Multi-effects and sound/resolution

[gitaarklas]

Hello,

I'm planning to make the switch to a multi effects floorboard.
The reason: I'm starting in a big band and I need different sounds depending on the song.
Anyway I needed a tuner, volume pedal, etc...
Until now my setup was tc HOF and flashback, with EP booster.

For me the new Boss GX100 looks fine.

But I have a few questions:
- The GX100 is 48khz (higher end GT1000 is 96khz): is there an audible difference.
- Compared to normal separate pedals, will the sound be affected in a negative way?
- I don't need amp simultion when I have a first class tube amp, do I?
- Can delay and reverb on multi FX compete with say earthquaker dispatch master?

Thanks and greetings from Belgium

Stefaan

[burchyk]

Don't think 48 vs 96 kHz is important for jazz guitar. I would look at the dynamic range, THD and frequency response comparison first.

Not familiar with the GX100 but the effect quality tends to vary with multi FX. It's like playing a pedalboard assembled with pedals from someone else's pedal drawer. Some effects you might be picky about, some not, some will work for you better some worse - it is subjective.

Amp sim is more useful for emulating overdrive characters of various tube amps. If you're happy with the base tone of your own tube amp and it's played clean or got an FX loop you'll be fine without one.

In my view the best effect pedals have an edge over multi FX but again this is a subjective thing. Try to listen to the demos. They give you a good approximation. But in the end there is no substitute for testing the gear yourself.

Buy used so that you won't lose much money if you don't gel with the item. Known brands and models tend to keep their value.

[Alter]

You definitely don't need a high end multi effect to get good sounds live, especially if you are playing it through a tube amp and only using it for its effects.

The biggest difference between multi and pedals isn't the sound, but the ease of use, and the knowledge and time required in order to get a multi effect to sound good.

From there, it's a matter of taste and aesthetics. To me all digital units feel inferior to analog, there's always some compression and digital artifacts to the sound, and the final sound presence and feel onstage is different. So I prefer a tube amp and pedals, but I play lots of gigs with non tube and some digital gear. It's convenient and it works.

If considering the Boss Gx100, check out the Line6 Hx Stomp Xl as well, although no expression pedal. I just play these gigs with a Boss Gt-1

[j4zz]

Hello,


- The GX100 is 48khz (higher end GT1000 is 96khz): is there an audible difference.

CD quality is 44.1kHz, and both these are better than that. In the context of playing with a big band - you will never notice the difference.

[ronjazz]

One must be careful using multi-effects pedals with built-in loopers: it's very easy to set the looper off on some of them. They also do have certain chain limits in terms of how many devices of a similar character one can use simultaneously. I found that the Digitech 360 EX got me the sounds I needed, but it does have a built-in looper that is all too easy to hit. And while a multi-effects box may not give you exactly what you need, the audience will have no clue.

[rpjazzguitar]

I've tested the Boss ME80 against bypass. There's only the slightest difference with the signal going thru the ME80 vs bypass, and it isn't clear that one is better than the other. The effects sound fine. I heard Vic Juris play the dispatch master and he got a great sound. Could he have done it with the ME80? Probably not the same, but he'd have sounded good.

The ME80 is all knob based. No menus. No scrolling. In manual mode, you just twist dials. If you program in a few patches, adjusting parameters is EDIT, twist-knobs, WRITE and WRITE again.

GX100 seems to have a lot more capability, but you have to make sure you aren't sacrificing usability. It weighs 10 lbs.

48 vs 96? No idea. I'm inclined to trust Boss. All their stuff I've had sounded fine.

One last point. I tried the GT-1 because I liked the size. The menus were difficult to use, the pedal was too small and there's a learning curve. I kept making mistakes and getting weird sounds. I'm confident that I could have figured that out, but the pedal would still be too small. So I returned it. It sounded fine, btw.

[dconeill]

If you're going to use a multiFX in the context of a big band, pay particular attention to how easy (or hard) it is to change patches quickly. You'll likely have one patch with up to several effects for one song, another patch with different effects for the next song, and so on. You'll want to be able to switch between patches without much trouble.

