Gcx setup help!

[Captain Chunkulus]

okay, here what I have.. Guitar>buffered input of gcx>out into input of decimator prog rack g stereo mod into loop 5(dyna comp mxr chorus) int loop 6(mxr Flanger) into loop 7 (channel 2 of pro rack g into loop 8 feeding the front of amp and the effects send of my amp) then into loop 1(channel one of pro rack g) into loop 2(vox time machine delay and EH boost pedal)into loop 3(Digitech legend 2) into loop 4(loop 4 is empty right now) out into effects return of my amp(Peavey 6505 plus)..okay, this all works good but when I switch from say a clean patch using loop 5 and loop 3 to a distorted patch using loop1, 7, 8 I get a loud pop but when I go the reverse direction from distorted to clean I get a tolerable small click.. Any Ideas? I've never liked the clean channel on this amp so I bypass the preamp and just use the power amp with the legend 2 as a preamp and for reverb and delay only for clean stuff. I use the vox delay and boost pedal for lead stuff.. Any help would be great..Joel

[JohnClark]

I don't really follow what the function of Loops 1, 7 and 8 in this setup. Unless there was a problem, I don't see any need for switching out the two Decimator channels since this particular noise gate is triggered by the raw guitar input. GCX Loop 8 is "feeding" the front of the amp and the Effects Send? ...the Effect Send would be an output, so is this just a mistype?

Can I get you to fill out one of the blank GCX diagrams with the exact connections you will be using and post it back here?
http://www.voodoolab.com/gcxdiagrams/bl ... heet_p.pdf


I hope this helps!

[Captain Chunkulus]

I guess I was just wondering what the best way to set this up was.. But here is the layout that I am currently using. Side note, I set the prorack in loops because if I set the pro rack where it gates hard for my rhythm sound then when I use my lead patch it cuts off notes. Also it cuts off my clean guitar tails when I hold a chord for awhile.. This way I could kick them out entirely.

[JohnClark]

OK, that is much more clear!

The problem I see here is that the signal from the Out of GCX Loop 8 is switching between an Line Level signal and an Instrument level signal. It would be better to move the Legend 2 so it is routed earlier in the signal chain and switch between the Effect Send of the amplifier and the Output of the Legend 2 as if they were two preamps. Also, It is likely this level difference that forces you to need to bypass the noise gate in some situations.

The quick way to test this would be to simply run the output of GCX Loop 7 to both the instrument input of the amplifier and the appropriate input on the Legend 2 using a Y-Cable. The Effect Send of the amplifier would run to the In of GCX Loop 8 and the Output of the Legend 2 would run to the Return of GCX Loop 8. All other connections would be the same. This should get rid of the pop and you will likely notice that the noise gate channels behave a bit better. If so, you will likely need only a single channel of the Decimator routed just before your delay in front of the Effects Return of the amplifier without needing to switch it in and out... this should free up some loops for more effects!

Good Luck!

[Captain Chunkulus]

That worked out great, Thanks Man!!! Now if I can just get rid of my ground hum problem>>

[JohnClark]

A ground loop?!

You can try connecting your guitar directly to the input of the Decimator to test if the GCX chassis ground connection needs to be lifted.

Good Luck!

[Captain Chunkulus]

Okay, When I plug into my decimator pro rack g stereo mod. Guitar in and then out to my amp, taking the whole gcx thing out of the equation I get ground hum.. I think there maybe something wrong with my decimator..What do you think?

[JohnClark]

Is everything else disconnected from the amp? What happens if you pull the Decimator out of the rack so it is not touching anything else?

[nyteowl]

This is taken directly from the ProRack G Stereo Mod manual:

THIS VERSION OF THE PRO RACK G IS A CUSTOM VERSION FOR RACK DESIGNERS. THIS SYSTEM PROVIDES CONNECTIONS THAT REQUIRE THE GUITAR TO BE PLUGGED INTO THE LINE INPUT JACK (1) AND THE INPUT OF THE AMPLIFIER TO BE PLUGGED INTO THE LINE OUTPUT JACK (2). THIS WILL ALLOW THE DECIMATOR TO TRACK YOUR GUITAR SIGNAL MORE ACCURATELY AND WITH MORE PRECISION. CHANNELS 1 AND 2 ARE BOTH AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE NOISE REDUCTION FOR 2 SEPARATE EFFECTS LOOPS OR STEREO CHANNELS.

That being said, have you tried running your guitar into the ProRack G as described above? The manual isn't much, but I attached it...

[JohnClark]

@nyteowl

I would assume that this is exactly how the Captain is running his Decimator due to him showing specifically that the Channel 1 and 2 gate sections are connected to two GCX loops routed elsewhere in the signal path. On the other hand, I do know what happens when one assumes.

@Captain Chunkulus

I should be more specific for the purposes of testing this setup. My understanding of the last test condition that still produced a buzz was...
1. Guitar directly to Decimator "Line" Input.
2. Decimator "Line" Output directly to the Instrument Input on your amplifier.
3. Nothing else connected to either the Decimator or the Amplifier.
Is that correct?