DIGIDESIGN ELEVEN RACK

Eleven Rack Audio Examples Eleven™ Rack is a revolutionary new guitar recording and effects processing system designed to eliminate the challenges guitarists have faced in the studio and on stage. Say goodbye to the lackluster guitar amp “models” of yesteryear: Eleven Rack utilizes a unique tone cloning design and one-of-a-kind, custom-designed True-Z input to re-create the experience of playing through a full guitar rig. By combining studio-standard Pro Tools® software with a DSP-accelerated high-resolution interface, Eleven Rack puts professional recording into the hands of every guitar player. Whether you’re tracking in the studio or playing on stage, Eleven Rack delivers fresh, mind-blowing, hyper-realistic guitar amp and effects tones that will inspire your best performances. DIGIDESIGN ELEVEN RACK DIGIDESIGN ELEVEN RACK Eleven Rack in the Studio Eleven Rack combines studio-standard Pro Tools software with a high-resolution, dual DSP-powered audio interface so you’ll never have to worry about latency when recording with its built-in amp/effects tones — nor will your computer have to carry the processing burden. Eleven Rack also takes re-amping to the next level by recording both dry and processed guitar signals simultaneously, allowing you to re-amplify later without patching a single cable. We even found a way to embed the Eleven Rack amp and effects settings into the audio tracks you record, enabling you to automatically recall those settings from your audio files on any Pro Tools system with Eleven Rack. Eleven Rack On Stage Eleven Rack also rocks onstage as a standalone amp tone and effects signal processor — we pulled out all the stops to make sure it sounds and feels just like playing through the real deal. We also included a classic collection of effects, from must-have stompboxes to world-class rackmount studio processors. Eleven Rack has all the I/O flexibility you need to integrate it into your existing rig, and easily incorporate the tones you’ve recorded with into your live setup — closing the gap between studio and stage. Eleven Rack also offers incredibly powerful control options using affordable MIDI controllers and expression pedals, giving you full foot control over everything from vintage wah effects to tempo-driven delays and more.

Eleven Rack combines hyper-realistic guitar amp and effects tones with a dual-DSP-powered interface and studio-standard Pro Tools LE® software to create the ultimate recording solution for guitar players.

Introducing True-Z
Among guitar tonehounds, it’s a well-known fact that input impedance — the electronic resistance found in the input circuit of the amp or effect you’re plugged in to — has a huge impact on your guitar tone. We realized that re-creating this electronic relationship was critical in nailing the sound and feel of our emulations. Others have tried to fake this with signal processing but we weren’t satisfied with a one-size-fits-all-approach. Each guitar reacts uniquely with each amp or effect — so we had to come up with a true analog solution that allows your guitar to interact realistically with our amp and effect re-creations.

That’s why we developed True-Z — a unique analog input circuit that replicates the input impedance of classic stompbox pedals and guitar amps, resulting in amazingly realistic sounds. It’s almost as if the True-Z input on Eleven Rack morphs into the 1/4" input jack of whatever classic stompbox or amplifier you are using. When you plug into Eleven Rack, you get the same response — and same great tone — as when plugging in to a vintage stompbox or guitar amp. You can also manually control the impedance of the True-Z input and set it to a value that suits your playing best.

Eleven Rack Hardware

• Unique True-Z auto-impedance matching guitar input
  
• Incredible emulations of classic guitar amp tones inspired by Fender®, Vox®, Marshall®, Soldano, and Mesa/Boogie® amps*
  
• Refined collection of sought-after classic stompbox tones inspired by effects from MXR®, Electro-Harmonix®, Ibanez®, ProCo, Univox®, and more*
  
• Powerful collection of studio-quality rackmount effects processors
  
• Convolution-based cabinet emulations deliver unprecedented realism in cabinet tones
  
• Convolution-based microphone emulations inspired by classic dynamic, condenser, and ribbon mic designs
  
• Integrated FX loop switchable to incorporate existing mono or stereo rack and stompbox effects
  
• Controllable via MIDI controllers and expression pedals
  
• Built-in tuner
  
• Tap-tempo control of time-based effects
  
• High-speed USB 2.0 connection
  
• Supports up to 8 simultaneous channels of high-resolution recording up to 24-bit/96 kHz
  
• Stereo balanced XLR outputs and dedicated 1/4” outputs
  
• XLR mic input with 48V phantom power and pad switch
  
• 2 x 1/4” line-level inputs
  
• AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital I/O
  
• Stereo 1/4” headphone jack
  
• 1 x 1 MIDI I/O

* Eleven Rack is not connected with, or approved or endorsed by, the owners of Electro-Harmonix®, Fender®, Ibanez®, Marshall®, Mesa/Boogie®, MXR®, ProCo, Soldano, Univox®, and Vox® names. These names are used solely to identify the guitar amplifiers and effects emulated by Eleven Rack.

