Get a ToneX One at Thomann (EU): thmn.to/thoprod/586125?offid=... At Sweetwater (SU): sweetwater.sjv.io/k0rdRN And get your timestamps here: 00:00 Hello and why I bought the ToneX One 02:26 Blind test: today’s rig and plan Clean Sounds 03:43 Clean tone reference chords on all pickup settings 04:21 Ringing open indie pop chords 04:46 Funky riff 05:00 Blues progression 05:23 Strummed country chords 05:42 Surf pop riff 05:59 Ascending droning indie chords Light & Medium Overdrive Sounds 06:13 Fat indie rock rhythm chords 06:41 Choppy barre chords 06:59 Indie octave chords 07:25 Upbeat indie barre chords 07:49 Alternative rock ballad arpeggios 08:25 Garage rock riff 08:42 Classic rock riff 08:56 Quacky rock riff 09:06 AC/DC inspired riff 09:21 Hendrix inspired riff 09:37 Groovy classic rock riff High Gain Sounds 10:05 80s rock riff 10:24 Hard rock riff 10:45 Van Halen inspired riff 11:05 Classic hard rock riff 11:22 Alt rock riff 11:46 Pop punk riff 12:09 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning) 12:24 Modern rock palm-muted chords (Drop D) Heavy Distortion Sounds (all in Drop D) 12:49 Metal chugging riff 13:06 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang 13:18 Heavy metal lead sound 13:33 Hardcore punk riff 13:44 Industrial metal riff 13:58 The big reveal! 14:56 Top reasons why you should buy the ToneX One 15:12 Initial setup 15:48 Sounds and playing feel 16:43 Tonal tweaking on the pedal itself 17:35 Works well with all my guitars and pickup types 18:01 Top tip: make different preset libraries for different guitars 18:47 There are some great free captures/presets out there 19:46 Price, size/portability 20:39 It’s loads of fun and very inspirational 21:17 What I don’t like: over reliance on the software 21:56 The ToneNET software is unintuitive with a steep learning curve 22:38 There are limitations 23:06 My conclusions on the ToneX One and why you should buy it
The "A" sound was the better one for me. The "B" sound was a bit darker and don't have that shimmering, especially with clean sounds. The ToneX has a lot of options and for driven sounds it's very useful.
I agree on the clean sounds - Rig A (which was the H&K) does have a slightly more obvious high end shimmer. My challenge now is to find a ToneX preset that replicates this! The ToneX clean I used here was literally the first factory preset that you get when you turn on the pedal... so for this, I think it's really pretty good! There do seem to be many awesome options with the ToneX that I need to start exploring...
@@RichWordsMusic Instead of trying to find the right preset to match your gear, you may as well capture it, that's the whole point of ToneX. This doesn't require the ToneX Capture device if you already have the right gear (re-amp box, audio interface and mic) but it may require at least the Tonex Standard License, not sure which one is included in with the ToneX One device (The Tonex Pedal includes the Max version).
Had the Tonex One for a week now and it's amazing! Will have several uses for both practice plugged into my pc and for a live rig amp replacement at the end of my pedal board. Like any pedal platform pedal it takes a bit to dial in the clean amp sound but when you do it's excellent! I also use a Boss IR-200 which is great after dialing it in! The best clean setup for me on the Boss is the Fender Twin Reverb sim with a York Audio FTWN 212 D120 IR mix 1.
Great comment, thanks for sharing your experiences! I am also now realizing how many uses there are for the ToneX... I've been using it as a drive pedal today and it's pretty incredible at that too. I really need to try the IUR-2 or IR-200 soon, and I'll be sure to try the Twin with that IR when I do!
Great video! Liked and subscribed 👍🏻 The video really spoke to me for a few reasons. I’m an older player (58) and have only used traditional tube amps and pedalboards. But as I age, humping around heavy amps and pedalboards is becoming more difficult. I just received my Tonex One last week, and this is my first dip into the waters of the digital guitar world. I’ve hesitated mostly because I’m not that tech savvy and have difficulty navigating software and menus. I also never really felt the need to have access to thousands of sounds that the other units have. I use a clean, a crunch, and a solo/lead, with a little delay and mild chorus. So the fact that with this pedal I can load up a clean and a crunch, then boost with something for a solo is perfect. At this point I am just using it straight out of the box because I am indeed having difficulty getting the software downloaded 😆 but I’m working on it with some help. Thanks for the video 👍🏻
Thanks a lot, really appreciate the like, sub and the great comment! It seems we come from a similar philosophical viewpoint when it comes to guitar - we'd rather spend our time playing instead of diving into endless menus ;) This really is one downside of the ToneX, especially considering the trickiness of the software. Once you 'get' it, you'll be good, but until then... if there's any questions I might be able to help with, let me know! But do also try the vids I linked in the description, as they proved really useful to me. They may to you too. Once you're into it, though, I really think the ToneX offers some amazing opportunities for us more traditional players. I also have a handful of key sounds that I like (clean, edge of breakup, light crunch, heavier drive, metal) and you can find ToneX presets that cover all of these, load them in the pedal, and just play. With headphones, I find it a super inspirational practice/jamming tool, and the built-in reverbs are great to add a little depth to the tones. And it seems to take external drive pedals really well, from my limited experiments so far! Really hope you manage to unlock the full potential of yours - happy music making! Our backs will thank us too ;)
Your video really saved me, honestly 😅 I was absolutely struggling with the software until I stumbled across it... thank you! Anybody watching this who's having problems managing presets in the ToneX software, give this a watch: ruclips.net/video/hulUFgMELdU/видео.html&sttick=0
Wow! I thought the ToneX One was A, as while it sounded great, my ears preferred B every single time. I am impressed, and very happy as a new ToneX One owner xD
Thanks for the profound review as always. I agree with you. The software is not very intuitive though IK Multimedia keeps on updating it. I didn‘t really get how the software works especially in conjunction with the hardware until I watched some educational videos (Jason Sadites). So you really have to put some effort into getting familiar with the device. The software basically rather is a library than an editor. BTW If you ever want to sell your Tonex and want to unregister your software you have to pay a fee to IK as far as I know. Which is a bit unreal… outside of that the Tonex (i have the bigger one in the Thomann silver edition) is brilliant. The sounds are inspiring especially for the price and I often end up playing the thing all by itself. The missing effect loop is annoying for headphone users like me because it makes the integration of time based and modulation stomp boxes tough. I also agree that you can tweak the parameters but if you expect the flexibility of a modeler you might be disappointed. Did you also try the amplitude software? I had a quick look to it and discarded it because I got the impression that is supposed to be IK‘s cash cow that wants you to purchase as many soundpacks as possible. Annoying. Thanks for the great vid and happy weekend!
