well,i'm no expert,but I will do what I can
me and my buddy demonofthefall have been tweakin it for 6 months now,learn something new everyday,it is the most difficult pedal to tweak
but when u do finally get that sound that u want.. :twisted:
do you have any particular questions in mind???
First off let me give you a few hints in itself.....
1.the gt-8 is not like all the other multi effect pedals,it simulates a live rig of analogs.You cannotc crank up the volume on everything.Always have your patch levels set around 70-80% and no more.You have to also consciously balance the levels of your preamp your distortion,your effects...dammit..gotta balance everything :lol: otherwise you will get clipping(which is essentially feeding a louder signal into a space than it can accomodate-kinda like a double decker bus going under a bridge designed for a singel deck bus).Start with all levels of preamps dist,effects relatively low and move it up .A good way to test it out it to check each effect individually and also check the effects clean.
2.the output level near your cableout is NOT meant to be hiked up completely.If you dont know why,read the manual
3.Level matching!!! match your input level to your output level,everything will sound like crap otherwise.The main aim is to get your OUTPUT level at the same level (number of bars) as your INPUT level. The input level is how strong your signal coming in from your guitar is, basically how hot your pickups etc are and nothing can be done to alter this initial, original signal coming in from your guitar, this is just the GT8 testing how powerful your guitar is. Only the OUTPUT meter can be changed. When you test your input level, make a note of how many bars that go across the screen coming from the left. If your clipping here, then i dont know what to do, sorry.
Now, if your OUTPUT level is way past your INPUT level, or is clipping(when the bar goes all the way to the right), you NEED to reduce the output level by going to LEVEL ADJUSTMENT screen. (your manual should tell you how to go there) and turn the jog dial down, say a Db at a time, and everytime you turn the dial down one Db go back to the OUTPUT level screen and see where your at until your two levels match (INPUT and OUTPUT). Again, if your OUTPUT level is too low to your INPUT then raise the Db's in the LEVEL ADJUSTMENT screen. But dont worry too much if the OUTPUT is lower than the INPUT. Remember - clipping is bad! My INPUT level is about 75% and my OUTPUT is on about 50% now.
Now, from here, pick your favourite patch, be it clean, or distorted. Go back into the LEVEL screens by pressing the system key etc (refer to manual) and go through ALL of the individual effects you have turned ON for that patch - pre-amp, OD, reverb, chorus, whatever you have ON (by turning the jog dial one at a time to the right) everytime you turn it, strum the guitar and see where the meter goes. If it clips or goes too high (past your output/input level) then you need to lower that particular effect, probably via the EFFECT LEVEL option. You could have nearly every effect at a nice level, but your reverb REALLY high, and this is whats causing your clipping, so turn it down.
Again, too low..raise it a bit, but be careful, take time over this and you will reap the rewards! Keep adjusting until all the effects you have for that particular patch are at a decent level and are nicely balanced.
I suppose the main thing is to not go past your original INPUT level, and certainly not clip! And remember, your GT8 is not there for volume, thats what your amp is for, its there to give a nice clear signal wether its clean or highly distorted
4.depending on your guitar,adjust the input presecnce.For a standard Ibanez kind of guitar with a humbucker the input presecence should be between -5 to -10 db.I use an RG-1550 with Evos.my value is -10.This removes a lot of noise especially from the preamp section.
5.It took me 5 months to realize and admit that the preamps on the gt-8 do nideed kinda suck in a small way.But if you havent used the dual mode and combined two amps,you are missin out on a world of fun.READ THE MANUAL!!! :lol:
One of my favourite combos is a mix of the Marshall Higain and the Peavey 5150.
6.Keep all gain levels low,Do not crank it high,My gain in the dual mode is usually around 60 on each preamp.I use an overdrive to add a missin element whenever i feel something is missing from the sound.The gain on the overdrive should be very low,the warm OD is cool.As a dist and OD they suck,but they r very good booster pedals.
7.even the level of the rpeamps and the distortions are very important,keep them low and then move them up.
8.The Boss gt-8 was designed to emulate amps when all the settings(bass treble mid prescence are at 50% or 12oclock)So DO NOT EQUALIZE YOUR PATCHES AT THE PREAMP.
there is a kickass equalizer for that
9.Understand how the equalizer fileters work,and what the Q factor is.It is one of the most useful tools IMO.am not writing anything on that one..u can google it.
10.Your global EQ settings,set these carefully as they affect your sound.It is basically only for change of venues.
11.If you dont get enough sustian form the gt-8,either your guitar is not setup well enough or your noise suppresor is too strong.Common problem
12.Use an FRFR amp(pm me if you wanna know more).
check out this gt-8 primer
http://www.bossgtcentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=3419
Hope this helped.There is no easy way to get your sound,read as much as you can and try it out with your gt-8 :twisted:
cheers
