THE Rockman thread

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I thought I'd highlight the Rockman Smart Gate. The Smart Gate is said to be the Rockman item that has the best reputation amongst the non-Rockman owners. It is a dedicated noise gate that builds on the noise gate technology in the Rockman Sustainor. The rack-format Smart Gate was expanded as a general purpose noise-reducer.

The Smart Gate is an extrapolation of the "adapted filtering" principle. Basically, this principle says that the noise is minimal, when you amplify the signal in the frequency bands where there is something to amplify, then attenuate the signal in the frequency bands where there is nothing to be heard.

The original Rockman Smart-Gate is very rare (less than 2000) and is accordingly expensive in the after-market. If you can't find one, Bob Cedro has re-created the Smart-gate in a stompbox format, with CMS components, for MXR.
 
Little B":3iy3222c said:
Dont forget to truly capture the rockman sound in all its glory you need full range cabs, or better yet, the rockman cabs- although there were only 50 made..My xpr is the cats meow for me, better all around for me than the sust. or DG.The key is to use at least 2 eqs for the sus. & DG( my dg has an added pre eq insert point), but with one eq in the loop of my xpr its killin it.goes way beyond boston tones, will almost do death metal.When I play out in my 80s tribute band w/ the xpr,the F.O.H. guy every time comments on how good the tone is compared to everything out there today.He told me he personally liked the the tone I got better than the ax fx, kemper, and line 6 bands he's ran before.The only pieces I am looking for is the pg 2,the rackmount dual loop,and maybe the xpra..but the hyperspace pedal is where its at if you wanna go all the way. :)
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Little B,

I was curious what you prefer for live work? It seems like the XPR would provide the easiest programmability. Do you go out and do live shows with your Sustainor and Distortion Generator in the mix?

Best,

--Bruce
 
Yes on the xpr!..ive actually never ran thru my sust.or DG live yet..my sust. is the 200 series and the dg is of the last batch w/ a loop installed on it..As for when I gig with my 80s tribute band,The xpr works perfectly: ive got a pitchfactor,rockman eq,and smartgate in its loop,plus with 100 presets,I can get all,and I repeat "all" of the 80s tones save for maybe some class a stuff and "on verge on breakup tones",and the xpr will also get waay heavier than the sust..almost into death metal areas-but thats not what im using it for...My f.o.h. guy still says its his easiest mix,and easiest to dial in at the board for him of all the bands he runs.....On a different note,I had a conversation w/ a tech of very famous band once,and he saw backstage at a Kiss show once that Paul Stanley had a DG+EQ hooked up and ready to go..we assumed for backup,but whos to say the board didnt mix some of it in?
 
That's the cool thing about the XP series, being able to preset almost everything. I've seen guitar players with multiple pedals of the same type with different settings. The presets eliminate that kind of pedal dancing. I can also understand how the direct connection really simplifies the job for the FOH engineer.
 
The modules, the xpr, all that was really nice stuff back in the day.still is.Its a crying shame SRD is dead in the bucket@ dunlop now.I remember years ago, there was talk of an updated xpr with more delay,a smartgate, and the ultimatum circuit added.That wouldve made that piece darn near perfect by any standards.Theres only a few pge-2's around( which is thee perfect rockman eq w/ presets)..That thing wouldve sold gangbusters and eliminated the need for a billion eq modules in your rig.In a recent G.world and G.player interview, Tom talks about how much he loves his pge-2...anyways, I probably like many who love all things "boston" just started puttin a system together (mainly for kicks &giggles) and now its grown into a serious rig.. I can still see it like yesterday-when i walked into my local music store in the 90s,and there sitting was a full rockman stack with the head full of modules.It was probably ahead of its time.But, yes, the f.o.h. guy absolutely loves it.My 4 rockman cabs are purely for on stage monitoring for me.I love it..
 
Little B":3lubgqet said:
Its a crying shame SRD is dead in the bucket@ dunlop now.
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There is the MXR Smart Gate M135 and Smart Gate Pro M235. According to rockman.fr the M135 was re-created by Bob Cedro. The controls certainly look the same as the Rockman Smart Gate. I wonder what would happen if they brought back the Rockman Stereo Echo? The Stereo Echo seems to command a pretty good premium on EBay.
 
