Rocktron Chameleon On-Line

Not quite as easy as my prophesy, but definitely easy enough for a backup rig.

This unit sounds really nice.. Could stand a little more "breathing" in the soft distortion area, but all in all great value.

Was bought for a backup, and for my other guitar player to use since his rig sounds very bad.

Jim Chowning is king... every question I've ever had has been answered in less than 1 hour's time.

As good as it gets in this price range.

It can be pretty hard to figure out at first, but once you get used to it it's great! Editing on the fly is pretty simple too. I would recommend using a good EQ unit if you are playing through a power amp

I use a Jackson KE1 through a Nady wireless, then the Chameleon, a 30 band graphic eq, Marshall power amp and marshall 4x12 cabs. No noise - very versatile and crystal quality fx.

I gig regularly without a backup amp - nuff said

NA

Great for any music style in my oppinion.

I have been playing for 13 years now, and have used a multitude of amps and other fx units.

The speaker simulation is exceptionnally good - not very varied but gives the sound an extra edge.

If it was stolen or lost I would go for rocktron again, maybe a prophesy

It is a complicated unit. There are many possibilities. So take your time to find your tone. I can say I did not like "Recall" button which is not exist in the newer models. When changing patches after changing the patch you must push recall button also.

I am using a washburn Lyon and a Cort X11 and this axe can bring out magnificient sounds from them. If you don't like digital pedals like me be sure that this doesn't sound like digital. Close your eyes and listen you will hear angels singing (singing in analog of course). It is hard to decribe but Chameleon On-line has a warm and "living" sound. It's harmonics are very rich and colorful. I used Chameleon 2000 as well and i can say that On-line is far better than 2000. I used some tube pedals, Sansamp, Zoom and Digitech e.t.c. Believe me this thing has a better sound than many real tube preamps. Noise? Thanks to Hush circuit there is no noise problem. Zoom's ZNR was better than hush actually but there is no ZNR pedal and Hush is good enough.
Effects are great but sometimes you may need to look at to the manual to tweak them more efficiently. I can get Santana, malmsteen and satriani sounds easily with it. Ok ok Malmsteen could be better.
The only stupid thing is you can not use compressor with distortion presets. Comp works only with clean presets. Don't ask me why.

Well it's metal and i can say heavy also. I wouldn't prefer to carry it because it is very valuable for me. But if i have to... I am sure it will handle it.

I have sent 3 question mails to support. They answered 2 of them. They were friendly i can say.

These units are legend. They don't manufacture these kind of things anymore coz it's very expensive for them. ebay is full with Rocktron's old axes. A pod 2.0 is 200 dollar and believe me a it's toy comparing to a rack rocktron unit. If you are picky about your guitar sound hurry go and grab a Rocktron Chamaleon from ebay. I recommend you On-line version but 2000 is ok as well.

I just wanted to add one more thing to my review of the Cham Online. The HUSH noise reduction for guitar is considered the Industry Standard for a good reason; it is the B-E-S-T! It kills noise DEAD without chopping off your sustain, and it just sounds natural.
The HUSH is another great feature to an already outstanding Unit; way to go Rocktron!!! :)

I just bought the Cham Online, so my perspective is coming from a new user. I wrote a long, thorough review, but lost it when I went to submit it because my ISP had disconnected and I couldn't get it back. This one will be shorter, as I do not wish to type all of that info. again! This review is based on my experience making un-effected, clean and distorted sounds, and I will submit a SECOND review when I have finished programming my patches for our set-list/songs which will delve into the Effects-side of things.
The Rocktron is very easy to use because they give you Four data Knobs to work with instead of a bunch of damn buttons! Kudos to Rocktron for this thoughful touch. The back panel has both 1/4" and XLR outs( with their own seperate volume control ) for feeding a power amp or Mixing Board; another great feature!
The manual is pretty big, but it details the Units' functions very precisely. I use the downloaded version because it is easier to navigate than having to flip through a bunch of pages.
As far as I know, there is only One firmware version. If I am wrong, PLEASE let me know!

