G Major effects rack unit and a tube amp(DSL100) - tone? Thoughts?

[neopl]

After all, I'm planing on getting the G Major unit to couple with my DSL 100. This solution would save me a lot of cash, for 400$ I have all the MIDI switchable effects I will ever need. But my main concern is the loss of tone on my beautifully sounding DSL 100, those who are experienced with the G Major unit, what do you think? Is it worth it?

[Zachman]

After all, I'm planing on getting the G Major unit to couple with my DSL 100. This solution would save me a lot of cash, for 400$ I have all the MIDI switchable effects I will ever need. But my main concern is the loss of tone on my beautifully sounding DSL 100, those who are experienced with the G Major unit, what do you think? Is it worth it?

 

Here is a rig I built for a friend: (Notice the G-Major, and his DSL) I think it's a big bang for the buck. You won't realize the possibilities of that unit until you run it stereo, but it does sound good.

 

FWIW, If you are going to run it mono in the DSL's loop, set the I/O section of the G-Major to Consumer Level, NOT Pro Level.

 

 

[L6Sguy]

Here is a rig I built for a friend:

 

 

y'know, if you spent less money for him on gear, you guys could've enjoyed some nicer beers post-setup

[Zachman]

y'know, if you spent less money for him on gear, you guys could've enjoyed some nicer beers post-setup

 

[neopl]

Here is a rig I built for a friend: (Notice the G-Major, and his DSL) I think it's a big bang for the buck. You won't realize the possibilities of that unit until you run it stereo, but it does sound good. FWIW, If you are going to run it mono in the DSL's loop, set the I/O section of the G-Major to Consumer Level, NOT Pro Level.

 

How do I run it in stereo then? I want to use this baby to its fullest.

 

Also, if i end up in mono, I would rather not as i said , why choose the Consumer LEvel?

[Zachman]

How do I run it in stereo then? I want to use this baby to its fullest. Also, if i end up in mono, I would rather not as i said , why choose the Consumer LEvel?

 

You need another amp, and cabinet to run the 2nd half of the stereo field

 

Consumer level because the fx loop is designed to run at instrument level -10dB NOT line level +4dB (pro level), and you will have the proper signal level for your input level on the G-Major to work properly.

[neopl]

 

You need another amp, and cabinet to run the 2nd half of the stereo field Consumer level because the fx loop is designed to run at instrument level -10dB NOT line level +4dB (pro level), and you will have the proper signal level for your input level on the G-Major to work properly.

 

 

On the DSL there is a loop level switch though, 2 options, 1 for floor pedals, the other for rack units. So could this be it? If I run it in rack unit set up then it will prolly take the G Major on the Pro level. I'm just speculating, so someone clear up

[Zachman]

 

On the DSL there is a loop level switch though, 2 options, 1 for floor pedals, the other for rack units. So could this be it? If I run it in rack unit set up then it will prolly take the G Major on the Pro level. I'm just speculating, so someone clear up

 

 

When I put John's rig together, I found that no matter the position of the Loop switch, the effects input level was far too low, even w/ the G-Major's input knob ALL the way up. When I adjusted to the Consumer Level, I was then getting the correct signal level to allow me to bring the G-Major's input level down to where it should've been, and everything sounded more full and worked perfectly.

 

Try for yourself and see what works best for you. BTW, the DSL's loop WILL be affected by how loud you run the amp the softer the amp, the lower the signal sent to your G-Major will be. The louder the amp, the higher the input level signal to your G-Major will be.

[neopl]

 

When I put John's rig together, I found that no matter the position of the Loop switch, the effects input level was far too low, even w/ the G-Major's input knob ALL the way up. When I adjusted to the Consumer Level, I was then getting the correct signal level to allow me to bring the G-Major's input level down to where it should've been, and everything sounded more full and worked perfectly. Try for yourself and see what works best for you. BTW, the DSL's loop WILL be affected by how loud you run the amp the softer the amp, the lower the signal sent to your G-Major will be. The louder the amp, the higher the input level signal to your G-Major will be.