Also make sure you know how to bypass the whole thing if needed. Say you're comping along and your MFX just goes nuts (who knows how, but it's good to be prepared). Make sure there's an easy way to put the entire MFX on bypass. It would be better to have uneffected guitar than swooshy flanged distortion with delay repeats in, say, Lush Life.

Afterthought, added later - don't put too much faith in the presets ("patches") that come from the factory, whichever MFX you get. Those are designed to be flashy and over-the-top to sell units. You'll likely have to put in some time creating your own patches to be useful in context.

[rpjazzguitar]

I
Afterthought, added later - don't put too much faith in the presets ("patches") that come from the factory, whichever MFX you get. Those are designed to be flashy and over-the-top to sell units. You'll likely have to put in some time creating your own patches to be useful in context.

With the GT-1 I had that problem -- suddenly the sound was in outer space and I didn't know what I did to make it happen. I had to program it so that errors in pressing the foot pedals resulted in silence, or no change. But it was hard to anticipate every possible error.

With the ME-80 that has never happened, although it's theoretically possible. If it happens, you can always get an unadulterated sound by turning on the tuner. That requires holding a button for a second or two. The volume pedal still works, so it's not technically a bypass, but it functions like one.

[guavajelly]

From there, it's a matter of taste and aesthetics. To me all digital units feel inferior to analog, there's always some compression and digital artifacts to the sound, and the final sound prese

Some multieffects have analog preamps and overdrive combined with digital reverb, delays and modulation – such as the Tech 21 fly rig I use (non programable). There are more like the Carl Martin Quatro or the T-Rex Soulmate – maybe the best of both worlds?

[Alter]

Yes I agree, I like the Tech21 a lot, I have a couple of their older pedals, so if playing without an amp, I just add one to my pedalboard.

These days the dedicated pedals that simulate amps are really great though! Stuff like the Strymon Iridium or the Atomic AmpliFire pedals.

[dconeill]

A multi-effects box with programmable patches is very useful in the context of a programmed setlist. You just set up your patches ahead of time in the order you need them.

Boss makes perfectly good pedals; they're not rare enough, I guess, for some tastes, but you won't go wrong. I'm thinking of a GX-100 myself, but I have limited funds at the moment, and a pedalboard full of pedals, so I'm holding off.

Don't expect to get the GX-100 and be able to use it that night. You'll have to put in some study and practice time with it. There are lots of tutorials on YouTube about how to program them, though, and Boss's manuals are usually pretty thorough. The factory presets are unlikely to be very usable in the big band context - they're in the box to sell boxes at the music store, not to be useful.

There are several GX-100 videos from "John Nathan Cordy" that seem pretty clear to me; but be aware he's got lots of videos on other topics as well, so you'll have to hunt through them.

[j4zz]

A multi-effects box with programmable patches is very useful in the context of a programmed setlist. You just set up your patches ahead of time in the order you need them.

That's more or less how I do it. If not strictly in order - just put a patch number against each item in your setlist. Also handy to group patches that you might switch between during a song.

[jim777]

I don't know anyone with the GX-100, but I know a few with the MS-3 and they all love those. The GT-1 is nice as well, if you don't need a lot of amp models.

[bluejaybill]

That's more or less how I do it. If not strictly in order - just put a patch number against each item in your setlist. Also handy to group patches that you might switch between during a song.

Yes, the OP is playing in a big band- how many patches could he need? Comping, jazz solo, maybe a funk and fusion setting- we're not talking a Pink Floyd tribute band here!

If it were me I would like one with separate buttons for about 5 presets, and maybe then a couple of banks. I don't know if anyone makes one like that though.

Once it gets more complicated than that I am for separate pedals, unless you want to get into midi- which I don't!

[j4zz]

If it were me I would like one with separate buttons for about 5 presets, and maybe then a couple of banks. I don't know if anyone makes one like that though.

The foot pedal on my GT100 has five select switches, so you can choose any of five directly, then a further switch is a "bank" select, short press for up long press for down, so up to 15 easily accessible. It's more than enough for me.

But the main way I use it is a different mode, where, after the preset patch is selected, those same five switches access up to five pedals that you have programmed into the patch, so typically, I have things like chorus, tremelo, overdrive, delay, reverb as options within each patch.

Then there's looper mode. Hours of fun