One week with the Eleven Rack

[romanianreaper]

I think I've come to the conclusion that a person like me can't handle the Axe-Fx, even though I know I would absolutely love the tones. I just would go crazy with the tweaking, etc. I've dumped the PODxt because I thought it was too much tweaking.

I think the 11R gets "compared" with the Axe-Fx alot only because they were really popular here on the forum around the same time. I don't think they are the same at all. The 11R seems like the next level above the LINE 6 stuff which is really cool, but not as tweakable as the Axe-Fx.

The 11R has some really cool features and tones and I think would be awesome for recordings, etc. I still need to look into it and give it a try.

 

[Rogue]

Dial it in all you want, my Fortin Cali mod still stomps on anything it can do. TONEWISE.

You can dial it in to be better than a Fortin Cali mod. Can you make a Fortin Cali mod sound like anything in your head? I don't think so.

 

[ratter]

Dial it in all you want, my Fortin Cali mod still stomps on anything it can do. TONEWISE.

You can dial it in to be better than a Fortin Cali mod. Can you make a Fortin Cali mod sound like anything in your head? I don't think so.

And this is relevant to the 11R how?

 

[yngzaklynch]

Dial it in all you want, my Fortin Cali mod still stomps on anything it can do. TONEWISE.

You can dial it in to be better than a Fortin Cali mod. Can you make a Fortin Cali mod sound like anything in your head? I don't think so.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Hey Ratter....got any clips yet?

 

[mixohoytian]

I'm not sure 11 rack is any less superior than axe fx on simple amp modeling

I saw a youtube where a guy did an a/b test between his mesa rectifier and the 11 rack and got the same tone (live)

so it can definitely do that
not sure on all models, but it can do the heavy thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfEjY_7 ... re=related

 

[IndyWS6]

The more I play my Eleven Rack, the more I like it. So far, it's just been through headphones and studio monitors, but work on my rack rig continues and I'll be able to light it up through a Mesa Simul 2:90 before long

I used it to record my first session on Pro Tools this week and it sounded great on playback. It's raw (no added effects, panning, mixing, etc.) and features my sub-sub-par playing, but I was more than satisfied from a "learning Pro Tools, learning Eleven Rack / still need to learn how to play" point of view

 

[RedB4Black]

I'm not sure 11 rack is any less superior than axe fx on simple amp modeling

I saw a youtube where a guy did an a/b test between his mesa rectifier and the 11 rack and got the same tone (live)

so it can definitely do that
not sure on all models, but it can do the heavy thing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jfEjY_7 ... re=related

Damn that sounds pretty good. I have an Axe, but this makes me want ah 11R too.

 

[Ventura]

Clearly, somebody can't dial their axefx in right.

Dial it in all you want, my Fortin Cali mod still stomps on anything it can do.

So the Fortin mod can do delays, reverbs, harmonies, choruses, et al? Wow!

When i have my Damage Control Timeline in the loop sure . Tone against tone the Axe can't cop the Fortin. The Axe has tons of gain and low end but there's something missing, some rawness that i haven't heard yet from it.

Ya, it's called power tube mojo...

Thanks for the t-shirt m'man, hitting the gym with it in 15 minutes...the newest wares for musical Mo.

Peace,
V.

 

[jcj]

I'd really like to try the 11r. The simplicity definitely appeals to me,

Someone asked about effects placement in the chain; does it have the same type of (basic) routing capabilities as the Axe?

Can you throw a modeled boost in front and delay in the "loop"?

 

[Ricky Rockhardo]

I'd really like to try the 11r. The simplicity definitely appeals to me,

Someone asked about effects placement in the chain; does it have the same type of (basic) routing capabilities as the Axe?

Can you throw a modeled boost in front and delay in the "loop"?

yes, if by "loop" you mean after the amp-cabinet block.

 

[billm408]

I'd really like to try the 11r. The simplicity definitely appeals to me,

Someone asked about effects placement in the chain; does it have the same type of (basic) routing capabilities as the Axe?

Can you throw a modeled boost in front and delay in the "loop"?

As I understand it, the signal chain is not exactly like the Axe (the Axe-FX can run parallell fx loops), but yes you can arrange the order any way you like. The 11R is a single linear chain with 2 separate FX loops and stomp boxes that can moved anywhere before or after the amp sim.

 

[thiswaythatway]

Dial it in all you want, my Fortin Cali mod still stomps on anything it can do. TONEWISE.

You can dial it in to be better than a Fortin Cali mod. Can you make a Fortin Cali mod sound like anything in your head? I don't think so.

