DigiTech Genesis 3

I bought mine in 2004 and like a dumba** I never read the manual. I tried it out at a music store alongside the pod and others. I thought sounds were as good or better than the others and the price was better. I have since discovered that you can really sculpt a sound with it. If there is or was a way to upgrade it I never heard of it. I do think at least some understanding of frequencies and frequency bands helps here, especially when dealing with the cabinet tune feature.

I have recorded and gigged with it. I have found that using it with an amp is like miking an amp and then running that through an amp, maybe a bit better than that. I've had sound guys say they like it running direct and that it sounds fat that way. Through amps, then miked, it sound kind of high end-y in a way that's hard to adjust. As far as the effects, for the price the effects are very cool. As far as artist sounds, I have a tube amp that I have owned for many years and have closely emulated it with the Genesis3. I do have variations, such as a patch with less gain for some songs, etc. It is noisy with higher gain levels, but that is not surprising. The noise gating is great and is big help live.

As I am writing this I can say that I used it at the NAMM show band showcase Jan 17, 2008,Anaheim Hilton without backup and had no problems. I am using it again this Saturday Jan 19,2008 at midnight-once again without a net! It's quick and easy and has everything I need. I gig 6-10 shows a month doing covers, which is 4-5 sets each time. As long as I step on the right switch it kicks butt.

An upgrade would probably be cool, but not especially necessary. No repairs necessary nor contact with company.

I sing and play guitar in different situations. Some stages are small and having this modeler helps in that regard. I play funk and rock, some metal and classic hard rock. Like I mentioned I use a sound close to my own modified tube amp and get satisfactory results using effects, pickup splitting and phasing, and volume control rolloff when needed. I don't have lots of cash to buy things so when I do I have to be smart. This was a very smart purchase for me as I can use it at home, practice studio, or live and get a good result. I am a long time tube amp guy and have a friend who was the first to modify amps in this area ( maybe anywhere!). He clued me in early about tube sound so I'm pretty picky. For years the modelers sounded like crap and as soon as I heard this one when I did I grabbed it. I figured technology would catch up at some point and it seems to be awful close. I had it without the pedalboard for awhile as I wasn't gigging then, but got it so I could use it for that and it works well. I've had problems with some sound guys who look at me funny when I show up with that blue piece of plastic and say I wanna go direct! I do end up showing them that it's cooler than they thought. A friend of mine who goes to LA alot says he's seen a few good bands use only modeling devices and sound great. Push the middle (green/red/warp) knob down for a couple of seconds and tweak the CAB TUN freqs and there's your secret!

It is fairly easy to use but having the manual handy is a must as you just wouldn't find all the features without the manual. Also, figuring out how to edit patches without the manual would be tough. The software is really helpful and makes all the features much more readily accessible. The manual is quite well laid out and easy to follow.

I use this for direct recording using a Les Paul Standard. The sound quality is excellent. I own or have tried several other amp modelling devices (POD, Boss GT-6, Zoom GM200) and they all have strengths and weaknesses. When it comes to replicating the Mesa Boogie Rectifier sound, the Genesis blows them all away. Similarly, some of the Marshall type sounds are awesome compared to some of the other models. If you want to hear what I mean, check the following link. The first song listed uses the Rectifier model. The second song uses a Marshall model. ttp://music.download.com/invasionn/3600-8666_32-101079137.html?tag=MDL_listing_song_artist

One other excellent thing about this unit is the modulation type effects. The Ya Ya and Auto Ya, as well as a couple others are very unique and very useful. The Ya Ya is a combination of flanging and wah-way which gives a very human quality similar to a Talk-Box effect. Quite excellent.

I have had it for about 3 years and no problems. I have never gigged with it though.

Never needed support

I play heavier rock and this fits the bill nice. I would definitely replace it as it has some of the best sounds in my arsenal (again the rectifier sound is awesome IMHO). Blows POD etc out of the water. Boss GT-6 has better cleans though.

Quite easy to use, but has a lot of deep editing features that are really made more accessible through the software.

