Australian Guitar

BOSS ACOUSTIC SINGER LIVE LT AMP

WITH ITS TWO-CHANNEL DESIGN, ONBOARD EFFECTS AND POWERFUL DESIGN, THIS ACOUSTIC AMP COULD ADD SOME MAGIC TO YOUR NEXT SHOW.

- REVIEW BY PAUL RIARIO.

Never before have I seen so many buskers burst into view than this past year. Social distancing and a lack of indoor venues have forced many a talented musician to literally take it to the streets, or perform at outdoor dining places. If that’s your new normal, then portabilit­y and power should be your best friends when it comes to amplifying yourself.

The good news is the Boss Acoustic Singer Live LT meets the criteria for both, as well as being the most streamline­d and affordable profession­al acoustic amplifier in Boss’s Acoustic Singer series. With all the basic essentials and more, the Acoustic Singer Live LT will have you up and running in minutes.

The Boss Acoustic Singer Live LT is rated at 60 watts and arrives in a compact tilt-back cabinet built for clarity and punch. The amp’s highlight is its powerful bi-amp design, which means the custom 6.5–inch woofer and dome tweeter are driven by two independen­t power amps for a far more optimised sound and efficient full-range response.

The guitar and mic channels come with discrete analog input circuitry and independen­t threeband EQs, an Acoustic Resonance switch on the guitar channel (for three types of acoustic tone sculpting), an Enhance effect on the mic channel (for fuller, well-defined vocal tones), phase switch and anti-feedback notch filter. Onboard effects include delay/chorus on guitar channel, delay/echo on mic channel and independen­t reverb on both channels.

The loaded rear panel features an Aux input with level control for backing music, XLR DI jack and phones/recording output, USB audio interface for computer recording/playback and two input jacks to control guitar and mic effects (using optional footswitch­es).

I auditioned the Acoustic Singer Live LT at an intimate outdoor gig and found myself pleasantly surprised at how capable the amp handled the alfresco setting. Setup was easy, and using my Taylor 12-string and Martin OM-28 I was able to quickly dial in a robust acoustic sound. I found the green setting on the Acoustic Resonance switch to have the smoothest voicing.

The chorus and delay have Boss’s top-notch quality tones and add great dimension if needed, but injecting reverb for colourful ambience is what I prefer. Activating the Enhance function provides a wonderful silky sheen for vocals, and adding a splash of reverb gave it real depth. I had quite a few people compliment on the range and natural sound that the Acoustic Singer LT delivered.

One last thing to spotlight is the very handy

USB out, where I could connect my computer

(or compatible smart device) to real-time record my performanc­e. Having that connectivi­ty really elevates the Acoustic Singer LT from just a mere acoustic amp.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia