PilotManual

Guitar

Last updated: 2026-06-01

The Guitar setup page covers the dry guitar signal path: how hot the input is, whether phase inversion helps your rig, how aggressively the noise gate mutes between notes, whether the output simulates a cabinet, and how the output jack is routed. These settings live at the device level, so they apply globally across all presets.

Pilot Setup Guitar view showing input gain, phase, gate, speaker sim, and output mode controls
The Guitar setup view in Pilot. Five parameters cover the full signal chain from input jack to output jack.

Input

Input Gain and Phase are the first two things to set when you plug in a new guitar or change your signal chain. Phase is the one people forget, but it's worth checking any time you're running direct and hearing comb filtering or a thin sound.

ParameterRangeWhat it does
INPUT GAIN 0-18 dB Boosts the signal level from your guitar pickup before it hits the effects chain. Active pickups or high-output humbuckers may need less; single coils often benefit from a few dB.
PHASE Normal / Inverted Inverts the polarity of the guitar signal. Use this if you're experiencing phase cancellation with a second signal path, or if combining dry and wet signals sounds hollow or thin.
Tip: If your guitar sounds thinner through the VL3/x than it does going direct to a DI box, phase inversion is worth a quick try before you start digging into EQ settings.

Noise Gate

The guitar noise gate runs independently of the vocal gate. Set the threshold just below the quietest note you intend to play, so the gate doesn't clamp down on sustain but still silences hum between phrases.

ParameterRangeWhat it does
GATE THRESHOLD -81 to 0 dB Signals below this level are silenced. The wide range (-81 dB) accommodates everything from very quiet fingerpicking to hot pickups in noisy stage environments.

Speaker Simulation

Speaker simulation adds a cabinet impulse response to the guitar output, making a direct feed sound more like a miked speaker cabinet. It's designed for going straight to a PA or interface without a real amp in the chain.

ParameterRangeWhat it does
SPEAKER SIM ENABLE On / Off Enables cabinet simulation on the guitar output. Turn this off if you're running into a real amp or a separate cab sim pedal downstream.
Note: Speaker simulation shapes the guitar signal on every output that carries it, including XLR, headphones, and USB. Make sure this setting matches your rig (on when going direct to PA, off when going to a real amp or external cab sim).

Output Mode

Output Mode controls how the guitar signal level behaves at the output jack. The VL3/x screen labels these differently than the internal parameter values, so Pilot shows you the raw values.

ParameterRangeWhat it does
OUTPUT MODE 2 values (enum) Guitar output routing mode. Unity Gain (labeled STEREO on the VL3/x screen) holds the output level fixed. Variable Level (labeled MONO) allows the output level to be adjusted. Match this to your downstream rig's expectations.
Tip: If the guitar output level seems wrong when you switch presets or turn the guitar channel up and down, OUTPUT MODE is the first thing to check. Unity Gain keeps the level locked; Variable Level follows the guitar level control.

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