Sound quality is excellent. I have or have had a number of other amp modellers including POD, Boss GT6, Zoom GM200. All of these devices have there strengths and weaknesses, but for balls to the wall distortion the Genesis3 has it. For example, if you like the Mesa-Boogie Rectifier sound the folks at Digitech have nailed it on the Genesis3. No other modeler does this amp right if you ask me. Genesis is spot on. As well the Marshall amps are awesome. If you would like to hear it in action go to the following link: http://music.download.com/invasionn/3600-8666_32-101079137.html?tag=MDL_listing_song_artist. The first song on the page uses the Rectifier. The second song uses "Brit Stack" which is modeled after one of the Marshall JCM series of amps.

I have had the unit for about 4 years. No problems at all.

Never needed it.

Overall, I love the Genesis3 especially for heavier amp models. However, I can't go higher than an 8 because I feel the Genesis3 lacks when it comes to some of the cleaner stuff .... Fender, Vox etc. The models just don't have the detail and shimmer. For these types of amp models the Boss GT6 is excellent IMHO.

This is a fairly deep unit, so although its quite simple to use off the bat, you can easily go layers and layers deep. Pretty straight forward, no problems really. Use the manual when you get stuck, but it all becomes intuitive quickly.

Very very nice, and until the GNX3000 came along, clearly the most pristine and great sounding, and clean noiseless Digitech product that they ever made. A 102 S/N ration, so quieter than any of the GNX pedals, save the new GNX3000 which is a tad more pristine. The effects are all very nice, especially the delays and modulation effects. The amp and cabinet simulators are very very nice. You can put pedals in front of the thing as well with no problem. I picked up the optional midi foot pedal for next to nothing on ebay, and this adds quite a bit of versatility to it, as well as BYPASS mode 9which the box does NOT have w/o the external foot pedal. It is certainly better than any other desktop box including the POD. When going into an amp, use the DIRECT OUT utility option, otherwise you color the sound in ways you probably don't want to.

As with all Digitech products, crank the gain volume and patch volume ALL THE WAY UP, to minimize any device hiss relative to guitar volume. It will run perfectly quiet this way.

The sampling is 44.1K and its 24bit-- so it sounds GREAT. Very happy with the sound quality-- and at the price you can pick these up on ebay from people who don't know any better-- it is a STEAL.

no problems at all.

never needed.

Nothing can touch it at the price, nothing. A wonderful addition to any guitar collection.

Neil Slade
The AMAZING Brain Music Adventure
www.BrainRadar.com

Do not be fooled, although it looks like a few knobs and buttons there are indeed many different things to learn with this unit. This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on the patience of the user and sheer determination. I bought mine used for next to nothing with the Control-X board and was just plain excited to mess with all the features. Editing patches it easy enough to do- but the more you tweek it the better it sounds, so I do recommend downloading the manual from digitech's website if you didn't get one with the purchase.

This is where things get tricky. If you have no patience, and you only had planned on using the presets...well, don't expect much. The more hands on tweeking you do, the better your sound will be. One thing I don't care for about this unit is the major sound difference between recording with it and hooking it into an amp. In some cases what sounds good on your computer might sound terrible through an amp. The noise reduction is a blessing for rehearsal and live events but using too much of it on your patches will make your sustain short lived and fake sounding. I mostly use the rectifier patches and I am very pleased with the quality I can achieve.

I would gig with it, no doubt about it. But, any musician will tell you to never rely on one piece of hardware always have a backup just in case. The problem is with a unit like this if if it dies you will need a whole lot of pedals to fix the mess.

I have never dealt with them. This product is way out of warranty so all I can say is their website directed me to everything I could have needed so for that I give 9.

I play hard rock and metal and this suits me fine. I was actually more impressed with the clean sounds to be honest with everyone. I have been playing for around 11 years and I have had many pedals but this is a lot better for someone like me. If this were stolen I would probably get one of the newer digitech boards because they do a really good job at emulation. I like the flexibility that this product offers but it can be frustrating to find the right sound at times. I wish that they would have built the Control-X into the unit (haha). Overall I reccomend this to anyone with a home studio, patience, and a good vision of what they are trying to accomplish. Lazier audiophiles need look elsewhere.

