custom LCD display along with button illumination makes the RP-21 the most flexible, easy-to-use floor-based guitar preamp/multi-effects processor ever produced.

Suggested U.S. retail price on the DigiTech RP-21 is $849.95.