Fender Tone Master Pro / Here are my thoughts!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Thanks for watching!🤘 Please make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a video! 🎥 Watch this next 👉 How I create METAL TONES on the Fender Tone Master Pro: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnqaqWisgb2AfZY 🙏Big thanks to all the members of my wonderful Patreon Community! Hop on board with us to help support and get involved! www.patreon.com/RobArnoldWorld ⬇See more⬇ Thank you SO much to the following THANK YOU 👊 Aaron Price THANK YOU 👊 Alex Legend THANK YOU 👊 Andrew Tracy THANK YOU 👊 Big Mike K THANK YOU 👊 Billy THANK YOU 👊 Boku Senpai THANK YOU 👊 Brian W. Rogers THANK YOU 👊 Brynn Richard THANK YOU 👊 Cal Strickland THANK YOU 👊 Chad Youkers THANK YOU 👊 Chris Santiago THANK YOU 👊 Chris Spit THANK YOU 👊 Craig G THANK YOU 👊 Curtis Doyle THANK YOU 👊 Daniel Richman THANK YOU 👊 Darron Bryant THANK YOU 👊 Dillon Brown THANK YOU 👊 Drew Pedrick THANK YOU 👊 Dustyn Guilford THANK YOU 👊 Easy Riffening THANK YOU 👊 Elving Rodriguez THANK YOU 👊 Ethan Majstorovic THANK YOU 👊 Eyeless THANK YOU 👊 Fernando Mendoza THANK YOU 👊 Gary Wright THANK YOU 👊 Gavin Courtney THANK YOU 👊 Greg Leatherman THANK YOU 👊 Hervé Franco THANK YOU 👊 Ian C McCauley THANK YOU 👊 Independence Guitar THANK YOU 👊 Jake Fox THANK YOU 👊 James Salmon THANK YOU 👊 Jared Koski THANK YOU 👊 Jeff Holland THANK YOU 👊 Joe Kueck THANK YOU 👊 JoeTayMetal THANK YOU 👊 Josh Gleason THANK YOU 👊 Kevin Smith THANK YOU 👊 KingBuff717 THANK YOU 👊 Kristian Yates THANK YOU 👊 Lil Studebaker sister THANK YOU 👊 Mandm Randall THANK YOU 👊 Marc Laakmann THANK YOU 👊 Marc Vincent THANK YOU 👊 Mechanization THANK YOU 👊 Megatodd707 THANK YOU 👊 Mike Franco THANK YOU 👊 Mike H THANK YOU 👊 Nicholas Wilczewski THANK YOU 👊 nUm Music Official THANK YOU 👊 Olivier Rouleau THANK YOU 👊 Patrick G THANK YOU 👊 Philip Schaffer THANK YOU 👊 Rich Arnold THANK YOU 👊 Ricky Rymell THANK YOU 👊 Robert Kadlick THANK YOU 👊 Rocko Marrufo THANK YOU 👊 Russell D Morrow III THANK YOU 👊 Ryan Tibbert THANK YOU 👊 Sean Frank THANK YOU 👊 Thomas Bryson THANK YOU 👊 Thomas Spoor THANK YOU 👊 Thordermans THANK YOU 👊 Todd Jay THANK YOU 👊 Travis Tutwiler THANK YOU 👊 TriDoc THANK YOU 👊 warduiz THANK YOU 👊 Alex White THANK YOU 👊 Brady Clark THANK YOU 👊 Brandun Keck THANK YOU 👊 Harry Wadley THANK YOU 👊 Hiroyuki Kubo THANK YOU 👊 Ian Roberts THANK YOU 👊 Jack Krolo THANK YOU 👊 Jason Schulz THANK YOU 👊 Jeff Shrimpton THANK YOU 👊 Jerry Guardado THANK YOU 👊 Joe Hinton THANK YOU 👊 JR Tasker THANK YOU 👊 Kevin Henderson THANK YOU 👊 Kris Hotchkiss THANK YOU 👊 Lucas Van Cleef THANK YOU 👊 Nate Bunnage THANK YOU 👊 Randy E. THANK YOU 👊 Ricky Coppula THANK YOU 👊 TX.Hooch THANK YOU 👊 walkamong theignorant THANK YOU 👊 Wayne de Zwart And a special thanks to all of my Patreon supporters past and present, not mentioned here!🙏

[@OlaEnglund]

Love the simplicity of your pedalboard. Very clean! Also that response that you talk about is definitely coming through more with a tube a power amplifier. It’s definitely worth the additional weight to bring. OR ask for a 5150 as a backline amplifier for festivals .. Much love Rob. 👊 love everything you do, appreciate the kind words

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Hopefully I can make it back to Sweden one day and we can have that coffee! ☕️🎸

[@JoelDubay]

That’s gheyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

[@metallion0738]

@@JoelDubay. He doesn’t drink alcohol anymore or is an alcoholic or he probably was in the past who knows, that is why he drinks coffee only.