Pro Tools LE Software

• Award-winning Pro Tools LE 8 recording, editing, and mixing software — now optimized for guitar players
  
• Powerful Eleven Rack control window for creating/editing Eleven Rack rig settings right from Pro Tools software
  
• Records both dry and processed signals simultaneously, with recallable rig settings embedded into audio files
  
• Includes over 70 professional effects, including reverb, delay, chorus, distortion, flanger, phaser, reverse, EQ, and compression
  
• Powerful virtual instruments for creating backing tracks, including a drum machine, tonewheel organ, piano, synthesizer, and synth/sample workstation

Virtual Instruments
Boom™ drum machine and sequencer DB-33 tonewheel organ emulator with rotating speaker simulation Mini Grand acoustic grand piano Vacuum monophonic vacuum tube synthesizer Xpand!®2 multitimbral synth and sample workstation Structure Free sample player FXpansion BFD Lite acoustic drum module

Pro Tools LE System Requirements

Up until now, amp modeling solutions haven’t really delivered the full depth, dimension, and response of a mic’d up rig. We decided to take this challenge head on to ensure Eleven Rack truly re-creates the experience of playing through the most coveted guitar amps in the world. Check it out:

• We spent years scouting a connoisseur’s collection of vintage and modern amps and cabinets, paying special attention to choosing amps that represented the best of their generation and remained unmodified from their original design. We then painstakingly inspected every component, took detailed measurements, and captured every stage of the signal path — point to point.
  
• We incorporated nuances like power amp sag, ghost notes, and cabinet resonance that other amp modeling developers overlooked, giving our clones the truly multi-dimensional tone and hyper-realistic response previously only achievable by mic’ing a real amp.
  
• We set out to invent an input circuit that re-creates the electronic relationship between your guitar and an actual amp or effect. This can’t be done digitally — so we developed a unique True-Z direct input that automatically adjusts the input impedance to match that of the particular amp/effects rig signal chain. Thanks to the True-Z input, plugging into Eleven Rack sounds and feels just like plugging into a real amp or effect.
  
• Using convolution processing, we captured the exact sound of the cabinets and mics used to create the tone of a mic’d combo — instead of using EQ filters to “fake” this sound the way other amp modeling solutions have done.
  
• We enlisted guitar recording expert John Cuniberti (Platinum and Gold recording engineer/producer and inventor of the Reamp® box) to ensure the mic’ing techniques used during development were absolutely top notch.
  
• We also emulated an assortment of vintage and classic effects processors — from must-have stompbox effects to high-end studio processors culled from our coveted Pro Tools|HD® TDM plug-ins used in pro studios around the world.

* Digidesign Eleven Rack is not connected with, or approved or endorsed by, the owners of the AKG, Boss, Celestion, Electro Harmonix, Fender®, Ibanez, Jensen, Maestro, Marshall®, Mesa/Boogie®, MXR®, Neumann, ProCo, Ross, Royer, Sennheiser, Shure, Soldano, Thomas Organ, Univox, and VOX® names. These names are used solely to identify the guitar amplifiers, speaker cabinets, loudspeakers, effects, and microphones emulated by Eleven Rack

We went to great lengths to obtain the world’s most sought-after amps and effects — in their original state — to create the sounds in Eleven Rack. Here are all of the vintage and modern amplifiers and effects boxes that Eleven Rack emulates along with a bit of their history, where you may have heard their signature tones, and how our emulations compare to the originals.

Eleven Rack Amps

’59 Tweed Lux

’59 Tweed Lux Based on a 1959 Fender® Deluxe* With a single 12-inch Jensen speaker and a pair of 6V6 tubes delivering 15 watts, Fender’s “tweed” Deluxe became a recording studio favorite for everyone from ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons to jazz/fusion legend Larry Carlton. In fact, Carlton’s acclaimed solo on Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne” is a Gibson ES-335 (with the guitar’s tone control rolled back) straight into a cranked Fender® Deluxe. With just a simple tone control, ’50s-era Deluxe amps deliver crunchy clean sounds when used with single-coil pickups, and fat leads when driven with humbucking pickups. Even with that dynamic range, its low wattage keeps it totally under control for recording. While not exactly loud enough to cut a gig, Neil Young toured for decades with his beloved ’59 tweed Deluxe, but he had to drag around a personal PA system just so he could hear it over the actual house monitors and PA. For our emulation, the knobs range from 0–10 (instead of 1–12 on the original) to better match the other amps in Eleven Rack, and for consistency with automation and control surface controls. Our ’59 Tweed Lux is also “jumped” so you can feed both the Instrument and Mic inputs in parallel. Turning either the Instrument or Mic channel volume to zero will un-jump the channels. * Digidesign Eleven Rack is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, the owners of the Fender® or Jensen names. These names are used solely to identify the classic amplifiers and loudspeakers emulated by Eleven Rack. References to artists and bands are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or sponsorship of Eleven Rack by any artist or band.