Dial the Axe-Fx to sound better than my Cali mod? HAHA, keep dreaming. Not close. Looks like I've touched a nerve with the Axe-Police.

 

[ejecta]

Dial it in all you want, my Fortin Cali mod still stomps on anything it can do. TONEWISE.

You can dial it in to be better than a Fortin Cali mod. Can you make a Fortin Cali mod sound like anything in your head? I don't think so.

Dial the Axe-Fx to sound better than my Cali mod? HAHA, keep dreaming. Not close. Looks like I've touched a nerve with the Axe-Police.

He was being sarcastic by parroting what has been said elsewhere about the Axe.

 

[Gainzilla]

I spent some time with the 11r and was impressed with it for what it was. I consider it a lower cost alternative to the Axe but for me, in the end, the Axe was better in all areas; feel, tone, quality of fx etc. I dont think that the difference was huge but it was noticeable. I guess I felt that overall, the AF is a more complete package .

I hear what people are saying about the models not sounding all that different from each other but Ive also noticed that I sound the same on damn near anything that I play on. For whatever reason, I tend to dial everything in the same no matter what.

I did spend some QT with my AF yesterday and really enjoyed several of the sounds that I had come up with. One in particular was a patch that I had come up with Ralphie that has the best qualities of a Marshall and a MkIV without any of the weaknesses. I had a blast playing it and it just felt awesome. It was like a cross between 80's MSG and 70's UFO and had me playing Schenker licks for a pretty long time

I think everything has its place and If the AF didnt exist, I could definitley be happy with the 11r. Since I have choice however, The extra $$$ for the AF is well worth it to me across the board..

Kage

 

[ratter]

I hear what people are saying about the models not sounding all that different from each other but Ive also noticed that I sound the same on damn near anything that I play on. For whatever reason, I tend to dial everything in the same no matter what.

I think that's a huge part of it. If you consider that the user is usually playing:

same guitar/hands/ears
same cables/pedals
modeller/amp
power amp
cab
speakers

If the only thing that changes in that chain is the "amp" selected in the modeller, there is going to be a lot of "sameness" to the sound no matter what, unless you start making changes at other points in the chain too. It's like putting new tires on your car and wondering why your car still smells the same and doesn't go any faster.

IMO, the speakers play a much bigger role in any rig, virtual or real, than the power amp, for example...so that makes the "sameness" problem a big deal for guys using guitar speakers with a modeller.

As for the 11r vs AFX. For my narrow range of uses (basically plexi and vintage amp tone, echoplex, vibe), the 11R won on feel and tone for all of those. So I'm happy to have that and saving the money is a bonus. But if my main uses were Bogner/Marsha/Diezel/Pitch stuff, or incorporating into a larger rack, then the AFX would be the clear winner and it easily is worth the money win you consider the processing power in that box. Nobody complained about Eventides being overpriced all those years...Horses for courses...

Hey Ratter....got any clips yet?

.

I'll post some soon. I've purposely avoided posting like Unchained clips or Lay it Down or whatever because I'm really tired of that whole thing. Setting people up to judge something when some people will pre-judge no matter what. My favorite clip of any modeller is that vid of Pete Thorn running through a handful of sounds on the AFX. It's a nice well-rounded demo. But then he is the demo king...

What I think people would like about the 11R (especially people that got an AFX but fought with the interface or found it over complicated) - I think it might benefit them to learn more about the 11R interface. Maybe some demos of that would be useful.

 

[IndyWS6]

Greetings
For me, and what I do, the Eleven Rack is simply the better choice. I'm not a skilled enough player and I don't have a good enough ear to to need the features that the Axe FX has over the Eleven Rack. In the interest of full disclosure, I have never played an Axe FX and am basing my choice on demos, sound clips and postings on forums such as this. I'm sure I would love an Ultra, likely even more than the Eleven Rack, but all things considered, the Eleven Rack works for me. Your mileage may vary, but one thing is certain - I got two Eleven Racks and two copies of Pro Tools 8 for less than one Axe FX Ultra.

For Eleven Rack functionality demos, do a Google search for Sean Halley. He did some sessions with the Eleven Rack at Sweetwater's Gear Fest and knows the product, and Pro Tools, extremely well. He is also an engaging personality and a damn fine guitar player. There's not a lot out there from him - I'm hoping for more - but what's there is informative (re-amping, using with a GC Pro, etc.).

 

[dfrattaroli]

Dial it in all you want, my Fortin Cali mod still stomps on anything it can do. TONEWISE.

