Product: Digidesign Eleven Rack
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
11/07/2009
at
06:55am
by
scott
Ease of Use
:
8
It's pretty easy to get tones out of Eleven Rack. They built in about 100 presets. But to really find your sound, you need to tweak within the parameters. There lots of cool options, from amp style to cabinet style and even mic choices. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to use. I got a little lost when adjusting output settings but I figured it out.
Sound Quality
:
6
I really wanted to like Eleven Rack. I really did. I wanted to replace my Bogner XTC and finally reach my goal of a true stereo setup to use with my pair of 2x12 cabs loaded with Celestion Vintage 30's. I play through a Fender Strat 1990 Deluxe. I ended up buying a Carvin DCM150 power amp on ebay which was a mistake. But I was able to try it through a big PA. The thing is, Eleven Rack sounds glorious thorough headphones. But live, it was lacking punch and dynamics. Very two-dimensional. The bass did not rumble or hit you in the chest like a real amp. The tones are there but it sounded heavily compressed to me. And yes, the built in compressor was off. I am guessing this would sound great for recording purposes, but again my goal was for live use.
Reliability
:
No Opinion
Digi products have a good reputation so yes I would gig without a backup.
Customer Support
:
4
Like many companies out there, this company cannot afford to slag their customer base. I visited the user forum a few times and got a couple of questions answered, but some of the more critical ones were ignored. Not cool.
Overall Rating
:
7
I play a wide range of music but mainly in the classic rock vein - from Satriani to Hendrix. I've been playing about 25 years. Again, I really wanted to keep Eleven Rack but I ended up selling it. I know, I'm shooting out between one of the best amps out there, but I had hoped for a more realistic amp response - more than just the tone, but the reaction. If Digi ever improves the dynamics, I would buy another one. There were some nice surprises - like the built in tuner that you can silence while you tune, and the built in noise gate that you can adjust release. Reverbs and overdrive effects were a little cheesy. One thing I hated was that there is no wet/dry mix on the effects, so if you want Phaser, it's full blown phaser or nothing. Another issue was that when I use the chorus effect, one channel dropped in volume about 50%. So much for true stereo chorus. Overall, Digi has a little more work to do. A for effort but B- for overall results.
