::5 □1girech®GNX4

Guitar Workstation
The Power User's Guide
:51J1girech®
~uitar Workstatio11
rhe Power User's Guide
by Craig Anderton

■
a Part of The Music Sales Group
New York/London/Paris/Sydney/Copenhagen/Berlin/Tokyo/Madrid
Copyright © 2005 Craig Anderton
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.

Schirmer Trade Books

A Division of Music Sales Corporation, New York

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By Vicks Lithography and Printing Corporation
 CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR ............................................................................................................vii Control a Third Parameter .............................................................................................28
FOREWORD ...............................................................................................................................ix THE EXPRESSION PARAMETER ASSIGNMENT LIST ....................................................28
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................ix PROGRAMMING THE WAH PEDAL RANGE ...................................................................30
PROGRAMMING THE AMP CHANNEL FOOTSWITCH (STOMPBOX
WHAT'S A "GUITAR WORKSTATION"? ........................................ 1
FOOTSWITCH MODE) ................. _ _ _ ...............................................................30
WHY THIS BOOK7 .....................................................................................................................4
PROGRAMMING THE CONTROL A, B, C FOOTSWITCHES (STOMPBOX
THE MIXER ...................................................................................5 FOOTSWITCH MODE) .......................................................................................................31
MIXER INPUT CHANNELS ....................................... _ _ _ ........................................5
PROGRAMMING THE EXPRESSION LFO LINKS ..........................................................32
Monophonic Guitar Channel(¼" Input Jack) ..............................................................5
OH YES, ONE FINAL THING ...............................................................................................32
Monophonic Mic Channel (XLR Input Jack) ................................................................5
Line-Level Stereo Signal Channel (Dual¼" Phone Jacks for Left and Right) .......7
MULTIEFFECTS PARAMETERS EXPLAINED .............................33
ABOUT THE "BONUS" PARAMETERS ................................................................................33
Drum Machine/MP3 Playback Channel (Connected Internally) ............................7
WAH/PICKUP ...........................................................................................................................33
8-Track Recorder Channel (Connected Internally) ...................................................7
Wah/Pickup and Preset Level Parameters .................................................................34
USB Computer Interface Channel ..................................................................................7
Re-Amp Playback Channel ..............................................................................................7 Wah/Pickup and Preset Level Tips ...............................................................................34
COMPRESSION .......................................................................................................................34
MIXER OUTPUTS ......................................................................................................................7
Compression Parameters ...............................................................................................35
¼" Balanced Line Outputs ................................................................................................7
Compression Tips .............................................................................................................36
XLR Balanced Line Outputs..............................................................................................8
MIC AND LINE INPUT ROUTING .........................................................................................9 WHAMMY/I PS/TALK .............................................................................................................36
Whammy ...........................................................................................................................36
Mic Routing.......................................................................................................................... 9
Line Routing......................................................................................................................... 9 /PS (Intelligent Pitch Shifting) .......................................................................................37

MIXER OUTPUT ASSIGNMENTS ..........................................................................................9 Detune ................................................................................................................................ 37

Pitch .....................................................................................................................................37 ·
STEROALL ........................................................................................................................... 10
MONOALL ......................................................................................................................... 10 Talker ...................................................................................................................................38

MONO& 1/4 ...................................................................................................................... 10 STOMPBOX MODELING ......................................................................................................39

MONOXLR ........................................................ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. 70 Stompbox Parameters ....................................................................................................39

SPLITl .................................................................................................................................. 11 Stompbox Tips ..................................................................................................................40

NOISE GATE .............................................................................................................................40
SPLIT2 .................................................................................................................................. 11
Noise Gate Parameters ....... _ _ _ _ _ ...............................................................41
UNDERSTANDING AND SELECTING PRESETS ......................... 13
Noise Gate Tips (Pluck Mode) ........................................................................................41
FACTORY PRESETS ................................................................................................................13
CHORUS/MODULATION .....................................................................................................41
USER PRESETS ........................................................................................................................13
Chorus .................................................................................................................................41
MEMORY CARD PRESETS ...................................................................................................13
Flanger ...............................................................................................................................42
IMPORTANT: COLLECTIONS VS. BANKS .........................................................................13
Phaser .................................................................................................................................43
AN INFINITE NUMBER OF PRESETS ...............................................................................13
Triggered Flanger .............................................................................................................43
PRESET SELECTION MODE .................................................................................................14
Triggered Phaser ..............................................................................................................44
MANUAL PRESET SELECTION _ _ _ _~ ....................................................... 14
Tremolo ..............................................................................................................................44
FOOTSWITCH PRESET SELECTION ...................................................................................15
Panner ..............................................................................................................................44
Selecting Presets in Preset Mode .................................................................................. 15
Vibrato ................................................................................................................................44
About "Preset Bounceback" ...................................................................;....................... 16
Rotary Speaker .................................................................................................................45
Selecting Presets in Stompbox Mode .......................................................................... 16
AutoYa ................................................................................................................................45
NAMING/RENAMING BANKS ............................................................................................. 17
Yaya .....................................................................................................................................46
GNX4 PARAMETER EDITING ....................................................19 SynthTalk............................................................................................................................46
EDITING THE GNX4: NO HARDER THAN EDITING STOMPBOXES ......................... 19 Envelope Filter...................................................................................................................47
STORING A PRESET ...............................................................................................................21 Detune ................................................................................................................................48
ABOUT GENETX TECHNOLOGY ........................................................................................22 Pitch .....................................................................................................................................48
Amp and Cabinet Modeling ..........................................................................................22 Delay ......................................................................................................................._...........48
Dual-Channel Operation ...............................................................................................22 REVERB ......................................................................................................................................51
Warp Operation ...............................................................................................................22 Reverb Parameters ...........................................................................................................51
SO, HOW DO I ACTUALLY PROGRAM ALL THIS STUFF?-----········· .... 23
CATCHING INSPIRATIONS WITH THE GNX4 RECORDER ......... 53
Changing Channel 1 (Green Channel) Parameters .................................................23
GNX4 RECORDING BASICS .................................................................................................53
Changing Channel 2 (Red Channel) Parameters .....................................................23
FORMATTING THE CARD .................. _ _ _ _ .........................................................54
Changing Tone Row Parameters ..................................................................................23
OKAY, NOW LET'S RECORD THAT RIFF! ..........................................................................55
Changing Warp Parameters ..........................................................................................24
ERASING TRACKS ...................................................................................................................56
Storing Your GeNetX Edits ..............................................................................................24
Creating and Storing HyperModels .............................................................................24
ROUTING AND RECORDING .....................................................57
AN IMPORTANT RULE ABOUTTRACK PAIRS ................................................................57
Footswitch Options .........................................................................................................24
CF/USB 1-2 SOURCE OPTIONS .........................................................................................57
EXPRESSION ASSIGNMENT ......................................................25 STEREOFX...........................................................................................................................58
SO, LET'S CONTROL SOMETHING! ...................................................................................25
STEROALL. ..........................................................................................................................58
SETTING UP VIBRATO ...........................................................................................................25
MONOFX ...........................................................................................................................58
PROGRAMMING THE PEDAL ............................................................................................27
MONOALL .........................................................................................................................58
Control Another Parameter ...........................................................................................28
SUM+DGTR........................................................................................................................58
 SUM+MIC............. ,............................................................................................................. 59 PRO TRACKS PLUS' DRUM GRID VIEW.....................;............:............... :.............. ,..........92
DGTR + MIC .......................................................................................................................59 LET'S MAKE A LOOP! ............................................................................................................94
DRYLINE.............................................................................................................................59 SAVING THE PATTERN INTO THE GNX4 ....................................:....................................96
DRYGUITR ..........................................................................................................................59 ABOUT THE "GNX4 ADVANCED DRUMS.CWP" FILE ..................................................97
DRY MIC......................................................................................................................... ·.... 59 ALL ABOUT RE-AMPING ...........................................................99
DRUMS ST ......................... ............................................................. ·.......................... ·60 HARDWARE RE-AMPING .....................................................................................,...............99
DRUMSMN ........................................................................................................................60 VIRTUAL RE-AMPING ...............................................................................'............................99
USB 3-4 BUS SOURCE OPTIONS ..................... ;..........................................................,...... 60 RE-AMPING WITH THE GNX RECORDER ..........•..... ,.......................................................99
USBOFF .............................................................................................................................. 60 RE-AMPING WITH PRO TRACKS PLUS ..........................................................................100
DGTR + MIC ....................................................................................................................... 60
THE GNX4-MP3 CON·NECTION ............................................ 103
DRYLINE. ............................................................................................................................60
TRANSFERRING MP3 FILES ..............................................................................................103
DRYGUITR ..........................................................................................................................61
PLAYING BACK MP3 FILES ...................................................................;........................... 104
DRYMIC..............................................................................................................................61
HOW TO INSTALL A FREE MP3 ENCODER FOR PRO TRACKS PLU,S ................... 105
DRUMSST ..................................................................................•.......................................61
CREATING MP3 FILES WITH PRO .TRACKS PLUS ....................................................... 105
DRUMS MN ............................................................, .......................................... ·.......... 61
ABOUTTHE MP3 FORMAT ...............................................................................................106
THE GNX4 DRUMMER ..............................................................63
THE X-EDIT X-PERIENCE ......................................................... 107
AUDITIONING PATTERNS AND KITS ................................................................................63
THE LIBRARY .........................................................................................................................108
BUT I DON'T WANT DIFFERENT KITS WITH DIFFERENT STYLES .. .
USER INTERFACE CHARACTERISTICS ...........................................................................108
LET'S PLAY ALONG! ...........................................................................................................64
The Parameter Value Readout. .................................,...•............................................. 108
SETTING A CLICK AND COUNTOFF .................................................................................65
Adjusting Knobs ................................................................ ,............................................. 108
FOOTSWITCH FUN ....................................................................67 Pop-up Menus ....,.....................................................,........... ,......................................... 109
UNIVERSAL FOOTSWITCH FUNCTIONS ..........................................................................67 Sliders and Pedal............................................................................................................ 109
PRESET {GREEN) MODE .......................................................................................................68 THE GENETX VIEW ..............................................................................................................109
STOMPBOX/CONTROL (YELLOW) MODE .....................................................................69 THE EFFECTS VIEW .................................................................................::.......................... 110
RECORDING (RED) MODE ...................................................................................................70 THE EXPRESSION ASSIGN VIEW .....................................................................................110
THE GNXFC FOOTSWITCH ..................................................................................................71 CUTTING AND PASTING PARAMETER VALUES .......................................................... 110
MEET JAMMAN .........................................................................73 AUDIO SETUP.VIEW.......................................................,: .................................,.. :.............. 110
JAMMAN SETUP ....................................................................................................................73 FILE MANAGEMENT ............................................................................................................111
THE INITIAL RECORDING PROCESS .................................................................................73 The File Menu .................................................................................................................. 111
NOW YOU'RE IN THE LOOP ..............................................................................................74 The D~vice Menu ........................................................................................................... 112

ABOUT USB ...............................................................................75 The View Menu ...•.............................:............................................................................. 112

THE DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF USB ...................................................................:..............75 The Window Menu .............................•.......................................................................... 113

HEY-THERE'S ONLY ONE CABLE! ..................................................................................75 The Help Menu ............................................................................................................... 113

TRUE PLUG AND PLAY .........................................................................................................75 THE GNX4 MEETS MIDI ..........................................................115
HOW THE GNX4 USES USB ................................................................................................75 MIDI BASICS ..........................................................................................................................115
USB AND THE CF STORAGE SWITCH ..............................................................................76 MIDI Connections ........................................................................................................... 115
ABOUT USB DRIVERS ...........................................................................................................76 Channels and Modes .................................................................................................... 116
WHAT ABOUT DRIVER SIGNING? .....................................................................................77 About Program Changes ............................................................................................. 116
RECOMMENDED:WINDOWS SERVICE PACK 1 FOR XP ............................................77 USING PROGRAM CHANGES WITH THE GNX4 AND A SEQUENCER ................. 116
TROUBLESHOOTING ............................................................................................................77 Changing the Pro Tracks Plus Program Change Numbering Default .............. 116
MAC OR WINDOWS? ............................................................................................................78 Recording Program Changes Into Pro Tracks Plus ................................................ 117

THE MAGIC OF COMPACT FLASH ............................................79 Playing Program Changes Back Into the GNX4 ..................................................... 119

WHAT CAN THE CARTRIDGE STORE? .............................................................................79 A Cool Bonus Feature! .................................................................................................. 119

TRANSFERRING FILES BETWEEN THE CARTRIDGE AND YOUR COMPUTER ..... 79 MIDI Program Change "Mapping".............................................................................. 120
DAISY-CHAINING MULTIPLE UNITS WITH MIDI MERGE ........................................ 120
MEET PRO TRACKS PLUS ..........................................................83
USING CONTINUOUS CONTROLLERS WITH THE GNX4 AND A SEQUENCER 120
SETTING UP PRO TRACKS PLUS .......................................................................................84
Continuous Controller Numbers ................................................................................ 121
WHAT ABOUT LATENCY? ....................................................................................................84
Controller Changes vs. Program Changes ............................................................... 121
BASIC INTERFACE FEATURES .............................................................................................84
Creating Controller Changes in Pro Tracks Plus ..................................................... 122
THE BASICS OF RECORDING INTO PRO TRACKS PLUS .............................................85
Converting to Shapes ................................................................................................... 123
HANDS-FREE RECORDING .......................................................87 Other Uses for the GNX4 MIDI Interface .................................................................... 124
SETTING UP FOR HANDS-FREE RECORDING: GNX4..................................................87 BACKING UP AND RESTORING YOUR DATA WITH MIDI ........................................ 124
USING HANDS-FREE RECORDING WITH THE 8-TRACK RECORDER .....................87 Backup Basics ................................................................................................................. 125
SETTING UP FOR HANDS-FREE RECORDING: PRO TRACKS PLUS .........................87 Practicing Safe Sys Ex: How It Works ......................................................................... 125
USING HANDS-FREE RECORDING WITH PRO TRACKS PLUS ..................................88 Basic GNX4 Backup to Hardware Devices ............................................................... 125
Recording ...........................................................................................................................88 Sys Ex Backup With Pro Tracks Plus ........................................................................... 126
Stop Recording .................................................................................................................89 Automatic Bank Sends ................................................................................................. 128
Undo Recording ................................................................................................................89 Recording and Playing Back Sys Ex With Pro Tracks Plus .................................... 129
Play ...................................................................................................................................... 89 Use Common Sense, Though ... ................................................................................. 129
The Now Time ...................................................................................................................89
ABOUT THE CD-ROM .............................................................. 131
MAKING DRUM PATTERNS FOR THE GNX4 ............................91
GETTING READY ....................................................................................................................91
ABOUTTHEAUTHOR musician" and in 1985, was the driving force behind trans-
Craig Anderton got an early start in the world of music: By forming Polyphony magazine into Electronic Musician maga-
his twenty-second birthday he had recorded three albums, zine, which he edited for its first five years. Currently he is a
toured most of the USA east of the Mississippi, and played regular contributor to EQ, Keyboard, Pro Sound News,
Carnegie Hall. f'_erforming Songwriter, Sound on Sound (UK), and Keyboards
He began his recording career as a teenager in 1967 with - Recording and Computers (Germany).
the Philadelphia-based group "Mandrake. Memorial" and Throughout his career, Craig has also been extremely
was one of the first musicians to use synthesizers on stage, active as a lecturer. He has given seminars on many aspects
having built his first synth in 1968. He also invented a semi- of musical electronics at colleges, music stores, and conven-
programmable, all-electronic drum machine in 1970. tions in 37 states and 10 countries (and in three different
During the early '70s he played sessions on both guitar languages). He has also designed sounds for Alesis,
and synthesizer for Epic, Metromedia, Columbia, RCA, Digitech, Discrete Drums, E-mu, Ensoniq, Northstar, Optical
United Artists, and other labels; he has also produced three Media, M-Audio, Native Instruments, Peavey, Prosonus,
albums by classical guitarist Linda Cohen, was Steinberg, Wizoo, and Yamaha. His most recent sample CDs
mixdown/production consultant on Valley in the Clouds by are "Technoid Guitars" (Steinberg), "Turbulent Filth
David Arkenstone, and mixed several cuts on Emerald (by Monsters" (Discrete Drums), and "Adrenalinn Guitars" (M-
Brewer, Tingstad, and Rumbel, recently re-released). More Audio).
recently, he has found success in the European dance music In 1998 he started playing on a semi-regular basis with
scene, with cuts on several compilation CDs. Rolling Stone Rei$$dorf Force, a German experimental electronic music
reviewed his solo CD Forward Motion, a "desktop CD" writ- band headquartered in Cologne, and performing solo
ten, recorded, and mixed in his home studio, and called it under his own name. He also appears occasionally as a
"one of those rare instrumental electronic albums that is guest artist with the group Air Liquide. Several of his tunes
not mere New Age tapioca." have been remixed for the European market.
During the mid-70s Craig started writing for publica-
tions including Guitar Player, Keyboard, Rolling Stone, and
Mix. He has also been published in major British, German,
French, Belgian, Japanese, Dutch, Polish, Spanish, Swiss, and
Italian publications. He coined the term "electronic

• DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide • vii

 FOREWORD
My introduction to the "guitar workstation" concept came Hence this book. I've had a ball exploring the nooks and
when I reviewed the DigiTech RPxl 00 for EQ magazine. I crannies of the GNX3 and GNX4; but I did find a lot of cool
was working on a sample CD at the time, which required a features are just "below the surface," and relatively easy to
lot of stopping, starting, arming tracks, recording, deleting, miss. The process of writing this book has really educated
and so on. So naturally, when a guitar box with foot- me about how to get the most out of a guitar workstation,
controlled "hands-free recording" came along, my curiosity and I sincerely hope that reading it does the same for you.
was piqued. Well, that feature shaved hours off the CD cre- One last note: As with any software-dependent device, it
ation process, and I've been tracking guitar workstations is always advisable to install the latest version to ensure
ever since. optimum performance, as well as get the most from all the
DigiTech's latest, the GNX4, is an extremely clever box. It features explained in this book. Download the latest GNX4
combines signal processing, RAM recording, a computer release at:
interface, drum machine, MP3/MIDI sequence playback, a MIDI www.digitech.com/software/GNX4/GNX4firmupdate.htm
interface, and more ... in fact, maybe it's a bit too clever
because it can be hard to wrap your head around all the
ways in which these bits work together.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I'd like to thank the team at Music Sales for making this all
come together so rapidly, Rob Urry at DigiTech who origi-
nally suggested the idea of writing a book, and David
Rohrer, Billy Clements, and Connie Nomann of DigiTech for
their gracious assistance.

• DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Chapter 1

WHAT'S A "GUITAR WORKSTATION"?

The simple answer is that a guitar workstation is a collection Amp modeling and multieffects. This includes distor-
of devices used by modern guitarists. Granted, you could tion, amp and cabinet models; a bunch of vintage "stomp-
just mix and match a bunch of similar modules, then rig box" models, modulation effects like chorus and tremolo,
them together into a system that would provide the basics reverb, pitch shifting, a "talker" that provides vocodertalk
of a "guitar workstation." But there's more to the story than box effects, and more. The GNX4 comes with 80 factory
that. By combining all these devices into a single unit, there's Presets created by sound designers, but the parameters are
a level of integration that multiplies their effectiveness. easily editable so you can create your own custom sounds,
This book covers two different guitar workstations, then store them in a User collection with an additional 80
DigiTech's GNX3 and the more recent GNX4. However, the Presets. Furthermore, a memory card inserted into the GNX4
accent is definitely on the GNX4 because most of what's in can store an additional collection of 80 "Card" Presets.
the GNX3 is a subset of the GNX4. For example, the effects
sections in the two units are very similar-virtually all the
tips and techniques about the GNX4 effects apply to the
GNX3 effects. And the 8-Track Recorder functions are quite
similar, although the GNX4 requires more routing options
because of its built-in computer interface. As a result, GNX3
owners will be able to get a lot out of this book, even
though the GNX3 doesn't implement all the GNX4 func-
tions.
Here's the rundown of what's included in the GNX4, with
some notes about differences with the GNX3.

This is the programming matrix for the amp modeling and multieffects
sections, where you can tweak your sound into pretty much
whatever you want.

The pedal can control up to three parameters per Preset simultaneously.

 Expression pedal. The GNX4 pedal isn't just for volume It's an essential element for adding hands-free expressive-
and wah, but can control multiple parameters in any Preset. ness to your Presets.
DOWN ~

. -· UODES
PEO;S0$
GfleQJ, Utrl,
fl!U.OW. HIQ.ET

'I

For hands-free operation, the seven footswitches are invaluable.

Footswitch bank. The GNX4's seven footswitches have 8-Track Recorder. This digital recorder can record up to
different functions depending on whether you're recording, 8 tracks. Audio is recorded as standard 44.1 kHz, 16-bit WAV
selecting Presets, or want to control stomp boxes. They can files, which can be used within the GNX4 or transferred to
even add expressiveness elements to your sound. But per- computer-based hard-disk recording programs (such as Pro
haps the best part is that while recording, you can use these Tracks Plus for Windows or Deck SE for the Mac, both of
for hands-free record and track enabling-there's no need which are included with the GNX4 software suite). As a
to interrupt your creative flow by having to stop what you're result, you can use the recorder as a scratch pad for compo-
playing, then set up the most common recording functions sition, but if you come up with some great riff, you can bring
by hand. it into a computer-based, digital-audio editing environ-
ment.
The recorder uses no moving parts, makes no noise, and
stores data in a CompactFlash (Type 1 only) cartridge. Note
that the recorder won't function unless there's a cartridge
inserted in the cartridge slot. Because the cartridge is remov-
able, you can use different cartridges for different applica-
tions (e.g., one for band rehearsals, one for songwriting, one
for storing your favorite songs to listen to on the road).
Total recording time depends on the CompactFlash
card's amount of memory, and is measured in track min-
utes-the total number of minutes recorded on all tracks.
For example, a 128MB card allows 24 track minutes. This
could be one 24-minute track, three 8-minute tracks, eight
3-minute tracks, etc. A 2GB card (the maximum the GNX4
can handle) gives a whopping 384 track minutes.

The drum machine contains eight different drum kits and 111 preset
The 8-Track Recorder isn't just a notepad for getting down musical ideas,
patterns, but you can create and play back your own patterns as well.
as you can transfer parts to sequencers running on Windows or
Mac computers.

• DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide·

 Drum machine and metronome. As to the metronome,
you can practke to a constant click, which can also serve as
a timing reference and count-in when using the 8-Track
t
Recorder. There are five different metronome rhythms: !, §,
~ (all with accented downbeats), and a straight click.
While metronomes are useful, it's a lot more fun to prac-
tice to a drum part. The GNX4's drum machine has eight dif- use 0 /
ferent kits for different styles of music (including rock, tech-
no, and jazz with brushes), and comes with 111 patterns.
Most of these were played by a real drummer using real
CompactFlash Card Reader. Because the GNX4 has a
drums, so they have that "human feel" a lot of programmed
CompactFlash card slot, when the GNX4 connects to your
drum machine parts don't have. Note that you can also cre-
computer via USB, the CompactFlash card will appear on
ate your own patterns using sequencing software (like Pro
your computer's desktop as an additional drive. Any data-
Tracks Plus) and use them with the drum machine as well, as
not just data from the GNX4-can be transferred from the
described later in this book.
CompactFlash cartridge to your computer for storage. For
MP3 player. You can store songs in MP3 format on the
example, if you have a digital camera that stores images on
CompactFlash cartridge, and play them back through the
a CompactFlash card, you can plug the card into the GNX4,
GNX4. This has several uses. For starters, solo acts can play
hook up to the computer via USB, and transfer the images to
back backing tracks prepared in a sequencer and trans-
a hard drive on the computer.
ferred to the GNX4. But it's also useful if you're into down-
Mic preamp. This is no budget mic pre, but a high-
loading MP3 lesson files from the Web, as posted on sites by
quality dbx® mic preamp with +48V phantom power for
some magazines and online courses-load the MP3 file and
condenser mies that require this voltage. When it's time to
play along with it. Or, if you're on the road and want to hear
record vocals, you just might find that the best-sounding
some of your favorite music, rip your CDs as MP3 files, trans-
preamp in your studio is this one-and you can route it into
fer them to the CompactFlash cartridge, and you have the
your hard-disk recorder, either dry, through reverb only, or
world's largest, non-portable iPod. Admittedly, the Apple
through the whole collection of GNX4 effects.
iPod is smaller and cuter ... but when you're away from
Mixer. All the various inputs, as well as internal signal
home and sitting in a hotel room, it's great to be able to lis-
sources like the drum machine, MP3 player, and 8-Track
ten to your favorite music.
Recorder, can be routed through a mixer to the GNX4's vari-
ous outputs. This is all done in software-no patch cords
use MIDI IN MIDI OU required.
Direct box. For recording, the GNX4's guitar input avoids
loading down your instrument to transfer the cleanest,
strongest possible signal to the included 8-Track Recorder
or an associated hard-disk recorder running on a computer.
For live use, this also lets you send your signal directly to the
front of house mixer, with speaker compensation.
That's quite a collection (and let's not forget the guitar
tuner), but again, it's how they work together that makes the
guitar workstation a useful concept. However, it's important
Computer interface. The GNX4 has a built-in computer
to recognize that this is a deep, extremely capable unit. Even
interface that connects to a computer's USB port. It is com-
though it's easy to learn and use, there are so many func-
patible with Mac OS X, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. The
tions and applications that mastering it will take some time
USB "pipeline" carries up to six channels of 16- or 24-bit
(sort of like the guitar itself; it's not hard to fret a string and
audio: Four going from the GNX4 to the computer, and two
play a note, but to play like Jimi Hendrix is another issue
returning from the computer (e.g., for monitoring or re-
altogether).
amping) to the GNX4. It also provides MIDI interfacing (in and
Another point to consider is that the GNX is equally at
out) for up to 16 channels of data. For example, if you plug a
home on stage, when rehearsing, or in the studio. As a result,
MIDI keyboard into the MIDI in, you can use it to play notes
you may not need to use its entire collection of tools at one
into a MIDI sequencer like Pro Tracks Plus.
time. For example, if you're interested only in playing live,

• Whats a "Guitar Workstation''?·

then you probably don't need to learn how to use the As a result, the book picks particular areas and covers
footswitches for recording. You can ease into the GNX4 at each in detail. For example, although the manual describes
your pace, but rest assured that there's always something how to mix the various inputs together, the mixer chapter in
new to discover.This is one of the boxes you don't just learn; this book treats the GNX4's mixer as if it was a standard
you form a relationship with it that evolves over time. hardware mixer, which will hopefully make the routing eas-
ier to understand. Also, although the documentation for Pro
WHY THIS BOOK? Tracks Plus is comprehensive, this book focuses on using it
The GNX4 manual describes every function in the unit, but in conjunction with the GNX4.
there's only so much you can fit into an owner's manual.This But the main point of this book is to help you exploit the
book is intended to "fill in the gaps" concerning what's in the GNX4 to its fullest potential, regardless of whether you're
manual, as well as give some background material for those using it on stage, in the studio, as a scratchpad for songwrit-
who may not be familiar with some of the concepts. And, of ing, or an adjunct to your computer. This is an entirely new
course, being able to include some material on a CD-ROM type of box; the more you learn about it, the more effective-
goes beyond what you can do wiht print alone. In any event, ly you'll be able to apply its many talents to creating your
this book is intended not to be a rewrite of the manual, but music. After all, music is ultimately what it's all about.
to supplement it with useful information and applications.
Also note that much of the material in this book applies to
the GNX3, which was the GNX4's predecessor.

4 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Cha pter 2 2
THE MIXER

This isn't the sexiest part of a guitar workstation, but as with This connects to a jack on the back that accepts a stan-
any studio, the mixer plays an important role. The mixer has dard guitar output and acts like the direct box in a recording
multiple input channels, some of which are fed by various studio. A direct box isolates the weak signal generated by a
rear-panel jacks, and some of which receive signals from standard magnetic pickup from the loading effects of a
modules internal to the GNX4 (like the drum machine and standard mixer input; these loading effects reduce volume
8-Track Recorder). There are also several outputs. and high frequencies. The GNX4's guitar input preserves the
signal coming from the guitar before passing it through the
rest of the system.

Monophonic Mic Channel (XLR Input Jack)

If the GNX4's mixer were implemented in hardware, it would look something

like this. The seven main input channels are on the left, and the four main
outputs are on the right. (Note that the headphone output connects to the
ff
same outputs that drive the XLR connectors.)
JL
Like any mixer, we can think of the GNX4's mixer as hav-
ing several channels that connect to various inputs. Some of
these are hardware connections, while some are internal
connections to sound generators within the GNX4. Let's
look at all the input channels available to the GNX4's inter-
nal mixer.
The XLR mic connector interfaces with almost all professional-level mies.

MIXER INPUT CHANNELS

This input handles mies with a balanced output (see
Monophonic Guit·ar Channel (W' Inp ut Jack) sidebar, "Balanced vs. Unbalanced"), and goes to a high-
quality mic preamp using circuitry designed by the pro
audio company, dbx®. There are several controls that affect
the signal coming into this jack.
Mic level. This knob adjusts the input's sensitivity, and is
the equivalent of a mic preamp gain control in a conven-
tional mixer. If signals using the mic sound low compared to
other sounds in the guitar workstation, turning up this con-
trol will raise the level. Conversely, if you encounter distor-
tion from the signal coming into this input, turn the level
control down. However, if you need to turn it down very
Gt X- GUITAR WORKSTATIO
far-or if there's distortion even at reduced levels-then
you'd use the level control in conjunction with the -20dB
The guitar input has a high impedance to avoid loading down
pad switch, described next.
standard pickups.

5
 -20dB pad. This reduces the signal coming from the mic · t her is t he signal line, often referred to as the
by 20dB. Use this when recording loud acoustic sources, like "hot ff line. The hot line carries the signal, and the
drums and some "screamer,, singers (you know who you gro und a ..~ts as a voltage reference. Unbalanced
are!). Push its button in to engage the pad, and out to .: yste rn s typically use two-wire, %n phone or RCA
remove the pad from the circuit. jacks and p! ug s. The GNX4's guitar input uses an
+48 Volt phantom power. Most condenser mies require un ba lanced input to be compatible with conven-
11 11
a +48V voltage applied across the "hot and "cold lines. This tional r uitars.
voltage gets fed through the wires that go to the mic; the
+48V switch determines whether the voltage is turned on Balanced Systems
or off. A ba ia nced system adds another signal line (called
Dynamic mies should not receive phantom power, but t he "co!d;' line} to the "hot'' signal-line-plus-ground
the odds are remote that accidentally feeding phantom combination in an unbalanced system. The basic
power to a dynamic mic will cause any damage. If you're not principle here 1s t at t he t wo signal leads carry sig-
sure whether a mic requires phantom power or not, check :1als that are: ident ical, but 180 degrees out of
with the mic's documentation or the manufacturer. phase. Th us, as a signal increases in voltage along
Note that you can tell from the front panel whether +48V one line, its mi rror image on the other line
is enabled or not. If the +48V LED (to the lower right of the decreases.
Data Wheel) is on, then the +48V switch is set to the On This type of signal has to feed a special type of
position. input, found in transformers and certain types of
ampiifier designs, called a differential or balanced
input that responds to the difference between
these out~of-phase signals.The differential input is
a somewhat unusual beast, but it rejects signals
that are in phase, such as hum and noise. This is
because the kinds of noise and garbage that get
into a balanced line generally spill over both signal
lines equally. As the differential input responds
only to the differences between the two signal
lines, when the same signal is present on both
lines, then there isn't any difference, they cancel
out, and the differential input ignores them. Some
differential amplifiers can reduce these interfering
signals (technically called common-mode signals)
by over 90dB-enough to make the interference
Monitor the status of the +48V switch with this LED.
fa de way into the background.
The GNX4 mic connector is balanced, as evi-
Incidentally, note that not all devices that claim to deliv-
denced by the XLR jack (a common giveaway that
er +48V actually do; sometimes it's less, which can adverse-
the circuitry is balanced). However, the line outs
ly affect the performance of some mies. This preamp does
are also balanced, even though they appear to use
indeed provide a true +48V of phantom power.
standard W' phone jacks. This is because the jacks
are actually stereo jacks, but instead of being
1 s. nba once
wired for stereo, are wired for balanced operation:
In todi~y's studio, you;re likely to find some gear
The tip is the hot, the ring is the cold, and the
that nas balanced analog inputs and outputs,
ground is ground. This type of jack is called a TRS
some v,1ith unbalanced inputs and outputs( and
(tip-ring-sleeve) connection and is common in
some with both. Knowing how to interface them
pro-audio gear.
properly can rnake the difference between a quiet, 1
But what if you don t run balanced lines? No
well-behaved signal path, or one rife with signal
worries. The TRS jacks are electronically balanced,
l:..,ssj mis1natchesr and general unpleasantness.
and if you plug in a mono plug, they simply turn
into an unbalanced output. The only place where
you don't want to plug a mono plug into a stereo
The typical musical instrument cable is an exam-
connection is the headphone out.
ple of an unbalanced line that has two conductors.
One w ire is the ground iine, which is al so referred
t:c) as com 11 on, earth, shield, or DC return. The

6 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

Line-Level Stereo Signal Channel USB Computer Interface Channel
(Dual ¼" Phone Jacks for Left and Right)

- UNE INPUTS - -
LEFT RIGHT

The USB connector is the gateway to your computer.

USB stereo audio can flow from the computer into the
GNX4 via the USB bus, and appear as an input channel at the
GNX4's mixer. This channel can also monitor system play-
The line inputs accept balanced and unbalanced outputs. back from the computer (you can even use the GNX4 as a
sound card for playing back system sounds or any other
This provides two, line-level¼" balanced line_phone jacks audio being· generated by your computer, such as from a
for units such as keyboards, CD players, the audio from DVD media player).
players, computer audio outputs, and similar electronic
devices with relatively high outputs. Re-Amp Playback Channel
Note that there's no dedicated way to control the GNX4's This is a variation on the USB channel. Re-amping is a tech-
input level from the line ins, so you'll need to make any vol- nique that allows you to take a pre-recorded, dry guitar
ume adjustments at the output of the unit feeding the line track from either the on-board 8-Track Recorder or an
in jacks. However, when feeding the internal 8-Track external computer-based, hard-disk recorder, send it
Recorder or sending signals over USB, you can regulate the through the GNX4's suite of effects, then record the
overall level of the signals going to these destinations. If processed result back to either the on-board recorder or
you're sending only the line in down these signal paths, an open track in your hard-disk recorder. This is an
then it is indeed possible to control the overall level. extremely useful technique, as it allows you to change the
tone of your guitar part after you've recorded it. For exam-
Drum Machine/MP3 Playback Channel ple, if during mixdown you think a different amp or speak-
(Connected Internally) er cabinet model would sound better along with just a
The drum machine's output feeds into the mixer through an touch of reverb, re-amp your dry guitar track and you're
internal connection, with the level set by a software param- there.
eter. It shares the channel with the MP3 player. However, if Also note that there are various audio routing options
you want to play back both drums and MP3 at the same that allow isolating the dry guitar sound from the processed
time, no problem: Just record the drum part (or MP3) into one (e.g., recording the dry guitar on one track and the
one or two tracks of the 8-Track Recorder, and play it along processed guitar on the other), making it even easier to do
with the drum machine/MP3 channel playing the other re-amping.
part.
MIXER OUTPUTS
8- Track Recorder Channel A mixer isn't just about inputs, but outputs and routing as
( onnected Internally) well. Let's look at the various output options.
The mixed stereo output of the 8-Track Recorder also feeds
to the mixer. The 8-Track Recorder has its own submixer that ¼" Balanced Line Outputs
allows balancing the track output levels, and panning them
anywhere in the stereo field. - - -- UNE ,OUJPIJTS - -- -
OUTPUl Lifl RIGHT SPE KER
lf.VEt COMP
....
OFF

.....
QN

The line outputs have speaker compensation so you can feed a full-range
sound system or a guitar amp.

• The Mixer• 7
 These outputs are designed to feed any type of guitar tinny feeding the GSP-2101 into a full-range system without
amp, power amp, or mixer that accepts ¼" balanced or using speaker compensation?" Bingo:That was the problem.
unbalanced connections. However, note that there are two Once they had that sorted out, they joined the "Hey, this
other very important controls. sounds great"faction. So the moral of the story is, make sure
Output level. This knob does what you'd expect: It your Speaker Compensation switch is set correctly.
adjusts the signal level coming out of the GNX4. lfthe GNX4
signal overloads the input it's feeding,and this can't be com- XLR Balanced Line Outputs
pensated for at the input itself (e.g., by turning down the
preamp gain of a mixer channel), turn the level down. On BALANCED OUTPUTS
the other hand if you need more level, turn it up. Note that OUTPUT LEFT RIGHT SPEAKER GNU

this level control does not affect the GNX4's headphone

output level.
Speaker Compensation switch. A guitar amp's speaker
ltUfl
... ...
COMP UFT
Dlf llfl

cabinet is actually a very sophisticated filter. A typical cabi-

net reduces high frequencies starting at around SkHz, and
depending on the design, may roll off a bit of the bottom
The balanced outputs also appear at the headphone out and
end as well, or may in fact boost it. USB connection.
The Speaker Compensation switch adjusts the output's
frequency response depending on whether you're feeding a These outputs feed mixers, recording interfaces, and
full-range system (like a PA connected to a mixer) or a guitar other devices with balanced XLR inputs. Although there is a
amp. If the GNX4 feeds a guitar amp, then you don't need tendency to think"balanced is better," be careful when feed-
speaker compensation because the guitar amp already pro- ing a mixer with XLR inputs. Sometimes, the mixer will have
vides the effect of going through a cabinet. In this case, the balanced XLR inputs for mies (with an associated preamp),
Speaker Compensation switch should be Off. and balanced or unbalanced ¼" inputs for line level signals.
If the GNX4 feeds a full-range system, then this switch should Here, you're probably better off using the line level outs to
be On to simulate the effect that a guitar amp provides. avoid having to go through an unneeded mic preamp. Even
It's very important to note that the Speaker Compensation worse, in some cases, the GNX4 might overload the mic
switch affects only the guitar processing chain. Full-fidelity input ... which might tempt you to insert a mic pad in the
modules like the MP3 player, drum machine, and 8-Track mixer, then turn up the gain to compensate (which intro-
Recorder are not affected by the Speaker Compensation duces noise). On the other hand, if the XLR inputs being fed
switch. However, also note that the Mic and Line In signals by the GNX4 are designed to accommodate line level sig-
can be routed through the guitar processing chain (we'll nals, you're better off using the GNX4's XLR outputs.
describe how to do this shortly), and when routed in this The XLR output section has other controls as well.
way, they will be affected by any speaker compensation you Output level. This works similarly to the Line Outputs
add. If you run either input in Dry mode, then it won't be level control, with the only difference being that it also
affected by speaker compensation. affects the level feeding the headphones output.
It is also important to note that when sending a USB signal Speaker Compensation switch. This works similarly to
to your computer, Speaker Compensation is enabled at the XLR the Speaker Compensation switch for the Line Outputs,
Outs, not the Line Outs. In other words, the XLR Output signal except that it also affects the headphones output and the
is what's sent via USB. Enabling or disabling speaker com- USB output. It's important if you're playing guitar through
pensation on the Line Outs has no effect on what's being headphones that this switch be turned On. However, as with
recorded. the Line Outputs, this does not affect MP3, drum machine, or
Whether to use speaker compensation or not is very 8-Track Recorder playback, which you will hear through the
important. Several years ago, a lively discussion broke out headphones with full fidelity.
on my on line forum, "Sound, Studio, and Stage." It involved Ground Lift switch. We could spend a lot of time dis-
people who had played with the DigiTech GSP-2101, which cussing ground loops-what they are, how they form, and
had speaker compensation. Some people talked about how why you want to avoid them. But wouldn't you rather just
great it sounded,and how much they loved the tone.Others play with the GNX4? I would. So let's just leave it at this: If you
said that it sounded absolutely horrible-shrill and bright, hear hums, buzzes, or other constant sounds in the GNX4 out-
with distortion that sounded like a bunch of angry bees. put even with your guitar's volume control all the way down
At first, I thought it was just a difference of opinion as to and your mic unplugged, try both the"Lift"and"Gnd"position
what makes for good sound. But the gulf between the two and see which one minimizes any unwanted noises.
sides was so huge, I started to wonder if maybe there was Headphone output. Also known as the "Spouse and
something else at play. So I posted a response saying "Just Neighbor Pacification Jack," this drives just about any head-
out of curiosity, are those who think it sounds shrill and phones to satisfying volume levels for when you want to
8 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide·
work without disturbing others, or if you just like listening
through headphones. Caution: Do not plug a mono plug into
this output! It could damage the headphone amp.

MIC AND LINE INPUT ROUTING

The Mic and Line Inputs have some additional routing
options. We'll look at the Mic options first.

Mic Routing
To set Mic routing, press the Shift button, then the Mic but- This function works similarly to setting mic routings.
ton, in the 8-Track Recorder panel. Then, turn the Data LINE OFF: This disconnects the Line input from the
Wheel to select the desired option. mixer.As with the mic in, note that there are some recording
routings where the line ins can be recorded, even when off.
Again, get into the habit of physically unplugging any
unneeded line signals.
LINE DRY: The Line input connects to the internal mixer
without going through the guitar effects chain.
LINE RVB: The Line input patches into the guitar pro-
cessing section just before the Delay and Reverb effects.
LINE FX: The Line signal goes through the guitar pro-
cessing chain.
Pressing the Shift button accesses the functions printed on the silver strips As with the mic input, if you're using the line and guitar
below the buttons. inputs at the same time, both go through the same effects
chain.
MIC OFF: The Mic input is disconnected from the mixer.
Unless you need to use the mic, turn the mic off. However, MIXER OUTPUT ASSIGNMENTS
do note that there are some routings used during recording There are several options for routing all the various inputs to
where the mic can be recorded even if this parameter is set the GNX4's output jacks. Note that this is different compared
to off. While in some situations this can be handy, get into to the internal routing for recording, which is more versatile
the habit of physically unplugging the mic when it's not in owing to the need to accommodate more ins and outs, as
use. well as route through the USB outs and 8-Track Recorder.
MIC DRY: The Mic input connects to the internal mixer This is covered later in Chapter 8, Routing and Recording.
without any processing. To set the output assignment, begin by pressing the
MIC RVB: The Mic input patches into the guitar process- Output Setup button, located in the GNX4's Control Panel
ing section just prior to the Delay and Reverb effects. section. Then, use the Data Wheel to choose one of seven
MIC FX: The Mic signal goes through the complete gui- options.
tar processing chain.
Note that if you're using the mic and guitar inputs at the
same time, both go through the exact same effects chain.
For example, if there's no reverb in a Preset, then even if you
set the mic routing to MIC RVB, it will not magically go
through any reverb. If you add reverb, both the mic and gui-
tar will go through it.

Line Routing
To set Line routing, press the Shift button, then the Line
button, in the recorder panel. Then, turn the Data Wheel to
select one of the following options. The Output Setup button accesses the various output routings available
in the GNX4.

