By Fletch Whipp

Tube sound (or valve sound) is the characteristic sound associated with a vacuum tube-based audio amplifier. The audible significance of tube amplification on audio signals is a subject of continuing debate among audio enthusiasts. Many electric guitar, electric bass, and keyboard players in a range of popular, rock, funk, metal, blues, reggae and jazz genres also prefer the sound of tube instrument amplifiers or preamplifiers.

Before the commercial introduction of transistors in the 1950s, electronic amplifiers used vacuum tubes (known in Great Britain as “valves”). By the 1960s, solid state (transistorized) amplification had become more common because of its smaller size, lighter weight, lower heat production, and improved reliability. Tube amplifiers though, have retained a loyal following amongst many musicians. Some tube designs command very high prices, and tube amplifiers have been going through a revival since Chinese & Russian markets have opened to global trade. Some prefer the sound produced with tube amplifiers on the grounds that it is more natural and satisfying than the sound from typical transistor amplifiers.

Mesa Boogie Road King with a fleet of tubes!

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AMPLIFICATION

Some musicians prefer the distortion characteristics of tubes over transistors for electric guitar, bass, and other instrument amplifiers. In this case, generating deliberate & considerable distortion or overdrive is usually the goal. The term can also be used to describe the sound created by specially-designed transistor amplifiers or digital modeling devices that try to closely emulate the characteristics of the tube sound.

The tube sound is often subjectively described as having a “warmth” and “richness”, but the source of this is by no means agreed on. It may be due to the clipping that occurs with tube amps, or due to the higher levels of second-order harmonic distortion, common in designs resulting from the characteristics of the tube interacting with the output transformer. Todays modern amps get just about all of their characteristics in the preamp section. How the gain stagers are set up, how the EQ’s is set up, gain structures, how the tone stacks are all main aspects of the sound characteristics of the amplifier.  

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF PREAMP TUBES

A preamp is an electronic amplifier that prepares a small electrical signal for further amplification or processing.A preamp contains variables to alter the EQ, gain, volume structures and apply, where applicable other shelving or filtering sections and added effects such as chorus, tremolo & reverb to further shape the sound.  

12AX7

The classic long plate European design with special grid plated by gold to reduce microphone interaction and noise. It’s a beautiful sounding tube. It has a deep, tight low end. Take off some amp edge or brightness. This is a great tube for V1 positions or for use in all positions in vintage amps. They are not recommended for use in the gain stages of high gain amps if you like to run your gain maxed out. All preamp tubes are microphonic it’s just a matter of where the threshold is and longer plate tubes will squeal before a short plate tube will, so for real high gain amps For maximum gain use an ECC83 style preamp tube. They are premium grade preamp tubes that provide the maximum level of high gain output and overall tonal quality with unsurpassed consistency and reliability – They possess a smooth and balanced response across the tonal spectrum and are extremely lively, open and expressive.

12AT7

Some people like to reference 12AT7′s as less gain than a 12AX7, as it has only 70% of the gain of a 12AX7 etc. The 12AT7 has a different current capacity than a 12AX7, so if you are just looking for less gain, then you may, or may not get it with just a different 12AX7, even from the same brand, same date code, and same batch. 12AT7′s are very prone to high frequency microphonics, but due to their pingy tone they only find use in very low gain stages like the reverb driver or the output driver.

ECC83

This is the European version of the 12AX7. For the Marshall sort of sound. European designation of same. They are incredibly quiet and very three dimensional in sound. These sweet tubes were factory screened for a 10,000 hour heater life, matching internal triodes, and low noise, Almost identical to 12AX7′s.

B759

New Old Stock white box. These are the much sought after “Gold Lion” series made by Genalex, with the gold lion logo on the glass. The B759 is a very low noise 12AX7, with matched triode elements. The ultimate vintage audiophile tube!

7025 

For the Fender 60?s and 70?s sound. A differently made 12AX7 with lower noise than standard. The 7025 was designed at least in part for Fender who needed a tube that wouldn’t go microphonic in their combo amps, where the speaker location in conjunction to the tubes would cause tube microphonics through sheer stress at high volume.

