DMC GCX Goodness

[Boltino]

I'm not usually much of a thread starter, but I was on the Voodoo labs site and noticed that they have uploaded schematic sketches of some example GCX setups. I've had a GCX for awhile and I'm a huge fan of the versatility of the unit. Anyway, if you are interested, check it out. These really show what the unit is capable of.

 

http://www.voodoolab.com/gcx.htm

[dmk]

i never knew you could use the front jacks as a sort of loop out.

some cool ideas.

cheers for the heads up

[Syn Harvest]

dude thx for this

[BlisteredPinky]

I just got a GCX this week. I spent hours trying to set up my rig yesterday, and those diagrams were essential for me. I printed them all out the day I got it, and used them to create my own. It would be cool if other people shared their own, because there are more ways to use this thing than I can imagine.

Sadly though, this thing has introduced an unbearable hum into my system. Even with nothing hooked up to it, if I run the guitar though it, either buffered or non buffered, the 60 cycle hum is insane. I'm not sure what to do about it.

[Boltino]

 

I just got a GCX this week. I spent hours trying to set up my rig yesterday, and those diagrams were essential for me. I printed them all out the day I got it, and used them to create my own. It would be cool if other people shared their own, because there are more ways to use this thing than I can imagine. Sadly though, this thing has introduced an unbearable hum into my system. Even with nothing hooked up to it, if I run the guitar though it, either buffered or non buffered, the 60 cycle hum is insane. I'm not sure what to do about it.

 

 

I had a slight hum issue too. It had to do with the GCX chassis being grounded to the rack case. I talked to voodoo labs about it and they suggested using "humfrees" which are rubber pieces that isolate rack gear from the rails, or you can open up the GCX and remove the chassis ground wire (undo the green screw and remove the wire). Voodoo labs was very helpful in sorting this out so you might give them a call. Good Luck!

[BlisteredPinky]

Thaks a million for the reply. I spend a few hours last night searching throught this forum looking for any and all info on ground loop problems, and I suspected that this might be a problem. I took the GCX out of the rack case, and the problem went away (for the most part.. there is still some hum, and I suspect it is the same thing with some other gear.. but a massive improvement.)

I am going to try to find some humfrees and give that a shot.

 

I'd love to know how pro's who build rack systems go about it. Like, do they use special cables, devices, grounding systems or whatever. I have learned over the last year of diving into building my rack that it is not as simple as "buy a bunch of bliky lights and bolt them in a box, and plug them in". It is way more complicated than I would have ever thought.

[tats_dragon]

Here's a pretty cool video:

http://www.planetwaves.com/resources/JDCPLW/Images/web%20videos/petruccirig2_isdn.wmv

 

 

Jun

[Boltino]

Here's a pretty cool video: http://www.planetwaves.com/resources/JDCPLW/Images/web%20videos/petruccirig2_isdn.wmv Jun

 

Good post, that's an excellent video. I learned a lot by studying John Petrucci's rigs over the years.

 

I learned a lot by reading on the axess electronics site. Petrucci's rig in the video posted above used axess electronics stuff extensively.

 

www.axess-electronics.com

 

 

There is a lot of good info on this site as well:

 

www.customaudioelectronics.com/

[BlisteredPinky]

Nice Video. Man, you'd have to be a N.A.S.A engineer to put that thing together. I'd love to see the detail on how he goes through and gets rid of pops and hums like he talked about, because that is just what I am doing, and my rack only has 7 pieces, plus 4 pedals that I switch out with the GCX. I am trying to run 2 heads in stereo, and right now the hum is so bad it is not usable, so I'm back to the garage tonight to work at it some more!

[J.Paul]

So how did the Humfrees workout??