The EQ's are the KEY to getting the tones you want. The Pre EQ is like being able to change the tone pots in your guitar from say, using a 250k, to going to a 500. It's best to bypass this EQ first(by turning the levels to "0"), and get your sound from the POST EQ. Then, you can use the PRE EQ to "sweeten" the sound.
The POST EQ gives you Level, Frequency, and Bandwidth for ALL FOUR frequecies( BASS, MID, TREB, and PRESENCE ). Simply select the freq. that sounds good to your ear, then use the Bandwidth to make the freq. expand or contract. This is the KEY to getting fuzzy, cranky, punchy, or tight Distortion sounds. Then use the Level control to boost or cut the selected frequencies. Experiment and enjoy!
The Cham. Online has a host of features to help you fine tune your sound. I make all my patches using HIGH QUALITY headphones. The reason being, if it sounds good in the cans, it will sound good when it hits the Power Amp/Mixer!
The Mixer function can help you get a LOUD headphone volume, as well as mixing the FX to Dry ratio. The Speaker Sim is the BEST I have ever heard! It has all the functions you need to get a GREAT direct sound, and the Reactance control is just phenominal! Even if you are using a cab, I would still leave the speaker sim on( set on the "Full Range" setting ), so you can use the Reactance to dial up some SERIOUS chunk! The mic. placement function will help you fine tune your Highs. Great Unit!
Unlike modeling amps, the Cham Online has only one voicing for distortion; it's all you need. With the INSANELY powerful EQ, you can get any crunch or kill tone that you could possibly want. The Lo-Gain voicing has diffrent preamp emulations( pentode, triode A or B, and Solid State ), a compressor, and enough gain to get some really cool old-school crunch and surf tones.
I plan to augment the Unit with a mono tube pre( like the DBX or ART MP ) going into the Unit after the Guitar, and then a stereo tube direct box( the Bellari most likely ) coming OUT of the unit before the signal hits my BBE and then on to the Power Amp. The Unit IS digital, so it lacks some of the warmth associated with both analog and tube products, but it is NOT sterile-sounding like that cheap-assed Digitech, Zoom, Roland/Boss, and Line 6 crap!!! This Unit was made in like 96 or 97, and it WIPES THE FLOOR with the newer stuff made by those other companies I just mentioned.
The Unit is QUIET. Always make sure that your POWER AMP is plugged into a DIFFRENT outlet than your other units( FX, Pre's etc; ), and it will keep the noise level down. If you're getting noise with the Chameleon Online, then you are either running to many things off one power source, your cables and/or wireless need(s) help, or your pickups are in need of replacement because it AIN'T coming from the Rocktron! And I'll bet my left testicle on it too!!! :)
I plan on submitting a second review after I finish programming my patches which will delve more into the Effects themselves, and the ability to configure the Unit with a Midi pedalboard for live use.
For now I will just say that Rocktron is famous for making effects that sound great and don't kill your tone, and from what little I've used so far, I have to wholeheartedly agree.

I've heard both good and bad stories regarding Rocktrons products in the reliability department, but since this is a RACK unit, I don't see it getting banged up very much. The Unit seems very sturdy and professional so if you take care of it, it should take care of you.
I'm only giving an "8" because I haven't had it long enough to really test the reliability factor.

Jim from Rocktron is THE MAN! He always returns my e-mails promptly, and his advice is sound. What more could you ask?
I've never had to have a Rocktron product repaired, so I can't judge on the repair aspects of customer support. For that ALONE I am giving a "9" instead of a Ten, but Jim gets a 100 for being the BEST.

I'm a hard rock guy, and this Unit gets it done. I've owned a lot of diffrent preamp/processors, and this is by FAR the best one yet. The only thing I would change is the addition of being able to use the Compressor on the Hi-Gain setting as well as the Lo-Gain. But, the Variac function helps smooth that problem out.
The only thing this Unit doesn't do is pay my rent, but I would still buy it an engagement ring and propose to it on stage!!! :)
LOL!!!!!!

I bought the cham online about 4 years ago, as we stopped using amps in our band. for me as a complete beginner in amp-simulation and a user of several really good amps (marshall, music-man, peavey), it was not so easy, to use the possibilities of the cham.
But meanwhile it is ok. The manual is also ok, but i think, ist should be studied before using the cham. Till now i have no upgrade. The only problem about editing: you never find an end!!

