Boss GT-3 Owner's Manual
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Boss GT-3 Owner's Manual

Guitar effects processor
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The Unofficial
GT-3 Owner's Manual
Supplement

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  • Page 1 The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement...
  • Page 2 Second Edition © January, 2001, December 2008 NOTICE: This document is copyrighted material. Permission is granted to reproduce this document under the following conditions: It may be distributed, posted, printed by any means but must remain intact, with no additions or deletions either to the content or the file structure.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ...............................7 HOW TO USE THIS SUPPLEMENT........................7 ................................8 ONNECTIONS ............................8 UMMARY OF THE NTERFACE ............................8 ANKS ATCHES FFECTS EDITING A PATCH ..............................9 ................................9 IRECT EDITING Quick Setting Method:............................9 Normal Setting Method: ............................9 Jumping through the parameters: .........................9...
  • Page 4 Some things to try with Vocals through the GT-3:....................46 ....................... 46 ETTING THAT UITAR OUND USING THE GT-3 TO BREATHE LIFE INTO YOUR GUITAR: ..............47 GUITAR EQ TRAITS:............................. 49 WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE GT-3? ....................... 50 forsmg-gt3@yahoo.com Copyright © January 2001, December 2008...
  • Page 5 The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement GT-3 ..........................50 OW TO THINK ABOUT YOUR MIDI FOR PC CONNECTIONS ..........................51 MIDI...............................52 OTES ON GLOSSARY ................................53 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS............................59 forsmg-gt3@yahoo.com Stephen M. Golden Copyright © January 2001, December 2008...
  • Page 6 The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement forsmg-gt3@yahoo.com Copyright © January 2001, December 2008 Stephen M. Golden...

  • Page 7: Introduction

    BOSS Effects Processor, but rather a feature/price break-through. The GT-3 does not have all of the features of the GT-5, but neither does the GT-5 have all of the features of the GT-3. ® The introduction of the GT-3 places a superior BOSS effects processor between the ME-30 and the GT-5.

  • Page 8: Connections

    NUM}. What does this mean? Normally when you change banks on the GT-3, the effect will not switch until you select one of the patch pedals in that bank. The light on the pedal corresponding to the patch that was active in the previous bank will flash indicating for you to select one of the patches in the bank.

  • Page 9: Editing A Patch

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement Editing a patch Direct editing Perhaps the easiest way to edit a patch is to start by pressing one of the Effect Select Buttons. For example, to modify the delay effect in the patch, press [DELAY]. You will be able to turn the [VALUE] dial to set the effect either on or off.

  • Page 10: Ez Edit

    To cancel an edit at any point before you [WRITE] it, simply press [EXIT]. The changes you made will still be present in the patch, but once you select a different patch, the edits will be removed. (O. M. p.31) Perhaps someone else has a better idea of what BOSS had in mind for using this feature. forsmg-gt3@yahoo.com Copyright ©...

  • Page 11: User Settings

    (O. M. p.21) For example, if you like a particular type of chorus, delay, or overdrive, the GT-3 lets you save this effect into one of the four {USER} areas for that effect. Once stored as a user setting, it can be applied to any other patch.

  • Page 12: Tuner/Bypass Button

    Expression pedal all the way toward you. If you always want to tune silently, you can set the tuner to Mute mode, which will cut the GT-3 output whenever the Tuner is accessed.

  • Page 13: Utility

    GLOBAL GLOBAL settings allow you to make immediate overall settings to the GT-3’s output. Output Setting – Allows you to configure the GT-3 to be best suited to the type of amplification you will be using. Low EQ – Allows you to adjust the Low EQ for all patches.

  • Page 14: Midi

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement Assign Hold – On - The current value of the expression pedal is read upon loading a new patch. For example, if you have the expression pedal returned in one patch, and without moving the expression pedal, you change to a patch where the expression pedal controls volume, the patch will be silent.

  • Page 15: Midi Data Transfer

    The transmission and reception of MIDI information by the GT-3 is named from a narrow perspective and can be misleading. “MIDI Bulk Dump” sounds like the GT-3 will be sending MIDI data, and “MIDI Bulk Load” sounds like the GT-3 will be receiving data. However, the names do not describe the direction information will be flowing.

