GNX4 vs. Jamman
Hello all,
I'm in the market for a loop pedal and I think I will buy a Jamman. However, I recently found out that the GNX4 has a jamman built in (!) so now I am stuck: should I go for the standalone jamman, or should I stump for the GNX4?
Can anyone tell me what the GNX4 has that the Jamman doesn't?
Whether the Jamman on the GNX4 is actually as good as the standalone jamman?
And, does the GNX4 let you switch between loops like you can when you use a Jamman and a FS3X footswitch?
Thanks for the help,
Kissenger
I'm in the market for a loop pedal and I think I will buy a Jamman. However, I recently found out that the GNX4 has a jamman built in (!) so now I am stuck: should I go for the standalone jamman, or should I stump for the GNX4?
Can anyone tell me what the GNX4 has that the Jamman doesn't?
Whether the Jamman on the GNX4 is actually as good as the standalone jamman?
And, does the GNX4 let you switch between loops like you can when you use a Jamman and a FS3X footswitch?
Thanks for the help,
Kissenger
Comments
I'll try to answer some of these questions for you, but I am not an expert with the Jamman.
***Can anyone tell me what the GNX4 has that the Jamman doesn't?
MP3 playback for backing tracks, MIDI drums that can be programmed via included PTP software, onboard 8 track recorder, CF storage for presets, midi, .wav files, .mp3 files, 80+80+80....guitar effects, amp modeling, wah/volume pedal, a host of stereo inputs and outputs in both 1/4\" and XLR, mic input with phantom power, built in mixer, and probably more that I can't think of at the moment.
***Whether the jamman on the GNX4 is actually as good as the standalone Jamman? And, does the GNX4 let you switch between loops like you can when you use a Jamman and a FS3X footswitch?
The Jamman on the GNX4 is limited to one loop, as I understand it. I believe the standalone Jamman lets you switch between 3 loops. The standalone Jamman has more jamman features than the GNX4 and I don't think Digitech wanted to replace every pedal they sell with the GNX4. Also, reading the reviews of the standalone Jamman, I found that Jamman users were very happy with the pedal. So, if you ONLY want a Jamman pedal, save yourself about $200 and go the standalone Jamman route. Also, the Jamman has the ability to time stretch the loops without changing pitch - the GNX4 has no such built-in feature that I am aware of. I wish it did. I use the Amazing Slow Downer software on the computer and run that into the line in of the GNX4 if I want to time stretch a mp3 file. You can play a midi file in the GNX4 and \"time stretch\" the song by adjusting the tempo, which works great. But a built in mp3/loop time strecth feature like that is another big plus for the standalone Jamman.
Having said that, if you want more than the Jamman features, I really believe that the GNX4 is the way to go. Of course, I am a big fan of the GNX4 and would not part with it. One of the big features I really like about the GNX4 is all the stereo inputs and outputs. Some of the guitar effects sound really great through a stereo PA system, as do the mp3 backing tracks, drums, and line source inputs. I believe the standalone Digitech Jamman is mono only.
I hope someone who regulary uses the GNX4 in the jamman mode can be more specific. I have used the jamman feature of the GNX4 only once to try it out and it worked fine as a single loop jamman. But the GNX4 jamman does have its jamman limits compared to the standalone model. Best wishes.
Thanks, gtaus, for the review. Philflood had a thread back before your listed member joining time including a 3rd party software pack for the Jamman. Also a Jamman search here yields comparisons back a while. http://www.guitarworkstation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3576&highlight=jamman
http://www.guitarworkstation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2351&highlight=jamman
http://www.guitarworkstation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3766&highlight=jamman
I am wondering if there are any add on programs to make the GNX4 jamman function better, or equivalent to the standalone Jamman with seemless switching between loops and time stretch function. As much as I love the GNX4, other than the Supermodels, there does not seem to be much 3rd party support for the GNX4 and I think that is unfortunate. If anyone knows of good third party software support for the GNX4, please share your knowledge with the rest of us.
If you don't need to have external midi control of your looper, the JamMan does a very good job.
