KVR Audio

GreatExpectations · Post by **GreatExpectations** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 4:42 am

Could someone explain the pros and cons of using a hardware unit like the boss gt-100 vs a vst line guitar rig? I'm thinking in terms of sound, latency when recording, ease of programming etc. I appreciate this is often subjective but I wouldlike to hear your thoughts.

For background, I mainly produce electronic music with Ableton and am looking to incorporate some guitar work. I don't play live, this would be purely for studio work. From what I have read, it seems one of the main benefits of having a hardware unit like the Boss is the access to foot switches and a pedal for expressiveness and ease of use. Currently I don't own an amp but I do have monitors and an audio interface. One thing that puts me off the software route is having to have the computer switched on, even if I just want to jam.

incubus · Post by **incubus** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 5:23 am

I'm your man

I have a GT-100, and it's good*

Here are the benefits of ditching the computer based system:

-Get a decent tone, record a track, then do your eq and such later.
-Related, you don't screw around trying to get "that" tone as much. Record, mix later.
-No cpu hit (a big one, even with modern day computers)
-You store your presets in an easily foot-switch design and don't need to have an editor open**
-It's built like a brick shithouse!
-Good FX for messing around.

The main downside is that if you want less distortion, you can't.

I'm not the tone guru I once thought I was. But for me that concept is generally better than having to mouse around all the time.

*I recently upgraded to a Helix. It's really expensive but I feel my tones are better. I don't think it's placebo.

**The GT-100 has an excellent editor for the computer though, it's really quite handy.

SaganTech · Post by **SaganTech** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 6:53 am

while I do not have a GT-100, I do have Native Instruments guitar rig and a Boss GT‑001 Guitar Effects Processor. Both are good. The main advantage of The Boss GT-001 is that there is no latency whatsoever and it is instant on. It comes with ASIO drivers to use as a audio interface and you can record just the guitar on up to 4 channels (dual stereo), 2 without effects (to add effects later) and 2 as it sounds coming out of the device. You can do this while listening to the entire mix. To me it is well worth the price. The sounds are great and I am not sure why the other poster said you cannot dial back distortion as all the effects parameters (at least on the GT-001) are adjustable. Supposedly the GT-100 and the GT-001 have the same sounds and are patch exchangeable.

incubus · Post by **incubus** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 7:48 am

SaganTech wrote:while I do not have a GT-100, I do have Native Instruments guitar rig and a Boss GT‑001 Guitar Effects Processor. Both are good. The main advantage of The Boss GT-001 is that there is no latency whatsoever and it is instant on. It comes with ASIO drivers to use as a audio interface and you can record just the guitar on up to 4 channels (dual stereo), 2 without effects (to add effects later) and 2 as it sounds coming out of the device. You can do this while listening to the entire mix. To me it is well worth the price. The sounds are great and I am not sure why the other poster said you cannot dial back distortion as all the effects parameters (at least on the GT-001) are adjustable. Supposedly the GT-100 and the GT-001 have the same sounds and are patch exchangeable.

Because once you print it do your daw, your stuck

SaganTech · Post by **SaganTech** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 8:25 am

Well, okay that makes sense for the GT-100 but for the GT-001 you can always record the dry signal.

ghettosynth · Post by **ghettosynth** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 8:50 am

I find that guitar rig is fine once you are ITB. However, I've noticed that even short latencies impact my playing. I much prefer to generate tone for monitoring externally to the computer, even if I ultimately print dry and use a different effects plugin later.

The GTR-001 seems like it might be a good choice, but, it's not that hard to set that up yourself depending on how you use your amp/fx. I often put my fx into the effects loop of my amp so that it's easy to tap the dry signal.

PurpleCatfishBettie · Post by **PurpleCatfishBettie** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 9:16 am

Today, there are very many 'outside of the box' options.

If you can mic a guitar amp speaker, that might be another route. If volume 'in the air' is a problem, many solid state/digital/hybrid amps have 'record direct out' options.