  • Page 16: Expression (Exp) And Control (Ctl) Pedals

    Expression (EXP) and Control (CTL) Pedals The Expression and Control pedals allow you to modify the sound produced by the GT-3 while you’re playing through it. For each patch, these pedals are set to specific functions at the factory. You cannot permanently change the control functions for the preset patches.
  • Page 17 The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement Quick Setting Method: If you choose to use one of the Quick Setting options, you do not need to go through the “Normal Setting Method” steps described below. Turn the [VALUE] dial clockwise or counterclockwise until the function to be controlled is shown in the display.

  • Page 18: Ctl Pedal

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement CTL Pedal For each patch, user and preset, the [CTL] pedal has been factory set to control a specific function. In the user patches, you can change the [CTL] pedal to control a different function from the one set at the factory.

  • Page 19: Control Assign

    EXP Pedal to be CTL; that would be a contradiction.) For the ASSIGNS, you can set the source yourself to one of the sources available in the GT-3 (see p.20 below). To see these definition areas, Press [PEDAL/ASSIGN].
  • Page 20 MIDI Control Channel 1 through 95 – The MIDI Control Channels allow an external MIDI device to dynamically change the settings on the GT-3 while you play. For example, if a sequencer controlled a keyboard, a drum machine, and your GT-3...

  • Page 21: Multi-Function Ctl

    For effects that incorporate modulation, such as Phasing, Flanging, Chorusing, and Delay, you have the option of adjusting the BPM rate. The GT-3 also has a feature that allows you to tie all of the BPM values for individual effects to a MASTER BPM rate. You can even assign the MASTER BPM to a control pedal enabling dynamic synchronization of the BPM rate to match the tempo of the song you’re playing.

  • Page 22: Using The Control Pedal To Set The Bpm Rate

    Setting Feedbacker to [CTL] allows you to trigger the FEEDBACKER effect with your foot. Once the [CTL] pedal is set as a source, play a note and press the pedal. The GT-3 will produce a feedback sound the same frequency as the note played. This effect will last until the pedal is released. (See “Setting the [CTL] pedal”...

  • Page 23: Synth Hold

    71-3 GATE SYNTH. Play a note and press [CTL].) Mute Setting Mute to [CTL] allows you to silence the output of the GT-3 with your foot. Tuner On Setting Tuner On to [CTL] allows you to access the guitar tuner with your foot. (See “TUNER” on p.12.) Manual On Setting the Manual Mode to [CTL] allows you to turn on manual mode with your foot.

  • Page 24: Sub Exp Pedal / Sub Ctl 1/2

    Connecting SUB CTL 1 & 2 to the GT-3 (Insert Cable) To connect two foot-switch pedals to the GT-3 you need a cable that is ¼” Stereo (TRS) on one end that splits into two cables each having a ¼” mono (TS) plug on the other. This type of cable is often called an insert cable.

  • Page 25: Discussion On Some Esoteric Effects

    The resulting sounds are often referred to as "metallic", and BOSS goes so far as to call them "unmusical", but they can sound quite nice (as well as totally alien). In the GT-3, one of the interacting notes is your guitar input, and the other is an internal oscillator. As a general guideline, when these two notes are "musically stable"...
  • Page 26 In the GT-3's "Intelligent" mode, the input signal is tracked to create a "movable" internal oscillator, so any texture you conjure up will remain consistent for every note you play. This tracking oscillator may be set to any interval in QUARTER-TONES!!! with 72 being a unison, 48 being an octave down, 24 being two octaves down, 0 being three octaves down, and 96 being one octave up.

  • Page 27: Cosm - Composite Object Sound Modeling

    These precise models are placed into digital processors, allowing the GT-3 to reproduce the modeled sound quite closely to the original including dynamic and transient responses. An advantage of the modeled sound is that the digital model produces the characteristics consistently every time, as opposed to real amplifiers that can sound different from day to day and year to year.
  • Page 28 When using the GT-3’s preamp and speaker simulations, you don't want to have additional coloration from any pre-amps or speakers that come behind the GT-3. That is why you have to indicate by means of the global settings what your real back-end system is, so that the GT-3 can take the necessary compensatory actions.
  • Page 29 I swear, the GT-3 nailed it perfectly. To get realistic simulations (I feel that's the beauty of a GT-3. To sound like other amps and do it well, not to have its own sound), we'd all do better to a/b the GT-3 with the sound we're going for.