Some of the utilities aren't as easy to figure out how to tweak but with a little time everything opens up.

This is actually the second time I am reviewing this product. I reviewed it about 3 years ago when I first got it. I was using it as a modeling preamp. I put it away about 8 months ago when I finally got a good tube amp and no longer needed the modeler. I then just started using analog pedals in my effects loop. Missing the versatility I had with my Control X and my Genesis 3 along with the excellent effects that it has, I decided to try it out in my effects loop. After I finally figured out how to turn the modeling off and only use the effects I was very, very impressed with the sounds I was getting, even more impressive than my analog pedals. BTW, to bypass the modeling, you just set the model to Direct and the Cabinet model to Direct. I had also tried out the Lexicon MX200 before I tried my Genesis 3 and it had excellent reverbs but the modulation effects just didn't cut it for guitar. The modulation and delay effects are where the Genesis 3 shines.

Mine has been very dependable. Although I did have a problem with it at a show where we were playing outside in the hot sun and the sound just stopped. I had to turn it off and then back on again and it worked fine the rest of the show. Not quite sure what happened but I assume it had something to do with the heat.

Never needed to contact them.

Overall this is a very good box. I have been very happy with mine. I think I like it more for the effects than for the models but I need to also say that I've used the s/pdif out to record directly to my computer and the sound quality was excellent. Very realistic tube sound. But not quite the same as my mic-ed tube amp. If you can pick one of these up for under 100 bucks, do it. You won't be sorry. One other thing I should mention. If you are planning on using this for live performances, there is a drop out of the sound when you change patches with a midi controller. However, you can control each effect individually per patch so if you just need to turn chorus on or off, there is no drop out. Or if you just want to change from the Green amp to the Red Amp model(both of which can be set to the same model with different gain and volume levels, I use this for lead boosts.), there is no drop out here either. Oh yeah, and if you use it in your effects loop just as an effects processor, you will normally use your amp to switch from distortion to clean so this doesn't effect that either. I just put my patches together so that I don't have to change them in the middle of a song but I can still tweak my sound at key intervals.

Pretty self - explanatory, I'm very experienced with studio and live gear (Degree in Music Tech) , and have been using modelers since the original POD.. easy to tweak, knobs and a few buttons. Nice.

I use the unit only for recording at home, guitars are a Les Paul, jackson DK1, American Floyd Rose Strat, into a FMR Really Nice Compressor, thru a Mackie Onyx Mixer feeding a Presonus FirePod. This all goes to a G5 running Logic with a Waves Platinum suite.. I like the sound quality on this unit a lot more than any of the PODs I've owned (Pod 1.0, 2.0, XT Pro) , and better than the Johnson J-Station I have laying around.. for distorted sounds this works a lot better to me than any of the software amp sims I've tried , but I can get better clean sounds from the computer.

I don't have a manual for the Genesis, I've never actually looked up what the models are supposed to represent, but most of them are very useable with some tweaking. The "Brit Stack" and "Boutique" are probably my two most-used settings. the warp thing is pretty great, you can dial in a lot of unique sounds very easily with it.

There is definately some digital-ness going on with this box, but with some careful processing, mixing, and layering, it can sound 95% like a well-miked tube amp when taken in with the rest of the instruments. It sits well in the mix.

I don't gig with it, I have a Boss GT-8 in my live rig, with a Marshall. It seems sturdy enough, but it's a piece of digital gear. I do bring it with me occasionally for a backup-backup (the GT-8 can go live into the board in a pinch, and it sounds pretty good)

I will say, I've had it for 4 years or so now, and it's made it through several cross country tours, getting thrown around and smushed!!

No idea.

I compose, play, all sorts of music, a lot of metal, punk, electronic mix. I bought this thing at Guitar center in Boston, $75 out the door, so I can't really complain. it's saved my butt on recording sessions a lot of times, and I've scored an entire animated show (22 minutes), using the Genesis for all the guitars, and some drum processing. One of the best value things I've ever had. It's not the best sounding thing out there anymore, but it still holds up pretty well!