Cheers for watching, glad you enjoyed it! And sorry to hear you had the same experiences with the software. Really hopeful it can be made better, and I am sure IK Multimedia gets plenty of feedback from users so they know what they could change. Yes, Jason Sadites makes some great vids on this stuff too - and some nice sounds/presets! I am tempted to get the bog ToneX Pedal for the same reasons as you, but also not sure about delays/reverbs. I do prefer them in the FX loop instead of in front of the 'amp', and there isn't a loop on the bigger ToneX pedal either. Will do some testing and see what the results are. I have played around with Amplitube a bit, but again, I am not a huge fan of all the software stuff, and I want to avoid having to pay too much more for more sounds, etc. The beauty of the ToneX is that there's already so many great profiles, and more will come! Even some of the free ones are really cool, and I would be prepared to try paying for a couple more if necessary. The Amalgam Audio Marshall ones are really tempting me. Enjoy your ToneX and rock on!
Good ears! Yes, I agree that in some settings the H&K has the fuller sound. Will be interesting to see how far I can close the gap with tweaking the ToneX - I've not even started with that yet! Cheers for watching and rock on :)
Yep, the ToneX has a richness and fullness to it that I've not heard from any other modeler (yet!). Really good stuff, even though I also think the H&K takes it overall.
How MANY presets can it hold, & how do you select them etc? I have the Tonex VST, free pack with 5 amps, (4 guitar + 1 bass Ampeg SVT model) & it sounds great! Mostly use it for bass tracks with the SVT model! It KILLS the old 1! (SVX) The Marshall & MBDR models sound very good also!
It holds 20 presets! You access to either one (in stomp box mode) or two (in dual mode) directly. You can switch through the rest on the pedal, but it's quicker in the software. Which I guess I'll have to live with! There are some amazing sounds in this thing... I'm enjoying it more and more as I use it more. Today I have been trying it as a drive pedal and it's amazing how close it gets to some of my other drives like a Big Muff, Lightspeed, Rat, etc. Video to come of course ;)
Can the small Tone X pedal be used at the end of a pedal board chain with all types of pedals running into it? Eg Overdrive /Distortion, Delay, Reverbs, Modulation pedals etc? Cheers
It can, yes! I just tried it like this today and it takes my overdrive pedals very well 👍I haven't tried it with delay/reverb but it can definitely do that too. (I would personally prefer to run my time-based effects after the ToneX though, so I need to test that out later also!) Will be doing some more videos about this in future I think.
I think digital tones tend to have a more compressed midrange with less headroom, which could be positive for soloing. I believe that when they improve this part of the model, it will sound even better.
Yep, Rig A was indeed the H&K. As you say, though, the ToneX can certainly be fine-tuned - I was literally using a couple of factory presets and some free downloads from the ToneNET software, with literally no tweaking done to the sounds themselves whatsoever. I've also noticed there are a few H&K and Black Spirit ToneX presets out there... must give them a try at some point ;) Really hope you enjoy your ToneX too!
I hate to tell you this, I have the larger TONEX pedal and there is still not effect loop. But it's really simple, bro. Same with this little pedal. Treat the TONEX as your amplifier/. Run your effect to the front of the pedal like you would the front of amp. Then any timeline effect s like delays or reverb etc.. are after the TONEX pedals line out, then to a return of an effects loop of a real amplifier. No need plugging to front of the real amp because it takes over the power section of the real amp by going into the return of the effect loop. You can also go right into your interface the same way on a computer and run your pedals. I do agree with you on the software and they need to make it so you can adjust volumes of patches much easier because some are made very loud and others a bit low in volume. But TONEX has been on it working out a lot of the bugs it had with updates and make sure your pedal is fully updated by using the IK media you sign in to online by having that window open and the TONEX software open and running while doing it. "BACKUP YOUR PEDAL FIRST"!!! It's very easy and you can also export your entire tones after you get the banks you want them to by exporting and naming them to recall at will so you can have several. I've had this pedal now about 3 weeks and its getting better every day! They really did knock this out of the park once you get the hang of it. $400US and I now have unlimited amps? You cannot beat that man. TIP: Make sure if running a long chain that you have a "buffer" or you could have latency running too many pedals. I use pedals with buffers in them that really help, and TONEX also did an update already to help make sure it's near non-existent. Because I use this pedal as a 3 channel amp as well.
ToneX One sounded good. I preferred the A sounds all the way through. That mid hump in the ToneX was a bit high for me when in a comparison to the Black Spirit. The H&K BS 200 sounded more open but still had that good bite. Thanks for using the Black Spirit as the comparison amp. I have a lot of great solid state amps (AMT Stonehead, HiWatt Super Leeds 150, Pearce G2r, Marshall 3210 Lead 100 Mosfet, etc) and have always been interested in the Black Spirit 200. I can’t get on with capture tech because of the snapshot aspect instead of a full amp’s range as some modelers have. The one digital modeler I’ve got along with as well as any of my solid state or tube amps, is the UAFX Lion 68 digital modeler. Only three amps modeled, but I can do the entire range of the three amps it models in a one-to-one style like a real amp. When capture tech comes further and can meld several captures of different settings and use an algorithm to seamlessly stitch those together to get a full amp’s range of controls, I’ll think about switching to capture tech. Right now, if you try to go from a cleanest setting capture and increase gain, or adjust the TMB tonestack to far either side of the capture, it starts to fail in sounding natural.
The lack of FX Loop (understandably, I mean where would they add it?) is a deal braker for me and the large format of the OGTone X is another deal breaker, unfortunately. Looks like it's down to the NUX Amp Academy and the IR-2 if it ever releases here in Europe...bummer
Yeah, it's a real shame. The Amp Academy is actually supposed to be fantastic - guess I need to try one of those soon too! Still waiting to try an IR-2 as well ;) How long has it been now since the launch?
