Members srw Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 Hey all, With the majority of guitarists I know buying individual pedals instead of multi-effects units, is there a reason why so many of them are stearing away from multi-effects processors? To me, it seams like multi-effects seam to be the way to go.... 1. one box to plug into2. cheaper than buying all the individual pedals it would take to give you the same amount of option3. you can program a preset to turn off distortion and turn on delay & chorus with a single stomp rather than having to quickly stomp on there pedals....thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members angus_old Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 you can't change the order of multieffects, you're stuck with whatever's built into the box, and you can use a loop or switch for #3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GCDEF Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 1) single point of failure 2) I have money, don't care. 3) Different rooms and situations have different sounds. If I need to tweak something in a hurry, I lean down and turn one knob. No programming on a dark stage in a hurry or worrying about messing up existing presets. Mutli-stomping isn't that hard. 4) You can pick and choose which effects work best for you. 5) Individual pedals are generally better quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mlabbee Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 I have a PODXT live and really enjoy playing with it, but it really is a pain to tweak (even with the computer interface), plus, frankly, there is a serious option anxietyt issue when you have 30 amps, and a hundred or so effects to choose from - sometimes just plugging into a tube amp with a couple of pedals in front of it is just mentally easier. That said, the podxt did help me figure out what kinds of amps and pedals I do like . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members neuro-feed Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 Depends on what your needs are. I own about 16 pedals right now as well as the Boss GT-Pro. I'll be unloading the pedals soon. If you're a plug-and-go kind of guy then pedals are easiest to deal with but can be limited in their tweakability. Pedals tend to sound better as well, though if you find Boss pedals decent like me then something like the GT-Pro can pretty much do anything the pedals can and offer more tweakability but takes time to set up right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bowlingshirt Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 You can trade out individual pedals and upgrade. Can't do that with a multi-unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daniel2001 Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 you can't change the order of multieffects, you're stuck with whatever's built into the box, and you can use a loop or switch for #3 Not true. On the Boss GT8, you can change the order of effects. If you place a phaser in FX1 and in FX2 with identical settings, one before the preamp and one after (the simulated preamp that is) and you switch between them, it sounds different, like a phaser before or after the preamp. Boss have done a good job with it. That said, I now use individual pedals 95% of the time I'm playing. That doesn't include when using headphones, the GT8 is incredibly good for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shask Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 Its overkill to get a multi unit, and use 2 presets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TomCTC Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 A big problem with the GT-8 is you can only use effects in certain "blocks" (eg. Its impossible to use pitch shifting with phasing, or put a guitar synth through a flange). Many other multi-effects lump their mod effects into a similar catagory, and it gets frustrating sometimes. Single pedals are definitely the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Heineken Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 Having tried alot of high-end multi-effects in the past, i really,really hated the digital ping to them. Godawful. Even with a paralell loop you sound like a Nintendo, even in bypass-mode. It's not like i don't like digital pedals at all, i have some on my board, but i run everything through true bypass loopers, and that way i can switch on-off multiple effects with one stomp too, and take 'm entirely out of my chain. I love my PODxt for late-night jamming and usb recording, but i'd never use it on stage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members trlkvsky Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 Its overkill to get a multi unit, and use 2 presets Very true. For a long time I used a rackmount fx processor (I was young, impressionable, and didn't really know any better ), and I really only used one preamp sound/config with maybe comp/chorus/delay, sometimes a pitch shifter... When the thing broke, I was {censored}ed. So... another plus for the pedals: odds are they'll never let you down all at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daniel2001 Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 A big problem with the GT-8 is you can only use effects in certain "blocks" (eg. Its impossible to use pitch shifting with phasing, or put a guitar synth through a flanger Wrong. There are indeed 2 FX blocks on the GT8. FX1 and FX2. FX2 is where all the pitch shifting in. FX1 has the normal stuff like phase, flange, wave synth and so forth. Some effects (all the pitch shifting) is exclusive to FX2, but everything in FX1 is also in FX2, so you can use pitch shifting and a phaser, or a guitar synth through a flanger. I was playing my GT8 a minute ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mmmiddle Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 It's actually cheaper to get multiple individual pedals with the sounds and quality you want than to try and find a multi-effects pedal that sounds as good, and has a bunch of leftover effects and features you're never going to use and is hard to program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alan Roberts Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 Individual pedals are the way to go.Choice of mfg. for each effect,ease of programming,single point of failure(if any) are all big factors in my opinion. Peace, Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bondini Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 Would you want a midi system or seperates as a hi fi? Exactly. Those multifxs are really horrid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daniel2001 Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 Would you want a midi system or seperates as a hi fi?Exactly.Those multifxs are really horrid Nope, I can get some lovely sounds out of my GT8. My guitar tutor was quite impressed by it, he uses Way Huge, Fulltone and Mu-Tron for the most part, so he gets an awesome tone. He said he would consider buying one, till I showed him the manual, too many pages. The problem with the GT8 if you try one in a store is that the stock patches are too much. They all have too much gain or delay or chorus or whatever effect, the idea being to make sure you hear the effect in all its glory. That doesn't work. Take some time and learn to work with it, make some of your own patches and the sounds you will find in a GT8 are very good. I can go from a very accurate Malmsteen tone, to a again, very accurate Larry Carlton tone, straight to something that sounds not unlike Hank Marvin, all with a minimum of fuss. I've had the GT8 long enough that I have found the limitations, and now am buying single pedals again, GT8 is used for headphones now. Sometimes I plug it into my amp because it does sound pretty damn good, has some really sweet wah tones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daniel2001 Posted January 25, 2007 Members Share Posted January 25, 2007 Would you want a midi system or seperates as a hi fi?Exactly. Not really a sound analogy. Those new B&O systems are very good, as is the Linn all in one home cinema, don't recall the name of that. That said, NOTHING compares to proper sized hi-fi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bierball Posted January 26, 2007 Members Share Posted January 26, 2007 When I started playing pedals was pretty much the only choice out there. After a few years I bought my first multi effect, the godawful pos Korg A5. About a year later I ditched it and got a rack unit, Digitech GSP-21. Got rid of that and went back to pedals, swore I'd never bother with multi effects ever again. Never say never, last year I got a GT-8 and I love that thing. Delay spillover, synth sounds that are actually usable, fantastic distortions, midi control (I use it to change channels on my amp), great wah(s), harmonizer and about a hundred more sweet features. Sounds killer direct too, I'm actually thinking about not bringing my amp to gigs anymore. The CTL- expression-, and (optional) sub control pedal can do pretty much what you want them to. Change the order of the individual effects or put your favorite analog pedal in the loop, you name it. They really thought of it all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srw Posted January 26, 2007 Author Members Share Posted January 26, 2007 WOW..my first post and already lots of valuable advise... many thanks to all those who posted and thanks in advance for all those who post to this in the future. Peace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Collapse Posted January 26, 2007 Members Share Posted January 26, 2007 I just like having actual stuff. The room looks cool with keyboard, guitars, and little colored boxes sitting around everywhere. I'd rather own CDs than only have .mp3s, I'd rather have a modular synth than software, and I'd rather have 200 effects boxes and miles of cable than just one big box with some switches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Noise... Posted January 26, 2007 Members Share Posted January 26, 2007 Hey all, With the majority of guitarists I know buying individual pedals instead of multi-effects units, is there a reason why so many of them are stearing away from multi-effects processors? To me, it seams like multi-effects seam to be the way to go.... 1. one box to plug into2. cheaper than buying all the individual pedals it would take to give you the same amount of option3. you can program a preset to turn off distortion and turn on delay & chorus with a single stomp rather than having to quickly stomp on there pedals....thoughts? I was in the same position a couple months ago. I was in desperate need for effects, and I was trying to decide what to get. I personally choose SINGLE EFFECTS even though I'm not made of money. Why? For one reason and one reason alone. MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR SOUND. What good is an effect if you can't get it just how you want it? How about if you just want a few individual effects? You have to go to the trouble of making a preset just for one effect. Then, you get the one effect, and you can't do much to make it sound just how you want it. After that, multi-FX pedals were out for me. I didn't even get to the point of finding out that they don't sound as nice as real effects. Or that even though you'll get a ton of effects on a processor, only a few will be "useable" because the other ones sound so bad. Yeah. Since deciding, I've bought 4 individual pedals and I still haven't even come close to the price I was considering spending on a POD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marc G Posted January 26, 2007 Members Share Posted January 26, 2007 I think for a session player or if you're in a cover band that does a varity of music the multi effect units are great as you can create a patch for each song or situation. If you do your own stuff single effects give you more options IMO and it's easier to get YOUR tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members threm Posted January 26, 2007 Members Share Posted January 26, 2007 Individual multieffects are great! Just need to add some chrome, a black box and a looper.I`d do it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thatmullingskid Posted January 26, 2007 Members Share Posted January 26, 2007 i'd say, start with a good multi-effects. that way you can find out what you like and dislike about each effect/amp/whatever. By the time you're through, you should probably know exactly what you want as far as extra single boxes go and at the prices they're going for now, if you find even a few effects that you like, it would be cheaper than buying the individual boxes for those effects...especially reverb, pitch shifting, and delay. Then, when you have your single boxes of choice and multi effects unit, you can always use them together. Mine sound great together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members daniel2001 Posted January 26, 2007 Members Share Posted January 26, 2007 I personally choose SINGLE EFFECTS even though I'm not made of money. Why? For one reason and one reason alone. MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR SOUND. I find that with the GT8, I have more control over everything except the EQ, I have a Boss GE7, so thats why. Multi effects can sound absolutley great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.