Tell me about Rack Gear

[wixomwhat]

I dont understand how this stuff works.

if I wanted to get a rack preamp could I use it along with my head and 4x12 or do you get rack amps and use speakers?

I see rack stuff all the time but I never see it plugged into an amp or 4x12 so I'm really confussed.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

In a head, you have your preamp and poweramp crammed into the same package. With rack setups, you have them seperate, often with lots of other effects and processors with it. It's fairly simple, actually. The signal goes from the guitar to the preamp, to any effects units (this is the FX loop. on most heads, the FX loop is just a preamp out, poweramp in jack setup), then into the poweramp, to the cabinets.

 

[wixomwhat]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

so I could get a Rack preamp and poweramp and run them into a 4x12?

I'm interested in trying some rack stuff out and a lot of it goes for really cheap on ebay. maybe i'll buy the preamp I was looking at.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

In a head, you have your preamp and poweramp crammed into the same package. With rack setups, you have them seperate, often with lots of other effects and processors with it. It's fairly simple, actually. The signal goes from the guitar to the preamp, to any effects units (this is the FX loop. on most heads, the FX loop is just a preamp out, poweramp in jack setup), then into the poweramp, to the cabinets.

BIG +1... couldn't have explained it better myself :fing2:

 

[Mincer]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

what you gain is flexibilty- so you can change out pre & power amps as well as effects...and control. lots of rack stuff has presets that you can switch between.
to control all of this, you would need a midi controller as well as knowledge of how midi works and how to program the sounds you want. I am one of those weird people that actually likes to program stuff, but it freaks a lot of people out.

 

[Animal]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

so I could get a Rack preamp and poweramp and run them into a 4x12?

Yes.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

Rack stuff is cool but it isn't for everyone. In a lot of ways rack gear is the same as heads or combos but there are some differences.

Rack gear can be tube, SS or modeling just like heads or combos. There are different tones and prices points for each type of amp just like heads or combos. Rack rigs have all the same components as heads or combos, just not in the same package. This gives you the ability to mix and match preamps, poweramp and whatever other off board gear you have.

The three biggest reasons that people go rack are flexability, midi control and stereo imaging. Racks are very flexable in a couple of ways. First you can mix and match pieces. If you want Mesa preamp tone and Marshall Power amp tone you can do that. Tube preamp and SS power section, you can do that. If you want more than the 3 channels typically available on some amps, you can do that. My Triaxis has 8 indicidual channels and my 2:90 has 8 seperate voicings. Doing the math I have 64 different channels/voices available before I save the first preset. Thats considerably more options than the average TSL offers.

Midi is scarey stuff to some folks but its really no big deal. The down side is you have to learn to use it, at least in its most basic form. The upside to midi is that you no longer have to do the pedal dance to change dramatically different settings on your amp. With the touch of one button I can change my preamp channel, two different effects processors and my poweramp voicing, or any combination of all those units settings. Having control over two amps, 15 effects, compression and EQ plus levels with the touch of one button makes for some very easy tone changes that would otherwise be very complicated to do by foot.

Stereo imaging isn't important to some people but I love it. Stereo chorus, reverb and delay can fill a room and for a one guitar player band it definately thickens up the sound.

The down sides are weight, expense and set-up time. A tube rack is heavy, period. The reason being is that you have so many power supplies and trannys. Solid state is lighter, modeling racks can be even lighter than that.

Every time you add a unit you add cost. As a rule a tube rack will cost more than a tube head, same goes for SS and modeling. Comparable amps cost more in rack form. Plus there is patch cords and the physical rack which isn't cheap either.

Set up time is sort of a variable, but unless you are slick racks can take a little longer to set up. I have breakout boxes with 7 pin connectors and Neutrix cables so my rig generally goes up quicker than a head/bottom/pedals rig but it's hard to beat a combo/no effects guy to the front of the stage.

Im only 20 minutes away Wixom. Feel free to contact me if you want to see how a proper rack works and sounds. You don't have to build a 12 space monster like I did and I'm sure I can help you get an inexpensive and toneful 4-6 space rack started.

Shoot, I have a spare 6 space rack, a BBE 362 and a Lexicon MPX 200 here I might be interested in moving. All rack stored here at the house and barely used.

You never know.......

 

[wixomwhat]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

Rack stuff is cool but it isn't for everyone. In a lot of ways rack gear is the same as heads or combos but there are some differences.

Rack gear can be tube, SS or modeling just like heads or combos. There are different tones and prices points for each type of amp just like heads or combos. Rack rigs have all the same components as heads or combos, just not in the same package. This gives you the ability to mix and match preamps, poweramp and whatever other off board gear you have.