TrueTone500":81ymdiof said:
I got to try a Rockman Echo Module for the first time... Awesome! I like it better than the chorus/echo combo module. With its in-line buffer/driver circuit, it's like having a Deluxe Memory Man that you can use in the effects loop. :thumbsup:
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I think the Rockman Stereo Echo might be one of the most popular of the Rockmodules. They consistently fetch a premium on EBay from what I've noticed. Getting the older Rockman Stereo Chorus/Delay is a bit easier. Check out:

http://www.rockman.fr/Reviews/CD.htm

Best,

--Bruce
 
Little B":273skpkm said:
One of the keys to the rockman sound is using full range cabs,whether theyre rockman cabs or pa cabs.
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I thought I'd highlight this for anyone that has a Rockman Sustainor or Distortion Generator sitting in their collection of gear. They both provide full amplifier/cabinet simulations. Rather than plugging them into a guitar amplifier, trying running them to an amplifier system with full range speakers. It will make a big difference.

Best,

--Bruce
 
yes, thats right.run them direct.(thats what theyre meant for).In the 80's,I bought the whole complete line then ran it all into a jcm 800 2203.Now,we all know a 2203 is the cats meow of marshalls, but let me tell you,the whole shebang sounded aweful,no matter what i did..No one told me this stuff needs run direct to sound right...Sold it all..even the 2203 cause i was so upset.went out and a bought a mesa quad pre,295,cabs,a tc 2290,h 3000, and kramer nightswan from thoroughbred music and never looked back..still have most of that rig..Fastforward to today..yes..i bought every rockman piece back,and then some..got the fullrange cabs and man..i could just stand in front of this rig forever and demo it!..come full circle? ya, but with much better results this time around!
 
I wouldn't be surprised if analog gear like the Rockmodules and XPR gain some ground in the marketplace. It wasn't too long ago that I saw Guitar Center promoting Rupert Neve Designs gear. I guess the movie "Sound City" helped with that. I've bought my share of "custom shop" analog gear.
 
I dont believe me eyes...Did I just watch a rockman echo go for almost $1,400.00 then another go bout $1,600.00 on fleabay? Geeez, I think i paid a few hundred bucks for mine. :shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :confused: :confused: :confused:
 
Little B":3nt2pfh2 said:
I dont believe me eyes...Did I just watch a rockman echo go for almost $1,400.00 then another go bout $1,600.00 on fleabay? Geeez, I think i paid a few hundred bucks for mine.
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Dunlop should consider re-issuing the Rockman Stereo Echo. They may just be missing out on an opportunity.
 
I had the rockman chorus .never liked it through the amp but it was great as a stand alone with the head phones .

I also had the power soak and it burned the OT up in my 100w plexi .
 
The rock modules were in the " hey day" of SRD.When ran properly, they sounded awesome.I've seen the all analog chorus and delay modules being used in the big studios..even currently.
 
Little B":d2awp1fe said:
I dont believe me eyes...Did I just watch a rockman echo go for almost $1,400.00 then another go bout $1,600.00 on fleabay? Geeez, I think i paid a few hundred bucks for mine.
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I just lost a bid on a SR&D (Grey button) Acoustic Guitar Pedal. It went for $81. I was a little surprised because it was kind of beaten up looking and it wasn't obvious if the power supply was part of it. Better luck next time I guess.
 
I have always wanted to try some Rockman stuff. Great info in this thread. Thanks for posting guys! :rock: :thumbsup:
 
Lmao, rockman headphone units have one of the worst tone ever for electric guitar. Cannot believe that anyone would praise its tone. Just shaking my head.
No warmth, over processed very synthetic noisy hissy units. Wow.
 
pstar":2whmmusf said:
Lmao, rockman headphone units have one of the worst tone ever for electric guitar. Cannot believe that anyone would praise its tone. Just shaking my head.
No warmth, over processed very synthetic noisy hissy units. Wow.
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Which Rockman headphone amp? Did you use it with decent headphones or full range speakers?
 
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