If you are just using loops now and then, and want to have something very versatile, the GNX4 is a better choice.
If you need something that syncs up to a midi time controller, neither one does the trick on its own.
The best choice really depends upon what you have in mind.
If you want basic looping capability, which really means one loop comfortably, GNX4 is an awesome product that does many more things you will probably find useful. If you already have a full rig, don't care about stereo, and want to use all your stompboxes and a real amp - GNX4 may not be for you. It's something to consider if your setup is fairly basic and you want additional capabilities.
The multiple loops thing - GNX4 lets you switch between songs in performance using footswitches, but it won't be seamless. JamMan makes it seamless.
Whats this about Jamman as only mono, though? You mean it will only record and playback through one side of a speaker setup or something? Is this a serious drawback (if so, why?)?
PS. thanks for your replies so far.
Wait... The GNX4 allows you to record while looping. In fact, as I remember it, you have the choice of either playing along with the loop or recording \"on top\" or \"adding to\" to the loop. The main difference, that I can see, is that the GNX4 is limited to one loop, whereas the standalone Jamman has the ability to seemlessly switch between 3 loops (verse, chorus, bridge, for example).
Everything that I have read about the standalone Jamman is that it is MONO only. The GNX4 jamman is in stereo. I prefer stereo because many effects such as delay, chorus, flange, phase really sound cool in a stereo setup. You don't get the same experience playing in MONO. If you jacked your standalone Jamman into a stereo PA system, the signal could be sent out to both L/R speakers, but as the same MONO signal on both speakers. So the special stereo effects of delay, phase, etc... would not be experienced with the standalone Jamman even though the sound is coming out of two speakers.
If that is too confusing to think about, imagine your car radio. If you play an AM station, the signal is MONO despite being sent out to your stereo speakers. For an AM station, every speaker, either right or left, plays the exact same sound. On the other hand, the FM signal is in stereo and you can hear distinct differences between the right and left channels.
IMHO, once you get used to a good stereo setup with your music, MONO does not cut it anymore. Which is why many of us who own GNX4 units plug them directly into stereo PA systems and have stopped using our older MONO guitar amps and cabinets. So, yes, for my money, not having stereo capability on the standalone Jamman is a serious drawback because everything else in my setup (including drums) is in stereo.
I'm not trying to talk you into buying a GNX4, it's just that you should be fully informed on the advantages and disadvantages of both systems so you can fairly compare them as to your needs and budget. Hope this post helped in some way. Take care.
The advantage of the standalone JamMan is multiple loops. Picture this scenario: you have a song, that consists of a verse, chorus, and interlude. For verse, you can tap loop 1... for chorus, you can tap loop 2... for interlude, you can tap loop 3. All of those will have to be either looped in real time or pre-recorded.
On GNX4, not quite so easy - each loop is a different \"song\", thus you will have to switch between \"songs\" to go to another \"loop\". This can potentially throw you off, for multiple reasons. Nonetheless, if you have just one loop that you want to record over, GNX4 does a considerably better job as far as convenience goes.
Also, maybe I should go for another looper. Anyone have any opinions on the RC-20XL or RC-50? I think the 50 looks good, but its expensive and has limited memory. Do either of those pedals have stereo outputs?
I prefer the mp3 backing tracks method on the GNX4. But I guess those performers who use the standalone Jamman like the ability to switch loops seemlessly, meaning that you can play the verse, switch to the chorus, then maybe hang out on a solo loop for awhile, then jump back into the verse or chorus when you are ready. All on the same song, but with you controling the song. That obviously has its advantages in a live situation where you might want to control when you switch from one loop to another. Maybe on jam night you have a couple people taking turns on the solo. For example, one person takes an 8 bar solo, then another player takes and 8 solo, etc... On the GNX4, when using backing tracks, you are locked into the one track and there is no way to alter that one loop (mp3) or alter its playing time. If there is only one 8 bar solo in the mp3 song, that's all you get.
When playing live with a band, you can of course alter the song as you play. The standalone Jamman with the ability to switch between 3 loops gives you more freedom in that respect compared to a single, defined loop like a mp3 backing track.