Couldn't get simpler than dials in your face!!

I own a studio and also have all the toys..PodXt Live, Tonelabs SE, Zoom gr5, Digitech GNX-4...yes, I'm spoiled, but this thing blew me away. Originally, I bought it off ebay to resell. It's been sitting in my "future" selling items, but guess what..this baby's staying here. It took me about 2 minutes of playing it to realize the potential of the Genesis 3. The tones are phenominal unless you don't understand the unit and the warp feature is ultra cool. I disagree totally with the negative reviews..you guys are missing the point of this unit. It is a tremendous studio or live piece of gear. Keyed to professional ears. I used my Gibson LP to test and then the Wolfgang...sweeeeet! Did I mention the warp?..yes I did, but it tweaks the current sound 1 click at a time until you get what you want on that particular sound..it rocks. The effects are clean and modern. I think somewhere somebody forgot to mention that this is one of the studio flagships that Digitech made..designed for studio use mainly but also great for live..how nice to have just a midi pedal and 1 effects unit. Ok, I've been exhaustive in this review but I will give this a 10 because Digitech did such a nice job on the layout and the sound quality. Don't let the size of the unit fool you...this puppy Rocks!

N/A..but Digitech stuff is pretty tough.

I rate this very high but I said most of it in the sound quality section..so I won't bore you with it again.

Like any other effect-box, it takes a while to get used to it.

Take my word for it! I am a professional producer and guitarplayer, and I tell you that I have never stumbled on anything in this category of line-boxes that can ever come close to the sound of this one. It's useless to even compare the POD or the V-AMP with this little purple beauty. I have been looking for a crunchy and evil metal sound for ages, tweeking my fingers bloody with the POD and the likes, but they just can't beat this monster. Sure, many might say that the sound of the clean amp models isn't that convincing or "true", but who cares if you really only are interested in a dirty metal tube sound like the sound of Yngwie Malmsteen's Seventh Sign, or Evanescence's Fallen. This box kicks butt! Seriously. I use it only straight into a mixer and into my studio, and that's it. Lot's of superlatives - I know, but it's the truth.

100% So far. (I've been using it for 2 years now).

I use this unit with my band, BLAMF! I've mostly played it with my Les Paul Smartwood and Les Paul copies, although recently I've started playing more on my Yamaha RGX with an acoustic piezo built in and two humbuckers (I've switched the original Duncans for two gold covered Gibson pups I picked up at a yard sale). Good results with a Strat, too.

Easy to use with the built in presets, just dial through them, hit the button to choose the clean or distorted setting of the preset, hit it again to "warp" the two amps used with the preset. Turn the same button to decide how much of each amp. Turn another dial to switch amps or speakers. Three tone controls. Changing effects, programming presets, and programming new amps by warping amps requires a little more thought and a glance at the manual, but still not bad. The optional Controller X works well for channel switching and turning effects on and off, but the buttons are a little close together for toe tapping if you've got big feet and/or bulky shoes. Most of the time, the Controller X doesn't seem to activate the warp function, so you have to go back and tap on the unit. Once in a while it does activate the warp on certain presets, I have no idea why. What you can do is save your user presets with the warp as the initial setting, so when you go it you are already warped. The next two taps will switch to distortion and clean or vice versa, but the next tap probably won't go back to warp. So just switch to another preset and then switch back, and you're warped again. Or tap on the main unit. A little kludgy, as the computer guys say, but could be worse.

I've programmed my own amps and presets for most of what I do. My thought process is along the lines of "I like the Boogie preset, but it could use some more warmth, so mix in the Vox and save it as my new improved Boogie...", then flip through all the cabinets to get the best sound out of the blend and save the amp, tweak the tone controls and save the whole mess as a preset. I don't remember if it really was the Vox I mixed with the Boogie, but my "Santan" program is a lot more Santana then the factory "Carlos" preset.

For the amount of power that is there, it is really easy to use. That said, you aren't going to get all the power out of it without cracking the manual for at least a few minutes here and there. It's particularly important that you initially set up the unit for the type of amplification you will be playing through (e.g. direct, 1X12, 4X12), which is selected under the hood and is not directly related to the speaker simulations listed on the surface controls.

