Digitech GSP1101 OUTSTANDING!!

[ned]

Here's the scary part... even the factory presets are usable. The AC/DC patch nails You Shook Me All Night long or at least it does with my Wolfgang. I've got some clips I'll get up probably tomorrow or Saturday.

 

[disassembled]

Hey Greg,

You might recall, I also had that issue. From what I can tell, they already released an update (Version 1.3) that places the noise gate after the external preamp. It has reduced some of my TA noise, but not all of it. If they have another update coming in January, I hope it does a better job.

The problem you were talking about was related to a ground loop which is a wiring issue. Right? I have white noise that is added when i plug the loop send to the TA input. If I plug my guitar direct into the TA then it works normally with less noise (but the TA is never 100% silent with a lot of gain dialed up on the LD channels). Either my GSP is defective or there is possibly something that is causing this extra noise in the design. I am thinking it could be extra gain added by the GSP, mismatched impedance, or a defective unit.


V1.3 came with my GSP stock and it only gates the guitar BEFORE the loop which isn't the problem. I still don't like that this unit adds noise to the signal which is only apparent for the LD channels of the Triaxis. I just hooked my Quad preamp to the GSP and had the same results as with the TA. I also tried using the GSP with my Line6 Spider Valve and it added noise to the input of that too.

The software that came with my GSP had the order of effects as NG then Loop. If you download the new version of the editting software it now is Loop then NG so I hope this means there will be a fix for the noisegate issue. Personally, I think there is a physical design problem that is causing the noise and the gate will only be covering up the underlying problem. My TA is usable by itself without a gate but it's pretty bad when run with the GSP.

For those not having issues with noise: the noise in my TA is only noticable with high gain settings and not any other time so I guess you're just lucky to not have a very high gain amp that brings that particular flaw out or my unit is just defective. For experimentation's sake I recommend hooking the loop send of the GSP to a high gain amp and see if it adds any extra noise (not counting a ground loop which can be fixed by lifted the ground on the plug temporarily).


Greg

 

[disassembled]

So i was wondering if the GSP would work better with a regular amp (Mark IV head) and low and behold the noise issue is gone.

Now I just need to contact mario and get a CFX4 send my way so I can get a fully functional midi setup.

I really like the idea of not fiddling with settings and having consist tone everytime I use the TA but the noise is too much to use with the group I am with.


What puzzles me is the TA is very similar to the Mark IV as far as the input is concerned (circuitry wise) so I wonder why there is an issue with noise.


Greg

 

[6L6C]

I haven’t had a TA in a few years but I always found the head in my case Mark IV allot quieter, but did not find the TA over the top as far as noise. The biggest pain in the *** was grounding everything properly right down to the rack rails also. Did however have noise reduction right has after the guitar and after the TA at one point and time I was using an Intellifex. This worked great since the Intellifex had Hush! Since the Hush was programmable had a Hush to match every channel. Everything was very quiet!
The Mark IV long as I use noise reduction right after the guitar no problem but it still does not hurt to have it after the preamp if I have a processor in the loop.

What puzzles me is the TA is very similar to the Mark IV as far as the input is concerned (circuitry wise) so I wonder why there is an issue with noise.

Don’t forget there is allot of stuffed in that 1 rack space, bound to be some more noise compared to a head.

 

[disassembled]

I am fully aware the TA is a monster with all of the circuitry but in my case the TA is literally dead quiet with a guitar plugged into it compared to just plugging the GSP loop send to the input of the TA. The tone remains the same it just adds a layer of white noise that I can't seem to get rid of.

The GSP even added noise to my Line 6 spider valve which is fairly quiet by itself. There must be something about the impedance or components of the input stage that cause a jump in the noise floor. I will try to call Digitech in the next week or so to see if they have any engineering insight as to why this occurs. What bugs me most is every time I plug into the TA i go to a certain preset and just PLAY without worrying about settings or things getting bumped. If i can get the issue worked out I will definitely consider retiring the Mark IV as the sound is very similar between the two but the consistency wins over with the TA.


I do have to say this though: univibe on RHY1 and RHY2 is just awesome.




Greg

 

[dgabriel]

I tried this thing several ways.
1) as a the only preamp into the power section of the triple rec.
2) 4 cable method.
3) using a y cable from guitar to triple's front and GSP running both at the same time. GSP's line out into Triple rec's xfect loop RETURN. MIXED at 60-65%. this didnt hurt the amp.. but when both signals met at the power amp section, certain frequencies phased each other out and it sounded thin.. THIS was just an experiement...