’59 Tweed Bass

’59 Tweed Bass Based on a 1959 Fender® Bassman®* Originally designed by Leo Fender in 1952 to go along with his new “electric” Precision Bass, the world’s first bass amp, the Fender® Bassman®, supplied less than 40-watts through a single 15-inch speaker. It was also covered in the same tweed suitcase cloth used on the Fender® Deluxe. Always willing to make a design better, Fender eventually felt that using four 10-inch Jensen speakers had a tighter bass response while still keeping the high-end intact. By 1959, the Bassman® had closer to 50 watts of power, using two 5881 (military spec 6L6) power tubes, and four inputs (high and low for each channel). Along with controls for Bass, Middle (midrange), and Treble, a negative feedback Presence control also allowed for more tweaking of the high-end frequencies. Even though the ’59 Bassman® was originally designed with bass guitar in mind, it became the holy grail of tone for nearly all of the pioneering country, rock, and blues guitarists of the ’50s and ’60s. Even blues harmonica players consider the Fender® Bassman® the industry standard when used with a “Green Bullet” microphone. It’s this classic amp’s layout and circuit design that became the blueprint for many others to follow, including amps made in a small shop in England owned by a drummer named Jim Marshall. Just like Digidesign’s ’59 Tweed Lux, the ’59 Tweed Bass’ knobs range from 0–10 (instead of 1–12 on the original) to better match the other amp sounds in Eleven Rack, and for consistency with automation and control surface controls. The Tweed Bass is also “jumped” so you can feed both the Bright and Normal inputs. Turning either the Instrument or Mic channel volume to zero will un-jump the channels. * Digidesign Eleven Rack is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, the owners of the Fender®, Bassman®, and Jensen names. These names are used solely to identify the classic amplifiers and loudspeakers emulated by Eleven Rack.

'64 Black Panel Lux Vibrato

'64 Black Panel Lux Vibrato Based on a 1964 Fender® Deluxe Reverb®, Vibrato Channel* ’64 Black Panel Lux Normal Based on a 1964 Fender® Deluxe Reverb®, Normal Channel* For nearly the entire time Leo Fender was designing amps, he always made sure to have a version of the Fender® Deluxe. With a single 12-inch Oxford speaker and a pair of 6V6s putting out just over 20 watts, Fender’s Deluxe Reverb® became the ultimate small club amp. In the studio, it’s been used to record countless #1 hits in Nashville thanks to “first call” session players such as Brent Mason. At low volumes its crisp, clean high-end has been favored by Fender ®Telecaster® country rockers such as Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam). But push the amp past 7 with a humbucking pickup, and you’ve got an amazingly dynamic lead tone that’s been used by blues/jazz great Robben Ford and ’80s LA session king Steve Lukather. With his goldtop ’58 Les Paul, Lukather used his Fender® Deluxe Reverb® to cut the solo on Toto’s hit “Hold The Line.” Fender® made both a Deluxe and a Deluxe Reverb® at the same time. However, with its bigger cabinet and extra gain stage (which was used to isolate the reverb tank from the preamp), most players preferred the sound of the Deluxe Reverb®. After Leo Fender sold his company in 1965 to CBS, the black front panel was eventually phased out and replaced by “silverface” panels. The more desirable early and mid ’60s Fender® amplifiers picked up the nickname “blackface” due to their black control panels. For Eleven Rack, we’ve emulated both channels of this classic blackface-era amp. While both versions of our ’64 Black Panel Lux emulation include Tremolo (which Fender® mislabeled as Vibrato), Normal is a single gain version, while Vibrato adds the additional gain stage like the original. *Digidesign Eleven Rack is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, the owners of the Fender®, Telecaster® and Deluxe Reverb® names. These names are used solely to identify the classic amplifiers emulated by Eleven Rack. References to artists and bands are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or sponsorship of Eleven Rack by any artist or band.

