Line 6 3.7 - Manual (Page 133)

Line 6 GearBox 3.7 – GearBox Plug-In
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Welcome to the wonderful world of GearBox™ Plug-In, where legendary, studio-standard tone and
classic vintage effects are all available to you within your favorite recording application, in a flexible
native software plug-in format!
Windows
®
64 Bit Support
As mentioned at the start of this User Guide, GearBox version 3.7 supports Windows ® XP ® and Vista ®
64 bit systems, so if you have one of those new-fangled 64 bit PC’s, GearBox 3.7 and any GearBox-
supported Line 6 USB hardware, then you are ready to rock. This, of course, includes the use of the
GearBox Plug-In on Windows 64 bit systems and with 64 bit audio host applications!
A Quickie Plug-In Primer
There are many types of “plug-ins” in the world of software. Plug-ins are relatively small applications
that can only run when loaded inside a compatible “host” application. Plug-ins operate within the
host application to extend the capabilities of the host. In the world of music software, audio plug-ins
find frequent use inside audio/MIDI host applications, commonly referred to as DAWs (Digital Audio
Workstations). Audio plug-ins provide signal processing for your audio tracks or live audio input.
A helpful analogy for plug-ins is to think of them as effects pedals. Effects pedals change the tone of
your bass or guitar before the signal reaches your amplifier. As with pedals, rack effects units, or any
other conventional piece of outboard gear, plug-ins provide graphical controls for whatever parameters
they might expose. For example, a distortion plug-in will most likely have similar controls to a typical
distortion pedal (such as drive, gain and tone). Visually, plug-ins often resemble the physical gear they
emulate.
When working with DAWs, using plug-ins provides numerous benefits over using outboard effects like
pedals or rack processors. Here are a few of the primary benefits:
Plug-ins are “non-destructive” to your audio track – this means that you can add or remove •
effects and tweak their settings as often as you like without actually affecting the original audio
recording. Recording with outboard gear means that the signal going to tape will be “wet” (with
effects and amp tone) and cannot be changed without recording another pass.
Plug-ins sound the same way twice. Because you can store plug-in settings as presets, precise
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settings can be recalled easily and loaded reliably. Every time you go back to work on a specific
song, you can rest assured that your tones will be identical to the last session.
Plug-ins are automatable. Host applications provide easy ways to create and manipulate parameter
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automation, giving you surgical precision of your tone without having to “ride the faders” of
external gear during a record pass.
Plug-ins don’t break, corrode, use up batteries, or take up space on your floor!
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MIDI Remote Control and Plug-In Automation
Most audio plug-ins are automatable, meaning their parameters can be manipulated in real-time by
some method. The two most prevalent methods are MIDI automation and plug-in automation. Both
methods provide unique benefits.