The Eleven Rack - Suhr Riot, Fulltone OCD, and BB Preamp Shootout Part 1 of 2

[riderinthewind1]

Nice demos man. Would you happen to know if one can use any DAW besides Pro Tools to download/install patches/presets onto the 11R ? I'm on the fence about buying the unit, but if I can't use another DAW to even just download patches, then it'd be a deal-breaker. Or is there any other way to install patches?

[vaisatchatrucci]

@riderinthewind1 Thank you very much! No unfortunately you've got a deal breaker sitch... There's no other way to get the patches on the 11R that I am aware of... not yet... I'm sure at some point they'll come up with a standalone editor but who knows... :-( ?

[riderinthewind1]

@vaisatchatrucci Aww that's not good, thanks for the assist. I guess I'll have to look elsewhere. Keep up the good work man ^-^

[Joec9t]

Excellent demo, love the tone of the Riot pedal.

[tempest63132]

Do you have these patches available for download anywhere? As a fellow eleven rack user, I must say you have quite an ear for dialing in tones on this thing.

[spicecrop]

sounds like standing outside a music hall waiting to get in. Distant hall reverb kills the tone.

[spicecrop]

wish I could hear it without all the reverb. 

[vaisatchatrucci]

@spicecrop Well if it's any consolation, it wasn't done in any attempt to piss you off specifically...

[joeytruelove]

Don't know what's best with this shootout: the tone of the pedals or the incidental soundtrack! *lol* Great job, mate!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@joeytruelove LMAO! too funny - thanks brother I appreciate that - yeah this one was fun I wish I had more time to do more like this... :-( I LOVE doing them and this pesky "work" thing totally just gets in the way...!!! LOL

[penningtonant]

I like the sounds. I sometimes wish I could get into the whole modern digital guitar stuff.

[vaisatchatrucci]

@penningtonant Thanks brother! :-) Well - just do it! :-) LOL - I know what your saying - it took me a while to make the jump and I've never looked back...!

[hawg427]

How close is the Eleven Rack to the real amps? I'm thinking you could actually just get rid of pedals all together. LOL I could just sell my Mesa Roadster and get an ER and a more affordable Head like a Jet City and keep my Egnater 2x12 and have a heyday. LOL Now for recording you could play out of your Monitors, correct?

[vaisatchatrucci]

@hawg427 Thats correct - or headphones if you want.

[TheTominator45]

hey man, I'm looking for a little advice on running an 11R through a nice tube amp. My prime standalone choice at the moment, the Vox AC15 handwired model, lacks an FX loop, unfortunately. If I ran the 11R through the input like a conventional foot pedal with a flat EQ, would the amp models' tones be affected that much? Is there anything else I can do when hooking up the 11R with that amp?

[vaisatchatrucci]

@TheTominator45 Yeah you just disable the cab and mic sims and run a cable from the "output to amp" jack into the input of the Vox. It should sound really decent. It sounded good going into the front end of my Egnater Rebel 30's clean channel. Of course the Vox will color everything with whatever tonal qualities it has but they should still sound "normal" otherwise.

[kalebhensley2009]

I have been using my 11 live on broadway in Nashville its funny to see all the looks i get, right now I am using a Fender Twin as my combo using the output to amp. have you tried any other amps in this setup? I am looking to experiment with some other stuff to get the best tones live. I play so many verities its been a life saver, I use a GCpro by voodoo labs to run the whole shindig

love the videos man was a deciding factor in my purchase.

kaleb

[vaisatchatrucci]

@kalebhensley2009 Awesome man thanks! :) Yeah I get the same reaction like "huh?" people dont believe its a modeler at all... I have not run it into any other amps except an Egnater and it sounded great through that too... Where you been playing at downtown? I live about 15 minutes from downtown myself - don't get out much but I'd love to check it out!

