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James... « Falls just short of being great »
Published on 08/23/11 at 21:02Now let me first state, I have tried literally every piece of guitar equipment out there. Handwired amps, production amps, hybrid amps, modelers, whatever. I've used it all in a lot of different environments. I've noticed over the last few years that modelling technology has been getting scarily close. It started with the digitech gsp1101 a few years ago and then really burst out of the scene with the Axe-fx that some of you may be familiar with. For a while the axe-fx has been hands down the best modeler I've tried, and when the 11 rack came out I knew I had to give it a shot, given the fairly attractive price.
Features are pretty good. The unit was wisely designed to work as a kind of interface for recording, and in this regard it's got an upper hand over most modellers that leave any compatibility with PC's and DAWs as an afterthought. The 11 rack comes ready to work with pro tools with a full recording feature set which is very nice. Not many other processors can claim this really. The amp selection is decent. Same for effects. I think the philosophy here is supposed to be quality over quantity, which I think most guitarists are learning to appreciate. I'd rather have 15 great amp sims than 80 bad ones.
UTILIZATION
In my use it is probably the most compatible unit I've had. The focus here is recording, although you can use it in a live situation. Whether Digi wants to admit it or not, this unit is in direct competition with the Axe-fx as well as some of it's lower end peers. It's not trying to be any of them, but obviously comparisons are going to happen. I think the axe-fx is more of a live/recording unit while the 11 rack really focuses on recording and excels there.
SOUND QUALITY
Here's what it comes down to. The 11 rack is a well thought out unit and from a functional standpoint it really whips most of the competition. Everything was thought out well and it packs in some serious features for the price. But the sound quality is, at the end of the day what really matter. The effects are pretty darn good. I would say it's what line 6 wishes it could be. The emulations are pretty mucb ace. Sometimes effects can sound a bit...much? But hey that's guitar for you. Now the amps on the other hand are not quite there to me. Yes they are a step up from most modellers in this price range. Are they as good as the real ones? No. They just aren't all the way there. And not as close as the rival axe-fx. I don't want to detract from the unit though as I am a lot more picky than most people since I have some of the real world amps to compare. The 11 rack sounds good, it's just a bit less real to me. The amps are more studio-ized if I can even use that word.
Long story short, if you are recording it's worth the price. For live use I would look elsewhere. This isn't that kind of unit.
Features are pretty good. The unit was wisely designed to work as a kind of interface for recording, and in this regard it's got an upper hand over most modellers that leave any compatibility with PC's and DAWs as an afterthought. The 11 rack comes ready to work with pro tools with a full recording feature set which is very nice. Not many other processors can claim this really. The amp selection is decent. Same for effects. I think the philosophy here is supposed to be quality over quantity, which I think most guitarists are learning to appreciate. I'd rather have 15 great amp sims than 80 bad ones.
UTILIZATION
In my use it is probably the most compatible unit I've had. The focus here is recording, although you can use it in a live situation. Whether Digi wants to admit it or not, this unit is in direct competition with the Axe-fx as well as some of it's lower end peers. It's not trying to be any of them, but obviously comparisons are going to happen. I think the axe-fx is more of a live/recording unit while the 11 rack really focuses on recording and excels there.
SOUND QUALITY
Here's what it comes down to. The 11 rack is a well thought out unit and from a functional standpoint it really whips most of the competition. Everything was thought out well and it packs in some serious features for the price. But the sound quality is, at the end of the day what really matter. The effects are pretty darn good. I would say it's what line 6 wishes it could be. The emulations are pretty mucb ace. Sometimes effects can sound a bit...much? But hey that's guitar for you. Now the amps on the other hand are not quite there to me. Yes they are a step up from most modellers in this price range. Are they as good as the real ones? No. They just aren't all the way there. And not as close as the rival axe-fx. I don't want to detract from the unit though as I am a lot more picky than most people since I have some of the real world amps to compare. The 11 rack sounds good, it's just a bit less real to me. The amps are more studio-ized if I can even use that word.
Long story short, if you are recording it's worth the price. For live use I would look elsewhere. This isn't that kind of unit.