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how do you create/set up your patches?

i've always wondered whether people create their patches the same way i do and just how much of the gnx other people use. most people agree that most of the presets are kinda rubbish and i think they serve only to show what the gnx can do. i find the majority of them way over the top.

here's how i create patches for my gnx. i wonder if this is the most common way:

firstly i go to a clean patch which i've created. i call this direct and have, as far as possible removed everything from it. ie no sims, no compression, no effects, delay etc.

i then simply dial in the amp model i'm after and adjust the amount of gain i want. then i'll twiddle with the eq.

if i want a little more bite to the sound i might add the compressor with some gain.

that is pretty much it. i'll create another patch on the red channel with a bit more gain and/or volume and set the expression pedal to warp so that i can switch between the two amps smoothly.

consequently this means that i largely use the gnx for its amp sims and very little else. one or two songs have a bit of delay on them, or i'll hit the chorus effect for a brief 'psychedelic' break but other than i keep things very simple.

would be interested in knowing how other people go about creating patches. maybe sharing some ideas would help in creating new sounds...

Comments

  • I start off by going through patches i already have %99.9 created by others and stored and sorted on my hardrive (about 2000 of them). I use x-edit to load up a few that may come close to what i want and tweak from there.
  • Good idea for a thread Dean!

    My setup process is very similar. However, I do everything on xedit. I click file - new patch, and that brings up a completely clean patch. From there, build from the ground up starting with amp/cab models, tweak eq, then add effects needed for the particular sound I'm looking for, and finally assign expression settings. Also, by doing it through xedit, when I'm tweaking eq and gain, I save-as file each time I change something. Then with 8 or 10 files made, I can scroll through them and really compare what changes were made and which sounds best. Once I hone in on the sound I really want, then I dump it into the gnx3k. For me, this just seems easier and more efficient than turning knobs and pressing buttons on the 3k, and also allows for a \"compare\" step which I don't think is built into the unit.
  • Yah, good thread.
    I think I'm like a lot of others - I feel the factory patches are 90+% crapola and build my own.
    I have a coupla ways:
    Sometimes, if I'm after a certain sound, I d/l something from the forum, load it in, and start diddling it to suit my ears and my equipment.
    Other times, I start with my generic \"blank\" patch, tweak the amps/cabs/warpage until I'm getting the tone I want, then add goodies to taste (compr/gate, effects, etc).
    The rest of the time, I sit, staring at my guitars, pizza cheeze dripping down my chin, wondering why Elizabeth Hurley doesn't love me anymore and whether having the SuperModels series would make me feel any better....
  • This thread will be especially useful to me...even though I was lost at....
    \"how do you.\"

    insideout makes the most sense...and I hope I can follow his lead.

    But shredd is \"such a kik in the pants\" and I just seem to understand him better. :P
    I'll have to give him my autographed Elizabeth Hurley bathing suit photo
    to have a shot at an apprenticeship, but...he at least thinks in ways I can relate to. :P
    The women and pizza I mean.

    mmmmmmmmmmmmmm...p-i-z-z-a

    homer1.jpg
  • I \"write\" the basis when i amp plugged into my amp, (but using headphones for eq) and then tweak for my quad with in turned up loud, so i have two versions - for recording/headphones/pa and for amp.
    I then backup and get them all in order for a gig with x-edit. I also use x-edit to access the parameters that cannot be accessed with just the gnx4.
  • I'm not a tweaker So....... I'm one of those Supermodels guys. I start with an Idea goal in mind: I want a Fender Patch, Marshall, Orange, Carvin etc... Something to that effect. Once I know what amp sound I'm looking for I Test drive all gp4 files that are provided for this amp, which generally there are a variety to choose from. Once I pick the patch that most suits my needs My tweaking is Identical to patch to patch. Stompbox Mode: Add Screamer, or Sparkle Drive, Balance the red green ch or Warp ch levels. Set the overall preset level. Add detune to the EXP pedal at default seetings active toe up. Save to user area which I have 80 of and that will be my patch for that week. I don't use multiple patches per set, just different patches week to week. Pretty simple for me!!
    God Bless!!
    Partch
  • I usually start with an idea of what I want the tone to sound like. Usually the choices are: clean, \"crunch\", heavy, lead.