5751

For blues and less aggressive attack (and perhaps less gain as compared to an in spec 12AX7)

PREAMP TUBES IN THE BRITISH/MARSHALL STYLE FLAVOR

Marshall trick if you use pedals:  When you use most pedals, the input of your amp is loaded in a different way than without the use of these. This also add capacitance, and rolls of some of your high end. If you want to get back the “edge” with your Marshall, try a 7025 in V1. This will usually make a Tele or Strat sound too bright without pedals, but may be just the ticket to fix the problem when
pedals are used. 

PREAMP TUBES IN THE AMERICAN/FENDER STYLE FLAVOR

The ECC83 is theClassic American valve which was fitted by all the great 60′s amplifier companies such as Ampeg, Fender & Gibson. This valve produces a rich warm sound with excellent balance. When distorted produces a fat sound with plenty of drive without loss in top end clarity. In the Fender amps the valve produced a clean bright response which was great for finger picking. Single coils sounded full with no harshness and plenty of detail. In the Boogie a sweet clean sound was easily attained which was crisp and clear. Once you rocked the Boogie the Sylvania valves produced a classic rock sound with a little mid forwardness which I liked. In the Boogie we found that due to the high gain nature of the amp low microphony selected valves produced the best results. Early 1960′s production ideal choice for all vintage Fenders.

Part II coming shortly will discuss the use of tubes and types for the power amp stage.

By Fletch Whipp

During my 23 year involvement in the music industry I have always been one to embrace new products and celebrate innovation. The first mixing console I bought was in 1994 for my fledgling studio in Brisbane, Australia. it was a Yamaha ProMix 01. A truly revolutionary concept to take a mixing console, and pack it full of useful features the audio professional would like, motorized faders, scene recalls, various fx options etc.

Fast forward to 2009. I recall around February, sitting in my studio (now relocated to the Northern Hemisphere, Colorado, U.S.A) and drawing the conclusion that I could build a more powerful recording studio system, yet streamline the equipment. I could sell off about 10 pieces of equipment, and replace it with one powerful firewire enabled mixer that could do effective double duty, recording console for the studio, and secondly a live console for performances.

Introducing the studioLive 16.4.2 Console.

Presonus StudioLive 1642 Mixer Recording Console

I have enjoyed Presonus products for several years now. I felt they sat nicely in that ‘prosumer’ market. Their products, typically spec out beyond consumer level, yet they didn’t have the super high end features that defined the professional studio market. This changed with the introduction of their ADL-600 mic preamp, a true world class offering for the studio professional. They followed it up with the introduction of their first digital mixer, the StudioLive 16.4.2.

I recently wrote a brief review on an online forum and stated that ‘this console made mixing fun again‘ It is very intuitive. If you are somewhat familiar with a sound console, you will find your way around the StudioLive easily. It is loaded with everything needed for professional live sound production totaling 28 compressors, 28 limiters, 28 gates, 28 high pass filters, 2 stereo reverb/delay’s, 2 master stereo limiters and more, saving you loads of money and trips from the trailer during load in/out. All StudioLive digital effects are created and processed with 32-bit floating point precision for maximum sonic performance and enhanced musicality.It boasts 16 channels, each with compressor, 4 band semi parametric eq, gate,and high pass filter, 2 effects processors via their ‘fat channel’ and excellent route ability. As it also offers complete firewire integration, you can equally use this console for the audiocenterpiece in your recording studio DAW (digital audio workstation)

The sound is excellent, with mic preamps that are very quiet. The backlit buttons are a joy to work with, and let you know exactly where you are at any point in time. Long throw 100mm faders respond smoothly to the touch. All knobs are smooth with just enough resistance so you have to work them, but certainly not stuff. The eq and comp features are both very responsive and dynamically pleasing. The compressor work, without coloring the sound negatively. The console boasts enormous headroom, which works well for the quietest of vocals & instruments.

I use this console every Tuesday night at Eileen Fisher Ministries. It is very easy to set up and pull down. Typically after load in, everything is patched and ready to go to work within 5 minutes. At some point potentially during 2010, I would like to expand with a second StudioLive console (you can join up to 4 consoles together) which would offer me 32 channels of operation.

This would make a wonderful addition for a musician or Church, who are looking for a small format console boasting unequalled features in a relatively inexpensive solution ($1,999 MAP) Most churches typically have volunteers running sound who have a basic knowledge of mixing. This mixer would compliment such a scenario. All the best!

