I just bought a new 7 string Ibanez and the Gojira X plugin, and I was so excited to shred, and after setting it all up with the Focusrite, it just sounds, muddy. I tried different presets and it’s just hard to even play a clear note. There’s so much noise and buzzing and feedback. I’m used to just playing on a simple practice amp, so this is my first time with an all digital setup. Can anyone help me get this dialed in where it’s punchy and tight?
Gojira X is absolutely punchy and tight when dialed in correctly.
I’m assuming you’re in standalone mode. In the plug-in’s settings, try turning off any inputs other than the one you’re plugging into. The plug-ins tend to default to dual or multiple input for some reason.
1 Like
What focusrite interface are you using, Switchcase?
I’m using the focusrite solo. I’ve turned the input down to make sure it doesn’t clip. I’ve also turned the noise gate up on the plugin. It’s.. Ok..
I find the “Hefty Mean Machine” preset to be the best so far. Still chunky but not as muddy as the JD RTHM ones.
Dialling in a good sound with a plugin definitely takes a bit of patience and tweaking, but the more you play around, the more you’ll find that you “get” how the plugin operates and sounds overall (in my experience anyway). Cycling through the presets is a great way to find a solid foundation. And the key to it all will be found in setting up your input levels correctly. While it may seem a touch complicated if you’ve never gone down this specific road before, check out the below video. It demystifies so much about setting correct levels for plugins (and it gets cited on this forum a LOT… even earlier today in another thread!). It’s worth its weight in gold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ59h7xfvdI
Once you have that set up, I would explore the I/O settings just as @DiffractionCircuit recommended, found in the Audio Settings menu. Ensure the only audio input channels and audio output channels selected are the one(s) you’re using with the solo. Last but not least, it’s the little things (and I’m no stranger to doing this) — what’s going on beyond the plugin? I’ve scratched my head for longer than a couple seconds wondering why my last take sounded so poor… only to realize “Oh s4!+, my tone knob is rolled off!”
Take a stab at it, explore some presets, and let us know what you come up with. There’s plenty of resources on this forum too, so if you’ve got a question, toss it in the search bar or ask away… plenty of people here have either asked similar questions or are happy to help. Reading is your best friend. Cheers!