Opinions on the digitech Quad 4?

[VitaminG]

I've got no experience with rackmount gear, and was wondering: what do folks think of the Quad 4?

feedback around the net seems generally good. The reverbs are apparently pretty lame, but otherwise, the reviews look good.

Some questions though: Do you have to have a footcontroller to use the thing? How intuitive is it, to use and to program? How good are the effects?

[markD]

i use a studio quad in my rack. i like it. i NEVER use digital reverb unless i am recording, and then i prefer old digitech DSP16 units...

anyway, it is pretty easy to use and the delays are really nice. so is the chorus. the pitchshifter is good too. those are the only effects i use, and they are used sparingly.

i know it is not the EXACT unit you are asking about, but i am sure it is similar.

i use mine with a couple of different midi controllers, but most of the time it is on 1 program and i don't have a controller hooked up.

[Cleveland Metal]

What exactly are you looking for in an effects unit?

[lerxstcat]

I'm gonna guess reasonable price and something that's available used in Australia.... they're $50-$60 used here so maybe he's asking if the effects are a good bang for that buck? I'd guess they're a little more in OZ than the US though...

[Cleveland Metal]

Ahhh... Look to an Intellifex as well, they're usually around $130-150 here now. Love mine...

[VitaminG]

Mark, I remembered you having a Studio Quad in your rack, so it's cool to hear your opinion. From the specs I've found, the units seem similar, and by the HC news section, the Quad was released in '96, the Quad 4 around '98.

Rich, that's pretty much it. I've stumbled across one cheap in a local pawnshop and figured it might be fun to mess around with, but wanted to know if it was a complete dog before I dropped any cash on it. So far it's sounding like it might be worth picking up.

John, I'm not actually looking for anything in particularly in an effects unit. My Korg AX1500G is doing me fine. But this Quad unit might be some fun to play around with. I'll keep a looking out for used Rocktron gear, but you don't see a whole lot of it around here. I have come across the occasional Voodoo Valve or whatever going for a reasonable price. But I'm a tightass and not looking for "reasonable" - I'm looking for Stupid Cheap

[VitaminG]

so I went and picked this thing up on the weekend. Got it for $112. Not too bad! To give you some perspective on the cost of gear over here, this thing retailed for AU$1199 here back in '00 (original sales receipt was with the manual) and was purchased for $950.

Now I got to work out how to use the bloody thing! I've never had so many options and such deep effects processing before.

Can anyone offer any tips to a complete rack noob here?

maybe point me in the direction of a website or something that might offer suggestions to the FX virgin?


oh, and thanks again for all your advice earlier. It made the decision to pick this up a no-brainer

[Genebaby]

Geez Gary, for that price, it's hard to say no isn't it? Good luck with learning how to use it, I can't really help you there. I can advise you to read the manual though, lol....

[VitaminG]

yea, that was the thing, Vic. It was so stupid cheap it seemed like a real steal. But then, I thought the same about a Rocktron Gainiac II that was going cheap, and when I did some research they were pretty universally reviled. So I thought it safer to ask about them before pulling the trigger.

Have been playing around with the unit with the manual at hand, so I'm getting a hang of how things work re: selecting and changing ordering of the effects. The problem I'm having is how deep the editing is. I'm used to having 3 knobs to turn to setup any effect, and depending on the effect, this thing can go for miles. It is fun making spaceship noises with it though!

Here's an interesting titbit - it was originally purchased by a gentleman in Victoria by mail order from Pro Audio!

[Genebaby]

Ah Pro Audio. They do do a lot of catalog sales, they are big that way.

Good luck with it. One of those at that price would go well in our Mixing rack.

[lerxstcat]

so I went and picked this thing up on the weekend. Got it for $112. Not too bad! To give you some perspective on the cost of gear over here, this thing retailed for AU$1199 here back in '00 (original sales receipt was with the manual) and was purchased for $950.

Now I got to work out how to use the bloody thing! I've never had so many options and such deep effects processing before.

Can anyone offer any tips to a complete rack noob here?

maybe point me in the direction of a website or something that might offer suggestions to the FX virgin?


oh, and thanks again for all your advice earlier. It made the decision to pick this up a no-brainer

Try www.digitech.com and select "manuals" to see if they still have the manual online. If not they charge $5 for paper manuals mailed within the US. I don't know what it'd cost for Oz. Hopefully it'll still be on the site in pdf format.

You might also Google "Digitech Studio Quad users" and see what comes up. Maybe usergroups with patch suggestions; I'm sure something is out there, just a matter of phrasing the search query properly.

EDIT: Okay, I see you have the manual. Might still go to Digitech to see if they havee any links to usergroups, or then Google.

[VitaminG]

thanks for the suggestions, Rich. I did find a support forum on the Digitech site, but it was slow, cumbersome, and full of people looking for Green Day patches for their RP-100s. Ah well.....the search continues

[Genebaby]

What's that Gary? You're not looking to get that perfect sound for Time of Your Life?

[VitaminG]

well, sure I am! But no one was posting Green Day patches for the Quad 4...