# Rocktron patchmate 8 vs voodoo lab GCX



## KAMI (Oct 27, 2011)

which is better?
they both seem exactly the same, while the GCX is the tried and true one, the patch mate seems like a clone but is a little cheaper


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## vanhendrix (Oct 27, 2011)

I just went through this entire thing myself. I even emailed the company to make sure that the rocktron is true bypass and could do amp channel switching (it is)....They seem identical to me, so I went with the rocktron.

It's still being shipped to me, but a big part of my decision was that I wanted to use the midimate to control it, instead of the humongous ground control pro. Not only is the GCP enormous, but when you set it to have 10 presets (what i want), it uses the *top* 10 buttons on the board, and the 5 closes to you become quick access. Dear god why?


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## Ostia Man (Oct 27, 2011)

they do the same thing. its a mechanical function controlled by midi, so they cant be to different. probablly construction qualitty but I cant help you there
I have the old rocktron patchmate, mine have 9 stereo loops + hush.


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## Crank (Oct 27, 2011)

you may want to check those two items. They are from my area, which is Poland. Here they are:

1. Mark L Switcher/Looper @ MARK L

2. G-Lab Looper @ G LAB

I've used both of them. Decided to go with the second one as it suited me better. Yet, they are both solid and die-hard made. Mark L has a little better inputs materials and it's more expensive.


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## oniduder (Oct 27, 2011)

i've owned the patchmate, i like it because it's very very easy to program, with the buttons on the front just chose go.... 

as for the more expensive ones, ie g-labs or mark l, i can't say for certain, there are tons out there honestly, patchmate isn't bad at all, owned several (*3 actually) only selling them for a bradshaw switcher that's in the works

good luck


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## vanhendrix (Oct 28, 2011)

deleted post


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## KAMI (Oct 29, 2011)

the voodoo lab seems less complicated and easier to use?

also how is the build quality of the rocktron?


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## vanhendrix (Oct 30, 2011)

The build quality of the rocktron is excellent and it could not possibly be easier to use. Great unit


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## KAMI (Oct 30, 2011)

vanhendrix said:


> The build quality of the rocktron is excellent and it could not possibly be easier to use. Great unit



did you get yours then?

I'll probably get the rocktron patchmate and a midimate then... or if I can get the money a g-system


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## KAMI (Oct 30, 2011)

with the patchmate and midimate, how can you control a midi device like a tc electronic g-major?


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## vanhendrix (Oct 30, 2011)

The midimate and the patchmate are pretty much bffs right out of the box. I bought the 7 pin midi cable, which also provides phantom power so it's pretty simple to set up.

I just plugged it in, and once I figured out that button "0" on bank 0 won't work because there's no such thing as midi "00" to these devices, I was off to the races. I set my 10 presets starting at the next bank in no time at all. I even gave them silly names.

The patchmate required no setup whatsoever. You hit the button you want to use on the midimate, then press the loop buttons that you want to use for that preset on the patchmate and click "store". That's it!

As for controlling other midi devices, you'd just plug those into the patchmate's "midi thru" port on the back, and it would be the equivalent of plugging your midimate directly into the g-major, or what have you.


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## KAMI (Oct 30, 2011)

vanhendrix said:


> The midimate and the patchmate are pretty much bffs right out of the box. I bought the 7 pin midi cable, which also provides phantom power so it's pretty simple to set up.
> 
> I just plugged it in, and once I figured out that button "0" on bank 0 won't work because there's no such thing as midi "00" to these devices, I was off to the races. I set my 10 presets starting at the next bank in no time at all. I even gave them silly names.
> 
> ...



thanks for the info  I definitely want one now! it sounds so simple to set up!


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## KAMI (Dec 8, 2011)

sorry to wake the dead but, I've noticed quite a few people are complaining about the patchmate being really noisy and causing lots of background hum. Also a few people are saying that there is a loud pop when changing patches.

has anyone experienced this?


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## KAMI (Dec 9, 2011)

bump


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## KAMI (Dec 9, 2011)

bump


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## vanhendrix (Dec 10, 2011)

No pops, but there is mega ground hum if I plug straight in. As long as I have something like my tuner in between my guitar and the rocktron, it quiets right down. 

Ground hum is evil and can only be fixed on a per-rig basis. It can come from anything


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## blue9metal1core1 (Dec 12, 2011)

I have a patchmate loop 8 and its amazing. The ease of use is great. Its well constructed. What kind of midi controller do you have? I use a Voodoo Labs Ground Control Pro and only thing I had to do was set the ground control to start at channel and it was ready to go. I also got my patchmate for around 250 used from a friend I knew, and he also threw in a Rocktron MidiXChange for free.


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## KAMI (Dec 13, 2011)

blue9metal1core1 said:


> I have a patchmate loop 8 and its amazing. The ease of use is great. Its well constructed. What kind of midi controller do you have? I use a Voodoo Labs Ground Control Pro and only thing I had to do was set the ground control to start at channel and it was ready to go. I also got my patchmate for around 250 used from a friend I knew, and he also threw in a Rocktron MidiXChange for free.



well I'm ordering a ground control pro pretty soon (to replace my midi mouse). Have you had any issues with ground hum?


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