[MrDarinWarren]

NO WAY. At 2:18 I play the exact same riff all the time. It's like, when I grab a guitar, thats the 1st riff I play. Too funny, and weird. I'm considering a direct unit. Possibly Eleven Rack, but more likely the Vox Tone Lab LE which sound pretty good, and is more affordable. :)

[bishopsade]

Out of curiosity, when you play with the Suhr, do you still use the 11r pedals enabled as well? Also, most importantly, why did you go with an external pedal instead of using the ones that come with 11r? Thanks and keep up with the great vids!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@bishopsade I already owned the pedals previous to the Eleven Rack so I don't necessarily always use them and if I do it's mainly just at home recording. No I don't usually use them in conjunction with the other dist pedals in the Eleven Rack but you CAN and you can get some cool tones that way as well! Thanks brother! :)

[emgzwset]

Im in a situation which to buy bro..I play mix type of music. so which would you recommend? tnx! good day

[vaisatchatrucci]

@emgzwset The Riot... It's the most versatile probably from a low to major gain standpoint in my opinion. It has the best tone, but I LOVE the BB and OCD too. if I HAD to choose, I'd go with the Riot.

[rupynator]

eh really? i "lol'd" not a single time. that guy isn't funny... but really well made demo though. thumbs up

[vaisatchatrucci]

@rupynator I'm no Klaus Meyers that's for sure. ;-) Thanks man, glad you liked the demo and appreciate you taking the time to comment!

[flamen89]

lol, your sound effects are amazing. i swear i lol'd so much when you said "eleven rack" and it went "hallelujah xD"

[vaisatchatrucci]

@flamen89 Thanks man, I TRY to make it a little entertaining or as much as I am capable of which isn't a lot, but they're fun to do.

[brandon9271]

how is the delay from switching between patches? I actually googled it and found a thread that you had posted on about that and delay spill over. Spillover isn't a big deal but the delay from switching patches is a big deal to me for playing live.

[vaisatchatrucci]

@brandon9271 If you need spillover you're outta luck until they come out with another expansion pack with that feature added unfortunately. :( Switching is fine for me, I don't do a lot though. I typically like to just play through just one preset and use the volume knob on my guitar to go from clean to dirty so I haven't really found it to be slow or anything for my needs but others claim it's really annoying...? Personal preference I guess.

[brandon9271]

I've got to stop watching your videos or I'm going to end up buying an 11R.. I've been burned buy the PodXT and Boss GT-Pro.. so I'm fighting the urge.. but I REALLY want to like a modeling preamp.. It would make my life simpler

[vaisatchatrucci]

@brandon9271 LOL :) C'mon man EVERYONE is doing it! Just find a seller with a 30 day return policy and give it a whirl. Check out the Eleven Rack clips on my SoundClick page. Just google 'soundclick vaisatchatrucci' and theres one track on a soundcloud page just google (you guessed it) 'soundcloud vaisatchatrucci' - you'll REALLY want one when you hear all the different tones you can get... :)

[brandon9271]

@vaisatchatrucci well, it sounds great to me.. but the reviews seem to be either people that love it or people that just say Its too digital sounding, doesn't "Feel right" etc. I think so much of that is placebo effect honestly. I just bought a Rocktron Piranha which is a midi programmable tube preamp that's supposed to me great. I'll put it through the paces and then check out the 11R.. I REALLY want to try one. Actually, I want to try and AxeFX too but I'd get lost tweakville! lol

[vaisatchatrucci]

@brandon9271 Look... I can tell you with complete authority it FEELS and reacts JUST like an amp. Anyone that says any differently is just wrong quite honestly. I've been playing for well over 20 years, played through every combination of amp, cab, preamp, power amp, direct, mic'd, known to mankind... ok I feel REALLY old now but seriously, if you DON'T know how to dial it in, yes it can definitely sound bad for sure just like ANY amp... (cont)

[vaisatchatrucci]

@brandon9271 (cont) I think placebo effect plays a part for sure... If I KNOW something is digital and I'm not into that, then you're already biased and not really listening to the clips in the spirit in which they were meant to be presented. The thing with the 11R is the amps are so incredibly true to the originals so you can't just set one amp, switch to another and use the same settings and hope it goes from a Mesa to a Fender tone wise without completely deconstructing your settings. (cont)

[vaisatchatrucci]

@brandon9271 (cont) The bottom line again is you have to decide for yourself - it may just not be for you and that's OK! The AxeFX may appeal more to you and that's cool too but aside from the FX side of things I can say with great authority that the modeling is not better nor any worse than the Eleven Racks as far as the amp that the Eleven Rack has. Its a tough choice no doubt but if money is a concern and your not an FX junkie then the Eleven Rack will more than suffice. Good luck! :)

