As mentioned earlier I went to see Buddy Guy Friday night. We went to dinner before the show and I ran into another player I know. After the usual "How's everyone doing?" and "How are the shows going?" we started comparing notes and both admitted we have stopped using vintage tube amps and gone to fully digital rack systems.
Was a pretty interesting conversation because we talked about how it worked and the differences between racks and amp, and how we had both independently converged to the same conclusions.
(BTW, we're talking pro quality rack gear here, not low-end SS modeling amps.)
We agreed that:
1) Overall, it sounds a lot better in a live situation. I mean a LOT better, you can tailor the sound so well and tweak the amps and effects about a hundred ways more than the traditional amp and pedalboard setup. Mixes are a breeze with balanced line outs. No more futzing with mics and hearing the portable stage noise feedback and footsteps.
2) We love stereo mixing
3) It's a lot steeper learning curve. You will definitely struggle in the beginning until you get the hang of it. With a tube amp it's easy. Get a good sounding amp, put your chain in front and that's that. With digital rack gear it's overwhelming at first. Which amp(s)? Which amp topology? Which cabinet? Which mic? Placement? Cab resonance? Sag? And that's before you add a single effect and then need to map it to the controller and expression pedals. It's not hard, just a new set of skills you need to develop.
4) Use the KISS principle - rock and roll all night and party every day - no seriously, keep the signal chains as minimal as possible. If you want a high gain sound, rather than starting with a Fender Twin and effecting it to get what you want, just create a new patch with the hi gain amp you want.
That's the beauty of the gear and why it actually sounds better. You start with the basic sound you want rather than trying to build it. This keeps the chain clean and let's the amp model stand out in the mix rather than being buried. The ability to switch from a pair of Bassmans to a Hiwatt or Trainwreck/Marshall pair as required is absolutely a game changer and we love it.
5) It allows the use of massive power amps so you really get a plump signal to push big cones which is one of the joys of playing larger venues, but you can do it in a 200 person club and still maintain a good mix. As I mentioned in another post, I have a pair of 2000W Headrush FRFR cabs onstage and I can play everything from a roadhouse to a stadium with the same rig.
6) Don't make a hard switchover from you amps. Start with using it for a few numbers and then more and more as you gain experience. It is a different animal and you need to understand it. You WILL get frustrated as first but the rewards are definitely worth it.
7) It ain't as expensive as it seems at first. The overall cost of a rig will be three to five thousand dollars. If you start from scratch that's pretty close to what a good analog/tube setup costs. The difference is that you can build an analog rig incrementally and grow it but with a rack you're all in from the downbeat so it's one big out-of-pocket vs. several smaller ones.
8) Do not use a Mac. Some processors have Mac software but it's defeatured or doesn't work as good. Mac's penchant for changing operating systems every other day can really make your life miserable. Just buy a cheap laptop and have it installed on the pullout tray in the rack. That way it's always there. Plus, you can make your phone a wireless hot spot and surf the net on the PC while the singer is having a meltdown during sound check but everybody thinks you're actually working because you're not looking at your phone.
Chuck