Did you use the same IR for each of the tonex sounds? And indeed was the mic unmoved in front of the cab for all the amp clips? Each had a very different broad tonal shape, interesting or now how much of each is baked in vs choices made.
For the ToneX sounds, I used their amp/cab presets, so whatever each one came with. I never changed/edited an IR sound or anything. With the Black Spirit 200 I was going out of the amp's DI (the Red Box AE) on cab 5, which is a 4x12. Never changed that either. No cab/mic involved. But that amp just has so many different tones in it across the four channels!
Registerung and downloading the software required some google-search and felt like a torture. Then the software did not let me filter in the way I wanted to. After I have found two models to load into the device everything was very easy. Using it as an audio-interface getting a clean USB-signal while going straight into my mixing-console is a blast - even more considerung that the USB-port powers the whole device. I will order a 2nd one since it saves a lot of space and it sounds good.
I'm happy you managed to work it out and now you're enjoying it! This was the same experience for me... I managed to download and install the software fine, but then I got stuck trying to test different sounds, make preset lists, etc. After a few hours I figured it out and now it's easy, but I really think the software could be a lot more self-explanatory. I'm also tempted with a second one, as well as the big ToneX pedal ;)
The Black Spirit is such an awesome and underrated amp! All the tones apart from the Ultra Channel are really decent, it's got simple FX and a decent reverb, DI out... I don't know why more people don't use them. The basic amp sounds are way above anything I've ever heard form a Helix, and you could even stick the Helix in the FX Loop to just use the FX... best of both worlds!
I bought one ToneX One without realizing it is not true bypass. Considering that one of the main uses for this pedal is as a backup amp on a pedalboard, it is a huge design flaw. I mean who the hell wants to have to constantly run all of their nice analogue effects through a digital conversion because of a pedal that is not even in use? Crazy. To use this pedal I had to add a separate loop switch to the board ,taking up extra space, costing me more money and adding to the cabling and power needs. As a product I give it 3/5. If it had been true bypass it would have been 5/5. Moronic design choice.
Interesting point - I hadn't even considered the bypass side of things from your perspective (and as such, I also bought it without realizing!). For me, with a unit like this I'm generally using it on its own, and as it's all digital anyway I'd just assumed it's not true bypass. But, with analog pedals in front, it's a different thing. I'll be trying this out in future and testing the results. Which loop switch did you use, by the way? Asking in case I decide to go down that route one day. Cheers!
Paused at 8:45. Sometimes I prefer A and sometimes B so far. Horses for courses. However, it’s clear to me that B is the H&K black spirit. It’s hard to put it into words, but I know it when I hear it and B is a transistor solid state amp. It jumps out at me. Edit, wow I was SUPER wrong. That H&K is way better than I thought it would be. The Tone-x was a huge disappointment to me. Sounds to me like a basic transistor amp. Too compressed, dark, muffled, fizzy. Well done H&K. You got the best of me. That thing rocks!
Yes! I am always disappointed at how underrated the H&K Black Spirit is generally... such a great and versatile amp! I've had it for years now and simply never found anything that can replace it in terms of tones, ease of use and functionality. The ToneX One is impressing me more the more I use it - in this vid I was literally using presets that I hadn't dialed in at all, and I agree that it sound a bit rough and ready in places. I'm getting better with it, though! It's a lot of fun. Cheers for watching and enjoying! P.S. The Black Spirit 200 is a solid state amp ;) Hard to believe. The best I've ever heard!
The sound was total different actually , the highs where dull and the dirt was very fizzy although i think your amp was set a bit to bright or the mike placement you should get the treble and bass about the same and then compare not put all on 12 o clock and then compare as that makes no sense ! Sweet spot vs sweet spot is the proper comparison, great video!!! ❤❤❤
B definitely have more low end and sometimes you get a little annoying. I would think lit is the digital. But knowing how I am more into digital gears. I like A better so A is the tonex
It's interesting how close it is! Since I shot this video I've been testing the ToneX One a lot and I am really convinced about the quality of the tones... but the H&K Black Spirit 200 is also an incredible amp. In 2024 we have so many awesome choices as guitar players...
Ha ha, it sounds different but quality.wise in some areas it's pretty darn close already... and it will get better as I learn how to use it better too. Scary! Glad you enjoyed this one too, and yes, somehow that Pacifica will be mine ;) Cheers!
CLEAN SOUNDS WERE THIN ON THE TONEX THE CUNCH AND DRIVE TONES WERE ALL GOOD IT OF DIFFRENT SHADES. BUT RIG A WAS LESS COMPRSSED AND MORE DYNAMIC PAULTOZZ
I love my Black Spirit 200... simply works for me for anything! Happy this video confirmed that for you too. Next step is I need to see if there's any Black Spirit profiles on the ToneX software and give those a spin if so ;)
@@RichWordsMusic floor variant is a wonderful all arounder uniti have been eyeing for long time. Actually was expecting that we would have more powered units this year, but no.. Tonex one tyoe of pedals are on a spree... Which is also fun, but yeah.. Looking forward to see what will you dig with Tonex Black Soirit, interesting idea.. Ps tonex def can work and serve the purpose.. Its. Amatter of right setting and invested time on auditioning infinite ootions now.. What a time to be a guitarist as we always concllude:)
@@petaralargic Yep, I have the BS Floor as well... it's super cool, but I do prefer the head for the controls. Just the way I do things. As amps and for tones they are identical of course ;) Integrating the ToneX with the BS could somehow be awesome... I've got to work out how best to do it! You're right though, at the moment profiles and captures are definitely the hyped thing - who knows what comes next? Maybe in 2025 we'll all go back to 100 watt tube heads ;) Like you say though: what a great time to be a guitar player! So much choice, so many options...
