Setting up my live rack

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vicmustaine

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Well here goes nothin, I've had a Digitech 2120 for about 2 years now and have just been luggin it back and forth from practices and gigs without a rack case. It always gets the passenger seat treatment but I finally got some spare funds to get a 4 space SKB. Well then i got a BBE 362 and Furman conditioner. I have always just plug my Geetar straight into the 2120 to the amp. So what would be the way to run this set-up as far as From the Geetar all the way to the amp. And anymore suggestion on any good rack gear to add to this mix would be great.

Thanx
Chris
 
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vicmustaine said:
Well here goes nothin, I've had a Digitech 2120 for about 2 years now and have just been luggin it back and forth from practices and gigs without a rack case. It always gets the passenger seat treatment but I finally got some spare funds to get a 4 space SKB. Well then i got a BBE 362 and Furman conditioner. I have always just plug my Geetar straight into the 2120 to the amp. So what would be the way to run this set-up as far as From the Geetar all the way to the amp. And anymore suggestion on any good rack gear to add to this mix would be great.

Thanx
Chris
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guitar> digitech 2120 > amp

plug the digi into the furman for power, and leave the BBE out of your signal chain
 
so the bbe shouldn't come after the digi i thought it was to used to clarify sound before the amp is this wrong
 
vicmustaine said:
so the bbe shouldn't come after the digi i thought it was to used to clarify sound before the amp is this wrong
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It might be subjective opinion and not a provable fact, but..... a BBE does not belong in a guitar rig. Run it after the digi if you wish though. If you polish up a guitar sound it just doesn't sound like a guitar anymore. Let me pose a question:
If you had a Mesa/Fender/Engl/Soldano/insert any other great amp here......... would you run a $100 box in your signal chain to "clarify" it?!
I wouldnt think you would. So why do it to a guitar processor? Its processed enough leave it alone, you aren't going to improve on it by further processing.
 
thats a good damn point. hope i just didn't blow 100 bucks on something i thought i needed. And it goes Fender Lone star strat or my King V to rack to Crate Blue Voo Doo half stack. I'd like to run to the board but all we have is a Carvin powered 8 channel with 600 watts and no real mixing board so we pretty much just use the P.A. for vocals and run all instruments through amps. Hence the BBE purchase without a mixing board i want to get my soung tight and not have to set my noise gate as high because when i do and try to hold a note it always cuts it off before i want it to
 
vicmustaine said:
thats a good damn point. hope i just didn't blow 100 bucks on something i thought i needed. And it goes Fender Lone star strat or my King V to rack to Crate Blue Voo Doo half stack. I'd like to run to the board but all we have is a Carvin powered 8 channel with 600 watts and no real mixing board so we pretty much just use the P.A. for vocals and run all instruments through amps. Hence the BBE purchase without a mixing board i want to get my soung tight and not have to set my noise gate as high because when i do and try to hold a note it always cuts it off before i want it to
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Running the digi 2 straight into the half stack would give you the best sound/tone I would imagine. Heres a tip though: Check out the back of the amp and see if you have "power amp in" inputs or somethin similar. It will allow you to skip the preamp section of your amp and merely amplify you signal from the digi. As longs as you like what you get from the digi you should be pretty satisfied with this if you're amp will offers this. Having to go in through the standard input jack means you have to play with the eq and whatnot so it doesn't "color" the sound of the processed guitar coming in.
 
I do love the sound of the digi and it has every damn effect i could ever use but ok i also have a Fostex Mr-8 and was wondering if it would be a good idea to have the BBe in the mix before going to the Mr-8 i know it is alot to ask but hey what else ya gonna do when ya dont really F'n know
 
I've been using a 2120 for several years. BBE Sonic Maximizers are junk you don't need it. If you need more beef just punch up one of the many EQs that the 2120 has to offer.
 
ocnor said:
I've been using a 2120 for several years. BBE Sonic Maximizers are junk you don't need it. If you need more beef just punch up one of the many EQs that the 2120 has to offer.
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Do you have a problem with your amp not hanling the 2120's power. what i mean is at higher volumes my speakers start to muffle. I mean it is a 4 x 12 cab it should handle it I would think. :mad: :mad: :mad:
 
vicmustaine said:
Do you have a problem with your amp not hanling the 2120's power. what i mean is at higher volumes my speakers start to muffle. I mean it is a 4 x 12 cab it should handle it I would think. :mad: :mad: :mad:
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No that should not be a problem if it's EQd correctly. You need to learn how to make EQ cuts in the right frequencies rather than just boosting the crap out of the lows.
 
Yeah the bad thing is i know you're right but i just the love my sitting in my room practicing sound with those lows up but it just doesn't feel the same when i cut back on the lows when I turn up the volume at rehearsles. Love that 2120 to death but it is also aggravating at times love that low end heavy gain god of thunder sound i get though
 
vicmustaine said:
Well here goes nothin, I've had a Digitech 2120 for about 2 years now and have just been luggin it back and forth from practices and gigs without a rack case. It always gets the passenger seat treatment but I finally got some spare funds to get a 4 space SKB. Well then i got a BBE 362 and Furman conditioner. I have always just plug my Geetar straight into the 2120 to the amp. So what would be the way to run this set-up as far as From the Geetar all the way to the amp. And anymore suggestion on any good rack gear to add to this mix would be great.

Thanx
Chris
Click to expand...


I run my set up like this.....Guitar=>JMP-1 Pre=>(alesis quadraverb looped out of the JMP-1)=>3630 compressor=>Digitech MEQ14 graphic eq=>BBE 422 Sonic Maximizer=>Mesa Boogie Strategy 500 Amp=>cabs.......all units are plugged into and powered by a Furman power conditioner.




P.S.: If you do alot of giggin', it might be bennificial to break your set up down into 2 rack cases that you can stack (if you plan on a big rack) cuz my rack is set up in a 16 space shock mount road case which the crew has nicknamed "goliath" just because it is a heavy beast to move around.
 
vicmustaine said:
Yeah the bad thing is i know you're right but i just the love my sitting in my room practicing sound with those lows up but it just doesn't feel the same when i cut back on the lows when I turn up the volume at rehearsles. Love that 2120 to death but it is also aggravating at times love that low end heavy gain god of thunder sound i get though
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ALL guitar setups- tube, solid-state, modelers, processors, etc....... will need eq adjustment when cranked loud, unfortunately.
Just try gradually changing eq settings as you increase the volume slowly. Evevntually maybe you will see the direct relationship between certain volume/eq settings and it won't frustrate you.
If you think thats bad you should come over to my house and try to get a good sound out of my POD Pro that sounds like SH** in "live mode" where the cab emulators are turned off, but in "studio mode" the cab emulator is on and it sounds like I have a bass player playing with me theres so much low end. I think only a graphic/para eq can fix that.
 
thats exactly what I'm talkin about as far as the sound of my low end while practicing. I guess the sound I've been trying to get over the past 15 years can be described best as a sound that feels like the air is geting sucked away from your ears when you hear it.
 
The rumbling low is great when you're practicing alone... but live, or tracking, it's going to push your bass track out of the way, and turn your low end of the performance to mud
 
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