Digidesign Eleven LE Plug-In Review

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(More customer reviews)Guitar players care about 1 thing, tone. I have a collection of guitars and amplifiers in my room I pretty much have a wall of speakers. I have all kinds of microphones to mic them with and record them using pro tools. Micing an amp can be sometimes just a pain to get the microphone in that sweet spot not to mention the cost of the amps and microphones. I have used amp modelers before and some you can get decent sounds out of but this plugin is one of my favorites. An Ilok is required which isn't as big of an issue now that PT 9 requires it as well. I will say Digidesign takes there time making plugins and they do it right. This plug in doesn't kill your computer and faithfully creates sounds of the amps they modeled. Overall I was more than impressed with what this plugin can do and the tone that it produces is remarkable. I would recommend demoing it first, I did and I bought the asset a week later.

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"Most guitarists are willing to invest thousands of dollars in search of a guitar amp that will unleash the perfect tone. For many, it means having to own several amps that all have a uniquely different voice and purpose. On top of that, guitarists are faced with another set of challenges when trying to capture that tone in recordings, or reproduce it in a live setting. Eleven LE is here to help alleviate that problem. Digidesign Eleven LE is a powerful RTAS/AudioSuite plug-in for recording guitar amp sounds that allows you to achieve highly realistic, jaw-dropping guitar tones based on some of the worlds most coveted vintage and modern tube amps, speaker cabinets, and mics all right in your Pro Tools or Avid rig. Of the 16 amp models are ones based on Fenders from the late 50s, vintage Marshalls, an 89 Saldano with three different channels, and two Digidesign originals. It also includes cab models ranging from the sounds of a 59 Fender Bassman with Jensen P10Qs to an 06 Marshall 1960AV 4x12"" with Celestion Vintage 30s. The mics include dynamics, condensers, and a ribbon style model based on popular designs by trusted names like Shure, Sennheiser, Neumann, AKG, and Royer.Using an innovative amp modeling technique Eleven LEs designers captured these amps, cabs, and mics at their best in a world-class studio. Presets allow you allows you to achieve the multi-dimensional guitar tone nuances of vintage amp like power amp sag, ghost notes, cab resonances, speaker cone breakup. The tube amp emulation components behave like their hardware counterparts for more realistic tonal achievement. You even get on- and off-axis mic positions for extra tone-tweaking flexibility.Eleven LE is for Pro Tools"

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Tech 21 PSA-1.1 SansAmp PSA-1.1 Programmable 1U Rackmount Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an awesome preamp! great tone, my guitar snarls and squeals like never before. Does it feel like a tube amp? not quite but its close in terms of response to playing dynamics. Missing some of the harmonic nuances of tube tone decay*... but hey, if you have $$ to drop on a triaxis or a real amp (which you probably couldn't use in an apartment), you shouldn't be looking here anyway. Note: the little handles on the side are black, not silver as shown in the picture.
*e.g. ~4:50, comfortably numb on Pulse

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1U rackmount for guitar, bass, and most any other instrument, for stage and studio applications. 49 factory presets for guitar, bass, and misc effects; 77 user-definable locations.

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Rocktron Gainiac 2 Tube Guitar/Bass Preamp Review

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(More customer reviews)For the money, this a very decent preamp. I really have to review it with 4 stars, although I feel for the the average musician it would be a 3. First lets get to the pros:
Its rugged, small, and compact. I bought 2, one was a backup I never used. They stood up to the wear and tear of touring. The Gainiac II has a VERY awesome clean tone, the classic warm tube sound. I actually know a lot of bands that have used this preamp to record clean tones. Its wonderful and really can't be beat IMO. The distortion channel is also very good. A nice clear sound, not the static fuzz that extreme distortion causes. Great for hard rock/80s (I used to cover some Van Halen songs that it was perfect for). I wouldn't say its going to give you a death metal tone without pedal assitance, but if you want a clear responsive distortion, this is it. I saw a lot of complaints on Musician Friend's website that the Gainiac lacks a thickness and tone, but I honestly cannot hear it. I used DiMarzio Evolution pickups and the Apex Aural Exciter in front and powered it with an ART Sla-1 power amp so perhaps that is why I never heard this lack of tone.
Ok the cons:
The tube is very hard to get out. Don't get me wrong, its an awesome tube but there is always room for improvement. The Gainiac II is noisy on the overdrive channel. This can be solved fairly easily with the power amp and a good noise gate. I used the noise gate on my processor and it fixed everything right up, but some may not be as fortunate to have a good gate. There is only one output on this unit, which I got by fine with. There are no effects, just a clean and overdrive channel, which was ok for what I was doing. Also, there is no on/off switch and the AC adapter is fairly large. Recording directly into a computer gave kind of a rough tone but I'm not a recording expert.
My verdict is if you're looking for a preamp/power amp guitar rig, give this little unit a try. Its hard to fine the good Line 6 preamp that used to sell for $500, and the only other preamp I would ever consider is the Prophecy (which will break bank). You will have to do some tweaking, but for the money I think the Gainiac deserves a little attention and some surprising tones can be achieved. Also, for the price, you can afford to decide if the pre/power setup will be right for you. If this isn't something that you want to keep on a live rig, it will always be there for tracking down cleans in studio.

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Combo amp sound thin? Need more tone and screaming distortion? Grab the Gainiac 2!! With over 100dB of outrageous gain, this tube preamp has two channels with the most intense distortion and power that you need to perform at full throttle! Equipped with Rocktron's unique "Scoop" control, the Gainiac lets you go from the classic sounds of the 60's and 70's all the way to the raging atomic sound of modern metal.The Gainiac 2 isRocktron's latest version of this world famous tube preamp. Now with a more modern sound, and an extra control for the clean channel (separate master volume). And BONUS - more headroom so you get even more gain than ever before!!Featuring the most effective EQ section ever devised, the Gainiac 2 allows over 30dB cut, or "scooping" of the midrange used with the bass (Bottom control) and treble (Top control) as needed by your cabinet. Guitar tones just can't get any heavier. ( In the Gainiac 2, Rocktron has improved the mid scoop on the distortion!) Back off the Scoop control and your sound rolls up into a much fatter, rounder sound. The Gainiac 2 adds three band EQ to the clean sound as well and the clean sound now runs through the tube for more warmth!Join the legion of Gainiac maniacs and increase the pallete of tones you're stuck with in that combo amp of yours by adding the Gainiac 2 to your setup. The Gainiac 2 is easy to hook up and use.

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