My G-DEC Page

The Fender G-DEC practice amp plays rhythms and effects and makes learning guitar into a proper rock 'n blues experience. My fingers are raw.

Inside, there is a fully-functional MIDI synthesizer that is used for on-board drum loops complete with practice bass lines and even some accompaniment from other instruments, such as keyboards. The G-DEC has 17 different amp types, 29 effects, 10 reverbs and is highly configurable. You can also just spin the chrome knob and select from 50 Fender presets, which include a drum loop with bass and accompaniment and an appropriate guitar tone to match.

The G-DEC uses the effects from Fender's high-end Cyber-Series amplifiers plus a 14 second phrase sampler as well as a full MIDI synthesizer that can be played from an outboard MIDI controller or PC/Mac midi output. There's also a CD/iPod player link through the auxiliary input.

I've decided to collect a few Midi files together which can be used with the G-DEC. I will store them in a shared area so that others can also download them. At the moment, they are full midi files so I have left in the guitar parts. It is easy enough to edit or mute the relevant parts after downloading the file.

There are various ways to use these files:

1) Just play them out from the PC/Mac, and into the line In on the GDEC (likely to sound 'cheap')
2) Load them into a program such as Garage Band (Mac) or Sonar/Cubase (PC), reselect the tracks required (Drum, bass, keyboards); Mute the unwanted tracks (eg lead guitar and maybe rhythm guitar) and then play them through the GarageBand or Sonar/Cubase software. This will use the Mac/PC synthesiser to reproduce the sounds and therefore you plug the output from the Mac/PC into the Line In on the back of the GDEC. With GarageBand, this can sound pretty good.
3) Use a midi player to send the midi signals from the Mac/PC to the G-DEC, and then use the respectable synthesiser in the G-DEC to play the sounds. The G-DEC Midi Manual explains several ways to do this.

Well this is a start:

Try: Rolling Stones, Green Day, Carol King at the moment. More to follow and probably a suitable menu structure later.

Tag: Music, Guitar