@@RichWordsMusic choice paralasys can easily hit on all areas today... And yeah.. Whi knows what will be next stage... But regarding what we have now, the Direct to foh / IR technology that sounds quite awesone, a powerful 1x12 combo for the stage raw amp sound (that can easily drive whatever cab is in, the venue) , with parallel IR output for direct may be the sweetest spot of it all... Ah its interesting to think of all the possibilities PS offtooic, have you had chance to try Blackstar amped 2, red one, as thats only powered floor amp with multifx alongside the black spirit 200...i would saybthat HK sounds quite worth it the orice difference from the demos but hands on experience may show it different
Ok i play the game without looking at the results and without checking other comments. To me B is way more organic and real sounding. But it’s not always the sound I preferred. Found the A a little early tiring at the end. It harsher but not only, it loose chord definition. Now I’ll watch the reveal 😂
Ok hahaha ToneX was B… I should have take in account the sounds of B were much more various compared of voicing of the A and so I could make a better guess. BTW that’s the proof ToneX in unbeatable right now, especially versus Kemper or Quad Cortex, have all of them and they don’t even compare with ToneX or NAM accuracy
I tried the Iridium when it came out - would love to give it another go one day! I wish they'd put an FX Loop in it, as I do with the ToneX. So far I am loving the ToneX tones and playing feel, but as you say, not the software! That really does take some time and effort to get working properly. Once you've got your presets loaded into the pedal, though, you can turn your computer off and just play!
@RichWordsMusic Like you said with the Tonex One, the presets that come with the pedal aren't that great same thing with the Iridium you need to load your own IR's for the pedal to really shine.
I liked the B sound on cleans but the A sound with dirt. The B sound, in general, seemed to have more overtones and a generally fatter sound overall when played clean. Oddly, though, that seemed lost when played dirty - however, I felt that either of these could be tweaked easily enough. There really wasn't enough difference for me to say one was clearly better than the other.
B sounds a bit fatter or more low mid bassy but i cant tell which is which the witchery of that tone x is magic. We are truly living in the gilded age of tone creation ( once we learn the GUI) .
We are indeed... it's amazing how far the tech has come, to the extent that I am starting to fear for amp companies ;) Still, the profilers will always need something to profile, I guess! Just imagine how good a pair of these would sound rocking the dark side of the moon in stereo!
I’m actually shocked. Now, I like the tones on both A&B, certain styles sounded better for one than the other… kinda. I thought for sure though that A was Tonex. B, the Tonex sounded warmer than the amp! I bought the Tonex One last week and I’m still learningit, when I get the time. I also bought the Axe I/O Solo with the iLoud monitors and the whole setup is amazing. So far I’ve used the Axe with, of course AmpliTube 5 Max, the Neural DSP and then for the first time since I’ve had it, I opened my Scuffham Amps plugin last night and I was blown away. If anyone here hasn’t tried Scuffham Amps, do it! As far as my Tonex One I, for 💩s and giggles hooked it up to a battery powered Urban 3 Watt mini amp (terrible) lol and with the T1 it turned into the coolest little bedroom rig EVER! Buy this pedal and for guitarists, the Axe interface is heavenly. The IK iLouds are magical as well! Great video my man and playing.
I am already wondering if I should just buy the bigger ToneX pedal instead! Gotta spend some more time with the ToneX One to figure out if it's worth it for me...
Interesting, but they are pretty close in some aspects. As you say, though, the proof of the ToneX is really in the playing feel, and for me it's the first modeler I've tried that feels right! I am really impressed so far.
If I wanted to DI into a mixing desk and use the Tonex as an amp with my analog pedalboard, would that sound anygood? I’m hesitant to purchase this and use it with the my current board as the money could go towards an actual pedal with everything built it.
Hmm, that would depend. I think the ToneX is great with drive pedals in front of it, but it doesn't have an FX Loop, so delays/reverb/modulation will either need to go in front of it too (which I personally don't really like doing), or you might need to add something between those pedals and the mixer to get optimum sounds. I say give it a try... the ToneX is still exceeding all of my expectations!
Get a ToneX One at Thomann (EU): thmn.to/thoprod/586125?offid=...
At Sweetwater (SU): sweetwater.sjv.io/k0rdRN
And get your timestamps here:
00:00 Hello and why I bought the ToneX One
02:26 Blind test: today’s rig and plan
Clean Sounds
03:43 Clean tone reference chords on all pickup settings
04:21 Ringing open indie pop chords
04:46 Funky riff
05:00 Blues progression
05:23 Strummed country chords
05:42 Surf pop riff
05:59 Ascending droning indie chords
Light & Medium Overdrive Sounds
06:13 Fat indie rock rhythm chords
06:41 Choppy barre chords
06:59 Indie octave chords
07:25 Upbeat indie barre chords
07:49 Alternative rock ballad arpeggios
08:25 Garage rock riff
08:42 Classic rock riff
08:56 Quacky rock riff
09:06 AC/DC inspired riff
09:21 Hendrix inspired riff
09:37 Groovy classic rock riff
High Gain Sounds
10:05 80s rock riff
10:24 Hard rock riff
10:45 Van Halen inspired riff
11:05 Classic hard rock riff
11:22 Alt rock riff
11:46 Pop punk riff
12:09 Progressive rock riff (Drop D tuning)
12:24 Modern rock palm-muted chords (Drop D)
Heavy Distortion Sounds (all in Drop D)
12:49 Metal chugging riff
13:06 Mastodon inspired metal riff with country twang
13:18 Heavy metal lead sound
13:33 Hardcore punk riff
13:44 Industrial metal riff
13:58 The big reveal!
14:56 Top reasons why you should buy the ToneX One
15:12 Initial setup
15:48 Sounds and playing feel
16:43 Tonal tweaking on the pedal itself
17:35 Works well with all my guitars and pickup types
18:01 Top tip: make different preset libraries for different guitars
18:47 There are some great free captures/presets out there
19:46 Price, size/portability
20:39 It’s loads of fun and very inspirational
21:17 What I don’t like: over reliance on the software
21:56 The ToneNET software is unintuitive with a steep learning curve
22:38 There are limitations
23:06 My conclusions on the ToneX One and why you should buy it
The "A" sound was the better one for me. The "B" sound was a bit darker and don't have that shimmering, especially with clean sounds.
The ToneX has a lot of options and for driven sounds it's very useful.