It sounds great, but never use a real amp! I`m plying a godin artisan and an old ibanez, and i use before the cham-entrance a tube pre-amp. That makes the sound really great, even for not high-gaines, as such like bluesy sounds and so on. I play direct into the mixer, and even the feed-back is great, if you use a monitor. Mostly i use only 4 or 5 different sounds (we play rhythm'blues), and there is no need of editing while playing on stage. One of the big points is, you can carry the cham every where you go very easily. At home i`m playing the cham with a rcf active system and it sounds great.

Till now never any problem. I use it without a backup, only into the mixer and with monitor systems.

No problem till now

I ply mostly bluesy things, and with the tube factor i have sustain, the right feeling and a lot of fun!!

Its great-
editing is easy as anything it doesnt take a genious to figure it out-
The manual is straight foward

B.C. rich Warlock Platinum -with EMG ZAKK wylde pickups- Randall RH200 amp head - Eminence G412 guitar cab-
they are amazing - nothing compares
RANDALL RH200-
YES - Hammet from Mettalica - Manson sounds - Korn - THIS IS DEFINITLY A KORN UNIT -
EVERY EFFECT IS AMAZING - the phaser is amaizing and chorus too

OHH YEA - its definitly dependable
yes - this thing is great

they were pretty good cant complain
no upgrade & no repairs

I play Industrial Metal & Hard Rock -
i been playing for a year
i would buy it again anytime
i love its sound it is so great- it has authentic sounds like HEAVY HEAVY METAL i mean heavy -
i wish it could give me a Bl**jo* cuz thats the only thing it cant do lol
it helps me do everything

It is pretty easy to use, It takes a couple of hours to learn the basics. There is a lot of good sounds already on it. The patches just need some minor tweaking for your own taste & setup. I have gone through a couple of different Digitech products this is definatly not the simplest unit I have played through but still works great.

I am playing with a Peavy Eddie Van Halen Wolfgang, going to my Shure Wireless, running through my Korg rack mount tuner, running through the Rocktron, then going out with the balanced XLR's straight into a Mackie Soundbourd. (I don't use a amp)
All of my distortions are the best I have ever heard. But I can't seem to get a really good clean sound out of it.

I have never had any problems with it.

I have E-mailed them alot. And they usually respond within 24 Hours. I have never had a real problem though.

I play alot in my church playing Christian Rock but I also go out and play stuff from Hendrix to Van Halen to all kinds of new rock. If it was stolen I would definatly go buy a new one. I compared this to a couple of Digitech products in the end I thought this was the better unit.

It's FAIRLY easy to operate this unit. The whole thing adds up to being much less GUI than the technology would permit but, all in all, it lets you access everything in a fairly straightforward manner.

I play a Jackson King V which has a wild, raced out tone out of the case. When playing with an amp, I run to my Chameleon and then into my TubeWorks RT2100 combo. I've found this setup gives me more control and is simpler, involving fewer cables. We all know what that means. It's really easy to get a crunchy, Marshall-at-9 sound out of this box. It takes very little time. I think the wah, escpecially without an expression pedal, would have been better left out. A wah is something you really need to dial in. I have a Crybaby but I lent it to a friend indefinitely because I never use it.

It's reliable. Its lasted for about five years now and I don't see it going bad. If this unit ever broke down, I'd simple use my combo amp. There is no substitute for a well-crafted, American-made amplifier and cabinet.

They are extremely friendly at GHS (owners of Rocktron)...now if only their strings got better. Their website (www.rocktron.com) is extraordinarily helpful for Chameleon players.

Typically, I play blues, rock and heavy metal. As far as I can tell, there is no better preamp for me than my Chameleon. I've been playing for a little over 10 years. In addition to the unit, I utilize a Sound Blaster Live! Platinum sound card and Cakewalk recording software for recording. I also have a Behringer 6 channel mixer (an incredible find and great value) which I use, pretty much just for getting the balanced output from the Chameleon. I have an Alesis SR-16 drum machine and a Digitech MC-7 foot controller.

If I had to do it all over again, I'd buy this unit. Although the new one is called the Chameleon 2000 Online.

I love the balanced output. I hate the tiered dial controls...first dial this, then dial that, then dial this, then press store...

It definitely helps me make music.

