Multi-effects Boards or Pedals?

Yeah, I have a GNX3 - but I've never tried downloading patches. You can tweak your own though, with a CD that comes with it. But I've had enough success playing with settings... I think I'd find download patches distracting (listen to a hundred, find the ones that are almost right, play with those, etc.)

I started out with single boxes, and tried a lot of stuff to get different sounds. I running a pignose amp with a ripped speaker, and putting a PA mic on that. Gave an interesting fuzz tone.

But over the years I've done less and less with effects - so now the pedalboard route makes perfect sense to me. The GNX3 supports 128 presets (64 factory, 64 user) which is truly overkill - I never need more than 3-4 at a gig. But it's got some big plusses over carrying several stompboxes: portable, fast setup, no batteries, etc.

i 'm looking at the gnx 4, all that i have read about it, its perfect for gigging 8)

You can decide on the effect sequence, for yourself - you can even put some into the effects loop (after the pre-amp stage of your amp), which is something a multi-fx won't allow you to do (unless you buy two of them).

Sorry, that's incorrect. Even most cheaper multi-effects allow total control over effect placement, and using the four-cable method can be placed in the loop or before the amp. Ofcourse you can add a pedal to a proper multi-effect, and anywhere in the chain. Heck, Boss used their moveable FX-loop since the GT3 IIRC. You can even assign this to a controller so you can change effect placement in a milisecond. Try that with stand-alone pedals.

Actually, quite a few mlti-effects are more or less individual pedals in one casing. This means not loss of quality regardless of what you do with it, plus it remains far easier to switch everything. Once again, try that with pedals. Finally, as for sounding unique: modern multi-effects allow far, far more truly unique sounds then a bunch of seperate pedals can do. And if you don't know what I'm talking about you probably haven't really used any proper multi-effect.

No offense to anyone, but all these 'drawbacks' were solved a decade ago. Units like the GT8 offer extremely high quality, extreme flexibility, allows for any number of addition pedals in any position, can swap each position of both the internal effects *and* the loop and allow for sounds no collection of pedals can ever archieve (dynamic mode anyone?). And this is just a $400 multi-effect.

But yeah, if you compare a $99 multi-effect agains a slew of 'boutique' pedals then multi-effects are crappy...

Arjen,
Are you saying that you can decide whether to use the compressor before the flanger, for example, in any multi-fx unit? I've only come across this option in the top-of the-range models, like the GT-8, not in anything like a V-AMP2, MX50 or even an AX1500.
Only very few multi-fx units offer an effects loop. Such things as the V-AMP2 won't give you that and you, certainly can't send the compressor to the pre-amp and the flanger to the effects loop.
Only the expensive multi-fx units (GT-8) will allow you to add a pedal, none in the low to mid-range, that I've come across, offer that.
The fact still remains that a multi-fx is, for 90% of the guitar playing world, overkill. These thousands of unique sounds that a GT-8 can create are simply not used - most people settle for 3 or 4 pedals to get their sound and that's as far as they need to go.

would any of you guys reccomend the gnx 4, i've read alot about it but have not had the time to check one out?

I play stompboxes because I don't have $400 to shell out on multi-fx, of course if i sold my stompboxes and saved up a little i would, but with that said, I mainly just use a tubescreamer, wah-wah and the distortion built into my amp. After I get the delay pedal that I ordered as well, picking up a better amp, my sound should be where I want it to be.

I play stompboxes because I don't have $400 to shell out on multi-fx, of course if i sold my stompboxes and saved up a little i would, but with that said, I mainly just use a tubescreamer, wah-wah and the distortion built into my amp. After I get the delay pedal that I ordered as well, picking up a better amp, my sound should be where I want it to be.

Thats why I bought a GT-8. All the boxes I really wanted, OD-TubeScreamer-Flanger-EQ-Tuner-Wah totalled more than a GT-8, which includes all of those mentioned and more...more more more. :twisted:

And when I do get in a band I can easily gig with this thing.. either straight into a board or through my amps. ??

The fact still remains that a multi-fx is, for 90% of the guitar playing world, overkill.

I guess I fall in the 10 percentile.

If you like the recording aspect of it, you can find TONS of uses for the multi-fx. Intro here, fill here and there, rhythm there and don't forget the solo!

