Clean to Mean Rack Tones 12/27/25

[mentoneman]

it’s that visceral intangible that keeps us vintage rack diehards locked in. trying to explain how a tc scf pedal differs from a 1210, eventide rack v pedal, or a gforce delay sounds compared to a 2290.

there are degrees of depth and headroom that the legendary rack units possess that make it hard to explain with words. but most people who experience it typically respond the same inspired way.

 

[Dave L]

Yeah, it may sound a bit self-serving and I don´t have the technical knowledge to tell anyone why, but some of these units just sound huge doing the same effect as some other box. Take the eternal question about using detune from either the SPX or the H3000, I totally get that the SPX just has a certain sound you can hear a mile away (and was an absolute revolution as an inexpensive 1U DSP unit with two pitch voices in 1985, when the then-recent H969 presumably cost as much as a car and still only did one voice, so no wonder it ended up in all those racks...) but to my ears it sounds really small next to the Eventide.

 

[mentoneman]

Yeah, it may sound a bit self-serving and I don´t have the technical knowledge to tell anyone why, but some of these units just sound huge doing the same effect as some other box. Take the eternal question about using detune from either the SPX or the H3000, I totally get that the SPX just has a certain sound you can hear a mile away (and was an absolute revolution as an inexpensive 1U DSP unit with two pitch voices in 1985, when the then-recent H969 presumably cost as much as a car and still only did one voice, so no wonder it ended up in all those racks...) but to my ears it sounds really small next to the Eventide.

agree. and there is definitely a cool thing that happens when you combine certain fx in series/parallel that can be great happy accidents.
i also totally get why people think we’re nuts and go axe fx, helix, or pedals

 

[Dave L]

I find myself with one spot open in the big rack, and one thing that occurred to me is the Line 6 Echo Pro. I never gave it much thought, but Landau did have two of these at one point, alongside his 42s... anyone know what he used them for?

 

[Anje]

I imagine for some kind of echo/delay effects?



Sorry, I don't know what particular setting he was using on those, but they have a good press; if you can find one at a good price I'd give it a try.

 

[mentoneman]

I find myself with one spot open in the big rack, and one thing that occurred to me is the Line 6 Echo Pro. I never gave it much thought, but Landau did have two of these at one point, alongside his 42s... anyone know what he used them for?

all the guys i knew that had the dl4 pedal lived the modulated tape delay setting on it and from a listener perspective i agree it sounded nice.
so i’d imagine the rack version would sound even better.

the flipside is most of those pedals eventually broke down mechanically.

 

[mentoneman]

great amp demo by RJ and the second clip made me very happy!

Tyler time!

 

[Dave L]

all the guys i knew that had the dl4 pedal lived the modulated tape delay setting on it and from a listener perspective i agree it sounded nice.
so i’d imagine the rack version would sound even better.

the flipside is most of those pedals eventually broke down mechanically.

Yeah, looking at the emulations it seems to lean towards those tape sounds and the Memory Man, which might be interesting. Thanks!

 

[Anje]

Agree, I'd bet that's what most use on those (Tape & old analog echos emulations); Landau, The Edge, Ty Tabor...

 

[mentoneman]

happy rack tones!



went to watch my friends at a boogie boarding contest this morning

then in the spirit of seafoam and controversy, got to play this sweet little corona bred axe

through this lovely bugger

before heading out to the Disney Aulani resort in Ko Olina for anniversary din din with the missus

Aloha!

 

[Anje]

You're living the dream, Aloha!

 

[mentoneman]

You're living the dream, Aloha!

the resort beaches on this Leeward/West side of the island definitely aren’t shabby

and one of our new favorite places to eat is the Lookout restaurant overlooking the Wai Kai wave pool and water park

 

[Anje]

Looks fantastic; wish I can visit one day

 

[mentoneman]

classic tri stereo chorus studio rack textures care of the Huffmeister

 

[mentoneman]

classic tri stereo chorus studio rack textures care of the Huffmeister

although every time i hear a cheesy 80s pop duet like this, i think of these two

 

[mentoneman]

Bob must have so many fun stories!

 

[mentoneman]

another cool vhII multitrack breakdown.
just sounds like one 57 pulled back on the dust cap edge and one off axis. i still don’t hear the JBL thing unless it’s the off axis mic pulled back and angled off enough to filter the brightness.

the raw quality of overdrive saturation is the interesting part, along with the difference between these raw tracks vs the finished mix when drum overheads, sunset reverb and various panning/eq/mastering is added.

 

[mentoneman]

nice to see his Excellence dropping new morsels on his channel

 

[eero]

nice to see his Excellence dropping new morsels on his channel

nice...it reminds a little Jeff Beck

 

[mentoneman]

nice...it reminds a little Jeff Beck

watch til the end