Boss GT1 tutorial - How to setup like a stomp box board

[@jkro30a]

I think what many people don't realize is that since your process sets up a virtual stomp board in *one patch* it means they can create many different virtual boards in separate patches. Brilliant, Gary!

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Cheers Jeff!👍

[@yendorcire]

I've had my gt1 for a year and this is what I wanted from the start. Thank you.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

So glad the video was of use to you 👍

[@davemorrison-amurderofcrow287]

Gary - thanks a million, your videos are the most useful and helpful I've found. I bought the GT-1 several years ago, couldn't make it do what I wanted, and put it aside and let it gather dust. Now, with your help, it has replaced my pedalboard - smaller, lighter, simpler, more options. Well done.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

@@davemorrison-amurderofcrow287 Thanks Dave. I initially thought I would use the GT1 for certain smaller gigs or particular situations, but it does so much so well that I'd now be lost without it.

[@patrickestwick5675]

I love my Boss GT 1 but I have soooo much to learn still about it! Thanks!!

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

@@patrickestwick5675 Aye man there's a lot in this wee toolbox to know, but don't stress yourself out by feeling like you need to learn it all. It does a million things but you just need to know what works for you. For instance I dabbled with the ping pong delay and stereo outputs, but unless you're gonna take and mic up two amps to gigs, you can ignore that. Lmk if you have any Q's

[@Subilon]

Thanks Gary for this.I was going to get a boss gt1000 but no need now.I’m going to set my gt1 this way now.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Exactly! Smaller footprint and less knobs to fiddle with = more fun on stage 🤘

[@scottalexander619]

I’ve had one of these for over a year that I used as a looper when I first got it. I had no idea how much it could do until today 😂. Yours looks like it has seen some serious action!

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Haha yeh man, and this is the second one I've had. We do a lot of rough and ready pubs and weddings so durable gear that can take a beating is a must. Hence why I love this thing ❤

[@jeffking543]

Thanks. Just got one and first thing I did was use your tip to turn off the volume/FX setting on the expression pedal. I wonder if that is why many people complain about the built-in patches having unequal levels. I thought same until I realized I was touching the pedal and turning the volume down. ...later realized I had to do that for each patch!

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Na the presets will still be different volumes regardless of your exp1 settings. You can use the on board exp to change them as you go but if you watch my other video about setting up tones per patch it may help.

[@ArtVeratinez]

I use a lot of what you mentioned, HOWEVER, in a live setting I keep my patches in order so I only need the down button. Opening up the up button for other options as well as the FS-6 (I prefer the horizontal orientation). You should probably mention that buttons that ARE NOT CTL buttons have limited options to them. Still useful, but not as versatile so you have to choose accordingly. A very solid MFX board.have been giving with it for a year now👍🏼

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Thanks for the comment dude. It's amazing how even a tiny board like this can be used in so many different ways. I use it exactly the way you described for originals gigs or when I know what the setlist is and I can plan ahead, but mostly my covers band just show up and go "What you wanna hear?" 😂 So it makes sense to use it like this as sort of a "cover all" (pun absolutely intended) toolbox. Hope the gigs are going great man 👍 Let me know if you have any Q's

[@PaulWalkerMuso]

Very cool, not thought of using it like that before. Cheers

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Thanks Paul glad it was of use to you!

[@maekymaek.0302]

Only you my friend showed the secret of this device. Madness. Absolute madness. and to all the rest that made this device bad: you guys.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Ha it is a real tiny hidden gem for those that take time to figure it out 😊

[@marsellusbrel]

Best tutorial i've found yet. You really gave me the most useful tips

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Glad you found it helpful!👍

[@lsgphoto]

Thank you for this tutorial! Was thinking about getting this but I thought you could only switch on/off the pedals from CTL1. Definitely getting the GT1 because of this!

