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Spidouz « An almost perfect Rack »
Published on 06/25/12 at 11:23I shoot with a 27 "iMac and there was virtually nothing to do to put it into action. A single USB cable, software installation and it was gone. So I can not comment too much user manual or else, because I have not used.
I bought the rack Eleven because I had an interface for ProTools for home and before the release of ProTools 9, it was not possible to use any card. The Eleven Rack is then presented as a rather interesting because it offers a rack provided multi effect guitar, an audio interface and a license of ProTools (now included with version 10).
The benefit is you can use the rack without a computer ... as a simple multi-effect rack and thus be on stage for example, sounds that are used in the studio (or home).
This is a true Swiss knife of choice ...
UTILIZATION
There are also some very good effects, including chorus, delay, etc. ... For modeling amps, let's be honest, it works well, but this is not an Axe-FX or Kemper ... or even a real tube amp.
This is still very usable to make his home, making models, etc. ... It's still better than a Pod 2.0 for example (I have not been compared with the Pod HD cons). and it is just as well if not better plugins such as Amplitube, Guitar Rig, etc. ...
There is also an expansion pack to $ 98, you can buy online and I highly recommend because it provides much better distorted sounds, new amp models, Cabinet, etc. ... Gone with the basic version I was very mixed for heavy distortion, as with the expansion pack can already do something very nice.
There is also a pack of nearly 1,000 presets (available for free download online) that can have an idea for those who like to use the presets (even if only a starting point to make a sound).
Moreover, the interface of the Rack Eleven is pretty well thought out and very convenient to make his own sound. She also recalled the great ergonomics of a standard tube amp. Navigation is fairly simple, you can move the cursor with the wheel and pedals to change the settings, the amp, etc ...
It can also enable or disable effects directly with the buttons on the front ... Again, very practical, even in front of the computer, it avoids having to touch the mouse. This is also controllable by noon for those pedals.
The tap tempo and tuner are also directly accessible on the front of the Rack Eleven ...
The software interface in ProTools Eleven Rack looks a bit like a plugin, which also take back the same organization that has been on the cover display. No frills, it was just necessary.
The Rack appears in ProTools as a simple audio interface standard, which can be recovered with the input signal from the rack (the dry guitar signal) and / or the output signal (with effect). It is easy to record two tracks simultaneously to the Re-Amping thereafter. Again, other manufacturers offer this feature now, but here it is super well-integrated with ProTools, because the track will be recorded with the input signal will have a reminder system setting.
It is easy to remember to use a sound part. This is done automatically. One can just as easily return a track in the rack (by selecting the output "ReAmp").
Another advantage of having a rack, it is to have zero latency (unlike the plugin), because the audio is not done in ProTools, but in the rack. It was not the phenomenon of latency that can be felt with plugins.
The knobs on the front has two colors (orange and green) that can easily find a setting if you are lost in the editing ... just turn until it changes color to be recorded on the position in the preset. Again, a detail, but this practice is contrary to some rack or there is no indicator and where you can easily get lost after 20 minutes of editing
I personally would have liked the rack has ADAT I / O (including the connection to other equipment), or you can use the headphone output independently of the main outputs (to make a CUE bus example ).
There is no possibility of having two "Rig" at the same time, two simulation models, etc. .. as possible on a Pod Pro HD or Axe-FX. It's a shame because with two models at the same time, we end up with sounds pretty cool ... Here we can make a recording, doubling the track dry and send in a second preset ... but it is not as quick or easy ...
SOUND QUALITY
Compared to other solution ProTools (Type M-Box, etc ...), the Eleven Rack is what he does best in terms of price, options, extensions, connections, etc ... The quality of the converters are not up to the Lynx or Apogee, but they are from the 003, so it is quite suitable and sufficient for a home studio.
Moreover with additional mic input on the front, it is also possible to catch his voice, for example (the effects of eleven rack can also be used as a standard channel strip. An expansion pack with LA2A , 1176, etc. ... are also being developed based on the community site Avid / Digidesign. This site is also great to be able to make suggestions for future developments.