This machine is simple, I really only used some of the older effects in the past, like the ART SGX and Digitech. But Rocktron made a good unit with this one... Pretty much plug and play. Changing the presets is a breeze. Even if you're not a sound tech you can still change any of the effect parameters just by listening to what sounds good to you. The changes take place as you are editing them, instead of after you store it...

Most every effect sounds great (with mild tweaking on some). The pitch shifter is fun to play with, if you're just doing solo arrangements, otherwise it's the only useless patch there is ..

I've used this unit for live shows, recording and any other gig that has popped up... Hasn't failed me yet...

Have never actually called or dealt with them.

I play quite a few different styles of music ranging from Progressive Christian to Dream Theater, Jazz and so on. The Chameleon has worked great for every type. In the 14 years I've been playing this is the best processor I have used. I run the Chameleon thru a BBE 462 Maximizer and a Velocity amp, to a 1960 Marshall JCM 800 4*12. I play an Ibanez RG 7620, a Yamaha 912J, and whatever else I can get my hands on at the time. I looked for a few weeks and did a little studying up on the other processors but in the end the Chameleon was the best sound for the money. The only other processor that I would rather have is a T.C. Electronics but the price was not right for me...

If you are willing to spend the time with it, you can get extremely good sounds. Have owned it for several months and still have not looked in the manual, though I may have to in order to gat a good flange sound.

I bought it mainly for the cabinet simulator, which allows me to go direct into a 4-track. After a few hours of experimentation I duplicated the sound of a marshall valvestate 8240.

Used only for home recording. After several months have had no problems.

n/a

I spent serious hours trying out processors before buying it, and this was the best value. It does the most for the least. The Rocktron Voodoo valve had a slightly more "tube-like" tone, but it was $200 more. My Fender Strat Plus with a hot-rails pick-up in the bridge sounds great. I would buy it again without hesitation.

once you play with the knobs for awhile you start to get the hang of it, the stock presets mostly suck, but the good news is you can get about any sound out of it with a little programming editing patches is pretty easy,except for the post eq,it is pretty complicated,i still haven't figured it out completely the manual is excellent besides not explaining the post and pre eq sections very well i would have to say the sound quality is excellent, a very quiet unit

i use various jacksons with emgs and duncans the chameleon can be noisy, if you want it to, the hush is awesome, works perfectly the effects sound perfect with the exception of the pitch shifter i use a rocktron velocity 250 it hauls ass again, you can get about anyone's sound once you learn how to edit the presets

i've had the chameleon since the online model came out,howeverlong that's been i wouldn't worry about having a backup i've had absolutely no problems with the unit's operation

i have e-mailed rocktron numerous times and they always get back to me within 24 hours they were very helpful, easily the best customer service department i've dealt with

i play metal,hardcore i've been playing a long time i would definitly buy it again i love the speaker simulator i even use it through a 4x12 on some presets i hate the pitch shifter, it is basically useless i compared it to the mp-2 and the valve fx, and there was no competition there

The Chameleon DSP Guitar Preamp-
This unit uses Rocktron's normal editting procedure. Rotate the first knob the find the preset you want, press recall to select it, or use a MIDI controller. Editting patches: Rotate the last knob unit you find the effect or block you wish to edit (i.e. Reverb, Mixer, Delay, Distortion), then rotate the second to last knob to select the parameter you wish to edit (i.e. Chorus Level, Delay Time, Variac Adjustment), lastly rotate the final knob to enter your desired value of the selected parameter. Not too hard, the seperate knobs makes it easier for me. There are so many parameters that you can easily spend a ton of time tweeking. Any of the presets that appealed to me were easily adjusted to my better suit my tastes. (i.e. less effects)
The manual explains most of the options fairly well, and is available from Rocktron's web site for preview. Example of different settings would be helpful to understanding how to get different sounds.
Generally speaking, it is very easy to get a pleasant sound from the unit. If you want a really unorthodox sound, you may have more trouble figuring out how to get there if you don't know what goes into getting such a sound.