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

When I realised you could unlock it's potential this way I knew it was a keeper. Hope you make some good tunes with it

[@jkro30a]

Great advice! Thanks for taking the time and for the clear instructions. Very useful. Most valuable demo of them all! And I've seen most of them.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Thanks again Jeff. Still waiting for Boss to employ me on their marketing team 😂

[@johnearley3541]

Thanks Gary. Just came across your GT1 videos. I use it for small (bandstand) gigs direct to our little PA system but you’ve opened up all sorts of extra flexibility and alternatives to switching between half a dozen different patches on the fly 🤘🤘🤘

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Amazing John, so glad the videos were of use to you! Hope the gigs are going great 👍

[@DemWarrenRacha-gt6wf]

Thank you very much sir. So helpful maximizing my gt1. From Philippines🇵🇭. 🤟

[@ETHERMAN777]

VERY HELPFUL

[@MontyDeane]

Thanks bro! Been looking for a way to do that, works great! Thank You

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Really glad it was of use to you thanks Monty 👍

[@georgemurdocca4871]

Amazingly helpful, thanks very much Garry.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

@@georgemurdocca4871 any Q's let's me know George 👍

[@TasmanAxeman]

Received my GT-1 - what an awesome device. Very similar to my GP-10 (without the synth of course) The footswitch mode described here by Gary works a treat. Only thing to note is there does not appear to be a way to use the Assign feature on the up/down pedals. This is a shame, as on the GP-10 I could assign multiple things to one footswitch. E.g. Overdrive + Delay. On the GT-1 The Up/Down pedals can be assigned to just a single function - e.g. Overdrive only, with no other Assigns (unless I'm missing something). Shame. It still works for me. I’m happy. But thought I’d mention it.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

I haven't tried that so didn't notice it. I think you can assign CT1,CT2 + CT3 to do multiple functions. It is weird that up and down can't be used in the same way but as I say to myself every time I find something I wish I could do with this "what do we expect for £150" 😂 Happy jamming bro 👍

[@TasmanAxeman]

@@garyjohnstonemusic Too right Gary. After spending sh** loads on Kempers, Tonemaster Pro, guitar synths etc etc this is the best bang for buck music grear I’ve even bought. Keep up the great videos mate!

[@cc_1983]

Best video - all questions answered 🎉

[@mattmiskie]

Excellent. Thank you Gary. Exactly what I was looking for. ❤️☮️

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Thanks Matt, really glad the video was of use to you 👍

[@hanovergreen4091]

I still use my GT-1 every time I play. AND it is dirt cheap so if a drunk pukes/spills bear on it, I can get another cheap. It also has stupid low latency for use with S-Gear on my computer. Thanks for the videos Sir and Best Regards and Best Wishes!

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Haha dude I'm on my 4th GT1 due to playing 250 gigs a year at weddings and dive bars and drunkards destroying it (once was my fault but anyway...😂) so yes, it's great to know that as long as you have it backed up with the software you can always just duplicate it to a new board. Happy jamming bruv!

[@danmc5394]

I'm going to try this. I have mine setup as a sequence of patches named for each song in our setlist. I use a 3 button external pedal that do exactly what you're doing with the Up, Down and CTL1. I figured if I have 99 spots, I can use the first 48. This also helps me for the few songs we do that are drop D. I have a patch that does nothing except remind me to tune back to std. I can't count how many times I've started Little Sister in drop D. I'm getting fairly good at tuning back up on the fly but it's not ideal. I really appreciate the tip with the expression pedal. I've accidentally hit that and killed my volume. Funny because of how long it takes your brain to realize what you've done. Not long but feels like a minute when your live. Love my GT-1

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

A 3 button ext pedal is even better! How can that work with just a stereo ext input though?

[@danmc5394]

I’ve set mine up so that the first button of the 3 button pedal is my boost, the second button is delay and the 3rd button will turn both the boost and delay on or off at the same time. You can assign a different effect to each button though. Not sure how it works but it does.

