Clean to Mean Rack Tones 12/27/25

[Dave L]

That Rocktron 300 turned up in some of the early slaved rigs, even when there was a DBX. I always speculated it was used as a sort of limiter for the (probably fairly crude) Bradshaw load boxes. It´s a nice unit, like almost everything Rocktron did.

 

[mentoneman]

That Rocktron 300 turned up in some of the early slaved rigs, even when there was a DBX. I always speculated it was used as a sort of limiter for the (probably fairly crude) Bradshaw load boxes. It´s a nice unit, like almost everything Rocktron did.

i’ve been a fan of the 300G from way back. it’s definitely not the best in every category it covers—compression, limiting, hush— but the sum of the parts used judiciously make it a great unit and a familiar old friend.
i actually realize i missed the hifi compressed sparkle of it in my rig.

 

[Anje]

if the predecessor 300 was good enough for EVH…(even if rarely used)View attachment 443414

« Hardly used, ifever »

 

[mentoneman]

« Hardly used, ifever »

he didn’t strike me as a much of a compressor guy—more like a crank to 10 stadium guy

although women in love, finish what you started, 316, …he had moments a comp could come in handy live!

 

[mentoneman]

swear this is the last one i needed to thoroughly complete the manual pile of pain and suffering

because my H3000 SE was upgraded to the 3500 DFX and the SE manual was pre-Mod Factory algorithms and added preset descriptions and functions

also rotating choruses in and out of my pedal tray….swapped the triavatar out/red seven lil wave in, then swapped over to the rockman

so far the rockman handles the compressor line level output the best without trying to clip, but it doesn’t animate and ripple deeply ala TSC.

gonna try the boss RCE-10 next, then tc scf.

also contemplating replacing the BBD-320 with the spx 900 or H9…

 

[Dave L]

About that BBD, the one FX unit I don´t have anymore and miss sometimes is the Roland RSP550, great Dimension in that one.

 

[Anje]

Talking about Roland "Dimension chorus" and RSP550, have some of you been able to compare the later next to a SDX-330?
I've always been curious about how the 2 compare.

 

[mentoneman]

About that BBD, the one FX unit I don´t have anymore and miss sometimes is the Roland RSP550, great Dimension in that one.

i think that one has a nice leslie in it too.
i wouldn’t kick an all-in-one roland sde sdd 1U mulit with ce-1/2 leanings out of bed for eating crackers

 

[Dave L]

Never had the SDX330, sorry, but I would imagine it is at least similar. It´s only like two years between them.

 

[mentoneman]

Talking about Roland "Dimension chorus" and RSP550, have some of you been able to compare the later next to a SDX-330?
I've always been curious about how the 2 compare.

don’t think i’ve heard a 330 up close. i was pretty stoked the first time i fired up the 1/2 rack boss RCE-10 chorus in the loop of the 2290 though. was like implanting the roland modulation from the sde into the fabled tc delay.
i enjoy stumbling into sonic alchemy that works!

also been enjoying scouring the indonesian bowling ball finish off of my tele and sanding the neck and arm/belly contours into the body, experimenting with staining the raw wood

waiting on some paint to arrive to really get funky!

 

[ChurchHill]

Talking about Roland "Dimension chorus" and RSP550, have some of you been able to compare the later next to a SDX-330?
I've always been curious about how the 2 compare.

I'd be interested in this, too. I'm in the other boat, I've got an SDX-330 but haven't played through either an RSP550 or SDD-320. FWIW, I do think the SDX-330 has some great sounds in it. That whole 330 series is really good, including the SDE and SRV.

 

[mentoneman]

tried the boss==> 320===>H3K

then,
boss wet out —>320 L —>H3K L
boss dry out—> tcscf mono—>320 R—>H3K R

then swapped tcscf for keeley dyno my roto


the keeley sounded cooler for the TCS vibe. the 300G compressor really sounds great. now have to decide between the boss or rockman half rack chorus in that chain. leaning rockman.

once that’s done i think i’ll pull the 2U 320 to make more space and either swap in the 1U spx 900, or H9 on the tray,
or maybe leave nothing between rockman/keeley and H3K.

 

[mentoneman]

before i start juggling more stuff in and out of the rig i wanted to record a quick snapshot of where i am in the early H3K add in process. trying to ease in to light crystal echoes trails and micropitch here and there and not get to space-shippy—yet



the DI tone which is how this is recorded isn’t the greatest for fat organic clean and dirty sounds that the speakers and tube power will bring later, but i always dial in the fx with headphones DI first to really hear how the fx are combining/panning/phasing etc.

i pumped the verb in the pcm 80 on the last crunch preset to hear how the low RT was affecting things—huge bass which clipped/fuzzed the recording a little— good to know as i can potentially work that into the thinner cleaner presets strategically to indirectly reclaim bass in those instances.

 

[ChurchHill]

Nice! That ethereal halo that the H3K adds in why I love it so much. There are so many textures available from the Reverse Shifters algorithm, of which Crystals is just one. I really like the way that it splices the repeats, seems different than other implementations. Combine that with a great Lexicon space with the 2290 for any additional delays (I'm not sure you were, though, but it's always an option) and, well, yeah, just addictive stuff.

Sounds great, man! So much fun! Figuring out how the low RT changes things is a little challenging for me sometimes, especially when switching between chords and lead lines, but it can really fill out of part. Haven't tried this, but maybe there's a way to have a pitch detector modify it, so it increases with higher notes? IDK, just a random thought.