[brandon9271]

@vaisatchatrucci thanks for the long reply. I trust your opinion simply because you like King's X but I also agree with what you said lol I'm definitely going to try one out. I could manage with the preamp I have and the M13 for effects but I have to wire it with 4 cables to get effects pre and post distortion AND its a bit of a tap dance. I do LOVE the M13 but I have a feeling that if I had the 11R I wouldn't need it anymore. At the very least I could use 11R for time based FX + M13 for mod

[CRANKYONE100]

@vaisatchatrucci Hey VST..have you put these pedals thru the new xpansion amps yet??

[vaisatchatrucci]

@CRANKYONE100 Not yet - I'm still on my honeymoon with all the new amps! :) I definitely will though!

[JonasSweden1]

Great demo! Was that OCD the latest version 4 or an earlier? Cheers Jonas

[vaisatchatrucci]

@JonasSweden1 Thanks homie! Well? It says v1.4 on the inside? its serial # 18319 - Hell I didn't realize I have had it that long if its v1.4? 'course I am old and my memory blows so... LOL :)

[disissanchy]

I turned in for the pedal shootout, but walked away pretty impressed with the Eleven Rack..sounds pretty tasty meng!

the Suhr and OCD retain a lot of texture and picking dynamics...the Suhr just slightly sounding more "spongy"...in a good way of course! kind of like a real sweet tube sag...ya know?

I own an OCD v4 and love the damn thing..got to say though, I really fell for it when I switched to LP mode and cranked it up a bit more..smoother distorted tone to me!  Great comparison!!!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@disissanchy Thanks brohan! :) I think you've described the Suhr Riot PERFECTLY! I wish I could have verbalized it like that but youre absolutely right - its the sponginess I love about it but its not TOO spongy, it's the most perfect gain pedal I've played. There's just a tightness about the low end that really works well with my guitar I think... You know I didn't even consider switching to LP and wish I had for this vid, but limited time unfortunately :( Thanks for taking the time! :)

[svenzia]

my god,i want the riot

[vaisatchatrucci]

@svenzia The Riot is the best... The OCD comes close, but different and the BB is something different altogether that puts it in another category really.

[svenzia]

@vaisatchatrucci Suhr is pure class. I love this video,great job brother : )

[vaisatchatrucci]

@svenzia Yeah its just got a voicing about it that I really love and the low end is really tight too no matter how high the gain is - at least with my pickups anyway... Thanks man :)

[DjNorbax]

Mythbusters doing guitar gear stuff.......NICE!!! Awesome review btw!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@DjNorbax LOLOL - if I had a dollar every time I heard that... I'd have like $32 dollars or something... LMAO! Especially when I wear a skid lid like he does - hehehe

[crisgarciabaron]

Hey man! Killer sounds!! Congrats, dude! Been a fan of your videos since long ago ... and today I subscribed.

I'm having my 11R soon, so I'll dig it as much as my kids allow me and I'll share my presets the way you kindly do it with yours.

Greetings from Spain!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@crisgarciabaron Awesome brother thanks for subscribing! I really appreciate the support! Thats awesome youre really going to enjoy the Eleven Rack too! cant wait to hear your thoughts about it keep us posted on the elevenrackpresets forum! Take care! :-)

[crisgarciabaron]

@vaisatchatrucci Hi there again! In that video (or in any other you post) are you using any kind of noise gate or just tweaked the built in one? Thanx

[vaisatchatrucci]

@crisgarciabaron Hey again! :) No, I don't use the noise gates on this video i know but there may be slight noise gating used on some of my presets but very slight if any as in i have to completely STOP playing for it to kick in. I don't use a ton of gain, so I typically don't need / use noise gates anyway, but as I said if there is any being used on my main boogie presets, it's subtle at best.

[vaisatchatrucci]

@crisgarciabaron Awesome thanks for subscribing brother! :) Congrats on your 11R too! You're gonna love it! :) Have fun and thanks again! :)

[531YA]

GREAT!!! And Thanks!!

