First look at the Hotone XTOMP and you see a bunch of unlabeled knobs and you say WTF? Closer look and you will see it could be your secret weapon. The Hotone XTOMP is an empty shell with powerful DSP and high quality AD and DA converters which can be every or any effect pedal you might want at any given moment… Just by using Bluetooth and your smart phone (or other devices) to load the sound you want. This is not your fathers pedal!

Earlier pedals Like the Digitech iStomp required a USB cable to transfer tones which was not very convenient. TC Electronic uses their Tone Print technology to add presets, but not totally different effects. Zoom offered the MS-100BT multi-effect Bluetooth pedal (now discontinued) and an App Store, but you had to pay for additional effects. The Hotone approach is as bit different. You buy the pedal and all the many effects are FREE to load into the XTOMP (with new ones being added each month). Bluetooth and a smart phone make this easy! The effects are digital models of popular REAL pedals…. And, most important, they sound great!

When you open the box you will see a well packaged device. Upon inspection you will see that the XTOMP is a well built hefty pedal. Looks like something that came out of the Apple factory. This pedal is substantial are artfully made. Even looks at home on your desk. Nothing cheap about the way it is made.

Important points are that the effects you load onto the pedal are free (so far) and they are adding new effects all the time. Loading an effect which can take about 30 to 60 seconds depending on the complexity of the sounds. Once an effect has been loaded once however, to go back to it is almost instant.

Testing the many amp sims, you will find that the left output is just the amplifier you have loaded which is perfect for going into the effects loop in on a guitar amp (to bypass the amps own pre-amp). The right output from the XTOMP is the amp sim with a cabinet sim which is great to send to a PA or your DAW (digital audio workstation). There are also separate cabinet sims in the XTOMP library.

Hotone also has the HOTONE XTOMP mini which is the smaller brother of the XTOMP. This smaller version features mono in/out, smaller footprint and lower price. Another Limitation of the mini is it cannot use the combo effects. Of course you can have multiple XSTOMP pedals if you like and t5he Hotone app can recognize eight separate XTOMPs. I opted for the full sized XTOMP as I like to run my rig in stereo sometimes.

The XTOMP is great to add to your pedalboard for that effect you do not own. Or to be the ONE pedal to bring on a gig if you are more of the direct into the amp type of player. Perfect to have in your studio for amp sim into a DAW or to add an effect fas and easy. You could switch effects in the middle of songs, but that is really not the point as you would need to have your smart device handy.

Hotone does offer stickers for labeling the knobs if you want to apply them. Otherwise you will need to refer to your smart device for what each knobs function. Only thing that could have been better was adding a digital readout to each knob that changed with each effect, but surely would have made the XTOMP more expense for what already is an expensive pedal.

If you are concerned about someone loading the app on their smart phone and changing your effect from the audience… Not to worry Hotone allows for passcode protection. Pedalboard hacking avoided.

Is it worth it you may be asking…. Absolutely YES. It is a great piece of technology, easy to use, very versatile and most importantly sounds great. The digital modeling that Hotone is using is awesome. You may think the price point is high… But not anymore expensive than many boutique pedals on the market. I have an extensive pedal collection, but still have found some great sounding effects in the XTOMP that I do not own. Several vintage pedals Hotone includes would be hard to find, quite pricey and may be a sound you will only use occasionally. I love that the XTOMP is anything I need it to be at any given moment, even a direct box!

XTOMP is an ultrathin effects pedal stompbox that simulates all kinds of iconic classic, vintage, and modern pedals through its growing effects library of over 300 models. XTOMP uses iOS* and Android* app to manage all your effects and transfers them to your stompbox via Bluetooth *.

From Hotone:
This powerful pedal lets you get creative by giving you access to both modern, cutting edge units and rare, out of production pedals of lore. At any given time, it is always that “one” pedal you need, and you can have it now, with no cables or computers.

✪ The effect that comes to mind in a jam setting or on the fly
✪ That pedal you could never afford or track down
✪ Your ticket to experimenting with different tones
✪ The classic tool for your home studio
✪ And you can have it NOW, with no cables or computers

MAIN FEATURES
✪ Ultrathin design
✪ Relay based true bypass footswitch with halo LED
✪ 6 Knobs with halo LED
✪ Stereo I/O: L – Relay True Bypass, R – Buffered Bypass (analog)
✪ Free iOS* and Android* app for loading effects
✪ Growing effects library for downloading algorithms via iOS* and Android* app
✪ 9V DC power supply

Why should it be considered among the top products?
Hotone’s new Comprehensive Dynamic Circuit Modeling (CDCM) system technology, which processes various incoming signals dynamically, is unlike current modeling systems which use the same modeling circuit regardless of the signal. CDCM allows for larger and more complex modeling algorithms, which equals more realistic and natural tone. There has never been anything like this in tone modeling before.

Design
XTOMP is a breakthrough product and represents the accumulation of Hotone’s technological strengths. As such, the team paid a great deal of attention to its visual and structural design. Having undergone several design revisions, Hotone decided on its central features: an extremely thin zinc alloy casing, a silver sand blasted finish, futuristic streamlined edging, a sci-tech logo, multicolor LED halo-surrounded metal knobs, wide brass alloy kick switch (also with LED halo), and stereo I/O jacks (L: Relay True Bypass, R: Buffer Bypass).

Function
XTOMP is an ultrathin effects pedal stompbox that simulates all kinds of iconic classic, vintage, and modern pedals through its growing effects library of over 300 models. Users can update and even contribute to the library. XTOMP uses an iOS* or Android* app to manage all your effects and transfers them to your stompbox via Bluetooth*. A USB port allows for firmware updates and future XTOMP function upgrades. Guitarists, bassists, keyboard players, singers, DJs, and producers will all find the XTOMP an invaluable tool.

Operation
Musicians of all kinds love simple-to-operate gear. It lets them focus on the fun of making music. With that in mind, Hotone developed a smart but simple user interface: all you have to do is go in, find the pedal model you want, and put it in the XTOMP with the touch of a button. Adjust the XTOMP knobs to your liking, and you’re ready to rock.