 

 

Am I still going to be able to run pedals in the loop with teh G-Major? I don't want to limit my self jsut to the rack units.

[Zachman]

 

Am I still going to be able to run pedals in the loop with teh G-Major? I don't want to limit my self jsut to the rack units.

 

 

You can, but depending on the pedal/pedals, you may or may not choose to do so.

 

OD, Fuzz, Distortion, Boost (for higher gain), I would run in front of the amp's input, not in the loop.

[neopl]

And how can I switch channels on the DSL with the MIDI Controller? Because that will be he main thing for me, being able to assign EQ to lead channel and switch to it with EQ enabled on the switch.

[Zachman]

And how can I switch channels on the DSL with the MIDI Controller? Because that will be he main thing for me, being able to assign EQ to lead channel and switch to it with EQ enabled on the switch.

 

From the latching contact jack on the G-Major, that is either set to be open or closed for whatever preset you save.

[neopl]

Can I control all of the G Major without the foot switch as with the foot switch?

 

I'm asking because I wont have enough cash to obtain both items at the same time.

 

And thank Zachman, you've been really helpful so far.

[Zachman]

 

Can I control all of the G Major without the foot switch as with the foot switch? I'm asking because I wont have enough cash to obtain both items at the same time. And thank Zachman, you've been really helpful so far.

 

 

yes you could without the footswitch, but it'll be a potential pain in the ass to do it while you're playing.

[scottkahn]

The G-Major is a fantastic value -- you get pro quality reverb/delay/chorus etc. in an inexpensive processor that is simple to program/configure (by rack gear standards, that is). If your levels are set right, it's very transparent in your sound.

 

While stereo operation is totally cool (I used to run a stereo rig), for most uses outside of recording, unless you're in a pro touring band, stick with a mono setup. Here's what typically happens:

 

1. Cool stereo rig with two cabinets.

2. Get to the gig.

3. Sound man throws one mic on one speaker in one cabinet and won't waste his time miking the second cabinet. He may even say that it doesn't matter because the PA is in mono.

4. The club front-of-house sound hears only half of your guitar signal.

 

MOST pros use mono rigs because it's simpler, and the guitar is a mono instrument in the first place, but sometimes use stereo for specific effects when needed. Also, for recording purposes, most engineers prefer not to record stereo guitars. The preference is to record two mono guitar tracks rather than one stereo track, which may have issues with phase cancellation.

 

Also, you're caught up on the "consumer level" vs. "pro level." What Zachman is calling consumer level -- he really means "instrument level" vs. "line level." The latter is called pro level sometimes because more high-end studio gear just happens to be configured for a different signal level, whereas most end-user music gear is configured for a different level.

 

You should go with instrument level settings in your loop like he suggested for now. You won't have "better" audio quality with the line level (pro level) settings in your amp, but might actually have more noise in the signal chain as you have to max levels on the G-Major or the loop.

 

Scott

[neopl]

Matching levels, I can imagine that will be a pain sometimes, as at my house where most of the playing is done I play on low volumes, but then when I go out with my rig I play at higher vols, so constantly I'll have to adjust the levels. But I can live with that.

[scottkahn]

No -- that's not the level problem I was talking about. It's a matter of setting the Input and Output levels on the front of the G-Major in combination with the level controls for the effects loop on your amp.

 

Once those are set, your amp's master volume, or channel volume, shouldn't impact the level of the signals going in and out of the effects loop.

 

Scott

[neopl]

ah ok, thats good about the levels. Now when it coems to recording, are there any recording outs on the G Major, I'm not for the hassle of micing up my rig for bit of in house recording.

[scottkahn]

No... there are no amp or cabinet simulators in the G-Major. TC Electronic doesn't put that stuff in their processors... they're all about the effects for your pro guitar rig, not simulations of a guitar rig.

 

Gotta' mike it up! Note that some newer Marshall heads like the JVM have recording cabinet-simulated outputs, as did the JMP-1 MIDI Tube Preamp and some stuff in the DSL/TSL line.