BOSS ME-25
(MattG | Posted 2010-01-27)
Boss has unveiled the ME-25 multi effects pedal at this year’s NAMM show. The ME-25 is the little brother to, and consolidated version of the ME-70. The ME-70 was Boss’ answer to the very popular Line-6 Pod XT. The ME-25 has only three bank switches and an expression pedal. The pedal is loaded with different distortions, overdrives, delays, modulations, reverb, chorus, and every other little sound that you need and many more you don’t.
Boss also has started delving in to the growing Amp modeling technology. It has a bank of sounds that are set up with different effect combinations to sound like certain Amp or Amp combinations. For example, click the switch to Triple Rectifier and gain settings are automatically adjusted to emulate the sound of a Triple Rec. Then switch it to a fender clean and get a completely different sound. This technology has come a long way and some do create similar sounds. It is obviously not as good as the real thing, but you can save about $30,000 buying this pedal instead of buying each and every amp.
I think perhaps my favorite feature on this pedal is the 38 second loop capability. It of course won’t have all the features of the RC-50 but it will give you plenty of time to record a slow grooving 12 bar blues. There is also a tap-tempo for delay speeds, a tuner, and runs on either AC power, or 6 AA batteries.
Last but not least, the pedal has a USB connection and is fully compatible with Calkewalk and Sonar. There are free downloads for different patches and I’m sure in the future, new Amp models. This little pedal is packed with features and can be picked up for less than $200. A good buy for any beginner or someone looking to consolidate or have a do-it-all for the studio.
