Digitech GNX4

[Flyin' Brian]

Anybody used one? Impressions?

[gls500]

I use one for practice, and it's a great tool for writing songs and working out parts. All of the foot-controlled features work great and are fairly easy to use, though I probably only use about 20% of what it's capable of.

It sounds very good through headphones, or through powered monitors, which is how I use it these days. I wouldn't drive a guitar amp with it though, as that leaves a bit to be desired.

Overall, I'd highly recommend it for what they go for used!

[chrisr777]

Brian, I don't have the GNX4 but I do have the GNX3 which is very similar. I like it, but I don't like it as much as my old RP14d. The GNXs do not have the built in 12AX7 which would give it a more authentic tube sound in those models that need it. I have had it for close to two years and have never yet used the built in recorder. On the other hand, it is fairly easy to learn and program. I get a lot of use out of it, but I believe that if I found a used RP14 or RP20 in good condition I would switch back in a minute.

[SamsDaddy]

I have had a GNX4 for about 2.5 years and use it just about every night for practice through headphones. I get a lot of use out of the built-in amp models and they sound pretty good to my ears. It is pretty easy to tweak the presets to get the sound you are looking for.

I use the built-in recorder quite a bit just to try to develop ideas. Mostly I'll use it as a looper to record a chord progression and then try to work out melodies, etc. For "real" recording, I use the GNX4 as the interface to my PC and then I record in Audacity.

As gls500 said, I also probably only use about 20-30% of what it is really capable of. For the amount of use I get out of it and the versatility I think it is the most cost-effective piece of gear I own.

I was never tempted to use it for live playing, but I know on the digitech forum there are plenty of people who do and they claim to have great results. For me, it is an outstanding practice and simple recording tool for home or studio use. They are way underpriced at $299 in my opinion. I paid $375 when I bought mine and feel like I stole it.

[epluribus]

Hey Brian.

There's several threads about the GNX series in the digital gear section that can give you some good insight. I have a 3, a jam buid has a 4.

For starters, the amp sims are just about the amp-iest behaving sims out there short of getting into deep-switching analog liek Vypyrs and JVMs. (Typing with a sensor on my finger.:)) Personally they're some of my favorites on the market, keeping in mind I've not played an Axe-FX. Definitely a cut above L6 (though I've not played an X3) and Behringer, more versatile than Vox or Boss, which seem toi have narrower sweet spots.

FX: Good, useable, but not spot-on. Of the real-world counterparts to the FX that I own, the Digitechs generally sound very close indeed, but lack something in transparency and definition. Useable and good FX, but noticeably different in A/B tests. (BTW...some of the FX fail the A/B test for excellent reason. Against a real tube screamer, a real DS-1, and a real Metal Zone, the GNX more closely resembles the pro-modded versions of those pedals. I love the GNX Metal Zone.)

I don't use the looper, but my bud dances on his with abandon. Works very well, easy to use, fun to layer tracks on the fly.

Deep-editing via GUI is excellent and very intuitive--small learning curve. As usual you can build humungous patch libraries and save 'em on your computer.

Onstage useability is one place these things really shine. In normal mode, each stompwsitch is a patch, leaving only the expression pedal to modify the FX chain. Great for selecting multiple patches during one song. I like Stompbox Mode--works just like a pedalboard. Kinda cool that whichever FX you shoose, the layout never changes--it's always dirt, amp (aka dirt #2), mod, delay, and a programmable FX control. I use mine in lieu of a pedalboard in front of some of my amps with excellent results--my favorite application. Piece of cake onstage.

Okay, limitations: You can only stack four FX, two of which are distortion boxes and "amps." If you don't want to change the "amp" part of the patch, you're down to three. Hm. I don't find you need much more, but now you know.

It's not the most transparent board in the world in bypass mode. Individual bypasses are pretty decent, but bypassing the board is another story. Generally there's a loss of signal strength and minor EQ coloration. IMHO that's what prevents the sims and FX from being more spot-on--I can always hear that board. Not really a biggie, you simply adjust at the mixer and you're good for the day, but it's worth knowing.

My biggest beef--normalizing patches. I run sound fairly regularly, and normalizing people's FX rigs is a big deal with me. Once I've got my channel input gains dialed nice and hot for you, and my aux busses tweaked, I don't want to touch those inputs. On DI rigs like these, you normalize your patches so they consistent for your input gain. So it foolows that you should have a Patch Volume control that doesn't affect the "gain structure" of your "amp/FX" signal path. But you don't. You can work around that quite well, but it's kind of fiddly.

One final note on useability,,,if you have an FCB1010 or other MIDI controller laying around, use these two in tandem. Three exp pedals, randoma access patches, tons of in-patch control. Way fun!

That's the bad and good. DI or in front of an amp, these things sound great, they're wonderfully practical onstage, programming with the GUI is fun, the reciording thing is way cool in the right hands, and they;re one heck of a swiss army knife.

I'd strongly advise pluggung one into the PA you intend to use and taking it for a run--I think you'll like it.

--Ray

ps...the patches you write at home will sound radically different in the PA and in the mix. Bring your laptop to rehearsal. :)