The microphone input can also be used to the sound of a real tube amp with an HP. One can easily make ReAmping with real amps ... There are also two line inputs, which can be nice in the case of a home studio to plug in keyboards, drum machines, etc. ... There are also MIDI and spdif and stereo effects loop.
Personally, I know that wants more, but I wish I had two effects loops (in order to have an effects loop mono pre and stereo in another post).
It is also not possible to have the preamp and amplifier part separately. It's a shame. I would have also liked to also have version "software" of Eleven Rack as a plugin, so you can insert it on some tracks and it automatically detects the setting that we had when recording with effects in the rack ... Anyway I have not figured out how to do it
However, this is a great product. Do not expect a rack equivalent to an Axe-FX or Kemper (especially for modeling and saturation). But for anyone looking for good effects rack (Pod, Digitech 1101, etc ...), it may be worth it ... or for those seeking a solution for their home studio (studio or mobile, since it's USB, it can work with a laptop) ... or one that has no sequencer and would like to buy ProTools 10 (which is € 599 by itself), it may well be worth taking a Rack Eleven (although there is no guitarist / bassist).
For € 300 more for it not only has ProTools, but also a good audio interface, but also a multi-effects rack ...
I use it with a PRS Singlecut 245 (Les Paul type), and the dynamics are really good. You can easily spend a clean sound with the neck microphone and a volume of 5, to his Crush with a volume of 7/8, almost see his lead with a micro bridge and a volume of 10. I therefore found more effective than some multi-effect racks where there is no momentum and no difference between a volume of 3 and a volume of 10 ...
I use it every day since its purchase (2010) because I work a lot at home and I've had no worries. I once again have to worry about, I just restart the iMac and restart ProTools and it worked nickel ... I could not swear to come from the rack, protools or the iMac. But hey, in a crash almost two years of fairly intensive use (since the work on ProTools is my first job and livelihood), I can not complain too much.
If I had to buy something today, I would do without hesitation. I therefore recommend no problem.
I bought the rack Eleven because I had an interface for ProTools for home and before the release of ProTools 9, it was not possible to use any card. The Eleven Rack is then presented as a rather interesting because it offers a rack provided multi effect guitar, an audio interface and a license of ProTools (now included with version 10).
The benefit is you can use the rack without a computer ... as a simple multi-effect rack and thus be on stage for example, sounds that are used in the studio (or home).
This is a true Swiss knife of choice ...
UTILIZATION
There are also some very good effects, including chorus, delay, etc. ... For modeling amps, let's be honest, it works well, but this is not an Axe-FX or Kemper ... or even a real tube amp.
This is still very usable to make his home, making models, etc. ... It's still better than a Pod 2.0 for example (I have not been compared with the Pod HD cons). and it is just as well if not better plugins such as Amplitube, Guitar Rig, etc. ...
There is also an expansion pack to $ 98, you can buy online and I highly recommend because it provides much better distorted sounds, new amp models, Cabinet, etc. ... Gone with the basic version I was very mixed for heavy distortion, as with the expansion pack can already do something very nice.
There is also a pack of nearly 1,000 presets (available for free download online) that can have an idea for those who like to use the presets (even if only a starting point to make a sound).
Moreover, the interface of the Rack Eleven is pretty well thought out and very convenient to make his own sound. She also recalled the great ergonomics of a standard tube amp. Navigation is fairly simple, you can move the cursor with the wheel and pedals to change the settings, the amp, etc ...
It can also enable or disable effects directly with the buttons on the front ... Again, very practical, even in front of the computer, it avoids having to touch the mouse. This is also controllable by noon for those pedals.
The tap tempo and tuner are also directly accessible on the front of the Rack Eleven ...
The software interface in ProTools Eleven Rack looks a bit like a plugin, which also take back the same organization that has been on the cover display. No frills, it was just necessary.
