Any Vox Stomplab 1G users / advice?

Watching with interest; I’ve been curious about these units.

 

Me too.

 

Without taking up too much space to not answer your question, I have read the online manual for these, available on the Vox site, and I seem to remember the arrangement being similar to Zoom’s, in that a rotary encoder knob switches between steps in a string of “modules,” which you can tweak or turn off. Amps and Drives were contained in one module, so based on what I think I understood, you should be able to set up a bunch of “effects only, no amp modeling” patches in the user-definable patch spaces.

That approach works on the units I have used (Pod 2.0, Zoom B2, Behringer V-amp Pro). Most of what I do is use the unit as the entire signal path, but I have used the Zoom and Behringer to add only reverb and tremolo to an actual physical amp that I like, and it worked.

I’m curious about the Stomplabs because they’ve been around, are still in production, and are small and inexpensive. The Zoom B2 I have is a couple generations out of production, and I like its layout better than current Zoom offerings. One major stipulation for me is that I want to be able to drive a power amp directly from the unit’s output, and the manual wasn’t specific on the unit’s signal output strength.

 

If you want to switch between a softer clean for rhythm chording and a louder clean for soloing, I’d either

1. Tweak your rig for the ideal level in soloing, and roll back the guitar volume for quieter playing. Old school meets new!

or

2. set up two identical (other than level) adjacent patches with your clean settings, and switch between them as needed. To raise the volume for the soloing patch, you could add compression (and raise the compressor’s output level, however much compression you did or did not use)...or you could experiment with boosting certain frequencies in the EQ section, as you say. Or maybe there are other adjustable gain stages in a given Stomplab patch:

Not clear on how it works in the stomplab, but in my Zoom nearly each module has a level control, and each patch has a level adjustment, the noise reduction module has a level AND a wet/dry blend...and there’s a global volume at the the end. Many places to tweak gain on a per-patch basis.

(I have been spared some frustration on that because I need to wind most of those right up for enough output to drive my power amp, leaving the global for my actual overall volume control. Everything else...how hot can I run it without clipping?)

In my case, I’m using the device for all of my tone shaping, so I’m using various amp and drive models in my patches. I have to pay attention to the gain level on whatever amp model I choose and juggle that with the compressor output level, feeding the amp model. For instance, my crunch sound is actually a model of a Boss bass overdrive, and it sounds cool with guitar if I run it at low gain, but push it pretty hard with a high compressor output volume. If I do it the other way around it’s pretty harsh and unresponsive to guitar volume knob changes.

My Black Keys/“Thickfreakness” sound works the other way around...it works better to crank up the Acoustic 360 model but not push it hard with the compressor or it lacks clarity and attack, and the low notes don’t sound as weird and crapped out, which is the whole point of that patch.

Summary: try everything and learn it inside out...takes time, but you’ll be better off if you ever need to use the Stomplab under pressure, like if your amp goes down. And the more you explore it, the greater your chances of finding something weird and useful that it can do, by accident.

Keep us posted on how it goes! Sound clips always welcome...

 

After reading the manuals, there are 20 user preset location where you can store your own sounds, and each effects section is defeatable, so you can turn off the amp and cab models, and still use an overdrive and digital effects. And, if you get the Stomplab II, you can assign the expression pedal for output volume, and use it to adjust your volume for rhythm and solo parts.