’66 AC Hi Boost

’66 AC Hi Boost Based on a 1966 VOX® AC30 Top Boost* Originally released in 1958, the VOX® AC30 went through a few design changes that would eventually define the sound of British pop/rock in the ’60s. First available by VOX® as a modification mounted in the rear of the amp, the “Top Boost” circuit added an extra tube and controls for Treble and Bass. It became so popular that VOX® eventually redesigned the control panel and officially added the circuit to the AC30 in 1963. It’s this version of amp with two 12-inch Celestions (also known as 15-watt Blue or Bulldog speakers due to their color and labeling) and a quartet of EL84 tubes delivering 30 watts that helped change the sound of popular music. While the Beatles are forever linked to the AC30 Top Boost, many other great bands built their sound with it, including Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, REM, Radiohead, and U2. Armed with a Stratocaster® that fed into a digital delay, the Edge’s percussive rhythm on tracks such as “Pride (In The Name of Love)” and “Where The Streets Have No Name” showcase the amp’s distinctive high-end chime and glassiness. For lead work, Brian May’s singing solo tones on such Queen classics as “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Killer Queen” have helped make the VOX®AC30 one of the most sought-after amps of all time. For our emulation, we’ve “jumped” the Normal and Brilliant channels. Tremolo and Cut (presence) are active on both channels. However, just like the original, the Treble and Bass controls are only part of the Brilliant channel, and have no effect on the Normal channel. * Digidesign Eleven Rack is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, the owners of the VOX®, AC30, Stratocaster® and Celestion names. These names are used solely to identify the classic amplifiers and loudspeakers emulated by Eleven Rack. References to artists and bands are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or sponsorship of Eleven Rack by any artist or band.

'67 Black Duo

'67 Black Duo Based on a 1967 Fender® Twin Reverb®* Without a doubt, Fender’s blackface-era Twin Reverb® is considered one of the greatest combo amps ever made. With two 12-inch Jensen speakers and a quartet of 6L6 tubes pushing 80 watts, no concert stage was complete without one. During the ’60s and ’70s, nearly every pro guitar player in every genre of music used a Fender® Twin Reverb®, from BB King and the Beatles (used on The White Album) to John Fogerty, David Gilmour, and Carlos Santana. It was during the recording of Santana’s 1970 Abraxas record that he used his ’61 Gibson SG and Fender® Twin Reverb® to track his classic instrumental ballad “Samba Pa Ti.” One of the main reasons for the amp’s popularity is that it can maintain the classic Fender® clean sound even at high volume levels. For some players, such as Eric Johnson who uses two amps in stereo, a Twin Reverb® is the only amp that can really keep up with a driven Marshall® half stack. Another special feature of the blackface-era Twin Reverb® is the inclusion of a Bright switch. For our emulation, just like the original, as you turn the Volume knob up, the Bright switch has less of an effect. Dial the Volume knob around 3 or 4 with the Bright switch on, and you’ll get that ultra-clean snap that it’s famous for. * Digidesign Eleven Rack is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, the owners of the Marshall®, Fender® and Twin Reverb® names. These names are used solely to identify the classic amplifiers emulated by Eleven Rack. References to artists and bands are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or sponsorship of Eleven Rack by any artist or band.

’69 Plexiglas – 100W

’69 Plexiglas – 100W Based on a 1969 Marshall® 1959 100-Watt Super Lead Head* In 1963, Fender® amps were expensive and hard to find in England. But there was one small store named Marshall’s Music in a London suburb that stocked a few. The shop was owned by drum teacher Jim Marshall, whose students included Mitch Mitchell (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) and Keith Moon (The Who). The shop’s amp repairman, Ken Bran, thought they could build the same kind of amps as Fender®, but using domestic part supplies. Within two years, Marshall® needed a bigger factory, and his amps were gaining favor among a new crop of local guitar players. A young Eric Clapton bought his first Marshall® combo for his new gig with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. It was a volume-hungry Pete Townsend who eventually asked Jim to make a 100-watt head and 8x12 cabinet. It didn’t take long before The Who’s roadies protested, and the cabinet was split in half. Now with two 4x12 cabinets loaded with “greenback” Celestions, and a 100-watt head, the Marshall® stack was born and ready to usher in the era of the Guitar God. When James Marshall Hendrix landed in England, he thought it was fate having the same name as Marshall’s owner, and left the store with a brand new 100-watt Super Lead stack. This era of Marshall’s amps had a plastic gold front panel. By the end of 1969, they switched to metal, thus making the “Plexi” heads highly collectable. Some of the greatest rock riffs and solos got their tone from the Plexi, including “Sunshine of Your Love,” “Voodoo Child,” “Cliffs of Dover,” and every single guitar sound on the first two Van Halen records, including “Eruption.” For our emulation, we’ve based it on the legendary 100-watt 1968/69 version, which also has the “lay down” transformers favored by Eddie Van Halen. We’ve also “jumped” both channels like Eric Johnson’s setup. * Digidesign Eleven Rack is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, the owners of the Fender®, Marshall® and Celestion names. These names are used solely to identify the classic amplifiers and loudspeakers emulated by Eleven Rack. References to artists and bands are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or sponsorship of Eleven Rack by any artist or band.

