Digitech XP-300 Space Station..

[Ibanez_Guy]

I have been wanting one of these for a while, and last night I happened upon a site that had sound samples of every program and now im pretty hooked on it.
I have been lookin at eBay (expensive) and I have already been in contact with the JetPack guy from guitargeek.
I have also heard some nice clips from someone here (MrMunky I believe) that were nice.
So the only thing stopping me now is the fact that I don't know if I can justify buying it. See, I have a tendancy to buy things that I don't use (not just pedals mind you, I have a whole box of condoms I haven't used yet ).

So what I want someone to tell me is what THEY use it in for any sort of live setting. Is this gonna be a practical purchase for someone who likes to be able to make wierd sounds, or is it kind of 'gimmicky'? ya know like "oh great, here come the string swells...". Should I be getting something else that is more practical?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Cheers!

[vulcaniza P]

i over use the string swells but thats why i bought it. the reverse features are cool. i do use those a fair amount.
some sounds are slightly useless or i just haven't found a reason to use them.
the ring mods can be cool in a soloing setting.
i say get it. if ya end up not liking it.... sell it.

[homestar_kevin]

can i get the website with the sounds?

thanks

Kevin

[PeelingPaint98]

http://www.thepedalboards.com/spacestation/index.html

[Ibanez_Guy]

Sorry, i didn't even think to put the link up!

http://www.thepedalboards.com/spacestation/index.html



vulcaniza P: Thanks for the pushing me over the edge.. I'm officially on the hunt...

[PeelingPaint98]

I dig the Space Station for noise use, but I am not sure how it would react in a band setting, the downfall of this pedal and the entire XP line is the bypass, it has an input gain that is always on so without a TB pedal to cut it out when not in use it can cause amp murdering boost . . . that being said, mine's not going anywhere because the SS is so much fun for goofy noise stuff.

[vulcaniza P]

i've used it in just about every band i've been in. from rap/rock to jazz to experimental free form noise to just plain old rock. i just can't shake it! that pedal and a looper (loop station or lexicon jamman fo me) is hours of bakeitude bliss.
it's neat to play cd players, tape players, drum machines whatever through it and reverse them with patch 10 or 11 (12 - 15? would prolly be equally tight).
keyboards n synths sound good through it as well.... especially with the string patches.
i think vernon reid said something like: it's the best insane (or spacey, crazy, whatever) pedal for $200.
patch 9 was a lil hard for me to hear for the first few years but somehow i heard it in a sample online somewhere and now i can hear it.... lame i know.
it's a lower octave effect that is fairly subtle.... kinda neat. i may try to use it somehow.
if it acts up just recalibrate it. mine has been a lil nutty maybe twice in the 7 or so years i've owned it...... and i do give it a work out.
the switches that turn off the unit and change patches are total crap. it's my one main gripe about the design. however you can easy "fix" them by applying some heat shrink (for wires. easily purchased at radio shack) to the lil pin (on the inside of the unit molded to the button itself) that actually presses the button on the circuit board. then just cut down the excess so pin is now slightly longer and less argumentative..
hope i didn't make that sound hard. it's hella easy. i'm retarded and yet i figured it out. my pedal now responds when i press either of the buttons. i don't have to find it's g spot or talk dirty to it.

[PeelingPaint98]

Some of the patches are tricky to use without really upping the gain, but when that happens beware switching on some dirt or fuzz . . .

[Ibanez_Guy]

Thanks guy!

This is exactly what i wanted to hear!!

Also, I assumed that I would be putting it in a TB loop, since my whammy as more than noticable tone loss (to my ears at least), so thats not problem for me!

:AOK

[EunosFD]

Thanks for posting the link as I've been wanting to hear this thing for a while now too. I remember seeing one in a local store way back when, but the Whammy intrigued me more at the time so I only checked that out. After listening to those samples I'm gonna have to add this to my GAS list fo sho.

Oh, on a related note...am I correct in remembering that maybe some or all of the Space Station's sounds were incorporated into some Digitech rack units like the IPS33(b)?

[TieDyedDevil]

You can get some of the XP-300's effects from the Digitech EX-7. In fact, I've had both and found the EX-7 to be a lot less glitchy.

[cubba65]

You can also program one of the other models from the same series as the Spacestation (with the treadle on the side) to do all the Spacestation sounds.
Sorry for the vague answer, but do a websearch on this if you want to save some bucks. Basically you buy one of the other models and midi-program (?) the Spacestation sounds into it.

[rah3]

I use it in live settings. Nothing sounds like it. I found I prefer to isolate it using a AorB/A+B type pedal. I use an amp (or two) and a mixer into the PA. I like the fact the effect are stereo and the mixer makes it possible in club settings. Not all clubs run stereo, but putting it in the house helps the sonic qualities even in mono. It's nice to switch into it when loops are going. This type of routing has a secondary benefit of maintaining clarity. The XP-300 is very picky about what pedal's it in line with. The input gain adjustment is very picky when other pedal are in front of it. It is also capable of producing a lot of gain coming out of it. Misadjusted it will quickly misbehave. All worth it for the sounds it produces.

-RAH3

[Ibanez_Guy]

Originally Posted by rah3

I use it in live settings. Nothing sounds like it. I found I prefer to isolate it using a AorB/A+B type pedal. I use an amp (or two) and a mixer into the PA. I like the fact the effect are stereo and the mixer makes it possible in club settings. Not all clubs run stereo, but putting it in the house helps the sonic qualities even in mono. It's nice to switch into it when loops are going. This type of routing has a secondary benefit of maintaining clarity. The XP-300 is very picky about what pedal's it in line with. The input gain adjustment is very picky when other pedal are in front of it. It is also capable of producing a lot of gain coming out of it. Misadjusted it will quickly misbehave. All worth it for the sounds it produces.

-RAH3

So would yo suggest putting it first, or close to the start of my chain? I would have it in a bypass loop when not on as well, so I would assume I would tweak the input gain so that when I turn on the loop it is around the same volume, does that seem like a good solution?

[rah3]

Originally Posted by Ibanez_Guy

So would yo suggest putting it first, or close to the start of my chain? I would have it in a bypass loop when not on as well, so I would assume I would tweak the input gain so that when I turn on the loop it is around the same volume, does that seem like a good solution?

Once you try the pedal alone without any other pedals you will get a sense of it's character. I don't use any of the pedal you detail im you sig, so a can't comment about where it should go in the chain.
I would recommend trying a A/B box at the head or the end of the chain. The box has one IN and and 2 OUTS (A and B). Connect the output of the XP-300 to the second channel of the Hiwatt. This will allow you to bring the XP-300 sounds in on top of the other guitar signal chain or instead of it.
This is just a suggestion. Everyone's rig and musical tool requirements are different. Let us know how it works for you.

-RAH3