review

Crate Profiler 5

Review by Mark Starlin

Crate Profiler 5

Practice amps have come a long way. It wasn't long ago when all you got from a practice amp was one or two mediocre tones, and maybe reverb. Now, thanks to modeling software, practice amps often include several amp tones and digital effects. Lately, they also come in very compact packages and can run on batteries. Crate recently released the Profiler 5, a compact practice/recording amp with several amp models and digital effects, plus a USB output and Mackie Tracktion 2 software for direct recording to a computer.

Construction

The Profiler 5 is a 5 watt amp with two 4" speakers. Even with two speakers, the Profiler is a compact 8.1" by 11.5" by 7" in size, and weighs only 6.7 pounds. It is solidly built and covered with Tolex for durability. It has a handle built into its top and sports two strap buttons on its side in case you want to wear it over your shoulder (it doesn't come with a strap.) It can run on 6 AA batteries or be powered by the included “wall wart” adapter. The included 9v adapter has a very thin cable that doesn't look like it would survive much abuse. Since it is a 9v adapter, you could substitute another adapter if need. The rear panel also has a USB port (no cable included) for connecting to a computer for direct recording using the included Tracktion 2 software.

Controls

The control panel of the Profiler 5 is very easy to understand and use. The front row has the power switch and the input jack, then three knobs that control gain, tone, and volume. The back row contains four knobs. The first knob is the Profiles knob. The Profiler 5 comes with 11 “profiles” or amp models. You get two clean, four medium gain, and five high gain profiles. Profiles are accessed by turning the Profiles knob. You can modify the profiles by adjusting their gain using the Gain knob and their tone using the Tone knob.

Crate Profiler 5 controls

The controls panel is easy to understand and use.

All delay, modulation, and reverb effects are presets which you select by turning the knobs. You cannot modify them any further. First up is the Delay knob, which gives you access to the delay presets. There are five multi-delay settings and four single delay settings, plus an audio tuning reference tone (A). The modulation effects include tremolo, rotary speaker, phaser, stereo chorus, stereo flanger, chorus with phaser, octave (down), vibrato, auto wah, and auto wah with phaser. Finally, the Reverb knob allows you to select ten different reverb settings.

Once you have selected a profile and modified it by changing the gain, tone, and adding effects, you can save your settings by simply turning the Profile knob to another profile. Your setting are then saved. If you want to change the setting further, you modify them and turn the Profile knob again. So you effectively get 11 presets. One for each profile. This is a cool feature that proves quite practical in everyday use.

Crate Profiler 5 rear panel

The rear panel has an 1/8" headphones jack for private practice. It has an 1/8" audio input jack for a CD player or iPOD so you can play along with prerecorded music. It also has an adapter jack and access door for batteries. Plus the USB out port.

The Profiles (Amp Models)

The Profiler 5 offers a good variety of tones. They are not going to fool anyone into thinking they are the real thing (especially with 4" speakers), but they cover the bases, sound pretty good, and are fun to play. The two clean tones are pretty much identical (one is designed for acoustic guitars) and aren't affected by the gain control. I use one for a straight clean tone and add chorus to the other. The medium gain tones sound good as long as you don't add too much gain, then they start to sound sound fuzzy and unrealistic. The high gain tones are a little buzzy for my tastes, but still very playable. And let's face it, tone is a very subjective thing. You might love the tones. Adding reverb, delay, or modulation effects (or any combination of the three) can also enhance the profiles and give you more sound options.

Effects

Although the effects are not modifiable, they sound quite good and the factory presets are good choices. The only one I didn't care much for was the vibrato, which I rarely care for or use anyway. The chorus is nice and rich, and the tremolo pulses smoothly at a good rate. The flanger is a little thin, but everything else sounds good. The delay section is warm sounding and not too sterile. The reverb is just OK, but still usable.

