building up a rack for gigging - help appreciated
- Thread starter hoehlentroll
- Start date
Yeah, the XPression is the shit, solidly built, imperceptible tone sucking (and an option to bypass AD/DA conversion entirely) and mine worked great while I had it! (but then I sold it cuz I realized I don't really need any effects besides a delay)
Executioner213
Ultimate Meatbag
devouredremains
Matt Van Daele
Executioner213
Ultimate Meatbag
I'd sooner spend $100 on a wah than try to program a controller to do it on a multi-fx processor.
Plus, isn't it better to have a wah before the amp input in the signal chain? Or rather, isn't that how they're always used?
Executioner213
Ultimate Meatbag
sure but I wanted to have this rack for out of the box action and no more messing around conencting one gazillion cables!
ParsonsMatt
Alas, Tyranny
The Rocktron Replifex is about twice as good as the Xpression... I've owned both.
Flat Fifth Fury
Member
The gear that you are thinking about are solid but here are a few things to think about adding.
1) A mixer. Passing all your signal through just about any digital effect processor is going to change your tone and not in a good way. Even if you turn everything off the signal is still going through the analog to digital converters in and out of the unit. To combat this you split the dry tone and run one feed to your effects and the effects out are put into the mixer which you blend back into your final signal to your power amp.
2) A loop switcher. If you run more than one effect unit you will want to be able to take them in/out of the signal chain. Also if you are running your G-Major with an effect such as a leslie/tremolo/phaser/flanger or any other effect that wants to be totally wet you can set up that unit to be in a dry kill loop so that for those presets you can have no dry signal bypassed and it will all go through the unit when you want.
3) Interface. Wire up all your connections: midi, GTR in, speaker outs - whatever to a labeled panel on the front so that you are not digging around in the back of the rack to get things hooked up. This makes your load in and out much faster and easier.
4) A light in the back of the rack. Some times you need to trouble shoot things and having a light back there ready to go prevents you from getting a flashlight and working one handed while everyone is staring at you.
1) A mixer. Passing all your signal through just about any digital effect processor is going to change your tone and not in a good way. Even if you turn everything off the signal is still going through the analog to digital converters in and out of the unit. To combat this you split the dry tone and run one feed to your effects and the effects out are put into the mixer which you blend back into your final signal to your power amp.
2) A loop switcher. If you run more than one effect unit you will want to be able to take them in/out of the signal chain. Also if you are running your G-Major with an effect such as a leslie/tremolo/phaser/flanger or any other effect that wants to be totally wet you can set up that unit to be in a dry kill loop so that for those presets you can have no dry signal bypassed and it will all go through the unit when you want.
3) Interface. Wire up all your connections: midi, GTR in, speaker outs - whatever to a labeled panel on the front so that you are not digging around in the back of the rack to get things hooked up. This makes your load in and out much faster and easier.
4) A light in the back of the rack. Some times you need to trouble shoot things and having a light back there ready to go prevents you from getting a flashlight and working one handed while everyone is staring at you.
Executioner213
Ultimate Meatbag
Last I recall, it takes 2 cables to run a wah. 
If you want to just plug in and play, then what the hell are you worried about wah for? Either way, you will have to plug some stuff in. Get a crummy pedal board going, have your controller and your wah and whatever else living in it. Rig the cables (assuming a 1/4" and a MIDI) up to be one, that way you have 1 cable to run from your pedalboard to your rack, and one cable to run from your guitar to your pedalboard. 2 cables. Thats it. You can leave the main cables coiled in your pedalboard and always hooked up, that way you have only to plug it into your rack. Just remember that it will only be as complex as you make it. You want more shit going on (like a wah), then you will have to set it up somehow, which means you will probably have to run more cable. I havn't come across a midi controller yet which the expression pedal actually controlled the wah in a decent manner...hence, I would rather just buy a wah than even fuck with it.
If you want to just plug in and play, then what the hell are you worried about wah for? Either way, you will have to plug some stuff in. Get a crummy pedal board going, have your controller and your wah and whatever else living in it. Rig the cables (assuming a 1/4" and a MIDI) up to be one, that way you have 1 cable to run from your pedalboard to your rack, and one cable to run from your guitar to your pedalboard. 2 cables. Thats it. You can leave the main cables coiled in your pedalboard and always hooked up, that way you have only to plug it into your rack. Just remember that it will only be as complex as you make it. You want more shit going on (like a wah), then you will have to set it up somehow, which means you will probably have to run more cable. I havn't come across a midi controller yet which the expression pedal actually controlled the wah in a decent manner...hence, I would rather just buy a wah than even fuck with it.
When I'm putting my rack together I'm probably going to leave some spaces in it for ventilation. I'm going without the effects processor so I'll have the room, but I would recommend having a look at where the heat from your pre and power amps are bien vented. You might want to get a fan to keep air flowing through your rack and keep it cool.
so that's it my rack:
It basically works like this:
for rhythm sounds: samson wireless>korg tuner>engl 530 preamp>rocktron hush>marshall 50/50
for solo with delay reverb/wah-wah solo/clean: samson wireless>korg tuner>rocktron cameleon>marshall 50/50
both different sound chains are midi-switchable by a 100%true bypass looper.
I controll everything via my fcb1010.
The drawback is that I have ss for clean and solo, but I only paid ~ 1500€ for all components!
EDIT: Why the fuck do rack preamps have the inputs at the front?
It basically works like this:
for rhythm sounds: samson wireless>korg tuner>engl 530 preamp>rocktron hush>marshall 50/50
for solo with delay reverb/wah-wah solo/clean: samson wireless>korg tuner>rocktron cameleon>marshall 50/50
both different sound chains are midi-switchable by a 100%true bypass looper.
I controll everything via my fcb1010.
The drawback is that I have ss for clean and solo, but I only paid ~ 1500€ for all components!
EDIT: Why the fuck do rack preamps have the inputs at the front?
dan weapon
Planet Smasher
thanks guys. It IS heavy as hell but can be lifted by two persons! I got all the midi stuff working now, except the expression controler (using fcb1010) with wah wah in a lead preset. I'm new to midi and this shit drives insane!
@Lazzari: i'm using this one: http://www.thomann.de/gb/g_lab_midi_2x_looper.htm
@Lazzari: i'm using this one: http://www.thomann.de/gb/g_lab_midi_2x_looper.htm
hey hoehlentroll, sorry for bothering u again but im kind of a midi n00b hehe... how u use it exactly ? Sorry again hehehe..
