difference between head and rackmount?

[bryan_kilco]

can someone please explain to me what the main differences/tonal differences are between say, for example, a Mesa Dual Recto head and the Recto Preamp/power amp? my buddy is looking for preamps for his studio and he asked me about Boogie preamps....and I really didnt know what to tell him.

 

[BigMesa]

My understanding is that the Recto pre and power amp rack units were designed exactly like that of the head version to capture the same feel and tone. I think the main difference is the 2:100 is a stereo power amp and the recto pre has recording outs where as the head does not.

If he is using it for a studio and not for live, the rack set up all the way man.

 

[bryan_kilco]

but .... the rack setup is running into the DAW....and no speaker? so you wouldnt have the real mic'd feel?

thank you for the response!

and is the Triaxis like....THE preamp to have? seems like it can do all the Marks AND Recto.

 

[Elpelotero]

I think the important thing here is this: The rack pieces are great for touring, live use, etc. But if you want to really get the total package, you have to go for the head. The rack pieces all have compromises of the originals.

 

[TemporarilyStairs]

I'm a bit confused as to the question, but I'll answer anyway, because that's how I roll

The only 'fundamental' difference between a rack setup and an amp-head is that a head has both a pre-amp and power-amp section in it. That's really it. For specific rack pieces vs. heads vs. etc, you'll have to get people who know a lot more about these sorts of things... i.e. I don't know how similar/close to a recto pre-section the Recto Recording amp is (actually, I don't even know which model of recto it would even be closest to, never played one in my life ;P) If they're truly identical, then they *should* sound essentially identical to the head, save for what little variation you'd get from different output levels into the power section, cabling, etc.

You don't necessarily have to run the pre directly into the board, but it's at least an option to try. Most people still seem to prefer micing up a nice cab, so it doesn't really matter much here, but if the whole point is Direct recording, pre-amp choices tend to be a bit different than if you're planning on running it through a cab or four.

Um, I'll stop rambling now, because I'm still not exactly sure what you're asking

 

[bryan_kilco]

no, you arent rambling. you are definitely helping. i just any sort of info....

I told the guy "why would we get a mesa preamp when I own a Mark IV and our other guitarist owns a Dual Recto?"

:lol:

 

[chris.goth]

If in your friend's studio you can mic up a cab without neighbour complaining of the volume then there is no point in getting a rack setup if you already have the tone you want with your setup.

If you're having trouble with volume and can only go direct then it's a good option to consider. A whole rack setup is killer live because of it's versatility and control in shaping the tone (midi capability, other fx units, compressors, noise-gate, eq, etc). At home... recording your basic sound is all you need if you go direct because you can edit everything and apply the effects using your recording programs like Cubase.

If you want a Rectifier sound, mic up and tape your Rectifier for the real thing. Mesa Recto preamp and 100:100 power amp don't have the Tube rectifier tracking options and what the hell would you want to do with 200 tube watts to record? You'll drive your single or dual recto more for the same volume thus achieving better tone because of the power amp saturation.

I have a Triaxis and 50/50 setup at home and when I record I mic my mesa cab. NOTHING is gonna sound like a driven preamp/power amp and cab speakers and strings interaction.