USiNg the 4CM sounded the best and it sounded truly Great. One issue though, there was a hum now.. even the noise gate could nt fully rid the extra noise. still will tinker with some trippy delays and pitchshifting... effects sound truly great.. seemed richer than my GMAJOR. it complements my rectifier really well. the only other draw back is that the built in NOISE GATE cant be place after the rectifiers preamp for gating.

any one got the dreaded HUM using the 4CM?

 

[disassembled]

I finally completely fixed the noise problem when using the GSP and the triaxis.....the triaxis is now sold. Not a perfect solution but hey I have to have a rig that works 100% not one that is way noisier than using a regular amp.

I also had an inherent ground loop when using the 4CM so I used a trick someone posted online. The ground loop would only occur when I plugged the GSP into the Mark IV input AND the effects loop. What I found interesting was that when I moved the GSP around the hum decreased dramatically which meant it wasn't relate to the grounding on the power cables.

To fix the ground loop/hum I lifted the grounding on both sides of the cable connecting from the GSP1101 main output that goes to the Mark IV effects loop return. The cable still works but it won't pick up the interference from the power trannies and other stuff. If you have a cheap cable I suggest using that as your testing cable and cutting the ground connections on both sides.

Greg

 

[tremayne007]

Nice to hear that digitech is moving back towards hiqh quality rack units. I still use the 2101 Artist (2 X 24bit processors), which for the price nowadays (about $400 on the bay) is one of the most versatile processors out there, although immediate ease of use is not its forte.

I was really surprised when they got on the modelling bandwagon and began focussing on cheaper floor based pedals exclusively.

Sounds like this new one is a step back in the right direction...

thanks for the info...

 

[disassembled]

Nice to hear that digitech is moving back towards hiqh quality rack units. I still use the 2101 Artist (2 X 24bit processors), which for the price nowadays (about $400 on the bay) is one of the most versatile processors out there, although immediate ease of use is not its forte.

I was really surprised when they got on the modelling bandwagon and began focussing on cheaper floor based pedals exclusively.

Sounds like this new one is a step back in the right direction...

thanks for the info...

I agree. Anything with the digitech name back in the 90's that was in my price range was a piece of junk IMO. 5 years ago i bought the TSR24S which I thought would be like a 2120 but without the preamp......wrong. I really didn't like the effects and of course you had to add in all of those "mixers" or else you had a 100% effected tone.

I was skeptical on the GSP and was about to send it back until I changed a few key setup settings and then the unit came to life. When I plugged in my Mark IV I was absolutely sold for having the best of both worlds. Effects aren't my thing but at least now I don't have to spend 60-100 to see if I like a particular effect (I feel most of the stomp boxes are close if not dead on to some of the originals...like the DS-1 and OD250).

If Digitech markets this thing better and keeps on adding features and updates it should become a good option for most players.


Greg

 

[ned]

Greg,

Refresh us on those key changed you made.

 

[disassembled]

Greg,

Refresh us on those key changed you made.

I used the setup wizard which was great for getting me rolling right away but I thought all of the OD amps had no treble and just a bad overall tone. When I used the triaxis with it I had to crank the treble and presence to get a tone that I liked.

The setting that was wrong for me was the power amp type. I had it set to "tube amp" but it makes the whole preamp dark for some reason. The proper setting for me is "flat" so i get the original intention of the tone through the outputs (even though I am using my mark IV as a power amp).

Another few things I changed for the XLR outputs were to put the cab emulation on those and to have the level come out at -10 instead of the factory +4.

Those setting plus lifting the ground on BOTH the preamp loop return and main output cables was what i had to do for curing the ground loop with the Mark IV. I misstated what I had done to fix the hum issue earlier and realized I lifted the ground on both cables when I was racking everything tonight.

Greg

 

[unconventional]

Hey guys, I'm wondering if I buy this unit is it going to work with my setup?
I have a recto preamp and a 2:100.

I've searched online on this 4CM and can't come up with anything. Would I just hook this up to the effect loop of the recto preamp or configure it another way?

I'm old to amps but new to this midi stuff and effects. One of the reasons I bought the mesa stuff was because it has knobs. I focus my efforts on playing and effect configuration makes me want to barf.

I'd like a better solution this time around than using a bunch of pedals.

Any help for a fool would be appreciated.

Thanks, Kevin

 

[unconventional]

Ok, I sort of understand that. Can you or someone expand on exactly how I would accomplish that? Meaning exactly how I would hook it up?

Kevin

 

[unconventional]

So I would probalby use the diagram in 6 correct, being I have a preamp and power amp? What I"m wondering is if I should do the serial mod on my mesa preamp. In the book it even says the effects loop doesn't sound as good as hooking a device in between preamp and power amp, but whatever.


