help me pick an effects unit

[guitar2326]

Ok, so I've been leaning towards a G-Major, but I want to be open to any other options. I heard that a Digitech 2101 is really good, but I dont need distortion. I've already got a JMP-1 that has all the distortion I need. But I've heard people say the effects sound better on the 2101, and that you can arrange the effects any way you want. So how do you guys compare the two? Or do you think I should forget them both and go with a completely different unit? I'm open to suggestions. I can't go too expensive unless I get that job at Guitar Center I applied for so I can get that discount.

[BillyCorgan]

I'm getting great sounds with a Digitech Valve FX.(In the loop of my JMP-1) You can bypass the distortion. I sold my G-Major and i couldn't be happier now. The effects are warmer and you can really do more with it. I also has a MUCH better flange.

The best part is i only paid $170 for it.

Check Ebay.

 

Oh and if you ever wanna record direct with the Valve FX:

http://www.pillforkids.com/magdalena.mp3

All but the drums were done with that unit. Some parts are a bit sloppy but i got tired after the 3rd hour haha.

[sp_spaceboy]

also consider the Rocktron replifex/xpression. I'm looking for one of them right now over the g-major because they're sposed to have "better" modulation effects, so i guess it depends what effects are most important to you. (an intellifex later on will make for anything the replifex/xpression may be lacking in the reverb/delay/chorus departments too. not that they're notoriously bad or anything.)

 

something to look into.

[Duke of Metal]

 

Originally posted by sp_spaceboy Rocktron Intellifex

 

+1

 

 

Duke

[DarkCide]

I have an Intelliverb. Excellent unit.

[guitar2326]

Ok, well in a rack unit, the most important effects would be reverb and delay. Other effects that are important: chorus, tremolo, phaser, and vibrato. Some of the effects I dont mind buying a seperate single effect to make up for it. I dont care much for flanger, a ring mod would be really cool, but not necessary. Having a tuner included would be great (which I know the GMajor has) for convenience and not having to buy another unit, but if the Digitech costs only that much, I might be able to get a tuner anyways. But then that would take away 3 of my last 4 spaces in my rack. Other things that the GMajor has, like the EQ and the silencer, are great to have, but not necessarily needed.

[Lorax]

Really, the bottom line is this....

 

If you dont at elast consider the Intellifex, you are doing yourself and your tone a MAJOR disservice. There is nothing that comes even close for the "bang for buck"...The bgi is you can score them for $150 to $250 range and the quality is pro studio stuff....

 

Here is my write up on the unit:

 

Rocktron Intellifex Effects Processor. Totally programmable with midi control. Allows for simulataneous operation of 5 effects including the amaznig ducking delay and the industry unparalled lush 8 voice chorus.

 

Super Quiet operation due to HUSH & High Quality 16 bit converters

64X OVersampling A/D Converter

24 Bit Processing

High Quality 8 Voice Chorusing for the richest sounding chorus EVER

4 Voice PItch Shifting over 3 full octaves

Programming via high quality and study knobs

Easy to Read Display

Delay & Reverb Ducking (delay waits for a pause in your playing - cleaner sounding)

Seperate path for non-effected guitar signal (basically true bypass)

[guitar2326]

Oh, and I would like to be able to use as many effects as possible at the same time, and I would like to be able to arrange them in any order. I can get over the order thing though, which I was gonna do with the GMajor. But ideally, thats what I want.

 

EDIT: Oh, and it has to be reasonably easy to set up with MIDI. I plan on getting a Ground Control Pro, so having it able to switch effects on and off with CC#'s is a must. Easy compatibility with the GCP is a must.

[sp_spaceboy]

well, with that in mind, I think the Intellifex will serve your needs alright, and at a very high quality, but no phaser. If you can live with that I think you'll be very happy.

 

Then you've just got to consider if the extra features of the other units might sway you. The best thing to do is just download the manuals of the respective units and compare to make sure one unit isn't lacking some essential function the others have etc.

 

www.rocktron.com

 

www.tcelectronic.com

[guitar2326]

Ok, if I am to consider the Intellifex, first off, which of them is the best? There's the Intellifex Online, LTD, and XL. Then there's the Intelliverb, Intellipitch, and Xpression. Any guidance to all of these?

 

Second, how does the best Rocktron compare to the Digitech 2101? What about the Digitech is lacking? What about the Rocktron is lacking? I already know a lot about the G-Major. I just need more info on the Rocktron and Digitech. Any other units out there worth considering? Lexicon maybe?

