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Post subject: limitation to numbers of effects for certain amps
Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2018 9:10 am
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I have noticed that when I try to replace the existing amp on certain presets which contain a lot of effects to one of the new IIC amps, the option to select these amps will be grayed out.

Is this normal?

Also, is there a maxim amount of effect that you can add to a preset?

Just got the amp and was curious about these issues.


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Post subject: Re: limitation to numbers of effects for certain amps
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 3:56 pm
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Bounced this one off the GT team. Response: "This is normal and expected. Some amps use more CPU processing power than others. The IIC+ model in particular, with all of the switches and alternate modes, is particularly processor intensive."

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Post subject: Re: limitation to numbers of effects for certain amps
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2018 4:38 pm
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Yes, I figured this out myself. It's all about cpu power. Not just the amp models but some effects take more cpu than others, so you might delete one effect, and be able to add 2 simpler effects before it greys everything out. There are times when only some effects are allowed, the rest greyed out. The available effects will be the ones that are simpler to model.


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Post subject: Re: limitation to numbers of effects for certain amps
Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 10:14 pm
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Sorry to rejuvenate this old thread as my question relates to the original topic. Please advise if the thread is too old and I should start anew.

Has anyone found any limitations on how many effects one can stack in the signal path (of a GT-100)? I would like to stack 2 to 3 delays in series (plus reverb plus ...) but don't know from the start if it will work. As has been said before it comes down to CPU processing power (of amp + effects). So can you add effects until something reaches a limit. And when reached, how do you know. What happens (does something get grayed out?) or is there another indication an effect limit has been reached? Don't want to start stacking and end up chasing my tail because I have reached a limit but don't know I have.

If there is a limitation, and it can be determined, then an option is to add external pedals (for those effects with a high CPU load) via the FX Send/Return loop, but then it defeats the purpose of having a modeling amp with modeled effects.

I guess there is a design limit on what can be done with effects, it would be really helpful to have some idea of what it is before frustration kicks in. If anyone knows, enlightenment would be greatly appreciated). Thank you.


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Post subject: Re: limitation to numbers of effects for certain amps
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 12:34 am
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romk wrote:

Has anyone found any limitations on how many effects one can stack in the signal path (of a GT-100)? I would like to stack 2 to 3 delays in series (plus reverb plus ...) but don't know from the start if it will work. As has been said before it comes down to CPU processing power (of amp + effects). So can you add effects until something reaches a limit. And when reached, how do you know. What happens (does something get grayed out?) or is there another indication an effect limit has been reached? Don't want to start stacking and end up chasing my tail because I have reached a limit but don't know I have.


I think if you read the thread your question would have been answered. Yes there's a limit. As you get near it, some things start to get greyed out. Eventually, nothing extra can be added.


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Post subject: Re: limitation to numbers of effects for certain amps
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:01 am
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Yes I had actually read the thread before I asked, because my question was different - hence I asked it. Thanks for confirming the question that had been asked before.

The person asking before had presets and effects chosen and wanted to change the amp and found effects grayed out.

In my case I have selected an amp (best for the genre I'm playing) and and I want to add effects (start with reverb, then 2 or more delays, then who knows what more). So my question was more along the lines of did anyone know how many effects can be added before the amp starts graying effects out? I guess the answer is suck it and see. Not very scientific for the latest state of the art amp by a company that has been making amps for 50+ years?

A more scientific answer would have been to give rules of thumb which say amp sims can take 30 to 50% CPU load, reverb effects 10%, delay effects 20%, etc. Then I can at least work out worst case CPU load before sucking. If the total is greater than 100%, then don't waste time and go buy external pedals for those effects with high %CPU demand. Too much to ask?

If Fender wants users to be positive about their latest amps, then they should give us the ammo to say not only is the amp itself smart but so are the guidelines for its best use. Reading the manuals, there are too many unanswered questions. With Fender as No 1, it should not be like that.


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Post subject: Re: limitation to numbers of effects for certain amps
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 1:10 am
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That was not the question you appeared to be asking, sorry.

Each effect uses a different amount of power, so there's no hard and fast number. That's why, sometimes you will see just some of them greyed out. The ones that use more power will become unavailable first, leaving the 'light' ones still ready to be added when you have only limited power left.

An example is all I can give. I took the '65 twin model, and added reverb and a delay as post effects, then 3 pre effects - chorus, tremelo, and a distortion pedal, I think from memory, and that was about all it could handle. Not too shabby though.


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Post subject: Re: limitation to numbers of effects for certain amps
Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 3:16 am
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Thank you for the added information. It all goes into the melting pot.

I guess I have to "muck around" with placing multiple effects in the signal path to find out which ones gray (drop) out first to get an idea of the high CPU load ones, as a pointer to which effects to get as pedals. Trouble is if you like say Strymon pedals, if I cannot replicate the sounds in the GT-100 amp, then I have to consider buying the actual pedals. But if I buy 2 or 3 of the Strymons it soon gets over the $1000 mark. At which time the Boss GT-1000 or Helix multi effects guitar processors comes into the picture. But then having one of them and the Fender GT-100 means the GT-100 becomes superfluous - and a big pain as I have already the MGT-4 and EXP-1 pedals.
The conclusion seems that the amp modeling of effects in the GT-100 amp is aimed at basically simple effects in a simple signal path.

The journey "in search of the dream sounds" continues. Cheers.


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