AS IMPRESSIVELY COMPACT all-in-one rig solutions continue to become more feature-packed and more affordable, Donner Music has fired a noteworthy volley into the fray. The Chinese gear maker’s Arena2000 is a floor pedal delivering effects, amp and cab sims, and a massive bundle of functionality and connectivity, all for about the price of a mid-level single-effect boutique stompbox, making it a prime contender for guitarists shopping in the booming entry-level end of this market.
We’re getting used to jaw-dropping feature complements in these things by now, but even so, the Arena2000’s list of bells and whistles is rather astounding. The unit packs 80 amp models, 50with 40 patterns and 60 loops, as well as a tuner, and it can all be configured into 50 banks of three presets each — 150 presets in all, but others can be stored and easily swapped in and out via Donner’s Control app for Windows and MacOS, which also allows remote preset editing.