•The Mixer• 9
 Here are the available options. MONO& 1/4
With this connection, all mixer input channels are routed to
STEROA the¼" Line Outs in mono, and the XLR Outs in stereo.
All mixer input channels are routed to both the¼" Line Outs
and the XLR Outputs in stereo. Both output pairs can have
independent speaker compensation. This is the connection
you'll most likely use when feeding a mixer or recording
setup, and speaker compensation will be enabled.

One application for this configuration is to send the XLR outs to a mixer,
while the ¼" outs go to a monitor setup.

MONO XLR
This is the reverse of Mono¼: With this connection, all mixer
The "S" symbol above the ¼" Outs and XLR Outs stands for stereo. input channels feed the¼" Line Outs in stereo, and the XLR
Outs in mono.
MONOALL
This is the same as Steroall, except that all mixer input chan-
nels appear at the¼" Line Outs and the XLR Outs in mono.
This is a common output option when feeding a guitar amp,
with Speaker Compensation disabled.

This configuration basically reverses the Mono ¼" output routing.

The "M" symbol above the ¼" Outs and XLR Outs stands for mono.

• DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

SPLIT1 SPLIT2
This setup is very useful for certain live performance setups. This output setup is identical to Split1, except that the gui-
The guitar signal path goes to the ¼" Line Outs in stereo, tar signal path feeds both the¼" Line Outs in stereo and the
while the other input channels feed the XLR outputs in XLR outs in stereo. Enabling Speaker Compensation on the
stereo. The ¼" Line Outs could feed a stereo guitar amp Line Outs or XLR Outs will affect the guitar and any other
setup, while the XLR outputs go to a mixer to play backing source routed through the effects, but full-fidelity signals
tracks from the MP3 player and/or handle vocals from the (drum machine, MP3 player, 8-Track Recorder, etc.) are not
mic. affected.
Note that in this mode, the Mic and Line channels will
appear at the XLR Outs only if they're in Dry mode (i.e., not
going through reverb or effects). If they are going through
reverb or effects, they will appear at the ¼" Line Outs, just
like the guitar.
The ¼" Line Outs are affected by the Speaker
Compensation switch, but because the only sources that
can go through the XLR outs are full-fidelity sources,
Speaker Compensation has no effect on the XLR outputs.

The guitar path feeds into both sets of outputs.

The shaded line going from the Mic and Line ins to the line feeding the ¼"
outs indicates that these inputs will take this path if they go through the
reverb or effects.

• The Mixer• 11
 Chapter 3 3
UNDERSTANDING AND SELECTING PRESETS

Now that we have the inputs and outputs squared away, MEMORY CARD PRESETS
let's check out the sounds. In addition to these onboard Presets, the CompactFlash
The GNX4's multieffects section is one of the most card can hold another collection of what's called Card
important elements of this guitar workstation. The various Presets. Like User Presets, these are not permanent and can
effects allow you to shape your guitar sound (or the sound be changed or overwritten at any time.
coming in from the mic or line inputs) in a seemingly infinite
number of ways, which forms the basis of a Preset. A Preset IMPORTANT: COLLECTIONS VS. BANKS
represents all the parameter values for all the effects that The GNX4 refers to each collection of User, Factory, and Card
make up a particular sound. With old school stompboxes, a Presets as a bank, which is logical enough. However, it also
Preset would be the equivalent of the boxes you use, their refers to groups of five Presets within a bank as a bank. To
various control settings, and how they're patched together. avoid confusion, we're going to set our own rules here and
That's all well and good, but all these Presets are not of create our own definitions.
much use if you can't find the Preset you want, or can't store A Collection is the group of Presets that are called User,
as many as you might need to get you through a typical set. Factory, and Card. For example, the User Collection is the
But don't worry, the GNX4 has got you covered in several group of 80 Presets that are stored in user memory.
different ways. A Bank is a group of five Presets within a Collection. For
example, User Presets 31-35 would be a bank within the
FACTORY PRESETS User Collection, Factory Presets 76-80 would be a bank with-
There are 80 Factory Presets that were programmed by in the Factory Collection, and so on. This distinction is
DigiTech's sound development team. These are a perma- important, because when we get into choosing Presets via
nent part of the GNX4 and like energy, can neither be creat- the footswitches, they select Presets based on banks of five
ed nor destroyed. They serve two main purposes: To give Presets.
you a useful collection of sounds "out of the box"-no fur- We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.
ther work required-and also to serve as a point of depar-
ture in creating your own unqiue sounds. For example, you AN INFINITE NUMBER OF PRESETS ...
might really like one of the factory Presets, but wish it had Some guitarists are very interested in creating their own
more reverb and some additional delay. You can edit that sounds, particularly those who do session work and need to
sound, then save it to the collection of ... have a huge number of sounds on tap at any given instant.
For these people, even 160 customized Presets may not be
USER PRESETS enough.
There are also memory locations for 80 User Presets. These There are two main ways around this. The first is to have
can be erased or rewritten as desired. As mentioned previ- several CompactFlash cards with custom collections. A
ously, you can't overwrite or erase Factory Presets. But if you Preset collection file takes so little memory that you can buy
want to edit one, you can save the edited version to one of the smallest, cheapest CompactFlash card you can find and
the User Presets. store a full collection of Presets on it. Then, you could have
Out of the box, the GNX4 comes with the same Presets separate cards for country Presets, one for rock, one for a
loaded into both the Factory and User Preset collections. So, particular band, one for dance music, etc.
you can experiment all you want with the User Presets and If you really want a lot of Presets, get a computer
still have access to all the Factory Presets. involved. The included X-Edit Editor/Librarian (for Windows
XP/2K and Mac OS X) can take a "snapshot" of all your User
Presets, then save it as a collection to your hard disk. It also
lets you mix and match Presets among various collections,

13
so you can create new collections from existing Presets.
There's no limitation on this with respect to collections; for
example, you can open up Presets saved on your hard drive
and transfer them to the User collection, or to the Card
collection. Or, take your favorite Presets from the User collec-
tion and Factory collection and create a new Card collec-
tion.
You can store over 400 Presets per megabyte of storage,
so if you want to do the math of how many Presets you
could store on a 160 Gigabyte hard drive ... be my guest! I
think it's safe to say you won't run out of space to save your The Exit button is your "panic button"-press it, and you'll be back
Presets. in familiar territory.
Don't have a Mac or Windows machine? No problem.The
GNX4 can also save its Presets as MIDI system exclusive infor- You can select Presets manually using the Data Wheel,
mation, which can be stored in a variety of places (from via the footswitches, or via MIDI. We'll cover manual selection
hardware devices designed to store system exclusive data, first, then how to use footswitches. MIDI selection is covered
to software sequencers-like Pro Tracks Plus-that can in Chapter 20, The GNX4 Meets MIDI.
record this data).
MANUAL PRESET SELECTION
PRESET SELECTION MODE Selecting Presets manually is easy: Just rotate the Data
When the GNX4 powers up, it will default to a state where Wheel. Turning it clockwise chooses the next higher-
you can select Presets, and call up the Preset that was select- numbered Preset, while counterclockwise selects (I know
ed when you last turned off the GNX4. So, you can pick up this won't come as a big surprise) the next lower-numbered
right where you left off. You'll know you're in Preset mode Preset.
because one of the LEDs will be on in one of the four Toward the Data Wheel's lower right, you'll note there's a
colored rows immediately under the big GNX4 front-panel section called "Preset Bank" that shows Card, User, and
logo. Factory. Each of these is represented by an LED (colored
yellow, green, and red respectively) that shows the
Off ON MEMORY CARO FOOTSWl1
collection to which the currently selected Preset belongs.

In this example, Preset 21 from the User collection has been selected.

If one of these LEDs is on, you're in Preset mode and can select Presets.
The Data Wheel "wraps around"the end of one collection
If you're in some other mode, it's easy to return to Preset to the next one. For example, if the User collection is select-
selection at any time-just hit the Exit button. This is the ed and you go past Preset 80, you'll find yourself on Preset 1
only button that doesn't light up, because you never stay in of the Card collection. If there's no CompactFlash card
Exit mode. As soon as you press Exit, you're back into. the inserted, then the GNX4 will skip ahead to the first Preset of
world of Preset selection. the Factory collection. Once you reach Factory collection
Preset 80, continuing to rotate the Data Wheel clockwise
calls up Preset 1 of the User collection ... and so on. This
works in reverse, too. If, for example, you have selected
Preset 1 of the User collection, rotating the Data Wheel
counterclockwise will call up Preset 80 of the Factory
collection.

14 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 It's also worth pointing out a very cool Data Wheel fea-. - .,., r--=-7
ture when you're selecting Presets manually: It "accelerates" - .,_.
-~ - ~-
·--- - -
--- ...
as you turn it faster, making it easy to skip past large num- -· ··-· -~ ........
--·
.... --
---- - . ·- -- --~- --
.,,..._.,,,

bers of Presets. But there's one exception to this rule. Even if •-·
- ----
you turn it really fast, it will pause for a little bit on th,e first
Preset in a collection. So, if you're turning the wheel fast in
order to get from one collection to another as rapidly as
possible, this makes sure you don't"overshoot"your intend-
ed collection. (Incidentally, if you just"spin the dial"with a bit
of force, it will land on Preset 1 of the next collection.) It's
these kinds of little touches that make the GNX4 just that These footswitches can switch footswitch mode, while the footswitches
much more fun to use. above them indicate the current mode.

FOOTSWITCH PRESET SELECTION Selecting Presets in Preset Mode

For live performance, using the Data Wheel to select Presets All footswitches are used in this application, which is opti-
can be cumbersome. In this case, using the footswitches is mized for quick random access of the GNX4 Presets.
the way to go. The footswitches can actually control a large However, note that you cannot scroll through the Factory
number of functions, but to avoid confusion, for now let's collection of Presets in this mode; you can access only the
just cover those aspects that relate to Preset selection. User and Card collections. This is because DigiTech assumes
First of all, there are three different footswitch modes: that it won't take you long to come up with your own sets of
Preset, Stompbox, and Recording. Only the first two matter Presets you'll want to use. The Factory Presets are "training
with respect to selecting Presets. There are two ways to wheels":They'II get you going, but eventually, you'll want to
select the footswitch mode: create your own signature sound.
To understand how to select Presets in Preset mode, you
• Use the Mode button to the upper right of the Data first need to understand how the GNX4 arranges Presets
Wheel. Pressing this button repeatedly cycles through within a collection. Each collection (Factory, User, and Card)
the three modes. The switch LED color indicates mode: is arranged as 16 banks of 5 Presets. These banks are:
Green= Preset, yellow= stompbox, and red= recorder.
The two "upper" footswitch LEDs mirror this color as Bank 01 Presets O1-05
well. Bank 02 Presets 06-10
Bank 03 Presets 11-15
Bank 04 Presets 16-20
Bank 05 Presets 21-25
Bank 06 Presets 26-30
Bank 07 Presets 31-35
Bank 08 Presets 36-40
Bank 09 Presets 41-45
Bank 10 Presets 46-50
Bank 11 Presets 51-55
Bank 12 Presets 56-60
Bank 13 Presets 61-65
Bank 14 Presets 66-70
Check out the color of this switch's LED to see the current role of Bank 15 Presets 71-75
the footswitches. Bank 16 Presets 76-80

• The other method is to press both footswitches 4 and 5 Furthermore, each bank has a name (e.g., Factory Presets
at the same time. Each press selects the next Mode in 1-5 are called the"Showcase"bank).The Factory bank names
the series.This has the advantage of being a hands-free carry over to the other collections as well as defaults, but
operation. As when using the Mode button, the display you can rename the banks for the User and Card collections,
will briefly indicate the mode, and the Mode button as described later in this chapter.
LED will change color to reflect the current mode. Also, To select a Preset, you first select a bank using the
the color of the Up Arrow /Down Arrow footswitch LEDs Pattern/File {Down Arrow/Up Arrow) footswitches. These
(the two upper ones) will change to reflect the mode. footswitches are the two closest to the Data Wheel. Then,
Again, green = Preset, yellow = stompbox, and red = select a Preset within that bank using footswitches 1-5.
recorder. Here's how the process works:

• Understanding and Selecting Presets•

 1. To select the bank in a collection with higher-numbered
Presets, press the Up Arrow footswitch once. To select
the bank in a collection with lower-numbered Presets,
press the Down Arrow footswitch once. To scroll up or
down through the banks, hold the Up Arrow or Down
Arrow footswitches down respectively.
2. The display shows the bank name, and two visual indi-
cations occur:The Preset numbers shown in the red dis-
play scroll through the five Preset numbers in the bank,
and the LEDs in footswitches 1-5 scroll similarly.
3. Press one of the five lower footswitches to select a par-
ticular Preset. For example, suppose the bank with Bounceback is one of the many useful functions found in the Utility menu.
Presets 71-75 is selected. Footswitch 1 would select
Preset 71, footswitch 2 would select Preset 72, and so 2. Hit the Next or Prev buttons until the display shows
on until Footswitch 5 would select Preset 75. BOUNCBAK.
4. The scrolling of the display and footswitch LEDs hap-
pens three times. If you don't select a Preset with one of
the five footswitches during that time, the GNX4
reverts to the Preset that was selected prior to chang-
ing banks.
5. You can freely select Presets within the current bank at
any time by using the five lower footswitches (1-5).
Hitting the same switch again bypasses the effects.

About "Preset Bounceback"

Many times when playing live, you'll alternate between two
Presets, like rhythm and lead, or chorus and verse. For those
situations, there's a shortcut called "Preset Bounceback"that If you get to the end of the list of options without finding Bounceback,
lets you alternate between these two Presets with a single reverse direction using the opposite button until the display says
footswitch. Conceptually, it's like the "undo" button in a com- BOUNCBAK.

puter program that reverts to a previous state.

For example, suppose footswitch 2 calls up a Rhythm 3. Use the Data Wheel to select BOUNCBAK On.
Preset and footswitch 4 calls up a Lead Preset. If Preset 4. Hit the Exit button when you're done.
Bounceback is not enabled, you'd have to alternate between
hitting these two footswitches. With Preset Bounceback Selecting Preset in Stompbox Mode
enabled, if you call up the Rhythm Preset with footswitch 2 This mode is somewhat more limited, as you step through
then later on call up the Lead Preset with footswitch 4, hit- Presets one at a time. However, for live performance, some
ting footswitch 4 will toggle between the Rhythm and Lead musicians prefer to program an entire evening's worth of
Presets. Presets as one continuous series of Presets. This mode is
The short form is this:Whenever you select a Preset using ideal for that type of Preset selection.
a particular footswitch with the GNX4 in Preset Bounceback 1. Select Sto.mpbox mode as described previously (press
mode, hitting the same footswitch again will call up the pre- the Mode button repeatedly until it glows yellow), or
viously selected Preset. step on footswitches 4 and 5 simultaneously until the
To enable Preset Bounceback mode: buttons in the Up Arrow/Down Arrow footswitches
1. Press the Utility button. It glows red. glow yellow. Each press of both footswitches cycles
through the next mode in the series.
2. Press the Up Arrow footswitch to advance the next
higher-numbered Preset, or the Down Arrow
footswitch to move down to the next lower-numbered
Preset. Hold down the Up or Down Arrow footswitch-
es to scroll rapidly higher or lower, respectively.
Whatever Preset is visible when you release the
footswitch will become the current Preset.

16 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

NAMING/RENAMING BANKS 2. Use the Data Wheel to select the User or Card collec-
This is a pretty hip feature, especially when you're under the tion bank you want to rename.
pressure of playing live. I find that I rarely need more than 3. Press the Store button to start the naming process.
five Presets per song, so a bank can simply be named after a
song, which makes it easy to find when you're scrolling with
the footswitches in Preset mode.
1. To rename, press the Utility button (it glows red), then
use the Prev and Next buttons until the display shows
BANKS.

Use the Store button just before you start editing the individual characters
in the name, and again after you've made all desired changes.

4. Naming uses the standard GNX4 protocol-choose the

character to be edited with the Prev/Next buttons,
then edit it with the Data Wheel.
Start the bank renaming process by pressing the Utility button, then using 5. After you've edited the name, press the Store button
the Prev/Next buttons to select the BANKS function. again. The display shows NAMESVD so you'll know the
GNX4 has accomplished its mission.
6. Select another bank with the Data Wheel, or press the
Exit button to leave this function.

• Understanding and Selecting Presets •

 Chapter 4 4
GNX4 PARAMETER EDITING

Note: The following material is also presented in video format

on the CD-ROM. Available formats are Real, Windows Media
Video, and QuickTime.

The real fun with the GNX4 effects begins when you start
personalizing and tweaking Presets to create your own sig-
nature sound. This is done using the GNX4 editing matrix,
which has two distinct areas.
The area above the knobs controls the amp, cabinet
modeling, and tone. The area below the knobs handles
effects. We'll discuss effects first, because it seems more
likely you'll find a basic sound where you want to change
some of the effects, rather than starting a sound from
scratch. For instance, if you like a Preset but wish it had some
reverb, just edit the Preset to add reverb. We'll cover amp
and cabinet modeling later on.

EDITING THE GNX4:

NO HARDER THAN EDITING STOMPBOXES
Fortunately, doing this type of tweaking is easy, as editing is
based on the same principle as how you change the sound
with stompbox setups.

Stompboxes have no "hidden menus"-each knob or switch controls a

specific function.

Editing on the GNX4 works pretty much the same way.

There are five knobs and one switch, but what they do
depends on the effect you've chosen.

The GNX4 editing matrix is where you edit parameters for the various amp
models and effects.

With stompboxes, there's almost always one knob per The five knobs and one switch vary the parameter values to change the
sound of a particular effects setup.
parameter. For example, to adjust the amount of depth with
a chorus unit, you turn the knob labeled "depth."

19
 You select the effect you want to edit with the Up/Down Note that each effect has its own row of editable
Arrow buttons. Push either the Down or Up button to start parameters. If you choose compression, the parameters are
editing. Compression On/Off, Attack, Ratio, Threshold, and Gain.

The Compression row includes compression-related parameters.

If you select the Delay effect, there are parameters for

Delay On/Off, Delay Type, Delay Time, Feedback, Ducker
Use the Up and Down buttons to select the effect you want to edit.
Threshold, and Delay Level.

Each push of the Down button selects the next lower

effect in the list of effects. An LED lights next to the selected
effect, making it easy to see which effect you're about to
edit.
The Delay row includes its own set of delay-related parameters, like
Delay Time.

Once you've decided which parameter to edit, simply

tweak the knob that's in the same column as the parameter
name.

In this example, the Whammy/JPS/Mod effect is selected for editing.

Pushing the Up button scrolls upward through the list of

effects. If you scroll past the end in either direction, the
GNX4 exits edit mode, and the LEDs now show which effects
In this example, turning the knob above the Compression Ratio label edits
are being used in the current Preset. For example, this pic-
the Compression Ratio.
ture shows an effect that uses the Noise Gate, Chorus/Mod,
and Reverb effects.
To recap, use the Up/Down buttons to select the effect
-~-
,. to edit.

WAH - PICKUP Wah OrvOff Wah Type

COMPAHSIDN Comp On/OH Attack
WHAMMiY /IPS/TALK Wham OrvOff Type

.i STOMPBOM Stomp OrvOff Type

I
I

• • NIUSE GATE Gate On/Off Gate Type

I

tffDRUS/MOO Mod Orv□ff Mod Type

I
DUAY Delay On/Off Delay Type
I

• RE\IHI Reverb Orv'Off Reverb Type

:
. EXPRESSION ASSIGN Exp-Contri- LFO Parameter Assifln
The GNX4 provides a convenient way to see which effects are included in a
particular Preset.
Editing begins with the Up/Down buttons.

20 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide·

 The effect you select has an associated row of parameters. This reminds you that any edits are stored in a temporary
memory buffer and are not permanent. To make them per-
manent, you need to store the Preset. You can either over-
write an existing Preset, or save to a different Preset.
As mentioned earlier, the GNX4 comes with 80 Factory
Presets that are permanent (you can't overwrite them), and
80 User Presets that can be replaced with your own Presets.
Choose the effect whose parameters you want to edit. You can also save an additional 80 Presets to the
CompactFlash card (if present). The storing procedure is
The knob above each parameter edits the parameter simple.
value. 1. Press the Store button. It will now begin flashing; what-
ever was on the display will be replaced by the Preset
name, and the first character will be flashing to prompt
you to rename the Preset (ifdesired).
2. If you do want to rename the Preset, use the Data
Wheel to edit the flashing character. Then use the Next
button to select the next character to be edited (the
Select the appropriate knob to edit the desired parameter. character to be edited will be flashing), and again use
the Data Wheel to edit the character. Your options are
So basically, editing sounds is very much like a tradition- the letters A-Z, numbers 0-9, eleven special characters,
al stompbox: Find the parameter you want to change, then and space.
turn the knob.

STORING A PRESET
Note: If at any time you want to back out of the storing process
and keep a Preset the way it is,just hit the Exit button.

MOD£ OttfPUT smtP UTIUlY IMP SAVE STORE

□□□□□
■/ ► PllntrlN l111H l!MPO llll

+48V
II-SWITCH
USS ACTIVE
-~MS/~0
~ ~~
The Prev/Next buttons choose the character you want to edit, while the
Data Wheel chooses the alphanumeric character or symbol.

3. After you name the Preset, press Store again. Now the
If you change your mind about storing a Preset, hit the Exit button. red Preset number (to the left of the Data Wheel) will
begin flashing.
As soon as you make any edits to a Preset, the Store LED
lights up.

-,0
.--- -- ..
MOOE OUTPUT SETUP mun
~'

• '
■/ ► ,mm;i uvn TEMPO m

+48V DRUMS/ MP3

PltR 111m £Jiff Once you press the flashing Store button, the Preset number will begin
V-SWITU
+ flashing.
use ACTIVl
ns NG

The Store button lights to alert you that an edited Preset needs to be stored 4. If you want to overwrite the existing Preset, press the
if you want to preserve the changes. flashing Store button again and the Preset is stored. To
save to a different Preset number, use the Data Wheel
to select it.

• GNX4 Parameter Editing •

 If you go past Preset 80 in the User collection, the next • Amp Gain control (sets the amount of "drive")
Preset will be Preset 1 of the Card collection (CompactFlash • Cabinet tuning control (essentially varies the cabinet
card). You will not be able to access this collection if the card size)
is not installed, and in any event, you will not be able to save • Amp Level control (master volume)
to the Factory collection because those Presets are perma-
nent and cannot be overwritten. If you go past Preset 80 in So far so good, right? Well, keep reading.
the Card collection, the display will roll over to Preset 1 of
the User collection. Dual-Channel O e ti 11
Most amps have dual-channel operation, so you can set dif-
ABOUT GENETX TECHNOLOGY ferent tone and drive settings and switch between them.
The section in the owner's manual on creating and editing Typically, this provides one sound for rhythm, and another
amp/cabinet models is quite detailed. When you're ready to for lead.
create cool amp sounds, it will get you where you need to The GNX4 also has two channels, but these are two com-
go. But first, here's an overview for those who are new to plete channels, as described above. In other words, you're
GeNetX technology. It's a very powerful way to create not limited to just varying the tone controls and gain when
sounds, and the better you understand it, the more you'll be you switch between channels; you can also play through a
able to exploit it to the fullest. different amp model and cabinet. Instead of thinking of this
as one amp with two channels, think of it as two complete-
m and abine Modeling ly different, variable amplifier setups with an A/B footswitch
There are three main elements to a guitar amp: that lets you send your signal to one amp or the other. With
the GNX4, Channel 1 is called the "green" channel (to tie in
• The amp with the panel graphics and associated LED indicators) and
• The amp's controls (e.g., gain, tone, etc.) Channel 2 is the "red" channel.
• The speaker/cabinet combination
Warp Operation
Each element makes a significant contribution to the But where things really startto get interesting is with the
overall sound. Warp function. This provides a third channel (the "yellow"
channel) that combines characteristics of the first and sec-
Products based on the GeNetX technology include a ond channels via a "Warp" control. This control "morphs"
variety of amp and cabinet models.For the GNX4, these are: between the two amp settings in a continuously variable
fashion from channel one to channel two.
• 15 guitar amp models For example, suppose you have a bluesy, rough tweed
• 1 acoustic guitar model sound on channel 1, and an over-the-top British stack sound
• 10 bass amp models on channel 2. You like the tweed sound, but wish it was a lit-
• 12 guitar cabinet models tle more aggressive ... and you like the British stack sound,
• 10 bass cabinet models but it's way too aggressive. With the Warp control, you can
• 9 custom "HyperModels" that you create from existing dial in a sound that's halfway between the two (or any other
amp/cabinet combinations proportion, for that matter).This is not just a simple mix con-
trol; it actually does a mathematical "morph" between the
There are also "direct" settings for the amp and cabinet so two of them to create an entirely new sound.
you can take the effects of either element out of the sound. If you've seen movies where a character morphs from
When you choose an amp model for a Preset, the GNX4 one being to another like a shapeshifter, that's the visual
automatically loads a matching cabinet. However, you are equivalent of what's going on here. In the Harry Potter
not restricted to using a particular cabinet with a particular movies, when Miss McGonagall morphs into a cat, in
amp. For example, selecting a classic Tweed amp loads a between you have a being who's half-human and half-cat-
model of a Tweed 1 x 12 cabinet. But if you want to use a not a "mix"where the cat and human exist simultaneously.
4 x 12, 2 x 15 bass cabinet emulation, or whatever, you can In the GNX4, the Warp control warps evenly between the
easily swap out cabinets with the cabinet parameter. speaker and amp models. In other words, a halfway setting
As to the"virtual electronics,"you can further modify the chooses a point halfway between the cabinet models and
sound with: halfway between the amp models.The X-Edit software takes
this one step further by providing independent morphing of
• Bass, Treble, and Midrange tone controls (each with the amp and cabinet. For example, you could morph
adjustable frequency) halfway between the amps, but three-quarters of the way
• Presence control between the cabinets.

22 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

SO, HOW DO I ACTUALLY PROGRAM ALL THIS The Bass/Mid/Treble Frequency parameters set where
STUFF? boosting or cutting will occur when you control tone with
Good question, and it's not really all that difficult. The princi- the Tone row. For example, if you set the Midrange
ple is the same as for programming effects: Select the row Frequency parameter to 1OOOHZ, then the Midrange con-
with the parameter you want to edit (push the button to the trol in the Tone row will boost or cut at that frequency.
left of the row; an associated LED lights), then use the knobs The knobs change frequency one Hertz at a time, which
to vary the values associated with particular parameters on means you can dial in frequencies with pinpoint precision.
that row. So that adjustments don't get too tedious, though, note that
the Data Wheel can change frequency 100Hz at a time.

Changing Channel 2 (Red Channel) Parameters

Channel 2's parameters are laid out pretty similarly, except
that they're found on the third row down. As with Channel
1, the various frequencies you program work in conjunction
with the Tone row controls.

Each button selects a particular row. From top to bottom, these are Channel
1 EQ, GeNetX (Warp) parameters, Channel 2 EQ, and Tone.

Admittedly, all this warping stuff may seem a bit over- The third row of parameters relates to EQ for Channel 2. Note that the
Channel 2 Amp Model and Cabinet Model parameters are located in the
whelming at first, but fortunately the GNX4 is set up so that
GeNetXrow.
it's easy to program various elements of the warp separate-
ly. You can use the Status button to (among other things)
Changing Tone Row Parameters
program just Channel 1, Channel 2, Channel 1 while listen-
When you're dealing with the Tone row, you want to be able
ing to the warped combination, or Channel 2 while listening
to adjust the tone for each amp individually, as well as adjust
to the Warped combination.
the tone controls for one amp while listening to the warped
combination.

The Tone row varies the Amp Gain, Bass boost/cut, Midrange boost/cut,
Treble boost/cut, and Amp Level for either Channel 1 or Channel 2,
depending on the setting of the Status button to the left of the knobs.

When you're editing on the Tone row, each push of the

Status button cycles through:
The Status button lets you program the two channels by themselves, or one
• Channel 1 Amp: The Tone controls affect the Channel
of the channels in a warped combination.
1 amp, and you hear only this amp.
• Channel 1 Warp: The Tone controls affect the Channel
· g Ch nel (Green Channel) Parameters
1 amp, but you hear the warped combination of the
In the Chan One EQ row, the Status button controls EQ
Channel 1 and Channel 2 amps. This lets you edit the
On/Off. The knobs control Cabinet Tuning, Bass Frequency,
Channel 1 Tone controls in context of the warped
Mid Frequency, Treble Frequency, and Presence.
sound.
• Channel 2 Amp: The Tone controls affect the Channel
2 amp, and you hear only this amp.
• Channel 1 Warp: The Tone controls affect the Channel
2 amp, but you hear the warped combination of the
The top row of parameters relates to EQ for Channel 1. Note that the
Channel 1 and Channel 2 amps.
Channel 1 Amp Model and Cabinet Model parameters are located
in the GeNetX row.

• GNX4 Parameter Editing • 23

 Note that the Status switch LED changes colors to help 1. In the Control panel area, press the Amp Save button.
you along: It's green when Channel 1 is selected, red when 2. Use the Prev/Next buttons and Data Wheel to name
Channel 2 is selected, and yellow when you've selected the Amp (Prev/Next chooses the character to edit,
Channel 1 Warp or Channel 2 Warp. Data Wheel chooses the character itself).
3. After you've named it, press Amp Save again.
Changing Warp Parameters 4. Choose one of the 9 user locations (U1 - U9) with the
The GeNetX row is where you change the parameters that Data Wheel. If there's no data in the location, the dis-
are crucial to warping. play will show EMPTY. You can also overwrite existing
data. The HyperModel will be saved to this location.
5. Press Amp Save one more time, and you've saved your
HyperModel.
The best part is that you can now use this like a standard
The GeNetX row contains the Channel selection and Warp parameters, Amp/Cabinet model, except that it's a warped version of
as well as the Amp and Cabinet model parameters for both Channel 1 two amps and cabinets. So, if you load a HyperModel into
and Channel 2. Channel 1 and a HyperModel into Channel 2 and then warp
between them, you're actually doing a warp that involves
In this row, each successive push of the Status button four separate amp models and four separate cabinet mod-
cycles through what you'll be hearing: els. And if you save this as a HyperModel, it too can be
brought into the Channel 1 amp along with an equally com-
• Channel 1 only plex HyperModel, and now you're warping between eight
• Channel 2 only separate amp and eight separate cabinet models. Pretty
• The Warped combination of the two channels outrageous, eh? No wonder they call it "warped."

Furthermore, here is where you can adjust the Amp Footswitch Options
model and Cabinet model for Channel 1, and the Warp fac- We'll discuss this in Chapter 10 on footswitching, but it's
tor between the two channels. worth pointing out that not only can you program this sec-
tion as the equivalent of a three-channel amp, but you can
Storing Your GeNetX Edits use Footswitch A in Stompbox mode to toggle among
The changes you make to the Amp and Cabinet, as well as Channel 1, Channel 2, and the Warped channel. Or just the
any Warping, become part of a Preset. Therefore, not only two channels-or just one channel and the Warped chan-
does a Preset contain your choice of effects and effects set- nel. And, you can set this up differently in each Preset if
tings, it also contains up to three choices of amps, cabinet, desired so that, for example, in one Preset you can toggle
and warp settings-Channel 1 only, Channel 2 only, and the between Channel 1 and Channel 2, but in another Preset,
Warp channel. Cool. you can toggle between Channel 2 and the Warped chan-
nel. So, you have complete control over which channel to
Crea ing and Storing HyperModels use in live performance.
We're not done yet, because you can also save the settings
for a particular amp/cabinet/channel/warp combination as
a "HyperModel." Let's suppose you're creating a Preset, and
come across an amp combination that you would like to use
in other Presets. You can save up to nine of these; here's how.

The Amp Save and Prev/Next buttons, along with the Data Wheel, are all
you need to name and save HyperModels.

24 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide·

 Chapter 5 5
EXPRESSION ASSIGNMENT

Your GNX's footpedal is called an "expression pedal" for a Expression assign encompasses not only Expression pedal
reason-it holds the key to tremendous expressiveness. assignment, but the ability to control expression-related
Think of steel guitar: Sure, a lot of what makes it sound so parameters with footswitches or LFOs (low-frequency
human is the gliding from note to note. But another huge oscillators). We'll cover all these aspects in this chapter.
element is the volume pedal that fades the sound in and
out, which provides extra dynamics and another layer of SO, LET'S CONTROL SOMETHING!
emotion on top of the notes themselves. The easiest way to get across Expression pedal assignments
is to roll up your sleeves and follow along with a tutorial, so
let's get,started. After this, we'll cover some other expression
assignments that don't involve the pedal.
Those with very long memories or a good knowledge of
rock 'n' roll history may remember the Magnatone amp,
which could produce actual vibrato (periodic frequency vari-
ations) instead of the more common tremolo (periodic vol-
ume variations). Vibrato is a cool sound when added to gui-
tar-we do it all the time with our fingers, and with vibrato
tailpieces-but when done at a precise rate, it takes on a
whole other quality that's almost synthesizer-like.
The GNX4 can do great vibrato, so let's add vibrato to an
existing Preset and control it with the expression pedal. In
the process, we'll take a basic course in how to edit Presets.
Meanwhile, if you want to hear the kind of sound we're
going after, check out the example on the CD-ROM of pedal-
controlled vibrato.

SETTING UP VIBRATO
However, the GNX's pedal goes beyond simple volume or 1. Turn on the GNX4, and choose factory Preset VOXTOP
wah control. It's possible to put just about any parameter (13) with the Data Wheel.
underfoot, such as echo amount, tremolo depth, chorus
speed, gate threshold-in fact, you can control any three
parameters simultaneously. For example, you could push
down on the pedal to increase both delay feedback (to cre-
ate more echoes) and the level of the echoes, while adding
just a little bit of treble boost to make the echoes a bit more
distinct. Basically, the GNX expression pedal is like having
three hands to tum knobs for you.
Most of the time, controlling one parameter at a time will
be enough. But sometimes you'll need more, and having
three tone-bending options available with a push of the
foot can be the answer.
For this tutorial on using the expression pedal, call up Factory Preset 13 with
the Data Wheel.

25
 2. Hit the edit (Down Arrow) button repeatedly until the
Chorus/Mod row LED turns on. This row contains the
available editable chorus/modulation parameters
(Mod On/Off, Mod Type, etc.).

The Status button toggles the Vibrato function on and off. We want
On for now.

5. Use Knob 2 to set Parameter 1 to SPEED 64. This is the

vibrato rate. · ·

Select on the Chorus/Mod row, as that contains the vibratoparameters

we want to edit.

3. To choose the Mod Type, turn Knob 1 clockwise until

the green display shows VIBRATO.

Parameter 1 in the Chorus/Mod row selects Vibrato rate when Vibrato is

selected for editing.

6. Use Knob 3 to set Parameter 2 to DEPTH 19, which

should make the vibrato effect pretty obvious.

The Modulation Type parameter selects the Vibrato effectfrom the various
modulation options.

4. Push the Status button until the display shows VIBRA-

TO On.

Parameter 2 in the Chorus/Mod row selects Vibrato depth when Vibrato is

selected for editing.

26 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

 Too obvious, in fact-and in some ways, annoying! But if
we turn it down too much, then the sound loses its impact.
So, let's control the Depth parameter with the pedal; that
way we can pedal our way to as much vibrato as we want.

PROGRAMMING THE PEDAL

The pedal can not only vary a parameter value, but sweep
from one specific value in the pedal down position to a dif-
ferent value in the pedal back (up) position. For example, if
the pedal controls volume, 0 for pedal back and 100 for
pedal down would sweep a volume pedal from full off to full
on. But you could also set these limits at 33 and 66, so the
pedal would sweep between one-third · and two-thirds of
the maximum volume. Of course, it can do this with any
parameter, not just volume.
You can even reverse the "sense" of the pedal by setting
the pedal down value lower than the pedal up value. For Knob 1 determines the parameter to be controlled by the pedal.
example, with volume set the peqal down position to O and
pedal up to 100; the v~lume will increase as you pull back on 3. To set the pedal's Minimum Value, turn Knob 2 so that
the pedal. the red display shows 0. This sets the low range of the
Okay, let's control vibrato depth with the pedal. pedal (pedal back). Setting this to O means the vibrato
1. Hit the edit (Down Arrow) button until the Expression will be completely out when the pedal is back.
Assign row LED turns on. The green display shows EXP
PDL 1 (if it doesn't, hit the Status button to select this
option).

Knob 2 determines the pedal's minimum value.

4. To set the peda.l's Maximum Value, turn Knob 3 so that

the red display shows.20. Here we're limiting the max-
imum value so the sound isn't too drastic. But if you like
drastic sounds, hey, turn it up!

The Expression Assign row of parameters controls the pedal's_

characteristics. ·

2. To choose the Parameter Assignment, turn Knob 1

counterclockwise until the green display· shows
DEPTH. This tells the pedal to control the vibrato mod-
ulation depth.

Knob 3 determines the pedal's maximum value.

• Expression Assignment •
 Now work the pedal, and note how the vibrato depth 3. To set the pedal's Minimum Value; turn Knob 2 so that
changes as you move the pedal back and forth. You can use the red display shows 40. This sets the low range of the
this to add more expressiveness as you fade the vibrato pedal (pedal back), so that there's always some reverb,
effect in and out of the music. even with the pedal back.

Control Another Parameter

Let's take this one level higher by increasing the amount of
reverb slightly when vibrato is being added. The VOXTOP
Preset already includes reverb, so all we need to do is link
the reverb depth to pedal control. Here's how.
1. To select a new value for the Exp-Control-LFO param-
eter, hit the Status button until the green display
shows EXP PDL2. This provides the second pedal link.

Once again, Knob 2 determines the pedal's minimum value.

4. To set the pedars Maximum Value, turn Knob 3 so that

the red display shows 60. Of course, these are just sug-
gested settings;you can have as little or as much reverb
as you want for the pedal back and pedal down set-
tings respectively.

To control another pedal parameter, press the Status button again.

2. To choose the Parameter Assignment, turn Knob 1

clockwise until the green display shows RVB LEVL. (Be As when setting the first parameter, Knob 3 determines the pedal's
patient, there are a lot of parameters to scroll through.) maximum value.

This tells the pedal to control the reverb level.

Control a Third Parameter
We can do this one more time ... hit the Status button again
until the green display shows EXP PDL3, which is the third
pedal link. It's programmed the same way as links 2 and 3.
And that's all there is to it! If you like the results, go ahead
and save this to one of the User or Card Presets. But in any
event, you now know how to multiply your expressiveness
with Pedal Power.

THE EXPRESSION PARAMETER ASSIGNMENT LIST

When you turn Knob 1 to choose the parameter you want to
control, most of the meanings shown in the display are pretty
obvious (e.g, WAHONOFF). But if you need a more detailed
explanation, refer to the following chart. This lists each abbrevi-
ation that shows up in the display (whether making assign-
ments for the Expression peda I, Control footswitches, or the two
Expression LFOs), then gives a short form description of what
Assigning a second parameter works similarly to how we assigned the parameter does. If you need more information about each
the first parameter. parameter, refer to Chapter 6, Multieffects Parameters Explained.

28 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

 Display shows: Full description:

NO LINK No parameter is assigned IPS LEVEL Sets level of the processed IPS
signal added to the dry signal
AMP CHAN Switches amp channels
DTN LEVL Edits level of the processed Detune
AMP WARP Warps the Channel 1 (green) and signal added to the dry signal
Channel 2 (red) amp models
PCH LEVL Edits level of the processed Pitch
CAB WARP Warps the Channel 1 (green) and Shift signal added to the dry signal
Channel 2 (red) cabinet types
MIC LEVL Sets the mic level for Talker effects
WARP Warps Channel 1 (green) and
Channel 2 (red) SBOXONOF Stompbox effect on/off

CHl GAIN Controls Channel 1 amp gain Stompbox Effects parameters (depending on the active
effect, you will see one or more of the following parameters)
CHl LEVL Controls Channel 1 amp level
DRIVE, GAIN, Amount of gain/overload effect
CH2 GAIN Controls Channel 2 amp gain DIST, SUSTAIN,
GRNGGAIN, FUZZ
CH2 LEVL Controls Channel 2 amp level
TONE, FILTER Adjusts frequency response
WAHONOFF Wah effect on/off
LEVEL, VOLUME, Sets overall level
WAH PDL Adjusts overall Wah sweep
LOUD
PCKONOFF Pickup simulator on/off
CLEAN Parameter unique to SparkDrv
PCKTYPE Pickup simulation type effect

CMPONOFF Compression on/off BUTT Parameter unique to Grunge effect

CMPATTAK Compression attack time FACE Parameter unique to Grunge effect

CMPRATIO Compression ratio MID FREQ Controls Zone model midrange

level
CMPTHRES Compression threshold
MID LEVL Controls Zone model midrange
CMP GAIN Compression gain level

IPSONOFF Whammy/lPS/Talker effect on/off LOW Controls Zone model low

frequency
Whammy/lPS/Talker Effects parameters (depending on the
active effect, you will see one or more of the following HIGH Controls Zone model high level
parameters)
GATONOFF Noise gate on/off
SHIFTAMT Amount of frequency or interval
shift produced by the active effect GATTHRES Noise gate threshold

WHAM PDL Adjusts overall Whammy pedal GATATTAK Noise gate attack
sweep
PLUCKSNS Threshold for noise gate pluck
WHAM MIX Sets level of the processed mode
Whammy signal
FX ONOFF Modulation effect on/off
SCALE Scale used by the IPS effect

KEY Key used by the IPS effect

• Expression Assignment •
Modulation Effects parameters (depending on the active
effect, you will see one or more of the following parameters)
DLY LEVL Delay level
SPEED LFO speed
- DLY BAL Left/right balance of the delayed
DEPTH LFO depth signal

PREDELAY Initial predelay for Chorus DLY SPRD Sets stereo spread of Spread delay;
replaces DLY BAL parameter for this
MOD LEVL Level of processed signal added to effect
the dry signal
RVBONOFF Reverb effect on/off
MOD WAVE, LFO waveform
WAVEFORM RVB PRE Reverb predelay time

MOD BAL Sets the stereo balance of the RVBDECAY Reverb decay time
processed signal (from left to right)
RVB LEVL Amount of reverb level added to
REGEN Edits the "sharpness" of the Flanger dry sound
and Phaser effects
RVB BAL Balance of the processed reverb
MOD MIX Adjusts the blend of dry and signal in the stereo field
processed sounds, from all dry to all
processed VOL PRE Sets the level between the amp
modeling and effects chain
SENSTVTY Correlates effect to the dynamics of
your playing VOL POST Sets the level at the end of the
effects chain
LFO STRT Sets the sweep starting point on
the LFO upon receiving a trigger LFO1 SPD Controls the modulation speed of
Expression LFO 1
DOPPLER Rotary speaker pitch shift - relates
to virtual speaker motion LFO2 SPD Controls the modulation speed of
Expression LFO 2
XOVER Crossover frequency between the
Rotary Speaker woofer and horn
PROGRAMMING THE WAH PEDAL RANGE
RANGE Adjust "vocal" characteristics of the This is done similarly to programming links for the
YaYa and AutoYa effects Expression pedal, so we'll keep it short. Again, you want to
have the Expression Assign row selected for editing.
ATTACK SynthTalk envelope attack 1. Hit the Status button until the green display shows
WAH POL.
RELEASE SynthTalk envelope release
2. Use Knob 2 to set the minimum value and Knob 3 to
vox Vocal quality of the SynthTalk voice set the maximum value.