  • Page 30: Using Auto-Riff

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement Using Auto-Riff When fully utilized, the Auto-Riff function consists of three parts: 1. The Auto-Riff Phrase. 2. Setting up the Auto-Riff effect in the patch. 3. Setting the Control/Assigns to trigger the riff (unless it is always in effect for the patch).
  • Page 31 Now, that’s a pretty simple five-note riff. The GT-3 Auto-Riff feature is capable of much more. The note that triggers the riff does not need to be the first note played in the riff. Let’s say you had two riffs that started with C.
  • Page 32 The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement All the USER Auto-Riffs have been preset at the factory with the same phrase for each note. If you set up your riffs to be triggered with a C and a Db, as described above, every other note you play will cause the factory-preset riff to be triggered.

  • Page 33: Setting Up The Auto-Riff Effect In The Patch

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement Setting up the Auto-Riff Effect in the Patch Once you’ve either decided on a preset riff or programmed your own riff as described above, you’ll need to set the Auto-Riff Effect parameters in the patch. This is where you set the Auto-Riff tempo in the patch to play at the correct speed, and assign other parameters as well.

  • Page 34: An Auto-Riff Example

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement An Auto-Riff Example Assigning the Auto-Riff to the patch This is an example of setting the Auto-Riff so it is available to the patch for use with the CTL pedal. Even after you complete these settings, this “example” Auto-Riff will not play any riffs until you complete “Controlling the Auto-Riff”...

  • Page 35: Controlling The Auto-Riff

    I put the Auto-Riff as the last effect in the chain so that the bass line is not affected by other effects (reverb, delay, chorus, etc.) and place the GT-3 in manual mode so I can enable/disable effects as I am inspired.

  • Page 36: Auto-Riff "Sound On Sound

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement Auto-Riff “Sound on Sound” To have an Auto-Riff play while you play over it: Here is an example that allows you to have an Auto-Riff play continuously while you play your guitar along with it.

  • Page 37: Internal Pedal

    From: G H <gh@sarkyweb.demon.co.uk> 1) Set up a patch on the GT-3 (or in the PC editor program) that just uses an external OD/DS. [Make sure all other effects are off.] Set the BASS & TREBLE to 0 as these add EQ to the loop.

  • Page 38: Effect Descriptions And Uses

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement EFFECT DESCRIPTIONS AND USES These are described in excruciating detail from pages 38 through 57 of the Owner’s Manual. Users who see areas of ambiguity or omission in the Owner’s Manual are encouraged to submit suggestions for elaboration in the next version of this Supplement.

  • Page 39: Boss Recommended Effect Sequence

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement BOSS Recommended Effect Sequence ® According to the BOSS Guitar Effects Guide Book, Vol.14) Any effect that detects an envelope, such as auto Wah and octave, should be connected close to the guitar. Usually, you should connect the Wah pedal before the distortion pedal so it can regulate the distortion however, hooking it up after the distortion may produce a sound you want.

  • Page 40: Tips And Tricks

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement TIPS AND TRICKS The Expression Pedal Expression Pedal as a Volume pedal Resolving volume pedal touchiness: From: Nick Oatley" <nick.oatley@seri.co.uk> In the assigns, turn the PEDAL Assign off (it's probably doing the Foot Volume setting at the moment, but we don't need it here).

  • Page 41: Simultaneous Volume And Tuner On The Expression Pedal

    -- as you get a predictable tone on a single note, and if you play more than a single note, the GT-3 feedbacker does not know what to do and freaks. By blasting the 400 Hz range with the expression...

  • Page 42: Expression Pedal As Wah

    <openthepodbaydoor_hal@yahoo.com> The 'Pedal Wah' option accessed by the Wah button on the GT-3/5 is quite limited. It sets up a basic Wah, but I always felt the range was a bit limited and it lacked poke compared to the Coloursound and Vox WAH’s I have used previously.

  • Page 43: Expression Pedal As Volume And Wah

    He suggests making two identical patches side by side on the GT-3, and setting one to use the EP as volume, and the other to use the EP as Wah. It’s still a single pedal push to switch the EP function the same way the requested CTL function would work, so it accomplishes the task simply and eloquently.

  • Page 44: Other Effect Tips

    From: Tony Ross <6828@iname.com> The GT-3 and GT-5 is just a preset Wah and you can't change it much. But the cool thing is because you can assign 8 things to the expression pedal you can change the Treble in the preamp or maybe the high- mids in the EQ etc etc.

  • Page 45: Using 2X2 Chorus

    From: Jeff Brown <you_enjoy_myself@hotmail.com> I've been using the GT-3 feedbacker to simulate playing an octave higher. I'm learning a solo that goes too high for me play comfortably on the neck. By setting the feedbacker to boost +1 oct, the rise time to 0, and the depth to 100, it adds enough overtone to simulate a higher note, and I can play it more easily.