[@barrycoupland1]

This was very helpful thanks. I use this pedal in my livestream setup, it's a great pedal

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Cheers Barry, glad it was of use to you

[@augustinecrooks6250]

This is what everyone does in quarantine

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Aye I'm sure even Tom Cruise was fucking about with his GT1 for 18 months 😂

[@jimmynich4791]

I think as well if you go into the boss tone studio software while its connected to your pc and set the preferences for the buttons to 'system' instead of 'patch' then the buttons will always work as you've mapped them & you wont have to copy the patches, but i can see the benefit of copying them as well.

[@persmultimediadesigntutori1293]

Thank you for sharing this idea. Here and now I'm exprimenting with the Boss GT-1 and the FX-loop in my amp. I'd like to hear your oppinion on FX-loops and GT-1.-

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Ah great question! If you're using the GT1 like this as in a digital version of a stomp board it's really a trade off. FX loops in amps are usually for post gain modulation/reverbs/delays etc There's no hard and fast rule obviously, but you don't really want to be putting gain stages in the loop. If you were only using the GT1 for it's mod/rev/delay effects that would be perfect to put in the amp FX loop and it seems to do a great job of that but if you're using it for OD/DIST it won't give you the same sound as if it was going in front. Interesting take though, I'd like to know how you get on with that. Maybe you can use the GT1 in the loop but still use comp/drive stomps in the front end?

[@engpds]

This is really useful. Thanks. I wonder why digital chains go the right and physical ones to the left. Also, any hints on how to avoid volume variations when switching patches when playing live?

[@levivalentinovideos]

Great vid, is there an easy way to bypass the whole GT-1 as well?

[@firdaus125]

A lot of these can be done WAYYY easier with the Boss Tone Studio on your PC. Saves a lot of time too.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

@@firdaus125 Correct! This video is how to do them on the pedal. Thanks for the lovely comment 👍

[@spammusubican]

Great video. Thank you!

[@pascalleseure3198]

Beau boulot Gary. Merci !

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Thank you Pascal! 👍

[@GuitarRon01]

Great video Gary! Can you assign the CTL1 button to be boost and delay in the one button? Also, tremolo and chorus in one button?

[@derekhandley3270]

Hi Gary , final question , if you play a gig and go through the venue PA via a mixer board , do you use the setup line/phones . ?

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Yes you need to set output to Line out which is far right on that menu.

[@urielgonzalez9212]

Thanks for the video… explain a lot.. 🙏🙏

[@danielvelis1045]

Does setting it up like this affect the controls for looping?

[@AlexWalshMusic]

Great. I just got one yesterday. Your video really helped. To start i’ll be using it to go directly into an amp. Next, play through a pa. I’d also like to use it for acoustic guitar into pa. Any experience with that? If that inspires a tutorial I’d watch it!

[@rafaelunplugged]

I do a natural clean with reverb on the acoustic pickup for my T5z & various piezzo pickup acoustics. Just lower volume on fishman style pickups. I like it a lot

[@AlexWalshMusic]

@@rafaelunplugged thanks. Well I returned my pedal and put it towards the new me90. It’s on back order.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

I use it for that sometimes too but tbh Alex all you'll need is very slight compression (I use the Boss comp sim) and maybe some subtle reverb to taste. It makes a slight difference but I'm always of the mind that the only way to get a good acoustic tone is to have a good acoustic guitar. Let me know if you have any more Qs

[@rafagalozzi]

Hi Gary, great video, question, can i assign the banks change the effects and also hold to change the banks? like the Ampero

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Not that I'm aware of I'm afraid

[@MontyDeane]

ok, I have added all the functionality here. Thanks bro. Is there an easy way to match the outputs per patch, so that there is not a drastic volume boost/loss in the patches during the changes, that I am using, currently 5 patches.