Actually I've just wanted these pedals and to use them with my Eleven Rack!!!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@531YA Youre welcome! thank YOU for watching! :)

[ZenDriveSeven]

Great demo, but I would love to hear the foundation tone before pedals are engaged. BTW, I just bought the Riot online a few minutes ago. I have been looking for a decent distortion pedal for quite a while now. (getting tired of stacking overdrives) You're an excellent player....thanks for taking the time for the demo!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@ZenDriveSeven Thanks brother! :) too too kind! Yeah you bring up an excellent point - that would've been the smart thing to do... probably why I didn't... LOL :) Basically though the tones were just basic clean settings like you'd set up on any amp, nothing special but dialed in as warm as possible for the best foundation.  Dude you'll love the Riot... and I'll definitely take your advice going forward if I do another pedal demo. Thanks :)

[ShivaTheAuspicious]

Ive got a suhr riot as well that I bought last month (along with the barber dirty bomb) the suhr is mile away the best distortion box out there right now. I think AMT stuff comes close and the Dirty is up there too.

[vaisatchatrucci]

@ShivaTheAuspicious I agree - I love the Riot and I don't know exactly what it is, but it's got such a sweet tone.

[knikk77]

Tweed patch = 59 Bassman? I guess. I believe Fender 59 Bassman is probably the best amp out there :-) (if you don't take into account the absence of effectsloops, channels etc...)

[vaisatchatrucci]

@knikk77 I think so - and I agree - a friend of mine got 2 on craigslist for like $400 and had them modded by adding some 12ax7's or something and holy crap they sound amazing...

[Explosive184]

I have the BB preamp and i feel uncomfortable with this straight comparison, It's not even defined as a straight distortion pedal if you look it up in their website.

It excells when it comes to boosting a clean tone for fatness and warmth and coming on top of a lead sound for a warmer and more sustained sound.

Opening it straight with an amp modeler set on zero gain and expecting to get the screaming lead sound the suhr riot can get you is just missing the point with this pedal.

[vaisatchatrucci]

@Explosive184 It's not meant as a "which is better" comparison type of demo where I come up with a conclusion at the end saying "pedal a,b, or c is the winner!"

I hear what you are saying but I think it's fairly obvious if you watch the whole video that I am just comparing the tone and gain levels of the three but not in an attempt to say one is better than the other nor did I define any expectations in which has more gain. It's just meant to let people hear them side by side is all.

[Explosive184]

@vaisatchatrucci

I understand you do not try to compare them as in which one is better, but comparing the gain levels between a screaming distortion pedal like the suhr riot and an "over the top" boost pedal like the BB.... See what I mean....

[vaisatchatrucci]

@Explosive184 Yeah I hear exactly what you are saying and the title of this video "shootout" was probably not the best choice of terminology in hind sight for sure. It's just what it is though and I think people who have really looked at the BB Preamp know that it's an entirely different beast than the other two, and the Suhr is completely different to me than the OCD, so it's really up to the viewer to do their due diligence and research them but I doubt it swayed anyone away from the BB Pre.

[treymax88]

can you do an example of delays on the eleven rack? Like U2 type delays. Thanks

[vaisatchatrucci]

@treymax88 I do an example of the song "Bad" on my soundclick page that you can listen to. The delays are not really amazing on the 11R but do sound good, just not extremely versatile like the G-System delays or any other rack unit with digital stereo delays. Just go to soundclick and after the url put a slash then vaisatchatrucci. It won't let me post it here in a comment but it nails the simple delay for stuff like that I think you'll dig it.

[odissey04]

Great Videos and channel ,Not get tired of watching over and over again,But one thing i like heard how was the sound of mesa,tweed and plexi without the pedal??? But great job anyway.by the way how 11 Rack sound live up on stage or you like them more for studio recording ??? Thanks

[vaisatchatrucci]

@odissey04 Thanks bro! :) Well the presets I used for the pedals were basically just those amps with no gain so they really didn't sound like anything special on their own but a good foundation for the pedals. I liked the tweed the best personally as the Mesa sort of gave the pedals a little more gain than I wanted which made the pedals sound a bit hotter than they really are but not much. The Eleven Rack live is stellar and I use it exclusively for the most part for live performances.

[filipdinev1]

All 3 are sound realy good, but the Riot and the BB sound wicked!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@filipdinev1 Probably my favorite two pedals ever as well...