The three biggest reasons that people go rack are flexability, midi control and stereo imaging. Racks are very flexable in a couple of ways. First you can mix and match pieces. If you want Mesa preamp tone and Marshall Power amp tone you can do that. Tube preamp and SS power section, you can do that. If you want more than the 3 channels typically available on some amps, you can do that. My Triaxis has 8 indicidual channels and my 2:90 has 8 seperate voicings. Doing the math I have 64 different channels/voices available before I save the first preset. Thats considerably more options than the average TSL offers.

Midi is scarey stuff to some folks but its really no big deal. The down side is you have to learn to use it, at least in its most basic form. The upside to midi is that you no longer have to do the pedal dance to change dramatically different settings on your amp. With the touch of one button I can change my preamp channel, two different effects processors and my poweramp voicing, or any combination of all those units settings. Having control over two amps, 15 effects, compression and EQ plus levels with the touch of one button makes for some very easy tone changes that would otherwise be very complicated to do by foot.

Stereo imaging isn't important to some people but I love it. Stereo chorus, reverb and delay can fill a room and for a one guitar player band it definately thickens up the sound.

The down sides are weight, expense and set-up time. A tube rack is heavy, period. The reason being is that you have so many power supplies and trannys. Solid state is lighter, modeling racks can be even lighter than that.

Every time you add a unit you add cost. As a rule a tube rack will cost more than a tube head, same goes for SS and modeling. Comparable amps cost more in rack form. Plus there is patch cords and the physical rack which isn't cheap either.

Set up time is sort of a variable, but unless you are slick racks can take a little longer to set up. I have breakout boxes with 7 pin connectors and Neutrix cables so my rig generally goes up quicker than a head/bottom/pedals rig but it's hard to beat a combo/no effects guy to the front of the stage.

Im only 20 minutes away Wixom. Feel free to contact me if you want to see how a proper rack works and sounds. You don't have to build a 12 space monster like I did and I'm sure I can help you get an inexpensive and toneful 4-6 space rack started.

Shoot, I have a spare 6 space rack, a BBE 362 and a Lexicon MPX 200 here I might be interested in moving. All rack stored here at the house and barely used.

You never know.......

Thank you for all the info! You and DSS have helped me out abunch here.

I'm gonna keep an eye out for a couple of things on ebay. Right now i'm keeping my eye on a preamp and maybe if I buy that I'll get a poweramp.

then I'm thinking maybe buy a Peavey Classic 120 power amp.

I'm not to big into Effects. But the idea of changing out preamps is awsome.

Would it be possible to Run 2 or more Preamps into 1 poweramp and be able to switch back and forth between to to preamps for different tones/settings?

 

[lastwinj]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

Would it be possible to Run 2 or more Preamps into 1 poweramp and be able to switch back and forth between to to preamps for different tones/settings?

absolutely. a unit is made that has numerous effects loops, that you can plug your guitar into. these loops can work just about anyway you want, series, or parallel. you would use this to plug your guitar into, and then, using midi, switch between the preamps.

germ

 

[ErikH]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

Something else that can be done.....say you already own a 50 or 100 watt head with an FX loop, rather than using an outboard power amp, just run the rack pre-amp out in to the effects return or power amp in on the head. Turn down the amp's pre-amp levels and just plug in to the rack pre-amp. You're basically slaving at that point, using the head's power amp with a different pre-amp.

Rack stuff can be fun. I love my Roctron Intellifex LTD. It has excellent quality effects in it.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

Which rack effects would you place in an amplifier loop and which would you place in front of the amp? My understanding is that the general rule is to place time-based effects such as chorus, delay and reverb in the loop. Anything else or should all the other stuff go in front of the amp?

I've been using pedals exclusively for the last several years and finally pulled out some old rack stuff for my new Mesa Single Rec:

• 2 Alesis MidiVerb 4s
• Old BBE Sonic Maximizer (422A)
• Dual channel 16-band EQ
• Alesis 3630 Compressor/Limiter/Gate
• Lexicon Vortex

- Keith

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

i can tell you this about rack gear. it gives me a headache trying to figure out what does what LOL.

-Mike

 

[tone4days]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

if I wanted to get a rack preamp could I use it along with my head and 4x12 or do you get rack amps and use speakers? .

in a word, yes .... you could use the rack preamp into the 'effects return' of your head ... this would bypass your amp's preamp section ... you could also get a head switcher box and route your guitar to either the head's input or the rack preamp's input via footswitch

good luck
t4d

 

[tone4days]

Re: Tell me about Rack Gear

Which rack effects would you place in an amplifier loop and which would you place in front of the amp? ...

almost all rack effects should be in the loop for optimal gain staging .. they just about all run at a hot 'line' level as oppose to a weaker 'instrument' level