AMOUNT Amount of detuning for Detune You might wonder why you'd ever need to restrict the
effect wah pedal range. Well, if you're using the wah pedal's
FULLRANG response, you might not want the response to
SHIFT Amount of shift for Pitch Shift effect go to the maximum possible high and low frequencies. Or,
with bass, you might want to restrict the wah range to lower
DLYONOFF Delay effect on/off
frequencies.
DLYFDBK Delay feedback
PROGRAMMING THE AMP CHANNEL FOOTSWITCH
THRESHLD Delay ducker threshold (STOMPBOX FOOTSWITCH MODE)
As we mentioned in the section on Warping, when the
DUCKATTN Delay ducker attenuation footswitches are in Stompbox mode, the Amp channel
footswitch can be programmed (for each Preset) to toggle
among various combinations of the Channel 1, Channel 2,
30 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•
and Warped sounds. Here's how. As with the previous exam- variations within a single Preset!
ples in this chapter, make sure the Expression Assign row is
selected for editing. PROGRAMMING THE CONTROL A, B, C
1. Hit the Status button until the green display shows AMP FOOTSWITCHES (STOMPBOX FOOTSWITCH MODE)
FS. Here's another programming goodie that relates to when
2. Choose from the following options: the footswitches are in Stompbox mode. Normally, the
CH1 - CH2: The footswitch toggles between the two Control A Footswitch turns the Stompbox effect on and off,
channels. the Control B Footswitch turns the Chorus/Mod effect on
CH1 -WARP:The footswitch toggles between Channel 1 and off, and the Control C Footswitch turns the Delay effect
and the Warp channel. on and off. And that's great, except that they can be pro-
CH2 - WARP: The footswitch toggles between Channel 2 grammed in the Expression Assign function to provide
and the Warp channel. much more control.
Cl - C2 - WP: The footswitch cycles through Channel 1,
Channel 2, and Warp. This gives you three tonal and level

In Stompbox mode, these three footswitches (Control A, Control B, and Control C) can each be programmed to switch between
two values for just about any three parameters you want

The basic idea is you can program each footswitch to 1. Use the Status button to select one of the following:
switch between two states for a particular parameter. For CNTRL Al, CNTRL A2, CNTRL A3 (the three parame-
example ... ters associated with the Control A Footswitch), CNTRL
• Switch between two Warp values. B1, CNTRL B2, CNTRL B3 (the three para meters associ-
• Switch between a high Delay Feedback level and the ated with the Control B Footswitch), or CNTRL C1,
delay's Repeat Hold function, which "freezes"the audio CNTRL C2, CNTRL C3 (the three parameters associated
in the delay line and repeats it. with the Control C Footswitch).
• Switch between two different LFO speeds. 2. Use Knob 1 to select the desired parameter you want to
• Turn pickup emulation on or off. control. If you find any of the abbreviations confusing,
• Switch between different pitch intervals. check out the Parameter Assignment List given earlier in
this chapter.
These are just a few ideas to get you started, but it gets 3. Knob 2 edits the parameter's minimum value (i.e.,
better. Actually, each footswitch can switch between two when the footswitch is off).
states for up to three parameters. So you could use a single 4. Knob 3 adjusts the parameter's maximum value (i.e.,
footswitch press to increase delay level, change the compres- when the footswitch is on).
sion ratio, and boost the Channel 2 amp level. 5. Selects whether the footswitch action is TOGGLE
And there's more: Another feature is that this action can (press the footswitch each time you want to change
be momentary (the state changes for as long as you hold the parameter states) or MOMENTRY (momentary; state
footswitch down) or toggled (press the footswitch once to changes for as long as the footswitch is held down).
switch to one state, and again to switch to a second state). 6. Repeat steps 1-5 until you've programmed up to three
Of course, each Preset can have its own footswitch settings. parameters and their values for up to three control
By now you should be getting the hang of programming footswitches.
Expression Assignments, so again, we'll keep this short. We'll start
off by assuming you have the Expression Assign row selected.
• Expression Assignment•
PROGRAMMING THE EXPRESSION LFO LINKS 6. Knob 5 selects the LFO waveform (Triangle, Sine, or
An LFO produces a periodic waveform that can vary a Square). A triangle wave varies the delay time smoothly
parameter in a cyclic way. Tremolo is a good example of an from a maximum to minimum value in a cyclical man-
LFO modulating a parameter (in this case, level). For more ner; a sine wave produces modulation effects very sim-
information on LFOs, see Chapter 6, Multieffects Parameters ilar to the triangle wave, but can be a little bit
Explained, and look in the section on the Chorus effect. "smoother." A square wave switches cyclically between
Assuming you have the Expression Assign row selected, its highest and lowest level, giving more of a "trilled,"
here's how to link the LFOs to a particular parameter. switched effect.
1. Use the Status button to select LFO 1 or LFO 2,
depending on which one you want to assign. OH YES, ONE FINAL THING ...
2. Use Knob 1 to select the desired parameter you want Remember that any of these Expression ·assignment
to control, as listed in the Expression Parameter changes-pedal, wah, footswitches, or LFOs-can be differ-
Assignment List given earlier in this chapter. ent for each Preset.After making these assignments, you need
3. Knob 2 edits the minimum parameter value, which cor- to save the Preset containing them. If you change Presets
relates to the parameter value when the LFO is at the before saving, your assignments will be lost.
low point in its waveform.
4. Knob 3 adjusts the maximum parameter value, which
correlates to the parameter value when the LFO is at
the high point in its waveform.
5. Knob 4 sets the LFO frequency, from O.OSHz to 1OHz.
Note that you can step through these parameter values
with the Data Wheel as well.

◄ Knob 3

◄ Knob 2
Knob4
Knob 2 sets what a parameter value will be when the LFO waveform is at its
lowest point, Knob 3 sets what a parameter value will be when the LFO
waveform is at its highest point, and Knob 4 sets the LFO frequency, or the
time between high and lowpoints. Knob 5 changes the waveform shape
(not shown).

32 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Ch pter 6 6
MULTIEFFECTS PARAMETERS EXPLAINED

To program the multieffects section of a guitar Workstation The GNX4 has a unique feature, the V-Switch, which is
and create your own unique sound, you needto understand under the Expression pedal toe position. Pressing down on
how each of the dozens of available parameters influences the pedal past the point where there's some resistance
what you hear. This isn't as difficult as it may seem, as you enables the wah effect. You can adjust the amount of pres-
can always just select a parameter, change it, and listen to sure required to activate the V-Switch, which is important-
what happens; after a while, you'll figure out what each you don't want to accidentally trigger the wah when you're
parameter does. using the Expression pedal for other parameters. Here's how
However, trial-and-error can be a time-consuming to adjust the sensitivity:
process. To make life easier, this chapter explains the func- 1. Press the Utility button.
tions of the parameters you'll find in the GNX4 Guitar 2. Use the Prev/Next buttons to select the parameter
Workstation. VSWITCH.·
The parameters are arranged by effect (distortion, equal- 3. Use the Data Wheel and monitor the V-Switch LED (to
ization, compression, etc.).There's a brief description of what the Data Wheel's lower right) to set the sensitivity. With
the effect does, followed by a listing of typical effect param- 0, very little toe pressure will switch the pedal to the
eters, and where appropriate, tips on getting the most out of wah function, as indicated by the V-Switch LED tog-
the particular effect. gling on or off as you press down on the Expression
pedal toe. The higher the setting, the more pressure is
ABOUT THE "BONUS" PARAMETERS required until at 99, you just about have to hit the
Sprinkled throughout this chapter, you'll see references to a pedal toe with a hammer to toggle the V-Switch on or
few "bonus parameters" that can only be programmed off. Going past 99 turns the V-Switch to Of (off), so you
through the X-Edit Editor/Librarian software, not directly cannot switch the Expression pedal over to the Wah
from the front panel. There are two fine points about this: function using V-Switch.
• If you do program these parameters with the X-Edit
software, when you save the Preset, the values for these
parameters will be retained, just as if you had pro-
grammed them from the front panel.
• These parameters can be varied with the various
Expression Assign devices (pedal, footswitches, LFOs).
So even though you can't program them from the front
panel, you can still vary them in real time with the vari-
ous expression options.

WAH/PICKUP
The wah effect is a variation on filtering. It's usually tied to
pedal motion; pulling back on the pedal lowers the filter fre-
quency, while pushing it forward raises the filter frequency.
Use the V-Switch LED not only to alert you of the Expression pedal's
status, but to set the sensitivity required to switch from Expression pedal
to Wah pedal.

33
 hi icki an Preset eve/ Parameters loading down a humbucking pickup with a low imped-
Wah On/Off enables or disables the wah effect. ance effect input. Some guitarists purposely load down
their pickups to give a smoother distortion tone, so
even though this isn't an "approved"feature, try it out.
• Ultra-bright sounds through "wrong" pickup mod-
eling. Similarly, using HUMB > SC with a single-coil
pickup creates an ultra-bright sound that is not unlike
what happens with some guitars when you turn the
volume down a bit. This is because these guitars
include a capacitor across the volume control "hot" and
Wah Type (Knob 1) chooses among three different wah "wiper" terminals that let through high frequencies
types. CRY models the original wah sounds of the '60s, even though other frequencies are being turned down.
which sweeps over a fairly limited range of midrange fre- The sound is also somewhat like the "jangly" sound of
quencies. BOUTIQUE sweeps over a somewhat wider range Ric-type guitars in the '60s. The lesson here is don't be
and has a somewhat different tonality; FULLRANG is much afraid to try some"wrong" settings as they may turn out
more like a synthesizer filter, as it covers the full audio range. to have practical applications.
Wah Pedal (Knob 2) sweeps the wah effect over its full • Careful with Preset levels. Strive to keep the Preset
range. However, the Expression pedal takes priority over this Level parameter at 50 for the majority of your Presets,
control. If the pedal controls the wah, then moving the or at least use that as your "reality check" level. This
pedal will change whatever this parameter shows to the gives you enough latitude to compensate for really soft
value being sent from the pedal. or loud Presets.
Pickup Type (Knob 3) determines whether to apply pickup
modeling, and what type of modeling. The three options are: COMPRESSION
• Off: No pickup modeling. A compressor evens out variations in dynamic range by
• SC> HUMB: Changes the tonality of a single-coil pick- amplifying soft signals to make them louder, and attenuat-
up to be more like a humbucker (a less bright,"warmer" ing loud signals to make them softer. The net result is much
sound). less level difference between soft and loud signals, which
• HUMB > SC: Changes the tonality of a hum bucker pick- evens out level variations and increases the sustain of per-
up to be more like a single coil (brighter and "crispier"). cussive instruments like guitar.
One way to achieve a crude simulation of compression
Preset Level (Knob 4) has nothing to do with the wah or would be to carefully operate a manual volume control at
pickup modeling functions, but is located in the top parame- the output of a standard preamp: As the level increased, you
ter row for easy access. Use this control to balance levels would turn down the volume control to compensate, and as
among Presets. For example, if you call up a Preset and it the level decreased, you would turn it back up. Although this
seems unusually loud, lower the Preset Level to compensate. may not sound too sophisticated, many recording engineers
use a variation of this technique (called gain-riding) to keep
Wah/Pickup and Preset Level Tips sudden bursts of volume from saturating the tape, or quiet
• Why the Wah Pedal parameter is useful. The Wah passages from getting buried in noise. However, this clearly
Pedal parameter (Knob 2) may seem superfluous, as isn't a very precise way of doing things, nor can gain-riding
you'll most likely be using the Expression pedal to cre- respond to rapid changes in signal level (unless you have
ate wah effects. However, it has two main uses. One is to very fast hands!). Electronic compression is much faster and
set a static frequency if you want to use the Wah as offers additional options.
more of a tone control (which can be a pretty cool
effect-check it out). In this case, turn the V-Switch to
Of to make sure that moving the pedal doesn't kick in
wah control by accident. Otherwise, the setting will
jump to the current pedal value and not retain the
value you set. The second is that this parameter will
respond to MIDI Controller #10 (see Chapter 20 on MIDI
control). This allows you to automate the wah frequen-
cy from a sequencer, something you can't do with the
Expression pedal. A guitar's signal level before (top) and after (bottom) compression.
• "Wrong" pickup modeling. If you try the SC > HUMB Note that the compressed signal has a higher average signal level, and a
option with a humbucker, the sound will become very longer decay.
dull. However, this unintentionally models the effect of
34 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •
 You may also have heard of a device called a limiter, Compression Parameters
which is similar to a compressor as it restricts dynamic As with almost all compressors, the one in DigiTech's Guitar
range. However, it affects only the signal's peaks by attenu- Workstations has parameters that may interact (i.e., after
ating them. The typical modern compressor, including the adjusting one parameter, you may need to go back and
one in the GNX4, is a hybrid between a "classic" compressor tweak a different parameter).
and limiter, as it allows you to obtain both types of dynam- Comp On/Off enables or disables the compression effect.
ics control depending on how you set the parameters. Attack (Knob 1) sets the time it takes for the compres-
sion to react to input level changes. A longer attack time
About Decibels "lets through" more of a signal's original dynamics before
The decibel (dB) is the unit of measurement of the the compression kicks in. (For example, if you wanted to
ratio of two audio signals. For example, a device's sig- retain the initial pick noise in a compressed guitar sound or
nal-to-noise ratio {the amount of signal compared to the "thwack" of a kick drum, you'd add a bit of attack time.)
the amount of noise) is typically expressed in dB, as is The GNX4 offers Fast, Medium, and Slow settings.
the amount of gain through a system (i.e., the ratio ·Ratio (Knob 2) determines how the output signal
between the system's output compared to the signal changes in relation to the input signal once the input signal
at the input). The decibel can also quantify level exceeds the Threshold (Knob 3). For example, a ratio of 2:1
changes at a device's input or output; for example, (shown on the display as 2.0 - 1) means that, above the
you could increase the input level by a certain num- threshold, an input volume change of 2dB gives only 1dB of
ber of dB, or apply gain to a preamp to increase the output change.The higher the ratio, the greater the amount
output level by a certain number of dB. Let's examine of compression, and the more "squeezed" the sound. The
a device's signal--to-noise ratio as a way to explain the GNX4 compressor goes from a relatively gentle 1.2:1 all the
concept. way up to what the display shows as INFNTY-1. This is an
A.II eiectronic devices generate noise, which shows infinitely high compression ratio that provides limiter-style
up at the output. When you compare a device's maxi- dynamics control. In other words, it puts a "ceiling" on the
mum available output signal to the amount of noise signal that the input signal cannot exceed.
present at the output, you define the signal-to-noise Threshold (Knob 3) sets the level (0-99) above which
ratio or S/N ratio for short. For example, if there's a 1
1 signals will be compressed or limited. The lower the value,
volt audio signal at the output of a multieffects, and the more the signal will be compressed or limited (because
the residual noise output is 1 millivolt (1/1000th of a more of the signal will be above the threshold), and the
volt), then your SIN ratio is 1000:1. greater the sustain. If the signal drops below the threshold,
The decibel has a logarithmic curve to more close- then the compressor"goes back to sleep" and leaves the sig-
ly follow the way the ear hears, which is very sensitive nal alone until it exceeds the threshold again.
at low levels and less sensitive at high levels. Doubling The following figure shows two graphs of two compres-
the ratio of one voltage to another adds 6dB (likewise, sion curves done with a software plug-in. The horizontal axis
halving a voltage ratio subtracts 6d8). For example, a shows the input signal, while the vertical axis shows the out-
ratio of 1000:1 corresponds to 60dB; a 2000:1 ratio is put signal. The curve on the left has a fairly high threshold
66dB, a 4000.1 ratio is 72d8, an 8000:1 ratio is 78dB, and a lower ratio, giving a fairly gentle compression curve.
and so on. The curve on the right has a much lower threshold and a
The larger the 5/N ratio, the lower the noise. Many higher ratio, which gives more drastic dynamics control;
times the S/N ratio will be given as a negative number note how for an input signal between -12 and 0dB, there's
(such as -70dB) since technically speaking, the noise is virtually no change in output level.
lower (hence the negative number) when referenced
to the audio signal. So,, you can either think of the
audio signal as being +70d8 above the noise, or the
rao. ,,
Threshold Ratio
~
T"tres old R Uo
2 .1

noise as being --70dB below the audio signal.

The decibel is also useful when applied to gain. If a
preamp provides 6dB of gain, that means the output
voltage is twice as much as the input voltage.
The subject of decibels is quite complex, since
there are different types of decibels used for different
types of measurements. However, just remember that
it expresses the ratio of one audio signal compared to
another, and you'll have the basic idea.
Two different compression curves compared: High compression (left) and
gentle compression (right).

• Multieffects Parameters Explained•

 Gain (Knob 4) increases the output level to offset the can be extremely cool, especially when playing in context.
lower level caused by squeezing the dynamic range. In gen- You'll almost always want to tie the Expression pedal to
eral, you adjust this so that the guitar's peak (not average) the Whammy effect. See the section on Expression assign
level is the same whether Compression is enabled or not. for information on how to do this.
However, you may need to trim this to avoid overloading a
subsequent stage. Whammy Parameters

Compression Tips
• Minimizing noise. Do not overcompress, as this makes
for a thin, unnatural sound. Use the bypass switch to
compare the compressed and non-compressed
sounds; you may find that even a little bit of compres-
sion gives the desired effect. Generally, a 2:1 ratio works
well for general applications. Higher ratios (e.g., 8:1 and
above) are best when you really want to sustain a Wham On/Off enables or disables the Whammy effect.
sound. Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this
• Guitar sustain. When increasing guitar sustain, group. In this case, select WHAMMY.
remember that compression is not a miracle worker. It Parameter 1 (Knob 2) edits the amount of bend; the fol-
cannot make your guitar's strings vibrate any longer, lowing table shows what each option does. Note that //The
but only increase the apparent sustain. Don't think that pitch bends .by:" columnindicates ~hat happens when the
a compressor can compensate for dead strings or for Expression pedal go~s from full back to full forward. "Dry
guitars with poor sustain characteristics. signal?" indicates whether dry signal is mixed with the
• "Mystery" compression increases. If it seems like processed signal. If Yes, the Whammy effect produces a har-
there's been a sudden increase in compression but you mony.
didn't increase the compression amount, then the
input signal going to the compressor may have The display says: The pitch bends by: Dry signal?
increased. Check your guitar's level control. 1 OCT UP 1 octave up No
• Compressing lead guitar but not compressing 2 OCT UP 2 octaves up No
rhythm. You can take advantage of the fact that 2ND DOWN 2 semitones down No
increasing the input level increases compression when REV2NDDN 2 semis down, reverse No
you want a sustaining lead but an uncompressed pedal action
rhythm sound. Turn up your guitar's volume control for 4THQOWN 4 semitones down No
leads, and turn back down for rhythm. As the guitar sig- 1 OCT ON 1 octave down No
nal drops below the threshold, the compression will 2 OCT ON 2 octaves down No
either go away, or have less of an effect. DIVEBOMB Vibrato tailpiece "dive No
born b" effect
WHAMMY/I PS/TALK M3>MAJ3 Minor 3rd to Major 3rd Yes
Well, you can't accuse DigiTech's engineers of being stingy~ 2ND>MAJ3 2nd to Major 3rd . Yes
In this one row, you'll actually find nine different effects, and 3RD>4TH 3rd to 4th (suspended) Yes
the various knobs behave differently with these effects. So, 4TH>STH 4th to 5th Yes
to make things more clear, we'll treat each effect separately. STH>OCT 5th to octave higher Yes
H OCT UP 1 octave up Yes
Whammy H OCT ON l octavedown Yes
You can think of this as being like a "virtual vibrato tail piece" OCTUP>DN 1 octave up to 1 octave Yes
or a synthesizer pitch bend wheel, but with the controller down
being the Expression pedal.
However, don't expect miracles; it takes a lot of process- Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sweeps the whammy effect over
ing power to do pitch transposition. The larger the amount its full range. However; the Expression pedal takes priority
of transposition, the more likely you'll hear artifacts like a over this control. If the pedal controls the whammy, then
fluctuating tremolo effect, or occasional glitches. Also, moving the pedal will change whatever this parameter
there's a slight delay for the harmonized sound, because the shows to the value being sent from the pedal.
GNX4's computer has to analyze the incoming signal before Level/Mix (Knob 5; Knob 4 isn't used for the Whammy
it can process it and create the harmony. This can vary from effect) sets levels. For the effects where "Dry Signal = No" in
practically unnoticeable for upward shifts, to obvious for the table above, this acts as a level control for the processed
extreme downward shifts. Still, pitch transposition effects signal. lf"Dry Signal= Yes,"this sets the balance between the

36 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation:Power User's Guide·

dry and processed signals (0 =dry only, SO= equal blend, 99 Detune
= processed sound only). This provides the effect of doubling your guitar sound, for
example, by playing a part and then overdubbing the same
/PS (Intelligent Pitch Shifting) part. When you overdub the sound won't be exactly the
Ever wish you could clone yourself so you could play your same, so this effect detunes the incoming signal, then mixes
own harmonies? In a way, you can. the original and detuned sounds together.
The IPS goes beyond the Whammy's parallel harmonies,
as it lets you specify a scale type (major, minor, etc.) and key. Detune Parameters
As you play, a perfect harmony will follow your signal.
Although there are the same tonal limitations as with the
Whammy effect, you will probably not notice them as much
because the focus will be on the main melody line, with the
harmony mixed further in the background.
Note that unlike the Whammy effect, the Expression
pedal is not normally a part of the IPS effect (although of
course, you can assign to IPS parameters if you want).

IPS Parameters Wham On/Off enables or disables the Detune effect.

Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this
group. In this case, select DETUNE.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) selects the amount of detuning,
from -24 cents (almost a quarter tone lower) to 24 cents
(almost a quarter tone higher).
Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the detuned sound's level, from
O (dry only, no detuned sound) to 99 (dry mixed with maxi-
mum detuned sound level).

Wham On/Off enables or disables the IPS effect. Detune Tips

Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this • For some wonderful chorus/flanger type effects, link
group. In this case, select IPS. the Expression pedal or LFO to the Detune's SHIFTAMT
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) selects the base interval. For parameter. Set a fairly wide range (e.g., -12 minimum to
example, if you want the harmony to be a 3rd above what + 12 maximum) and with LFO, a slow frequency (e.g.,
you're playing, select 3RD UP. Interval options are a 2nd, 3rd , .08Hz), using a triangle or sine waveform. This parame-
4th, 5th, 6th, Th, or Octave, up or down. ter is also a fine choice for control via MIDI continuous
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) selects the scale. Choices are controllers.
MAJOR, MINOR, DORIAN, MIXOLYDN (M_ixolydian), LYDI- • For a subtler detuning effect, link the Expression pedal
AN, and HARMINOR (Harmonic Minor). or LFO I to the DTN LEVL (detune level) parameter. This
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) selects the key upon which the lets you bring the amount of detuning in and out,
harmonies should be based. The range covers an octave either manually with the pedal, or automatically with
from E to Eb. the LFO.
Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the level of the pitch transposed
line, from O (dry only, no transposed sound) to 99 (dry mixed Pitch
with maximum transposed sound level). This is very much like the IPS, but it creates simple parallel
harmonies rather than doing "intelligent" pitch shifting. In
IPS Tips other words, if you set the pitch interval for 2 semitones
• A little bit of harmony level is all that's needed to give a above, every note you play will be accompanied by a note 2
useful harmony effect. The more you tuck the harmony semitones above.
sound in with the guitar, the better the perceived fidelity. As with all other pitch-warping effects, the audio quality
• Harmonies that are lower than the main melody line varies depending on the amount of transposition. However,
have a bit more delay before the harmony plays than extreme amounts of transposition can produce a sound so
higher harmonies. unusual it's actually kinda cool, especially for those who like
• The IPS effect works with chords, not just single notes. bit decimation and lo-fl options.
Try playing a major chord with scale= major, transposi-
tion = 4th up, key set to the same as the chord you're
playing, and level = 40. Yow!
• Multieffects Parameters Explained• 37
Pitch Parameters Press the Shift button the in the 8-Track Recorder sec-
tion, then press the Mic button. Use the Data Wheel to
select one of the following four options.

Wham On/Off enables or disables the Pitch effect.

Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this
group. In this case, select PITCH.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) edits the amount of pitch shift in You can choose whether the mic signal appears along with the guitar
semitone steps, from 24 semitones (two octaves lower) to or not.
24 semitones (two octaves higher).
Level/Mix (Knob 5) determines the mix between the dry MIC OFF a11ows the mic to do the Talker effect, but takes
and pitch-shifted signals (0 = dry only, SO= equal blend, 99 it out of the signal path. Thus, you will hear only guitar
= shifted sound only). processed by the Talker (although there may be a tiny bit of
leakage from the mic signal). This is the recommended set-
Pitch Tips ting for when you're first checking out the effect.
• To brighten up a sound witho_ut having to use EQ, set MIC DRY mixes the dry mic sound in with the guitar. If
Pitch amount to 12 (an octave higher) and Level/Mix you want to make the overall "talking guitar" sound really
to no more than 10 (7 or 8 is probably better). intelligible, this setting will do it because you'll hear your
• Similarly, to fatten up a sound, set the Pitch amount to vocal blended in.
12 (an octave lower), and Level/Mix again to a value MIC RVB patches the mic signal into your guitar process-
less than 10. ing chain, just prior to the Delay and Reverb effects. Note
• You can obtain some pretty decent bass sounds by set- that if these effects are turned off, you'll have the same
ting Pitch to 12 and Level/Mix all the way to 99 (pitch results as if you those Mic Dry.
transposed sound only). It doesn't sound all that great MIC FX mixes the mic signal in with your guitar,so it goes
if you play high up on the neck, but on the bottom through any effects the guitar goes through.
three strings, it rocks. You also need to optimize the mic's level. To do this, sing
or talk through the mic at the loudest anticipated level.
Tai er Observe the REC LEVEL meter in the recorder section; the
You're really going to have fun with this effect, which hap- bottom two green LEDs should be lit, and possibly the yel-
pens to be the only GNX4 guitar effect that needs to be low LED, on peaks. The red LED should not light. If it does,
"accessorized"-you have to plug a mic into the mic input turn down the mic preamp gain on the rear panel. On the
to make this effect happen. other hand, if at least the two green LEDs aren't on when
Talker produces effects that sound very much like you're singing loudly, turn up the mic preamp gain.
vocoders and "talk boxes." In other words, you can make
your guitar "talk" because the mic signal modulates your
guitar. There are five different variations on the Talker effect;
we're only going to describe one, as the others work exactly
the same way but produce different tonalities.
Before getting into this, though, you need to decide
whether you want the mic output to show up in the signal
chain (and if so, how), or only the guitar. Here are your
options.
Optimize the mic level for best results with the Talker effect.

38 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Now that the mic is set up, find a tasty guitar Preset, place STOMPBOX MODELING
your mic where you can talk or sing into it comfortably, and This row of parameters actually contains ten different dis-
let's go. tortion boxes, based on the famous, funky stompboxes of
yesteryear. Distortion mimics the way an amplifier behaves
Talker Parameters when overloaded, so it's one of the most popular effects in a
guitar player's repertoire. However, distortion can do much
more than grunge out a guitar-some top artists also use
distortion on sounds such as drums, synthesizers, and even
vocals.
Not all types of distortion (tube, transistor, digital, etc.)
sound the same, and there's no real consensus about what
makes for"ideal" distortion. As a result, the GNX4 contains all
these Stompboxes so you can dial in the flavor of distortion
you want.
Wham On/Off enables or disables the Talker effect. Unlike the Whammy row of effects, the various
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this Stompbox models have more similarities than differences.
group. In this case, select TALKER 1. This is also where you So, we can treat these as more or less variations on one type
select the other Talker variations (TALKER 2-5). of effect, and summarize the results in a chart.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) determines how much the mic
modulates the guitar sound. At a setting of 0, the mic sensi- Stompbox Parameters
tivity is at a minimum and will have no effect on the guitar
sound.As you increase the value, the mic will have more and
more effect in terms of making the guitar "talk." However,
you will likely encounter a point of diminishing returns
where increasing this value any higher adds distortion to
the Talker effect. Then again, that might be a cool effect if
you're into it.

Talker Tips
The Stompbox row is actually a virtual museum of distortion devices.
• There's no law that says you have to use a microphone
as the modulator for your guitar. In particular, drums
Stomp On/Off enables or disables the selected
sound fantastic, as they give a rhythmic pulsing to your
Stompbox effect.
guitar sound. The only limitation here is that most
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular Stompbox you want
drums are line level (not mic level) devices that use¼",
to use. Choices are SCREAMER, RODENT, DS DIST, DOD
not XLR, connectors. So, you'll need to pad down ·the
250, BIG MP, GUY OD, SPARKDRV, GRUNGE, FUZZY, and
drum output (use the -20dB pad switch in the mic pre),
ZONE.
and also buy or make an unbalanced to balanced
Gain (Knob 2) specifies the amount of drive, distortion,
adapter. If you're handy with a soldering iron, the fol-
gain, or sustain, depending on the model (see chart). This
lowing unbalanced-to-balanced adapter shouldn't
determines the amount of signal level needed for the onset
take you more than a few minutes to put together.
of distortion. At maximum gain, the distortion effect will be
unbalanced more pronounced, while at minimum gain the effect will
be less intense.
output Parameter 1 (Knob 3) sets the tone or filtering for the
selected model (see chart). Distortion adds harmonics to
the signal, which increases the high frequency content;
balanced in pulling back on the high frequencies reduces shrillness,
while boosting the bass gives more depth and power.
(rear view)
- ■
3
This simple, passive adapter requires no power supply and converts
Parameter 2 (Knob 4) provides additional tone-related
functions for some models.
Level (Knob 5) sets the selected Stompbox's output
level. As distortion often adds a great deal of amplification,
unbalanced outs to balanced ins. Careful, though; you'll probably need to
reduce the output of the device feeding the unbalanced out by quite a lot. the output parameter lets you trim the effect's output level.
Although you can set this for unity gain (i.e., the distorted
sound is subjectively as loud as the straight sound), some

• Multieffects Parameters Explained· 39

guitarists set the distorted level somewhat higher than the • Balancing the sound. With guitar, pickup height adjust-
straight signal for a boosted,"in your face" sound. ments are crucial to getting a consistent distortion
Here's the chart. The names used are the ones used by sound. If the sound is too boomy, angle the pickups
the devices being modeled, which is why some show slightly so that the bottom three strings are further away
"Volume" rather than "Level." from the pickup than the top three strings.Also, note that
newer strings will sustain longer than older strings.
Type Gain Parameter 1 Parameter 2 Level
SCREAMER DRIVE TONE LEVEL NOISE GATE
RODENT DIST FILTER VOLUME A noise gate helps remove the noise and hiss contributed
DS DIS DIST TONE LEVEL by signals entering the GNX4. As long as there is some kind
DOD 250 GAIN LEVEL of audio signal going through a noise gate, this "gate"
BIGMP SUSTAIN TONE VOLUME remains open and lets the signal through; but once the sig-
GUY OD DRIVE LEVEL nal consists only of noise, the"gate" closes to mute the noise.
SPARKDRV GAIN TONE CLEAN VOLUME To understand the principle of operation, first consider a
GRUNGE GRNGGAIN BUTT FACE LOUD "manual noise gate." Suppose that you're listening to an
FUZZY FUZZ VOLUME audio signal being processed by a relatively noisy effect. As
ZONE DIST MID FREQ MID LVL LEVEL long as the audio signal is present, its level will generally be
higher than the noise, thus masking it. However, when the
In addition, there are two"bonus parameters"that can be audio signal goes away, the noise is no longer masked and
accessed only with the X-Edit Editor/Librarian. One controls can be audible.
the Zone model low frequency, and the other, the Zone If you now connect a volume control after the noisy
model high frequency. effect, turning down the volume whenever there was no
audio signal could eliminate the noise. Then, as soon as the
audio signal (which masks noise) came back, you could turn
the volume up again. However, a manually controlled noise
gate cannot react to rapid changes.An electronic noise gate
senses the noise/no noise conditions automatically, and
closes or opens the gate accordingly.
If the signal at the noise gate input exceeds a certain
threshold, the gate opens. If the signal drops below the
X-Edit lets you adjust two additional Zone Stompbox parameters ... yet
threshold, the gate closes. Setting the threshold just above
another reason to install this useful piece of software.
the noise level insures that the noise will be muted when no
Stam box Tips signal is present.
• Smooth sound. For the smoothest distortion sound, use
the bass (neck) pickup with the tone control set for mini-
mum treble. If you use a guitar with single-coil pickups,
use the SC> HUMB pickup modeling effect (in the Wah-
Pickup effects row). If you use a guitar with humbucking
pickups, also try the SC> HUMB pickup modeling as it
will take off most of the guitar's high frequencies.
• Raunchier sound~ Use the treble pickup.
• Check out optional guitar switches. If your guitar has
a series/parallel pickup switch, the series position will
give the thickest fuzz sound. If your guitar has an in
phase/out of phase switch, the out of phase position
will give the thinnest sound.
• Brighter sound. Some guitars (particularly Fender
Here's how a noise gate removes noise. The upper view shows a signal with
solid body types) have a feature where turning down noise; the threshold, shown as a line, is set above the level of the noise. The
the volume control attenuates the low frequencies at a lower view shows the same waveform after gating. Note that the notes
faster rate than the high frequencies. Thus, if you turn remain, but the noise between notes is gone.
the control down about three-quarters of the way, the
upper strings will distort more than the lower ones.This Noise gates work best on signals that don't need to be
gives a bright, lively type of distortion. You may also be cleaned up too much. If the noise is really severe, eliminat-
able to obtain this type of effect with single-coil pick- ing lots of noise also means getting rid of substantial por-
ups by using the HUMB > SC pickup modeling option. tions of the signal. Another problem occurs with sounds
40 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide·
that have long decay times. For example, a guitar's signal Pluck sensitivity (Knob 4) is active only when Type is set
level can become erratic towards the end of its decay, and to Pluck mode. At lower values, it takes a stronger pluck to
start criss-crossing back and forth across the threshold. This initiate an attack. At higher values, the pluck sensitivity is
gives a "chattering"type of sound. However,despite any lim- higher, and a lower-level pluck will initiate an attack. Note
itations, noise gates are still extremely useful for keeping that this control interacts with the Gate Threshold control.
overall noise levels down.
As a bonus, the GNX4 noise gate provides a special effect Noise Gate Tips (Pluck Mode)
called "Attack Delay." This provides "backwards tape"-type • Playing style suggestions. In Pluck mode, don't
effects, as well as the attack characteristics associated with expect the attack delay effect to faithfully follow your
woodwind and some bowed instruments, by adding a fade- playing and trigger perfectly every time you play a
in to the beginning of each note attack. note-you will almost certainly have to alter your play-
ing style somewhat. You might have to choose
Noise Gate Parameters between setting a fairly low Pluck sensitivity value for
chords, or a lower threshold to handle single note lines.
But also note that you can vary the Gate Threshold
value as well to find the optimum triggering character-
istics. To minimize the chances of false triggering (i.e.,
initiating an attack when you don't want to), set the
Gate Threshold value high, and the Pluck value low.
However, this may also cause some attacks to be
missed. Lowering the Gate Threshold and increasing
the Pluck value will tend to catch more attacks, but may
Gate On/Off enables or disables the Noise Gate effect. lead to false triggering. Experimentation is key here.
Type (Knob 1) selects one of two modes: Silencer, which · Allowing for Pluck reset. Insert a brief pause, or mute
acts like a standard noise gate designed to eliminate hiss; the signal between notes, to allow the Pluck time to
and Pluck, which provides attack delay effects. reset. Because of this, attack delay effects are generally
Gate threshold (Knob 2) determines the reference level most useful when playing slowly.
above which the gate opens, and below which the gate • Selective attack delay. Note that having to leave a
closes. Ideally, you should be able to set this reference very space between notes can also be used to advantage.
low (lower parameter values) in order to accommodate sig- For example, suppose you're playing a series of chords
nals that have very little noise; but higher threshold levels and you want the attack delay effect only on the first
are useful for special effects, such as removing substantial chord of every series. Insert a pause just before the first
amounts of an instrument's decay to make a more percus- chord to give the Pluck sensing time to reset, and then
sive or gated sound. play the rest of the chords in a continuous manner to
Gate attack (Knob 3) causes the noise gate to fade in prevent the unit from retriggering.
over time when the input signal exceeds the g·ate threshold.
This is active in both Silencer and Pluck modes, but if you're CHORUS/MODULATION
using attack to add an effect, you'll have better results using This is another row of effects where the DigiTech engineers
the Pluck mode. This is because the Pluck Sensitivity param- went nuts-there are fifteen discrete effects lumped under
eter can optimize the gating function for this type of effect. this category, and the various knobs behave differently with
these effects. So, as with the Whammy/lPS/falk effects, we'll
treat each one of these fifteen effects individually.

Chorus
Mixing a signal delayed by about 10 to 25 milliseconds with
a non-delayed signal produces the chorus effect. (Note that
it's difficult to tell that an actual delay is taking place
because the delay time is so short). Modulating (varying) the
delayed signal's delay time around this initial delay time
adds "motion." These variations cause the original pitch to
go flat to a point of maximum flatness, return to the original
pitch, go sharp to a point of maximum sharpness, then
The upper view shows the original waveform; the lower view shows what
return back to the original pitch and start the cycle all over
happens to the waveform after adding an attack time. The areas with the
again.
attack are highlighted.

• Multieffects Parameters Explained· 41

 The end result is a full, ani.mated sound that resembles Parameter 4 selects the modulation waveform; choices
the sound of two instruments playing at once. Note that in are Triangle, Sine, and Square.
general, chorusing typically mixes in more dry than
processed signal so that the effect isn't too. overwhelming
or "watery."

Chorus Parameters

Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected

Chorus/Mod effect. The top view shows a triangle wave, the middle a sine wave,
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this and the lower view, a square wave.
group. In this case, select CHORUS.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) adjusts the modulation speed. • Triangle wave varies the delay time smoothly from a
Slower speeds (lower values) sound "spacier," while faster maximum to minimum value in a cyclical manner, and
rates "warble" and have more of a vibrato-like feel. For a is probably the most common waveform used with
given amount of depth (see next), a faster rate may sound chorus modulation . .
more out of tune than a slower rate. • Sine wave produces a modulation effect that's very sim-
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets modulation depth. Lower val- ilar to the triangle wave, but can be a little bit
ues create a more subtle chorusing effect, while higher val- "smoother."
ues add more tuning. With really high values and fast rates, • Square wave switches cyclically between two delay
the chorusing effect sounds more out of tune. times, giving more of a "trill" effect.
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) adjusts the initial delay of the cho-
rus effect around which modulation is applied. Lower values Parameter 5 adjusts the balance of the processed signal,
give a "tighter" sound, while higher values add more delay, sending it more toward the right or left channel.
giving a more "distant" and unfocused sound.
Mod Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets how much of the chorus Chorus Tip
effect is added in with the dry signal, from none (0) to max- • Mono to pseudo-stereo conversion. Set DEPTH to
imum (99). maximum and SPEED to minimum. This creates a
There are also two "bonus" parameters if you're using the stereo spread without the perceived motion that
X-Edit Editor/Librarian. would result from having a higher modulation rate.

Flanger
Mixing a signal delayed by Oms to around 1Sms to 20ms
with an equal amount of non-delayed signal produces
flanging, a dramatic special effect which imparts a "jet air-
plane"-like sound to the signal going through the flanger.
As with chorusing, the amount ofdelay is so short you
don't really perceive it, and also as with chorusing, modula-
tion occurs around the initial delay time. Modulation causes
the original pitch to go flat to a point of maximum flatness,
return to the Original pitch, go sharp to a point of maximum
sharpness, then return back to the original .pitch and start
X-Edit gives access to two additional chorus parameters.
the cycle all over again.
An additional parameter not found with the GNX4 cho-
rusing, REGEN, feeds some of the output back to the input
to produce a "sharper," more resonant/metallic sound.

42 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

Flanger Paramters group. In this case, select PHASER.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) adjusts the modulation speed. This
works similarly to flanging, except that very high speeds do
not produce the same kind of "out of tune" sensation.
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the modulation depth. Again,
this works similarly to flanging, where higher values pro-
duce a more dramatic effect.
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) adds the regeneration effect.
Higher values produce a more pronounced phaser effect.
Mod Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the blend of the dry and
Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected processed signal. The most dramatic effect occurs with an
Chorus/Mod effect. equal mix of the two (a value of 50).
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this Two additional "bonus" parameters are available via the
group. In this case, select FLANGER. X-Edit Editor/Librarian.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) adjusts the modulation speed. A
slower rate produces a slow, gradual detuning that gives a
rolling, majestic flanging sound. Faster rates produce a more
"bubbly" effect. For a given amount of depth (see next), a
faster rate may sound more out of tune than a slower rate.
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the modulation depth. Lower
values create a more subtle effect by sweeping the detuned
frequency over a narrower range, while higher values sweep
over a wider range, producing a more dramatic effect.
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) adds the regeneration effect. The
higher the value, the more pronounced and "sharp" the
flanging effect.
Mod Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the blend of the dry and X-Edit gives access to two additional Phaser parameters.

processed signal. The most dramatic effect occurs with an

equal mix of the two (a value of 50). Note that if you set this Parameter 4 selects the modulation waveform
control to maximum processed signal (99), you'll hear no (Triangle, Sine, or Square).
flanging effect unless there is some degree of feedback. Parameter 5 adjusts the balance of the processed signal,
sending it more toward the right or left channel.
Phaser
Phasers (also called Phase shifters) were introduced in the Triggered Ffanger
early '70s and intended to simulate the sound of tape flang- With traditional flanging, the LFO runs continuously.
ing. However, as these devices did not use true time delay Triggered flanging resets the LFO to restart at a specific part
technology, they produced a subtler effect 'than flanging. of its curve; this reset occurs whenever your signal exceeds
Phasing occurs by mixing a dry signal with a phase-shifted a certain threshold (e.g., when you pluck a new note and it
copy. This creates frequency response cancellations and exceeds the threshold).
additions-much like flanging, but with fewer peaks and The following illustration should help get this point
dips, which is responsible for the milder sound. across. This shows a triangle wave LFO. The arrows indicate
where the signal has exceeded the threshold. In this case,
Phaser Parameters the LFO has been set to re-start at the very peak of its excur-
sion. So, at each of the arrow triggers, the LFO stops whatev-
er it was doing, and re-starts from the top of the waveform.

Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected

Triggers that exceed a certain threshold can re-start the LFO at any desired
Chorus/Mod effect. point along its waveform. In this case, each trigger causes it to re-start from
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this the top of the waveform.

• Multieffects Parameters Explained• 43

Triggered Flanger Parameters Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the modulation depth. Higher
values produce a deeper tremolo effect.
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) changes the modulation wave-
form. Choices are triangle, sine, and square. See the Chorus
section for details about modulation waveforms.

