Spudman said:
If the unit dies your signal continues because it's true bypass. Also, it won't become obsolete any more than your analog pedals will. In fact you can't improve the sounds of any of your pedals without soldering. This just takes a software update and not only do the sounds get improved but on the last update we probably got $2,000 worth of free pedals.
What happens when your analog pedals die on stage?
A dilemma as old as FX units.
As a rule, I try to keep things simple. I've had a multiFX unit die on me on a gig, with a single fault robbing me of every effect and setting I had. I've had MIDI gear have a battery fart or something and revert to factory settings 20 minutes fore gig. I've witnessed a major band delay their concert because the guitarist's multifx-amp 'crashed'. With analog pedals, you only lose one pedal, not the whole chain.
But then again, I've had a simple channel switcher die twice on a gig. Once a blown tube. I saw Danko Jones live and his simple Hiwatt head just up and died in the middle of the gig. I've had someone pour beer all over our mixer and end the whole gig with that.
Be it an analog pedal or a multifx unit, I'd bring a spare. Well for these it'd be a bit steep to have one just for backup :-> Anyway, there's always a possibility of failure and it's just a matter of the degree of failure and what do you decide you can cope with and/or be ready to deal with.
So, either way there are things to consider about any piece of gear. If I used the M9 or 13 I'd probably haul an old OD pedal for me anyway. I used to carry a Tech-21 Tri-AC pedal along with my amp for years, so that if my tube rig died, I could go D/I.
But my feeling on multi-units in general...well to start with, IMO it's no use saying '2k worth of free pedals'...2k worth of scrap metal on my yard would be worth 2k but quite unnecessary and unwanted. If I ever get me one of these, it'll be used as an OD nevermind if it baked my bread & mixed me martinis or whatever on the side; and for that it is kinda expensive. And I seriously doubt it'll beat my current OD in sound quality too. But I'd sure like to try it; always on the lookout for good sound stuff and good sounds.
I guess the bottom line for me is...multiFX units and FX in general are best for hobbyists, home recording guys, top-40 bands and those who want to mimic a certain sound, or just plain tweak their tones ad nauseam and forever. Is there any guitarist really famous for using such and such FX or gizmos? No. Maybe The Edge comes close but I do believe he mostly uses analog pedals and studio FX anyway.
If some guitarist is famous for his sounds - nevermind what he endorses or shows off on stage - he's probably done it in the studio with a very specific mix of old skool amps, great guitars, simple gear. Like Nirvana always boasted using Fender Jaguars and PA amps with OD pedals - what did he use in the studio? Yep the producer's vintage Les Paul and a Mesa/Boogie amp.
Using multiFX units to create your own unique sound is like painting by numbers; it's always going to be limited by what the designers set as parameter limits and basic tonal ranges. You can't solder a new op-amp in or try totally insane settings which send some internal component into haywire mode and produce a completely new sound - it's all digital, and even if it sounded better than anything else anywhere, ever, it's still a faximile of the real thing because of the way it was built and designed.
Don't get me wrong; I have plenty of multiFX units under my belt and have used them to great results in my home studio, POD XT, Boss-GT6, Boss Me-50, Behringer crappolas to name a few.
They are great for many uses...even for live...but...still not the real thing.