Gigs (multi-fx) !!!???....................Don't you have a set-up already?

Really though, if you are gigging……. you already have a “sound”.

2 multi-fx uses – (and that's about it!)

-Finding what tones you like. (Great for starting out.)
-Recording

Even with the recording aspect, you are never 100% satisfied. That is where modern technology steps in (one step further).

Greybeard: The V-amp, AX1500 and stuff like that are all cheaper then even one boutique pedal. They are all, IMHO, extreme budget-class. If you want a proper multi-effect as alternative to say, four pedals then I'd say you'd be looking at somewhat more expensive units.

With the V-amp you do send the compressor pre-gain and flanger post-gain, but you indeed can't change that. But the V-amp ain't a multi-effect but a $100 budget modeller with some mediocre freebee-effects. If you want a Behringer multi-effect with moveable FX positions there is the DPS2024P (I believe Mikespe has one). It ain't has an FX loop but you can buy two for the price of one Vox compressor pedal.
The fact still remains that a multi-fx is, for 90% of the guitar playing world, overkill. These thousands of unique sounds that a GT-8 can create are simply not used - most people settle for 3 or 4 pedals to get their sound and that's as far as they need to go.

Definitely. Multi-effects offer insane ammounts of options and are sometimes extremely confusing to operate. So I understand that most people simply don't need and want such a unit. But the argument that you are sacrificing quality or individuality by using multi-effects is one I can't agree with.

(and yeah, I realise my first post sounded like a preacher on steroids, sorry!)

Arjen,
You do not have to buy a boutique pedal to get good quality sound, but you do have to buy a good quality (read expensive) mutli-fx to get similar quality. Having paid all that money, you ignore most of what the multi-fx unit is offering - you are paying for stuff you don't want and won't use. That's poor economics.
Furthermore, many analogue effects are simply superior to digital effects. Yes, I realise that you will counter with the argument that digital is becoming closer to analogue with every generation, but I don't understand why anyone would want a digital simulation when you can have the real thing?

Having paid all that money, you ignore most of what the multi-fx unit is offering - you are paying for stuff you don't want and won't use. That's poor economics.

That depends. Suppose I find the easy of switching multiple effects so convenient it's worth a few bucks to me, regardless of the extra sounds. Multi-effects offer a range of advantages and it's to each individual to decide if one or some of these advantages justify the extra cash.
Furthermore, many analogue effects are simply superior to digital effects. Yes, I realise that you will counter with the argument that digital is becoming closer to analogue with every generation, but I don't understand why anyone would want a digital simulation when you can have the real thing?

No, digital isn't getting close, it's far superior. With the exception of reverb I firmly believe most basic effects like flangers, delays etc are simply better digital. Compare the hi-end part of a tape unit and proper digital delay, the digital one is far clearer and detailed. Reverb is still tricky but you can get *far* more variety out of digital reverbs, to the point that the result would not have been possible with analogue devices at all.

Again: if you think Eric, Jimi and his buddies were the holy grail in tone, then all you need is analogue stuff. It makes no sense to get digital if all you want is sound like old anologue sounds. But if you need more flexibility, new sounds, a truly own sound, then you can't stick with the old stuff. It's amazing what you can do with digital units: have signals split into different channels depending on your attack or split the range of your guitar in different sections and apply different ammounts of compression to each one of them, for example. It's a new way to approach guitar, just like what's now traditional was once progressive.
You do not have to buy a boutique pedal to get good quality sound, but you do have to buy a good quality (read expensive) mutli-fx to get similar quality.

Then would you mind telling me which pedals you'd buy, that equal the quality of the GT8, cost no more then $400 in total and does not suck your tone dry when placed in one chain? I assume every guitarist needs reverb, delay, compression/limiters/EQ/some kind of modulation. That would be six pedals, plus patch cabels, a power supply and splitters for it. That would leave around $370 for six pedals, or $60 each. That means Zoom, Digitech, Behringer and stuff like that. Which means that you will get infinitely more tone suckage then with the single GT8, plus the sounds are less good, less varied etc etc.

Single pedals are for those who want the sound of the past and only need a select number of pedals. If you want more sounds, more options for live performances, stronger signal integrity and higher quality effects for that budget it's multi-effect all the way.