Ibanez UE-405

The Ibanez UE-405 is a multi-effects processor in the form of a rack mountable piece of outboard gear. Since I've only used this in a professional studio where it was already racked up and ready for use, I don't know what types of connections it has in the back. It was hooked up to a patch bay, so when I wanted to use it I would just make the connections there. It does however have 1/4" connections in the front for both an input and two outputs. The UE-405 will take up two spaces in a traditional rack casing.

UTILIZATION

Using the Ibanez UE-405 isn't hard whatsoever. All of the different effects are broken up into different sections to work in. The effects/sections found on the UE-405 include a compressor/limiter, stereo chorus, a parametric EQ, and analog delay. While I've played around with the compressor and the equalizer, I've used the UE-405 mostly for it's chorus and analog delay. Each effect/section has it's own array of parameters to work with. I don't believe that a manual is necessary, but I haven't seen one so I can't really comment on it.

SOUND QUALITY

For a multi-effects processor, the Ibanez UE-405 has a very good sound. Like I said earlier, I've primarily used this in the recording studio for it's chorus and analog delay sounds, but the compressor and equalizer definitely have some worth as well. Both the chorus and the analog delay share a similar round quality to them that I enjoy a good deal. I've used the chorus on electric guitar and keyboards, while I've used the analog delay for vocals and a Fender Rhodes. The compressor and equalizer are perfect to have around when you're using the other effects and want to fine tune your sound within the same box, but I don't think that I would necessarily use them on their own.

OVERALL OPINION

There definitely aren't too many Ibanez UE-405's out there today for whatever reason. While I generally like to get my modulation effects inside the box if I didn't already get them at the source, the UE-405 provides an option both after the fact or during tracking if you so choose. It's great to have a few high quality effects in one spot, as I find myself experimenting with them where I might not normally do so with a plug-in or a single effect processor. I can't say what sort of price the UE-405 would command, but if you can find one at a reasonable price when compared to other multi-effects processors like this one, I'd say the UE-405 is definitely a piece of gear worth considering.