Rocktron = Clean. I used my Ibanez S-540 Guitar along with my trusty home stereo, as well as my Velocity 250 and Ampeg 412 cabinet.
At the highest gain settings, the unit really has little or no noise, and is pretty much raging. The multiple distortion settings allow you to achieve convincing amp sounds, especially if you minimize the effects.
Many of the presets are useless until the effects are reduced, but they show you what can be done and give you a starting point for your own experimentation. The distortions sound very satisfying. The clean tones are pretty good too. The Chameleon seems to be pretty punchy when you play, which I like. It reminds me of how a loud amp sounds.
The pitch-shifter is unintelligent, so plan on using it for special effects or octave settings.
Generally , the chameleon sounds really impressive. I have a Piranha which is Rocktron's MIDI Tube Preamp, and the Chameleon sounds just as good to me, with the exception that it doesn't clean up when you back off the volume knob the same way a tube pre does. It cleans up a bit, just not the same way. You could use a MIDI continous controller to adjust the gain and up to seven other paramters in real time. (although I never got to test this, I envisioned pushing the controller all the way forward for a raging distortion tone with a bit of delay for leads. Pulling the controlled back would reduce the delay and gain, while maybe increasing a hint of chorus. Lots of possibilities. You need a MIDI CC though.)
In many ways, more flexible for basic tone than my Piranha, or any other preamp/amp I've used. easily. (due to multiple EQ stages: Before the distortion, during the distortion [2 band], in the distortion stage [4 band], after the distortion stage [4 band], and the speaker simulator (the reactance control is incredible: dial up some 412 warmth)

Rocktron gear has always been reliable for me

Rocktron support has always been responsive to my questions, but I've never had to use their repair capabilities.

I play various styles of Rock music. The chameleon's flexibility make it relatively adept at covering a lot of sonic ground.
After playing for 12 years, I've gone through a good bit of equipment (most of it lately). The chameleon is well above average in terms of flexibility and sound quality. Get a nice even sound when playing with your band, run direct with the Chameleon.
The reactance control is great. I wish Rocktron made an inexpensive speaker simulator just so it could be available to everyone who wants to run direct. Turning it up boosts a particular frequency that reminds me of the low warm resonance of a 412 cabinet. Doesn't make the sound boomy or muddy. Makes it warmer. Dead on.
Multiple EQ stages allow you to tailor your sound in numerous ways. While you don't _have_ to adjust them all to get the sound you want, you can fix various tone issues with a little bit of thought as to "where would a little EQ fix this?"
The effects order is not configurable, and there is no effects loop, so if everything isn't to your liking, you may have to compromise. However, in my usage, it was a highly-usable unit with an extremely satisfying tone direct... even to the home stereo. :)
If you want to run direct, record, or are looking for a all-in-one unit that does not sound like a toy, check out this unit!

I found the Chameleon was easy to program and dial in just what your looking for. It has a compare button on the front panel allowing a quick comparison to the sound you are editing. The Chameleon is different then others i've used; it has only 4 main knobs for editing. I didn't have to refer to the manual once during my trial test! Although, I did brief through it to see If I missed anything. It's written well.

Sound quality is excellent. I know that's are tough statement to back up. First let me define this statement: I tested the Chameleon under several conditions. 1. Direct to Mixing console 2. Hooked up to a Tube Works MosValve in stereo with two 212 cabs (loaded with Celestions). Ok, first I should mention -- I didn't care for the presets that much (even though they were programmed by musicians worldwide). I had to tweak them for all of my setups. This unit really shines going direct to a console. You can get a hot driven sound and still hear every note clearly! When hooked to the MosValve setup, I had to increase the bass to get more "chunk" factor. I was able to get a great Al Di Meola tone when going direct using my Les Paul.

Well, I've only owned it for 2 weeks now, but it does seem solid and has an expensine look to it. This says more than the Digitech 2112 I had for 1 week-- which came in defective with intermittent weirdness. I didn't care for the 2112 ( I can get those same sounds with an old ADA MP1 with outboard processing and EQ). I like the clarity of the Rocktron. I can hear the instrument I'm using! Also, the Chameleon is extremely quiet! The HUSH works great. Even without the noise reduction, it has a clean signal!-- very usable

Once again, this is a new unit; therefore, I would not be able to share an opinion here....

Yes, I would buy the Chameleon again. I love the direct to board sound. I have tried (and own) a lot of units. This is the best direct to boad one yet.