I haven't delved into most of this stuff yet. You can definitely get downloads via the Internet and you can definitely get a foot controller for the J-Station. Having tried it direct for recording and also through an amp- I'll give the J-Station a huge thumbs up on both counts. I definitely intend to use it for live work through an amp. The coolest features I've noted so far are:
1. It comes with free Windows-based editing software that looks pretty awesome though I haven't tried it yet.
2. It has actual cabinet simulation that's seperately accessible. In other words, the preset for a '72 Marshall stack comes with the Marshall head and the 4-12" Celestion cabinet but you could put a 2-12" Fender cab in to replace the Celestions if you like.
3. When you access a preset sound, let's say it's a Fender amp, each tone control automatically simulates the actual EQ points of that amp. Having owned many amps in the past, I'd say those EQ points are very near 100% accurate if not 100%.
[This message has been edited by magicman (edited 06-13-2000).]