The Xotic Robotalk 2 is essentially three pedals in one!

How’s it been, music fans! Its official, fall is definitely in the air and Halloween is just around the corner – what better way to celebrate than with a brand new set of pedals? Once a month, we here at ProAudioLand like to give back to all of our loyal reader and customers by holding drawings and giveaways. Whether it’s a Peavey guitar and amp combo or our most recent Cabronita Telecaster giveaway, we are always trying to come up with something new and exciting for all of you out there. This month, we’re bringing a brand new drawing into the mix – the Xotic Effects Dream Pedal Giveaway! This month, three lucky winners will receive their choice of any four Xotic pedals and these just aren’t your average effects pedals either! Between the RC Booster and BB Plus pedals, that’s already some of the most widely used stomeboxes around today! Just ask Brad Paisley how he feels about his RC Booster. Anyways, if you haven’t already signed up you better hurry and hit this link because the contest ends this Halloween, October 31st

For those of you who have never had the chance to mess around with an Xotic Effects pedal before, you’re missing out on some pretty versatile set of gear. Although Xotic started off as an electric bass manufacturer (and then soon after, electric guitars as well), It didn’t take the company too long from being a relative unknown boutique brand into a pretty strong player in the effects pedal business. From the AC Booster to the BB Preamp, Xotic pedals can be found on some of the most famous pedal boards around. And to help you decide on which four of these pedals would make the best additions to your own pedal board, we’re going to take some time today and take a look at a my own four choices and why. Remember, all Xotic Effects pedals are 100% hand built, feature full analog components and offer true bypass.

 

The AC Booster

Type of Pedal: Booster/Overdrive

Like most overdrive pedals, you’ll find a very simple and easy to use set of controls – Volume, Gain, Treble and Bass – but that’s where the similarities with most ends. Inside this very compact stompbox you get a very versatile and transparent sound with tons of sustain. The single best feature of this pedal is how well it works with both clean settings and high gain. If you simply want a booster for a clean guitar sound or looking for a very thick and crunchy tone, it’s all in here. Boost your leads or fatten up that rhythm, if that sounds like something you’d like then definitely check this baby out!

 

The Bass RC Booster

Type of Pedal: Bass frequency booster

Here we have another pedal with pretty simple controls – the same actually – consisting of Volume, Gain, Bass and Treble. If you are one of the many bassists out there who have passive pickups but long for a more active sound, this is hands down what you’ve been searching for! This pedal feels more like a huge upgrade to your bass’ natural sound than an effect being added in that it will not mask your tone at all but rather “boosts” it in a way you probably didn’t think was possible with such a simple looking stompbox. If you need more control of both the highs and the lows, this pedal is just the ticket. No coloration, just 100% high quality boost

 

The BB Preamp

 

Type of Pedal: Preamp – Distortion/Sustain

Seems like Xotic really likes to keep things consistent with their pedals, and I’m not just talking about quality here. Very similar controls to most of their other pedals – Volume, Gain, Bass and Treble – but what sets the BB apart from the rest of the pack is its ability to work within several styles of music. If you’re simply looking for a volume boost, this pedal has it. If you are looking for very controlled, warm and pleasant distortion, this pedal has it. If you simply want a little extra kick to the highs or a huge kick in low department, a very pristine clean or a very smooth, compressed, overdriven sound – yup – this pedal’s got that!

 

The Robotalk 2

Type of Pedal: Random arpeggiator, envelope filter and lo-pass filter

One of the biggest – if not THE biggest – problem with searching for an envelope filter is that they rarely seem to hit the right spot that you’re looking for. Most are too harsh, too subtle or even just sound plain terrible. Not with the Robotalk 2. Looks like Xotic paid very close attention to the feedback from musicians regarding the Robotalk 1 as this pedal brings back and refines all of the best features from the original and adds everything that was sorely needed. With this pedal, you’re getting two channels that are each distinctively voices, giving guitarists two very versatile sounds that can each be fine-tuned as they please. The A Channel gives your tone a kick in the midrange with a very hot feel – perfect for leads and solos that need to cut through the mix. The B Channel on the other hand calms down the mid attack and gain for a smoother, warmer sound that works great for rhythm guitar.

 

Well, there you have it, my four choices in Xotic effects pedals, although there would be a few more that I would highly recommend. You can check out all the further specs by going to their product page – simply hit the name for the link. If you would like to check out the rest of the Xotic line of effects pedals that are included in our Dream Pedal giveaway, simply hit the link below but don’t forget – you can’t win them unless you enter!

 

Full list of our Xotic Effects Pedals