The Rack appears in ProTools as a simple audio interface standard, which can be recovered with the input signal from the rack (the dry guitar signal) and / or the output signal (with effect). It is easy to record two tracks simultaneously to the Re-Amping thereafter. Again, other manufacturers offer this feature now, but here it is super well-integrated with ProTools, because the track will be recorded with the input signal will have a reminder system setting.
It is easy to remember to use a sound part. This is done automatically. One can just as easily return a track in the rack (by selecting the output "ReAmp").
Another advantage of having a rack, it is to have zero latency (unlike the plugin), because the audio is not done in ProTools, but in the rack. It was not the phenomenon of latency that can be felt with plugins.
The knobs on the front has two colors (orange and green) that can easily find a setting if you are lost in the editing ... just turn until it changes color to be recorded on the position in the preset. Again, a detail, but this practice is contrary to some rack or there is no indicator and where you can easily get lost after 20 minutes of editing
I personally would have liked the rack has ADAT I / O (including the connection to other equipment), or you can use the headphone output independently of the main outputs (to make a CUE bus example ).
There is no possibility of having two "Rig" at the same time, two simulation models, etc. .. as possible on a Pod Pro HD or Axe-FX. It's a shame because with two models at the same time, we end up with sounds pretty cool ... Here we can make a recording, doubling the track dry and send in a second preset ... but it is not as quick or easy ...
SOUND QUALITY
Compared to other solution ProTools (Type M-Box, etc ...), the Eleven Rack is what he does best in terms of price, options, extensions, connections, etc ... The quality of the converters are not up to the Lynx or Apogee, but they are from the 003, so it is quite suitable and sufficient for a home studio.
Moreover with additional mic input on the front, it is also possible to catch his voice, for example (the effects of eleven rack can also be used as a standard channel strip. An expansion pack with LA2A , 1176, etc. ... are also being developed based on the community site Avid / Digidesign. This site is also great to be able to make suggestions for future developments.
The microphone input can also be used to the sound of a real tube amp with an HP. One can easily make ReAmping with real amps ... There are also two line inputs, which can be nice in the case of a home studio to plug in keyboards, drum machines, etc. ... There are also MIDI and spdif and stereo effects loop.
Personally, I know that wants more, but I wish I had two effects loops (in order to have an effects loop mono pre and stereo in another post).
It is also not possible to have the preamp and amplifier part separately. It's a shame. I would have also liked to also have version "software" of Eleven Rack as a plugin, so you can insert it on some tracks and it automatically detects the setting that we had when recording with effects in the rack ... Anyway I have not figured out how to do it
However, this is a great product. Do not expect a rack equivalent to an Axe-FX or Kemper (especially for modeling and saturation). But for anyone looking for good effects rack (Pod, Digitech 1101, etc ...), it may be worth it ... or for those seeking a solution for their home studio (studio or mobile, since it's USB, it can work with a laptop) ... or one that has no sequencer and would like to buy ProTools 10 (which is € 599 by itself), it may well be worth taking a Rack Eleven (although there is no guitarist / bassist).
For € 300 more for it not only has ProTools, but also a good audio interface, but also a multi-effects rack ...
I use it with a PRS Singlecut 245 (Les Paul type), and the dynamics are really good. You can easily spend a clean sound with the neck microphone and a volume of 5, to his Crush with a volume of 7/8, almost see his lead with a micro bridge and a volume of 10. I therefore found more effective than some multi-effect racks where there is no momentum and no difference between a volume of 3 and a volume of 10 ...
I use it every day since its purchase (2010) because I work a lot at home and I've had no worries. I once again have to worry about, I just restart the iMac and restart ProTools and it worked nickel ... I could not swear to come from the rack, protools or the iMac. But hey, in a crash almost two years of fairly intensive use (since the work on ProTools is my first job and livelihood), I can not complain too much.
If I had to buy something today, I would do without hesitation. I therefore recommend no problem.