’82 Lead 800 – 100W

’82 Lead 800 – 100W Based on a 1982 Marshall® JCM800 2203 100-Watt Head* By 1982, Jim Charles Marshall finally ended a bad distribution deal, which kept the company financially strapped for over a decade. He decided to trim the amp line down and focus on his new flagship amp, the JCM800. Named after the license plate on his car (which was just his initials and a plate number), the JCM800 delivered massive distorted rhythm sounds thanks to its cascaded preamp design, a quartet of EL34 tubes, and the addition of a master volume. Unlike the Marshall® heads of the ’60s, which needed to be on 10 to achieve an overdrive sound, a JCM800 could conjure up real distortion at any volume level, and that made it very popular in the burgeoning heavy metal scene. From Judas Priest to Iron Maiden and Slayer, no metal band would go on onstage without a wall of JCM800 stacks. It absolutely dominated the ’80s rock and metal scene. In later years, Jane’s Addiction’s Dave Navarro and Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello used JCM800 series amps to redefine the sound of metal-inspired rock. * Digidesign Eleven Rack is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, the owners of the Marshall® and JCM800 names. These names are used solely to identify the classic amplifiers emulated by Eleven Rack. References to artists and bands are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or sponsorship of Eleven Rack by any artist or band.

’85 M-2 Lead

’85 M-2 Lead Based on a 1985 Mesa/Boogie® Mark IIc+, Drive Channel* Mesa Engineering was originally started by amp repairman Randall Smith so he could buy supplies for his other job, rebuilding Mercedes engines. It was this “hot rod” mentality that lead Smith to take a small Fender® Princeton and turn it into a 50-watt monster, complete with a JBL 12-inch speaker. In 1970, while repairing amps in his shop at Prune Music in Berkeley, CA, Smith left what he thought of as a practical joke in the storefront. When local guitar hotshot Carlos Santana heard it, he was blown away and said, “Man, this thing really boogies!” At that moment, the Mesa/Boogie® amplifier was born. Over the years, Smith continued to improve his designs to include features such as switchable channels, effects loops, a slave out, 5-band EQ, and a power tube mode called Simul-Class. Different output power levels could be achieved by tweaking the Simul-Class rear switches to run the amp in Class A with a pair of EL34s, or in conjunction with a pair of Class A/B 6L6s. All of those features helped make the final design of the Mark IIc+ one of the most desired amps Mesa/Boogie® ever made. The Mark IIc+ can be heard on everything from the progressive rock solos of Dream Theater’s John Petrucci to the super chunky rhythm sounds of Metallica’s James Hetfield. Used during the sessions for And Justice For All and Master of Puppets, Hetfield always had the amp’s graphic EQ set up in a “V” curve to maintain a tight bass sound, while getting rid of any unnecessary midrange boominess. We’ve based our emulation on the Lead channel with the Fat, Bright, and Gain Boost options on. We even re-created the classic “V” EQ curve! * Digidesign Eleven Rack is not affiliated with, or sponsored or endorsed by, the owners of the Fender®, Mesa/Boogie® and Mark IIc+ names. These names are used solely to identify the classic amplifiers emulated by Eleven Rack. References to artists and bands are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or sponsorship of Eleven Rack by any artist or band.

’92 Treadplate Modern

’92 Treadplate Modern Based on a 1992 Mesa/Boogie® Dual Rectifier® Head, Channel 3: Modern High Gain* ’92 Treadplate Vintage Based on a 1992 Mesa/Boogie® Dual Rectifier® Head, Channel 2: Vintage High Gain* Released in 1989, Mesa/Boogie’s Dual Rectifier® seemed cooler than a high-performance racecar. With more tone-tweaking options and distortion than any Boogie before it, the amp became the industry standard for players looking to achieve a massive sound. It first gained exposure at the end of the grunge period with bands like Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. But the Dual Rectifier® would find its greatest fame in the Nu Metal scene with Korn, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park. The Dual Rectifier® has also become a favorite of bands such as Creed, and more recently the Foo Fighters. With the ability to run on either 6L6 or EL34 tubes, the Dual Rectifier® was named for its ability to select between either tube or silic Ask a question Tell A Friend