[ccastromusic]

Thanks for the patience on making this video!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@ccastromusic Yeah man no problem! Had fun doing it! :) Also LOVE you're video you posted and the lick around :51 especially - GREAT phrasing and tone brother :)

[mrchrisbeaver]

very cool vid. your getting some great tones from that setup

[vaisatchatrucci]

@mrchrisbeaver Thanks man yeah I need to use the pedals more but they're in my jumbo super sized big gulp pedalboard and I'm too lazy to pull them out! The Suhr is a bad bad boy... They're all great boxes. Thanks :)

[crashhak]

Hello, I was just wondering, did you connect pedal through fx loop or through direct to guitar input? Let me know, thanks. 

[vaisatchatrucci]

@crashhak Guitar -> Pedal -> Eleven Rack Input.

[f2kflyer]

Do you use a foot controller?

[vaisatchatrucci]

@f2kflyer Not technically a "foot controller", but I use my G-System or Nova System to do preset changes and/or for effects control on the 11R which the G-System can do, but the Nova can not since it can't send midi CC's... :( I use them also to supplement the 11R with FX the 11R does not have so it works out great - 2 birds with one stone and I already owned them so no additional out of pocket money which was nice.

[rodrigozamo]

Did you designed the amp patches or do they come standard on the 11 rack? btw, amazing demo... one of the best I've ever seen on youtube... Now I want all 3 pedals.. cheers

[vaisatchatrucci]

@rodrigozamo Thanks buddy! Yeah I am so surprised more people aren't doing demo's of this! I guess that everyone is too busy PLAYING and RECORDING to do it! I hope anyway! It's hard to find time I know.

The patches I used I created myself but its not rocket science by any stretch. Basic clean amp tones, but important when it's the bed that the gain pedals are going to lie in. It IS critical to have a good foundation because they will sound horrible on a patch that's not dialed in right.

[rodrigozamo]

@vaisatchatrucci I was actually talking about ALL your demos... just the way they should be... great guitar, HD video, HQ audio, amazing gear and you show their features amazingly...

I forgot to ask... did the 11 rack replaced your G system?

Thanx a lot bro

[vaisatchatrucci]

@rodrigozamo Well thanks man! Thats good to hear cause I second guess them all when I'm done like "now what I WISH I would have done is..." - so thanks for that. :)

No the G-System is irreplaceable and probably will find its way to replacing the Nova in terms of controlling my Eleven Rack live but I haven't really HAD to do that yet so i keep putting it off. There's FX on the G-System that are amazing so unless the Eleven Rack gets stereo delays, harmonizer, whammy effects, etc... here to stay

[BBBNC5123]

Hey man,

I was wondering if i should go this or the AxeFx. I am really torn between them because i have heard that they are both amazing machines but i wanted to know which would be better to run with a speaker live and good at home as well?

Cheers

[vaisatchatrucci]

@BBBNC5123 I wish I could answer that one my friend... If you like FX and don't need ProTools or an audio interface - go with the Axe... If you are a meat -n- potatoes kinda guy and need that stuff, save $1000 you'd spend extra on an Axe Ultra and get the 11R and a Ground Control Pro and still have about $600 left over :)

They're both amazing no doubt... Hard choice if money is not a consideration...

[87Showmaster]

suhr riot ftw!!!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@87Showmaster Boo-Ya!

[DrGit]

I applaud you VSA for all you do with your 11R...I don't think I'd have the patience or the comic ambience that you create...BTW, as I get older (and crap i'm old_) I realize the best tones comes with a mature approach to gain (although my motto is "Give Me Gain" - i;m justing talking shit...sorry)

[vaisatchatrucci]

@DrGit Well thank you sir! Yeah I mean I like going crazy and playing with a ton of gain because it hides all my mistakes every once in a while but yeah overall, you just don't need a ton. The coolest high gain stuff I love is like when Eric Johnson uses his FuzzFace and it's just a gnarley amount of gain but the tone is SO cool! and hey "Gain" is subjective anyway and never a bad thing when used appropriately!

[disturbtheworlds]

that riff that you always play to test these pedals (and you also play it to test the morpheus droptune) , is that from a band or is it something you made up?

[vaisatchatrucci]

@disturbtheworlds Aside from the "Slide it In" rhythm and "Lost in Germany" rhythm everything else is just made up or recycled made up riffs - LOL - Out of curiosity where in the video did I play it time wise?