[@jasontyler7423]

Sorry if you've already answered this, but can I use the effects already on the unit in stomp box mode? Example: would I be able to put Metal Dragon on the down button and Natural Clean on the up?

[@davidlasso1651]

Hello Gary, thanks for the video! Do you think this is possible with a Moore ge 150?

[@MontyDeane]

Good Morning again. Thanks for your replies to my crazy ideas. I have another q for you. I love my Gt1. I use a program called stagetraxx 3 for my backing tracks, and guitar on stage. My next project is to understand how to control the gt1 using stagetraxx 3 and I know thats a different thing, but I wanted to see if it can be controlled via midi for this purpose. So im hearing I can have stagetraxx 3 change soundbanks without using a foot controller. It would be so cool if it could just change the patches, like from clean to distortion, without having to stomp on switches all the time. Think I can do that with the gt1?

[@MontyDeane]

I hear that this has no midi capabilities, so wont work

[@Lowered_Gadh]

bought this in Saudi Arabia 3 years now but I didn't have the patience to read the MANUAL

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Haha who needs a manual when we've got KZbin 😂

[@beenay18]

I cant figure out how to change patches from external footswitch. How did you do that?

[@enriquemelendez840]

Genial!

[@gregzen7896]

Great stuff. Just for clarity - when you Write the EX1 to be only Pedal FX, this only changes the pedals function for that one patch, correct? So in other words, if I want to make the onboard pedal ALWAYS be only for Pedal FX (never volume) I would need to do this for every patch? Thanks!

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Correct, but my way of doing it is to set up a base patch like this, so all your main preferences (like EX1 function and CTL assigns) will copy across to all patches. It might even be easier for some to set up an almost blank patch with these elements then just copy those across all your patches, so wherever you go to start building sounds those parameters will already be set. Best of luck 👍

[@stingylizard]

​@@garyjohnstonemusicWhat Gary said! Great content,Hombre Johnstone👍 We use Katana heads and grabbed a GT-1 for a battery operated backup. What a sleeper keeper. Daaaang,bro....our GT-1 just keeps earning it's keep--you just added a whole nuther level of user flexibility!

[@noyourewrong599]

how do you "just plug it in" without an amp, considering there is no built-in DI box?

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

What a lovely looking question 🤔 This video may help kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4a0XqppaLtof9Esi=gnCIpDaAbLf9QCHh

[@scottsmith1607]

I feel like we're overthinking some of this. I'm willing to trust the factory knows what works for the vast majority. Just got one myself and its gonna be a long time before I find the need to start tweaking things.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Whatever works for you dude. Stick with the presets. Way less of a headache if you can make them work for you 👍

[@darryncarroll7953]

Great video, thank you! Was wondering, for the 3 big buttons, any way to have them go to the built in guitar effects? Like button Down="Natural Clean", button Up="Royal Lead", etc? (dedicating the buttons so I am not scrolling).

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

I don't think it's possible to jump between patches eg 1 to 6, but you can always put those patches beside each other so it's almost instant. There's always a trade off with cheaper compact boards, but also a way to make them work for your particular needs

[@MontyDeane]

Hey Man. Maybe im over thinking this thing. If I have 40 songs and some may have the same effects, amps, etc. but some may not. Would I just be better off creating 40 patches with the song names? Im thinking, I start on song one "The song remains the same" example. Now I have my effects and stuff set up for that song. When the song is finished I use my fs7 to go to the next patch (song) and so on and so forth until completed. Does this make sense for this unit on stage? I cant seem to think of a more organized way of doing it so I know what song is next and my effects, and amp models are unique to each song? I would like to know your opinion. Peace

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Yes Monty this is just the easiest way to get that process started. I do that myself when I know certain songs have a set of effects. Hope it's been useful for you 👍

[@wedgie502]

You can also create a "live set" in tone studio to back-up your settings and even edit your set list. like Gary had said, this was the easiest way for him to get that process started but, there are a lot of more advanced things that you can do with this little beast. IMHO, I think that using the "live set" feature is the best method, so you don't have to scroll back and forth trying to find those settings for similar songs. Good luck and have fun!

