Digitech BNX3 and multi-track looping...

[Gruuve]

I finally started experimenting a bit with the BNX3's looping capabilities. Pretty slick. You can simultaneously loop up to 8 independent tracks. And that's in addition to layering overdubs on top of each existing track. The "multi-track recorder" capabilites of the BNX3 leave a lot to be desired, but they've made up for all those shortcomings with the 8-track looping capabilities.

 

Now the drawbacks. The BNX3 has 16Mb of memory onboard, so that equates to 3 track minutes. Better keep those loops short! You can add 128Mb via SmartMedia card, but if you read my other recent thread, those are expensive and getting scarce. However, one 128Mb SmartMedia card does add 24 track minutes...not bad, but sure could be better.

 

The guitar-oriented GNX3 and GNX4 both have similar capabilities. The GNX3 suffers from the same limitations as the BNX3 (in fact, you can easily convert one to the other by loading the other's firmware!), while the GNX4 accepts up to a 2Gb CompactFlash card. The GNX4 also has some bass models on it, although it's effects aren't as tweaked for bass as the BNX3 is unfortunately. Or that's what I've gathered anyway. (Now that I've had a BNX3 for a while, perhaps I should test a GNX4 again to see if my ears hear things they didn't before.)

 

Anyway, the BNX3 lets you switch modes (recorder/looper, stompbox, or preset mode) while a loop is playing...that means you can change patches or turns effects off or on without stopping a playing loop. Nice.

 

Also, you can run all the main looping functions using the footpedals only if you have it in recorder mode. I think I can now sell my Boss RC-20 looper pedal!

 

Btw, any thoughts on how to get two bass parts to sit a little better with each other in a loop? I typically will play a groove low, then maybe do a melody up high. That can still get a little muddy though based on note choices. It seems to work pretty well to lay down a groove using the neck pickup, then play the melody using the bridge pickup. Also, cutting some lows in the melody seems to help (and I probably need to also try boosting some mids or highs). But, even with all this, I still find myself wanting to reach for the electric guitar to do the melody rather than doing it on bass. Any suggestions on how to better sonically segregate two bass parts on the same loop?

 

Dave

[alexclaber]

Really knock out the lows on the higher part - think thin rather than fat sound. Try to change mindset as well - sit in the groove for the bassline, then fly free and lyrical for the melody.

 

Alex

[Thomas Wilburn]

I find that going up on the neck for melody parts usually carries a lot more midrange, and less high and low. So I often use a scooped slap EQ for "bass" parts and then go back to my unaffected sound for the melody. It can also help to play closer to the neck for bass, and closer to the bridge for a crisp-but-thin faux-guitar part.

[...]

Originally posted by Dave Sisk:

Anyway, the BNX3 lets you switch modes (recorder/looper, stompbox, or preset mode) while a loop is playing...that means you can change patches or turns effects off or on without stopping a playing loop. Nice.

Just make sure you hit both buttons when changing modes or you're going to inadvertently start a drum loop. That's one 'feature' of the BNX-3 that I've always hated. You'd think that they could have added another button for switching modes or simply have picked two buttons where one does not start/stop the drum machine feature in 'recording' mode.

 

While I'm busy complaining about the BNX-3 I'll also mention that I don't like the fact that they never made a rack mount version. It would be much more convenient to have a rack mount version when playing live. It's less than easy to make adjustments to sounds on the fly with that unit. Having the buttons and knobs you need to interface with on the floor makes things that much more difficult.

 

All that ranting aside the BNX-3 is a good multi-effects unit. The models are great and it has a ton of them.