Panner
This also provides a periodic amplitude change, but does it
in stereo so that as one channel increases in level, the other
channel decreases. This causes the sound to pan back and
Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected forth between the left and right channels.
Chorus/Mod effect.
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this Note that the Panner will have no effect if the output
group. In this case, select TRIGFLNG. routing mixes the guitar signal to mono.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) adjusts the modulation speed.
This is the same as traditional flanging. Panner Parameters
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the triggering sensitivity. A
lower sensitivity requires a stronger signal to re-start the
LFO, while a higher value allows weaker signals to re-start
the LFO.
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) determines where along the LFO
curve the re-start will occur. Lower values start closer to the
waveform peak, while higher values start closer to the wave-
form valley.
Mod Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the blend of the dry and
processed signal. As with standard flanging, the most dra- Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected
matic effect occurs with a value of 50 (an equal mix of the Chorus/Mod effect.
two). Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this group.
In this case, select PANNER.
Triggered Phaser Parameter 1 (Knob 2) adjusts the modulation Speed for
This works the same way as the Triggered Flanger, and the the panning effect.
paramaters perform the same functions, but this effect con- Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the modulation depth. Higher
trols the Phaser sound instead of the Flanger sound. values widen the stereo effect.
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) changes the modulation wave-
Tremolo form. Choices are triangle, sine, and square. See the Chorus
This provides a periodic amplitude change so that the section for details about modulation waveforms.
sound seems to "pulsate." A modulation source (triangle,
sine, or square) controls these amplitude changes. Vibrato
Vibrato is a periodic pitch change, like you'd add by moving
Tremolo Parameters your left-hand finger back and forth on a string to change
pitch.

Vibrato Parameters

Mod · On/Off enables or disables the selected

Chorus/Mod effect.
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this
group. In this case, select TREMOLO. Mod On/Off enables or disables t he selected
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) adjusts the modulation speed for Chorus/Mod effect.
the periodic amplitude changes.
44 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •
 Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this Parameter 4 edits the crossover frequency between the
group. In this case, select VIBRATO. rotor and the horn between 200Hz and 150GHz. This
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) adjusts the vibrato modulation changes the tonality of the effect.
speed.
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the vibrato modulation
depth. Higher settings increase detuning; you'll typically
want fairly low values for the most natural sound.
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) changes the modulation wave-
form. Choices are triangle, sine, and square. See the Chorus
section for details about modulation waveforms; for vibrato,
the Sine wave gives the most natural sound.

Vibrato Tip
• For a warped record sound, use the Sine waveform, a
relatively slow Rate setting, and set Depth as high as
you can stomach.
X-Edit lets you tweak the Rotary crossover parameter.

Rotary Speaker
A rotary speaker splits the signal into a high-frequency horn Auto Yi
driver and low frequency woofer. As the horn rotates, it And now, for something completely different ... Auto Ya
"sprays" sound around a room, producing reflections, phase combines wah and flanger characteristics to create a talking
cancellations and additions, and frequency response effect that makes your guitar say something that sounds
changes-a very complex overall effect. The GNX4 Rotary like "Yah." It's a unique DigiTech effect, and the way it
Speaker effect manages to stuff a reasonable approxima- humanizes a guitar is novel. AutoYa uses an LFO for modu-
tion of one of those big rotary speakers into this little box. lation; if you want more expressiveness, you can control the
Ya effect with the Expression pedal, as described in the next
Rotary Speaker Parameters section on Ya Ya.

AutoYa Parameters

Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected

Chorus/Mod effect.
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected
group. In this case, select ROTARY. Chorus/Mod effect.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) adjusts the rotary speaker modu- Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this
lation speed. Like a real rotary speaker, there's some"inertia," group. In this case, select AUTOYA.
meaning that the LFO takes a while to reach its destination Parameter 1 (Knob 2) adjusts the speed of the LFO driv-
speed. As a result, when controlling this with a footswitch, ing the "yah" effect.
the speed glides from one rate to another rather than jump- Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the effect's depth (intensity).
ing abruptly-just like a real rotary speaker. It's as if with higher values, the "virtual mouth" is opening
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the effect's depth ·(intensity). wider.
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) determines a "doppler'' effect that, Parameter 3 (Knob 4) determines the effect's range.
with increasing values, widens the signal and changes the Lower values are fairly subtle and sound like they come
tonality somewhat. from a soprano vocalist, while higher values sound more like
Mod Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the blend of the dry and a tenor or bass is doing the vocalizing.
processed signal, from all dry (O) to all processed (99). Mod Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the blend of the dry and
In addition, the X-Edit Editor/Librarian can access a processed signal, from all dry (0) to all processed (99).
bonus parameter. In addition, the X-Edit Editor/Librarian accesses a bonus
parameter.

• Multieffects Parameters Explained• 45

 To vary the processed signal balance, you'll need to use X-Edit. To vary the processed signal balance, you'll need to use X-Edit.

Parameter 5 adjusts the balance of the processed signal, SynthTalk

sending it more toward the right or left channel. Just when you thought it couldn't get any weirder,SynthTalk
comes along. This is another "talking" effect, but instead of
Yay-a being automatic or pedal controlled, it's triggered by your
This is the same effect as AutoYa, and all parameters work playing.
When triggered, the "talking filter" sweeps in one direc-
similary except that Parameter 2 controls the Ya sweep
instead of an LFO. Typically, you would link this to the tion (up or down, depending on the setting of the Vox
Expression pedal. If you do, then the pedal will override any parameter) over a time set by the Attack parameter. After
the attack time is complete, the filter sweeps in the opposite
setting you make with the knob.
direction over a time determined by the Release parameter.
If release is set to infinity (oo, which looks like two instances
Yaya Parameters
of a lower-case "o" in the display), the sweep stays at the end
of its attack phase until a retrigger occurs. At this point, the
talking filter snaps back to its initial frequency, and sweeps
again as set by the attack time.

SynthTalk Parameters

Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected Chorus/Mod

effect.
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this
group. In this case, select YAYA.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) sweeps the "yah" effect.
Parameter 2 (Knob 3), Parameter 3 (Knob 4), and Mod
Level/Mix (Knob 5) work the same way as with AutoYa.Also Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected
like AutoYa, the X-Edit Editor/Librarian accesses Parameter Chorus/Mod effect.
5. This adjusts the balance of the processed signal, sending Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this
it more toward the right or left channel. group. In this case, select SYNTHTALK.

• DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Parameter 1 (Knob 2) sets the Attack time of the first Envelope Filter
sweep An Envelope Filter produces sounds that are similar to a wah
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the Release time of the sec- pedal. However, rather than having a filter's resonant fre-
ond sweep, which goes in the opposite direction.This is vari- quency respond to a pedal's position, or have a sweep trig-
able from 00 to 99, but turning it past 99 puts it in infinite gered by a pluck of a certain level, the Envelope Filter
mode, as described above. responds to the dynamics of your playing. In other words,
Parameter 3 (Knob 4), the VOX parameter, determines playing louder' produces the same effect as pushing down
the voice's vocal characteristics by controlling the initial fre- on a wah pedal (namely, increased treble emphasis), while
quency and sweep direction. Stay with me, now ... with set- playing softer produces the same effect as pulling back on
tings between O and 49, the attack sweeps up in frequency, the pedal (bassier emphasis).
and the decay sweeps back down to the initial frequency. This effect is great for those "funk machine" effects of the
For settings between 50 and 99, the attack sweeps down in ?Os.Just put on your gold chains,and stare at the mirror ball.
frequency, while the decay sweeps back up to the initial fre-
quency. Envelope Filter Parameters
Furthermore, the initial frequency rises as the value
increases from Oto 49, then decreases from 50 to 99.
Mod Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the SENSTVTY parameter.
This determines how strong a signal needs to be to re-trig-
ger the sweep, from O (strong signal required) to 99 (trig-
gers even with fairly soft plucks).
Also note that X-Edit lets you access a bonus parameter,
Parameter 4. This adjusts the left to right balance of the
processed signal.
Mod On/Off enables or disables the selected
Chorus/Mod effect.
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this
group. In this case, select ENVELOPE.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2), SENSTVTY, determines how
strong a signal it takes to "open up" the filter. Lower values
are good for heavy pickers; if you have a lighter touch, try
higher values.
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) sets the filter's available RANGE.
With lower values, the filter sweeps over a fairly narrow
range when opened up all the way. With higher values, the
filter opens up over its maximum range.
Parameter 3 (Knob 4) places the filtered signal in the
Use X-Edit to place the processed signal in the stereo field.
stereo field. The parameter range is MOD LEFT 99-0, with
99 being full left and 0 being the center. Going past Ocon-
SynthTalk Tips
tinues with MOD RGHT 0-99, with O putting the signal in
The above description may make the effect seem more
the center, and 99 placing the signal full right.
intimidating than it really is, so let's give a quick tutorial to
Mod Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the MOD MIX parameter.
get you started.
This sets the blend of the dry and processed signal, from all
Set the ATTACK, RELEASE, and VOX parameters to 1O.
dry (0) to all processed (99).
Play single note lines, with slight spaces between the notes,
and adjust the SENSTVTY control · until you can hear the
Envelope Filter Tips
sweep that occurs on each note. The sound should sweep
• Be aware of interaction. SENSTVTY and RANGE
higher, then back down again. Got it?
interact to some degree; for example, even if the
Okay, now turn the VOX value to 65 but leave everything
RANGE is set fairly high, if you're a light picker and have
else the same. You should now hear the filter sweep down,
SENSTVTY set to a low value, your playing won't be
then sweep back up again.
able to kick the filter up high enough to take advan-
Continue experimenting with the VOX control until you
tage of the full filter range.
feel like you have a grip on the initial frequency/sweep
• Fun with expression. Try linking the Expression pedal
up/sweep down concept. At this point, experiment with the
to the MOD RIGHT/LEFT parameter (Knob 4). This pro-
ATTACK and RELEASE parameters to become familiar with
vides foot-controlled panning of the filtering effect
them. In about 15 minutes, you'll be a SynthTalk expert.
within the stereo field-good stuff.
• Multieffects Parameters Explained· 47
 • Fatter guitars. To add "body"to a thin guitar sound, set Detune, pitch shifting is commonly used so by its inclusion
SENSTVTY and RANGE to 0, MOD MIX between 20 at this point in the signal chain, you can use it to process the
and 30, and MOD RGHT to about 50. This doesn't pro- whammy, IPS, or talker effect.
duce an envelope filter effect, but it will give your gui-
tar a beefier, wider sound. Pitch Parameters
• Optimize the parameter values. Adjust the
SENSTVTY and RANGE parameters carefully. Not
enough of either may produce a muffled sound; too
much will produce a less dramatic effect. With guitar,
you may also need to make some changes at the
instrument itself. For example, if a guitar's low strings
put out much more signal than the high strings, the
envelope filter will respond more to the lower strings.
Angling the pickup so that the higher strings are closer
to the pickup and the lower strings are further away Mod On/Off enables or disables the Pitch effect.
takes care of this ... which you should probably do any- Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from the
way to even out the response. Chorus/Mod group. In this case, select PITCH.
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) edits the amount of pitch shift in
Detune semitone steps, from -24 semitones (two octaves lower) to
Detune provides the effect of doubling your guitar sound, 24 semitones (two octaves higher).
and is almost identical to the Detune effect in the Parameter 2 (Knob 3) places the pitch-shifted signal in
Whammy/lPS/Talk row. So why include it? Because the the stereo field. The parameter range is MOD LEFT 99-0,
Detune effect is very popular, and you might want to detune with 99 being full left and O being the center. Going past 0
your whammy, IPS, or talker effect. continues with MOD RGHT 0-99, with O putting the signal
in the center, and 99 placing the signal full right.
Detune Parameters Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the pitch-shifted sound's MOD
LEVL, from O (dry only, no detuned sound) to 99 (dry mixed
with maximum detuned sound level).

Pitch Tips
• See the Pitch tips in the Whammy/lPS/Talk section.

Delay
In theory, delay is simple: It stores your incoming signal in
Mod On/Off enables or disables the Detune effect. memory, then plays it back later-anywhere from O to a
Type (Knob 1) selects the particular effect from this couple seconds. But the GNX4 offers several variations on
group. In this case, select DETUNE. the delay concept, which we'll explain in this section. There
Parameter 1 (Knob 2) selects the amount of detuning, can be a single repeat, multiple repeats that fade out over
from -24 cents (almost a quarter tone lower) to 24 cents time, or multiple repeats that bounce back and forth in
(almost a quarter tone higher). stereo. There's even the option to "freeze" the repeats, turn
Parameter 2 (Knob 3) places the detuned signal in the off the input so no further signals will be recorded into the
stereo field. The parameter range is MOD LEFT 99-0, with delay, then play on top, and a "ducker" that can prevent
99 being full left and O being the center. Going past Ocon- repeats from "stepping on"your main guitar signal.
tinues with MOD RGHT 0-99, with O putting the signal in
the center, and 99 placing the signal full right. Delay Parameters
Level/Mix (Knob 5) sets the detuned sound's MOD
LEVL, from O (dry only, no detuned sound) to 99 (dry mixed
with maximum detuned sound level).

Detune Tips
• See the Detune tips in the Whammy/lPS/Talk section.

Pitch
Pitch creates simple parallel harmonies,and is very similar to
the Pitch effect in the Whammy/lPS/Talk row. As with
48 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •
 Delay On/Off enables or disables the delay effect.
Delay Type (Knob 1) chooses among several delay char-
acteristics.

• MONO is the simplest type of delay. The delayed signal

plays back in mono, in the center of the stereo field.
• PINGPONG bounces successive echoes to opposite
channels.
• ANALOG is like the mono delay, but with multiple
repeats, each successive repeat has less high frequency
response. This emulates the classic response of vintage
tape echo.
Use X-Edit to vary two additional delay parameters.
• AN LG PONG is like PINGPONG, but as with analog, suc-
cessive repeats have less high frequency response.
• SPREAD is like mono, but produces a stereo delay Ducker Attenuation sets the amount of suppression
effect. (attenuation) for the delayed signal after the guitar signal
exceeds the Ducker Threshold.
Time (Knob 2) adjusts the delay time from Oto 2000 mil- Delay Balance places the delayed signal within the
liseconds (2 seconds), in 1 millisecond increments. stereo field. The range is from L99 (full left) to center to R99
Fortunately, there's a shortcut when you need to change (full right).
time over a wide range: Use the Data Wheel while in this
field to change delay time in 100 millisecond increments. Delay Tips
Feedback (Knob 3) determines the number of repeats Delay is an incredibly useful effect, so there are lots of tips
by feeding the repeated signal back to the input, where it we need to go over.
repeats again; then the repeated signal feeds back into the
input, where it repeats again; then ... you get the idea. The The Time-Shift Spectrum
value goes from O (0% of the signal is fed back) to 99 (99% Different amounts of time delay give different effects. While
of the signal is fed back). Going past 99 takes you to RPT there is no standard definition of the time-shift spectrum,
HOLD, which freezes whatever you're hearing and prevents here are some guidelines as to what sounds are associated
any further echoes from being generated until you release with various delay times. These delays are so short that
RPT HOLD. they're given in milliseconds (1/1000 of a second, abbreviat-
Ducker Threshold (Knob 4) uses the"ducker"function to ed ms).
suppress echoes while you play, then bring them in when
your playing drops below a certain level. At lower values, • 0 to 1 Sms delays. This is the range where flanging typ-
just about any signal is loud enough to suppress the echoes. ically occurs. Because the Delay processor has no mod-
As the value increases, you need to play louder to suppress ulation, flanging isn't possible. However, setting high
any echoes. If you go past 99 to OF (Off), no signal will be feedback amounts (90-99) with short delays produces
loud enough to suppress any echoes, and they'll always be eerie resonant effects.
present. • 10 to 25ms delays. In this range, you'll find chorusing.
Delay Level (Knob 5) determines the mix of the delayed Again, there are no modulation options so you won't
repeats, from O (dry signal only) to 99 (dry signal and maxi'" be able to get chorusing with the delay function alone.
mum level delays). With shorter echo times, the delayed But you can still turn up the feedback and get interest-
sound will tend to be mixed further back. With long echoes, ing resonant effects.
the amount of delayed sound will depend on how "murky" • 25 to S0ms delays. Delays now start crossing over into
a sound you want: increasing the amount of delayed sound the "discrete echo" range, where you can perceive that
gives a swimming-in-echo effect, while adding in only a lit- the delayed signal is occurring later in time with
tle delayed sound provides more of an ambience effect. respect to the non-delayed signal. (With flanging and
Furthermore, there are two bonus parameters that area chorusing effects, it's difficult to tell that an actual delay
accessible only by using the X-Edit Editor/Librarian. is taking place because the delay time is so short.) 25 to
S0ms delays yield what is popularly called "slapback"
echo, a very tight echo sound.

• Multieffects Parameters Explained •

 • S0ms and up. This is the range that most people think various units may vary somewhat, so treat the displayed
of as "echo." Longer delays (say, over 250ms) give a value as a close approximation. It might be necessary to
spacey, emotional sound, while shorter delays give tweak the delay time a bit to have it sync up perfectly with
more of a doubling effect, or the effect associated with your music.)
playing an instrument in a small room with hard sur- If you don't know the tempo of a piece of music, there
faces. Extremely long delays (greater than a second or are two ways to determine the proper echo time. Method #1
so) offer other possibilities, as described later. is simple: Grab a stopwatch, count the number of beats in a
minute, then apply the above formula.
Unusual Delay Applications Method #2 is to turn up the GNX4's delay feedback a sub-
• "Machine Gun" reverb. There's a zone between about stantial amount-enough to generate, say, seven or eight
1Sms and 50ms where the echoes are very tightly echoes. Next, set the delay time somewhere in the 250ms to
spaced. Increasing the amount of feedback produces a 500ms range. While the music plays, hit a staccato chord and
series of extremely tight echoes; the sounds blend listen carefully to the echoes. If they lead the beat, increase
together into a pulsing, reverb-like effect. the echo time; if they lag the beat, decrease the echo time.
• sos-style slapback echo. In the early days of record- Eventually, through trial and error, you'll find a delay time
ing, echo effects were provided by tape recorders setting where each echo occurs on the beat, at which point
rather than by digital wonder boxes like the GNX4. you can pull back a bit on the feedback (if desired). As with
Feeding a signal into the tape recorder input, going the above example, divide the number of milliseconds by
into record, rolling tape, and monitoring the signal two, four, eight, etc. for shorter echoes, or multiply by pow-
coming from the playback head produced a typical ers of two for longer echoes.
delay of around 70 milliseconds. For this application,
choose the ANALOG Delay Type, set the delay time to Long Delay Applications
70ms to recreate the vintage echo sound, and add Long delays (the GNX4 provides a maximum of two sec-
feedback to taste. onds, which is quite a lot) open up several new types of
• "Canon" echo. A canon is a type of musical composi- applications. Consider tape loops, once a popular technique
tion that plays the same melody by two or more parts in avant-garde electronic music. To make a tape loop, you
(probably the best-known examples are"Row Row Row record a sound (usually of.short duration) and splice the end
Your Boat" and "Frere Jacques"). The GNX4 can give a of the taped sound back to its beginning. Thus, as you play
simplified version of this effect by delaying what you the loop, the sound repeats over and over and over and over
play, then repeating it a fraction of a second later. Set and over and over and over and ...
the delay time for the desired time interval between If you recorded a short sound-or instance, 500 millisec-
when the first part plays and when you want the sec- onds of a printing press-and looped that, you would have
ond part to start playing; minimum feedback creates a a 120BPM printing press-based rhythm track. The only prob-
single repeat. lem with this technique is that tape recorders were not
intended to play back loops, which created a variety of
Relating Echo Times to Song Tempos mostly mechanically related problems.
Echoes are usually more effective when they sync up with The GNX4's Repeat Hold feature lets you create instant
the tempo of the music. The easiest way to do this is by hit- "virtual tape loops:" play your guitar into the delay, then
ting the Tap Tempo footswitch (footswitch 5) while the freeze the sound by turning the Feedback parameter to
footswitches are in Stompbox mode (see Chapter 10, Repeat Hold.
Footswitch Fun). The GNX4 measures the time between Long echoes also have their uses, particularly for the
taps, and calculates the delay time based on this informa- "Frippertronic" music popularized by guitarist Robert Fripp.
tion. This effect is a refinement of an electronic music technique
You can also calculate the delay time that matches a that involved using two tape recorders to create extremely
given tempo. Here's a simple formula that translates beats long echoes. The two recorders were set up side-by-side,
per minute (tempo) into milliseconds per beat (echo time): often separated by several feet, with the tape being sup-
60,000/tempo = time (in ms) plied from the supply reel on the first machine and taken up
For example, if a tune's tempo is 120 beats per minute, by the takeup reel on the second machine.The sound would
then the number of milliseconds per beat is: be recorded at the record head of the first machine, travel
60,000/120 = S00ms over to the second machine, and play back from the second
So, setting the echo for 500 ms gives an echo every beat. machine's playback head. As you might imagine, this tech-
Repeatedly dividing the delay time by two (e.g., 250ms, nique was not super-reliable, especially if the distance
125ms, 62ms, and 31 ms) gives progressively tighter echoes between tape units was substantial. Long electronic delays
that remain in sync with the tempo. Similarly, multiplying by avoid the associated mechanical problems.
two gives longer echo intervals. (By the way, tempos among

50 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Increasing the feedback parameter value with long echo Reverb Parameters
times produces multiple echoes instead of a single repeat.
For example, if you play a note on the first beat of a measure
(and the delay time is the same length as a measure), then
you will hear the first echo exactly one measure later, a sec-
ond echo two measures later, a third echo three measures
later, and so on.
For controlling this looping type of effect live, it's a good
idea to set up a control footswitch to toggle between a
feedback setting of 99 and the RPT HOLD setting. However,
also remember that the JamMan functionality provides Reverb On/Off enables or disables the Reverb effect.
many of the same benefits of long delay times, along with Type (Knob 1) selects the reverb algorithm that models a
other goodies ... which is why it rates its own chapter. particular space. Options are:
• Studio: Fairly short, succinct decay with a good bal-
REVERS ance of frequencies.
Reverb simulates the sound of playing in a large hall or audi- • Room: Quite short, with a warmer, less bright sound.
torium. A room's acoustical characteristics create a charac- • Club: Medium decay with hard surfaces and distinct
teristic "ambience."The audience hears not only the sound reflections.
that comes directly from an instrument or amplifier, but • Plate: Smooth, bright reverb tail. Excellent for vocals.
myriad sound waves reflecting off the room's walls, ceiling, • Hall: Medium decay, somewhat muffled decay with
and floor. What makes the overall sound even more com- complex reflections.
plex is that these waves continue to bounce around the • Theater: Medium decay, relatively smooth tail, with
room many times, creating additional delayed reflections. bright, hard reflections.
As a result, what the audience hears is a composite of the • Church: Long decay, with a smooth tail and a distinct
original audio signal, the first reflections from various sur- midrange "shape" to the sound.
faces, and the delayed reflections. Eventually these sound • Garage: As in parking garage, not the one behind your
waves lose their energy, and the sounds become so weak as house. Short, complex, muffled tail.
to be inaudible. • Arena: Very long decay, smooth tail, with a hint of
What's in the room also affects the sound. A thickly car- brightness.
peted room will easily absorb reflected waves, while a room • Spring: Emulation of the spring reverb found in classic
with extremely hard surfaces will tend to keep the sounds guitar amps-minus the boings and hum pickup.
bouncing around. Also, high frequencies are more prone to • Predelay (Knob 2) sets the amount of time before the
absorption than lower frequencies. first group of reflections begins. A longer predelay set-
For centuries, the human ear has become accustomed to ting gives the feeling of a larger acoustical space.
hearing acoustical instruments in some kind of acoustic • Decay(Knob 3) sets how long it takes for the reverb tail
space,and as a result music doesn't quite sound"real"unless to decay to the point of inaudibility. The higher the
there is a degree of ambience. Digital reverberation allows value, the longer the decay, and the bigger the "virtual
you to precisely program such factors as decay time and room."
number of initial reflections with a great deal of precision, • Damping (Knob 4) emulates the way an acoustic space
giving considerable flexibility in re-creating the sounds of works by setting the degree to which high frequencies
various acoustical spaces. dissipate more rapidly than low frequencies. For exam-
Digital reverb can also create spaces that don't exist in ple, consider a club. It will start out with fairly bright
nature, such as gated reverb. This does the equivalent of reverb, but as more people fill the club, their bodies and
adding a noise gate to the end of the reverb, allowing for an clothing will absorb high frequencies. The higher the
abrupt cutoff of the reverb tail. This effect is used a lot with damping value, the more high frequencies roll off as
drums. the reflections continue bouncing around the room.

• Multieffects Parameters Explained·

 The X-Edit Editor/Librarian can access an additional
bonus parameter. Reverb Balance places the delayed signal
within the stereo field. The range is from L99 (full left) to
center to R99 (full right).

Reverb balance can come in handy if you're running mic and guitar panned
to opposite Track or USB buses, and want to have more reverb on one
than the other.

52 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Chapter 7

CATCHING INSPIRATIONS WITH THE GNX4 RECORDER

The GNX4 Owner's Manual covers recording in a very thor-

ough way, so there seems little point in duplicating that
material here. Instead, let's do some quick instant gratifica-
tion with a tutorial on something really basic: You just got a
great idea for a riff, and you don't want to lose it. Fortunately,
once you turn on the GNX4, you're literally just a few sec-
onds away from capturing that inspiration. Here's how.

A typical CompactF/ash memory card. Versions are available with up to

2GB of storage.

This card inserts in the GNX4's Memory Card slot on the

back. Note that you can insert and remove the card while
the GNX4 is on or off.

f!OWER
!lllAC
2.1A

That area on the GNX4 that's about the same size as a small PDA is your
interface to a powerful 8-track recorder.
The CompactFlash slot is located just about the MIDI ports on the back
oftheGNX4.
GNX4 RECORDING BASICS
The GNX4 doesn't record to tape, hard disk, or for that mat- You'll need a Type 1 CompactFlash (CF) card for the
ter, anything with moving parts. It stores its data on a solid- GNX4. These are available at office supply and electronics
state, almost indestructible (even by rock 'n' roll standards!) stores, and are often on sale to draw customers-check the
CompactFlash memory card. ads in your Sunday paper. Other types, like Type 11, will not
work.
As mentioned previously, total recording time depends
on the CF card's amount of memory. The following chart
indicates the total number of track minutes, as well as the
length of each track, for different cartridge capacities and
number of tracks in a project.

53
 cartridge capacity total track minutes 8 tracks, per track 6 tracks, per track 4 tracks, per track
32MB 6 mins 45 secs 1 min 90 secs
64MB 12 mins 90 secs 2 mins 3 mins
128MB 24 mins 3 mins 4mins 6 mins
256MB 48 mins 6 mins 8 mins 12 mins
512MB 1 hr 36 mins 12 mins 16 mins 24 mins
1GB 3 hrs 12 mins 24 mins 32 mins 48 mins
2GB 6 hrs 24 mins 48 mins 64 mins 96 mins

As you can see from the above chart, even an· inexpen- 2. If the GNX4 display shows FORMAT? and the recorder
sive 256MB cartridge gives six minutes of recording time s~ction's Record LED blinks, the GNX4 doesn't recog-
per track with an eight-track project-certainly more than nize the card format. Press _the RECORD button to
enough for the average pop tune. begin formatting, then skip to Step·6.
Although you might think you should buy the biggest
card you can afford, that's not necessarily the case if you
own a computer with a USB port. You can transfer the CF
card's contents to the computer using the GNX4's USB inter-
face, then save the data to the computer's hard drive or
other storage medium, such as recordable CD or DVD. You
can then erase the CF card and use it on a new project.

FORMATTING THE CARD

You need to format a new memory card before using it, just
STD

~ -• t~f '.f•H1

.
!UY

~
as you would a hard disk or floppy disk. You only have to do
this once, and then it will always be ready for use with the
GNX4. But you can also re-format a card at any time to erase
everything that's on it. Here's the formatting procedure.
RfWI

~
(
rum
. I .,
ll'iDO

If the display shows FORMAT?, press the RECORD button.

1. The CF card goes in the card slot label side up, with the
writing facing you if you're looking at the rear of the
3. If the GNX4 recognizes the card, the recorder displ_ay will
GNX4. Insert the card into the slot, then when it's all the
show a song number and time.But it's still a good idea to
way in, give it a firm push to make sure it's seated fully.
format a new card using the GNX4's format utility.
You'll feel a little resistance, then the card won't go any
m ftD
SONI TIME llffl
further. Don't force it past that point. 'I· trlB

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..' ■ ~- ►
·11
REWIND f·MD UNDO
:·,1 ;:,I

--
With a formatted card, the GNX4 will display at the very least a song
number and time.
-~

4. Press the SONG SETUP button repeatedly until the dis-

play shows FORMAT?

Apply a little pressure. If the card doesn't go in easily, pull it out and
try again.

54 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation : Power User's Guide •

 8. The Display shows FORMAT, then CF BUSY, then very
briefly flashes READING (so briefly you might not see
it-there's a 200MHz processor inside the GNX4).

[~----
F7JRr1R T~J
-------- -________

'C '__JL_J.
[
llil ____ R~
_ ~
The Song Setup button steps through various steps needed to set up the
The display alerts you to what's going on during the formatting process.
internal 8-Track Recorder, including CompactF/ash formatting.

5. Press the RECORD button. 9. When the display shows Bypass or a Preset name, for-
matting is complete.

OKAY, NOW LET'S RECORD THAT RIFF!

The GNX4 recorder can do all kinds of things, like provide a
drum pattern in various styles, do a countoff, play a click
track, and a whole lot more. But for now, let's just assume
that:
• You have a formatted CF card in the GNX4.
• You're playing through a GNX4 Preset and groovin'
along.
• Suddenly, you come up with a great idea for a riff.
• You want to record it in five seconds or less, before the
inspiration goes away.
Initiate the actual formatting process by pressing the RECORD button.
Here's how.
6. The display will say SURE? This is to remind you that 1. In the recorder section, press the RECORD button. The
formatting will erase any existing data on the card. GNX4 is smart enough to know you want to start

~, c,
[-J - - ,:-·
I I fF'\: I . .
J
I
recording, so with a new song, it automatically record-
enables tracks 1 and 2 (for stereo; the TRACK button
LEDs glow red) and starts the recording process.
------ .. ---::::_- - --- - -- -
This is your last chance to back out. If you're not sure, press STOP.

7. Press the RECORD button again.

Tracks are automatically record-enabled when you press the RECORD

button with a new song.

In a few seconds, the cartridge will be formatted.

• Catching Inspirations with the GNX4 Recorder• 55

 2. If you hear a countoff, wait until the countoff is done,
then start playing. If there's no countoff, just start play-
ing (we'll cover how to turn the countoff on and off
some other time). The recorder's Time display shows
the amount of elapsed time.

1
1ft PUT
SONG TIME Uffl um

.•
□
•
., ·/ <,., ·;.,f,};l 1J'
I .l :. ~
J
'
.. t ,_.a;,.~:~i-
< ' '
'
~~ •~t· . -n
... '·•~--.,. , .., ,f
Just what every musician needs: An UNDO button.

,.
STOP fllCORI PlAY
::. ~
'.:-.
I
■ t
• ► If you don't hit the UNDO button again within three sec-
;!
I

;ii
REWIND UWD
...
This TIME display shows the elapsed time as you play.
UNDO
, .. onds, the Delete option goes away as a safety measure. But if
you're not fast enough, no worries: As long as the display did
indeed show the track you wanted to delete, just double-click
on the UNDO button to delete the track. With a stereo record-
3. When you're done, press STOP. To return to the begin- ing, double-click UNDO again to delete the remaining track.
ning, press STOP again. On a mor·e general level, here's how to erase any track
that has material in it:
STOP ; ! ''i'.1 ~<. PJ.AY 1. Hit the UNDO button first.
2. Press a TRACK button for the track you want to erase.
I ■ I• ► The button can be in any mode, not just playback. You

~ ..
f Fl//0

TllAtlS
.,
UNOO
need to do this within three seconds of hitting the
UNDO button.

Hit STOP once to stop, again to return to the beginning.

4. To hea~ what you just played, press PLAY.

It's just like every other recorder in the world .. . press PLAY to hear Hit UNDO, then the button for the track you want to erase within 3 seconds.
what you just recorded.
3. Press UNDO again within three seconds.
Yes, it really is that simple.

ERASING TRACKS
To erase a track, you have two options:
• Record-enable the track (press the associated TRACK
button until it glows red), and record over the existing
data.
• Hit the UNDO button.The display will show which track
you're about :to delete. Hit the UNDO button again Hitting UNDO a second time is a safety measure to make sure you really do
within 3 seconds to-delete the indicated track. want to erase the track.

All right-now we have the absolute basics down. Let's

move on to more advanced recording-related topics.

56 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Chapter 8 8
ROUTING AND RECORDING

Okay, we've had some instant gratification. But it's time to To make this much less confusing, we'll describe each
look at how to take advantage of the 8-Track Recorder's routing option and include a chart that clearly shows what
routing flexibility. input channels end up on which tracks. Each input channel
As we've already discussed in Chapter 2, the GNX4 has a has a field that shows where the signal comes from (e.g.,
pretty heavy-duty mixer inside, and we talked about how to "Guitar ln"ifthe signal taps off the guitar input,and"FX Out"
assign inputs to it, as well as how to send signals to the var- if it taps off the end of the guitar effects sec;tion). Two other
ious outputs. However, we also need to consider routing fields show what signal shows up on a pair of 8-Track
audio to the 8-Track Recorder (when recording internally) Recorder tracks, which is the same as whatshows up on the
and to the USB outs (when recording to a computer-based USB 1-2 bus. If multiple signals show up in these fields, it
program such as Pro Tracks Plus). As a bonus, once we've means they will be mixed together if present.
learned that, we've also learned how to route using the USB Note that although the charts show the pair of 8-Track
interface if you want to use the GNX4 in conjunction with Recorder tracks as Trk 1 and Trk 2, they can be any track pair.
Pro Tracks Plus, or some other host program. This is because
the functionality of routing to the internal recorder or over AN IMPORTANT RULE ABOUT TRACK PAIRS
the USB bus is virtually identical. In the following charts, look carefully whether signals can be
As with other aspects of the mixer, this is all handled recorded in both tracks of an 8-Track Recorder pair, or
through "software patch cords"-you don't have to worry whether they record in only one track. If they record in only
about someone rolling a PA stack over them, or the wires one track, this can be any record-enabled track. But if signals
getting corroded. can be recorded in both tracks, you need to record enable
The internal 8-Track Recorder can record two tracks at a both tracks, even if the signal you're recording will only end
time (two mono or a stereo pair). The USB line can carry four up in one track.
channels of audio to your computer (for example, stereo An example should make this clear. One mode, "Dry
drums and stereo guitar) while playing back two channels Guitar + Dry Mic," records the dry guitar signal in the first
of audio and handling MIDI in/out functions. track of a track pair and the dry mic in the second track of
The main bus that sends signals to the internal 8-Track the pair. Suppose you're just recording the mic signal, and
Recorder or USB channels 1 and 2 is called CF/USB 1-2 don't even have a guitar plugged in. You still need to record
SOURCE (the CF in the name stands for "CompactFlash," into two channels, because even though you're not using
because that's where the tracks are stored).The input source the first channel, in this mode the mic signal expects to
for recording can be just about anything, from just the dry record into the second channel of the pair.
mic to every single input channel feeding the internal mixer. A more efficient mode for doing this would be"Dry Mic,"
There's also a secondary recording bus, USB 3-4 which records the dry mic in mono and requires only one
SOURCE. This sends an additional two channels of signals track-no signal ends up in the second track of a track pair.
via USB. It has nothing to do with the internal 8-Track Therefore, you can record into any single record-enabled
Recorder, and has more limited source options because it track.
supplements the CF/USB 1-2 SOURCE bus.
Now, here's a possibly confusing part: What appears on CF/USB 1-2 SOURCE OPTIONS
one of these buses also depends on how you've assigned To choose the signal that's going to appear over the CF/USB
the audio. For example, one record bus routing option 1-2 SOURCE bus, press the Shift button in the recorder sec-
might be "all signals that go through the effects processing tion, then the CF/USB 1-2 SRC switch. Next, use the Data
section." So, the Mic or Line ins will appear on the bus if they Wheel to select one of the following routing options.
were assigned to go through the FX or the reverb. But if
they're dry, then they may not appear on the bus.

57
 Line dry Line in Stereo d_ry line
LineRvb FX out, Line in Stereo FX line
Line FX FX out, Line in Stereo FX line
Orm/MP3 Drum/MP3 out Stereo drums/MP3
Click Click out Stereo click

MONOFX
The guitar taps off the effects section, is summed to mono,
and sent to one track of the 8-Track Recorder and USB chan-
nel 1. If the Mic and Line ins go through the effects section,
they are also summed to mono and also sent to one track of
the 8-Track Recorder and USB channel 1. Nothing goes to
These two buttons, in conjunction with the Data Wheel, select the source the other track of a stereo pair, or USB channel 2.
that feeds the internal 8-Track Recorder and/or the USB 1-2 bus.
MONOFX
STEREOFX Channel T~ps Off Trk 11 USB1 Trk2 / USB2
Any signals that go through the effects section are tapped Guitar FX out Mono FX guitar
off the effects section output, and end up in stereo at the Mic off
USB 1-2 bus or in two 8-Track Recorder tracks. Note that if Mic dry
the Mic and/or Line input is assigned to FX or Rvb, they Mic rvb FXout Mono FX mic
appear on the recorder tracks or USB 1-2 bus ·as well Micfx FX out Mono FX mic
because they go through the effects processing section. Line off
Une dry
STEREOFX LineRvb FX out Mono FX line
Channel Taps Off Trk 1 / USB1 Line FX FX out Mono FX line
I Trk2 / USB2
Guitar FXout Stereo FX guitar Drm/MP3
Mic off Click
I
Mic dry I
Mic rvb FXout Stereo FX mic MONOALL
Micfx FXout Stereo FX mic All signals are summed to mono, and end up in one 8-Track
Line off I Recorder track or channel 1 of the USB bus. However, note
Line dry I that as with STEROALL, the mic and line signals will be
LineRvb FX out Stereo FX line recorded, even if they're assigned to Off or Dry (although
Line FX FX out Stereo FX line again, you won't hear them while recording). If you're using
Orm/MP3 I MONO _ALL and have a mic and/or line source plugged in
Click I that you don't want to record, unplug them.

STEROALL MONO ALL

All inputs-guitar, drums/MP3, recorder click track, and mic Channel Taps Off Trk 1 / USB1 Trk2 / USB2
and/or line are sent as a stereo pair to two tracks of the 8- Guitar FX out Mono FX guitar
Track Recorder and the USB 1-2 bus. Note that this really is Mic Off Mic in Mono dry mic
an "all" mode: The mic and line signals will be recorded, even Mic dry Mic in Mono dry mic
if they're assigned to Off or Dry, although you won't hear Mic rvb FX out, Mic in Mono FX mic
them while you're recording. If you're using STEROALL and Micfx FX out, Mic in Mono FX mic
have a mic and/or line source plugged in that you don't Line off Line in Mono dry line
want to record, it's best to unplug them. Line dry Line in Mono dry line
LineRvb FX out, Line in Mono FX line
STEROALL Line FX FX out, Line in Mono FX line
Channel TapsOff Trk1 /USB1 Trk2/USB2 Orm/MP3 Drum/MP3 out Mono drm/MP3
Guitar FX out Stereo FX guitar Click Click out Mono click
Mic off Mic in Stereo dry mic
Mic dry Mic in Stereo dryrnic SUM+DGTR
Mic rvb FX out, Micin Stereo FX m ic This .also sums everything that goes through the effects sec-
Micfx FX out, Mic in Stereo FX mic · tion to mono, then sends the result to one track of a track
Line off Line in Stereo dry line pair in tb_e 8-Track recorder or one channel of the USB 1-2
58 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •
 bus. What's different here is that the dry guitar signal, which Mic :rvb Mic in Mono dry mic
taps off the guitar input, is sent to the other track of the Micfx Mic in Mono dry mic
track pair and other channel of the USB bus~ As we'll see in Line off
the section on re-amping, being able to record a dry and Line dry
processed version of your guitar simultaneously can be LineRvb
extremely useful. Line FX
Orm/MP3
SUM+DGTR (Sum + Dry Guitar) Click
Channel TapsOff Trk 1 / USB1 · Trk2/USB2
Guitar FX out, Gtr in Mono FX guitar Mono dry guitar DRY LINE
Mic off Whatever's going into the Line. ins will appear as a stereo
Mic dry pair at two 8-Track Recorder tracks as well as appear on the
Mic rvb FX out Mono FX mic USB 1-2 bus. Note that the Line signals will be recorded even
Mic fx FX out Mono FX mic if the Line setup is turned Off, although you won't hear the
Line off Line signal as you record.
Line dry
LineRvb FXout Mono FX line DRY LINE
Line FX FXout Mono FX line Channel Taps Off Trk 1 / USB1 Trk2/ USB2
Orm/MP3 Guitar
Click Mic off
Mic dry
SUM+MIC Mic rvb
This is just like SUM+DGTR, except that the dry mic signal, Micfx
not the dry guitar signal, goes to the second track of an 8- Line off Line in Stereo dry line
Track Recorder track pair and channel 2 of the USB 1-2 bus. Line dry Line in Stereo dry line
Note that as with STEROALL and MONO ALL, the mic signal LineRvb Line in Stereo dry line
will be recorded even if the mic setup is set to Off. Line FX Line in Stereo dry line
Orm/MP3
SUM+MIC (Sum + Dry Mic) Click
Channel Taps Off Trk 1 / USB1 Trk2 /USB2
Guitar FX out Mono FX guitar Mono dry mic DRYGUITR
Mic off Mic in Mono dry mic The dry guitar signal goes to one track of the 8-Track
Mic dry Mic in Mono dry mic Recorder, and appears over channel 1 of the USB 1-2 bus.
Mic rvb FX out, Mic in Mono FX mic Mono dry mic
Micfx FX out, Mic in Mono FX mic Mono dry mic DRYGUITAR
Line off Channel Taps Off Trk 1 / USB1 Trk2 / USB2
Line dry Guitar Guitar in Mono dry guitar
LineRvb FX out Mono FX line Mono dry mic Mic off
Line FX FX out Mono FX line Mono dry mic Mic dry
Orm/MP3 Mic rvb
Click Mic fx
Line off
DGTR +MIC Line dry
This mode simply sends the dry guitar signal to the first LineRvb
channel of a track pair (and channel 1 of the USB 1-2 bus), Line FX
with the dry mk: signal going to the other channel of the Orm/MP3
track pair and channel 2 of the USB 1-2 bus. Again, as with Click
STEROALL and MONO ALL, the mic signal will be recorded
even if the mic setup is set to Off. DRY MIC
The dry mic signal goes to one track of the 8-Track Recorder,
DGTR + MIC (Dry Guitar+ Dry Mic) and appears over channel 1 of the USB 1-2 bus. Note that
Channel Taps Off Trk 1 / USB1 Trk2/USB2 the mic signal will be recorded even if the mic setup is set to
Guitar Guitar in Mono dry guitar Off, although you won't hear it as you record.
Mic off Mic in Mono dry mic
Mic dry Mic in Mono dry mic
I

• Routing and Recording • 59 1

DRY MIC use 3-4 BUS SOURCE OPTIONS
Channel Taps Off Trk 1 / USB1 Trk2 / USB2 As mentioned earlier, you can send up to four channels to
Guitar your computer over USB. This is useful if, for example, you
Mic off Mic in Mono dry mic want to record stereo guitar and stereo drums simultane-
Mic dry Mic in Mono dry mic ously to four tracks.
Mic rvb Mic in Mono dry mic
Micfx Mic in Mono dry mic To choose the signal that's going to appear over the USB
Line off 3-4 SOURCE bus, press the Shift button in the recorder sec-
Line dry tion, then the USB 3-4 SRC switch. The Data Wheel lets you
LineRvb choose the desired source from the following options.
Line FX Pressing these buttons is the first step in selecting the source that feeds
Drm/MP3
Click

DRUMSST
The output from the Drums/MP3 player is assigned to a
stereo pair of 8-Track Recorder tracks and/or over the USB
1-2 bus.