Also, it might sound funny, but other 'direct' boxes (aside from the aforementioned Boss unit(s)), including the Joyo AC Tone might be cool. You've got a NUX ampsim pedal, etc. Moving to another level, are the AMT, and Tech-21 pedals, etc.

...as for the 'bucket list':

-Get a decent tone, record a track, then do your eq and such later.
-Related, you don't screw around trying to get "that" tone as much. Record, mix later.
-No cpu hit (a big one, even with modern day computers)
-You store your presets in an easily foot-switch design and don't need to have an editor open**
-It's built like a brick shithouse!
-Good FX for messing around.

Generally, even though the hardware is different, most of the above speak to my own experience.

'No cpu hit' is one of the big ones. It's nice to have the stem already 'printed' and need -- at most just 'a bit' of eq/fx. Ampsims can really bog down this computer.

My favorite sounds are from mic'd amps. 2nd are the hardware pedals like the Joyos and such. I still dig ITB-ampsims, but it's kind of a refreshing novelty, getting the 'ducks in a row' prior to hitting 'record'.

Hink · Post by **Hink** » Sun Nov 20, 2016 3:47 pm

If volume 'in the air' is a problem, many solid state/digital/hybrid amps have 'record direct out' options.

ime to get a good sound with these you need speaker emulation or IR's, all my amps except my Boogie SOB have this option and both my actuators do as well. The sound coming out is quite harsh, but with something like re-cab or filter cabs they work pretty well. This may not be true with some of the newer digital modeling amps though, I dont know.

Like has been said with ITB sims for me the issue is latency hence why I record a completely dry signal and I also record the line out though but tbh I use the line out more frequently when I'm working with bass.

micklamm · Post by **micklamm** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 12:54 am

Hi

I am using the Boss GT-001 as you mentioned above. I'm wondering how you go about recording both a wet and dry signal and how to send the dry signal back to the GT-001 to then add effects. Do you know where I could find detailed instructions on how to do this?

Thanks

Mick

SaganTech · Post by **SaganTech** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 1:16 am

Hello micklamm,

If you install the USB driver, there are 4 audio inputs to the computer. The first stereo pair they call “PRIMARY” and the second is called “SECONDARY.” The GT-001 PRIMARY outputs the effect sound, and the return from the computer is mixed with your guitar performance at the final stage. From page 34 of the parameters guide manual:

Regardless of the settings of the GT-001 itself, SECONDARY always outputs the dry sound, and the return from the computer is always returned to the beginning of the effect chain. With GT-001, both PRIMARY and SECONDARY are being output to the computer; this means that by using two guitar tracks on your computer, you can record the dry sound and effect sound simultaneously. If you’re not happy with the effect sound from PRIMARY, you can play back the simultaneously-recorded dry sound from SECONDARY, and send it through the effect chain."

I find this setup to be ideal. As the effected sound can be recorded using Primary, while listening to the complete mix and the dry sound can be recorded using secondary listening to the entire mix. Then if you need to remix the guitar you route the dry signal back into the GT-001 and record the wet signal using primary.

micklamm · Post by **micklamm** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 1:32 am

Hi

Thanks for the quick response. I'm just starting to look at this function so please excuse any dumb questions. So to do this I woulkd set up two guitar tracks in my DAW (Studio One). Got that. How do I physically set the GT-001 to record the wet sound to one track and the dry sound to the other track. I tried to do this but both tracks recorded the wet sound.

Mick

SaganTech · Post by **SaganTech** » Sat Jan 21, 2017 1:46 am

I don't know studio one, but there is most likely a setting to select the input port.

lfm · Post by **lfm** » Sun Jan 22, 2017 11:05 am

In the last years I have been going towards hardware as much as possible - both for guitar, bass, piano, organ, drums and synths.

It's a one button push to get going sitting down and play and tweak a bit - which often is origin of songs. Dictaphone always within reach doing that, if so just from headphones.

If so to kill just 15 minutes even, making it much more common doing that rather than having to boot a computer and starting various programs - but that's me having a separate daw computer not running all the time.

Practise on an instrument and finding new musical ideas is the same for me.

Boss gt-100 vs guitar rig