Rack effects

jakeolly

hi all
am looking to build a 6 u rack set up for guitar processing in my home studio. Am looking fr your expert advice on best rack units. I used to have a zoom rfx 2000 and midiverb iv and may go for them but advice on good ( cheap if poss)units, maybe ones that do distortions, ring modulations filters etc. That will seriously affect the guitar. Possibly a good value valve processor that is ( up to now) a well kept secret . ? Just a little project for me really 
looking forward to your ideas 
chris 

octatonic

Get an Axe FX 2.

jakeolly

Bit out of my range i fear octa . Interesting thought mind you, could use for live work too 

Adji

Depends what sort of sounds you want. Your probably best off buying decent plugins rather than digital rack units if you want pristine. That said if you don't mind some grainy character I love a lot of mid 90's digital processors.
I still think the Digitech Valve FX is an awesome unit (distortion isnt great) but that 90's digital modulation is just awesome.

I've got a sony DPS D7 also which is excellent among others.

sweepy

Digitech 2112
Yamaha SPX 90/990
line 6 Pod Pro
All very reasonably priced old and still useful bits of kit

stratman3142

Adji said:

Depends what sort of sounds you want. Your probably best off buying decent plugins rather than digital rack units if you want pristine. That said if you don't mind some grainy character I love a lot of mid 90's digital processors.
I still think the Digitech Valve FX is an awesome unit (distortion isnt great) but that 90's digital modulation is just awesome.

I've got a sony DPS D7 also which is excellent among others.

I'm inclined to agree. I used a rack based system with a Marshall JMP1 preamp and a G-major processor in a rack based system for live gigs for years, before I went back to an amp with pedals.

For home recording I mainly use S-Gear as my virtual amp and the Valhalla reverb/modulation VSTs for the processing.

digitalscream

The Digitech GSP1101 is excellent - with the latest firmware, it can do pretty much all of the standard effects (you don't have to use it as a modeller - I used it in 4CM with my Kraken). They can be had for cheaps, too...around £170-ish second hand.

The delays in particular are brilliant (almost as good as my Eventide Time Factor, which cost me twice as much), and the spillover functionality is genius.

Gassage

Be very specific- I have a rack system and I'll help- you need firstly to consider the switching system- it's the heart.

Roland

octatonic said:

Get an Axe FX 2.

Get An Axe FX Ultra or Standard. The amp modelling is less sophisticated than the FX 2, but the effects are largely the same. There's one on sale elsewhere on the forum for £750.

Jack_

I picked up an Eleven Rack for £125.
I've seen TC G Major's for sale around £150.

There's a pretty decent combo, and 3u spare for whatever you fancy.

Thing is though, if you then go and buy a Marshall JMP1 and then something else nice, you're starting to get into the price range at which you could buy a used Axe FX II, which will do a better job than everything else combined, and only take up 2u.

Granted if like me you like rack gear, it won't look as cool, but at the end of the day it's the sound that matters.

1 great bit of kit is always better than half a dozen average bits of kit, most of the time.

digitalscream

It should be noted that if you want patch-based spillover, your choices at sub-Fractal prices become very limited. The only ones I've come across are the TC gear (G-Major, G-Major 2, D-Two) and GSP1101. The Eleven Rack definitely doesn't do it.

sweepy

There is an AxeFx Ultra in the f/s section at the mo, just a thought 

dean2371

The Axe Fx ultra is mine. Its a great unit, I thought it was streets ahead of all the other modellers and effects units I tried, including line 6 pods, Digitech, rocktron, TC Electronic, Zoom, korg and Alesis and probably some others. I'm sure you can get great "one trick" rack units which are as good/better, but i moved from a 6 unit rack plus pedals with switch unit to the Axe and was much happier. It is easier to use, much less complex, and I'm sure it would be easier for live use. i also ended up with some change. Be careful about buying cheap units; the risk is that they're cheap in all senses of the word

Gassage

Things I have for sale that may be of interest:

1, Roland GP-8 - 8 Boss stomps in a rack unit. Fabulous. £70 to you.
2. Korg DTR 1 Rack tuner- £50
3. Rolls analogue Leslie sim/vibe £40.
4. MXR System II Delay £500

Things I'd consider if I were you and won't break the bank

BK Butler Rackmout Tube Driver
ART SGX2000 multi fx.
Soldano Pre amp (MIJ one- cheap as)
Marshall JFX1 (expensive)
Any of the Line6 Mod, Echo or Filter 'Pro' units- incredible.
TC D-Two- fabulous, under 100 quid now.
Boss SX700
Boss half rack units
Boss VF-1- incredible thing and sub 100 quid. The Aussie Floyd use one exclusively for Sorrow.
Boss SE 70
Yamaha SPX90 or SPX900

lento

I've got a sony DPS D7 also which is excellent among others.

Great FX ! I still have their R7 and used to have the V77 - up there with the big Lexicons and still hard to beat.
Plug ins are great but they don't give you the individual character that hardware's converters do

Gassage

Just seen this on eBay. MUSTNOTBUY

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mesa-Boogie-V-Twin-Rack-Mount-with-2-Tubes-really-nice-condition-now-very-rare-/331856511309?hash=item4d4430814d:g:vQYAAOSwdV1XOF5q

hubobulous

The Digitech Studio Quad is a sensational piece of kit and stupidly cheap second hand.

Jonathanthomas83

@Gassage what are they using the VF-1 to do in Sorrow?

jakeolly

Amazing. Thank you all. Really useful and thought provoking. Gassage in particular with the ' think about exactly what you want to do and the particular point about switching being a major consideration. 
I have logic pro on a mac and it is amazing( too amazing- toomany options) and a small zoom multi unit for live again amazing . Ive also got a few pedals for an old ambient thing . Truth be told i cant justify why i want to do a rack thing--- i just do--- y' know how it is 
MIng is whirring. I will return 

Gassage

Jonathanthomas83 said:

@Gassage what are they using the VF-1 to do in Sorrow?

Everything. The whole song is in there.

Jonathanthomas83

Cool