what effect racks do you have ?

A

axeman_ukl

New member
i am just starting to think about buying effect racks and i am wondering what
to buy and in what order ?

i normally only record one track at once and then send it all to the mixer to mix down so far i've used some of the effects in cakewalk but i am coming to
the conclusion i am a slider and knobs kind of guy.

so hence the looking at effect racks.

i mainly play acustic guitar ,electric guitar ,bass and use bfd for drums

thanking anybody in advance for there imput
 
I just bought a Lexicon MPX 100. It's my first effects box, and I really like it. I use the reverbs moderately on vocals and acoustic, and I'm sending the signal to my reel to reel tape machine. So, all together I get a nice realistic sound. Also, the MPX 100 is capable of creating some strange echo sounds. Overall, I think it's a great little box of fun. :)
 
Lexicon MPX100- about $80 (it's discontinued so this is the approximate used price).

Kurzweil rumour- $500

Kurzweil KSP8- $2,700 (excluding remote)

Moral of the story? You need to state a budget. :D

If you want cheap then I'd second the Lexicon MPX100 or 110.
 
Using my new (used) tc m2000 for the first time today, and it rocks. Much more versatile than the m-one and m300, but on the very cheap, I think the m300 is quite good - especially the plate settings.
 
I just scored an Elextrix MoFx at guitar center for cheap. The thing is nuts, not "the go-to processor" by any means, but it's deffinitely fun. If you like buttons and knobs, it definitely wins in that department.
 
In term of rack gear for effects I have a Boss GT-Pro which is a nice all in one USB piece of gear, the best amp modeller out there IMO. Every Boss effect under the sun and it's easy to use. €350 on E-bay

I also have an Eventide Ultra Harmonizer H3000 D/SE, nice studio quality effects (you can prety much create any sound you want to but it is complicated and the manual reads like gibberish to the lay man - like me). Only problem is the connections (it's vintage gear at this stage) - no SPDIF, USB or even 1/4 inch connections. Easily solved now to an XLR to 1/4 inch cable though. You can pick a H3000 up on E-Bay for under 1K depending n the model and spec.

I also have a Yamaha SPX1000 - it's got nice reverbs and is very easy to use. Again old gear that you can pick 10th hand - SPX1000 used to feature in a lot of older studios here in Dublin but has been well surpased at this stage. I got mine for €250 on E-Bay.

You'll get much better gear these days (maybe not a whole lot better than the Eventide though!). Depends on your budget.
 
DeltaLab Effectrons (II or III) for delays. Kind of a vintage thing. Not the quietest, but very cool. Cheap too.
 
Kurzweil Mangler is the counterpart to the Kurzweil Rumour. It doesn't get as much hype as it's more of an esoteric box with a lot of weird fx.

If you're looking for something unique, check out the Mangler.

Although you might be a slider guy (I am too), I'd suggest you look at the UAD-1 PCI card. The Plate 140 reverb plug is friggin amazing. The compressors (1176LN, LA2A, and Fairchild) are also worth the price of admission.
 
I have the UAD-1 with the LA-2A and 1176LN, don't have the plate verb, but I have in recent months added a ART PRO VLA compressor (which is very nice for the cash out lay), and a Lexicon MX200. Which can be controled by a VST host via a USB connection (again very nice for the $160 I got it for at GC). I thought the UAD-1's dream verb was good or atleast passed the test till I got the MX200. And if you just use 3-6dB of gain reduction with the PRO VLA it can sound very nice.
 
I guess that an all purpose effects unit would be a good place to start.

Lexicon MPX100 / 110 / 200 / 500 / 550 would all be suitable.

TC Electronics also produce good multi-effects boxes. The M300 comes to mind.

For compression, you could look at the DBX range of compressors (for bass and for vocals).
 
The Lexicon MPX100 that has already been recommended, is a great 1st FX box. There was one in the For Sale section of this site for like $75 a week or so ago.
 
axeman_ukl said:
i am just starting to think about buying effect racks and i am wondering what
to buy and in what order ?
Click to expand...

I would recommend buying 19" effects racks. That way most rack mountable gear will fit nicely into them. :)

But seriously, I prefer ones with a slight slant, which lets you see the meters and settings more easily on the rack-mounted gear that is towards the bottom of the rack.

Wheels are good too. When those racks get fully loaded they can get quite heavy, and you might need to get behind them on occasion to check a connection.

As far as how big a rack you need, remember that some gear generates a lot of heat, so for those pieces you need to allow extra room above and below for ventilation. That means you should allow more rack space height than what your gear adds up to.

It is also not a bad idea to run your AC cables down one side of the rack, and your audio cables down the other. Less likelihood of 60 cycle hum being picked up.

Other than that, your only choices are color, if you care about it, and the materials out of which the rack is constructed. Nice natural wood finishes always add a classy look to your studio, but black painted particle board is going to be a lot cheaper.

One last point - if your racks are in your control room, don't get real tall ones. I like to keep mine well below ear level, which means less reflections bouncing off of your racks back at your ears, which makes monitoring more accurate.
 
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