 

[Anje]

I need to put my old H3000 back to work!
So much fun, isn't it

Racks are not operational again yet, but I've been slowly putting things back together; thought it might be time for a teaser update:

 

[mentoneman]

Nice! That ethereal halo that the H3K adds in why I love it so much. There are so many textures available from the Reverse Shifters algorithm, of which Crystals is just one. I really like the way that it splices the repeats, seems different than other implementations. Combine that with a great Lexicon space with the 2290 for any additional delays (I'm not sure you were, though, but it's always an option) and, well, yeah, just addictive stuff.

Sounds great, man! So much fun! Figuring out how the low RT changes things is a little challenging for me sometimes, especially when switching between chords and lead lines, but it can really fill out of part. Haven't tried this, but maybe there's a way to have a pitch detector modify it, so it increases with higher notes? IDK, just a random thought.

if you veterans have any H3K tips i’m all ears!
it’s pretty fascinating how fxs not only do their primary task—adding fx!—but how the timbre of the overall tone and girth changes from bright to dark pretty radically as a side effect.

i’ve never tried to search for a pitch detector as a source in the pcm 80 patch row to modify a destination parameter. but i have used the input level to affect LFO speeds, fx levels, hi cut adjustment, etc.

and i’ve seen pitch detection in the axe fx adjust eq so the higher the note the darker the eq gets and vice versa…

 

[mentoneman]

I need to put my old H3000 back to work!
So much fun, isn't it

Racks are not operational again yet, but I've been slowly putting things back together; thought it might be time for a teaser update:

View attachment 444010

that looks like a very toneful room!

i’ve always wanted to spend quality time with an old school wdw rig using a jtm 45 middle, fender combo on one wet side and a vox ac30 on the other.

 

[ChurchHill]

if you veterans have any H3K tips i’m all ears!

As far as any tips, I'm not sure I have much useful. I usually find a preset I kind of like and just start dialing. Nowhere near as methodical or talented as Italo.

For Reverse Shifters, I find many times that I'm leaving the pitch set to unison or close to it. It's definitely capable of getting spaceship sounds, but that's not really my thing. More like just adding some movement and texture.

I'll see if I can find some time over the weekend and get more specific. In the meantime, have fun with yours! I have lost so many hours just enjoying the sounds.

 

[Anje]

that looks like a very toneful room!

i’ve always wanted to spend quality time with an old school wdw rig using a jtm 45 middle, fender combo on one wet side and a vox ac30 on the other.

Thanks. It’s been a long time I haven’t had all those in the same place, lots of setup / recomissionning remaining. Including some power supply / proper grounding work.

Yes, experimenting and combining different amps is IMHO when it really starts to get fun and unique.
Going beyond 2 different « kinds of amps » on at the same time starts to be a lot to manage though in my experience, and you can feel like you start to reach a kind of « diminishing return »; managing the balance between each « sound », both from an EQ / freq space and volume / stereo imaging point of view, and the phase, and how well that matches / integrates / interfaces with what you may have in front etc..

On the other hand, mixing 2 different types of amps, and/or multiple of each if you feel like it, has always been source of treasure tones to me. You gotta be careful about phase and grounding, and take time to balance things well, but still manageable and sounds huge.
For ex I like:
2 Marshall (closed 4x12) + 1 Vox (open back) in the center; get the juicy big crunch from the Marshalls and let the Vox blend in for the clearer open shimery thing. Put the «wetter » time effects on the Vox.
Any down-sized version of that with 2 amps / one of each.
« Inverted » version if you want the stereo ambiance effects (honestly overkill live) : 1 main big Marshall (closed 4x12) in the center and a pair of open backs on the sides, with the « wetter » effects; thats basically the model behind my long time main w/d/w rig I posted before.
And when I want to go all in: 4 amps, either of the same type or 2x2; used in a « w/d/d/w » kind of fashion. Usually use again open backs where the really « wet » effects are, I like how that helps diffuse the ambiance in the room. You can play with different physical arrangements of that, including stacking cabs/amps.

4 AC30 that way next to each others is the Brian May 80’s rig.
4 1x12 amps arranged in 2 mini compact stacks is how I had my latest live rig setup up until covid times; made for a big sounding yet very compact & portable setup. Here's a snapshot of it:

With a small 4U rack for post-amp effects:

And a small pedalboard in front:

 

[mentoneman]

As far as any tips, I'm not sure I have much useful. I usually find a preset I kind of like and just start dialing. Nowhere near as methodical or talented as Italo.

For Reverse Shifters, I find many times that I'm leaving the pitch set to unison or close to it. It's definitely capable of getting spaceship sounds, but that's not really my thing. More like just adding some movement and texture.

I'll see if I can find some time over the weekend and get more specific. In the meantime, have fun with yours! I have lost so many hours just enjoying the sounds.

the tricky part for me is folding a new to me fx unit into an existing set of presets i’ve already established and developed with gear i’ve used for years.
but i think that’s also fun challenging part like solving a puzzle as i learn the new unit’s strengths and weaknesses.

one of my heroes that was a master at this was Allan Holdsworth



i can totally relate to avoiding reliance on external monitor mixes to hear my own sound. as both a musician and a live sound engineer one thing i always tried to honor was how a musician wanted their stage environment to sound.

plus just acquiring some of these legendary grail devices for an old audio gear nerd like me is a bucket list kinda thing!