Kevin

 

[disassembled]

So I would probalby use the diagram in 6 correct, being I have a preamp and power amp? What I"m wondering is if I should do the serial mod on my mesa preamp. In the book it even says the effects loop doesn't sound as good as hooking a device in between preamp and power amp, but whatever.


Kevin

No, there's no need to mod the Recto pre because you can use the main output of the recto pre to the preamp loop return of the GSP. Then you would take the GSP main outputs to go to your 2:100.

Basically this is the same as putting the effects (like chorus ,delay, and verb for example) AFTER the preamp and bypassing the loop just the manual recommends.


Greg

 

[trevort]

So, I just ordered one of these to use with my Triaxis and 20/20 amp. I also have a stereo cab (Randall R212cs) vin. 30's. I also bought a AXE TRAX
for those times I need to work in Quiet. So well this work good for recording? How would you patch? I'd like to be able to mix and match . I want use both the stomp fx's and the post with the TA. Is this a good idea?I bought the pedal board also. I have a PCM 81 I bought to use post,is this a better way?
I ussually don't record with fx but, I might be prone to try.I'd like to replace all my front stomps(@2-comp./wah/tube trem/radial tonebone)will this replace pretty well?It sure wound be great to do so.

Any advice?
Thanks!
Trevor

 

[ned]

trevort-

Check out patch 18 it's a dead ringer for AC/DC, there is a another patch called New Punk that nails American Idiot - at least with my Wolfgang. There are some really good factory patches and it's really easy to program.

 

[trevort]

trevort-

Check out patch 18 it's a dead ringer for AC/DC, there is a another patch called New Punk that nails American Idiot - at least with my Wolfgang. There are some really good factory patches and it's really easy to program.

Thanks! I'll check it out when I get it. I bought the unit + there controller through AMS on payments. We'll see how it goes. I'm also bidding on a T.C.2290. But, I'll probably use post should this work out.
Thanks!
Trevor :wink:

 

[6L6C]

Hey Trevort

I agree with Ned nice piece of gear, it is easy to program and even easier with the software package! I really like this unit allot, I’m usually the guy programming every little detail on a processor and enjoying the process (breaking out the calculator and figuring out where every delay is going to fall within a song and so on). The 1101 is kind of between a processor and a stomp box as far as controls, it’s a real nice balance! The sound quality of the effects are awesome there is even some licensed TC Electronics chorus and some Lexicon reverbs. And with the 4 cable method, this unit is great for gigging and keeping the rack small. The stomp box sim’s are pretty much right on. Bottom line I don’t feel I’m compromising with this unit and I find it true to the amps sound.

As far as the amp sim’s they sound good and I like some of them better than a POD XT (not fizzy, unless pushed to extremes) and just a better feel, when using the 1101 with my Mark IV I’m not using amp sim’s but you can, if you choose. Nice option (in my case) can be using the Mark IV’s preamp and then jump to an amp sim in the 1101 and kick out the Mark IV’s preamp completely. But I’ll stick to my three channels of tube bliss.

A question for you! How do you like that Axe Trak?? I have been considering one of these for a while.

 

[disassembled]

So, I just ordered one of these to use with my Triaxis and 20/20 amp. I also have a stereo cab (Randall R212cs) vin. 30's. I also bought a AXE TRAX
for those times I need to work in Quiet. So well this work good for recording? How would you patch? I'd like to be able to mix and match . I want use both the stomp fx's and the post with the TA. Is this a good idea?I bought the pedal board also. I have a PCM 81 I bought to use post,is this a better way?
I ussually don't record with fx but, I might be prone to try.I'd like to replace all my front stomps(@2-comp./wah/tube trem/radial tonebone)will this replace pretty well?It sure wound be great to do so.

Any advice?
Thanks!
Trevor

Hey, I am not sure how much you read of this thread but the GSP adds a decent amount of noise to the front of the Triaxis and is the reason why I still don't have my Triaxis now. The GSP will probably work better with your lonestar than the TA. The GSP adds noise to my Mark IV but nowhere near as bad as with the TA. It is very noticable when mic'ing up on stage and caused our sound guy to point out that my rig was unusually noisy. I didn't want to give up the GSP functionality so I compromised with using the Mark IV head (not really a compromise but I was more used to the TA after owning one for over a year).

I had the same setup as you (TA and 20/20) but the only way to get everything quiet would be to plug your guitar straight into the TA bypassing half of the effects capabilities of the GSP and rendering the modeling option useless.


If you give the GSP a fair evaluation and make sure your settings are right I think you will be very pleased. The tone options are limitless especially if you combine the GSP with your existing amp.

Greg