DRUMS ST (Stereo Drums}

Channel Taps Off Trk 1 / use, Trk2/ USB2
Guitar
Mic off
Mic dry the USB 3-4 bus.
Mic rvb
Micfx USB OFF
Line off The USB 3-4 bus is disabled. No signals appear over it.
Line dry
LineRvb DGTR+MIC
Line FX This mode assigns the dry guitar signal to channel 3 of the
Drm/MP3 Drums/MP3 out Stereo drums/MP3 USB 3-4 bus, and the dry mic signal to channel 4. Again, as
Click with STEROALL and MONO ALL, the mic signal will be
recorded even if the mic setup is set to Off.
DRUMS MN
This is similar to the stereo drums, but the drums/MP3 signal DGTR + MIC (Dry Guitar+ Dry Mic}
is summed to mono,and sentto one 8-Track Recorder track, Channel Taps Off USB3 USB4
or appears on channel 1 of the USB 1-2 bus. Guitar Guitar in Mono dry guitar
Mic off Mic in Mono dry mic
DRUMS MN (Mono Drums} Mic dry Mic in Mono dry mic
Channel Taps Off Trk 1 / use, Trk2 /USB2 Mic rvb Mic in Mono dry mic
Guitar Mic fx Mic in Mono dry mic
Mic off Line off
Mic dry Line dry
Mic rvb LineRvb
Micfx Line FX
Line off Drm/MP3
Line dry Click
LineRvb
Line FX DRY LINE
Drm/MP3 Drums/MP3 out Mon drms/MP3 The Line in signals are sent as stereo to USB bus channels 3
Click and 4.

60 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Line signals will be recorded even if the Line setup is DRUMS ST
turned Off, although though you won't hear the Line signal The output from the Drums/MP3 player appears in stereo
as you record. over the USB 3-4 bus.

DRY LINE DRUMS ST (Stereo Drums)

Channel Taps Off US83 USB4 Channel Taps Off USB3 USB4
Guitar Guitar
Mic off Mic off
Mic dry Mic dry
Mic rvb I Mic rvb
Micfx Mic fx
Line off Line in Stereo dry line Line off
Line dry Line in Stereo dry line Line dry
LineRvb Line in Stereo dry line LineRvb
Line FX Line in Stereo dry line Line FX
Orm/MP3 Orm/MP3 Drums/MP3 out Stereo drums/MP3
Click Click

DRYGUITR DRUMS MN
The dry guitar signal goes to channel 3 of the USB 3-4 bus. The drums/MP3 signal is summed to mono, and sent to
channel 3 of the USB 3-4 bus.
DRYGUITAR
Channel Taps Off USB3 USB4 DRUMS MN (Mono Drums)
Guitar Guitar in Mono dry guitar Channel Taps Off USB3 USB4
Mic off Guitar
Mic dry Mic off
Mic rvb Mic dry
Micfx Mic rvb
Line off Micfx
Line dry Line off
LineRvb Line dry
Line FX LineRvb
Orm/MP3 Line FX
Click Orm/MP3 Drums/MP3 out Mon drms/MP3
Click
DRY MIC
The dry mic signal goes to channel 3 of the USB 3-4 bus. The
mic signal will be recorded even if the mic setup is set to Off,
although you won't hear it as you record.

DRY MIC
Channel Taps Off USB3 USB4
Guitar
Mic off Mic in Mono dry mic
Mic dry Mic in Mono dry mic
Mic rvb Mic in Mono dry mic
Micfx Mic in Mono dry mic
Line off
Line dry
LineRvb
Line FX
Orm/MP3
Click

• Routing and Recording •

 Chapter 9

THE GNX4 DRUMMER

If you're the kind of musician who gets your rhythmic juices 2. Press the □/► button and you'll start hearing drums.
flowing by jamming along with a drum track, you'll be glad
to hear that the GNX4 has an extremely capable drum
machine (the GNX3 has a somewhat more limited drum
machine, but it still beats playing with just a click). The
drummer tucked away inside the GNX4 knows a variety of
styles, owns eight different drum kits, never misses a beat,
- ■ I►

and will happily play along with you for hours on end. 3. Let's check out the different styles. While the drums are
playing, press the Pattern/File button.

PAMRN/R
~

The five crucial drum machine control buttons are located in the GNX4's
4. The display will show the name of a particular drum
Control Panel section. style, like 8TH BEAT.

Incidentally, the companion CD-ROM has five drum

loops taken from the GNX4 factory patterns. They have no
processing but have been "acidized" (prepared for time-
stretch ing) in Pro Tracks Plus. Therefore, you can drop them 5. To check out the different styles, turn the Data Wheel
into any project that can read acidized files (Pro Tracks Plus, or hit the Prev and Next buttons (in many cases where
Acid, Sonar, Digital Performer, Cubase, etc.) and they will fit you can choose various options with the Data Wheel,
whatever tempo you've chosen. you can also do so with the Prev and Next buttons).

AUDITIONING PATTERNS AND KITS

We'll start with a tutorial on auditioning the various patterns
and drum kits. Then we'll find out how to get the GNX4
drummer to play along with your session.

1. Just to the right of the Data Wheel in the Control Panel

section, note the five dedicated drum buttons.

■ /► PArnRN/flU I.Ml TEMPO KIT

DRUMS/ MP3

63
 6. You'll find ten ROCK, HARDROCK, and METAL pat- 2. Press the Next button until the display says RESET?,
terns, five BLUES, ten FUNK, as well as lots of patterns then press Prev to go back one option to DFLT KIT.
for GROOVE, FUNK, COUNTRY, RAND B,JAZZ, PROG,
HIPHOP, DANCE, LATIN, REGGAE, PERCUSSION, and
a few METRonomes too-this is a drummer with pret-
ty eclectic tastes.

3. Use the Data Wheel to select On (GNX4 loads a specific

7. To change the drum level, press the Level button and kit for each pattern) or OF (the kit stays as selected until
use the Data Wheel to dial in the desired volume. you change it).

LET'S PLAY ALONG!

Once you have a drum pattern and sound you like, it's easy
to get the drums to record or play back along with a song-
and most people find drums a lot more inspiring than a
metronome.
8. Of course, you can also change tempo. Press the 1. In the recorder section, press the Drums/MP3 button.
Tempo button, and turn the Data Wheel to go any-
where from 40-240 BPM.

9. When you call up a pattern, the drummer selects an

appropriate kit. But you can change the kit at any
time-press the Kit button, and rotate the Data Wheel
to choose the desired kit.

2. Record or play back normally (hit the Record or Play

BUT I DON'T WANT DIFFERENT KITS WITH button). The drums will play along.
DIFFERENT STYLES ...
If you don't want the GNX4 drummer to load a specific kit
with each style or pattern, but keep whatever kit you've
selected regardless, no problem.

1. Press the Utility button.

64 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

 Note that even if you hit stop and resume playback later, 3. The first four options parallel the dedicated drum but-
the drums will still be right in the pocket, exactly where you tons in the Control Panel: Pattern, Level, Tempo, and Kit.
left off. The next option chooses CLICKTRK. Turn the click
track On or OF with the Data Wheel.
SETTING A CLICK AND COUNTOFF
You might want a click track along with drums (or instead of
drums}, or have a pre-roll (i.e.; countoff) before the drums
start. You can set this up, as well as tweak drum parameters,
with the Song Setup function. To access this:
4. The next option chooses the PRE-ROLL (countoff). Use
1. Press the Song Setup button (the lower right button in the the Data Wheel to count 3, 4, 8, or 16 beats, or turn the
Recorder section). Make sure the Shift button (lower left function OF.
Recorder section button) is off for all the steps in this sec-
tion.

There are additional parameters under Song Setup, but

these relate to functions other than drums. When you're
ready to get back to playing, hitting Stop, Record, or Play
automatically turns off Song Setup.

2. You can step through the various setup functions by

repeatedly pressing the Song Setup button, or by
pressing the Prev and Next buttons in the Control
Panel area. The difference is that the Prev and Next
buttons wrap around continuously through the
options, while each press ·of the Song Setup button
(which is the same as pressing the Next button) moves
along the list of options until it reaches the end. Get
into the habit of using the Prev and Next buttons as
this generally lets you work a little faster.

• The GNX4 Drummer • 65

 Chapter O 10
FOOTSWITCH FUN

The GNX4 footswitches go way beyond simple bypass func- UNIVERSAL FOOTSWITCH FUNCTIONS
tions, and even let you do hands-free recording and drum Certain functions are available in every footswitch mode-
operations. But first, we need to explain a bit about modes. Recorder, Preset, or Stompbox/Control. All these "universal
Footswitch functions fall under three broad categories: functions" involve pushing two footswitches at the same
• Recorder: Controls recording and drum machine func- time.
tions Here's a description of these functions.
• Preset: Navigates through the GNX4 Presets Up Arrow/Down Arrow footswitches: Pressing these
• Stompbox/Control: Works on effects within a Preset enables navigation through the GNX4 drum patterns and
user MP3 or MIDI files stored on CompactFlash. Once naviga-
You choose the desired footswitch mode with the Mode tion is enabled, the Up Arrow footswitch performs the func-
button, located in the Control Panel's upper left, or by press- tion of the Next button, and the Down Arrow footswitch is
ing the 4 and 5 footswitches simultaneously. equivalent to pushing the Prev button.
To disable navigation, hit the two footswitches again, or
simply don't push either footswitch for about six seconds.
1 + 2 footswitches: Enables or disables (toggle action)
the Drums/MP3 Sync button in the 8-Track Recorder panel.
When On, any selected drum pattern, MP3 file, or MIDI file
will play back when the recorder goes into Record or Play
mode.
2 + 3 footswitches: Enables or disables (toggle action)
Bypass mode, which bypasses the effect and amp models.
3 + 4 footswitches: Accesses or closes the tuner. The
output is muted while the tuner is active. To close the tuner
and return to where you were before accessing the tuner, hit
the footswitches again .

...
{:,'"--
- -==-=.c;:_=n
'l
I
ENABLE NAVIGATION
I'" - - -
'Fl

t~ . .~ ,aa
T::

i i• jam
.

·/DRUMSf$YNC pNIOFF -~
1
~(
ill
[ii
' r•
! l l
I.<,,· ' -
-

BYPASS FX+AMP MODELS FOOTSWITCH MODE

These functions are always available, regardless of the current footswitch mode.

67
 4 + 5 footswitches: Press to cycle through each PRESET (GREEN) MODE
footswitch mode (Recorder, Preset, Stompbox). This dupli- Preset mode is intended for easy Preset selection. Toward
cates the function of the Mode button to the upper right of this goal, it selects banks of Presets within the User and Card
the Data Wheel. Note that the color of the buttons in the Up Preset collections (not Factory, though), then Presets within
Arrow/Down Arrow footswitches change to reflect the cur- those banks.
rent mode: Red for Recorder, green for Preset, and yellow for In addition to the universal functions mentioned above,
Stompox. Pretty considerate! here's what the footswitches do in Preset mode.

SELECTS PREVIOUS SELECTS NEXT

PRESET
...,., BANK PRESET BANK
,,..,.
I

ll1· ii~~ ffl ·::1

l
:.I!
!,I I·: i'
::I
.
'. ,i; i
' 1:1
1 - - -- •i ·, .;

SELECTS 1st SELECTS 2nd SELECTS 3rd SELECTS 4th SELECTS 5th
PATCH OF PATCH OF PATCH OF PATCH OF PATCH OF
ACTIVE BANK ACTIVE BANK ACTIVE BANK ACTIVE BANK ACTIVE BANK
Preset mode is optimized for selecting banks of Presets, and the Presets within those banks.

Up Arrow footswitch: Selects the next bank of Presets. with presets 31-35 is selected:
As you may recall, Presets are arranged in banks of 5 Presets • Pressing footswitch 1 selects Preset 31.
(1-5, 6-10, 11-15, etc.). If you press this footswitch and the • Pressing footswitch 2 selects Preset 32.
GNX4 is on Preset 4, the bank containing presets 6-10 will be • Pressing footswitch 3 selects Preset 33.
selected, and the bank name will be displayed as soon as • Pressing footswitch 4 selects Preset 34.
you press the footswitch. If hold the footswitch, it will scroll • Pressing footswitch 5 selects Preset 35.
through the successive banks of Presets.
Down Arrow footswitch: Selects the previous bank of If the bank with Presets 56-60 is selected:
Presets. For example, if you press this footswitch and the • Pressing footswitch 1 selects Preset 56.
GNX4 is on Preset 73, the bank containing presets 66-70 will • Pressing footswitch 2 selects Preset 57.
be selected. Again, the bank name will be displayed as soon • Pressing footswitch 3 selects Preset 58.
as you press the footswitch. If hold the footswitch, it will • Pressing footswitch 4 selects Preset 59.
scroll through the previous banks of Presets. • Pressing footswitch 5 selects Preset 60.
Note that once you've selected a bank, three things will
happen: You can select a Preset within a bank at any time, not
• The red display will scroll through the Preset numbers only right after selecting a bank with the Up Arrow and
in the bank. Down Arrow footswitches.
• The LEDs in the five lower footswitches will light suc- If you press the same 1-5 footswitch a second time, one
cessively from left to right. This happens three times. of two things happens.
• If you don't select a Preset from the bank within five • If Preset Bounceback (described in Chapter 3) is not
seconds, the GNX4 reverts to the Preset that was select- selected, the GNX4 goes into bypass mode.
ed before you hit the Up or Down Arrow footswitch. • If Preset Bounceback is selected, pushing the same
footswitch again recalls whichever Preset had been
1 - 5 Preset Select footswitches: Pressing one of these selected previously.
selects the Preset within the bank. For example, if the bank

68 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide·

STOMPBOX/CONTROL (YELLOW) MODE
This mode is optimized for when you're working within a
single Preset, and offers quite a bit of flexibility.

SELECT SELECT
PREVIOUS NEXT
PRESET PRESET
....
a- -- - -- r:
l ----t1 I

STOMPBOX CHORUS/MOD DELAY

ON/OFF ON/OFF ON/OFF

; _:_!

AMP
1
-..-f 1(§
EXPRESSION
Jg 11
ir® 1: ® J
EXPRESSION
r
EXPRESSION TAP
CHANNEL CONTROL A CONTROL B CONTROL C TEMPO
With Stompbox mode, footswitches 2, 3, and 4 can each have one of two different functions.

Up Arrow footswitch: Selects the next higher- 2 Stompbox bypass/Control A: This switch defaults to
numbered Preset. Hold to scroll successively through bypassing the Stompbox effect. However, it can also be pro-
higher-numbered Presets. grammed to add expressiveness to a Preset by switching
Down Arrow footswitch: Selects the previous, lower- (toggled or momentary) between two values for up to three
numbered Preset. Hold to scroll in reverse through succes- parameters. See Chapter 5 for details on how to program
sively lower-numbered Presets. this footswitch for Expression control.
1 Amp Channel: Choose the current amp channel that 3 Chorus/Mod bypass/Control B: This switch defaults
will be used. This switch can be programmed to toggle to bypassing the Chorus/Mod effect. However, it can also be
between Channel 1 and Channel 2, Channel 1 and the Warp programmed to add expressiveness as described for
Channel, Channel 2 and the Warp Channel, or step through footswitch 2.
all three Channels with each successive press of the 4 Delay bypass/Control C: This switch defaults to
footswitch. For information on programming this switch, bypassing the Delay effect, but can also be programmed to
see Chapter 5, Expression Assignment. add expressiveness as with footswitches 2 and 3.
5 Tap tempo: Tapping this twice within 3 seconds sets a
tempo that the Delay effect time will follow. This produces
delay effects that are in sync with your music.

• Footswitch Fun •
RECORDING (RED) MODE pressing footswitches"), but until you try it for yourself, it's
The GNX4 footswitches have been designed to offer true hard to realize just how much this speeds up and simplifies
hands-free recording while in Recording mode.T~is is a con- the recording process. This is particularly true because the
cept that's easy to understand intellectually ("Well yes, it cer- GNX4 can take care of multiple "housekeeping" events with
tainly seems cool to be able to run the recorder just by a single push of the footswitch.

PREVIOUS NEXT
SONG
...... SONG...._
,r--== -- --~ ~~

_. I

'i i
f-i

DRUMS/MP3 RECORD PLAYBACK DRUM TAP

STOP/PLAY TEMPO
Control recording and drum functions in the Recording mode.

Up Arrow footswitch: Selects the next higher- a track, you'll be presented with the option to delete the
numbered song in the 8-Track Recorder. Hold to scroll entire Song. Press the footswitch again within 3 seconds to
successively through higher.:numbered Songs. delete the Song.
Down Arrow footswitch: Selects the previous, lower- 3 Record: Duplicates the recorder's Record button; press
numbered Song. Hold to scroll in reverse through succes- to enable tracks and begin recording. This can also be used
sively lower-numbered Songs. for punch-in/punch-out on record-enabled tracks, and with
1 Start/Stop Drums/MP3/MIDI: Starts and stops any the JamMan function (Chapter 11 ).
currently selected drum pattern, MP3 file, or MIDI file inde- 4 Playback: Duplicates the recorder's Play button; press
pendently of the Recorder. to initiate playback. This too is useable with the JamMan
2 Stop/Undo: Stops the recorder, but if pressed and function.
held, gives the option to delete ("undo") the most recently 5 Drum/MIDI Tap Tempo:Tap this twice within three
recorded track. If you press the footswitch again within seconds while the drum machine or a MIDI file is playing to
3 seconds, the track will be deleted. If you press and hold the set the tempo. If you've selected a new song from the
footswitch again, you'll have the option to delete the track Recorder Panel, you can use this feature to set the Song
that was recorded just before the one you deleted, and so tempo as well. It has no effect on Song tempo once a track
on until there are no more tracks to delete. has been recorded, as the tempo will already have been
If you press and hold the footswitch, and continue hold- established; you cannot change the Song tempo until it is
ing past the point where you're asked if you want to delete deleted.

70 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

THE GNXFC FOOTSWITCH The GNXFC duplicates the main footswitch's Stop/Undo,
There's one more optional footswitch that's a power user's Record, and Play buttons, but does this regardless of the
necessity:The GNXFC. This is a three-button footswitch that main footswitch's mode. So, you could set up the main
plugs into the Footswitch jack on the GNX4 rear panel. footswitches for Stompbox/Control or Preset mode, and still
have instant, hands-free access to all the recording func-
tions. The GNXFC is also a great addition for when you're
doing the JamMan thang, as described in the next chapter.

B GNU
UFJ
urr
JL

Plug the GNXFC accessory footswitch in here.

• Footswitch Fun •
 Chapter 11 11
MEET JAMMAN

Once upon a time, Lexicon made a very unusual signal 6. Press the Record footswitch (main footswitch #3, or
processor called the JamMan. It was basically a very long even better, the Record switch on the GNXFC). If you've
delay line that could "freeze" several seconds of your play- previously programmed a Pre-Roll (by pressing the
ing, let you improvise over that, then "freeze" what you had Song Setup button until PRE-ROLL showed in the dis-
just played as an overdub. You could keep building up tracks play, then entering the number of beats you wanted to
until you ended up with very complex sonic textures. count down), the countdown will begin.
I always kicked myself for not buying one, but now it Simultaneously, if you chose a mono input source, Track
doesn't matter, because the GNX4 includes JamMan func- 1will be armed for recording (along with Track 2 if you
tionality in its bag of tricks-as does the GNX3, which func- chose a stereo source). After the countdown ends,
tions in a virtually identical manner. Both use the internal recording begins and if you turned on DRUMS/MP3,
8-Track Recorder to make this magic happen; here's the pro- the drums will provide a rhythm track.
cedure for the GNX4.
THE INITIAL RECORDING PROCESS
JAMMAN SETUP 1. Play for however long you want the loop to last.
1. Choose an empty Song in the 8-Track Recorder. To do 2. At the precise end of the take, press the Play footswitch
this, press the Fast Forward button until the Song (footswitch #4). This does several things:
number in the Recorder Panel has a small dot in the • Sets the loop length.
lower right corner. This indicates that the Song is • Arms the next track(s) for recording (their track lights
empty. flash red).
2. Make sure the footswitches are in Recording mode- • Plays back what you just recorded.
press the 4 and 5 footswitches simultaneously until the • If the Quantize function was turned on, where you
display shows RECORDER. press the Play footswitch will be quantized to the near-
3. I'd recommend playing along with a metronome or est eighth note.
drum track, so press the Drums/MP3 button in the 3. Another option is to press the Record footswitch
Recorder Panel. (footswitch #3) at the precise end of the take. It does
4. I'd also recommend turning on the Quantize function. everything the Play footswitch does, as well as:
This affects only looping, not standard recording. When • Lets you overdub more material on Track 1 if you press
using the JamMan looper, you need to specify the loop Record again.
end by pressing the Play or Record footswitch while • Lets you undo your initial track if you press and hold
recording the first track. If your timing is a little off, the the Stop/Undo footswitch, then when the display
loop timing will be off as well. Turning on Quantize shows RERCRD?, press the Stop/Undo switch again.
moves the loop end to the nearest eighth note. To do
this (the recorder must be stopped), press the Song Note that when you set the loop length by pressing the
Setup button and hit the Prev/Next buttons until the Record switch, you won't be able to move on to recording
display shows QUANTIZE. Use the Data Wheel to turn another track until you press the Play footswitch
this On. (footswitch #4). Also note that if you hit the Play footswitch
5. As you probably won't want to record the drums or to set the loop length instead of the Record footswitch, you
metronome, press Shift then CF/USB 1-2 SRC. Set the won't be able to undo the first track because the recorder
input source to STEREOFX if you want to record the will have already moved on to recording the second track.
guitar in stereo, or MONO FX to record in mono. Either
will record any signals going through the guitar
processor, but not the drums.

73
NOW YOU'RE IN THE LOOP ... where .you were. Remember that when undoing, you
Now that you're looping, you can add overdubs, change need to hold this switch until RERCRD? appears. If you
Presets, re-record continuously on the track that's currently just tap the switch once, you'll stop the loop.
recording, press Play to put that track in playback mode and • You can record for as long as you want on a track while
record enable the next track(s), and/or undo. Here are the it loops. If you undo, _it will undo everything you've
basic protocols. By the way when we say "track," if you're recorded on that track.
recording in stereo, it's understood we're talking about a • To start recording on a different track and put the cur-
track pair. rent track into playback mode, hit the Play switch.
• If a track has been enabled (flashing), press the Record Nothing will happen until the end of loop. At that point,
switch to begin recording on that track. Recording the track that was being recorded will go into playback
begins as soon as you press the switch. mode, and the next track will be record-enabled. Press
• If the track is recording and you press Record again, it the Record button to begin recording on this track.
will go out of record mode and become record-
enabled. This is useful if you want to dial up a different Although this tutorial mentioned playing to a drum
Preset, or practice your part without recording it. machine and using quantize, if you just want to set a groove
• To undo a track that is either recording or record- without using a rhythmic reference, set QUANTIZE and
enabled, press and hold the Stop/Undo , footswitch, PRE-ROLL to OF. The looper will function just like a classic
then when the display shows RERCRD?, press the delay looper that ·starts recording ·immediately after you
Stop/Undo switch again within 3 seconds. If you don't, press the record footsyvitch, and will not try to sync the loop
the undo command will be ignored and you'll return to to the nearest eighth note when the loop point is set.

74 • DigiTech ·Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Chapte r 12

,r
12
ABOUTUSB

While you can use the GNX4 as a stand-alone device for HEY-THERE'S ONLY ONE CABLE!
recording, performing, practicing, and songwriting, you can The USB connection is bi-directional. In other words, unlike
multiply its talents. by connecting it up to a computer run- audio devices that have an input and output, signals travel
ning Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Mac OS X. Let's look at from the GNX4 to a USS-equipped computer, and from the
how this process works. computer to the GNX4, over a single USB cable. Note that
the cable is different at each end, so you can't plug it in
THE DIFFERENT FLAVORS OF USB backward. Incidentally, USB cable extenders are available if
Your GNX4 connects to the computer via the USB (Universal you need a little extra length.
Serial Bus) protocol. Physically, the USB connection is a jack Although you can spend a ton of money on gold-plated
on the GNX4's rear panel and a jack on your computer. USB cables, any decent-quality USB cable will do, especially
for relatively short distances. The one included with the
GNX4 will work just fine. Save your money for high-quality
audio cables, where many times you really can hear a differ-
ence.

TRUE PLUG AND PLAY

Your computer will detect the addition of a USB device to its
USB bus. Usually upon connecting a USB device, there will
be some sort of sonic and/or visual alert. For the GNX4, this
happens several times as the computer needs to recognize
the various audio and MIDI USB "connections." Granted,
they're in software and travel down a single cable, but as far
Note that you don't need a separate USB in and USB out port; inputs and as the computer is concerned they represent several virtual
outputs (as well as MIDI and other data) are all carried over a single cable.
connections.

The USB interconnection protocol has been built into

HOW THE GNX4 USES USB
most Windows and Mac computers for the past few years. It
There are two main ways that the GNX4 uses USB. One is to
has evolved from the original USB 1.0, to USB 1.1, to USB 2.0
send audio and MIDI data to and from your computer. This is
(a higher-speed version). USB 2.0 is nowhere near as com-
the basis of what links the GNX4 up to "host" software,
mon as USB 1.1, nor is there a standardized audio driver pro-
whether it's the X-Edit Editor/Librarian program included
tocol as of this writing, so the GNX4 is compatible with USB
with the GNX4, the Pro Tracks Plus or Deck SE sequencing
1.1. It will also work with USB 2.0, but the speed will be the
software (also included with in the GNX4 software suite), or
same as if it was running with USB 1.1.
some other host, like Sonar, Digital Performer, Logic, etc.
Transfer speeds are not that critical with a device like the
Because USB is a standard, just about any host can recog-
GNX4, as opposed to something like a DVD recorder or hard
nize the GNX4 as a track input or output.
drive. In fact, USB 1.1 's speed is sufficiently high to allow four
USB is also used purely for data transfer with the
channels of 24-bit audio to go to the computer from the
CompactFlash cartridge. In this situation, the computer
GNX4 while playing back two channels of audio from the
thinks that the cartridge is an external drive, just like a hard
computer, as well as handle bi-directional communication
drive. When connected via USB, the CompactFlash cartridge
of up to 16 channels of MIDI data.
will show up on your computer's desktop. You can open it,
create folders in it, and transfer files to and from the

75
CompactFlash cartridge-in fact, anything you can do with ! My Computer -
a standard hard drive.
Ede fdit 'yje}N F~vorites Iools tlelp
However, although audio and MIDI data is always flowing
))
between the GNX4 and the computer, the CompactFlash
can work with only one device at a time-the computer, or Go
the GNX4. When used with the GNX4, the CompactFlash car-
. • I
tridge serves as an internal drive (with .no moving parts) for
recording with the 8-Track Recorder, an MP3 or MIDI file play-
B.ACKUP {F:)
er, and/or an extra collection of 80 Card Presets. When used
with the computer, the cartridge serves as a virtual hard
drive. As a result, the GNX4 includes a switching function
that lets you determine whether the cartridge will talk
~
Shared
exclusively to the GNX4, or to the computer as well. Documents.

USB AND THE CF STORAGE SWITCH The GNX4's cartridge appears on your computer's desktop
The GNX4's CF STORAGE switch, located in the GNX4's as a "virtual drive."
Recorder section, is the "gatekeeper" for communications
between the CompactFlash drive and your computer over • When you want to access files on the CompactFlash
the USB bus. It's important to remember the following: cartridge with the GNX4, such as driving the drums
• When you want to transfer files to and from the GNX4's with Standard MIDI Files or recording with the 8-Track
CompactFlash drive and the computer, the CF STOR- Recorder, the CF STORAGE switch must be off.
AGE switch must be on. The GNX4's recorder display
will show CF Stor. While the CompactF/ash drive is com- ABOUT USB DRIVERS
municating with the computer, you cannot access its files A driver is a small software routine that handles communica-
(e.g., MIDI files, MP3s, etc.) with the GNX4. tions between the USB device and the computer's operat-
ing system. The Windows and Mac operating systems both
have built-in drivers for many USB devices, but for special-
ized items like the GNX4 running under Windows, special
drivers are required. These are provided on the software CD
provided with the GNX4. As to the Mac, the GNX4 does not
need special drivers, as it communicates directly with OS X's
CoreAudio services.

This application installs the DigiTecl7 driven:. To Install

lhe dnven! the OigiTech de,ice needs to be connected
to the computers USS port. Oo tm now and then seled
'Next to continue ...

This switch enables communications between the CompactF/ash cartridge I

and the computer.

Cancel 1 ____.I j
Furthermore, when the CF STORAGE switch is on, a drive
This is the screen that greets you when you start to install the USB drivers
icon will appear wherever your computer shows its roster of
into your Windows computer.
drives.This icon represents the GNX4's CompactFlash stor-
age device. In the next chapter, we'll describe how you can
transfer data to and from the CompactFlash device as if it
was a hard drive.

76 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Driver installation is critical and must be done correctly. overall-particularly with respect to using X-Edit, which
Different operating systems have different ways of installing seems to really want at least Windows XP with Service Pack 1.
drivers; the basic principle is the same, but sometimes you
need to have the USB device connected while installing, TROUBLESHOOTING
sometimes you need to install the drivers and then connect USB is pretty foolproof. You can monitor USB communica-
the USB device, etc. Fortunately, the GNX4 Software tions via the USB Active LED toward the lower right of the
Installation Guide is well written and clear. If you take your data wheel. If the LED is not on,there is some issue with USB.
time and follow the directions to the letter, everything Here are some possible solutions.
should work right out of the box.
Also note that there are two sets of drivers installed for
the GNX4:Audio drivers and MIDI drivers. Do not be surprised
when after installing one set of drivers for audio, the process
continues with installing another set of drivers for MIDI.

WHAT ABOUT DRIVER SIGNING?

With Windows, you may be warned during installation that
the driver has not been digitally signed, and that problems
may occur if you proceed with installation. The GNX4
Software Installation Guide tells how to disable this warning
function, but that's mostly so the average user doesn't get
unduly concerned.
When this LED is lit, the USB lines of communication are open.
Because you're reading this book, you are definitely not
going to be an average user, so I might as well tell you a lit-
• If USB had been working at some point but isn't work-
tle secret: If this warning message appears, simply ignore it
ing anymore, try unplugging the USB cable from the
and continue. Driver certification by Microsoft provides a
GNX4, waiting a few seconds, then re-plugging-that
certain comfort level, but for most music-software compa-
may be all that's needed to re-establish communica-
nies, testing these drivers represents an unnecessary
tions. This is the conceptual equivalent of losing a con-
expense they'd rather not pass along to the consumer.
nection on a cell phone, then just re-dialing the num-
DigiTech's drivers have not caused any reported problems.
ber.
• If the computer doesn't recogniz,e the GNX4 (as indicat-
Hardware Installation · ~-·
ed by it not showing up as an extra drive when you
_b The software ,·ou are 1nstallH1g for this hardwc=,r-, ·
press CF STORAGE, lack of audio or MIDI communica-
tions, or an inability to install the GNX4 as a USB
DlgiTech USB .Audio f-2 Device
device), shut down your computer and remove all USB
has not passed 'F 1ndows Logo testing to verify rt.s compatibility
devices (except keyboard and mouse, if present).Turn
mh ~'v',ndows XP. :Tell me \'h't' this testing is Import an, i power back on, and after the system has booted com-
Cortirung ~ Installation of this softwae may impair pletely, connect the GNX4. Some self-powered USB
or destabili2E the correct operation of you'" system devices draw a lot of current, and they may be causing
either irnmedately or in the fl.4...-e. Microeoft slnJndy
recommends that you slop ttis installation now and your computer to run "on the edge." If the GNX4 works
ariact the hardware vendor for scftware that has
passed Windows Logo testing.
with the other devices removed, consider buying a
powered USB "hub" for your USB devices. The powered
hub then supplies power to the USB devices.
• If your computer still doesn't recognize the GNX4 and
you're running Windows, try reinstalling the drivers
from the CD included in the GNX4 software suite that
Don't worry, be happy: DigiTech has tested these drivers for you, so click on
contains the USB Device Drivers. In you're running the
"Continue Anyway."
Mac, check that you're running OS X 10.2.8 or greater. If
not, it's time to update.
RECOMMENDED:WINDOWS SERVICE PACK 1 FOR XP • Under some circumstances, if the GNX4 is connected
Starting with Windows Service Pack 1 for Windows XP, the
via USB to your computer when you try to shut down
handling of USB improved in several ways, especially regard- Windows, the OS will hang on the shutdown screen. If
ing MIDI. Although the GNX4 drivers work just fine with the your computer does this, just remember to unplug the
original release of XP, you'll likely find that installing USB cable from the GNX4 before shutting down the
Microsoft's Service Pack 1 will lead to a more stable system computer. It will then shut down normally.

·AboutUSB•
 • USB connectors are relatively sturdy, but they aren't MAC OR WINDOWS?
really meant to be plugged and unplugged all the time. The GNX4 comes with hard-disk recording programs for the
If you want to avoid wear and tear on the GNX4's USB Mac (Deck 3.5 SE) and Windows (Pro Tracks Plus). Both are
connector, use a short USB cable extender. Leave it comprehensive programs for recording and processing dig-
plugged in permanently into the GNX4, and ital audio. However, as of this writing only Pro Tracks Plus
plug/unplug your USB cable into the extender. offers MIDI sequencing and the way-cool "hands free" record-
ing feature (which we'll cover later .on). If, like many musi-
cians, you use both platforms, install Pro Tracks Plus because
at the moment, it offers tighter and more capable integra-
tion with the GNX4.

78 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Chapter 13

THE MAGIC OF COMPACT FLASH

Note: Check out the CD-ROM available separately from GNX4 (G:) Properties
1
··.• i:... ? X
Digitech; the following material is also presented on video in
more depth. Available formats are Real, Windows Media Video,
and QuickTime.
We've already worked with the CompactFlash cartridge
in Chapter 7 on recording. But that was just skimming the
surface, so let's do a hands-on tutorial that shows just how
■ Used space, 35.942.tOO t,,,-te,
much the CompactFlash cartridge can do when you team
92.1 2.656 b es
the GNX4 up with a computer.
This tutorial assumes that you have a computer with a
GNX4-compatible operating system (Mac OS X, Windows
2000, or Windows XP), and that you've installed the USB
drivers following the procedure described in the GNX4 doc-
umentation that came with your unit. If you have not yet It looks like a hard drive to your Windows or Mac computer, but it's the
installed these drivers, you must do so (as well as connect GNX4's CompactF/ash cartridge-talking to your computer via USB.
the GNX4 via the supplied USB cable) before the GNX4 can
communicate with your computer. TRANSFERRING FILES BETWEEN THE
CARTRIDGE AND YOUR COMPUTER
WHAT CAN THE CARTRIDGE STORE? Let's do a tutorial that explores how the CompactFlash car-
The GNX4 uses a standard CompactFlash cartridge, as found tridge interfaces with your system, using Windows XP as an
in electronics and office-supply stores, to store a variety of example.
data. This data includes: 1. Double-click on "My Computer," and you'll see a list of
• Tracks and songs you record in the GNX4 recorder the existing drives.
• A collection of Card Presets to supplement the internal
Factory and User collections
• MP3 files you can play back through the GNX4
• Standard MIDI Files to drive the GNX4's internal drum
machine, or send data out the GNX4's MIDI output. Yes,
you can store a complete MIDI sequence for driving a
tone generator, and patch the tone generator's MIDI in
to the GNX4's MIDI out.

But the best part is that when the GNX4 connects to your
computer via USB, the CompactFlash cartridge can show up
as another drive on your computer. In other words, because
the CompactFlash is a storage device, your computer treats
it the same as a floppy disk, hard drive, etc.
"My Computer" shows any existing drives. The GNX4 hasn't shown up
because we haven't enabled communications between the computer and
theGNX4.

79
 2. Pressing the GNX4's CF Storage button tells the com- 5. When you open the GNX4 folder, you'll see four addi-
puter to recognize the cartridge as another drive. tional folders for holding the four types of GNX4 data.

When the CF Storage button is lit, the GNX4 should be communicating with
your computer over USB. To verify, check that the "USB Active" LED to the
lower right of the Data Wheel is lit.

GNX4-related files must go into one of these four folders, as they are the
3. The GNX4 CompactFlash cartridge shows up along
only folder names the GNX4 will recognize.
with the rest of your drives.

6. Open the MIDI folder, and you'll see any Standard MIDI
Files that reside in the cartridge. You can also drag
Standard MIDI Files from the computer into this folder,
and vice-versa.

Gli MIDI ~

H pr-'opHoppt!:!i3tlO md
The GNX4 should now appear on your desktop as another drive. !no~ e 8iad'.: .MID

4. If you double-click on the GNX4 drive, you'll find a

GNX4 folder inside. But note you can also drag non-
GNX4 data onto the CompactFlash "drive" itself (not
into the GNX4 folder). This is convenient if you need to
You can drag Standard MIDI Files between your computer and the
take non-GNX4 data with you on the road. GNX4's MIDI folder.

7. Open MP3,and you'll see whatever MP3 files have been

stored on the cartridge for playback through the GNX4.
As with Standard MIDI Files, these can be transferred to
and from the computer.

You can save any data to the CompactF/ash card, but if the data is not
relevant to the GNX4, store it outside of the GNX4 folder.

80 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 10. Open the folder, and you'll see the tracks you recorded.

,...................... -96k:mp3j
head_l28 mp3
~ iSffi_P XML ~
TR~!<D 1 '·, A t-.. .
'.' A•~t
VA.

GNX4 track names follow a specific format. If you want to drag in WAV files

The GNX4 can accept MP3 format files recorded at up to 320kbps, which is from other sources, they need to follow this naming protocol.

near-CD quality.
Note the format of the track names, which start with
8. Presets contains all data for the card Presets. Although TRAK and a two-digit number from 01 to 08. All track
you can't drag out individual Presets, you can copy the names must start with these two elements, so if you're drag-
collection of Presets to your computer for backup. ging in files from another application, take this into account.
However, after this "header," you can pretty much do as you
please (e.g., name the file TRAK04_newvocal.wav).
11. Note that these are standard, 16-bit, 44.1 kHz uncom-
pressed WAV files that you can import into any applica-
tion that supports WAV files.

TRAK01.WAV IP.r ope ·.::.~

This is the file that contains the collection of Card Presets. Audio

_) 8 tRa e 7l)S PS
9. Finally, the Songs folder contains whatever songs
you've recorded on the GNX4.
.J Audio sample : 1ze 16 bit
~ Channefs 1 .. 0 10
w Aud o sample rate 44kH:!
Audio format PCM

Fortunately, the GNX4 does not record to some kind of compressed,

proprietary format.

12. Of course, you can also drag WAV files into the Song
folder if you want them to appear as GNX4 tracks.
Each Song folder contains WAV files of the tracks recorded in the Song. 13. When you're done interfacing the cartridge with your
computer,just press CF Storage again; the drive disap-
pears from your desktop. Note that it's also a good idea
to do this before powering down your computer or the
GNX4 if the two are communicating.
14. If you're finished with using the CompactFlash car-
tridge for a while, remove it from the GNX4, return it to
its protective case, and store it in a safe place.

• The Magic of Compact Flash •

 C apter 14

MEET PRO TRACKS PLUS

Pro Tracks Plus is a very deep and capable program. Granted, synthesizers. These are triggered with MIDI tracks, and their
the purpose of this book is to cover the GNX4, but much of outputs show up in the Pro Tracks Plus mixer, just like any
what makes it such an essential device is that it plays nice other track. These must be compatible with the DXi (DirectX
with computers. Instrument) format. However, an inexpensive VST-DX
Here are some Pro Tracks Plus highlights: Adapter, available from Cakewalk Music Software
Audio recording. Pro Tracks Plus does true multitrack (www.cakewalk.com), allows using VSTi (Virtual Studio
digital recording. The GNX4 serves as an ideal interface, as it Technology Instruments) format devices as well.
can send stereo line signals, the mic signal, your guitar, and
more-individually or collectively-into the program for
recording.

Software synthesizers are virtual tone generators that are capable of

playing back a wide variety of sounds. This particular one is packaged with
Sonar, the "bigger brother" to Pro Tracks Plus, and is compatible with Pro
Tracks Plus.

Software audio processing plug-in support. You can

Enable a track's Record button, then press the Record button on the also insert signal processors in a track, just as you would
program's Transport, to begin the recording process. plug a hardware signal processor into a mixer channel or
patch bay-except that plug-ins are software devices that
M101 sequencing. MIDI data can drive the GNX4 drum don't take up any rack space. As with soft synths, these must
machine as well as outboard tone generators (keyboards, be DX (DirectX) compatible, although VST-DX adapter will
drum machines, etc.) and "software synthesizers." allow using VST plug-ins as well. Pro Tracks Plus bundles sev-
eral plug-ins, including Lexicon's Pantheon reverb.

-=-.:_gjxl
~
•
•
■ ■-

.::J!

This MIDI track in Pro Tracks Plus contains data designed to play back sounds
from the GNX4's internal drum set.

Software synthesizer plug-in support. Pro Tracks Plus

Plug-ins are just like regular signal processors, except that they exist in
has the ability to insert ("plug in") software emulations of software.