I agree on the clean sounds - Rig A (which was the H&K) does have a slightly more obvious high end shimmer. My challenge now is to find a ToneX preset that replicates this! The ToneX clean I used here was literally the first factory preset that you get when you turn on the pedal... so for this, I think it's really pretty good! There do seem to be many awesome options with the ToneX that I need to start exploring...
@@RichWordsMusic Instead of trying to find the right preset to match your gear, you may as well capture it, that's the whole point of ToneX. This doesn't require the ToneX Capture device if you already have the right gear (re-amp box, audio interface and mic) but it may require at least the Tonex Standard License, not sure which one is included in with the ToneX One device (The Tonex Pedal includes the Max version).
Watched a few videos on this pedal. This has been the most informative. Thanks
Thanks a lot, glad you found mine useful!
Had the Tonex One for a week now and it's amazing! Will have several uses for both practice plugged into my pc and for a live rig amp replacement at the end of my pedal board. Like any pedal platform pedal it takes a bit to dial in the clean amp sound but when you do it's excellent! I also use a Boss IR-200 which is great after dialing it in! The best clean setup for me on the Boss is the Fender Twin Reverb sim with a York Audio FTWN 212 D120 IR mix 1.
Great comment, thanks for sharing your experiences! I am also now realizing how many uses there are for the ToneX... I've been using it as a drive pedal today and it's pretty incredible at that too. I really need to try the IUR-2 or IR-200 soon, and I'll be sure to try the Twin with that IR when I do!
Great video! Liked and subscribed 👍🏻
The video really spoke to me for a few reasons. I’m an older player (58) and have only used traditional tube amps and pedalboards. But as I age, humping around heavy amps and pedalboards is becoming more difficult. I just received my Tonex One last week, and this is my first dip into the waters of the digital guitar world. I’ve hesitated mostly because I’m not that tech savvy and have difficulty navigating software and menus. I also never really felt the need to have access to thousands of sounds that the other units have. I use a clean, a crunch, and a solo/lead, with a little delay and mild chorus. So the fact that with this pedal I can load up a clean and a crunch, then boost with something for a solo is perfect. At this point I am just using it straight out of the box because I am indeed having difficulty getting the software downloaded 😆 but I’m working on it with some help.
Thanks for the video 👍🏻
Thanks a lot, really appreciate the like, sub and the great comment! It seems we come from a similar philosophical viewpoint when it comes to guitar - we'd rather spend our time playing instead of diving into endless menus ;) This really is one downside of the ToneX, especially considering the trickiness of the software. Once you 'get' it, you'll be good, but until then... if there's any questions I might be able to help with, let me know! But do also try the vids I linked in the description, as they proved really useful to me. They may to you too.
Once you're into it, though, I really think the ToneX offers some amazing opportunities for us more traditional players. I also have a handful of key sounds that I like (clean, edge of breakup, light crunch, heavier drive, metal) and you can find ToneX presets that cover all of these, load them in the pedal, and just play. With headphones, I find it a super inspirational practice/jamming tool, and the built-in reverbs are great to add a little depth to the tones. And it seems to take external drive pedals really well, from my limited experiments so far! Really hope you manage to unlock the full potential of yours - happy music making! Our backs will thank us too ;)
Thanks again! I will definitely check out the links 😊
Thanks for the mention! 🤘🏼
Your video really saved me, honestly 😅 I was absolutely struggling with the software until I stumbled across it... thank you! Anybody watching this who's having problems managing presets in the ToneX software, give this a watch: ruclips.net/video/hulUFgMELdU/видео.html&sttick=0
I love this type of content! I’d love to see the ME-90 vs the pedals it purports to recreate.
Ooh, I've never tried the ME-90... might have to test that one day! Cheers, glad you enjoyed the vid :)
Wow!
I thought the ToneX One was A, as while it sounded great, my ears preferred B every single time. I am impressed, and very happy as a new ToneX One owner xD
It's surprisingly good, isn't it! Glad you enjoyed it, and have fun with your ToneX One!
Thanks for the profound review as always. I agree with you. The software is not very intuitive though IK Multimedia keeps on updating it. I didn‘t really get how the software works especially in conjunction with the hardware until I watched some educational videos (Jason Sadites). So you really have to put some effort into getting familiar with the device. The software basically rather is a library than an editor. BTW If you ever want to sell your Tonex and want to unregister your software you have to pay a fee to IK as far as I know. Which is a bit unreal… outside of that the Tonex (i have the bigger one in the Thomann silver edition) is brilliant. The sounds are inspiring especially for the price and I often end up playing the thing all by itself. The missing effect loop is annoying for headphone users like me because it makes the integration of time based and modulation stomp boxes tough. I also agree that you can tweak the parameters but if you expect the flexibility of a modeler you might be disappointed. Did you also try the amplitude software? I had a quick look to it and discarded it because I got the impression that is supposed to be IK‘s cash cow that wants you to purchase as many soundpacks as possible. Annoying. Thanks for the great vid and happy weekend!
Cheers for watching, glad you enjoyed it! And sorry to hear you had the same experiences with the software. Really hopeful it can be made better, and I am sure IK Multimedia gets plenty of feedback from users so they know what they could change. Yes, Jason Sadites makes some great vids on this stuff too - and some nice sounds/presets! I am tempted to get the bog ToneX Pedal for the same reasons as you, but also not sure about delays/reverbs. I do prefer them in the FX loop instead of in front of the 'amp', and there isn't a loop on the bigger ToneX pedal either. Will do some testing and see what the results are.
I have played around with Amplitube a bit, but again, I am not a huge fan of all the software stuff, and I want to avoid having to pay too much more for more sounds, etc. The beauty of the ToneX is that there's already so many great profiles, and more will come! Even some of the free ones are really cool, and I would be prepared to try paying for a couple more if necessary. The Amalgam Audio Marshall ones are really tempting me. Enjoy your ToneX and rock on!
I got it right. I thought the tonex sounded more compressed and "boxy" in most cases and the h&k was fuller more expansive etc.
Good ears! Yes, I agree that in some settings the H&K has the fuller sound. Will be interesting to see how far I can close the gap with tweaking the ToneX - I've not even started with that yet! Cheers for watching and rock on :)
I've got one on the way! Thanks for the vid Rich!