Recording

I loaded the included Mackie Trackion 2 software on my MacBook Pro laptop and connected the Profiler 2 to the laptop using a USB cable. The Profiler 2 showed up on the list of available inputs in Tracktion 2 and made recording guitar parts easy. Although, I found the resulting recorded tones where not as nice sounding as they were coming out of the Profiler 5's speakers. Perhaps this is due to a lack of amp cabinet emulation on the direct tone. Still, for quickly putting ideas down, it works fine. And with some aditional EQ in Tracktion you should be able to get better sounding results.

Mackie Tracktion 2 software is included with the Profiler 5

The included Tracktion 2 software is digital audio workstation (DAW) software with a simplified interface that allows you to record, add effects, and mix several tracks of audio.

In Use

Due to its small size, light weight, and tonal options, I figured Profiler 5 would be a great amp for taking with me to lessons. I was correct. I teach all styles of music and have students ranging from beginner to advance, so it was nice to have a lot of flexibility when it comes to tones. I could dial up a nice surf tone with tremolo and reverb, then quickly switch to a 70's style rock tone, and then pull a warm jazz tone when needed. I thought the lack of effects tweaking would be a problem, but most of the time the factory setting did the trick and actually made the Profiler faster to use. Since tweaking isn't an option, you don't spend any time on it.

There are enough amp models to cover the basics from clean to crunch to high gain — including lead tones. I started with the clean profile and worked my way around the profiles, adding a little more gain as I went. This left me with 11 presets that I could tweak further by adding an effect or changing the gain. I found this to be quick and easy way to cover a lot of tonal bases while teaching. It should work equally well for guitar students. I also liked the fact that I didn't have to lug my 30 pound tube amp with me to lessons.

The only thing I really didn't like was the single tone control. Since the amp is so small, when it sits on the floor the sound is projected low and tends to sound mid-rangy, or boomy. I found myself turning the tone control all the way up and still wanting more treble. If I propped the amp up, facing me, I got more treble, but this isn't always practical. I would rather have separate tone controls so I could cut some bass and midrange. Another irritation was the audible “pop” the Profiler 5 makes when the amp is turned on.

Final Thoughts

The Profiler is not the most tweakable amp, but it is easy to use and offers a lot of usable tones. The effects are, for the most part, surprisingly good. Although you can't modify the effects, the factory presets work well most of the time. The single tone control is a letdown, however. The USB out port and included Tracktion 2 software are a good way to get into computer recording and capture ideas, although some the "overdrive" tones I got recording direct weren't that great. The Profiler 5 wouldn't be my first choice as a recording device, but it usable. I think it fares much better as a practice amp, where its ease of use, tonal variety, and portability place it far ahead of the typical two-tone practice amp.

Reader Comments

Better Guitar encourages your input. Agree with this review? Think I’m crazy? If you own or have used a Crate Profiler 5, email me your comments and I’ll post them below. The more opinions we have available, the better our buying decisions will be.

stats

  • • 11 amp profiles, including: Clean, High Watt, Vintage Club, Top Mount, and a setting specifically for acoustic guitars
  • • 2.5 watts per channel stereo output
  • • 2 x 4" speakers
  • • USB output for easy recording
  • • DSP effects including delay, modulation and reverb effects
  • • Gain/tone/level/profile-select controls
  • • CD/MP3 player stereo input jack, Headphone jack
  • • Mackie Tracktion 2 recording software included (for PC and Mac)
  • • Battery and/or AC power
  • Positives
  • Small and lightweight; solid contsruction; easy to use; nice variety of mostly good sounding amp models and digital effects; remembers effects, tone, and gain settings for each profile; USB out and included Tracktion 2 software.
  • Negatives
  • Somewhat expensive; high gain tones a little "buzzy"; USB direct recorded tones don't sound as good as live tones; single tone control; effects cannot be modified; so-so reverb.
  • Rating
  • Performance: 7
  • Sound Quality: 7
  • Construction: 10
  • Overall: 8
  • Ratings Key
  • 0 = Worthless
  • 10 = Excellent
  • Approximate Street Price
  • $159

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