By Fletch Whipp

Most musicians, whether that be a keyboardist, bassist, guitarist etc usually employs effects, pedals or other signal that play a role in the shaping of their tone. Some musicians like The Edge from U2 have shaped their guitar tone around the use of effects. I personally love the use of effects after the foundational tone has been achieved. My philosophy has always been that effects are like the icing on the cake. If the original tone is great, then adding a layer of effects turns a great tone into something altogether special.

Almost every software based instrument will have an effects loop built into the environment. Where most other musicians will typically see an effects loop employed in the traditional sense, is a pair of jacks on the amplifier, mixer or other device they are connected into. They are usually labelled effects ‘send’ & ‘return’ Other amps will have them labelled preamp ‘out’ & power amp ‘in’. Basically the FX loop is an opportunity to connect something between the preamp section and power amp section of an amp, such as delay. Upon investigation, musicians will soon discover there are two common effects loop variations, ‘parallel’ and ‘series’ wired effects loops…. and the questions begin.

Main pedalboard @ RockStarzUSA

TYPES OF LOOPS

SERIES LOOPS: A serial effects loop places effects after the preamp in a series connection (ie the signal flows from the preamp into whatever is in the loop, then to the power amp) and behaves like a typical “plug this into that into that” type pedalboard.

PARALLEL LOOPS: A parallel FX loop has “parallel” signal flow (signals running ‘side by side’). In a parallel FX loop the signal comes out of the preamp and is split one signal line (let’s call this line A) runs thought the pedals connected in the FX loop, just like a serial connection. The other line (line B) goes from the preamp right to the power amp. The tone is shaped with both a MIX of the “straight through” signal and the effected signal — some units will have an FX loop mix control usually on the back.

EVEN MORE TONE SHAPING OPTIONS

Many traditional, signature guitar rigs of yesteryear are consisted of no effects loops whatsoever. They ran them ‘in line’ directly before the amplifiers preamp & tone stack. I use a combination of in line & series loop in my Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue. I run my volume, wah, compressor, overdrive & distortion, and modulation (tremolo, vibe, rotary) all in front of the amplifier, yet employ my loop for reverbs and delays & time based effects.

Typical layout of an effects loop on an amp (Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue)

In the studio I run a Digidesign Eleven rack that is an incredibly powerful total solution (preamp, effects,modeller) I run this into my Power amp ‘in’ jack on the Blues Deluxe, & bypass the preamp & tone stack of the amp, and simply make use of the power-amp and speakers for another style of tone. In this manner, the amplifier, an inherently ‘American’ flavored amp with it’s 6L6 tubes can effectively sound 100% different from it’s intended stock tone. I am essentially removing the complete tone circuit from the signal path, (with the exception of the coloration of the tube power-amp, speakers & cabinetry).

The early British Marshall amps with their distinctively clip and bite in contrast to the American offerings can be achieved relatively easily in this method. Some people would argue that this is NOT possible with the 6L6′s in a Fender having a different shaping of the tonal circuit with it’s earlier breakup, less headroom equipped & more focused bite from EL34, EL84 or KT88 equipped offerings, however correct modeling of the power-amp, SAG and rectification process can dial in the amp to represent these aspects of tonal shaping.  

ARE PARALLEL LOOPS BEST THEN?

The design theory is that, with a parallel loops, you get your “straight through” sound, uncolored, adulterated, or “tone sucked” by whatever is in the FX loop with the stuff in the FX loop offering some ‘enhancement’. The parallel loop is probably “best used” (I put that in quotes, b/c I mean that in a design theory sense) with ambience type effects that put another “image” on top of the original sound…such as reverbs or delays. Other effects can get a lost or a bit more subtle as you have the “dry” sound is concert with the effected sound (which, in practice, can be a very nice thing as it can make some effects less obtrusive and tiring — bass amps are good candidates for parallel loops as the “dry sound” is so often the foundation with just splashes of color added by treatments)

SO SERIES ARE FOR TONAL PURISTS?

While it is most common for “pedal boards” to be set up in just straight series, there’s a lot of really nice expressive potential in parallel routing even within the context of a pedalboard (with modern DSP multi-effects one can set this routing up in software) Setting mix (if avail) with a parallel loop can be important to get the desired effect. Notice that some effects (chorus,phasing,flanging for instance) are actually composed of parallel “images” internally, so you can “throw off” (the designed balance between the images) with the additional dry signal. Effects like Delay, verb, etc that have their own dry mix control will also need to be readjusted for balance.