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Aye this vid was really a way to show how to use it as if you had literally 4 stomp boxes on your board. Delay, mod, boost and wah. Plus tuner. If you wanna get into a different patch per song that's easy to do aswell, would just take a bit more foresight than I can usually be bothered with 😂 Happy rocking though, I hope you got something useful out of it 🤞🤘

[@antkn33]

Can you reassign the preamp button to an fx pedal?

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Yes indeed.

[@mritorto1]

i prefer to just ctrl 1 i dont like to add extra pedals i like the small foot print as is. but the video was informative thanks

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Thanks for the feedback. It's so versatile, everyone uses it differently. Hope the gigs are going well mate 🤘

[@FreefireFNCS]

Right now my it says my pedel is off how do I turn it on

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

@@FreefireFNCS Whether powered by batteries or mains supply, it only turns on when there is a cable connected to the input. Hence why there is no ON switch.

[@FreefireFNCS]

@@garyjohnstonemusic I meant the FX pedel u were talking about in the video the whole thing is on just not the light by the pedel

[@FreefireFNCS]

But I figured it out🙃

[@derekhandley3270]

Hi Gary please help . I’ve just recieved my gt1 . I connected a Amparo A/B foot switch . I followed your video everything was good until I tried to push the pedal if I go up the path he’d just fly through until they reach a P patch same if a go down . So I tried my tv helicon switch 3 . Same reaction they fly through . What have I done wrong ?

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Hey, you need to set the external pedal function to be the same for every patch. If you use it to switch to a patch where CTL 2 and 3 are not assigned to be patch up and down, it will most likely do something weird like this.

[@derekhandley3270]

@@garyjohnstonemusic hi thanks for that . I set it all on u01. I then pushed write and basically copied the settings across a further 9 user patches . These are the ones it just fkies through non stop . The manual suggests there is option to toggle or mode but there isn’t

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

@@derekhandley3270 make sure you have your ext pedal set to non latching if that's an option on your pedal. Otherwise I can't explain that I'm afraid. Just a case of tinkering with the menus. I did have to spend a fair while of trial and error til I got it to work like this. Bear in mind I've only used the boss fs6 and fs7 this way, I don't know how other versions of AB switches would behave. Did you use a stereo cable to attach it?

[@derekhandley3270]

@@garyjohnstonemusic I’ve just done a f-reset on U01 to 99 I’ll do the process again and see if I get a different outcome

[@derekhandley3270]

⁠@@garyjohnstonemusic Yes I used a stereo cable . I don’t have a latch facility . I reckon it functions only with a boss pedal .

[@simonsullivan1723]

When i assign ctr 1 to overdive such as OD-1 and then activate it it hisses so bad that the pa guy puts on a noise gate that is really interfering with my playing. Basically the noise gate is cutting out the length of the notes and cutting out smaller subtle movements. Anyone had these same issues or have any wisdom to share on how to get a result?

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Sorry Simon I haven't had that issue but I do understand your problem. We play a gig where the electrics in the venue (due to a million bulbs in the ceiling) makes it impossible for me to play anything with single coils due to buzzing so I stick to humbucker guitars there. Maybe that would help? Sorry I couldn't be of more use 😭

[@zaccheustheotistaylor9622]

Is it possible to assign tap delay to the BOSS FS-7?

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Hi, I haven't tried that but it sounds like a great idea. If it is possible it'll be in the CT2 or CT3 scroll menu. Hope you figure it out 🤞

[@spdrwlf1735]

Is there a way to jump from for example patch 1 to patch 20 without having to loop all the 20 patches??? Or if there is a way to use the up and down pedals without activating the next patch, so you don't loop the entire 20 patches??

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Nope. Not that I'm aware of anyway.