83
 Automation. It's possible to automate track levels, pan- synthesizers, and processors, your computer might not be
ning, and many effects parameters so that you can perfect able to keep up. This manifests itself as audio problems-
your mix one move at a time. For example, you can change crackling, sputtering, and sometimes even a shutdown of
levels on your rhythm guitar part with an on-screen fader, audio services. Increasing latency can help under those
and on playback, the fader will re-create your moves. To circumstances.
make really precise changes, you can view and edit the When you run the Pro Tracks Plus Wave Profiler, the pro-
automation curve drawn by the fader. gram sets an extremely conservative default latency setting
(typically around l00ms). This produces a very slow, unsatis-
fying response but it means the program will run on just
about any computer with a pulse. (However, just because
Pro Tracks Plus will run on a computer doesn't necessarily
mean you'll be able to use it with the GNX4. For example, Pro
Tracks Plus will run perfectly well under Windows 98SE, but
the USB services for this OS are sub-standard compared to
The circled section shows a volume envelope. Note how it fades in, then
Windows XP.)
fades out slowly over time.
Go Options > Audio and set the latency slider as far left as
it will go. You have now adjusted the interface for minimum
A really good help menu. If you're ever stuck, take
latency, which will likely be in the 1Oms range-a vast
advantage of the excellent online help. Many people have
improvement. If the computer starts misbehaving under
learned Pro Tracks Plus just by diving into it, then turning to
heavy audio loads, move the slider a bit more to the right
help if they run into a wall.
until the problem goes away.
a,
"
-
. . ..
!~~i ! c!,
,· "' _,
Audio Options - WDl't/KS

! I
General Mvanced Input Monitonng !·Dnvers l Drr,er Profiles j OK
r~
~•-.);-
·-- ,a>iOOI> W·•
;:_c!he<1</_:.<"'•"'"ri
ta ;atf:-~at~:.
~•o;:,· : , ~ , ; -

Adjusting Volume and Pan f:lai-back Trning I.laster j1: DigiTech USB 1-2 hOut Cancel

I
1 #

·-· ),#·:,,;. _j
The Volume and Pan settings control the initial volume and pan cf
B,ecry\'1:l nm1ng Matter: J1: OigiTech lJSB1-2lniOlit 3
a track during playback. Every time Pro Tracks Plus starts Number of ,~ Bu~es
-~E.;fit?iJi,iiiiiii;J
[i~if:-. 15;:~-- • ~:~:a~7ti.af,:~e~~~me and Pan settings for the track are set to
.o½iFxP.a!31?'.ete!'\!:dalc·.g
k'":grin,;i ~ e r , RP!J, ~'1d NRPN ~.,
ktomatedfJuli,g In scme projects you want the· volume or panning of a track to
t l•Jmber ot Yl!tUel lains r,,- ~
~cmatlngaD,'q,sCortro!~
A.tumatir.g efecb
A.:tot::ia!.!ng lndk:C\ial Effects ParafTle!:ffl
change ·shile playback is in progress. You can accomplish this by
drawing .a volume or an envelope in the Track view, or by
recordin . For more tnfom1abon 1 see .· -~!.':".£:
A.1dio Drtver Elit Depth l1E .:.J
.A.11:om~g Re\\ie :nst.r-.Jmer.!s
h.{~mat!c~ f.1e!h:,.,js 'f,.i·v ;iri.~- C..i:E..::f-~ P:;-_"'rf::ri:•1 1 a n d ; ~ r•·r_1_;:.p:_m
Ai..:torrtatic:i}trr:·
Default Settings for New Projec ts
&:ur-ceto Tradtf( diat::;i
Bc~cir;g!,,uips
O!!orndalog
G""r.SOie '/.e:,-;.
Note to Experts:
Pro Tracks Plus prncesses the vafume .and. pan settings by
2 ampln&i Raie: l«1UGHz 3 FIie Bit Depth· ~
Ccrtrc~;er,Pane transmitting MIDI -.ofume and pan events ( controllers 7 and 10,
Ccr!P·:t;e:ssPane
respectively) ,,T·hen p1ayback starts, If two or more MIDI tracks Mixing Latency
O::r.t.rd'.ers,HP ►Jt,".JRPNs.and .~.utoo;a ...
Cor.vating Y.:u:' DXi Tra--.. ks
. b AI.J;:ii.J are- set to the same output and channel but have different volume
<>r pan settings, the settings for the highest-numbered track wm
Ce;i:;:/dial:,g
Buf.fers 1n Playback Queue j2 ::,
5 .- 1Ei::P=~Em•ffiop.. pre vail.

. ~,...ina F,,v,,..,~r,:~ .!.J Note also that not all keyboards and synthe.sizers respond to
these -events. Check your instrument1s manual for more
infonnation.
Mer Si~: f;j:. : .: .: ·: . ·.: : : .:·:.·.·:·: =
·::.·: iJ 1~.
4
msec
·--~::-:-JI ..::l ete~tive !aten,:: at 44.kHt/stereo: 10 4msec

One good way to learn Pro Tracks Plus is to read enough of the manual to ..:J.ave Profiler .
get it set up properly, dive in, then consult the on line help whenever you run
into a problem or want to learn more.

A latency of 1Oms or so is quite acceptable for real-time guitar processing.

SETTING UP PRO TRACKS PLUS
The Software Installation Guide that comes with the GNX4 BASIC INTERFACE FEATURES
describes how to set up audio and MIDI within the program. The Track View is the program's main window. It's highly cus-
The information is clear and accurate, so please go through tomizable, so you can create a personal work environment.
it carefully as you set up Pro Tracks Plus. Let's check it out.
1. Open Pro Tracks Plus. It automatically loads the file
WHAT ABOUT LATENCY? "normal.cwt" (a template file installed in the directory
A computer takes a certain amount of time to receive a sig- Program Files\Pro Tracks Plus\Sample Content, assuming
nal, process it, and play it back. This is called latency, which is a normal installation).
a fancy word for delay. Shorter delays stress out the comput- 2. A"Tipofthe Day"appears.Leave"ShowTipson Startup"
er more by forcing it to compute faster, while longer laten- checked; you can learn a lot by reading the tips.
cies let it loaf a bit more. Uncheck the box if the tips annoy you.
With a really fast computer, you likely can set the short- 3. Click on "Close" to proceed.
est possible latency and not think about it any further. 4. If you have not yet assigned MIDI inputs and outputs, a
However, if you're running lots of audio tracks, software dialog box will appear that warns you of this fact. For

84 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 information on selecting MIDI ins and outs, see the THE BASICS OF RECORDING INTO PRO TRACKS PLUS
Software Installation Guide included with the GNX4. 1. Decide which track you will record into, and locate the
5. The program's "Quick Start" window appears where you track's Input field.
can open a project, open a recent project (with a drop-
down menu of recent files), create a new project, or go
to the Help section ("Getting Started"). Click on "Create
a New Project."
6. The"New Project File"dialog comes up."Normal"should
be highlighted. If not, click on it. Then click on "OK."

WMIIIPM1 1MtiiMIMMi
'!1 fie il!I f,cr_... Yioo- b- Tio,- , J;, l..._, I

Dr#g ,; ·, - - - :....:: )-- N ► H

The Input field is labeled "In," and Jets you choose which input will go to a
particular track.

2. Choose the input coming in from the GNX4 by clicking

on the small arrow toward the right of track Input field,
then select "DigiTech USB Audio 1-2 Device."

Here's the window that appears:

Here's where most of the action takes place in Pro Tracks Plus.

Tracks 1 - 4 are audio tracks. Track 5 is a MIDI track.

Parameters for these tracks are in the "Track Pane" toward
the left (Pro Tracks Plus treats audio and MIDI data as similar- Start the track input assignment process by choosing USB Audio Device.
ly as possible).
Below track 5, there's a small button (A) that accesses the 3. This option will unfold, and you can now select
"bus pane."This shows the"main" stereo output bus and two whether the Pro Tracks Plus track will record mono or
"aux" buses. Assign the main bus to the GNX4 USB bus, so stereo. There are two stereo buses entering Pro Tracks
you can monitor it from the GNX4. Aux buses mix signals Plus via USB, called 1-2 and 3-4. With either one, you can
from input channels, and send the mixed signal to the main choose just the left channel, just the right channel, or
buses. These are like the aux buses on standard mixers, both channels (stereo).
which are used to add processing such as reverb.
Pro Tracks Plus treats audio and MIDI data as blocks of
data called clips, which could be a guitar solo, a verse's bass
part, orchestrc:l strings, etc. i..eA Dgrre.:r• JSE '!-:.t.· bt-1.
Rr~:ogrrecr use 1-21,,.rcr...it
The large blank area toward the right is the "Clips Pane."
This is where your recorded data will show up as waveforms
(for audio) or symbols (for MIDI). Working with clips, which
are similar to the musical concept of phrases, simplifies In this example, Stereo DigiTech USB 1-2 In/Out is being selected.

manipulating (move, copy, delete, etc.) blocks of data.

• Meet Pro Track Plus •

 4. Record-enable the track by clicking on the R square in 6. To adjust the level going to the USB bus, and therefore
the title bar; it should turn red. The Transport record the computer, press the Shift button and then the
button will light red as well, and toward the bottom of CF/USB 1-2 LVL button. Similarly, if you wanted to
the screen, you'll see a red rectangle that says ARM. If adjust the level going through the USB 3-4 bus, you'd
these indicators don't clue you in that you're about to press Shift (if it wasn't already) then the USB 3/4 LVL
record, you probably need glasses. button.
-

ilt Pro Tracks - [Pm Tr.acksl * - Track]

~Eile t;. ·t E'.,rocess ·~Jew Insert Tcanspc rt 1 §.o Ir-:

] I ■ I I ~

The R button glows red in the track title bar; the Transport record butt~_n
also glows red.
To adjust the level going out the USB bus, press Shift, then the button that
5. Now it's time to set levels. Play your guitar, and the corresponds to the bus whose level you want to adjust.
track's meter should indicate that signal is present. If
not, make sure that your computer is connected to the 7. The display shows CFUSB1-2. Use the Data Wheel to
Guitar Workstation via USB. adjust the level. The minimum level is -12 and the max-
imum is +24. You want Pro Track Pius's track meters to

IL ■
I 1:01:000 go as high as possible, short of triggering the red over-
load indicator toward the right of the track meter. If the
Pitch I Vet red indicator does turn on, click on it to reset.
8. Okay ... the input is assigned, the track is record-
enabled, and the levels are set. Click on the Transport
record button, and start recording!

At this point, it's really time to jump back into the GNX4,
as we could spend a whole other book just talking about
... Pro Tracks Plus. If you're interested in some third party help,
Pro Tracks Plus has a lot in common with Sonar 2; books
written for that program will be a good "fit" for Pro Tracks
Plus, although they won't describe the hands-free record-
ing. Fortunately, that's covered in the documentation sup-
plied with the GNX4.

As soon as you start playing your guitar, you should see some activity in the
meter. If the right-most rectangle (circled) lights red, it means the level is too
high and needs to be turned down. Click on this light to reset it.

86 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Chapter 1 S

HANDS-FREE RECORDING

Hands-free recording in conjunction with Pro Tracks Plus is SETTING UP FOR HANDS-FREE RECORDING:
one of the GNX4's coolest features. It works with both the PRO TRACKS PLUS
internal 8-Track Recorder and Pro Tracks Plus, and I've also If you want to do hands-free recording with Pro Tracks Plus,
tested it with Sonar 4. it must be set up to recognize the GNX4 as a control surface,
When you're using the internal 8-Track Recorder, it's very and interact with it.
convenient to be able record, stop, play, and undo with the 1. Call up Pro Tracks Plus, read the Tip of the Day, then
footswitches ... but that's to be expected, because the click on "Close."
recording environment was designed around hands-free 2. Click on "Create a New Project."
operation.
A computer-based host is a different matter. You need to
Quick Start ·<.
record-enable tracks, put some in record while others play
M
back, rewind, and so on. Yet the GNX4 handles all these
duties in a pretty seamless manner, as this tutorial demon-
.~ Open afroject

strates. ,.,..._
/)A I Open a fiecent Project
~ 1BetterOffNow.cwp
SETTING UP FOR HANDS-FREE RECORDING:
GNX4
First, you have to set up the GNX4 to do hands-free recording.
ti Create a_lie1111 Project

1. Press the Utilities button.

2. Use the Prev/Next buttons to select HANDFREE.
3. The default setting is CF, meaning that hands-free
?I l,e!ling Started

operation is set up to work with the internal 8-Track

Recorder and CompactFlash cartridge.
4. To use hands-free operation with Pro Tracks Plus, W 5-how this at Startup
change the setting to US (stands for USB).
Select a new project when you open up Pro Tracks Plus.
USING HANDS-FREE RECORDING WITH THE
8-TRACK RECORDER 3. Select the "Normal Hands Free" template. Click on "OK."
Actually, the footswitches pretty much do exactly what New Project File , 1:__
1. ~
you'd expect.
Press Record, and the appropriate number of tracks are
16 MIDI Tracks
16 Track Audio+ MIDI
0 I{
record-enabled (the number depends on whether you've
8 Track Audio+ MIDI
8 Track Audio Mixer View
Cancel I I

Blank (no tracks]

chosen a mono or stereo source), and recording begins. Drum Pattern Creator
General MIDI Authoring
Help
I
Recording stops when you press the Stop footswitch. To GN><4 Drum Loop Generator
continue playback from that point, press Play. To return to GNX4 SimpleDrums
Microsoft Multimedia
the beginning, hit Stop again. Normal

The next time you press Record, a new track will be cre-
ated and record enabled, the recorder will rewind back to
the beginning if it isn't there already, and recording will
begin.
The Normal Hands Free project sets up Pro Tracks Plus' track view for use
with the GNX4.

87
 4. Go Options > Control Surfaces. The Control Surfaces 8. Verify that the Control Surfaces box looks like the fol-
window appears. lowing picture, then click on "Close."

Control Surfaces ---:--~ X

J:ad: TO<>!S Qp!JOM -;_,,c,;,w !:felp
r- f WC,!De,,,ccs.
;,r-struments
Connected Surfaces
Close ~
Vi>I Du ...,~'i
~11
~
Control 5urloei:s - Control Surface ~ .J!! Porl. . Out.~
________
■■~H·lt:Tll,i,l!m§§m!@iff:ffll!m6~i44 ~ DigiTech Hands Free DigiT ech USB MIDI DigiT ech USB MIDI
- ,~- OwPDII .~ J
!#>6-l'li.1<~ - - - -- - _j r7
~
!n~1iaa>r1ffe:
_J
!illl'I-Oe>t"!rl.e !Dl Jlfa
:f'lie Rtlie" Format -- ~
QrclMM.il?Manager - - - , . - - - - - - - - -

Control surface assignments are now complete.

The Control Surfaces box is where you tell Pro Tracks Plus that you want to
use the GNX4 as a control surface.
9. Make sure the footswitches are in Recording mode.To
do this, press the Mode button to the upper right of the
5. Click on the "Add New Control Surface" icon. Data Wheel repeatedly, or press footswitches 4 + 5
simultaneously, until the display shows RECORDER.
Connected Surfaces Close
10. Choose the input source you want to record by press-
.ftmtrol S.urface _ _ In Paft ing the Shift button on the Recorder Panel, then press-
Out Port ············" =:- Help
ing CF/USB 1-2 SRC and using the Data Wheel to
select the desired source .
. r-kr
J Add new Contro~ .surface I USING HANDS-FREE RECORDING WITH
~
PRO TRACKS PLUS
Compared to using the internal 8-Track Recorder, the GNX4
Clicking here brings up the Control Surface Settings dialog box. has to work a little harder because there're more to do. But
the process is still pretty easy.
6. In the Control Surface field, choose "DigiTech Hands
Free" from the drop-down menu. Select "DigiTech USB Recording
MIDl"for both the Input and Output ports. When you click on the Record footswitch (footswitch 3), this
Control Surfaces T
creates a stereo pair of tracks that record the USB 1-2 source,
Control Surface~~ record-enables them, and commences recording. If there's a
■;.; ,i ,i§Yiffiii Clo-~e I source assigned to USB 3-4, Pro Tracks Plus will also create a
Control_ Surface
!:;onttol Sortace
JDigiTech Hands Free .:] I 0

Cancel
H
u second track whose input is set to USB 3-4.
fnputPoo Note that the Drums/MP3 Sync button works only with
I~igiT ech USB MIDI 3 Help
_j the internal 8-Track Recorder. If you want drums along with
Output Port _J your playing, there are two main options:
jpi~i!~ch USB MIDI • Program a MIDI track in Pro Tracks Plus that drives the
---None··· ~
GNX4 drum sounds. This is the most flexible option, as
• the drums are locked to the tempo and you can change
Pro Tracks Plus needs to be told to look for the GNX4 controls over the the drum part at any time by editing the MIDI data.
USB MIDI bus. • Assign the drums to USB 3-4, then hit the Drums/MP3
footswitch (footswitch 1) when Pro Tracks Plus starts
7. After making your selections, click on "OK." recording. Play along with the drums;the guitar (or mic,
or line) and drums will be recorded to separate tracks.

88 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

Stop Recording 2. Enter where you want the Now time to return in both
Hit the Stop/Undo footswitch (footswitch 2). the Loop Start and Loop End fields, then check"Rewind
to Start Time on Stop."
Undo Recording Loop / Auto Shuttle ·.: ·~, X
Press and hold the Stop/Undo footswitch (footswitch 2).
Whatever you recorded last will be deleted. You can keep

~
1:oop Start: 9:01:000
deleting back through tracks; just release the footswitch,
then press and hold again to delete the previously recorded
Loop .End: 9:01 :000 Cancel
track.

Play P Rewind to Start Time on Stop

Hit the Play footswitch (footswitch 4). .· · ···............................
r ~top · · .at· · .the· ·--··End
"'-••-
. · · · ·.Tim~
. . _. . ·.,
..... ............
,

The Now Time

The Now time is where the cursor sits. It is the point where
recording or playback begins.
Normally, when you press play and then press Stop, the
Now time stops at the time when you pressed the Stop 3. Click on "OK."
footswitch. If you hit the Play footswitch, playback resumes
from where it ended. When you click on Stop, the Now time will jump to the
If the transport is playing and you hit the Play switch, position you specified in the Loop Start and Loop End fields.
this stops the transport and the Now time returns to the If you press Stop again, the Now time will jump back to the
beginning of the song. beginning. If you press Stop again, it will return to the posi-
If you want the Now time to always return to a particular tion you specified and so on, toggling back and forth.
place when you stop: You can also return to the beginning if you hit the Play
1. In Pro Tracks Plus, go Transport> Loop and Auto Shuttle. footswitch while the transport is playing.
Incidentally, the Loop/Shuttle function has many other
ert T(-nsport ~o Irack Tools Qptions ~ uses. You can set different Start and End times so that
-, PJa Space recording stops at the end, and the Now time snaps back
B,ecord Shift+R , R immediately to the Start time you entered. For more infor-
H Rewind s ift+ t, mation on Loop and Shuttle, refer to the Pro Tracks Plus
ffi online help.

• Hands-Free Recording •
 Chapter 16 16
MAKING DRUM PATTERNS FOR THE GNX4

Now we're going to go through a tutorial that will accom- First, though, you need to transfer some files designed
plish a bunch of tasks: Increase familiarization with Pro specifically for this tutorial, then set up your software and
Tracks Plus, show more advanced usage of the GNX4's inter- hardware. Here's how.
nal drum machine, and demonstrate how it interacts with 1. Locate the files GNX4 BasicDrums.map and GNX4
MIDI. We'll assume that Pro Tracks Plus and the USB drivers CompleteDrums.map on the CD-ROM, in the folder
have been installed as described in the GNX4's documenta- "Project and Map Files."
tion, and in Pro Tracks Plus, the Audio assignments under 2. Assuming a default installation of Pro Tracks Plus, go C:
Options> Audio and the MIDI assignments under Options> Program Files > Pro Tracks Plus and locate the "Drum
MIDI Devices are correct (see the Software Installation Guide Maps// folder.
for details). This will allow the GNX4 drivers to communicate • Pro Tracks Plus "1
with Pro Tracks Plus 2.2. Note that for this tutorial, it is neces- E~e fdit Y.i~ F~vor1tes Iools t:felp
sary to set MIDI assignments even if you are not using MIDI.
Search Folders
Here's another important note: When you want the GNX4
to communicate with the computer (e.g., for transferring 3 Go I
files), the CF STORAGE button should be on (lit green), and
the GNX4 recorder's display should show CF Stor. When you
want the GNX4 to use the files on the CompactFlash (e.g., play
~P-~-tt '~-~sh Patterns
□Sam · Size: 102KB
a:~~:::~.dU [mflgmsyster
~gs1'eset.

c)Tumt Files: Blank.Map.map, Default.map, GM Drums {BaslcKit;.map, .•• •

back the MIDI files we are about to create), the CF STORAGE
[i) 14_43 • ..!J ew . 4 f•;.
button should be OFF. This is explained fully in Chapter 12. ~ 28_83260.dll ~ CNdxpx1.dU Umaster .ir
Our final introductory comment is that we'll be making JAUD.INI ~cwptx.d'im SNorma;,4
use of four template files (two drum maps and two Pro ~ auth3260.dll (i;cwPTX .EXE .J pncrMI
.

Tracks projects) from the CD-ROM. But these are useful ~ basc3260 .dll l,defaultJns pngu3 26
. f;;;. _,... ___ .a;_. __ _,..__.__ _ __ _ ; ;"t _3 ___ 11....,...,.,.-,, JU 'i ·----------- ~r...-
beyond this tutorial, and greatly simplify the drum pattern
construction process. One project and map create a simple 3. Drag the GNX4 BasicDrums.map and GNX4
drum construction kit that's the basis of this tutorial. The CompleteDrums.map file into the"Drum Maps"folder.
second one is for more advanced users and is described
toward the end of this tutorial. Hopefully, this will inspire
you to make your own groovin' drum patterns. But if all else
fails, you'll also find some outstanding (and free!) sa_mple
MIDI drum patterns on the CD-ROM from KeyFax (www.key- i,; BlankMap.map
~Default.map
fax.com), as well as a few Electro and Techno-oriented drum ~ GM Drums {Basic Kit).map
patterns that I cooked up. ,; GM Drums (Complete Kit) .map
I!] GM Drums {Cymbals) .map
~GM Drums (foms) .map

GETTING READY [!}£1'9\'iEa!n)(IJlreJ'll.)p - - - - - - - - - - -

~ (;/'/,(,; Cv.nplet clrdi. s ~
The GNX4 has some great drum patterns inside that silver ~GS Drums {Basic Kit).map

l!
~GS Drlllm {Complete Kit)~
box. But it's easy to make your own drum patterns and loops ~ GS Drums to XG Drums,map
[?}Numbers t}>ass Thru).map
using the Pro Tracks Plus software, then transfer them from [!]Pass Thru Map.map
your computer into the GNX4's CompactFlash cartridge (as l!)Pit.ches {Pass Thru).map
~XG Drums .(BaSicm;.map
described previously). Once in the cartridge, and after turn- ~ XG Drums {Coo,plete J<it),map
ing off CF STORAGE, you can use them for recording, or as I!) XG Drums to GS Drums .map
a really hip metronome for practicing.

91
 4. Locate the files GNX4 BasicDrums.cwp and GNX4 4. At the computer, double-dick on My Computer and ver-
AdvancedDrurris.cwp on the CD-ROM, also within the ify that there's a disk drive icon marked GNX4. Bingo!
folder Project and Map Files. We're ready to make drums.
5. Again assuming a default installation of Pro Tracks Plus,
locate the folder C: Pro Tracks Projects and open ,it. If this
is located elsewhere, use your computer's Search func-
tion to find it.

I, Pro Tracks Projects _ ii• Go

E1le ~dit 'j_ie•N F~.vorites Iools !:!elp

»
Loral :Disk {C :) MUSIC (E:; BACKUP (F:;
Go

,. Pro Tracks Pius Sample Content Shared

Documents
.:.I

PRO TRACKS PLUS' DRUM GRID VIEW

Note: On the CD-ROM, the following material is presented on
video in more depth, and shows the actual .on-screen process
6. Drag the GNX4 BasicDrums.cwp and GNX4 of creating a drum pattern. Available formats are Real,
AdvancedDrums.cwp files into the main Pro Tracks Windows Media Video, and QuickTime. Incidentally, in the dia-
Projects folder. Make sure they don't end up in a subfolder. grams that follow and in the video, the small diamond that
tracks the cursor movements and the circle that indicate a click
are not part of the Pro Tracks Plus software. They highlight cur-
sor actions to emphasize what's going on.

Pro Tracks has a couple special features that make it easy

to create drum patterns. One of these is the Drum Grid view,
so let's use it to program some loops.
1. Call up Pro Tracks Plus by double.:.clicking on the Pro
Tracks Plus 2.2 icon on the desktop (or going Start>
Programs > Pro Tracks Plus > Pro Tracks Plus 2.2 > Pro
Tracks Plus 2.2. The second one is the application, so
Now let's set up the hardware. click on this).
1. Assuming your computer is on, turn on the GNX4.
2. Connect a USB cable between the GNX4 and the com-
puter that has Pro Tracks Plus installed on it. If you've
already installed the GNX4 drivers and the computer
complains,just ignore whatever it says.
3. Press the GNX4's CF STORAGE button to establish
communications with the computer. The GNX4
recorder's display should show CF Stor.

92 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 2. The program probably launches with a "Tip of the Day." 5. Double-click on the file that says GNX4
Feel free to read it, then click on Close. BasicDrums.cwp, or click on it once, then click on the
Open button.
Twne

-- - --
Pitch
Tip of ttie Oily ~ .-
•
@ Oid you know...
You can quickly apply the from and Th!u tunes of a $election as a loop

To do so, ;elect the ~ection and then r,ies; the Copy From/ Thn,1 bl.Aton
in th~ Lo,::;p toolbar Mal<e '.LIie till!.' Loop bi-1tton i pre~sed.
NP

3. Click on Open a Project. 6. You'll see the project load. If possible, position the win-
dow so you can see all of it. If you don't see the drum
Pitch Vet Our
grid but see a "piano roll" window instead with a key-

r~1
))

board toward the left, no worries.Just do the following:

D~ • E,~d • Close the Piano Roll window.
• Click on the MIDI track's MIDI Out field, and select New
Drum Map > GNX4 Basic Drums.
• With the track selected (click on the track's MIDI icon in
the title bar), go to the "View" menu and select "Piano
Roll" (or use the keyboard equivalent, Alt-5).

_J
9
•
iielhng Started

4. Navigate to the Pro Tracks Projects folder on your C:

:

4.
I
H
• The drum grid should now appear. Resize as desired .

fir ~ t

-- \
► H
e:.xeoo : _..,:

• ? '• ✓ ~.
~04ll48
C3trd<0n.nll
Time
o
i.--t

I
.
J
ow-t

f'llth
!,o r,-...,;c
..mDII - ~ , . : J- -
I/el
]"o,io

fiui
~ton> n,l'ldo-,o j:!elp

av,
q~-..
..J.QI~
~~
t:I

_J

drive (again, this assumes a default installation).

Trne Open . . •·~

Loo ,, Pro Tracks Pro,ects

Desktop
M;· Documents
My Computer
~ . 3 :. Popp; {A.
1..ocal Dsk .C:;
ro Tracks Projects
CD -R'N Drive ':0:.
MUS C iE:'
8..:.CKUP ~F:.
GNX4 .G:)
Shared Documents [
n:r Dcci...mer-ts
rJet ·:-crx P!a:-es

• Making Orum Patterns for the GNX4 •

 7. This window displays a matrix of notes. For example, 10. If the Draw tool isn't already selected, click on the draw
here you see two measures of four beats each. Note the tool or type D.
1, which indicates the start of the first measure, and 2,
which indicates the start of the second measure.

11. Click on the 16th note symbol. Each drum trigger will be
a 16th note long, which is what we want for 16th note
8. Each column represents one beat. patterns.

9. Entering drum notes is somewhat like parameter edit- LET'S MAKE A LOOP!
ing with the GNX4, described in Chapter 4: Find the row 1. It's time for some more "learn-by-doing." The GNX4
for the drum sound you want to add, then click at the SimpleDrums Pro Tracks Plus project is set up to "loop"
intersection of that row and the column ·that repre- the two measures in the grid continuously. You can
sents where in a measure you want the drum to play. then add n.oteswhile previously placed notes are play-
ing back, as well as erase notes you don't want.

94 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

 2. Let's put a kick drum on every beat. You'll hear the 5. Now let's add a snare. To erase a note, just click on it
drum sound as you click. again.

G • _!lJ

3. You can also audition a drum sound just by clicking on 6. Continue adding drum sounds until you complete the
its name toward the left. pattern. Here, the Kick, Snare, Closed Hi-Hat, Open Hi-
Hat, and Cowbell are all contributing to the part .
.:..I.ru2!1
..iJ.=1~2!1

~ ~ ~
for """'• press F Gil ~ '
..!..l§J..~
- ?-<~tc -..
4. Now press your computer's space bar or click the trans-
port's Play button. As the song plays, you'll hear the
sounds you just added. 7. If a hit needs to be louder or softer, use the "velocity tails"
Pro Tracks Plus - [GHX4 BasKilrums.c:wp - Paano RoU - Track 1 ) feature, which shows a particular hit's dynamics. Point
the cursor at the tail, and the cursor will show some hor-
izontal bars to the right. This indicates that you're in
velocity tail editing mode. Click and drag up or down to
change the velocity (louder or softer respectively).

• Making Drum Patterns for the GNX4 •

 8. As you edit the velocity tail, you'll also see a numeric 2. Under Type, select MIDI Format 0.
readout of the current velocity just above the list of GNX 4 AclvancedDrums cwp
drum sounds (in this case 84).

GNXl BasicDrums.cwp

Save M>e rtOlTI'lai

.-rJ-c,m-1a-,- - - - - - - - - - = .
Temp ate
Cakewalk Bun e

MIDI Format 1
RIFF 111D! Format C
~~ll'S"'"r- - RIFF MIDI Fermat 1
!iii liii

3. Type in a 7-character name along with the .MID suffix

(like Rock001.mid) so it shows up properly in the
9. When you have the drum loop as desired, click on the GNX4 display.
transport's Stop button.
Aud,oData
Picture Cache
Pro Tracks Plus Sample CCl('ltern

Rock001lrrnd

type MIDl Format • Cancel

ia_o to Fofder. Proiect Fifes {.C\IJP.. CWB,WRK, MID ..BIJN ,..

4. Confirm that the GNX4 CF STORAGE button is still lit,

and the GNX4 Recorder display shows CF Stor.
SAVING THE PATTERN INTO THE GNX4
1. Now we'll save the pattern as a MIDI file that we can use
with the GNX4. Go to the File menu and select Save As.
p+ Pro Tracks Plus - [GNX4 Basic:Orums...cwp - Piano Roll - Track 1]
t e:rocess _,ew sert

5. Navigate to the GNX4 drive on your computer, and open it.

ne Save As · ~

Disk CC::
Tracks Proje::ts
' . 'Ct:.,

96 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 6. Next, open the MIDI folder. ABOUT THE "GNX4 ADVANCED DRUMS.CWP" FILE
This project uses a Drum Map (GNX4 Complete
~ a.: - - ) - - oI Drums.map), again specially created for the GNX4 drum
\
1
Tme Save As !. set, that shows the names of all drums in the GNX4 (the
..:.1 ~ d n.. <:=- Simple version showed only a few of the most commonly-
r--?________________ u·sed drum sounds). This advanced "construction kit" is
intended for sequencing veterans who are familiar with Pro

jRock~ C1 r,i
Tracks Plus or its "bigger brother," Sonar.
~ ~ t.i ~ _..... ~ , - . i'! '!r,lci< ~ - g,,,o.,, . - ~

~ w w ... .:IV,J Our Cbi

c.--..
llD ml •@ • C:.1
1..1

3 Callcei

7. Click on Save.

t2]ij_J]
Save a 1)-pe iJ DI Formst C eancej
The Drum Map function is far more sophisticated than

8. When you're asked if you want to continue, click on Yes.

' we have space to get into here, as is the pattern creation
process. Here are just some of the features Pro Tracks Plus
- ,T Y. • / I{, • ' J JI, J1 JI • offers:
• Modify note velocities throughout a part with a few
mouse clicks
• Create patterns that last the entire length of a song, not
,O,,n IOcar>
just short loops
• Change the grid lines to show eighth notes, sixteenth
notes, etc.
ll:il
• "Snap" notes to specific rhythms
• Record patterns from the GNX4 and edit them in Pro
Tracks Plus
Now the file is stored in the GN~4 CompactFlash's MIDI • Cut and paste multiple patterns to create a song
folder, and you can use it as you would any other GNX4
drum pattern-record with it, use it as a metronome, play it ... and much more. Checkout Pro Tracks Pius's Help file
as a drum machine,etc.Just remember to turn off CF STOR- for more information.
AGE before doing so.

• Making Drum Patterns for the GNX4 • 97 1

 Ch pter 17

ALL ABOUT RE-AMPING

It used to be that recording a guitar part set its sound in and the direct signal to another track. On playback,"re-amp"
stone. Sure, you could add EQ, reverb, or other processors the dry track through the GNX suite of guitar processors,
while mixing, but they provided variations on a theme, not and process it however you want. You can now record this
an-entirely different theme. processed guitar signal into a separate track pair, in stereo.
But now, if you wish you'd recorded through a different When doing re-amping with Pro Tracks Plus, there's one
amp or speaker cabinet,or a different effects chain altogeth- additional consideration: Use the lowest latency possible so
er, no problem:Take advantage of the concept of re-amping. there's minimal delay between the original dry signal and
Although re-amping has been around for awhile, the quest the re-amped signal. For more about latency, see Chapter
for increased sound quality has spawned new re-amping 14, Meet Pro Tracks Plus.
solutions,and the GNX3 and GNX4 offer just such a solution. Note that when recording a signal for re-amping, you
Furthermore, re-amping isn't just for guitar any more. don't really need to record the processed track, just the dry
Playing back drums, vocals, synthesizers, and other instru- one, because you'll hear the processed one when you mon-
ments through the GNX processing chain yields entirely itor your playing. But I recommend recording it anyway,
new tonalities. because sometimes adding the processed guitar sound
with the re-amped sound makes a great composite result.
HARDWARE RE-AMPING Now let's do a reamping tutorial, first for the internal 8-
"Classic" re-amping was done originally with mixers, Track Recorder, then using Pro Tracks Plus.
recorders, and amps, and applied mostly to guitars. The
basic idea is to record the dry guitar sound while monitor- RE-AMPING WITH THE GNX RECORDER
ing through an amp so the guitarist can get the right "feel" 1. For the purposes of this tutorial, begin with an empty
(and if feedback is a component of the sound, suitable sus- Song in the 8-Track Recorder. To do this, press the Fast
tain characteristics). Typically, you record the amp as well Forward button until the Song number in the
because it might end up being the sound you want. Recorder Panel has a small dot in the lower right corner.
If not, the next re-amping step is to send the dry guitar This indicates that the Song is empty.
track out from the recorder and into an amp, set the amp 2. Press the Recorder Panel Shift button, then CF/USB 1-
sound as desired, then record the "re-amped" sound. As the 2 SRC, then use the Data Wheel to select SUM+DGTR
recorder's signal will likely be line level, applying it to a stan- as the recorder's input source. This option is ideal for re-
dard guitar amp will really overload the sucker and create ampi ng, as it records a mono mix of the processed gui-
some major distortion. If that's not what you want, you'll tar in one track of a track pair, and the dry guitar sound
need to pad down the signal feeding the amp to something in the other.
approximating standard guitar levels. 3. Record-enable Tracks 1 and 2 by pressing their Track
Also note that re-amping makes sense for any instru- buttons. The buttons should glow red.
ment (especially synthesizer) that's recorded direct. 4. Being recording by pressing the Record button. After
Running the track through an amp, and miking the amp you have about 30 seconds or so of your playing, dou-
and/or room ambience, can impart a new sense of "space." ble-click on Stop to stop the transport and rewind to
the beginning.
VIRTUAL RE-AMPING 5. Press Play. Turn off Track 2 and monitor Track 1; you'll
The GNX3 and GNX4 provide "virtual re-amping" using the hear the processed sound. Turn off Track 1 and monitor
on board 8-Track Recorder. The GNX4 can also do re-amping Track 2; you'll hear just the dry guitar.
with Pro Tracks Plus or other multitrack host software. 6. Press the Recorder Panel Shift button, then CF/USB 1-
The concept is similar to traditional re-amping: Record 2 SRC, then use the Data Wheel to select REAMP 2 as
the guitar through effects (for the right "feel") to one track, the recorder's input source. This sends the output of

99
 Track 2 through the GNX processing chain.
7. Turn off monitoring for Tracks 1 and 2, then press Play.
You'll hear the dry signal being processed by the cur-
rent Preset. Choose the Preset through which you want
to re-amp the dry signal.
8. After choosing the desired Preset, double-click Stop to
return to the beginning.
9. Record-enable Tracks 3 and 4.
10. Press Record, and Tracks 3 and 4 will now record the re-
amped signal.

Now you have several options. You can erase the original Functions of the various Transport buttons.
tracks (1 +2), play back one of the original tracks with the re-
amped tracks (and pan them to different parts of the stereo 5. You'll see the waveforms for the two tracks that were
field if desired), re-re-amp the re-amped tracks, and general- recorded. In this example, Track 2 shows the Dry sound,
ly go nuts. while Track 1 shows the processed sound.

RE-AMPING WITH PRO TRACKS PLUS

1. For the purposes of this tutorial, begin with an empty
Song in the 8-Track Recorder. To do this, press the Fast
Forward button until the Song number in the Recorder
Panel has a small dot in the lower right corner.This indi-
cates that the Song is empty.
2. Press the Recorder Panel Shift button, then CF/USB 1-
2 SRC, then use the Data Wheel to select SUM+DGTR
as the recorder's input source. As mentioned in the pre- The processed and dry guitar tracks have been recorded.
vious tutorial, this option is ideal for re-amping, as it
records a mono mix of the processed guitar in one 6. Click on the Transport Play button. Mute one track,
track and the dry guitar sound in the other. then the other, to confirm that one has the processed
3. At Pro Tracks Plus, for Track 1's input field, select Left sound and the other, the dry sound.
DigiTech USB 1-2 In/Out. For Track 2, select Right 7. Press the Recorder Panel Shift button, then CF/USB 1-
DigiTech USB 1-2 In/Out. This ensures that on~ track 2 SRC, then use the Data Wheel to select REAMPUSB
will record one-half of the stereo pair (the dry signal) as the input source.
and the other track will record the other half of the 8. At Pro Tracks Plus, Mute the processed track or Solo the
stereo pair (the processed signal) rather than recording dry track.
in stereo. 9. Press the Transport Play button and on the GNX,
choose the Preset you want to use for re-amping. There
are two cautions:
• Note that you'll be hearing both the dry track coming
down the USB bus, as well as the processed GNX out-
RJghtbiQffech USS l·l In10ut I
SlereoD,giTed- U&e 1·2L.,/Ou1
put. To hear only the processed sound, in the GNX
Recorder Panel press Shift, then USB Play Mix. Use the
Data Wheel to set USB MIX to O. Don't forget to return
this to its original setting when you want to hear both
the signal coming from USB and the GNX at the same
time.
These two Pro Tracks Plus tracks are ready to record the signals coming in • Also note that if changing Presets seems "jittery," go
from the USB 1-2 bus. Options > Project > MIDI Input, and set Echo Mode to
"None."
4. Click Record on the Pro Tracks Plus Transport. After
you've played for about 30 seconds or so, click on the
Transport Stop button, then the Transport Rewind
button to return to the beginning.

100 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Project Options · ·~-- · 11. Click on the Transport's Record button. The dry track
will go into the GNX's processing chain, and the re-
Clock le ronome IOI Input } MIDI Out I OK
amped stereo output will be recorded in Track 3 in Pro
Record and Echo MIDI Channels Cancel Tracks Plus.
Pl P-2 P'~ rv 13 Help
P'2 P'.§. P'l - ~ 1

P'J ~l W 11 P' 15
..
r-
!! :7 ~ P' 12 W 16

Md ml: r:tt tli Echo Mapping

r. fi~~eJ fort:
i:iat,uCII Q,annel

!,.ocal On Port· ro----: ='

Track 3 now contains the re-amped sound.
Turn off MIDI echo to avoid a feedback loop where you go to change a
Preset, but then Pro Tracks Plus wants to change it back for you.
12. When the track is recorded, click on the Transport's
Stop button, then on the Rewind button.
10. After choosing the desired re-amping Preset, record-
enable Pro Tracks Plus Track 3. Set its input to Stereo 13. Before doing anything else, press the Recorder Panel
Shift button, then press CF/USB 1-2 SRC, and choose
DigiTech USB 1-2 In/Out so that it records the stereo
processed signal. something other than REAMPUSB (like STEREOFX or
whatever). Otherwise, the signal you just re-amped
may become re-amped again.
14. Mute or erase the original tracks unless you want to use
them, then click on the Transport Play button to hear
the re-amped sound in all its glory.

left[l9T~IJS8l•2!n,O.Jt
lb!,l!tOtQ,iechl.lS8 1-2~

Set Track 3 to record in stereo so it picks up the full stereo image of the
processed signal.

• All About Re-Amping • 101 1

 Chapter 18

THE GNX4-MP3 CONNECTION

First, let's get something straight: The GNX4 MP3 function TRANSFERRING MP3 FILES
relates solely to playing back MP3 files stored on its Using MP3 files requires a CompactFlash card (for more info
CompactFlash cartridge. When you record with the GNX4's on this type of storage, see Chapter 13, The Magic of
recorder, the resulting audio is always an industry standard, CompactFlash). A CF card that's been formatted for the
16-bit, 44.1 kHz WAV file that's compatible with not only Pro GNX4 has a folder called "MP3."You must transfer any MP3
Tracks Plus, but with virtually any digital audio recording files you want to use into this folder, using a computer.
program. No data compression is used when recording on Here's the procedure:
the GNX4. 1. Boot up your computer.
Some people are unimpressed that the GNX4 can play 2. Connect a USB cable from the GNX4's USB port to the
back MP3 files, because they associate "MP3" with "bad computer's USB port.
sound." But it doesn't have to be that way. The GNX4 can
play back MP3 files at data rates up to 320kbps, which is 2.5
times the data rate of standard 128kbps files (the most com-
mon rate for exchanging audio on the Internet). At the high-
er rate, the sound quality is so close to CD that most people
can't tell any difference.
So what can you do with MP3 files and the GNX4?
use
Plenty ...
• Create backing tracks in your computer, save the results
as an MP3, and play it back through the GNX4 during
live gigs-instant backup band
• Download MP3 lessons from the web for practicing or
education
fj]
• Play back an MP3 file along with the 8-Track Recorder
Gust as you would play back a drum part) 3. Press the GNX4's CF Storage button.
• Record an MP3 file into the 8-Track Recorder
• Convert your favorite tunes to MP3 format, load them
into a cartridge, and have your own "mix tape" of
favorite tunes to take with you on the road. (You can
even listen to them through the GNX4's headphone
jack so you don't disturb anyone else.)
Incidentally, there's a short and sweet 30-second MP3
demo already in the GNX4. To play it, remove any
CompactFlash card inserted in the GNX4, then press the 8-
Track Recorder's Play button.

103
 4. The GNX4 shows up as a hard drive wherever your
computer displays its roster of hard drives (e.g., in the
"My Computer" folder with a Windows machine). search Fc,;c:lers

Go
~ 2£1
F2,vc:·1tes Iools tfelp
» Elie fdit :.:1e·" Fa·,orites Ioois b,e,p
Search Folders

Ag_dress My Computer .:.] 0

31.:2.floppy Local Disk (C:~ MUSIC~:] DATA 1 ,::

(A:;

Shared Craig
Anderto •• •
DVD-R Dri•,e @119 PLAYING BACK MP3 FILES
Documents :P :)
1. Make sure the CF Storage button is unlit. The 8-Track
Recorder display should not show CF Stor.

1
5. Double-click on the GNX4 s hard disk icon to see the
GNX4 folder within.

- lt'.l! xJ

2. Press the Pattern/File button (it lights red). This button

provides a shortcut for accessing files: Each time you
press it, the GNX4 goes to the first file of a group of files.
6. Double-click on the GNX4 folder to see the various For example, if you have MIDI files and MP3 files loaded
GNX4-related folders, including MP3. into the GNX4, here's what happens for each press of
IIGNX4 r-: " the Pattern/File button:
Ble t;dlt 'j.Je•1, F§.',ontes Iools tielp • 1st button press: First drum pattern
__j
Fd:ters
» • 2nd button press: First MIDI file
• 3rd button press: First MP3 file
The fourth press takes you back to the drum patterns,
and the cycle starts over again .
..)PRESETS
JSONGS

7. Drag any MP3 files you want to use from your comput-
er into the GNX4's MP3 folder. You can also drag MP3
files from the GNX4 MP3 folder to your computer.