Maybe I need to play a Fortin in person but I've yet to hear a clip of one that I prefer over what I'm getting out of the Axe. It's all subjective. Then again, I didn't like the early Axe clips I heard. I'm talking about when it first came 3-4 years ago.

I do prefer having knobs to turn etc. but that's because it's what I grew up on. Considering what the Axe allows you to adjust, the shear number of parameters, there's just no other way to do it. You need menus, pages, etc. In that sense, the interface on the Axe is excellent.

As far as the sims sounding the same: I remember feeling the same about my Egnater M4. It seemed all of my high-gain modules sounded very, very, very similar. How many truly different sounds are out there any way when you consider how many amps are just hot-rodded Marshalls. The only real different amp sounds are Mesa, Marshall, Fender and Vox. Everything else is derivative. And how many times do we say, "Hey, no matter what rig I play through, I sound like me". So why is that not a valid explanation when you consider a piece of gear that gives you 60 amps to play from?

I've never played an 11R but the clips/vids I've heard just sound bad. No offense to those who've posted them. They're just bad. And even that's neither here nor there. I mean, you name the high-dollar tube amp and someone somewhere has posted a vid or a clip of one that sounded like ass. That won't stop me from trying one though. Hell, I bought my Axe blind and figured I'd try it despite the majority of the clips I'd heard leaving me unimpressed. Now I can't see myself selling it. It's too many things to me now.

As for the arguments about it being a computer and all that nonsense. That's just fucking stupid to me. Who cares what it is? It sounds great and there's nothing else like it. Nothing else is even close to what the Axe offers.

Dave

 

[thiswaythatway]

Dial it in all you want, my Fortin Cali mod still stomps on anything it can do. TONEWISE.

Maybe I need to play a Fortin in person but I've yet to hear a clip of one that I prefer over what I'm getting out of the Axe. It's all subjective. Then again, I didn't like the early Axe clips I heard. I'm talking about when it first came 3-4 years ago.

I do prefer having knobs to turn etc. but that's because it's what I grew up on. Considering what the Axe allows you to adjust, the shear number of parameters, there's just no other way to do it. You need menus, pages, etc. In that sense, the interface on the Axe is excellent.

As far as the sims sounding the same: I remember feeling the same about my Egnater M4. It seemed all of my high-gain modules sounded very, very, very similar. How many truly different sounds are out there any way when you consider how many amps are just hot-rodded Marshalls. The only real different amp sounds are Mesa, Marshall, Fender and Vox. Everything else is derivative. And how many times do we say, "Hey, no matter what rig I play through, I sound like me". So why is that not a valid explanation when you consider a piece of gear that gives you 60 amps to play from?

I've never played an 11R but the clips/vids I've heard just sound bad. No offense to those who've posted them. They're just bad. And even that's neither here nor there. I mean, you name the high-dollar tube amp and someone somewhere has posted a vid or a clip of one that sounded like ass. That won't stop me from trying one though. Hell, I bought my Axe blind and figured I'd try it despite the majority of the clips I'd heard leaving me unimpressed. Now I can't see myself selling it. It's too many things to me now.

As for the arguments about it being a computer and all that nonsense. That's just fucking stupid to me. Who cares what it is? It sounds great and there's nothing else like it. Nothing else is even close to what the Axe offers.

Dave

I spent all of 3 minutes tweaking my amp for a VH tone and IMHO, it sounds better than anything I've heard from the Axe that was going for a similiar brown tone. The Axe is a modeler and there's a lot of amps I'd rather use. I'm not saying the Axe doesn't sound bad and that it's not a great tool, because it is. The tones are close, really close, but it's not there yet for me.

I could care less how many more Petrucci's or Vai's show up on the Fractal forum saying how this thing is the greatest. I heard the same crap about the ADA and how people were trashing their Marshall's for it. The ADA now sells for pennies and was junked by everyone and the Marshalls are still here. I have my own ears so i don't flock along with the rest of the sheep from Petrucci's forum or wherever.

And I did try the 11R yesterday.........i guess i don't get it. I didn't care for this thing at all and i think the Axe smokes it. It really sounds like a modeler to me and not amplike. That's from my findings. YMMV

 

[ejecta]

.And I did try the 11R yesterday.........i guess i don't get it. I didn't care for this thing at all and i think the Axe smokes it. It really sounds like a modeler to me and not amplike. That's from my findings. YMMV

Interesting. The presets sucked on it IMHO but then again I thought the same thing of the Axe's presets. But once I built my own patch the 11R sounded pretty good for a digital modeler... as good tones with better feel than the Axe. To each his own.