Of course as a parting note, while these methods usually result in appealing tone, music has always been about expressing yourself, and sometimes doing things the wrong way, can be exactly what is required for a given situation! Enjoy! -Fletch

By Fletch Whipp

In daily use in our group of teaching studios here at RockStarzUSA.com. are my Ernie Ball MusicMan JP6 and a Suhr Custom shop classic Strat. Because I tune to Eb as standard, I’ve been wanting to find a traditional E tuned guitar for use with lessons. As I own several high-end instruments to begin with, I was primarily considering a budget friendly instrument that did not feel like a compromise every time I held it and plugged it in. That search ended upon finding the JP100.

I should mention that while I appreciate John Petrucci as a player very highly, I never gravitated towards the JP6 because of John, or his work with Dream Theater. It was simply the best Humbucker equipped electric guitar I’ve played, and I’ve owned well over 100 guitars (that is not an exaggeration in the slightest). My search truly ended with the JP6. Because of my experiences with the JP6, I decided to experiment in looking at the JP100. I’m so glad I did.

Ernie Ball Sterling JP100 Electric Guitar

I absolutely love and cherish my regular JP6 so I genuinely wanted the JP100 to not seem like a distant relative of the much revered, and significantly more expensive JP6.

It isn’t.

The finish is truly striking, rich & glossy. The quilt top is dimensional, and was better than I expected. The neck, probably the most important aspect of the guitar for myself personally is beautiful. It is not the same as the JP6 which has a slightly more rounded C carve than the JP100 with its more broad & flat design (apparently after the Ball Family Reserve JP6) There were no fret tangs present, which was surprising on an import guitar, and the fretwork is exceptional. The bridge is very smooth to operate & the overall unit has a very solid feel.

If there was to be any weakness on this masterpiece it would be the pickups. They lack the depth, thickness and bite of the typical JP6 arrangement, but for the price point, it is hard to deduct any points. Thankfully, this is an easy aftermarket part to replace, which I have done so already with the Dimarzio CrunchLab & Liquifire (our Liquifire review separately will be published this week). I have retrofitted Schaller locking tuners to all my guitars-even my Suhr Custom Shop, and I was pleasantly surprised to see no corners had been cut with the JP100. The same Schallers are in place and offer the same tuning stability and standard I’ve come to expect from them with my other guitars.

Ernie Ball Sterling JP100 Electric Guitar w/ CrunchLab & Liquifire Pickups

At less than 30% of the price of a regular JP6, the JP100 offers truly astounding value for money in my opinion. I have been playing 23 years full-time professionally and I would offer that this guitar is as enjoyable to use as my JP6. Once the pickups were changed over, my JP6 has an equal-a slightly different flavor yes, but certainly not a sub-standard version of itself.

By Fletch Whipp

Nearly 15 years ago select members from the Alesis design team worked on a secret after-hours project. In garage style beginnings, when the bosses they worked for came visiting, their secretary would forewarn them buzzing them via intercom with the code word saying there was a ‘phone call on line 6′, the code word ended up by becoming the name of their new company.

The music industry would be forever changed as the dawn of the digital modeling age had entered.

Perhaps the next most significant leap forward was in 2006 when Fractal Audio systems introduced their Axe-Fx all in one preamp & multi effects processor rack unit. The promise of a digital modeller replicating the most loved amplifiers and ultra high quality effects was finally realized in Fractal’s two space ‘wonderbox’. Within 2 years Fractal had single-handedly become the leader in the digital modeller market. While Fractal enjoyed unrivaled accolades, Digidesign – the undisputed leader, and defacto standard in the Recording Studio hardware and software Industry, with their ‘ProTools’ brand were working on their answer to a serious  hardware all in one studio/live solution. Enter the Eleven Rack.

And then there were two….

There is a great deal of interest and discussion taking place within the guitar community at present. One of the hottest debates is ‘Which modeller is better, the Eleven or the Axe-Fx?’ It doesn’t take a person who stumbles across these debates long to see who uses which unit they use based on the insults and remarks leveled against each contender. Yet, there appears to be very little real world comparisons carried out with users of both units.