104 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 3. You can also step through individual drum patterns, However, there is a free alternative available at
MIDI files, and MP3 files (in that order) by turning the http://cwenc.sourceforge.net. Cwenc (Cakewalk Encoder),
Data Wheel clockwise or hitting the Next button. To written and copyrighted by Mikkel Elmholdt, encodes to
step backward, turn the Data Wheel counterclockwise both MP3 and Ogg Vorbis file formats. Using it is simple:
or hit the Prev button. download the program, run SETUP.EXE, and cwenc over-
writes the existing Cakewalk MP3 encoder (mp3enc.exe)
located in (:\Program Files\Cakewalk\Shared Utilities folder
(this assumes a default installation; you can confirm this as
the destination in the top line of Cwenc's "Select Destination
Directory" dialog box).
Now you're ready to encode!

CREATING MP3 FILES WITH PRO TRACKS PLUS

After you've created a song in Pro Tracks Plus, it's easy to
convert it into an MP3 format file you can transfer to the
GNX4. With the Cwenc encoder, you can also encode any
4. Press the □/► button to begin playback. WAV file, not just files created in Pro Tracks Plus.
1. In Pro Tracks Plus, erase everything that's after the end
of the song. Then, go Edit > Select > All.
..,_[Qj 2i)

HOW TO INSTALL A FREE MP3 ENCODER FOR

PRO TRACKS PLUS
Pro Tracks Plus can save audio in MP3 format, but only if you
pay to unlock the trial version MP3 encoder that expires 2. Next, go File > Export > Audio.
after 30 days. This is because it's necessary to pay a license p+ ETN video soundtrack 2mm - Pro Trades Pins - · ;::-~
fee to use the Fraunhofer MP3 encoder, and Cakewalk does- Etle g_dit P.rocess _le Insert Tr.ensport §.o :U-,Kk Tool_s Qpbons ~ indow I
n't absorb that cost-after all, not everyone wants or needs Cl Lew•.. - )-
MP3 export capability. ~ n ... CtrH-0
~ ose Ve! ~ Dur I
..:..UJ~
~ :iave C:tr!+S
Select Destination Directory
Se'.·e A_s ...
V,here should c•t;enc be :nsta'.!ed'.i

Info ...
Pro.iec:t A].lc:lio Fik!s ••.

!;_xport ►

_) Cakewalk VST 4.dapter .!

Orum Maps
~etic
Prjnt Setup ...
.J lDgs
Pattern Brush Patterns
Seng.•.
I c:

3. When you see the Export Audio dialog box, under"Files

ofType," choose "MP3" then name the file. Leave all the
_~___u___a~_ ___ _ , _, Cancel I
boxes checked. "Source Bus(es)" should default to
showing the master bus to which all the tracks are
being mixed down. Finally, click on the Export button.

• The GNX4-MP3 Connection • 105 1

Export AtNtio - [Selected 1:1:0 :-jfa:2!,~] Although the web site states cwenc has been tested with
Windows 2000 and Cakewalk Home Studio, I can attest to

I
Look ].n · j Pro Tracks Projects
the fact that it works just fine using Pro Tracks Plus and

I. " Audio Data

...)Picture Cache
Windows XP.
Prn T,adsPmSample Conlent
ABOUTTHEMP3FORMAT
Quality audio generates a lot of data_,:_over 1O Megabytes
per minute for CD-quality (stereo, 44.1 kHz, 16-bit) sound. As
a result, exchanging audio song files via the Internet would
Fie o_ame. Im vldeo .mp3 ~Ort
be excruciatingly long on dial-up, and even somewhat
jMPJ .:.) Cancel annoying with broadband.
RlfF •,\'ave
format: Broadcast '•Na',;e .t!eip The MP3 format uses data compression algorithms to
Real /lt1Jdio
\\indows Media Advanced Streamin format shrink the size of audio files, with the tradeoff being a loss of
Bt,l;!eplh: ables - - - - . fidelity. (Note that this has nothing to do with the audio pro-
~ource Bus(es):
17 Track Myte/Solo cessing technique called compression, which relates to
f.6.SIO •;CQF'E IJutl L Seo. e 76-b1t l ~ Tr~Automalion dynamic range, not data rates.) The extent of this loss
[;; ClijJ Automation depends on the amount of compression, so when creating
f;; hJx Automahon
MP3s, you can usually specify a particular data rate in kbps
f;; FX Autgmahon
l;1 Master Adomation
(kilobaud per second). The "internet standard" is 128kbps
17 TracbF:< stereo with a 44.1 kHz sampling rate. Doubling that rate
rv Au:< A§turns improves fidelity, while halving it produces noticeable arti-
f;; Master~ facts and audio anomalies due to the compression squeez-
L ing the sound.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...-?:
MP3's highest quality mode produces sound quality
4. The Cwenc MP3 encoder box appears. The web site nearly equal to a CD; its lowest sounds worse than AM radio
from which you downloaded the program includes on a bad day. But MP3 is by far th~ most common audio file
detailed instructions on how to use the program to protocol for the web. Most digital audio editors now include
encode MP3 files, so we won't go over that material a "Save as MP3" command, or allow using an MP3 encoding
here. The short form version is that Cwenc lets you plug-in.
make various adjustments to the MP3 format, including When you save a file in a compressed format, you can
bit rate, mono or stereo, and whether to create second- make various choices about its characteristics. It's a fallacy
ary files. And here's something really cool: You can also to think that as the file will end up compressed, it doesn't
specify any particular input file (it doesn't have to be matter if you start off with lower-quality audio (for example,
something you created with Pro Tracks Plus), as well as 22kHz sampling rate instead off 44.1 kHz). You want to give
its destination, thus allowing the program to serve as a the encoder the highest possible quality so it can make the
stand-alone MP3 (or Ogg Vorbis) encoder. best decisions about how to compress the material.
I ~ I I ' I I
..d.!:.1~
A typical audio editor or encoder will let you choose
Input He jF \S E,'<Y WORLD\w'AV FllES \_The Miami &eat1 &_mastered w Select I ~
from several bit rates, typically from 320kbps (excellent
d--J quality, but largest resulting file size) all the way down to
Output File jc \Documents end S.,-,fJ$\Craig Andeiton\Ocmtop\The Miami Select I _ e})w I
P' Create MP3 File ( mp3I r Keep WAV F~ ID Tag S.elllng$
8kbps (good enough for voice, and that's about it-but
1 Create Ogg Vorbs File [' oggl Song Title J.The Miami Beat . doesn't take up much space). For example, compressing a
Main Ou!):lul File
(i" Comtart Bil: Rate
- Il Artist j Craig Anderton standard 78MB WAV audio file to 320kbps results in a
<' Average 9it Rate _Bi_Fta_te:_ _ Album: 17.7MB file; compressing to 8 kbps yields a 0.45MB file-a
r Va11able Bit Rate I128 kbit iJ Gerwe ~
p
ce. ....
Year . ··· ,2003
_:}
data reduction ratio of 33:1.
TrnNo
1 Create Secondaiy Files jmastered version There are also variable bit rate options in addition to
Second<l!y Outpul: File
r.
Bil Rate:
fixed rates, which optimize the bit stream according the
r
r .:1 material being used. This is not as universally compatible as

Choose paramet°'" .ind pies.; OK

I.MP3 Settings tj fixed bit rates, and is not recommended with the GNX4.
To compare the sound of files encoded at different rates,
Ql( £,ancel Cop,righl 2002 Mikkel Elmholdt J:±eJp look on the CD-ROM for the folder called MP3 EXAMPLES.
Each file name includes the number of the file, the data rate,
and whether it's mono or stereo. The original file is 1,241 K;
5. After making the desired MP3 settings, click on OK. The data compression ranges from about 4:1 to over 50:1. Note
program will take a while to encode the file;when it's done, that for a given data rate, a mono file typically sounds better
you'll find the file in the specified output directory. Done! than a stereo one.
106 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •
 Chapter 19 19
THE X-EDIT X-PERIENCE

One of the high points of the software package included Patch editing. In addition to the GeNetX window, there's
with the GNX4 is the DigiTech X-Edit editor/librarian pro- another window for editing effects. This presents all the
gram. It runs on Mac OS X and Windows XP/2000 machines, effects settings in a simple, intuitive manner. There's also an
and presents all of the GNX4's editable parameters on additional editing window for Expression Assignments. And
screen in a very user-friendly way. This speeds up the editing note that patch editing is bi-directional: If you change a
process compared to using the front panel, because you can parameter on-screen it will change the corresponding
see multiple parameters at once. GNX4 parameter, but also, if you twist a knob on the GNX4,
that will show up onscreen as well.
Tip: Although X-Edit can function with the original Library. This shows all Presets in the Factory, User, and
Windows XP, Windows XP with Service Pack 7 greatly improves Card collections at a glance. You can have more than one
the handling of USB, and is highly recommended (almost a Preset open at a time, and copy and paste parameters
requirement) with X-Edit. between Presets.
Audio Setup window. For recording, this is tremendous-
For example, here's the GeNetX editing screen. Note how ly helpful. It lets you choose whether the mic and line ins will
it shows the EQ controls, amp models, and cabinet types for be Off, Dry, go through just Reverb, or go through just
both channels simultaneously-along with a cool graphic Effects, as well as choose the CF/USB 1/2 and USB 3/4
crossfader for setting the warp between Amp 1 and Amp 2. sources (Stereo All, Mono All, Dry Guitar, etc.) and Output
There's also an easy "radio button" selector that lets you Setup. Pretty cool. You can also set the USB Mix and various
audition Amp Channel 1, Amp Channel 2, or the Warped other levels directly from this view.
combination. Granted, editing the GNX4 from the front Create new Preset. This creates a default Preset in the
panel is pretty simple, but this is even easier. GNX4-great for those who like to program a Preset from
-
scratch. When created, the new Preset will go into whatever
~x4 c=J~ QE_l~I]--_~J ~ memory slot is currently selected in the GNX4.
Save and load individual Presets. When creating cus-
tom libraries and sets of Presets, this is an extremely useful
function as you can deal with Presets on an individual basis,
and use them to create collections.
Backup and restore the GNX4 user Presets. X-Edit can
take a "snapshot" of all User Presets inside the GNX4 (as well
as Amps and Cabinet models). This data is transferred to X-
Edit via MIDI System Exclusive messages. When the transfer is
complete, you can save the whole collection to your com-
puter's hard drive or another storage medium.
The Channel 1 parameters are along the left and bottom, while the Channel To say this suite of tools is useful is an understatement, so
2 parameters are along the right and top. The large square in the middle let's proceed.
shows the amount of warping between the two; note that it warps both the
amp and cabinet types.
Tip: IfX-Edit gives an error message about not being able to
see the USB MIDI connection, make sure that some other appli-
That's just a preview. X-Edit offers the following features;
cation isn't using the MIDI ports.
we'll discuss each one in depth later-this is just to give you
an overview.

107
THE LIBRARY • If you want to begin editing a Preset, double-click on it
This window shows all Presets in all GNX4 collections, or type Ctrl-R. This opens an editing window for the
including the Memory Card (CompactFlash) collection. Preset.
However, note that if the CF STORAGE button is on, the
CompactFlash Card's contents will not show up in the Tip: Note that you can open up several windows at once,
library. That's because the Card is serving as an additional which is great if you want to cut and paste parameters
drive for the computer, and is in direct communication with between them (as described later). But when you're finished
the computer r~ther than the GNX4. working with a window, it's a good idea to close it, as having
Each Preset collection has a small + sign to its left. lots of windows open can slow down X-Edit's performance-
Clicking on this opens the "tree" that shows all the Presets whenever you click on a window, it has to reload all its data
within that collection. into the GNX4. Similarly, if you've chosen a Preset from the
Library and are done with the Library window, close it.
;¥Library: ■
EJ ~ GNX~ l!I USER INTERFACE CHARACTERISTICS
f±l ~ Factory
[±J ~ l'li..T"""j The GeNetX, Effects, and Expression Assign windows all
+ ~ .S.~~)
l=l ~ Mernor/ Card have some common user interface conventions.
9 1 - MEG.A.TONE
fJI
2 -C LNCHORS The, Parameter Value Readout
-i } 3 - DU.A.LAMP When you edit any parameter, the Parameter Value Readout
,!I 4- BAD BASS
in the upper right corner shows the value you've selected
:!JI
5- GREASER
¾iE- YAYA (or are selecting). As you change a parameter, the readout
,!I 7-SATCH updates to reflect those changes.
& 8 - JIM lHAZE
¼11 9-RANDY
i!JI 10 - MAYQUEEN
D 11 - BASS MAN
iJI 12- MATCHED
,!I 13-VOXTOP
9 14 - HIWATTAG
,!I 15 - ,JAZZDRlV
-!JI 16 - 1NARP ME
-9! 17 - BLAKB.ASS
9 18-MEA._T X 2
9 19- GNXDIRT
fJI 20- ME.A.N/CLN
·-II 21 - MOD BASS
,D 22 - GTR2BASS
9 23 - ROCKIN In this example, the Amp Level knob for channel 2 is being adjusted. The
,Di 24 - GRUVlN readout in the upper right shows the current Chan. 2 Amp Level as 59. As
ill 25 - GRINDER you adjust the knob, this number changes.
9 26 - RECTIFY
You can also use the Parameter Value Readout for enter-
In this example, the Factory and User collections are closed, while the
ing values directly into the readout as follows:
Memory Card collection has been opened to show its Presets. Any number
1. Click on the number you want to change; it will
of collections may be open or closed at any time.
become highlighted.
2. Type in the new value.
You can audition a Preset simply by clicking on it once.
3. Hit the computer keyboard's Enter key.
Even better, there are some useful keyboard equivalent
commands:
• Use the Up/Down Arrow keys to move up or down the Adjusting Knobs
tree. If a collection is selected, you can open it with the There are several ways to adjust the knobs.
numeric keypad (+) key, and close it with the numeric • Click in the middle of the knob, then drag the mouse up
keypad (-) key. to increase a value, or drag down to decrease. Drag at
• If a Preset is visible, click on it once to audition. Again, an angle for finer adjustments. Hold down the CTRL
you can use the Up/Down arrow buttons when scroll- key for more coarse adjustments.
ing up or down a list of Presets, making it easy to check • Click in the middle of the knob, then use the Up/Down
out various Presets; the GNX4 display updates to show arrows to move the knob.
the Preset name. • Click on the middle of the knob, and use the mouse's

108 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

 scroll wheel to change the value. This allows extremely
fine tuning for parameters such as EQ frequency-you
might think the value isn't changing, but look in the
parameter window, and you'll see the value change.
• Click on the outer edge of the knob; the pointer will
"jump" to that position.
• Click on the outer edge of the knob, then drag to the
desired position.

Pop-u Menus
There are three ways to choose items from a pop-up menu.
• Click on the downward pointing arrow toward the right
Moving the warp marker inside the four-quadrant warp "touchpad" allows
of the field, drag the mouse to the desired option, then
warping the amp and cabinet independently.
click on it.
• Click on the downward pointing arrow toward the right •
Even better, when you come up with a GeNetX
of the field, use the Up/Down arrow keys to make your
"HyperModel" that you like, go File > Save Active GeNetX
selection, then hit Enter on your computer's keyboard.
Model> Amp and Cabinet. This brings up a dialog box that
• Click on the field's text label, then use the mouse's scroll
lets you save the model to your hard drive. Note that you
wheel to move through the selections. This is the slow-
can also choose to save the cabinet characteristics only by
est way to make a selection, because every time you
going File > Save Active GeNetX Model> Cabinet Only.
make a change, X-Edit has to send the new value to the
GNX4.

Sliders nd
To adjust the slider values, do one of the following (the
Pedal responds to the first three options).
• Click in the middle of the slider, then drag the mouse
right to increase a value, and drag left to decrease. Drag
at an angle for finer adjustments.
• Click in the middle of the slider, then use the Up/Down
or Left/Right arrow keys to move the slider.
• Click on the middle of the slider, and use th,e mouse's
scroll wheel to change the value.
• Click in the slider's "groove," and the slider will jump to
that position. Once you've programmed a great HyperModel, you can save it. Later, you
• Click in the slider's "groove," then drag to the desired can load it into other Presets.
position.
You can then load this HyperModel, which combines the
THE GENETX VIEW sound of two channels, into one of the channels. In other
This window represents the easiest way to create amps, words, you've combined two individual sounds into one
models, and warped HyperModels. If you want to hear this new sound and loaded that into a channel. In fact, you can
in action, a fine choice is the WARP ME Preset {#16). load one custom HyperModel into Channel 1, a different
Vary the dot in the middle of the Warp window. Note that custom HyperModel into Channel 2, then warp between the
when using X-Edit, you can warp between the cabinet and two HyperModels! You can keep warping, saving, and load-
amp model independently (AMP WARP and CAB WARP ing until a single channel can have the results of lots of
parameters). You can't do this from the GNX4 front panel, as warping.
there's only a single warp control that affects the balance Of course, it's unlikely you'll need to take measures that
between the combination of cabinet and amp. are quite this extreme-you'll generally find that you'll be
able to get the sound you want with no more than one or
two HyperModels loaded into the two channels. But it's nice
to know you can get really nuts if desired.

• The X-Edit X-perience • 109

THE EFFECTS VIEW CUTTING AND PASTING PARAMETER VALUES
Here's where all the effects parameters in a Preset are avail- X-Edit lets you load more than one Preset at a time, and it's
able for editing. Note that the upper portion of the window possible to cut and paste values between them. While this
shows the effects that precede the amp/cabinet modeling might not be too useful for individual controls, it can speed
section (Pickup, Wah, Whammy/I PS, Compressor, Stompbox, things up when you want to transfer one Preset's warp set-
and NoiseGate) while the lower row shows the post- tings to another Preset. Here's the procedure:
amp/cabinet effects (Chorus/Mod, Delay, and Reverb). Each 1. Click on the Parameter value(s) you want to transfer in
module has a small button below the effect name to turn it the Parameter Value Readout.
on and off; when on, the button glows blue. 2. Type Ctrl-C to copy this value.
Where appropriate, you'll also find pop-up menus for 3. Click on the Parameter value in the destination Preset,
effects that offer multiple modes of operation (basically, again in the Parameter Value Readout.
everything except the Pickup, Pedal, and Compressor). And 4. Type Ctrl-V to paste this value.
of course, there are knobs for varying the effects parameter 5. Hit the computer keyboard's Enter key.
values.
AUDIO SETUP VIEW
Doing Audio Setup within the GNX4 itself isn't particularly
difficult, but does involve switching between a few different
sections.This is seldom a problem because setting up audio
is something you don't do all that often. However, when
doing heavy-duty recording into your computer involving
multiple inputs, you may need to do quite a bit of input
switching and level setting. For this type of situation, the
Audio Setup view will save you lots of time.
Five pop-up menus allow selecting various options.
Mic Input: Choose whether the input will be Off, Dry, go
only through Reverb, or through all GNX4 Effects.
The effects window shows all the effects used in a Preset. In this example, Line Input: You have the same options here as for the
the DOD 250 is about to be selected as the Stompbox effect.
Mic input.
CF/USB 1-2 Source: Determines what gets recorded
THE EXPRESSION ASSIGN VIEW into the CompactFlash cartridge or sent out the USB 1-2
This view is definitely the easy way to set up the expression bus. These options are described on pages 64 and 65 of the
parameters (as described in the section on setting up GNX4 Owner's Manual.
Expression Assignments). Note that you can access links for USB 3-4 Source: Assigns what gets sent out the USB 3-4
Control A, B, and C simply by clicking on the Control A-B-C bus. These options are described on page 65 of the GNX4
"radio buttons." Also note that you can select Amp 1, Amp 2, Owner's Manual.
and Warp independently with the "radio buttons," as you Output Setup: Chooses among the six output options,
can with the other views. as described in pages 9-11 in the GNX4 Owner's Manual.

r-Aor:3;J1 Cry:31.'.ta:
S~n ,f- Cr/ G-~:ta:r Cf) r,.,:·:=
S:..:-7 -+ ~/":.:: >rl Ste :-eo L'rL:-:·-s
Cr• Gt"!~... * r" :; f' ;.:~:i: C:.;.r,-s

Cr,· 3;..itar .
C;-;• f.sc
.S ter6JCr.. .t:'2
t!,r:.G.t..'r";'.;
Reairpl
Re,,rr,p2
Setting up expression assignments is incredibly easy with this window. Re~p ,1
Rea,rp4
Rea,r.p5
R"•"'~£
Rea'Tp 7
Rea,rp8
Rea/1'.~ USB

Thanks to the miracle of paint programs, this screen shot shows all possible
pop-up menus that are accessible from the Audio Setup view. Of course, in
real life, you can select one at a time.

110 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 The Audio Setup view also has four knobs: SaveAs - . -:-. -1.l.J:9
USB Mix determines the balance in the GNX4 output of .:J
the GNX4 sound and the signals coming into the GNX4 via
USB.
USB 1-2 Level sets the level of the signal(s) being sent
out over the USB 1-2 bus.
USB 3-4 Level sets the level of the signal(s) being sent
out over the USB 3-4 bus.
Master Level sets the master level for all tracks playing
back from the CompactFlash card.

FILE MANAGEMENT
X-Edit's final major feature involves file management, where 1uauDE iJ I Qi:-.m

you can save and load anything from individual Presets to

-~-s,-~g-~-'.----~3
j-G-NX-4?res-
__ -~~c~ j

the entire User collection and custom HyperModels. In this example, the folder "Craig's Custom Patches" is about to be opened
up, and the Preset called "Liquide" will be saved inside it.
The File Menu
You can access the management functions for individual Save Preset As ... allows saving the Preset under a differ-
files from the File menu; there are seven options. ent name and if needed, in a different location. This is partic-
X,0tyiTechX-Edit . •
ularly useful if you've called up a Preset and edited it into
!5ie Q..evii:e )Lie':~ :.Jnduw t1etp something completely different.
::!_e·~ P·eset Ctri+l'I
Qpen Preset, Ctri+c Close Preset provides the same function as hitting the
QosePreset
Preset window's "Close" box in the upper right hand corner.
:;ave Preset Cbi+s
►ffiffif;
Regardless of how you close this window, if the Preset has
Sa'<e C.cti-.:e ~let\ Mod~
Q been edited, you will be asked if you want to save it or not.
!,.oad Custom GeNeL\ Modet
If you click on "Yes" and the Preset was called up from disk,
the Preset will overwrite the existing version. Otherwise,
you'll see the /✓Save As ... " dialog box. "No" closes without
saving, and "Cancel" keeps the Preset open.

· El'.e ~-.,re ',.te''- <'<low li"Jp

t!,ewPreaet Ctrl+!,
Qperi Preset Ctrl +o

The File menu accesses various file management options. Here, the Save
As ... function is being selected so that the Preset can be saved under a
different name.
New Preset (Ctrl-N) generates a new Preset with noth-
ing assigned. It's suitable for creating Presets from scratch.
Open Preset (Ctrl-0) opens any Presets that had been
previously saved to disk (as described next). It offers a dialog
box where you can navigate to whatever folder contains
your custom Presets.
Save Preset (Ctrl-S) saves whatever Preset has the focus
(i.e., it's the "top" Preset if multiple Presets are open) to disk If you attempt to close an edited Preset without having saved the changes
on the computer running X-Edit. If the Preset was called up first, you'll be prompted whether you want to save the edits.
from disk, Saving overwrites the existing version. If the
Preset was never on disk before (e.g., it was transferred from Save Active GeNetX Model saves the current
the GNX4), then you will see the Save As ... dialog box, which HyperModel to the location of your choice. You can save the
allows you to choose where the file will be saved, and also Amp and Cabinet, or the Cabinet only.
name it. Note that GNX4 Presets have the suffix .g4p.

• The X-Edit X-perience •

 Load Custom GeNetX Model loads a HyperModel (Amp Open Current Preset (Ctrl-R) loads whatever Preset is
and Cabinet, or Cabinet only) from disk. You can specify open on the GNX4 into X-Edit.
whether this will be loaded into Channel 1 or Channel 2.
Store Preset not only saves the Preset that's open in, X-
Edit to the GNX4, but allows you to specify the location
Eile Q_e·.,.ice :ijew _:irndo·,. !je p
t:,te,, Pre5et CtrHI where it will be saved.
QpenPreset. Ctrl+o
,Jose Preset

--
E!le Q_evice Y,1ew '._1.lfidow ti!?lp
~a·,e Preset Ctrl+S
Open Current Preset
Save Preset 6.S
[f
!a_oad Cus tom G1=NetX Model ►

!User 3
Li:-catior j1~ -MAY'.;iUEEN il
Prent tian'lf 1KASH!T!R-

When you decide to store a Preset, a dialog box appears that lets you
specify the Collection, the location, and also gives you a chance to
In this example, a custom GeNetX model is about to be loaded into Channel
rename the Preset.
1. After releasing the mouse, a dialog box will show up that allows
navigating to the model you want to load.
Store Active GeNetX Model saves the Preset's
Exit simply closes the program. HyperModel. You can specify the location from the nine user
options,as well as name the Preset, with a dialog box similar
The Device Menu to the one used for Store Preset.
This is the menu where X-Edit accesses the GNX4 itself Backup is extremely useful, as it stores every user Preset
rather than the computer. In other words, instead of loading and custom Amp Model from the GNX4 into X-Edit. This
from disk and storing to disk, you load a Preset from the takes a while, as all the data is communicated over MIDI; a
GNX4 and save to the GNX4. progress bar at the bottom of the X-Edit screen shows when
the transfer is complete.
_!.¥ DigITech X-E.dit
!5le Q.ev1ce 'i)ew .1,indow tfelp
As soon as the transfer is done, a dialog box opens up
that lets you name the Backup file, and specify the location
~tore P,eset. where it will be saved to disk.
Store ....cti ,; e §.et let·. Model.
Restore does the opposite:When you open up a Backup
file from disk, it automatically loads into X-Edit and transfers
the data over to the GNX4.
-------------~ Of course, a great thing about Backup and Restore is that
Nx4
· Gm!IIDD
~
it not only saves all your hard work if you've created a bunch
~ -- of Presets, but you can create different sets of Presets for dif-
• ferent applications-studio, stage, a particular live set, what-
ever-and shuttle them in and out of the GNX4 as needed.

The View Menu

When you first open X-Edit, this will have two options: The
Audio Setup view, and the Library View. Selecting a view
This example shows the various options available from the Device menu.
opens it within the X-Edit workspace. When a Preset is in X-
Here, a Preset is being opened.
Edit, this menu will also let you select among the GeNetX
Modeling view, Effects view, and Expression Assignments.

112 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 The Help Menu
i)ew '.L.indow t1elp Of course, this is where you'll find the online help file. But
t1udo Setup
there's one other important feature: Go Help> About, and a
!Jbrary
box appears on the screen that shows the current X-Edit
- ~
tX ~-1i: d.eling
Ge I - - -~ - - - - - - - .
version. Compare this to the version available on the
Effects 1-

-NX/I . USB Play Moc: DigiTech web site under Resources, and if the web version is
newer than what you have, download and install it. One of
the great things about software is that it can be updated,
and you never know when new features or bug fixes are
going to be added.

The View menu is designed specifically to call up views rapidly.

The Window Menu

This is somewhat similar to the View menu, in that it allows
you to select a particular window. Butthere are a few differ-
Check the DigiTech web site from time to time for updates. If there's a newer
ences.
version of X-Edit available and it applies to your gear, go ahead and
New Window creates a copy of whatever Preset is open
download it.
within X-Edit. This is very handy if you want to work on a
Preset, but also have a copy available for comparison.
Also, unlike the View menu that lets you select a particu-
lar view of a Preset, the Window menu offers a list of aU open
Presets. Selecting one of these Presets gives it the focus, and
it jumps to the top of a group of Preset windows.

f,ie ~e,·Ke ;_!e" .i.Jnd0'11 t!tt\p

[!ew·.,,·.-,co·,

The Window menuputs the focus on any window that's open within X-Edit.

• The X-Edit X-perience •

 Chapter 20

THE GNX4 MEETS MIDI

Some guitarists still think that MIDI is just for keyboard play- At this point, you might think "Well that sounds pretty
ers; in the dawn of the MIDI age, that was more or less the useless, as the GNX4 can already pretty much do all that
case. Now, though, MIDI-controlled signal processing repre- stuff by itself anyway."Yes, you can call up Presets manually
sents a new frontier that has been little explored- or with the footswitches; yes, you can use the expression
especially in the studio. pedal to alter effects parameters in real time; and yes, you
The GNX4 has a very capable MIDI implementation and can back up data using X-Edit, or by saving Presets to the
has excellent diplomatic relations with MIDI, from serving as CompactFlash card. But as we'll see, MIDI offers some addi-
a MIDI interface for your computer to backing up and saving tional flexibility that's not inherent in these GNX4-specific
data. You can even have your computer sequencer select methods.
GNX4 programs automatically for you. Some people think MIDI involves bits and bytes and simi-
The complete MIDI spec is fairly "deep" and complex. lar techno-babble. But you don't have to know about
Fortunately for MIDlphobes, there are only a few parts of the microwaves to program a microwave oven, nor do you have
spec that relate to controlling the GNX4, so there's not real- to know about superheterodyne circuitry to listen to the
ly that much to learn. Let's start with MIDI basics. radio, and you don't need to know bits and bytes to use MIDI.
Of course, if you're a naturally curious type and want to
MIDI BASICS investigate the subject further, be my guest; but these days,
A MIDI system requires something that sends MIDI messages MIDI equipment has now reached a degree of sophistication
(such as a sequencer, drum machine, control surface, etc.) that, paradoxically, makes it quite easy to use.
and something that receives these messages and acts on
them, like the GNX4. Also, the GNX4 can send MIDI messages M101 Connections
to other devices, including another GNX4. When using MIDI over USB, your MIDI connections are already
Don't let the term "Musical Instrument Digital Interface" covered as all MIDI data is carried over the USB cable. As to
throw you; just remember that the key word is "interface." the rear panel connectors, the MIDI In receives MIDI data from
M1D1's main purpose is to allow musical machines to commu- another device such as a keyboard or MIDI pedal, while the
nicate musical data to each other. The GNX4 can do this in MIDI out transmits data from the GNX4 to MIDI-compatible
two ways: devices.
• Via computer, using its USB connection. MIDI data is
transferred directly between the GNX4 and your host
USS MIDI IN MIDI OUT ON/
software-no cables required.
• With conventional MIDI hardware, using the GNX4's rear
panel MIDI in and MIDI out/thru connectors.
There are different kinds of MIDI messages, many of which
relate specifically to keyboards, lighting controllers, and
other gear we can ignore. With the GNX4, you need to know
about only three kinds of MIDI messages:
• Program changes can call up different Presets within The two MIDI connectors let the GNX4 communicate with other pieces
the GNX4 automatically of MIDI hardware.
• Continuous controller messages are able to alter GNX4
effects parameters in real time Although the manual says that the GNX4 cannot trans-
• System exclusive (also called sys ex) messages are suit- mit program changes or continuous controller data, that's
able for backing up GNX4 data to your computer, then only partially true. Those sneaky DigiTech engineers includ-
reloading it as needed ed the ability for the GNX4 to transmit program changes for

115
the User collection of Presets For example, if you use the Bigfoot, but for the rest of us, fancy tap dancing became
footswitches to call up Preset 14 in the User Collection, it will the order of the day.
send out a corresponding program change number over Thankfully, multieffects like the GNX4 relieve us of these
the MIDI out connector, as well as over USB to your comput- hassles, because all the effects are tied into a single Preset,
er. Your sequencing software can even record this program rather than being spread out over multiple stompboxes.
change, then play it back into the GNX4 to change programs However, the issue of how to call up these different Presets
automatically. remains if you want to use more than one Preset over the
course of a gig or recording session.
Channels and Modes
Most MIDI messages are "stamped" with a unique channel Program Changes to the Rescue
identification from 1 to 16. This allows a single cable to carry The introduction of cheap computing power in the late 70s
messages for up to 16 different devices; transmitters can meant that smaller businesses, not just giant institutions,
send data over a particular channel, and receivers can tune could make incredible mistakes and blame them on com-
in to a specific channel. puters. But it also meant that signal processors could use
There are two MIDI modes used by most sequencers and computer power to manage effects in a much more intelli-
other pieces of gear that determine how they respond to gent way, and MIDI was the ticket.
channelized data. When the MIDI spec was drawn up, provisions were made
for 128 MIDI program change messages. This is why many
• Omni mode accepts data coming in over any channel. signal processors offer 128 programs.As usual, people want-
In other words, regardless of the channel ID, the receiv- ed more-so a later addition to the MIDI spec, Bank Select
er will attempt to act on any incoming data. messages, can select up to 16,384 banks of 128 programs for
• Poly mode causes the receiver to act on MIDI messages a grand total of over 2,000,000 programs.
intended for one specific channel (e.g., channel 3). You Currently, it's possible to select any of the 80 Presets in
program this channel within the receiver.Thus, two MIDI the User collection of Presets via MIDI. Hopefully a future
receivers set to receive different channels could moni- GNX4 software revision will offer bank select messages so
tor the same data stream, but be controlled independ- that any of the 240 Presets can be selected via computer.
ently of each other.
USIN'G PROGRAM CHANGES WITH THE GNX4
Setting the GNX4 Receive Channel AND A SEQUENCER
The GNX4 can be set to Omni mode, any of the 16 channels Although MIDI allows for 128 program changes, it doesn't
in Poly mode, or ignore MIDI altogether. Here's how. specify how these are to be numbered. Some manufacturers
1. Press the Utility button, then use the Prev/Next but- might number programs as 1-128, 0-127, or as banks (e.g.,
tons until the main display shows MIDICHNL. eight banks of 16 programs). Or, a sequencer might assume
2. Use the Data Wheel to select a particular MIDI channel you're going to be selecting programs on a General MIDI syn-
(1-16). This automatically sets the GNX4 to Poly mode. thesizer, and assign instrument names instead. (A GM syn-
Continuing past 16 selects AL (all MIDI channels), which thesizer assigns specific instrument sounds to specific pro-
is Omni mode. The final option is Of, which means the gram numbers; for example, program 1 is always an acoustic
GNX4 will neither receive nor transmit MIDI messages. piano, program 25 is always nylon string guitar, etc.)
Suppose you program a MIDI sequencer to send out pro-
About Program Changes gram change 15, which you assume will call up Preset 15 in
To understand program changes, take a trip with me down the GNX4. But it ain't necessarily so. If the sequencer
memory lane to the mid-70s-when disco ruled, synthesiz- assumes programs are numbered from 0-127, the GNX4 will
ers were not yet programmable, and guitar effects were call up Preset 16.
starting to progress beyond funny little boxes that ate bat-
teries and burped noise. Guitarists discovered early on that Changing the Pro Tracks Plus Program Change
the hippest control on any signal processor was the in/out Numbering Default
footswitch because it allowed you to bring an effect in as Pro Tracks Plus tries to be "user friendly," and instead of giv-
needed (effects are wonderful, but not all the time). ing program changes numbers, its default mode givesthem
As more boxes were introduced-compressors, phase as instrument names as used in General MIDI synthesizers.
shifters, echo units, wah-wahs, etc-musicians started However, instruments have nothing to do with the GNX4.
connecting all these boxes together with patch cords. And Therefore, we want Pro Tracks Plus to show program
that's where the trouble began: if you wanted to bring in changes as numbers that are GNX4-compatible rather than
multiple effects simultaneously, you had to hit a bunch of as instrument names.
footswitches at once. This may not be a problem for To do this:

116 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•

 1. Go Options > Instruments. Let's set up the MIDI track for recording program changes
2. Click on the first Output/Channel line, "1: DigiTech USB from the GNX4.
MIDI/ 1." 1. Set the GNX4 to a specific MIDI channel, as described
3. Shift-click on the last Output/Channel line, "1: DigiTech previously. For now, choose channel 1.
USB MIDI / 16." 2. Expand the track height (by dragging the track's lower
4. All of the lines in the left-hand box should now be high- separator bar) so you can see the various MIDI track
lighted. parameters.
Assign Instruments -- -_=J- 3. Click on the arrow in the MIDI track's In field, and select
Select one or more Output/ Channel destinations then clicl< on an lnst!umenl MIDI Ch. 1. This insures that the track will listen only to
nutJ)l1tA:hiV1MI JjM:, ln.~,imMt eane~, the GNX4 data being sent on channel 1.
,....
<d-ef-aul_
t> _ _ __ __
I DigiT ech USB Ml[il / 1
1 Q,qiT ech USB 1"11D1 / 2 Gene1al MIDI Help
1 D,giT ech USB MIDI / 3 Gene1al MID I Drums
1. D,oiT ech Ll'38 Ml(II / 4 Generic Patches0.. 127
1 D,giT ech USB Ml[JI / 5
1 D10,T ech USE: MIDI / 5 Roland GS ■
1 [JfgiTechUSBMIDl/ 7
1 D1oJiT ech USB MIDI / 8
Roland GS Drumsets
SoundFont Device 1- □
1 D1giT ech USB MIDI / '3 Yamaha XG
1 D1gtT ech USB MIDI / 10 Yamaha )<G Drum Kits 0
1 D1g1T ech USB MIC!J / 11
1 D,g,TechUSB MIDI/ 12
....
1 Q,o,Tec-h USB MIDI J 13
1 D101T ech USB MIDI / 14
1 D,g,T ech U~,B MIDI/ 15
1 Dt•J•T ech USE: MIDI / 15

Once all the entries on the left are highlighted, you can assign them all with
a single mouse click. This is much faster than assigning each one MIDI Ch . 3
individually. MIDI Ch . 4
MIDI Ch. 5
5. Under "Uses Instrument," click on "Generic (Patches MIDI Ch. 6
MIDI Ch . 7
1... 128)."
MIDI Ch . 8
6. Make sures to check the box "Save Changes for Next MIDI Ch, 9
Session." MIDI Ch . 10
7. Click on "OK." MIDI Ch . 11
MIDI Ch . 12
Within Pro Tracks Plus, all program changes will be dis- MIDI Ch . 13
played as numbers that correspond to the GNX4 User Preset M I Ch . 1
MIDI Ch . 15
numbers.
MIDI Ch . 16

Recording Program Changes Into Pro Tracks Plus Choose the channel in your host sequencer that corresponds to
Program changes are recorded in MIDI, not audio, tracks. If the channel you selected in the GNX4.
your Pro Tracks Plus project doesn't contain a MIDI track, go
Insert> MIDI Track. Or, right click in the Track View and select 4. None of the other parameters matters for now, so leave
"Insert MIDI Track." them alone.
5. Pro Tracks Plus defaults to "echoing" the MIDI input back
p+ Pro Tracks Plus - [Untitledl * - Track] to the MIDI output. If you're just going to be recording
!nsert Tr:ansport ~o Ir ack program changes you can leave this as is, but if you
~ank/Patch Change •.. change Presets on the GNX4 using the Data Wheel, the
Meter/Key Cha09e ••• response will be "jittery" because there there's a "MIDI
feedback loop." If you find this annoying, you can turn
\ Iempo Change •••
off echoing by going Options >Project> MIDI Input and
T1.rne 1easures ••.
setting Echo Mode to "None" instead of "Auto."

The Insert menu lets you insert an audio or MIDI track.

• The GNX4 Meets M1D1 •

 mode, as you'll be fighting a MIDI feedback loop when you
~ ere ~t e: ,xess ,.l~W t,'"ISert Tcim port ~ Ira~:-. Too{& Qp!!cr,s Uindo..... t!.e
change Presets.
M ► H 0 ,) M@n@mju Hii. It !!l.lDI De.Ices
[ns!nJrr,e.r,ts _ With Stompbox and Preset mode, a Program Change
111111!11 \ Time Vel Ou
message gets sent only once you've "landed" on a Preset.
r - - -- - - - - - - -»--====
l ~· 1, R ...... O.• ~,
ilobai ..
Color_:i . Verifying That Program Changes Were Recorded
Project Optioos) ;~ After you've finished recording, look at the MIDI track. You'll
OK a
see rectangle (called a Clip) that indicates recording took
Record and Echo MIDI Channels _ ea_n_c«__.I ID! ed!tr,g place, and small vertical lines. Each line represents where a
program change message was recorded.
I

P-tck ¼<I Dur a.,

- T""'

,----
I

lfg-,-.. r-:
ye!,icr':y-. r-:
y;,~al ,'.)r PM r-·: The program change messages are circled for clarity.

Editing Program Changes

If you want to get microscopic, right-click on the Clip and go
Turning off echo mode prevents MIDI feedback loops.
View> Event List. (You could also select the Clip, then choose
"Event List" from the View menu or type Alt-4.)
6. Click on the MIDI Track's "Record" button, theri click on
the Transport's "Record" button to begin recording.
p+ Pro Tracks Plus - [Untitledl * - Trade]
Clrl+
~ Eile !;d t ~roces<: ,,.i"""' Insert Tcan_p rt ~o ..:tot-~..:.-1...:
ft ~t~ .• :;,-~....,,..,t C!rl~,

~ ~ (!) ~ Ill - ~
~~!!, •.

I M ~,
lllll&J \ Time Ptch ~ .a: "1Mt'l"ftat

I -:i;,,, .•.•
!l<-1.rce to Ci;p;s·

The Event List view allows for extremely detailed editing.