  • Page 46: Some Things To Try With Vocals Through The Gt-3

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement Some things to try with Vocals through the GT-3: From: Russ Poncher <rponcher@earthlink.net> Using the GT-3 for Voice Processing Start out by turning off the preamp or setting it to acoustic. The following effects are often used to record...

  • Page 47: Using The Gt-3 To Breathe Life Into Your Guitar

    Altering the sound on the fly is the real strength of the GT-3 and appears to be the most confusing to people. Let’s examine in detail how you can do this.
  • Page 48 This sort of stuff is useful if you are playing a guitar synth and using the GT-3 to send patch changes to the synth as well. In this way you can change your guitar sound without changing the synth patch.

  • Page 49: Guitar Eq Traits

    The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement functions. In this way you start with all these clean normal sounds, the first set of assign/wave pedals ramp your sounds up with distortion, echoes, flange etc, You riff for a few moments and all the sounds morph in reverse back to your clean sounds.

  • Page 50: What's So Special About The Gt-3

    How to think about your GT-3 O.K. Here we go, a FREE lesson in GT-3. The best way to work with the GT-3 is NOT to think of it as a big blue box with loads of FX, or as a multi-FX unit. Think of it as a load of Stomp boxes. — You know, like the small Boss pedals.

  • Page 51: Midi For Pc Connections

    Can’t get your connection to work? A common mistake made by new users is to plug the IN cable from the PC to the IN port of the GT-3 and the OUT cable from the PC to the OUT port of the GT-3. This seems to make sense, but is incorrect.

  • Page 52: Notes On Midi

    Honky-Tonk piano. Imagine the train wreck you'll hear when you try to play a MIDI piano part on a MIDI drum machine, or vice versa. The GT-3 is not a MIDI instrument. It cannot capture the notes you play and send them out the MIDI port, nor can it play a MIDI file from your PC or a MIDI keyboard.

  • Page 53: Glossary

    Also improves sustain without adding distortion. Control Pedal (CTL) - Either the fifth “push pedal” on the GT-3 counting from the left or one of the optional external push pedals that allow you to control the sounds and settings of the GT-3 with your foot.
  • Page 54 Event - Something that happens. Expression Pedal - The continuously variable controller on the GT-3. (The one that looks like a vehicle’s accelerator pedal.) External - Any device that plugs into the GT-3 like a SUB CTL pedal.
  • Page 55 Limiter - Limits the peak levels of sounds so they do not exceed a set threshold. Manual - With regard to operating the GT-3, this is the ability to turn on and off specific effects individually while you play by pressing the push pedals without making adjustments to the patch.
  • Page 56 Octave - Creates a signal one or two octaves lower than the original signal. On–Board - Any part of the GT-3 that is physically located on the unit itself, such as the Numbered pedals. Order Of Effects - Defines where an effect is placed in the signal path. If you had individual effect pedals, this would be the sequence in which you connect them with the cables.
  • Page 57 Step - A single numbered instruction which is part of a logical series of numbered instructions. Sub CTL 1 / 2 - A connector on the back of the GT-3 where 2 additional latching or non-latching Control Pedals can be connected.
  • Page 58 This has nothing to do with “Tap Tempo.” Tap Tempo - The ability of the GT-3 to dynamically set the rate of an effect, such as delay, to the rate at which you press a CTL pedal.

  • Page 59: Acknowledgments

    I would also like to thank the following GT-3 wizards for their contributions to this work: (They are listed alphabetically by first name or identifier.) Barry Pearce <bsp.egroups@freenet.co.uk>...
  • Page 60 The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement INDEX 2x2 Chorus.............. 45 Editing a patch ............9 Direct ..............9 Easy..............10 Anti-feedback............22 Effect ................ 8 Assign Hold ............14 USER Settings ............ 11 Assigning Control ........... 19 Effect Sequence ............39 Auto-Riff..............
  • Page 61 The Unofficial GT-3 Owner’s Manual Supplement INDEX Normal/Toggle ............24 Sub Ctl 1 / 2 Pedals ..........24 Sub EXP Pedal ............24 Synth Hold...............23 Order of Effects ............10 SysEx Data ..............51 SYSTEM ............13, 58 Patch ................8 Editing ..............9 Tap Tempo ..............22 Direct ..............9 Tempo..............22...

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