As a disclaimer, I have not written this with a particular bias, or desire to lead the reader down a path to neither a winner, nor loser. I will state I have used (and reviewed here) the Axe-Fx for more than 2 years (since 6.xx firmware to 10.02) full-time professionally day in, day out. The Eleven I have used for approximately 3 months. After exhaustive testing, listening, and recording I would offer the following observations of each unit that I trust will bring clarity, realistic critique of each units strengths and weaknesses, and an unbiased summary of both modelers.

FRACTAL AUDIO AXE-FX  $1500-$2000

Strengths

The Axe-Fx standard is a powerful processor, while it’s big brother, the Ultra, which offers 6 x the power of the standard, is simply breathtaking in its capabilities. The quality of the effects and preamps is superb. The reverbs, perhaps some of the most spectacular of all effects within the unit are bordering on Eventide and Lexicon quality-companies that were founded upon their signature ultra high-definition reverbs. The routing ability of the Axe-Fx is incredible, and the depth of options offers up literally anything the tone designer can fathom up. Fractals committment to updating the firmware, and feature set bave raised the bar very high in terms of what the end-user can expect from manufacturers in terms of product support. The Axe-Fx offers a wide variety of output and configuration settings.

Weaknesses

Fractals price point remains high though the technology has remain unchanged for nearly half a decade. This is unreasonable, due to the rapid decreasing cost of technology components, unless new upgrades and greater capabilities are offered-which has not been the case. The navigation and editing system in place on the unit is far from intuitive. With 20 years working with effects processors and pro audio units, I found the learning curve of the Fractal still considerable. While the sheer monstrous edibility of the Axe-Fx is a strength, it is also its weakness. Editing on the Axe-Fx ‘s small screen can be a mentally draining exercise, and bordering on unusable in a live setting.

Conclusion

The Axe-Fx is a monstrously powerful and massively configurable unit whose only drawbacks are the archaic navigation and editing system, prohibiting on the fly adjustment and pricing. This unit is like the proverbial bodybuilder who is empowered by a massive amount of steroids. An often used slogan is ‘the only limitation is your imagination’, and this holds true for this digital powerhouse.

DIGIDESIGN ELEVEN RACK  $899

Strengths

As with the Axe-Fx, the audio quality is exceptional. The Eleven offers approximately 1/3 of the amplifier, cabinet and effects models of its competitor, removing much of the ‘bloat’ (depending upon your philosophy of tone design) and allowing the user to focus on the core amplifiers, effects, cabinets and mics of today and yesteryear that are standard equipment in studios around the world. The BBD and Tape delay sounds are very realistic (so much so, I sold my Strymon El Capistan in favor of the version in the Eleven rack. The vibe and Rotary effects are jaw dropping. Regular readers, and my colleagues know that I’m a connoisseur of tone regarding these effects in particular. I’ve spent extended periods of time with my Retro-Sonic Chorus, Fulltone MDV-2, Voodoo Lab Microvibe, Option 5 Destination Rotation effects, and the models given by Digidesign are perfect, and more realistic than any other digital modeller available, and with greater tone than the Axe-Fx.

Weaknesses

Digidesign are infamous for taking an overtly long time to update their equipment. They are also renown for not being generous in terms of giving any improvements without the end-user needing to open their wallet. Contrasting to Fractal, who offer perhaps a half-dozen upgrades a year free of charge, Dgidesign have offered three firmware update with the Eleven. Eleven could offer several more effects, the three overdrive/distortion pedals do not cover all the bases, likewise the cabinet models are limited, in comparison to the Axe-Fx. The editing software is both clever, yet frustrating. The Axe-Fx allows the user to edit the system as a stand alone program, whereas Digidesign requires the user to use their proprietary ProTools system to edit the unit. Standalone capability could have easily been achieved, however Digidesign intend the user to become indoctrinated to the ProTools platform-leaving the user no choice.

Conclusion

If the Axe-Fx was the steroid induced bodybuilder, the Eleven could be considered an Iron Man. Streamlined, without the bloat, or nearly limitless editing options, the Eleven rack has been designed for studio & live applications where tweaking can be carried out instantaneously via it’s very intuitive interface. While the Eleven could use a few more cabinet models and effects, what they do offer is first class all the way.

