Avid's eleven rack-Worth the cash?

[Trapezoid]

Hey everyone,

I am deeply interested in the 11r, as it seems to be a budget-friendly alternative to the ubiquitous AXE-FX. Now, I wonder if it is really worth the money. The 11R+Pro Tools bundle costs twice as much as the POD HD desktop and I am constantly asking myself if the 11R is really that good.

My main interest are distorted sounds. I don't really need a bunch of effects or a huge catalogue of amp simulations. I do need flexibility and my POD 2.0 (love that thing) just doesn't do it for me anymore. Most of the tones I use as of now are a a mix of POD plus impulses and VSTs whithin Cubase. Obviously, I am constantly struggling with CPU spikes and the like. I don't want that anymore.

So basically, I am looking for something that offers great tone out of the box. I don't want to use impulses anymore or a bunch of inserts in my DAW. I would also love to plug my headphones to the device and get a tone I am satisfied with. The POD 2.0 doesn't allow this, as the cab simulations sound terrible (for my taste).

Seriously looking forward to your replies!

[jb4674]

The 11R has great amp emulations that are par on par with the Axe FX. While the 11R doesn't offer an extensive amount of effects (like the Axe would), what discrete amount of effects it offers are quite top notch sounding.

As far as PT is concerned, it's a nice add-on to sweeten up the deal but it's not all its cracked up to be IMO. PT is nice but, it's still running in 32-bit, which means you won't be able to use more than 4gb of ram. This may be a non-issue if you're not using a lot of vst's, however, depending on your pc's specs you should be alright.

Personally, I think that the 11R+PT pack is a good deal and, although Avid has been pretty much silent regarding support for this unit, there's seems to be a glimmer of hope for the future since Avid has suggested that there may be a stanalone editor in the works and perhaps a new update (which would be in their best interest to compete with Kemper and Fractal).

Let us know what you decide.

Jimmy

[Trapezoid]

Hey Jimmy,

thanks for replying. I was kind of put down by the fact that you can't buy the 11r without getting pro tools. I personally believe that more guitarists would have given the 11r a try if PT weren't included (which on the other hand would lower the price of the device).

I will probably buy the 11r next year and tweak the hell out of it. The axe fx is great, but I don't need so much versatility as of now...It's actually kind of weird to see metal guitarists buying that thing just to get one single tone (the one everybody else is using).

[Philboski]

I like my Eleven Rack. An important thing to note is that you can make edits and new tones without ProTools -- Mine came used with ProTools 8 LE, which does not work on my computer. But once I sorted out the interface, I was golden.

Pro Tools would allow the addition of more tones, so I will be trying to make it work.

[Trapezoid]

I take it that the standalone editor hasn't been released. Frankly, it doesn't seem like AVID would want to develop an editor people could just download. The 11r works like a bait, just to trick guitar players into trying Pro Tools.

[andrewsfury]

look on ebay i got mine new with no prtools for 400.00 from canada.
best investment i ever made and i use 2 altots115a speakers to take advantege of the speaker immulations.

[jb4674]

There is a third party rig loader called Eleven Hack for the 11R. You guys with 11R's might want to give it a try...

https://sites.google.com/site/elevenhack/

Jimmy

[Trapezoid]

Elevenhack. Love that name!

[Philboski]

Originally Posted by jb4674

There is a third party rig loader called Eleven Hack for the 11R. You guys with 11R's might want to give it a try...

https://sites.google.com/site/elevenhack/

Jimmy

Hot damn! I wish we had a "Thank You" button on this forum.....

[Silverburst]

any news on this? did you buy one trapezoid? considering one as well.

[Milpitas Monster]

I believe the 11 rack is the best value in the modeling market. At least in America, some units w/o pt are being sold for as low as $350. The front panel is great for creating and editing patches and the navigation is fine.
Lastly, don't expect continued support from Avid and you won't be disappointed.

[WYLD STALLYNS]

not only is it worth the cash, its under priced. its arguably the best all around modeler, fx processor, preamp, and interface in terms of value, function and features. youll hear people mention others, but the only thing that has more to offer is the axe ii, but at four to five times the price, and what u get for that is more tweakability and customization, but the 11r is certainly a very close second to the axe ii, only falling behind due to lack of updates from avid. the main thing, the amp modeling, sound quality is equal to axe, some even prefer the 11r and say its more organic, but that's preference. point is, as a modeler, you cant go wrong with the 11r unless you need a lot of FX and have $3500.

coupled with the tech 21 power engine 60, its the coolest rig ive ever had.