Let me straight with you. I don't use ANY of the factory presets. They all seem a little muffled or muddy with the exception of some of the sparkly clean Fender sounds. So far I don't do any "straight into the board" stuff either. Nevertheless, I'm giving it a 9 for the sounds you can program yourself. Think carefully what it is you don't like about the presets, combine ("warp") some of the amp simulations, tweak your tone controls, add a little reverb -- most of the sounds you want ARE in this box. My other secret is I am playing it through a real tube amp, a Fender Super 60. The combination of a real tube amp and tube amp emulations, along with your imagination of what it is you want to hear -- this set up gives me some of the best sounds I've ever worked with. And I've spent a lot of time fiddling with my equipment and the finest vintage gear in the music store as well. But you've got to be willing to keep playin' and tweakin'. The cleans can be very warm or very sparkly, and you can get an awesome sustained sound. It truly is like having a truckload of amps in a little box, but that doesn't mean you don't have to know how to use them. There is one thing that I feel is lacking, though, and that is a really good crunch. I've tweaked, I've programmed, I've rolled back my volume knobs, but the crunches all come out a little too "fizzy" in my opinion. My Zoom GM-200 does a great job of turning my 1X12 combo into a 4X12 Marshall stack, but it's not really a sound I need that much in public anyway, so c'est la vie. Genesis still gets a 9 for all it does do.

Come to think of it, the acoustic simulator also sucks, but you can get a very nice sound playing a real acoustic pickup through some of the clean amp simulations.

Something else I've overlooked is the effects. I recently picked up a great sounding, very sparkly DOD chorus pedal at a garage sale. But I'm trying to keep things simple and not add additional pedals, so I attempted to recreate it on the Genesis. Got very close, and I still have this sound attached to one of my presets. One thing that would be nice would if you could save effects tweaks and combinations the same you save warped amps and overall presets, so you could quickly apply your favorite effects settings in a variety of contexts. There are also pickup simulations, delays (with tap tempo), flange, tremolo. Using the Controller X, the wah is also very nice, much like a Crybaby. It's like having hundreds of dollars worth of pedals alongside your tens of thousands of dollars worth of amps!

There's a lot of power here for your money, especially now that this model is out of production and not the latest Digitech thing, so the price is sliding. I predict it will someday be considered a classic unto itself, and the price will go sky high. Although I take off a point because one expects an amp emulator to do every last thing, if it were just a single pedal costing the same amount that enabled me to choose between the clean and supersaturated sounds I can get here -- say it was called the "Sparkle Saturator", and never mind the additional effects -- I'd probably have to give it a 10.

Pretty dependable so far, although obviously it's plastic and you want to pack it nicely and not drop it on a gig. My backup for it is a Tube Screamer and the reverb built into my amp. I'd rather have the Digitech, but I can get by for a gig with just the Tubescreamer. Haven't had to do it yet, though. It's not like some plastic gear, where you have to ask yourself "did I just knock something loose by plugging in too hard"? Also, the Genesis IS my backup for my amp. If the amp goes, I can just plug the G 3 into the board. So as long as everything doesn't go at once, I'm OK. On the other hand, with the software included and the price falling, it shouldn't be too hard to have two identically programmed Genesises (Genesi??) at your beck and call to be totally backed up. But so far I've encountered no problems, and just take off one point cause it ain't made out of metal.

Haven't ever tried to contact them.

Having this unit has really helped me put the brakes on my amp lust. I feel like I've already got whatever I need right here, except that I'll occasionally plug in my other emulator, the GM-200, for my fix of Big Crunch. Also, having an electric guitar with a piezo pickup built-in makes up for the travesty of an acoustic simulation. Since 10 is described in the Harmony-Central overall ratings as "Fantastic Value", I have to give it a 10 overall, although I didn't give perfect 10's in the specific areas and there is room for improvement if you're expecting a do-it-all machine. It would simply take a roomful of amps and pedals to do what this thing does for a couple of hundred bucks. How can I not call this a "Fantastic Value"?