[Duke of Metal]

 

Originally posted by guitar2326 Ok, if I am to consider the Intellifex, first off, which of them is the best? There's the Intellifex Online, LTD, and XL. Then there's the Intelliverb, Intellipitch, and Xpression. Any guidance to all of these? Second, how does the best Rocktron compare to the Digitech 2101? What about the Digitech is lacking? What about the Rocktron is lacking? I already know a lot about the G-Major. I just need more info on the Rocktron and Digitech. Any other units out there worth considering? Lexicon maybe?

 

To me.. Digitech is nothing close to Rocktron when it comes to effects. I had and tried units by Digitech and I noticed that they mess up/color your tone really really bad, make it harsh and give it a digital sound/feel. On the other hand, Rocktron units like the Intellifex is an all Analog patch inside and doesnt color your tone/sound at all.

 

Regarding which Intellifex to get.. I could be wrong but I think they are all the same, but just with very little additions, nothing major. I have the Black Face Intellifex and it works awsome. I dont think I'll change that unit until I can afford somthing like an eventide or some higher quility stuff.

 

But then again.. its all personal taste of sound.

 

 

good luck,

Duke

[guitar2326]

Yeah, I listened to that clip BillyCorgan posted of Magdalena using the 2101, and to be honest, I didnt really like the way it was sounding. No offense of course, and maybe it was just because he has to live up to Howerdel's amazing tone in my head (I LOVE that song, BTW). Don't get me wrong, it was well played, and there were points where I liked the heavy distorted tone, but I couldnt really enjoy the way the intro sounded with what was being used. The problem I see with this though is that tone is a lot of times subjective. Plus, with a clip like that, I can't get an idea of the way I could make it sound myself, if you know what I mean. I can't try it out myself and tweak it, and since you just have it at one setting, I dont get an idea of if I can get it to sound the way I want it to sound. But, there's no way I can really try out any of these units, so I've gotta go on you're word and sound clips. Based on word, I've heard the 2101 is better than the G-Major, but I have no way of hearing it myself. Can anyone who owns any of these (G-Major, Intellifex, 2101) direct me to some sound clips or post some of your own here? The shorter the better (I dont have as fast of a connection anymore).

 

Oh, another question, can the Intellifex arrange the effects in any order? And can it create a vibrato effect?

[Duke of Metal]

 

Originally posted by guitar2326 Yeah, I listened to that clip BillyCorgan posted of Magdalena using the 2101, and to be honest, I didnt really like the way it was sounding. No offense of course, and maybe it was just because he has to live up to Howerdel's amazing tone in my head (I LOVE that song, BTW). Don't get me wrong, it was well played, and there were points where I liked the heavy distorted tone, but I couldnt really enjoy the way the intro sounded with what was being used. The problem I see with this though is that tone is a lot of times subjective. Plus, with a clip like that, I can't get an idea of the way I could make it sound myself, if you know what I mean. I can't try it out myself and tweak it, and since you just have it at one setting, I dont get an idea of if I can get it to sound the way I want it to sound. But, there's no way I can really try out any of these units, so I've gotta go on you're word and sound clips. Based on word, I've heard the 2101 is better than the G-Major, but I have no way of hearing it myself. Can anyone who owns any of these (G-Major, Intellifex, 2101) direct me to some sound clips or post some of your own here? The shorter the better (I dont have as fast of a connection anymore). Oh, another question, can the Intellifex arrange the effects in any order? And can it create a vibrato effect?

 

I'll hopfully make some clips of my ADA MP-1 3TM and include some Intellifex effects with some of the clips.

 

Regarding the Vibrato effect.. i am sure you can get something out of it. Heck.. if you can make this thing produce a Church Organ sound out of it, then I dont see why you cant get a Vibrato type effects.

 

Also, the effects are put in algorithims or different settings I guess. Check the manual for it on the Rocktron Website. Located here:

http://www.rocktron.com/support/manuals/intellif/manltd.html

 

that is the manual for the Intellifex LTD but they are pretty similar.

 

 

hope that helps,

Duke

[guitar2326]

Anyone know about the Rocktron Xpression? It has flanger, phaser, rotary, tremolo, delay, chorus, reverb, multi-pitch shifting, and hush. Plus, it can be used for direct recording and has speaker modeler, mic position modelling, and dynamic tube reactance modelling. How does this compare to the Intellifex? On the Rocktron site, they mention the Intellifex has a smaller amount of effects, but they are better. The Xpression seems to be the opposite and has many effects. But does the quality match that of the Intellifex? (Of course, again compared to the G-Major and the 2101)

[BillyCorgan]

Originally posted by guitar2326 No offense of course,

 

Lol none taken

I wouldn't even think of using a tone like that live haha. It was just directly into my pc that impressed me.