[disturbtheworlds]

@vaisatchatrucci from 2:19 to 2:27 . Ordered a bb preamp last week , came in today and I was pleasantly suprised when I opened the box and saw that I got the limited edition bb preamp :)

[vaisatchatrucci]

@disturbtheworlds Oh ok yeah thats my standard youtube lead lick... I think I've played that on just about every video huh? hehehe So whats the limited edition BB? Sounds cool!

[disturbtheworlds]

@vaisatchatrucci I think the electronics are the same but it has a metallic colour to it and al the black accents are white.. Still trying to find the best settings for it to go with my dual rec

[vaisatchatrucci]

@disturbtheworlds Oh I gotcha - I want the sparkly one!!! :) I'm all about aesthetics :) Let me know if you have the same issue I do with hearing a little of the direct guitar signal along side the distorted signal at lower gain levels... It may just be my pedal I dunno....?

[disturbtheworlds]

@vaisatchatrucci If i listen very good i can hear it, but not in a dsturbing way, I really like this pedal. I only have bb preamp , tuner and wah pedal at the moment, because i don't know what to choose for the delay , reverb .. because i keep hearing and reading that it's hard to find the good match with a dual rectifier, any suggestions? (i heard multifx units really suck lots of tone, my gt8 did..)

[vaisatchatrucci]

@disturbtheworlds Ok thanks for the info - I was just curious if it was just me. As far as FX units - the TC Electronics ones such as the G-Major or G-Major II are the most transparent effects I've used ever and of course the G-System and Nova System. They don't suck tone at all or I wouldn't use them i can attest to that.

[disturbtheworlds]

@vaisatchatrucci Is the effects loop of the roadking 2 parallel or serial? because thats where most complaints are about: the combination of parallel loop and multiFX (TC electronic has videos explaining the problem with dual rec and g major 2)



[vaisatchatrucci]

@disturbtheworlds It has 2 serial FX loops unlike the 1st series Road King which is what had all the issues due to the parallel FX loop...

[mikefont69]

I'm still laughin at the background music there Beaver!

[vaisatchatrucci]

@mikefont69 I knew you'd like that - hehehehehe :)

[DrGit]

I agree, the OCD with the Tweed was killer VSA...In all though I thought the tweed took the pedals the best, cause its the cleanest signal (makes sense no...;lol)

[vaisatchatrucci]

@DrGit Yeah that makes perfect sense - and I SHOULD have rounded out the end of it on the higher gains with that one because the gain was so hairy on the Mesa patch that it sounded like ass at the end, but I've never even used that much gain EVER in my life so it SHOULD sound like ASS just to prove my point that nobody needs that much gain!!!! LOL :)

[SteveHubbardGuitar]

i lol'd@ the intro

[vaisatchatrucci]

@SteveHubbardGuitar That was a total after thought when I was editing the video down, but I was cracking myself up... My wife even thought it was funny and she thinks I'm a total dick-tard most of the time... LOL!

[RichardA5150]

Nice demo. you gotta remember to shut off your clock though LOL

[vaisatchatrucci]

@RichardA5150 Thanks man - I felt like I was in that movie 2001: A Space Odyssey... "It's one o'clock" - Thanks Hal... :)

[RichardA5150]

@vaisatchatrucci Im actually finally picking up an 11 tommorow. Not sure if im gonna be able to run PT off the bat with my comp but we will see.

[vaisatchatrucci]

@RichardA5150 Any luck with PT?!

[RichardA5150]

@vaisatchatrucci I got it running it locks up quite a bit Im gonna have to figure that out. This thing is addictive though

[xMACx982]

sweet. what made you get the eleven rack over the axe-fx?

[vaisatchatrucci]

@xMACx982 Simply the money & wanting ProTools. I didn't have an extra $1000 sitting around or I would have considered it for sure, but I haven't second guessed it for a minute. I mean I just don't think I'd utilize the Axe/Fx but for 5% of it's capabilities. I have the G-System and Nova-System and I don't even use those half the time when using the Eleven Rack. I'm more a meat and potatoes guy. YES the FX on the Axe are KILLER but I just can't justify the cost. Would I like one? Absolutely