Awesome, can't wait to see what you do with it Rich! Hope to see you soon (in person, not on video!) :)
I like the tone X and I think it was way better than the H&K but I wish they added an auxiliary input
I love it too and would love an FX Loop. Hopefully future ToneX models can incorporate things like this.
Another great video Rich, just sold off my Hx Stomp for a Tonex.
Thanks a lot! Enjoy your ToneX... I'm actually really interested to try out an HX One at some point - the gear accumulation never stops ;)
Prefered A for most of the tones, B was a bit too bassy and low mids as others have said but tonex did sound harmonicly rich on a lot of the tones
Yep, the ToneX has a richness and fullness to it that I've not heard from any other modeler (yet!). Really good stuff, even though I also think the H&K takes it overall.
How MANY presets can it hold, & how do you select them etc?
I have the Tonex VST, free pack with 5 amps, (4 guitar + 1 bass Ampeg SVT model) & it sounds great!
Mostly use it for bass tracks with the SVT model! It KILLS the old 1! (SVX)
The Marshall & MBDR models sound very good also!
It holds 20 presets! You access to either one (in stomp box mode) or two (in dual mode) directly. You can switch through the rest on the pedal, but it's quicker in the software. Which I guess I'll have to live with!
There are some amazing sounds in this thing... I'm enjoying it more and more as I use it more. Today I have been trying it as a drive pedal and it's amazing how close it gets to some of my other drives like a Big Muff, Lightspeed, Rat, etc. Video to come of course ;)
@@RichWordsMusic Of course.
Can the small Tone X pedal be used at the end of a pedal board chain with all types of pedals running into it? Eg Overdrive /Distortion, Delay, Reverbs, Modulation pedals etc? Cheers
It can, yes! I just tried it like this today and it takes my overdrive pedals very well 👍I haven't tried it with delay/reverb but it can definitely do that too. (I would personally prefer to run my time-based effects after the ToneX though, so I need to test that out later also!) Will be doing some more videos about this in future I think.
@@RichWordsMusic Thanks. I heard conflicting reports about how it takes pedals so good to know. Cheers
@@keithb5612 Yeah, me too, but for me (and my ears) it works just fine! I was a little apprehensive about that beforehand too.
I think digital tones tend to have a more compressed midrange with less headroom, which could be positive for soloing. I believe that when they improve this part of the model, it will sound even better.
I prefered the sound of Rig A. Im sure the toneX could be dialed in though. I hope so, I've got the big tonex arriving today! Cheers Rich.
Yep, Rig A was indeed the H&K. As you say, though, the ToneX can certainly be fine-tuned - I was literally using a couple of factory presets and some free downloads from the ToneNET software, with literally no tweaking done to the sounds themselves whatsoever. I've also noticed there are a few H&K and Black Spirit ToneX presets out there... must give them a try at some point ;) Really hope you enjoy your ToneX too!
I hate to tell you this, I have the larger TONEX pedal and there is still not effect loop. But it's really simple, bro. Same with this little pedal. Treat the TONEX as your amplifier/. Run your effect to the front of the pedal like you would the front of amp. Then any timeline effect s like delays or reverb etc.. are after the TONEX pedals line out, then to a return of an effects loop of a real amplifier. No need plugging to front of the real amp because it takes over the power section of the real amp by going into the return of the effect loop. You can also go right into your interface the same way on a computer and run your pedals.
I do agree with you on the software and they need to make it so you can adjust volumes of patches much easier because some are made very loud and others a bit low in volume. But TONEX has been on it working out a lot of the bugs it had with updates and make sure your pedal is fully updated by using the IK media you sign in to online by having that window open and the TONEX software open and running while doing it. "BACKUP YOUR PEDAL FIRST"!!! It's very easy and you can also export your entire tones after you get the banks you want them to by exporting and naming them to recall at will so you can have several. I've had this pedal now about 3 weeks and its getting better every day! They really did knock this out of the park once you get the hang of it. $400US and I now have unlimited amps? You cannot beat that man.
TIP: Make sure if running a long chain that you have a "buffer" or you could have latency running too many pedals. I use pedals with buffers in them that really help, and TONEX also did an update already to help make sure it's near non-existent. Because I use this pedal as a 3 channel amp as well.
ToneX One sounded good. I preferred the A sounds all the way through. That mid hump in the ToneX was a bit high for me when in a comparison to the Black Spirit. The H&K BS 200 sounded more open but still had that good bite. Thanks for using the Black Spirit as the comparison amp. I have a lot of great solid state amps (AMT Stonehead, HiWatt Super Leeds 150, Pearce G2r, Marshall 3210 Lead 100 Mosfet, etc) and have always been interested in the Black Spirit 200. I can’t get on with capture tech because of the snapshot aspect instead of a full amp’s range as some modelers have. The one digital modeler I’ve got along with as well as any of my solid state or tube amps, is the UAFX Lion 68 digital modeler. Only three amps modeled, but I can do the entire range of the three amps it models in a one-to-one style like a real amp. When capture tech comes further and can meld several captures of different settings and use an algorithm to seamlessly stitch those together to get a full amp’s range of controls, I’ll think about switching to capture tech. Right now, if you try to go from a cleanest setting capture and increase gain, or adjust the TMB tonestack to far either side of the capture, it starts to fail in sounding natural.
The lack of FX Loop (understandably, I mean where would they add it?) is a deal braker for me and the large format of the OGTone X is another deal breaker, unfortunately. Looks like it's down to the NUX Amp Academy and the IR-2 if it ever releases here in Europe...bummer
Yeah, it's a real shame. The Amp Academy is actually supposed to be fantastic - guess I need to try one of those soon too! Still waiting to try an IR-2 as well ;) How long has it been now since the launch?
Did you use the same IR for each of the tonex sounds? And indeed was the mic unmoved in front of the cab for all the amp clips?
Each had a very different broad tonal shape, interesting or now how much of each is baked in vs choices made.
For the ToneX sounds, I used their amp/cab presets, so whatever each one came with. I never changed/edited an IR sound or anything.
With the Black Spirit 200 I was going out of the amp's DI (the Red Box AE) on cab 5, which is a 4x12. Never changed that either. No cab/mic involved. But that amp just has so many different tones in it across the four channels!