 

You should hear it with the JMP-1 > Strategy 500 though. MUCH better/warmer. I never use the Digitech for dist.

[sp_spaceboy]

well the xpression is just the newer version of the replifex, and i think it's just the same, but without amp channel switching. dont know whether they different, but I wouldn't have thought so.

 

I seem to remember hearing that the online version of something (NOT the intellifex, something else) was one that was built to a slightly lower standard in Korea... like I said, I don't know if that applies to the Intellifex, but it may.

 

again, the best thing to do is download the respective manuals and compare.

[Flat Fifth Fury]

Bear in mind that when you make a demand for "most simultanious effects possible" you are not going to get the best sound quality. This is one reason why the Intellifex sounds better than say the Xpression. The Intellifex does excellent reverb, excellent pitch shift, excellent delays and amazing chorus because it's set up for reverb and delay with pitch - that's it. Once you start trying to make it do more with the prosessing power that you can get at a given price point then the quality of the effects and their flexability has to go down. The Xpression is an updated Replifex and that's not a bad thing. It's a sleeper processor that many pros use even though there are other units out there that do similar things. Reverb and complex delays take a lot of processing power so the Xpression is a very good modulation processor with good delays and good-enough reverb. I have an Intellifex and a Replifex and I use them for their strengths. Most pros use multiple processors so that they can get the most from them. If you are looking into a "do-all" processor and not a preamp, I'd suggest you look at the Xpression. Our other guitarist has a G-Major and I've worked with it quite a bit. It does a lot but there are some serious limitations to it like a lack of stereo delays and it's modulations being good but not great. But use your ears and think about the future expansion of your rig.

[guitar2326]

Originally posted by BillyCorgan Lol none taken I wouldn't even think of using a tone like that live haha. It was just directly into my pc that impressed me. You should hear it with the JMP-1 > Strategy 500 though. MUCH better/warmer. I never use the Digitech for dist.

 

Oh, so you only used the Digitech? I thought you used the JMP-1 too. That makes a lot more sense. I've never been a fan of anything direct unless your in a pinch. There's just too much of the quality in a guitar sound in the power amp section and the speaker section to sacrifice and expect to get the best tone. Man, I wish I could hear your rig live. Sounds like it would be killer. I want a Strategy 500 bad, but my Peavey 50/50 will have to suffice for now.

 

Originally posted by sp_spaceboy again, the best thing to do is download the respective manuals and compare.

 

I agree that can help, but that will only let me see the different features. As of right now, I can't really hear any of these. I don't know of anywhere that would keep these in stock and let me try them out. So if I can't try them out, I at least want to hear from some of you who have heard them hopefully to tell me what they sound like.

 

It seems to me that the Intellifex is gonna get me better chorus, reverb, and delay than probably any other unit I've been considering. Given that, I could simply buy a rack tuner and stompboxes to make up for the modulation I would be losing (definitly phaser and tremolo, maybe some others). It would probably end up costing me as much as the G-Major, but I would likely be getting better quality sound, minus an extra effect here or there. Or, I could just get the G-Major and have all I'll need for a while. If I get the job at Guitar Center (crossing my fingers), then I could get all of this at a really good price. Sheesh, going rack was the most complicated and GAS invoking decision I ever made. But definitly worth it! Maybe I could get two rack effect units if I get the job and the price is right? What two do you think could compliment each other the best? IOW, best reverb, delay, and chorus in one unit, then best modulation in another. Are there any units that specialize in modulation effects?

[Lorax]

Do what Flat Fifth Fury has - Replifex & Intellifex. You can get them both for around $350-$400 easily. Less than a new (and even likely used) G-Major and have superior effect quality and unparalled flexibility. Of all the research I did - this was IMO the best pairing to acquire the most quality & flexibilty at the best price point....And trust me, I did ALOT of research.....

 

IMO, the only thing that outperforms it is something like a G-Force and we are talking double the price.

[Duke of Metal]

hey guitar2326,

i made some Rocktron Intellifex clips. You can check them out here:

http://www.digitalsoundplanet.com/VirtualStudios/Listen/usersong.php?userid=83366

 

They are:

Intellifex Clean Chorus

Intellifex Reverb Distortion

Intellifex Harmonizer/Pitch Distortion

Intellifex Clean Delay

Intellifex Distortion Delay

 

The equipment used/Signal Line:

Epiphone LesPaul with Duncan Custom SH-5 In Bridge

ADA MP-1 3Tube Modded (www.adadepot.com)

Rocktron Intellifex

Peavey Classic 60/60 Tube Poweramp

Yorkville 2x12 With Classic Lead 80 Speakers.

