Eleven Rack Automated Rig Change w/MIDI in Pro Tools

Imagine you have a song that has a ton of rig/patch changes, like from clean and airy, to djent distorted, to something in-between, and maybe even something just used for effect (think Korn, Deftones, ect...)

You could of course use a pedal board, and if you have been reading my blog for awhile you know that I like the Behringer FCB1010 with a EurekaProm installed.

Another option is to let Pro Tools send those program control messages for us, and it's pretty easy to setup. In the following video, I will show you exactly how to setup Pro Tools to send these program control messages to the Eleven Rack.

253 Eleven MKII Eleven Rack Rigs

253 Eleven Rack Rigs

All of these presets have been matched to the presets of Eleven MKII Software/Plugin/AAX

Because MKII does not have any effects, I bypassed all effects on the Eleven Rack except the Volume Pedal, and that was for convenience.

Also, I kept the output after the Amp as Stereo so it would be more convenient when adding in effects, but you can easily switch to MONO output on the Eleven Rack.

Because the Eleven Rack is limited to 16 characters for names, I had to made changes where necessary.

The rigs are contained in folders that mimic the layout of Eleven MKII.


Each folder contains single rigs and an XML file so you can load all of the rigs from that category when using "Load All Rigs From Computer"

Going Deep with Eleven MKII Presets and Eleven Rack Effect Presets

A few weeks ago (Nov. 2015) Avid released an update to Eleven Software called Eleven MKII.
It was updated to include everything Eleven Rack users received in the ERXP (firmware 2.0.x) update.

In this video I dive deep into the compatibilities and incompatibilities of the Eleven MKII Presets and the Eleven Rack Effect Presets.

First, Eleven Rack Effect Presets are NOT Eleven Rack Rigs. Rigs denote a FULL rig setting, meaning amp, cab, mic, effects, true-z, volume, ect....

Eleven MKII Overview and What it Should Have Been

THERE ARE NO AUDIO SAMPLES IN THIS VIDEO! This is an overview of Avid Eleven MKII and then a discussion about what would make it better, some tips on how to use it, and we look at some other guitar amp sim software to compare. We also talk about the similarities between MKII and the Eleven Rack.

Learn more about Avid Eleven MKII here, and hear audio examples
https://www.avid.com/US/products/eleven

It is my position that Eleven MKII would be better if Avid would have included an integrated environment that allowed you to easily setup complete guitar tones in one environment. As it stands now, you have to use several inserts to setup a guitar tone with effects before/after the amp.

Eleven Rack Mini Control Window - Explained (Pro Tools)

In this video we focus on the Mini Eleven Rack Control Window that resides within the EDIT WINDOW in Pro Tools.

The Mini Window allows us to complete several tasks with our Eleven Rack without needing to open up the full Standalone Eleven Rack Editor. We can adjust volume, quickly mute our mains, choose a rig, Load a Rig or Load All Rigs, and even bring up a flat list of all the presets in the Eleven Rack and quickly switch between them, OR have the presets cycle themselves.

Launch the Standalone Eleven Rack Editor from within PRO TOOLS 12.2.1

A new feature in Pro Tools 12.2.1 lets you launch the Eleven Rack Editor from within Pro Tools!

You can use the WINDOW Menu, or the Editor Icon in the Mini Eleven Rack Editor cluster in the Edit window. (see video)

Using an Acoustic Guitar with the Eleven Rack

Of course we all know the Eleven Rack sounds great with electric guitar, but you can also get amazing tones with an acoustic guitar. And I mean a regular acoustic guitar, one that does not have a built-in 1/4" output.

It's really simple to setup and you can do this in Standalone, or with Pro Tools. You will need a mic plugged in to the Mic In of the Eleven Rack. Switch the Rig Input of the Eleven Rack to Mic - and you are set!

Now in Pro Tools, the input for the dry/mic sound will be Mic, and the input for the effected sound is Eleven Rig L/R. You can even record both of these inputs at the same time. You can also re-amp your dry track later on. There are so many options with the Eleven Rack, break out your acoustic and try this out for yourself.

Using an AUX Track in Pro Tools with the Eleven Rack

Normally, we use Audio Tracks in Pro Tools to record our Eleven Rack output. But, sometimes you may just want to monitor the Eleven Rack Rig without pressing any buttons. That's where an AUX track comes in. Simply set the input to "Eleven Rig L/R" and the input is open all the time. Keep in mind, if your input is open all the time, you may begin to hear strange noises in your session even if your guitar is unplugged. So switch the AUX to No Input when you will no longer be playing to avoid unwanted sounds.

Using a Mic Pre Amp with the Eleven Rack Line Inputs

If you have ever wanted to use more than one mic with the Eleven Rack, all you need is a microphone preamp, and a couple cables.

The Ultimate EQ Cheat Sheet for Every Common Instrument

The people over at Sonic Bids have put together an awesome EQ cheat sheet that will help you narrow in on what frequencies you are looking for while mixing. Of course it covers guitar, but it also covers bass, drums, keys, and even vocals. You will still need to use your ears, but this is a good outline for where to start. Go check it out!

http://blog.sonicbids.com/the-ultimate-eq-cheat-sheet-for-every-common-instrument

Lamb of God using an Eleven Rack

I have watched "As The Palaces Burn" probably 10 times, but I never caught the few frames that showed Willie Adler playing through the Eleven Rack in their practice area. It's pretty cool to see our beloved orange box being used by some top notch metal guys.

If you haven't yet, check out the documentary, it's worth the cash. Rent or buy on YouTube, or grab the DVD.

Eleven Rack Troubleshooting - No Sound? Check the RIG INPUT

One possible cause of not hearing your guitar through the Eleven Rack is having the wrong RIG INPUT source selected.

It's easy to overlook if you have been Re-Amping or using another input through the Eleven Rack Rig such as the Mic. If this happens to you, stay calm, and check the RIG INPUT setting. If you are playing guitar then you want GUITAR selected as the input source.

You can access this setting from the front panel of the Eleven Rack or from the Eleven Rack Editor.

See the following video for steps

456 HATE - Eleven Rack Rigs

228 "HATE" Eleven Rack Rigs

(456 HATE Rigs total, if you count the MONO version of each rig)

HATE Rigs employ lower gain than what I usually set. Don't confuse lower gain with thinking they are less brutal! The rigs are just as brutal, maybe even more brutal since with less gain we get better articulation. But, tweak the gain to your liking. Also tweak the 'Presence' control. Most rigs have a relatively low Presence setting to control noise and to sit in the mix without popping out too much, adjust to taste.

HATE Rigs are HIGHLY tweak-able from the tone stack (the amp knobs), so adjust as you wish. The Parametric EQ sweeps out some low-mid "boxiness" and gives a more modern sounding metal tone. If you don't like it, either adjust or simply bypass it for a more natural amp tone.

If you find the Chorus and Flanger induce "phasiness" into the signal, simply bypass them. I have them ON by default because I like the wider tone when playing or working on a riff. When it comes to recording I may or may not bypass them, it just depends. Adjust and/or bypass the Reverb as you wish.

Now go forth and make some BRUTAL, HATE FILLED, METAL \m/