I got one about a month after they had been released. I still use it almost every day. With a good guitar (decent pickups) moderate use of EQ, and a decent power amp (preferably tubes & stereo) it is still an almost unbeatable combination for tone as well as flexibility. I recently looked at some new stuff like the Boss GT pro and some Line6 products, but IMHO these don't come close to the 2101. The preamp section is quite straightforward:
compression into distortion: 3 Tube setting (using the two 12AX7 tubes) and 3 Solid State setting based around the Digitech pedals of the time (IE 'grunge', OD) + 7band EQ.
Each with indiviual parameters. The good thing about the preamp is that each preset stores different volume settings for clean, distorted and saturated, so within one preset you can always switch without dropping or rising too much in overall volume.
@jaxadam
The programming you describe for the 2112 is different from the 2101, the 2101 has total flexibility over 'modules'.
You can put the FX in any order, any amount (until the memory runs out) The 2101 has presets (orig.200) each preset uses one of 30 algorithms. Each algorithm is a combination of several of about 50 FX modules. The modules are grouped: Reverb,Delay,Cho/Flanger, Pitch,Gate,More. Each module has up to about 20 parameters.
- so 200 presets * 45 algorithms * 50 modules * 20 parameters, that could mean a lot of tweaking
The 2112/2120 also adds some stuff (like putting FX in front of the preamp section, good for wah, whammy etc.) and using two pre-amps (tube+solid state) simultaneously. Without the second CPU switching programs can be too abrupt. The second CPU board also comes with added memory.
@Gilk420
If you feel the programming is too tough, starting from the preset algorithms is good advice, but if you really want to take advantage of the power and flexibility, I suggest you spend an afternoon with the manual and the machine.
It may look complex, but it is the simplest way to have this kind of processing power. The presets are not necessarily meant to be useful, they are meant to show-off the abilities of the machine, on the original about 20% are ok, 20% can be adjusted, the rest is there to sell the thing, showing off (remember it's an early 90s thing) I guess the 'artist' models fare a bit better on the presets.
The main thing you have to realise, is that you can stack FX, in series and/or parallel. How they are stacked is determined by linking. After adding them to your 'FX path' you need to link them to create you own algorithm. Think about what sounds you want to replicate, modify some presets, play around a bit, perhaps build a simple algorithm, you will come up with new ideas to link and combine modules. The 2112 is much more simple and limited in this respect.
Remember: You don't *need* to build algorithms, but the 30 that come standard are limited. Many users of the GSP2101 have never gone as far as building their own algorithms. But then again many guitarists just want a set of stomp boxes
If you startup the 2101 after initialising it will display the last preset you had selected, click the NEXT-button (below the display) and it will show an algorithm (F 1-F30 or U 1 - U15)
The first 30 are standard signal paths, IE
F25 = Wha -> 2Tap -> Reverb
The first line is a name for the algorithm, below that he actual modules the algorithm contains.
this 'path' includes the pre-amp section (always like this):
- Compression -> Distortion -> EQ -> MVol -> FXloop -> Stereo Noise gate
and an FX section:
- TWah -> 2Tap Delay -> 3x1 mixer -> BigVerb -> 5x2 mixer (-> Master Mix)
After the 30 built-in algorithms there is room for user algorithms (IIRC 15).
If you had previously build User-algorithms, these will show up after F30.
Tip: Scroll though these, and note if you have any marked 'U' (IE U 1, U 2, U##) If you have, this means you, or any previous user has made an algorithm, modding them could affect (many) other presets.
If you wanted to build this yourself you would start with a clean User-algorithm, first you need to add the above 5(+1) FX modules and subsequently link them. In this case the path is relatively simple. It could just as well be a series of stomp-boxes. Linking is probably a bit tedious, but not harder. You need to link every output to an input (a Stereo module has 2ins/2outs, a 5x2 mixer has 5ins/2outs, you can link one out to multiple ins but not vice versa) In this case the pre-amp-out goes into TWah, 2Tap and the last input of the 3x1mixer. The TWah-out goes into the 1st 3x1 input, the 2Tap-out into the 2nd. Etc.
When you want to build your own algorithm, think about the signal path, modulation effects usually come first, use several in parallel for a fat sound (IE Detune + Chorus) putting effects in an illogical order can generate out of this world sounds (flanger after reverb?) but it may also hinder functionality (pitch shifter tracking)
The 2101 allows much more complex algorithms than the presets, this is a path I made for a 'metal' tremelo effect (Preamp as above):
- Tone ref-> Tremelo -> Ducker -> 3x2 mixer -> Stereo Delay -> 4x2 mixer_A -> 2x1 mixer -> MultiVerb -> 4x2 mixer_B -> MasterMixer
Tone ref through Tremelo generates a square puls, which is fed in to the 'Ducker' to modulate the guitar sound into any shape pulse (Ducker allows fade-in/out, ramp shapes, etc) The rest is just ambience (Delay+Reverb)
- Note #1: The standard tremelo algorithm is F 6, it includes a Delay and Chorus but no Reverb, without using the Tone ref + ducker trick, you are stuck with a simple boring square tremelo.
- Note #2: the Tremelo, Ducker and Delay take up more memory than the TWah -> 2Tap Delay of F15, so I can't use the BigVerb algorithm, I need to use the smaller MultiVerb module. If you have the second cpu this is less of a problem.
Here is another example:
- Dual Chorus-> 3x2 mixer-> StereoBigverb -> 4x2mixer-> MasterMixer.
Again with only the standard memory this is the biggest reverb module you can combine with chorus, a dual CPU would allow GigaVerb to be combined with much more chorus modules.
lastly, listening to Jimi Hendrix made me realise I needed an algorithm to replicate the pulsing chorus of the UniVibe:
- Trem-> Chorus->2x2 mixer->Multiverb-> 2Tap delay -> Stereo Ducker ->5x2 mixer-> MasterMixer
I have the chorus and tremelo speed hooked up to one Continuous Controller signal, so they are always synchronous.
EDIT:
a lot more info and utilities here:
http://home.arcor.de/pirat28/sites/gsp2101main.htm
and here:
http://members.liwest.at/groovingarts/