[@96gaber]

I believe you can always switch the order of the patches, for example, you can switch patch no 20 and move it to the desired position, let's say pos no 2. That way you have patches 1&2 close together. I used to use it like that. Place the 3 most used patches next to each other, with the most used one in the middle. You can then use the CTL1 switch on top of that to add the fx or change the sound completely (you can really tweak the fxs to almost sound like an entirely different setting altogether) which would, in theory, give you a total of 6 options to choose from mid songs. It gets really easy tapping the pedal twice to move to another sound once you get a grip on it. Hope this helps.

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

​@@96gaberthanks for the comment and yes that is an option. It's even easier when you use the Boss Tone Studio desktop app

[@diegofernandomoralestorres2331]

Can you stack 2 distortion effects at once ?? For example, a rat and a fuzz at the same time ??

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

No that's a minor drawback of this board, you can only use one OD/Dist effect per patch. You could always use a preamp as an alternative but it's kinda cheating and not really the "right" way to do it. Could try having a dist pedal off-board before or after it but again, not really ideal.

[@diegofernandomoralestorres2331]

@@garyjohnstonemusic oh damn, and i already bought it jajaj thank you for the answer !!

[@laurennoexiste]

how do i erase a patch i´ve accidentaly added to the pedal, please

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Throw it in the sea and buy another one 😂 Press Exit and Enter together to WRITE then select initialize which will reset the patch. You cannot undo saved actions. Don't sue me, I didn't invent the thing.

[@Phil91580]

@@garyjohnstonemusic Throw it in the knob bay. 🍆🤣

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

I just gave myself my 600th like on this video to give it a nice round number. What a douche 😂 Keep the Qs coming folks. I'll answer any and all non-douchey comments when i can 👍

[@djwindhoek]

Brilliant video, I now have a stomp box setup and it definitely seems a more intuitive way to use the GT-1 than the normal way i.e. having two switches set to bank increase/decrease. I wonder though, how do you get the GT-1 to sound good without enabling any effects? I use a Roland JC-22 with a vintage Tiesco Audition amp via FX Loop Out/Instrument In and I want to use that combo as my clean tone as it's superb as it is, but no matter how I try to preserve it, it just doesn't sound as good when going through through the GT-1 as it does when going straight into the front of my JC-22. Fwiw, the Audition is an old amp that was made between 1970-73 and voiced to the amp sounds of the day, probably why it sounds so good. You can see it here in this video by Dave Simpson: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3rRnJ2Yh7B-iJo I hope this makes sense. The wee Audition amp, which I picked up in a charity shop here in Glasgow, has transformed my guitar playing experience completely and now, as a two-amp combo, none of the clean tones on the GT-1 sounds anywhere near as good. But the problem is, I would like to use my GT-1 to add a bit of OD and delay, depending on what I'm playing without decimating the JC-22+Audition combo.. I'd really appreciate your help on this, cheers, DJ EDIT: I guess I also mean using effects as well. Anything that will preserve the combined sound of my two-amp combo.

[@maekymaek.0302]

wow this is brilliant i had this for 4 years hahahhahaha never know this how st**** am i or just lazy

[@stephencraig8578]

When I change to different patches the volume get real quiet and others get real loud .I've checked the master ad pre amp volumes.thx

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

Sounds like you're using the factory presets. This video is the opposite of that. Watch the whole video and learn how to remove the preset headaches from your life. Feel free to ask me questions relevant to the video 🤘

[@stephencraig8578]

@@garyjohnstonemusic yep! I found out the patch volume is right in front of my face in the lower middle of the screen.duh! Plus I had a loose wire on the guitar input jack. Thx for the reply 👍

[@garyjohnstonemusic]

@@stephencraig8578 No probs happy shredding 😁🤘

[@theyoungupstarts1243]

Is there an English translation for Americans? Op obviously doesn’t respond to his own channel.