 

Mic used: AKG (not sure of model)

Placed of Mic: Center of Cone

Cables Used: Canare GS-6 cables with Neutrik Connectors

Midi Controller: Behringer FCB1010

 

For the Harmonizer/Pitch Distortion clip and the Distortion Delay, I used the Expression pedal to do the Pitch change and the fade ins/outs.

 

Let me know if they are any help.

 

 

Duke

[guitar2326]

Hey man, thanks a lot for the clips! They sounded awesome! Not only did you sell me on the Intellifex, but the MP-1 too! I may try to get one of those one of these days too. But right now, its not very needed. My JMP-1 does what I need for distortion.

 

Oh, I had a question that came up when looking through the manual. Does the Intellifex have tap tempo? The Xpression mentioned it in its manual, but I couldnt find it in the Intellifex manual.

 

When looking at the manuals, I realized that if I get the Intellifex, I would only be missing two effects I really want: Phaser and Tremolo. I can just buy a Phase 90 or Small Stone, and get a tremolo pedal of some sort, and I'll be set. The other things it's lacking, compression, EQ, and a tuner, I can live without. I dont have any compression or a seperate EQ now, and I dont think I really need them either, and I can just get a seperate rack tuner. The only thing that the Xpression has that I would want is the rotary speaker sim, but I can live without it for now.

 

Oh, another question, with the pitch shift, can you mute the dry signal so that its like a whammy pedal in the down position? Or in other words, like its a whammy, not a harmonizer?

[Duke of Metal]

 

Originally posted by guitar2326 Hey man, thanks a lot for the clips! They sounded awesome! Not only did you sell me on the Intellifex, but the MP-1 too! I may try to get one of those one of these days too. But right now, its not very needed. My JMP-1 does what I need for distortion. Oh, I had a question that came up when looking through the manual. Does the Intellifex have tap tempo? The Xpression mentioned it in its manual, but I couldnt find it in the Intellifex manual. When looking at the manuals, I realized that if I get the Intellifex, I would only be missing two effects I really want: Phaser and Tremolo. I can just buy a Phase 90 or Small Stone, and get a tremolo pedal of some sort, and I'll be set. The other things it's lacking, compression, EQ, and a tuner, I can live without. I dont have any compression or a seperate EQ now, and I dont think I really need them either, and I can just get a seperate rack tuner. The only thing that the Xpression has that I would want is the rotary speaker sim, but I can live without it for now. Oh, another question, with the pitch shift, can you mute the dry signal so that its like a whammy pedal in the down position? Or in other words, like its a whammy, not a harmonizer?

 

hey guitar2326,

glad you like the clips.

 

regarding the Harmonizer being set as a pitch shifter, I think you can do somthing with the expression pedal/patch setting to make the dry signal at 0 and just leave the pitched shifted signal to be amplifed.

 

I checked for the delay setting and it only has:

2 Tap

Ping Pong

Stereo

 

So, not sure if it does Tap Tempo. Can you explain to me what you mean??

 

I am gonna make more clips of the Intellifex tomorrow of the weird effects I have on it like the Church Organ, Vai Type effect and other weird stuff.

 

 

Duke

[guitar2326]

Well, by tap tempo I mean being able to set a switch on my MIDI controller to control the tempo of the delay. Also, I still havent gotten too deep in to MIDI, but can the individual effects be turned on and off with CC#'s? I want to be able to use the Ground Control Pro I'm going to get to its full capabilities.

[Duke of Metal]

 

Originally posted by guitar2326 Well, by tap tempo I mean being able to set a switch on my MIDI controller to control the tempo of the delay. Also, I still havent gotten too deep in to MIDI, but can the individual effects be turned on and off with CC#'s? I want to be able to use the Ground Control Pro I'm going to get to its full capabilities.

 

Ahh.. Yes!! it can definitly do the CC midi controls. I actully have that set on my Heavy Distortion patch. I'll make a clip of it tomorrow if you want. I'll play a solo or somthing then kick the delay in and then kick it out, etc..

 

I use the Expression pedal to do that.

 

 

Duke

[guitar2326]

So you mean you use the expression pedal for your delay times? Does that mean there's no tap tempo? Or that there is? Ha, sorry for all the questions. I definitly need a way to adjust the delay time unless I change patches every time, but I'd rather not have to do that. Maybe I'll just have to buy an expression pedal.