THE GRADES ARE IN

OVERALL APPEAL OF RACK PROCESSOR

Axe-Fx 8/10

Eleven 10/10

Both units are at the top of the digital modeller pile. In terms of sonic quality offered by both units, there is negligible difference. They are equals sonically without question-regardless of what various fanboys state online. The Eleven wins here because of the cosmetic appeal, attention to detail (forged faceplate, amp style switch, interchanging LED’s on knobs during editing, intuitive operation, many extra’s that ship with the unit-acccessories, software, packaging, even the box it comes in is designed to excite the user compared to the nondescript box, and manual for the Axe-Fx, which harkens back to the processors of the 90′s lacking in individual appeal.

AMP, EFFECTS, CABINETS AND MICS MODELS OFFERED

Axe-Fx 10/10

Eleven 7/10

Axe-Fx shines through here with a massive array of options. The cabinets in particular are very diverse with the Axe-Fx. While both units offer muscle, the Axe-Fx also presents some degree of bloat. Having said that, should the occasion arise where you need to copy an obscure out of production amp with a strange microphone, the Axe-Fx will rise to the occasion.

REALISM OF ALL MODELED FEATURES

Axe-Fx 8/10

Eleven 9/10

When it comes down to sheer sonic similarity between the amps and effects offered to the real thing, I would give the edge to Eleven, because of the effects. They exhibit personality, and character while the Axe-Fx effects never bonded with me, they seem slightly sterile. I have read ridiculous comments that the Axe-Fx kills the Eleven, that the Eleven sounds closer to a Pod. I have done extensive testing with both units through my Pro Studio, through tube amps, via FRFR monitors and even a $15,000 Line Array PA system running direct. The Eleven is every part as good as the Axe-Fx - to my surprise I might add, however the Eleven effects cause it to be the winner in this area.

TONE SHAPING CAPABILITIES

Axe-Fx 10/10

Eleven 7/10

The Axe-Fx rightly dominates this category with the sheer horsepower and available options. The user can keep the tone shaping to a minimum or dive into deep editing that covers a dizzying array of features.The fact that Eleven has concentrated on all the classics, doing them so well, without missing any critical features results in a still relatively high mark.

INTERFACE, NAVIGATION & EDITING

Axe-Fx 4/10

Eleven 9/10

Racks are always tedious affairs comparative to real world of amp and pedal editing. One big complaint from people unwilling to embrace the Axe-Fx is the unappealing cumbersome and unintuitive navigation system. Eleven offers much more tactile amp like feel, with color shifting encoders, and a larger, less cluttered screen.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & SUPPORT

Axe-Fx 10/10

Eleven 6/10

Fractal Audio’s customer support is world-class, and I don’t say that flippantly. Many manufacturers could take a leaf out of their customer-centric focus. Digidesign are old school, with a financial obligation required by the user constantly in the long-term relationship. They are slow in bringing updates and firmware upgrades to market, and they rightly lose points here.

SOFTWARE EDITOR

Axe-Fx 8/10

Eleven 8/10

Both software editors are easy to navigate your way around. While I would mark down Eleven due to Digidesigns uncompromising choice to only allow the user to edit in the world of Pro Tools, the fact is the editing cosmetics and layout of the Eleven software is more fun, and less technical than the sterile-though effective editor for the Axe-Fx.

VALUE FOR MONEY

Axe-Fx 7/10

Eleven 10/10

If this review was conducted 5 years ago, I would give Axe-Fx 10/10 Technology costs are drastically reduced over 1-2 years, let alone half a decade. The price point for the Axe-Fx is unrealistic in today’s market. The Eleven offers ‘less’, so an incorrect conclusion could be reached that this should result in a cheaper price, however I maintain the effects in particular, the delays, the vibes, phasers, chorus etc on the Eleven are of a higher quality than the Axe-Fx. At more than 50% less cost than the Axe-Fx, Eleven represents value for money.

Axe-Fx  - 65/80

Eleven – 66/80

Final commentary.

Both units are winners. if someone wanted my most brief summary I would simply say the following.

The Axe-Fx is for the meticulous tone shaper, who wants/needs every available option, has a strong knowledge working with rack processors, and doesn’t mind paying a higher price to have these capabilities.

The Eleven rack is for the individual who can be satisfied with the standard models presented in a modeller, demanding  A-grade audio quality, delivered in a package that is inspiring, and able to be tweaked instantly on stage, or off.