Registerung and downloading the software required some google-search and felt like a torture. Then the software did not let me filter in the way I wanted to. After I have found two models to load into the device everything was very easy. Using it as an audio-interface getting a clean USB-signal while going straight into my mixing-console is a blast - even more considerung that the USB-port powers the whole device. I will order a 2nd one since it saves a lot of space and it sounds good.
I'm happy you managed to work it out and now you're enjoying it! This was the same experience for me... I managed to download and install the software fine, but then I got stuck trying to test different sounds, make preset lists, etc. After a few hours I figured it out and now it's easy, but I really think the software could be a lot more self-explanatory. I'm also tempted with a second one, as well as the big ToneX pedal ;)
Helix user but never been happy. Makes me wanna buy a Black Spirit
The Black Spirit is such an awesome and underrated amp! All the tones apart from the Ultra Channel are really decent, it's got simple FX and a decent reverb, DI out... I don't know why more people don't use them. The basic amp sounds are way above anything I've ever heard form a Helix, and you could even stick the Helix in the FX Loop to just use the FX... best of both worlds!
Great video! Very thorough!
Thanks a lot, really glad you enjoyed it! So impressive what the ToneX can do...
I bought one ToneX One without realizing it is not true bypass. Considering that one of the main uses for this pedal is as a backup amp on a pedalboard, it is a huge design flaw. I mean who the hell wants to have to constantly run all of their nice analogue effects through a digital conversion because of a pedal that is not even in use? Crazy.
To use this pedal I had to add a separate loop switch to the board ,taking up extra space, costing me more money and adding to the cabling and power needs.
As a product I give it 3/5. If it had been true bypass it would have been 5/5. Moronic design choice.
Interesting point - I hadn't even considered the bypass side of things from your perspective (and as such, I also bought it without realizing!). For me, with a unit like this I'm generally using it on its own, and as it's all digital anyway I'd just assumed it's not true bypass. But, with analog pedals in front, it's a different thing. I'll be trying this out in future and testing the results. Which loop switch did you use, by the way? Asking in case I decide to go down that route one day. Cheers!
@@RichWordsMusic Reverb search - Loop Switchers True Bypass Loop Strip Single Mini Channel
Paused at 8:45. Sometimes I prefer A and sometimes B so far. Horses for courses. However, it’s clear to me that B is the H&K black spirit. It’s hard to put it into words, but I know it when I hear it and B is a transistor solid state amp. It jumps out at me.
Edit, wow I was SUPER wrong. That H&K is way better than I thought it would be. The Tone-x was a huge disappointment to me. Sounds to me like a basic transistor amp. Too compressed, dark, muffled, fizzy.
Well done H&K. You got the best of me. That thing rocks!
Yes! I am always disappointed at how underrated the H&K Black Spirit is generally... such a great and versatile amp! I've had it for years now and simply never found anything that can replace it in terms of tones, ease of use and functionality.
The ToneX One is impressing me more the more I use it - in this vid I was literally using presets that I hadn't dialed in at all, and I agree that it sound a bit rough and ready in places. I'm getting better with it, though! It's a lot of fun. Cheers for watching and enjoying!
P.S. The Black Spirit 200 is a solid state amp ;) Hard to believe. The best I've ever heard!
The sound was total different actually , the highs where dull and the dirt was very fizzy although i think your amp was set a bit to bright or the mike placement you should get the treble and bass about the same and then compare not put all on 12 o clock and then compare as that makes no sense ! Sweet spot vs sweet spot is the proper comparison, great video!!! ❤❤❤
Liked B more. It seems that B had much more gain (or input level) compared to A.
I own the thing and agree with you 100%. Cheers!🍻
Nice, enjoy yours! I am loving the ToneX so far!
Lightspeed and G3, you know your pedals sir! 👌
I do indeed (as do you, clearly!)... two of the absolute best! Cheers and rock on :)
Great comparison
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!
B definitely have more low end and sometimes you get a little annoying. I would think lit is the digital. But knowing how I am more into digital gears. I like A better so A is the tonex
I was wrong
It's interesting how close it is! Since I shot this video I've been testing the ToneX One a lot and I am really convinced about the quality of the tones... but the H&K Black Spirit 200 is also an incredible amp. In 2024 we have so many awesome choices as guitar players...
The A is definitely the amp given the Tubemeister has cheaper thin sounding tubes
Jeez, I could bid on Tonex being rig A 😬
Dear Rich thank you for another excellent and thorough presentation. Oh, and try to keep the Pacifica !!
Ha ha, it sounds different but quality.wise in some areas it's pretty darn close already... and it will get better as I learn how to use it better too. Scary! Glad you enjoyed this one too, and yes, somehow that Pacifica will be mine ;) Cheers!
CLEAN SOUNDS WERE THIN ON THE TONEX
THE CUNCH AND DRIVE TONES WERE ALL GOOD IT OF DIFFRENT SHADES. BUT RIG A WAS LESS COMPRSSED AND MORE DYNAMIC
PAULTOZZ
Yep, there's some clear differences, but now, a few weeks later, I'm still blown away at how good the ToneX is sounding for me!
A sounds incomparably better to me... Which just fortifes my opinion on just how great unit that is.. Thank you for this, exactly what i needed
I love my Black Spirit 200... simply works for me for anything! Happy this video confirmed that for you too. Next step is I need to see if there's any Black Spirit profiles on the ToneX software and give those a spin if so ;)
@@RichWordsMusic floor variant is a wonderful all arounder uniti have been eyeing for long time. Actually was expecting that we would have more powered units this year, but no.. Tonex one tyoe of pedals are on a spree... Which is also fun, but yeah.. Looking forward to see what will you dig with Tonex Black Soirit, interesting idea.. Ps tonex def can work and serve the purpose.. Its. Amatter of right setting and invested time on auditioning infinite ootions now.. What a time to be a guitarist as we always concllude:)
@@petaralargic Yep, I have the BS Floor as well... it's super cool, but I do prefer the head for the controls. Just the way I do things. As amps and for tones they are identical of course ;) Integrating the ToneX with the BS could somehow be awesome... I've got to work out how best to do it! You're right though, at the moment profiles and captures are definitely the hyped thing - who knows what comes next? Maybe in 2025 we'll all go back to 100 watt tube heads ;) Like you say though: what a great time to be a guitar player! So much choice, so many options...