This brings up the Event List window, which shows

everything you'd want to know about the program change
message. All of these parameters are editable.
.e-.l.~ ~·
.el~~
t , - -li.w
I - ' rme-P'ltch.Vel _. OUI_Chl_l
:- , ... Iii p [ii :,;;:. ..., Jo ..... Mel T Olt· 11G ::: .'. / < C ,;; ffl,
Td< HMSF MST Ch Kr,cl Data

0
"-.. . .-c1---=. ..~,-~:.,....·· · ·-· ~-~~-;:.,_,:~-~ --::'"t."'~
---.. ~i-..-=~=;~=:gi~:ff,·...- =i~c!'t:6-'·~'"~ ,·.·- --- - -~
. .3...... 00001500 ........... S.;.Ol.0.6.Q ........... l ...e~.i;b................. J:tD!:ma~I_ _ _ __···~ - - -
.... ~ OJJ;O!J;;z!l;JG . Jfi:0.2:lQ!L J P.s\\µ, ..........!:!9fm~I_ _ _ _ _._.. 4.8~ - - - -

Arm the track, then click on the Transport's Record button to begin the Parameters from left to right: Track number, placement in
recording process. hours:minutes:seconds:frames, placement in measures:beats:ticks, the
event's MIDI Channel, the kind of event (Patch, which is the same thing as
Program Change), the type of data (normal}, and the value (e.g., if the value
7. Change Presets with the footswitches using either
is 52, that represents Program Change 52).
Preset or Stompbox mode.
8. Whatever Presets you select will have a corresponding
For example, program change 53 currently occurs at 9
Program Change number recorded in Pro Tracks Plus.
measures, 1 beat, and 60 ticks into the song. (A"tick" is a sub-
division of a quarter-note; Pro Tracks Plus defaults to 120
Note that you can also change Presets with the Data
ticks per quarter-note, but this can be changed to a higher
Wheel, but Pro Tracks Plus will record a// the changes that
or lower resolution by going Options > Project> Ticks per
occur as you go from one Preset to another. For example, if
quarter note and choosing the desired value.) However, let's
you switch from Preset 30 to Preset 33, Pro Tracks Plus will
suppose you want the change to actually occur just before
record program changes 30, 31, 32, and 33. This is not rec-
the ninth measure begins. It's easy: just click on the param-
ommended, and even less recommended if Echo is in Auto
eter, then t e "8:04:100" and hit "Enter." You can also
tis • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •
double-click on the parameter and use the + and - buttons A Cool Bonus Feature!
to increment or decrement the tick value, one tick at a time. If you want to audition GNX4 Presets with a click of the
mouse, it's easy. Assuming the GNX4 is set up to receive pro-
Playing Program han es Bae Into the GNX4 gram changes, all you need to do is click on the arrow in the
Now that the program changes have been recorded into Pro "Pch" (Patch) field on the Pro Tracks Plus channel sending
Tracks Plus, we can play them back into the GNX4 and have data to the GNX4. A pop-up menu appears showing all 128
them trigger Preset changes automatically. Preset numbers. Click on the one you want to hear, and the
All you need to do is set the MIDI Track's "Ch" parameter to GNX4 will load it.
1, which sets the output channel to MIDI channel 1 (if you J e't\' Insert Tr,ansport §o ! rack Too[s Qptions :_,_- d· w
recall, earlier we set that up as the receive channel). Also c!) T w-1ffi#4 a,Jiiiwc.i~ -
check that the Out parameter is set to "1-DigiTech USB MIDI,"
although it should already say that.
-,- - Pitch I Ve! Dur r Chn
r c11e 54 107
55 103 !'
111 Ch-ang :z 56 lu:l
3 57 110
4 58 111
5 59 llZ
6 60 ~13
7 6~ !.14
... 8 62 : 15
63 116
lJ 64 117
3 Generi,: [Patches 1 .128 11 65 118
0 4 Generic (Patches 1. 128; 12 66 119
13 ~ 67 12.0
S Generic ::Patches 1- 128\
14 68 121
6 . Generic latches 1 123. 15 69 122
Generir: 'Patches 1.. 128, 16 71) 123
~ Generic ~Patch.es 1.. 123 ·; 17 71 124
18 72. 125
9 Genen: "Patches 1.. 123; 19 73 1.26
10 Generi: 'Patches 1 . 128' 0 74 127
1l Generic (Patches 1 lZS . 21 75 12.8
22 76
lZ Generic 'Patches 1. . 128 ,
:23 7
13 Gerenc rpatches 1 128; 2.4 7'3
H '. Gereri,: ,..Patd,es 1. 128_. 2.5 79
15 Generic ~Patches 1 12a; 26 io
27 8
16 . Ge·,eri•: ~Patches 1.• 128~'
23 32
29 83
Channel 1 is about to be selected as the MIDI track's output channel. 30 84
31 as
If the GNX4 was set to respond to a different channel, use
~ fl _).JX~LOf 32 86
For Help, press F1 33 87
that channel number instead. Or, you can always set the 34 88
35 89
GNX4 MIDI channel to AL so that it follows program change
36 90
messages regardless of their original channel. 37 91
38 92
~ 93
So Why Would You Want To Do This, Anyway? 40 94
Simple: Suppose you're recording a part, and listening back 1 95
4-2 96
to other tracks. And also suppose you need to select several 3 97
different programs during the course of recording your gui- 44 98
45 99
tar part. It's a lot easier to have the computer select them +5 100
automatically, so all you have to think about is your playing. 47 101
43 102
In fact, many live bands are using computer-driven pro-
103
gram changes as well. For example, in Shania Twain's touring so 10 ➔

band, almost all the musicians have all their preset changes 51 10 5
52 106
programmed within each song via MIDI program changes. 53
Because songs are always the same length and synched to a
It's easy to audition GNX4 Presets from within Pro Tracks Plus.
click track, the changes always fall at just the right place.This
gives the musicians the freedom to roam around on stage
and concentrate on their playing, rather than having to
make sure they return to their footswitches and call up the
right program at the right time.
• The GNX4 Meets M1D1 •
M1m Program Change LJ'Mapping" play, which will now start flashing. This is the "target"
But now let's suppose you decide that although User Preset Preset to which the MIDI program change will be
67 worked really well in the first chorus, Card Preset 34 remapped. Use the Data Wheel to select the desired
would work much better for the second chorus. There are GNX4 Preset; the right-most letter in the green display
two problems: You can't record anything other than pro- will show F, C, or U for Factory, Card, or User Preset col-
gram changes for the User bank, so there's no way that User lection.
Preset 67 could trigger Card Preset 34. You could copy Card 5. If you need to remap more program changes, use the
Preset 34 into User Preset 67, but then the original User Prev button to return to the MIDI program change num-
Preset 67 wouldn't be available for the first chorus. Looks ber, and repeat steps 2-4. Otherwise, proceed to step 6.
like you're out of luck ... or are you? 6. When you're done remapping, hit the Exit button.
There is an answer, and it's called MIDI Mapping. This
involves creating a program change table within the GNX4 Note that there's currently no way to reset the MIDI pro-
that specifies which Preset will be called up in response to a gram change map except by resetting the GNX4 to its facto-
particular program change number. With this technique, ry default settings (accessed via the Utilities menu). If you
you can access any Preset in the Factory, User, or Card collec- decide to do this, make sure you save any custom User
tions. - Presets, as they will be initialized as well during the reset
Another use for this is if you're controlling several process.
devices via MIDI, such as the GNX4, a high-end Lexicon hard-
ware reverb, and a digital mixer. A single program change DAISY-CHAINING MULTIPLE UNITS WITH
could trigger differently numbered Presets in the GNX4, the MIDI MERGE
Lexicon reverb, and the digital mixer. Many MIDI devices include a MIDI Thru jack that transmits a
For example, you might program a table where program copy of the data appearing at the MIDI in. The GNX4 does not
change message 1 calls up GNX4 User Preset 16, program have a Thru jack, as it instead offers a Merge function. This
change message 2 calls up GNX4 Factory Preset 51, program merges data appearing at the MIDI input with any data the
change message 3 calls up GNX4 Card Preset 47, and pro- GNX4 is generating at the MIDI output, and sends both
gram change 4 also calls up User Preset 16. Here's what the through the GNX4's MIDI output.
program change table would look like: This is useful if you want to control multiple units from
the same MIDI data stream. Remember the example given
M101 transmitter sends This calls up GNX4 Preset: earlier of using the GNX4 with a·Lexicon reverb and digital
program change: mixer? Suppose that you're working with a theater group,
1 User Preset 16 and want the GNX4 and Lexicon Presets to change when a
2 Factory Preset 51 particular scene change is called up on the digital mixer.
3 Ca rd Preset 4 7 Patch the digital mixer's MIDI out to the GNX4's MIDI in, patch
4 User Preset 16 the GNX4's MIDI out to the Lexicon's MIDI in, and enable Merge
on the GNX4. The program change being sent by the digital
Mapping is also useful with devices that have more than mixer will be received by both the GNX4 and the Lexicon
128 programs but do not allow for Bank Select (like the reverb.
GNX4). Although you can still access only 128 Presets, they To enable merging:
now come from a much larger "pool" of the 240 programs 1. Press the Utility button and use the Prev/Next buttons
available in the GNX4. until the display shows MIDIMRGE. It defaults to OF
Here's how to set up a MIDI map. (off).
1. Press the Utility button and use the Prev/Next buttons 2. Use the Data Wheel to select On, then press the Exit
until the display says something like M [flashing num- button.
ber] > U. U stands for the User collection of Presets. That was easy!
2. The flashing number in the green display represents
the MIDI program change number. Use the Data Wheel USING CONTINUOUS CONTROLLERS WITH THE
to set this to the program change number you want to GNX4 AND A SEQUENCER
remap. Changing from one program to another is very useful, but
3. The red display on the right defaults to the same num- sometimes you'd like to vary a particular parameter within
ber in the User collection of Presets as the program an individual program (delay feedback, filter frequency,
change you selected, unless you rotate the Data Wheel etc.). The Expression Pedal is a good place to start, particu-
past number BO on the green display.After that, the red larly because it can control up to three parameters at once.
display changes to Factory Preset 1, as the User Preset Thanks to the abilityto set minimum and maximum values,
number can't exceed 80. you can even do something like have one parameter
4. Hit the Next button to edit the number in the red dis- increasing in value over a wide range while another param-
120 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide•
 eter decreases in value over a narrow range. It's basically like Continuous Controller Numbers
having three expression pedals. MIDI "tags" each continuous controller message with an ID
But as with program changes, sometimes you might from 0 to 127. Don't confuse this with channel IDs; each
want to be able to automate these changes. Another issue is channel can support up to 128 controllers, so something
that the GNX4 cannot transmit pedal motion as MIDI con- like a controller 7 message appearing over channel 2 is inde-
troller data. So, suppose you record a fantastic wah guitar pendent from a controller 7 message appearing over chan-
part into a sequencer, but you're not happy with the way nel 3.Therefore, a signal processor with 128 different param-
you moved the wah pedal.Too bad: You're locked into the eters could have each assigned to a unique controller num-
audio track. If the pedal movement had been recorded sep- ber (1 for reverb decay, 2 for reverb mix, 3 for chorus modu-
arately as MIDI data, you would have been able to edit that lation frequency, etc.).
data more to your liking. The GNX4 uses the "global assignment" method of
However, there are two solutions: Re-amp the guitar part responding to controllers, where particular parameters are
through the wah processor (see Chapter 17 on re-amping if "hard-wired" to specific controller numbers. These are listed
you're not familiar with this technique) and move the pedal on page 113 of the Owner's Manual. Not all parameters are
until you get it right, or re-amp and control the wah effect available for external control, but all the important ones are.
with continuous controller signals generated by the Some other devices use the "Per-Preset" method, where a
sequencer. These continuous controller signals can be edit- continuous controller can vary one parameter in one Preset,
ed into any shape you want-including ones that would be and a different parameter in a different Preset. In other
impossible to do with your foot and a pedal. words, different Presets can have different controller assign-
Continuous controllers came about because synthesiz- ments.Although this approach is theoretically more flexible,
ers have pedals, knobs, levers, and other physical "con- it tends to be much more confusing than the global
trollers"that alter some aspect of a synth's sound over a con- approach, and makes it hard to keep track of which con-
tinuous range of values (this is why they're called "continu- troller controls which parameter in which Preset.
ous" controllers, as opposed to a controller such as an on-off The basic idea is you set up your sequencer to generate
switch, which selects only between two possible values). As a particular continuous controller signal to vary the param-
these can be an important part of the overall performance, eter you want to change.
it became necessary to find a way to record them. At the receiving end, the GNX4 parameter being con-
Unlike a program change, which is a single event, contin- trolled changes in response to incoming message values.
uous controllers generate a series of events, such as a vol- For example, if you're controlling Delay Level (controller 75)
ume fade-in (each event raises the volume a bit more than and it receives a value of 0, level is at minimum. When it
the previous event), or change in some other parameter receives a value of 64, the level is halfway up and upon
(e.g., increasing chorus depth, or altering the wah filter fre- receiving a value of 127, the level is up all the way. If you can
quency). see the parameter being controlled on the display, the value
Like program changes, continuous controller messages will change in real time as it responds to the incoming con-
are transmitted by a MIDI output and received by a MIDI input. troller messages.
They are also channel-specific. The transmitter usually By the way, in case you're doing the numbers,you may
"quantizes" the controller signal into 128 discrete values (0- have noticed that MIDI controller values go from Oto 127,
127). With the GNX4, the transmitter will always be a device while GNX4 ~alues go from 0 to 99. However, there is not a
like a sequencer and the GNX4 will always be a receiver, as it one-to-one correspondance between these number sets. A
is not designed to send continuous controller messages. MIDI controller value of 127 sets a GNX4 parameter value of
For example, suppose you want to control the wah effect 99; MIDI values are scaled to conform to the GNX4's reality.
with a continuous controller. A value of 0 might represent
the frequency that would happen if the pedal was all the Controller Changes vs. Program Changes
way back, and a value of 127, the frequency that would hap- A great use of controller changes is to have a Preset evolve
pen if the pedal was all the way forward. In-between pedal over time, rather than using program changes· to change
positions would generate in-between values. Assign this Presets. For example, while doing some studio work with a
controller to the Wah Pedal parameter, and the wah fre- rock tune, I used the same basic Preset throughout, but used
quency will vary depending on the controller messages it continuous controllers to vary the amount of distortion for
receives. rhythm and lead parts. During a lead section, continuous
Note that continuous controller transmitters only send controllers also determined the amount of delay feedback
messages reflecting a change; for example, once a continu- and delay balance.All ofthese changes happened over time
ous controller value of, say, 37 has been sent, no more mes- (e.g., as the solo progressed, the amount of echo feedback
sages will be sent until a value other than 37 occurs. increased), which sounds very natural. Because these
changes were triggered by a sequencer, I didn't have to con-
cern myself with using pedals or footswitches.
• The GNX4 Meets MIDI • 121 I
Creating Controller Changes in Pro Tracks Plus
Because continuous controllers are MIDI data, they must be
created in a MIDI track, just like program changes. The usual
way to create them is by"drawing"them into a track using a
pencil or line tool.
Here's how to create continuous controllers for playback
into the GNX4.
1. Decide which parameter(s) you want to control, and
determine which controller numbers will be needed.
For this example, we'll assume you want to control
Delay Feedback and Delay Level. Referring to the con-
troller chart on page 113 of the Owner's Manual, we .:J
can see these are controlled by controllers 77 and 80 f or Help_press Fl 101 :01

respectively. Here's where you set up the controller number and channel.
2. Select the MIDI track where you will draw in the controllers
by clicking on its track number in the Track View. 6. The top field determines the type of MIDI messages
3. Go View > Piano Roll. you'll be drawing. When working with the GNX4, the
p+ Pro Tracks Prus - {UntitJ.ed1 * - Track] only one that's relevant is Control. The middle field is
· ~ file ~dit er,oces.!... _ Insert Ti:ansport ~ Irack Toe the controller number. There's a pop-up menu that
shows common controller values, but you'll probably
~ -►- ►I just want to drag over what's in there with your mouse,
1 NidW \. Tin
and type in a new value. Caution: Pro Tracks Plus has no
\. Loop Explorer
way of knowing when you've finished entering a number.
1----;;.._-- ~ (onscle To make it "stick," click on another field, or click some-
~ mSynthRack where else in the window. Finally, the bottom field chan-
J'.ideo
Iempo nelizes the messages. This should be set to the same
Sys~ channel as the GNX4, although it can always be reas-
La:t:outs ••• signed later-no worries if you set it to the wrong
T~olbars .
channel accidentally.
7. There are several drawing tools for creating controller
Track 3, a MIDI track, has been selected and is about to be seen in
curves. Here's what they do, from left to right:
Piano Roll view.
• The Draw (Pencil) tool is for free-form drawing of
curves. It has an auto-erase function, but this has no
4. The Piano View defaults to showing a keyboard with
bearing on drawing controller curves and can be either
notes, not a pane where you can draw controllers. To
checked or unchecked.
view the controller pane, click on the small grid symbol.
• The Draw Line tool draws straight lines of controller val-
IIIIIIIIIJ \ Time Pilch Vel ' D1.1 ! ues.
~ / • , / " / .. /A\ • J J J) ~ · J D, 1 • The Brush tool has no relevance to drawing controllers;
3.02074 L
l B 31471 I it does pretty much the same thing as the line tool.
c- - -- - • The Erase tool will erase whatever you drag it over.

p
r
Cn--- --

_J
1 ,J 1.ei1a

Click on this button to reveal the controller pane.

5. The controller pane appears. Note that there are three Several tools help with the process of creating controller envelopes.
fields toward the left.

122 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 8. Draw the curve using the tool(s) of your choice. !.)E'e lM f:ro,;,ss

~
~ t,,s<rt ~,.,,_,t !i1J
N ~,-,lldot,.,,ci,,~ole,s Cl!i•Z
; ~ ...
-~,.ci
!),Id, ,c,o~ ~lwns ~~ ,!i:
j-- t;J --.._ rJJ

~I
!control . .. 3 127
I I
!
;j
i
!
!ti·;
t
2
'.!
...
S!:!•a
I cur
~ ;'.op.
e ea-.
Ctn-~
Ctrf+!Mott. C~I-IC
:.1,11 ..~-1. C&i·' □

In 3 96

jcharmel 1 3 64 Il I f
I

Ftlr Help, press F1

32

Ii . 1111111 I lllll I
11

1·01.:018
111 1
IIll
This curve was drawn with the pencil. Note that it's not a continuous series All Clips in the track have been selected, and the controller curves are about
of messages, as there are gaps. These exist because as we mentioned earlier, to be transformed into shapes.
a controller value is generated once, and another one isn't generated until
there's a change in value. 3. The "Convert MIDI to Shapes" dialog box appears. The
"Type" field should always say "Control" when working
9. Draw curves for other controllers (if needed) by repeat- with the GNX4. The Value field should be the controller
ing steps 6 through 8. Play back the sequence, and if number of the shape you want to convert; you'll prob-
desired, call up the parameter being controlled on the ably need to enter this by clicking in the field and typ-
GNX4's display so you can confirm that its numbers are ing in the controller number. You can then Tab over to
changing. Note that if the GNX4 receives a program the Channel field. Usually "All Channels will" work,
change command, that will take precedence; the GNX4 because each controller will be on the same channel
will jump to the new Preset's main screen. anyway; but if you want to be sure the data is channel-
ized, you can choose a specific channel. Finally, click on
Of course, you can edit curves with the same tool set. If "OK."
you're really into detail work, you can call up the Event List
editor (as we did for the program changes) and see (and Convert MIDI to Shapes- .-.'!. X

edit!) every single event. ,lllpe: Y'.alue .Channel:

Now is a good time to mention that Pro Tracks Plus is a Control • 177- - - - - - -
... All Channels ""'
very sophisticated, deep program, and in the process of
checking out these various options, you will undoubtedly
encounter some points of confusion ("When I go over to the
OK ) Cancel

Event List, there are so many entries for controller values it's
Enter the controller number you want to convert into a shape.
really hard to find the program changes!"). But this book is
not all about Pro Tracks Plus, and I can guarantee you're not
4. If you need to convert another controller in the same
going to learn everything about it in a week, or even sever-
track to a shape, repeat steps 2 and 3. Otherwise, go to
al weeks.
step 5.
Fortunately, the Help system is outstanding. You can look
5. You should now see envelopes that correspond to the
up specific words in the Help file itself, or click on something
co.n troller values.
(or in some cases, just hold your mouse over it), hit Fl, and
get context-sensitive assistance.

Converting to Shapes
Although controller values are editable in the Piano Roll
view, that can be a somewhat tedious process. It's also hard
Controllers 77 and 80 have been converted into shapes. The nodes of the
to differentiate between different controllers in Track View, envelope can be dragged around and deleted; holding your mouse over a
where you'll be doing much of your work. So, here's an node produces a display that shows the controller number, channel, and
advanced technique that greatly speeds up editing, and node value.
makes it easier to see the continuous controller messages in
Track View. Manipulating these envelopes is fairly intuitive, but for
A controller track can be converted into a "Shape"-an more information, go Help > Help Topics in Pro Tracks Plus.
easy-to-manipulate envelope that essentially traces the Then click on the "Search" tab, and type in the keyword
controller's outline. To do this: "nodes." You'll see several topics, including how to add,
1. Select the entire track by clicking on its track number. delete, reset, edit, and perform other node-related opera-
Any Clips in the track should be highlighted. tions.
2. Go Edit > Convert MIDI to Shapes.

• The GNX4 Meets M101 •

Other Uses for the GNX4 MtDI Interface 7. Look at Pro Tracks Pius's Track view. You'll now see two
If you play keyboards-or even if you'd just like to-the tracks, one audio (which carries the synth's audio out-
GNX4 has something to offer you as well. put), and one MIDI (which assigns the MIDI data at the
computer's MIDI in, or data recorded in the MIDI track, to
Using the M1D1 Input the synthesizer).
Pro Tracks Plus includes a software monophonic synthesiz- 8. Listen to the GNX4's output (e.g., through headphones)
er, Tassman SE, which produces a variety of l~ad and bass and play the MIDI keyboard; You should hear the synthe-
sounds. You can use the GNX4 as a MIDI interface to drive sizer sound.
Tassman SE from a standard MIDI keyboard. Note that the MIDI 9. Try different synth presets by clicking oh the downward
channel assignment parameter in the Utilities menu affects arrow in the preset field, scrolling to a sound, and clicking
only the GNX4-the MIDI interface is "live" at all times for on it.
other applications. . •:Ltl±J •J! 0 I
Let's check out the synthesizer.
1. Patch a MIDI keyboard's MIDI out into the GNX4's MIDI in.
2. Make sure that USB connects from the GNX4 to your
computer.
3. Boot Pro Tracks Plus, then click on "Select a New
Project." When the "New Project File" window opens,
click on "Blank (No Tracks)," then on "OK."
4. For best results, go Options > Audio and under Mixing
Latency, slide the Buffer Size slider all the way to the
left. This produces the least amount of delay between How to choose different sounds within Tassman SE.
the time you play a note and the time you hear it. If you
can't get a setting lower than about 50 ms, click on 10. That should be enough to get you started.
Wave Profiler and then on "Yes." After the hardware has
been profiled, you should be able to achieve latency in Playing synthesizer with Pro Tracks Plus is a bit off-topic,
the 10-11 ms range. so we won't pursue this further. But if you want to record
5. Go Insert> DXi Synth >Tassman SE. some quick backing part for your guitar and you have a MIDI
~ f ile .E.dit .Erocest Y..1ew yo Irack keyboard (and at least some keyboard .chops), Pro Tracks
Jnsert Transport
.e_ank/Palch Chilnge...
----- Plus offers the tools to get started. Although Tassman SE is
Meter/Key Change. monophonic (i.e., it plays only one note at a time), software
.. I empo Change ,. instruments with a variety of capabilities are available from
T!me,M!'!asure~ . .
companies like Cakewalk, rgc:audio, Native Instruments,
IKMultimedia, and others. Also, don't forget that purchasing
Cakewalk's VST-DX adapter allows using VST instruments as
Bi.do Track made by Steinberg and other companies.
Ml.Ill Track

How to insert the Tassman SE synthesizer into a Pro Tracks Plus project. Using the GNX4 MIDI Output
The GNX4 MIDI out can send MIDI data from your computer to
6. You'll see a box called "Insert DXi Synth Options." Check outboard MIDI gear, such as keyboards, lighting controllers,
"MIDI Source Track," "First Synth Output (Audio)," and signal processors, and the like. Again, we don't want to get
"Synth Property Page."The first two set up tracks auto- too far off topic here, but suffice it to say that the more you
matically within Pro Tracks Plus, while the latter opens look into the Pro Tracks Plus/GNX4 combination, the more
up a view of the instrument. goodies you'll find.

Insert O)G Synth Options -,.•,.• ~ BACKING UP AND RESTORING YOUR DATA
lnse,t DXi into project and OK WITH MIDI
Create These Tracks: Open These Windows: What's the most important element of your guitar worksta-
Cancel
P MIDI Source Track v 1Synth froperty_ P~ tion? If you answered anything other than"the data inside it,"
Help
~ first Synth Output (Audio} r S_yntn flack View let me set you straight. The Presets and amp models you've
r AJ S_ynth Outputs (Audio} created are your "signature sound," and while any hardware
element of the workstation can be repaired or replaced, your
P' Ask This Every Time data cannot-unless you make a habit of backing it up so you
can restore it later. As the old saying goes, "digital data isn't
This dialog box sets up the synth's tracks automatically. real until it exists in at least two places."
124 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •
 You likely don't think too much about saving data, since you cannot save the User Preset collection this way unless
your GNX4 has probably been very reliable: When you turn you copy all the Presets over to the card first.
it on, you're used to seeing all your favorite programs, M101: Presets, Amp models, and the entire User collection
including your custom edits, in their appropriate memory of Presets can be transmitted as MIDI system exclusive data,
slots. Unfortunately, it's possible that the next time you turn and saved in a MIDI storage device. These include hardware
it on, those programs will be gone. If you saved your data, no devices (such as the Yamaha MIDI Data Filer,another GNX4,or
problem-reload it, and you're ready to rock. Otherwise, you even sqme keyboard synthesizers if they have enough stor-
may have to kiss goodbye to days, weeks, or months of age space) as well as various computer programs that can
parameter tweaking. (If you only use the Factory Presets, store system exclusive data.
they can of course be recalled. But why be normal? Program Pro Tracks Plus: Anything that can be sent out as sys-
your own sounds!) tem exclusive data from the GNX4 can be saved in Pro Tracks
The main causes of memory loss are: Plus, and backed up to computer as you would data with X-
• Dead memorybackup battery. Backup batteries have Edit. First, though, go Options > Global > MIDI in Pro Tracks
a long rated life, but that's an estimate, not a guarantee. Plus and make sure "Echo System Exclusive" is unchecked.
At some pointa backup battery will fail, and with it, the Also, don't forget that the GNX4 is a card reader. You can
memory that it keeps alive. back up system exclusive and other types of data from your
• Physical damage. Dropping the GNX4 could cause computer to a CompactFlash card sitting in the GNX4 card
damage that could wipe out its memory. slot (assuming, of course, that USB is connected), regardless
• RAM chip failure. If the memory chip fails, your pro- of whether or not you use it with the GNX4.
grams are history.
• Human error. It's possible to accidentally overwrite a Practicing Safe Sys Ex: How It Works
program, or do some other Dumb Human Thing that The parameters in a guitar workstation are all just numbers
erases valuable data. being crunched by a computer, and a Preset is simply a col-
You probably think these kinds of things happen only to lection of parameter numbers. So, everything that needs to
other people, and frankly, in my experience the GNX4 has be saved in the GNX4 is basically computer data.
never crashed, locked up, or lost program data. But there's The MIDI specification includes a way for manufacturers
always a first time, especially for that peskyllhuman error" to send equipment-specific data in a format that only
problem. equipment "trained" to recognize that data will accept. This
Fortunately, there are many ways to save your GNX4 type of data is called system exclusive (as opposed to data
data. MIDI can do more than control parameters and change that's common to a wide variety of gear) and called sys ex or
programs; saving and loading data via MIDI is one of the sysx for short. Furthermore, this sys ex data can be sent
most important other applications, and Pro Tracks Plus can along a standard hardware MIDI cable or via USB.
even back up and restore your GNX4 data. Now let's see how Although sys ex data is used in many ways, one of the
to get saved-not the religious experience, but the data most common applications is to translate Preset parameters
inside your Guitar Workstation. into sys ex. If you send this data over the MIDI out, and the
data enters the MIDI in of a device that stores sys ex, your
Back.up .B,asics data will be saved.
The best insurance against memory loss is not just backing
up your data, but making more than one set of backups, Basic GNX4 Backup to Hardware Devices
with the second set stored in a separate location. Let's assume you have a hardware device that can store sys
The GNX4 offers four main ways to back up, ea.ch of ex, like a keyboard on data filer.
which can back up different types of data. 1. Make sure that the hardware device you intend to use
X-Edit Editor/Librarian program: Backs up and loads can store system exclusive data. The GNX4 is very effi-
individual Presets (from the Factory or User collection), Amp cient and sends out less than a quarter megabyte of
models and Cabinets, and the entire User Collection. As this data, so just about anything should be able to handle
is all done to a computer, the data can be saved to hard disk, this amount of bits and bytes.
as well as backed up on CD-R, DVD-R, floppy disk, USB 2. Patch the GNX4's MIDI out to the device's MIDI in.You will
thumb drive, etc. However, note that X-Edit is Windows likely not need to patch the device's MIDI out to the
XP/2K and Mac OS X (10.2.8 and higher) only. GNX4's MIDI in.
Compactflash cartridge: All material on the cartridge- 3. Press the GNX4 Utility button. Use the Prev/Next but-
the entire Card collection of Presets, 8-Track Recordertracks, tons to choose the type of data you want to save:
and MP3 files and/or MIDI sequencers transferred to the • BULKDUMP (saves the enter User collection of Presets
card-can be transferred to a computer, and backed up to and Amp models)
any type of media your computer can handle. This process • PRSTDUMP (saves an individual Preset)
works with Mac OS X or Windows XP/2K machines. Note that • AMP DUMP (saves your amp models)
• The GNX4 Meets M101 •
 4. Check the documentation on the receiving unit to see 1. Go Options > Global > MIDI and make sure "System
what it needs to receive system exclusive data. In Exclusive"is checked.Also make sure that"Echo System
almost all cases, you will need to put it in a state where Exclusive" is unchecked.
it is ready to receive sys ex data; as soon as it receives a
c[6 Qptiom; u_rndO'/>, !:lelP
"header" from the GNX4, it will begin storing that data
•.~ t.IC<I De·,ices . .
in its memory. Do whatever the documentation says.to Instrumenl5 .
Du
get it ready for data storage:
5. For the BULKDUMP, press STORE. The GNX4 display
will update you on which User Preset is being sent at
any given time. After sending Preset 80, it will then Global Opttons _. ~ g,•

send all 9 Amp user models and all 9 Cabinet user mod- rev B,ndt Gene'Bt MID! IFclders I Eddin-J J ~ Data I OK

els. Proceed to step 9. Inital11at Record _ Cance. j

6. For the PRSTDUMP, use the Data Wheel to select the /.icn-Oes J;7 ~-
Help
~ ~e:· .:itterto0ct>
Preset you want to back up, then press STORE. The dis- ]JrneRul,
~ (or:troHer
Qr ur-1 Ma
play will show SEND TO, which means you can now ~ fat...."h 0-1ar1!;f:s
~ootn;l 5
associate a different Preset number with the Preset. For f-7 Channel ~OU•:::ti
f-7 Pitch _ilheel
example, suppose you really like Preset 10 and come up r E:.h~ Dll.ltnC'ut•o al n1DJtracks
with a great variation, and you don't particularly like ◄ w S: stem Et.c'usi·.-e
Preset 42 and wouldn't mind overwriting it. Use the Number of l;tuffors· rs:-- :
Data Wheel to specify 42 for the SEND TO value, and
when you restore the Preset, it will go into location 42 Playback

rather than Preset 10. Press STORE to send the Preset,

then proceed to step 8. f too sma • ;:layba :k m::r !>tGp unevpe::tecH. '

7. For the AMP DUMP, use the Data Wheel to select the
model you want to back up (1-9), then press STORE.
The display will show SEND TO, which means you can How to set Pro Track Pius's Global Options to work with sys ex storage.
now associate a different number with the amp model
if you want to,just as you could with the Preset. Use the 2. Under Options> Project> MIDI Input, it's usually best to
Data Wheel to specify the desired amp model destina- set "Echo Mode" to "None." But do remember to set it
tion number. Press STORE to send the Amp model, back to "Auto" when you're done with any sys ex-relat-
then proceed to step 8. ed operations.
8. If you want to save additional Presets, repeat Step 6. To p+ProTracksP!us - --=-..••1_1
save additional amp models, repeat step 7. When you're
done saving whatever you want to save, proceed to the M ► M M@u ■umj llillllmllt!I ~ cllm De·;jce1
rnstruments
next step. I 1111111 \ Time Pitch Vel Du

9. Press the GNX4 Exit button to get out of the Utility

menu.
10. But wait-we're still not done. Chances are that the
receiving device has stored this data in temporary
memory, not to some permanent medium. Consult the
device's documentation on how you can now save the
Pro_tect Opoon;

O•Jck

f-71 p·2
. "'- ,

l Metror.orr,... PDI !np,Jt

Record and Echo MIDI Channels

P" .i rv
j r,11'.)' Out i

iJ
eroJect ...

or
~,
I
H;,lp
data it captured to a storage medium, such as a floppy wz Ps w: 1r f;i 1-

disk or USB thumb drive. r;; 11 f;il!;

R 15

Sys Ex Backup With Pro Tracks Plus -

Pro Tracks Plus has sophisticated sys ex captu re/editing/
playback capabilities; in fact, it has a special view dedicated ~..e';-.
'r-:
r-:
to serving as a sys ex data recorder and playback device. yelccrt)•• i--:
Note that the GNX4 must be connected via USB to the com- J.pca!Or PM

puter running Pro Tracks Plus, and the GNX4 USB Active
LED (to the bottom right of the Data Wheel) should be lit. If
it isn't, then there's some communications problem
Turn off MIDI echo mode when working with sys ex.
between the GNX4 and Pro Tracks Plus.

126 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 3. Go View> Sysx. This opens up a window that can show
8,192 banks of sys ex. A bank could be something like
all User Presets, an individual Preset, etc.-whatever Length At.lo Output
piece of sys ex data you're sending. ...
1 <empt_y> 0 --
·;J~w iflsert T[ansport ~ J:rack Too!s Qptions lY,indow !jelp 2 <empt_y> 0 --
3 <empt_y> 0 --
; ~!toll Alt+S I:.. J!: .,____ _ 10 . ., •••f....,
t,entL·st Alt+4 Sysx Receive... . ·: ~
11T

0 bytes received (space for 16242565121 Icr~.oone~.:·i

"'"
1
~onsole
= II Syr,!b.Rack
Alt+3
Cancel I
81'.ideo ,:.Jt~
Alt+i
11 <empt_y> 0 --
.-.'. IemJJO 12 <empt_y> 0 --
~ <If 13 <empt_y> 0 --
la.touts ..
1 <empty> 0 -- 14 <P.mntu'> n --
,g.otiars. 2 <empty> 0 ..
3 <empty> 0 .. The status window shows the progress of receiving sys ex data.
OOdB 4 <empty> 0 ..
5 <empty> 0 ..
6 ,empty> 0 ..
7 <empty> 0 ..
8 <empty> 0 .. 6. Now turn your attention to the GNX4. Press the GNX4
9 <empty> 0 ..
10 <empty> 0 .. Utility button. Use the Prev/Next buttons to choose
11 <empty> 0 ..
12
13
<empty>
<empty>
D ..
0 ..
the type of data you want to save:
14 <empty> 0 ..
15 <empty> D •• • BULKDUMP (saves the enter User collection of Presets
16 <empty> D ..
17 <empty> D •• and Amp models)
18 <empty> 0 ..
19
20
<empty>
<empty>
0 ..
0 ..
• PRSTDUMP (saves an individual Preset)
21 0 -·
22
<empty>
<empty> 0 .. • AMP DUMP (saves your amp models)
23 <empty> 0 ..
24 <empty> 0 - 7. For the BULKDUMP, press STORE. The GNX4 display
will update you on which User Preset is being sent at
The Pro Tracks Plus sys ex "librarian" can record, store, and playback sys ex
any given time. After sending Preset 80, it will then
data.
send all 9 Amp user models and all 9 Cabinet user mod-
els. Proceed to step 10.
4. To set up Pro Tracks Plus to receive sys ex, click on the
8. For the PRSTDUMP, use the Data Wheel to select the
red arrow (receive sys ex) or type "C." At this point, a
Preset you want to back up, then press STORE. The dis-
window shows up that says "Request Synthesizer to
play will show SEND TO, which means you can now
Send System Exclusive." You want to select "You start
associate a different Preset number with the Preset.
dump on instrument" if it isn't already; then click on
Press STORE to send the Preset, then proceed to step
10.
9. For the-AMP DUMP, use the Data Wheel to select the
Length /Ju.o Output model you want to back up (1-9), then press STORE.

~:~
0-- s The display will show SEND TO, which means you can
Receive System fxdusive .' 2S.J now associate a different number with the amp model
fl.equest S_ynthe'SIZer to Send System Eidlsive
if you want to,just as you could with the Preset. Use the

~I Help
Data Wheel to specify the desired amp model destina-
tion number. Press STORE to send the Amp model,
then proceed to step 10.
1o. The counter will increment as Pro Tracks Plus receives
the data. When the counter stops, the sys ex has been
received; click on "Done.'' In this example, Pro Tracks
Plus has received 232,636 bytes of data, which repre-
sents the amount of memory used by the bulk dump.
0-· .:!J
"OK."
How to set up the sysx view to receive system exclusive data.

5. A screen appears that shows sys ex reception status. It

should read "O bytes received," followed by the avail-
able space for sys ex storage.

• The GNX4 Meets M101 •

 the open folder button, navigating to the file, and click-
ing on OK.
Bank Name
The following diagram summarizes these optioris, as well
1 <empty> 0 ..
2 <empty> 0 .. as shows the labels for sys ex toolbar items, and their key-
3 <empty> 0 .. board equivalents.
Sysx Receive... · '_.)~}.

232636 bytes received [space for 1624256512'.

11 <empty> 0 ..
12 <empty> 0 ..
13 <empty> 0 ..
14 <empty> 0 ..
15 <empty> 0 ..
16 <empty> 0 ..
17 <empty> 0 ..
18 <empty> 0 ..
19 <empty> d --
20 <empty> o ..
21 <empty> 0 .. Here are the various ways to work with sys ex data.
22 <empty> 0 ..
23 <empty> 0 -·
24 <empt_y> 0 .• Automatic Bank Sends
If you want to automatically send a sys ex Bank to the GNX4
When the counter stops incrementing, the sys ex transfer is complete.
when you open the project, here's how to set up an auto-
matic bank send.
11. The tool bar at the top of the Sysx view window is now
1. In the Sysx view, highlight the bank you want to send
fully functional. Click on the "abc" button to name the
automatically.
bank (always a good idea!)
2. Click on the ''Auto Send Bank" button (black arrow and
"star"button).This places a check mark in the"Auto"col-
umnfor the selected bank.

li'i Setter Off Now.cwp - Sysx ~':1 '

t I, Ix t '~ 0 ~ 1~1.1
Bank Name
Auto Send Bank [AJ
Help
1 <empty>
2 <empty>
.. 3 <empty> 0 ..
0 .. 4 <empty> 0 ..
0 ..
0 .. 5 <empty> 0 ..
0 .. 6 <empty> 0 ..
0 ..
7 <empty> 0 ..
8 <empty> 0 --
Name the sys ex bank so you'll know what it contains when you come back 9 ·<empty> 0 ..
to it later. 10 <empty> 0 -·
11 <empty> 0 ..
12 <empty> 0 ..
12. If you now save the Pro Tracks Plus Project, the sys ex 13 <empty> 0 ·-
14 <empty> 0 --
data will be saved as part of it. You can do six other 1!=i (P.mnhi> n ..
things with the stored sys ex bank: Any bank with a check mark in the Auto column will be sent upon opening
• Save it to disk as a sys ex file (click on the floppy disk the project.
button, navigate where to want to save, then save).
• Send the bank to a target device (click on the black 3. Save the project file so it contains this additional infor-
arrow at the left; the sends the bank data out over MIDI. maticm.
Click on the multiple arrows button to send all banks). 4. The next time you open the project, the sys ex file will
• Edit the sys ex data (click on the"paper sheet"to the left be sent automatically. This can be done without asking
of the open folder button). This doesn't work for long you, but it's probably better to play it safe and confirm
dumps, and if you're actually going to go in there and that you indeed want this to happen when you open
mess with GNX4 sys ex, I'm impressed! up the file. To be prompted before Pro Tracks Plus sends
• Delete the highlighted bank (the X icon). the file, go Options > G/Qbal and check "Ask Before
• Set up Pro Tracks Plus to send the bank automatically Sending System Exclusive (When Opening Projects)."
when you open the project, which we'll describe next.
• Load the bank from where you stored it by clicking on

128 • DigiTech Guitar Workstation: Power User's Guide •

 Glob.al Opttons ---~~

I
General MIDI I Folders! Edling I Mo Da I OK
100 1:900
P' Show Ioollps Cancel
l.;r Show,S.tatusBar
P' .Show MIDI Activiy on Windows Taskbar
r
P°
Display: P-JI Tmes as SMPTE
Otspla)' Left on Top for Mij2l Pan Envelopes
r Not•
r'
.
tev AAei.touch
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sp oJ!t"
r f llPle$s,on
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r D1spla)• Enyelopas On Percentage Scale r Controller r r~ (" Chge!

r .L,oad Non-SONAR Files in Offset Mode (' P.,tch!J-,arige r !J,ra::

r Oei!lle o.faul Drum Map for Non-SONAR F• (' CharNI AftertQI.ICh
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r MO C<'.KlVMl".d
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r NReN

r 'Ji/rte Cable Meta Everts to MIDI files (Port Select) Make sure Sysx Bank is checked so that this type of data will be transmitted.
&Jo-sav1t Every jc: ·~ Mim.tes or rc- ~ ~
jase Octave for Plchec: ro--- 2 6. In the Event List entry's Data field, enter the number of
Audition '°mmands for ~ :J Seconds the sys ex bank you want to play back.

Better Off Now.cwp • Event List • Track 1

, ... ~ p jJ ~ RM .~ ~ 01'1 T Oh- tel
It's extremely convenient to store your GNX4 data used Trk HMSF I MBT Ch Kind
in a project with that project. Of course, you can store any
other sys ex data as well for other pieces of gear you might
be using ... good stuff.

Type the bank number into this field.

Recording and Playing Back Sys Ex With
· Pro Tracks Plus ·
7. When the project plays back and the Now time hits the
If System Exclusive is checked under Options> Global> MIDI,
position you specified, the sys ex data will play back.
then Pro Tracks Plus can record system exclusive data into a
track and play it back. However, it's limitec;f to. messages that
are 255 bytes long-enough to send a controi setting or the
Use Common Sense, Though ....
If you're playing back an entire collection ·of Presets, this will
like, but certainly not enough for even a ·GNX4Preset, which
take a while. I've never had the GNX4 "choke" when getting
takes a bit under 3,000 bytes.
a large dump from Pro Tracks Plus, but you're probably bet-
However, there is a way to"embed"triggers iri atrack that
ter off saving individual Presets as sys ex banks, and trigger-
will play back sys ex banks from the sys ex view;you do this
ing them.
in the MIDI Event List view. Here's the secret.
So wouldn't it make more sense, and be easier, just to
1. Place the Now time where you want Pro Tracks Plus to
insert program changes instead? Yes, except that the pro-
send the data.
gram change assumes you have the same Preset loaded
2. Open up the MIDI track's Event List view by going View
into the GNX4 that you had when you inserted the program
> Event List or typing Alt-4.
change command. If you edit and tweak Presets a lot, that
3. Type the.computer keyboard's Insert key.This will insert
may not be the case. By sending sys ex, you're sending the
an Event into the Event List at the Now time position.
actual Preset data itself, not just something that calls up a
4. Double-click in the Event's "Kind" field
particular memory slot.
5. When the "Kind of Event" window appears, check "Sysx
Another advantage is that as long as you back up your
Bank" under Special, then click on OK~
project, you've backed up the data needed to re-create a
particular sound in that project as well.
Note that the Preset name on the receiving device may
not change immediately when it receives the sys ex; with
some gear, this may take a few seconds.

• The GNX4 Meets MIDI •

 Appen dix A A
ABOUT THE CD-ROM

The CD-ROM included with this book includes several If the videos are jerky, copy them to your hard drive and
videos, example files, loops, and some other goodies. play them back from there. Note, however, that slower
Note that this is not an audio CD; it requires a computer processors can also degrade video performance. Please see
for playback. Any modern Windows or Macintosh machine the "Read Me" text file on the CD-ROM for more details.
should be able to read these files.

131