Boss has added an interesting new amplifier to its acoustic range. The AC-22LX battery-powered compact amplifier for acoustic instruments rocks Air Feel processing for faithful natural tones at performance volumes.
Boss says that its Air Feel technology "breathes life into the dry, sterile sound of standard acoustic instrument pickups, recreating the detailed tones captured by stereo acoustic microphone setups in world-class studio settings."
The proprietary signal processing system allows an electric-acoustic player to just output a dry signal to the amp, or run with one of four Air Feel processing presets. The XY mode mimics a classic dual-microphone pattern for a focused stereo image that's reported "ideal for rhythmic chord strumming and muted playing."
The AB puts more virtual space between the microphones for a bolder sound that's reckoned good for fingerpicking and solo work. Those looking for a combination of XY and AB performance can opt for the ORTF preset, while selecting the Mid-Side configuration makes for a "well-defined sound with a wide stereo spread" that's best suited to those playing along with other instruments or vocals.
If it works as advertised – and there's no reason to suggest that it won't given the company's stellar achievements with the Katana range – then players "can plug in and enjoy their instrument’s natural acoustic character at performance volumes – without the need for microphones and audio engineering skills."
Elsewhere, the amp comes with two custom twin-cone speakers for "expansive stereo tones for home playing," three-band EQ along with reverb and combined reverb/chorus, there's a channel for XLR microphone input with phantom power to cater for musician/vocalists, and Boss has included spatial audio chops for the built-in beatbox, which offers 15 patterns out of the box with the customization possibilities.
Favorite settings can be saved to onboard memory slots for quick recall, and there's an app for smartphones and computer for deep-dive tweaking. In addition to mono and stereo outputs for cabling up to a PA system, the acoustic amplifier sports a USB port for recording to production software running on a computer, a headphone jack for private practice, footswitch control and a connector for an optional Bluetooth adapter. the amp can run on mains power or AA-sized batteries too.
The AC-22LX Acoustic Amplifier is on sale now for US$399.99. The video below has more.
Product page: Boss AC-22LX