@@RichWordsMusic choice paralasys can easily hit on all areas today... And yeah.. Whi knows what will be next stage... But regarding what we have now, the Direct to foh / IR technology that sounds quite awesone, a powerful 1x12 combo for the stage raw amp sound (that can easily drive whatever cab is in, the venue) , with parallel IR output for direct may be the sweetest spot of it all...
Ah its interesting to think of all the possibilities
PS offtooic, have you had chance to try Blackstar amped 2, red one, as thats only powered floor amp with multifx alongside the black spirit 200...i would saybthat HK sounds quite worth it the orice difference from the demos but hands on experience may show it different
Ok i play the game without looking at the results and without checking other comments.
To me B is way more organic and real sounding. But it’s not always the sound I preferred. Found the A a little early tiring at the end. It harsher but not only, it loose chord definition. Now I’ll watch the reveal 😂
Ok hahaha ToneX was B… I should have take in account the sounds of B were much more various compared of voicing of the A and so I could make a better guess. BTW that’s the proof ToneX in unbeatable right now, especially versus Kemper or Quad Cortex, have all of them and they don’t even compare with ToneX or NAM accuracy
So far I like my Strymon Irdiums but I'll play the tonex one awhile longer. I believe it's the Tonex software that does put a bad taste in your mouth
I tried the Iridium when it came out - would love to give it another go one day! I wish they'd put an FX Loop in it, as I do with the ToneX. So far I am loving the ToneX tones and playing feel, but as you say, not the software! That really does take some time and effort to get working properly. Once you've got your presets loaded into the pedal, though, you can turn your computer off and just play!
@RichWordsMusic Like you said with the Tonex One, the presets that come with the pedal aren't that great same thing with the Iridium you need to load your own
IR's for the pedal to really shine.
RIG A {tonex one} ?????
No, Rig A was the H&K amp! So you can see how close it is...
I actually got them wrong, figuring the "real" amp was the better one. Ok guess I have to buy one now.
It's funny how tricky it is when you A/B them like this! I think they're both great but it constantly surprises me how well the little ToneX does.
👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks, good sir!
I liked the B sound on cleans but the A sound with dirt. The B sound, in general, seemed to have more overtones and a generally fatter sound overall when played clean. Oddly, though, that seemed lost when played dirty - however, I felt that either of these could be tweaked easily enough. There really wasn't enough difference for me to say one was clearly better than the other.
B sounds a bit fatter or more low mid bassy but i cant tell which is which the witchery of that tone x is magic. We are truly living in the gilded age of tone creation ( once we learn the GUI) .
We are indeed... it's amazing how far the tech has come, to the extent that I am starting to fear for amp companies ;) Still, the profilers will always need something to profile, I guess! Just imagine how good a pair of these would sound rocking the dark side of the moon in stereo!
@@RichWordsMusic were all WDW here on the moon so they better send 3 🤣
@@PooNinja Oh damn, interstellar tones!
@@RichWordsMusic multidimensional
The Force has served you well...
I’m actually shocked. Now, I like the tones on both A&B, certain styles sounded better for one than the other… kinda. I thought for sure though that A was Tonex. B, the Tonex sounded warmer than the amp! I bought the Tonex One last week and I’m still learningit, when I get the time. I also bought the Axe I/O Solo with the iLoud monitors and the whole setup is amazing. So far I’ve used the Axe with, of course AmpliTube 5 Max, the Neural DSP and then for the first time since I’ve had it, I opened my Scuffham Amps plugin last night and I was blown away. If anyone here hasn’t tried Scuffham Amps, do it! As far as my Tonex One I, for 💩s and giggles hooked it up to a battery powered
Urban 3 Watt mini amp (terrible) lol and with the T1 it turned into the coolest little bedroom rig EVER! Buy this pedal and for guitarists, the Axe interface is heavenly. The IK iLouds are magical as well! Great video my man and playing.
Better to get full pedal for 299.00 from Thomann
I am already wondering if I should just buy the bigger ToneX pedal instead! Gotta spend some more time with the ToneX One to figure out if it's worth it for me...
@@RichWordsMusic love your channel. Prefer your style to others.
@@RichWordsMusic I have the pedal and it’s really good. Well worth the extra bucks.
@@aliengrey6052 Thanks so much! Happy you enjoy it. I will need to test the big ToneX soon then :)
Holy crap .. I was 100% sure A was the ToneX! Wow!
Yep, it's amazing how close it gets!
None of them is bad, just figure what works for you.
Yep, it's all about personal choice in the end!
@@RichWordsMusicBought the Tonex One as well. Nice little pedal gate.comp.rev awesome!
Software...same here 😂
B is tonex
Yes 😎
I got it Wrong. Rig B had more harmonics and sounded more real and engaging.
The definitive test must be felt, not heard
Interesting, but they are pretty close in some aspects. As you say, though, the proof of the ToneX is really in the playing feel, and for me it's the first modeler I've tried that feels right! I am really impressed so far.
what they dont tell you is you pay 100 bucks for the software upgrade , wish i knew that before hand 😢
What software update?
@@dhendart upgrade not update
@@guitarplayer5932 Ohhh. From SE. Yeah, it sucks.
@@guitarplayer5932 Ohhh. Yeah, that sucks.
That sucks - this is something I haven't come across yet! Hopefully I won't. Let's see.
Real rig sounds infinitely better. Tonex sounds like an Amp with a blanket over it, in a closet.
I'm sure you could tweak the ToneX more than I have! I'm still amazed at how close these free presets get.
You're doing something very wrong if that's your results. It's a you problem.
If I wanted to DI into a mixing desk and use the Tonex as an amp with my analog pedalboard, would that sound anygood? I’m hesitant to purchase this and use it with the my current board as the money could go towards an actual pedal with everything built it.
Hmm, that would depend. I think the ToneX is great with drive pedals in front of it, but it doesn't have an FX Loop, so delays/reverb/modulation will either need to go in front of it too (which I personally don't really like doing), or you might need to add something between those pedals and the mixer to get optimum sounds. I say give it a try... the ToneX is still exceeding all of my expectations!