Pc powered amp and effects

cain

So im moving to a new possie in cention, the issue is that playing guitar will be a problem as i used a half stack. So im thinking of either getting a korg pandora PX4D / M-Audio Jamlab / Pc powered effects ( Soundcard + midi controller ).

Ive read some bad review on the jamlab, the pandora is handhelled but the pc powered effect and midi controller sounds damn sweet ( If i wanted to i could gig with this only. What is your guys opinions ? Alan i know you use the midi interface route, what programs do you use for this ?

AlanRatcliffe

Can't speak for the Korg, but for a floor or rack unit, I'd probably go for the Vox Tonelab if I had to buy something along those lines. Good tones and FX. I was using a Boss GT-PRO and a POD Pro until I went software. GT-PRO/GT-8 (and probably the new GT-10, which we should see here in a couple of months) are the most advanced FX processing, but a little weak in the "authentic amp tone & feel" category (so I ended up using it for piezos). PODs, I liked the older ones, but the newer XTs, etc. were very disappointing tonally and feature-wise.

I use Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3, with a Behringer FCB1010. Just to be totally upfront - I have a limited endorsement thing with the local distributor. However, I was using Version 2 before the deal and I would have gotten V3 anyway, even if I hadn't been given the upgrade.

I also have Amplitude and Waves GTR, but never really took to either.

I don't use the N.I RigKontrol footpedal/interface, as when I got Guitar Rig 2, I felt the Behringer and an Edirol UA-25 interface were better in both performance and features. It also means I can just take the laptop and interface when I travel, without having to take the foot controller along. The newer V3 RigKontrol is better than the old one, but I've still got a small edge with my setup, but not much any more.

Software is really the most powerful route - I can process magnetic and piezo outputs at the same time and do really elaborate effects chains (at least until my 1.6GHz Celeron M processor falls over, but that only happens when I start running too many softsynths at the same time as Guitar Rig).

The amp sims are great in Guitar Rig. Some modellers have more variety of amps, but Native Instruments nailed the essential ones. They are also so tweakable, with bias settings, response, variac, etc., that they in effect give you a huge range of amp sounds. You can also mix and match different speaker cabs with different amps and microphones. While it may sound amazingly complex, it's not. It's so well ordered and the advanced tweaks are a level deeper than the usual, simpler stuff.

Effects-wise it's just as powerful. While there are a few little things I could do on my GT-PRO that I can't do in GR, generally GR blows it away completely. Once again the basic settings are simple, but if you need the power, it is there to use.

Sound quality is great too. I don't play in Band situations, so I can't speak as to how well the tones translate out of the studio to stage (the traditional weak point with modellers), But I would have no problem trying it.

One last thing to bear in mind is that with a software amp/FX like this, you can use it as a plug in in any DAW software - Sonar, Cubase, Protools, Nuendo. You record the guitars direct and apply as an effect and you can tweak the settings as you go. It's a bit processor hungry to use like this in a project that has 18 guitar parts (Guilty!), but that's what the freeze function in a DAW is for. On my P4 3GHz studio machine, I can run three instances before things start falling over - and processor power is always increasing.

cain

See something like a tonelab isnt what im looking for. Either a R800 "practice" thing or the whole midi route. Can you post me the links for the hardware you use to use guitar rig alan ?

AlanRatcliffe

Well, if you buy the version with hardware, it comes with everything aside from a computer and guitar cable. One USB cable from the RigKontrol carries all the info from the pedalboard AND the audio from your guitar.

Otherwise, if you go for the software version, you need an audio/MIDI interface. Any decent interface with High impedance inputs is fine (many interfaces are low-Z only, so you need to use a DI box too). I use the Edirol UA-25, which has one Lo-Z and one switchable Hi-Z/Lo-Z (my piezos are Lo-Z).

Then I use the Behringer FCB1010 MIDI footcontroller for program changes, volume and Wah control.

cain

That all sound very nice ?

Gearhead

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: I use the Behringer FCB1010 MIDI footcontroller for program changes, volume and Wah control.

Have you tried the 'modware' here: http://www.ossandust.be/ ? If not, would you? Review?

AlanRatcliffe

The UnO firmware? I know about it, but don't have any need for it. Basically it lets you control patch changing with five of the controls and use the other five as stompbox-style on/off switches.

Gearhead

The way I see it, apart from the 'stomp' stuff it also lets you program the expression pedal initial value and the 'stomp box' initial value into the patch, which would be useful.

...and what about the 'bugs' fixed? Have you also no need for those? They do refer to some rare situations indeed.

One more question: can you program the range of the expression pedals to be anything but 1-100%? My EV5 has a button that sets the lower limit and I really like that option, makes it much more usable.

Thanks for clearing this up. I will have to think long and hard whether I like this 5 stomp button thing enough to go Behringer...

AlanRatcliffe

Gearhead wrote: The way I see it, apart from the 'stomp' stuff it also lets you program the expression pedal initial value and the 'stomp box' initial value into the patch, which would be useful.

I program that into the Guitar Rig setting.

...and what about the 'bugs' fixed? Have you also no need for those? They do refer to some rare situations indeed.

None of them have ever affected me. Maybe I'm just lucky. ?

One more question: can you program the range of the expression pedals to be anything but 1-100%? My EV5 has a button that sets the lower limit and I really like that option, makes it much more usable.

Guitar Rig allows me to program the range for a pedal on a per-patch basis within the software. For instance, I usually set up the volume control to a narrow range of -6 to 0 dB.

I will have to think long and hard whether I like this 5 stomp button thing enough to go Behringer...

Last I looked, there was a huge difference in price between the two. The Roland is easier to set up with Roland devices. The modern Roland units also send patch names to the display on the FC-300, which is nice if you're using a rack unit.

The UnO firmware is cheap enough that you could buy it to try it without fear - if it doesn't work for you, swap back.