    With that idea in hand, I go to choose an amp model. Generally I'll cycle through the stock models and the custom models I have saved, or if not I might browse through the supermodels folders.

    Next, I generally decide what controls I want available on my patch. In other words, do I want another channel of the same amp at different settings, perhaps for a \"lead\" channel of a similar tone? Or would I want a different channel of the same amp - that option is available with most supermodel amps. I usually choose the same cabinet model for each patch used within one song, per Guitar3456's suggestion - this way going from one amp to a completely different one doesn't sound as drastically different.

    Another control consideration is the stompbox. Sometimes I'll use a clean amp with a DS-1 or TS-9 stompbox model to get a nice overdriven lead tone (check out verse 4 of Card Game - www.44lbs.net/download.htm). Other times, I'll want the distortion pedal to simply boost the red channel for leads. I love the SparkleDrive model, which lets you set the \"clean mix\" parameter and great for many effects... just to give it a little something special.

    Of course it's important to decide what the expression pedal will be doing. Usually, a volume control is all I'll use; however, if the patch is for a song where a fade happens, I might assign it to the Warp parameter. Other times I'll set it to Pan parameters of modulation, delay, or reverb to widen the stereo field on the fly. Whammy is a good choice too.

    For delay and modulation, I usually stick with simple unless I'm looking for an unusual sound. Generally, very light chorus and spread delay (for stereo patches), and most time very little reverb if any at all.

    On GNX3/4, where footswitch controls are available, sometimes I'll add a control in MOMENTARY mode to be able to switch to the lead channel for just a second. Other times, I might have the auto-pan effect or tremolo assigned to it. Sometimes, I'll have the second channel amp identical to the first, except bass and mid rolled off, for a low-fi effect (like an Evanescence cover I did at a company-sponsored event a few months ago).

    Once all this is ready to go, I'll usually play with the compressor settings. This will determine how much additional drive is added to the amp model, via the makeup gain parameter; also, how well the amp model gain reflects guitar volume is determined by threshold and ratio.

    Finally, LFO assignments are lots of fun too! On one or two patches, I have the ducker attenuation amount (or threshold value) set to the LFO, so that the delay automatically fades in and out as I play.

    To match volumes between channels and patches, I plug the analog outputs into my audio interface (or on GNX4/3000 using the USB audio outputs) and check input meters in Sonar or Audition so that they peak out at approximately around the same level. If not, I try to balance amp output level with preset level, so that green/red channels have roughly the same output. Here once again, a compression adjustment may be necessary to raise not just the peak but the RMS level - this is also a balance of amp model gain/volume parameters.
  • Dood. Holy Cats. You embody what it means to make full use of the GNX's abilities. You should start a school. Awesome. Thanks for the tips!!!
  • \shredd\ wrote:
    You embody what it means to make full use of the GNX's abilities. You should start a school.
    This is it! Welcome to the class... :lol:
  • I read somewhere on this forum about using the v switch to control the whammy.
    Does anyone know how to do this?
    it would make a delicous solo patch as i dont have a whammy bar on me guitar, so i dont have the tuning and restringing hassles.
  • http://www.guitarworkstation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=963&highlight=vswitch

    I think AA posted a patch somewhere on soundcomm that did this, not sure whether for GNX4 or GNX3000.
  • Here is a patch i used my LP copy guitar to get a whammy bar sound. You can adjust the min/max on exp1 so it doesn't dive all the way till the strings go slack i think.


    http://www.digitech.com/soundcomm/guitar_view_patch.asp?productid=199&patch_id=10321
  • Ok thanks Iliace and grathan!
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