And it's easy to switch between wah and volume on the rocker pedal. Or use the rocker pedal to control the drive on an amp emulation or OD/distortion emulation. For example, make the delay switch into a boost if you don't need it to switch the delay. For example, you could use the stompbox switch to switch between compression and overdrive. You can even get creative with the switches, programming several actions on one switch. More than one sound engineer has been initially skeptical until they heard it out front, and I've gotten compliments on the tones.Īs with a real amp, once you have the amp/cab sounding as you prefer, choose a distortion or overdrive emulation for the stompbox switch for those times when you want to pump it up a notch a bit of compression to taste and another effect like chorus, phase or flanger on another foot switch depending on your needs. For example I've gotten some nice tones by morphing the Bassman and Marshall emulations. I can't speak to the quality of all the emulations since I don't use them all, but I've been pleased with the ones that have caught my ear. Three useful sounds from a single foot switch. For example you can set up a good clean or crunch amp/cab on one channel, set up a more distorted amp/cab on another, and use the morph channel to get an in-between sound. I prefer using it in the mode that works like an amp with individual switchable FX, rather than the preset switching mode. The morphing ability is great for finding custom amps that combine some of the best features of the stock emulations. Start by dialing in an inspiring amp/cab sound with no FX. For me, the key is to start from scratch and treat it like any other amp/cab combination. I find the factory patches to be less than satisfactory. There's even a simple built-in drum machine which can come in handy when looping or as a metronome when writing. In the studio the built-in 8 track 24 bit recorder is great for songwriting and working out arrangements. The built-in looper (with tons of time using CF cards) and the MP3 playback ability are both useful for solo gigs. It's solidly built with a metal chassis and has a very readable display (although for outdoor gigs the display needs to be shaded or it will wash out - a powered monitor speaker behind the pedal can double as shade source).įor live use I like that I can mix the guitar input, stereo 1/4" line inputs and USB digital audio, and use the two sets of stereo outputs (XLR direct out for FOH with plenty of output and 1/4" for a powered monitor speaker or guitar amp, each with its own output control) which means I don't need to bring a mixer or DI when doing multi-instrumentalist gigs or adding a guitar synth. It has a lot of functionality, compares well to my other rigs, and can simplify the setup when I'm running direct to FOH and mixing several instruments on stage. The GNX4 is still getting plenty of use both live and as a songwriting tool. I have multiple amp/FX choices, from classic tube and solid state rigs to modeling plugins and pedals.