[@JROCK1324]

@OlaEnglund @RobArnoldWorld Along with a tube power amplifier there’s also the Celestion F12-X200 cabinet speakers that are designed to be used with amp modellers and IRs. And Zilla Cabs has them as an option to put them in thier custom cabinets. These speakers allow you to use your IRs without any speaker colouration that you’d have if you went through a traditional guitar cabinet speaker. And push air like a real guitar cabinet speaker while sounding exactly like the IR you want. They’re basically what guitarists should be using instead of studio monitors.

[@dissonant_a]

Could watch you talk gear for hours man. Really in depth look at it. Having been digital for about a year myself, I do think sometimes we can struggle with unconscious bias towards the real amps plus it’s hard to capture the feeling of air moving from a big cab at home!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

👊

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

Agreed. Could listen to Rob talk gear all day.

[@MercilessGuitar151]

Late to this one but agreed on both fronts. That lack of air moving at home is a loss that is felt. I'll talk gear with anyone all day and it would be a joy with Rob.

[@Dankdaddytyty]

Fender needs to give you a signature Jackson. I would buy instantly lol. Great video!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

🤞

[@DeafMetalRyan]

I don’t own this unit, but I’ve gone back and forth in my head about this for years with the different modeling units I’ve tried. The conclusion I’ve reached is that yes, the real gear sounds better. But if you’re just looking for convenience, modeling has reached a point where it’s an acceptable substitute.

[@robertw1871]

I think if you know what sound you’re after and know how to dial in gear the modelers are now better… The fender unit really brings the tube touch to the next level, it sounds better than my tube amps… Their powered FRFR cabs are truly amazing with this unit… Knowing how to setup EQs in fundamental I think that’s where people have trouble. The great thing is it’s much easier with the Tone Master it’s nearly intuitive, where the Helix and AxFX are really difficult, the Kemper comes pretty close… I thought the TM was a little bit of a toy with all the graphics but it actually helps make it easier to dial in quickly.

[@AkimboVermon]

I get back from work, I want to rock out and tweak things it’s making with its big screen, and then I switch to another preset with no lag, it’s amazing. I tested this out to the quad cortex. You can get close tone on both but no captures on the fender, in 2024 is kinda bad with no captures but to be honest I just could not stop playing the fender & returned the quad

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Great video man! Since the recent updates the TMP sounds so much better! Your tone slays man!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Hey I appreciate that man! I've been enjoying all of your TMP videos as well! 👊 Keep em' coming!

[@jeffpritz2933]

thanks for covering this. Please keep doing more videos with the tone master pro

[@shaunjohnson7483]

Bought mine a few weeks ago. I’ve been resisting going digital however when I tried this unit it blew me away. Scenes are so handy. Thanks for the simple instructional vid. 🤘🏼

[@RobArnoldWorld]

I've watched a few videos on the new "scenes" feature, and I still can't wrap my head around it. Or at least, how I could beneficially apply it to my TMP workflow. Hoping I can eventually understand it!

[@shaunjohnson7483]

@ I think for me as our setlist is extensive I will use individual presets in the songs/setlist feature. Scenes I think will be really useful for depping.

[@Deuterium2H]

@RobArnoldWorld, Hello Rob. Since the Fender TMP Firmware update of June 3rd 2024, there is now an option for selecting "External Cab" in the Cabinet list/section. You will want to do this if: 1) You are using your TMP with a *_solid-state amp_* (such as your Seymour Duncan PowerStage) plus an external (physical) guitar cabinet -- which is your use case, here. - or - 2) You are using a 3-rd party IR block (en lieu of the TMP factory cabinets). A tube amp + physical guitar cabinet naturally creates a SIC (Speaker Impedance Curve) due to the complex/dynamic interaction between the output impedance of a tube amp's output/transformer section and the impedance of the speaker cabinet -- which is a combination of resistance and inductance of the speaker's voice coil, and, to a lesser degree, the electro-mechanical properties of the entire loudspeaker/cabinet, as a complete system. This dynamic interaction between the amp's output stage and the connected speaker is frequency-dependent, and generates what is known as the Speaker Impedence Curve (SIC). A solid state amp, such as the Class D Seymour Duncan, does NOT introduce this same frequency-dependent impedance interaction phenomena. When compared to a tube guitar amp, the solid state amp's lack of a dynamic speaker impedance interaction can result in a flat, dull and unlively experience. It will lack both low-end thump (resonance) and high end presence. So, that is where the digitally modeled SIC comes in to play. By selecting "External Cab" in TMP, it will allow you to then select an SIC that would be similar to your physical guitar speaker cab. This digitally created SIC will authentically simulate and re-create the SIC interaction that would naturally occur with a tube power amplifier and guitar cabinet. Give this a try. I think you will both hear and FEEL an immediate, and positive difference and improvement in your tone and playing dynamics/interaction. Cheers, John

[@RyRyTheBassGuy]

I hope he reads this comment. Great info.

[@djabthrash]

Curious to know how much using a impedence curve compares to just boosting the lows and the highs of a Powerstage 200.

[@RyRyTheBassGuy]

@@djabthrash Watching videos on the Boss Tube Expander and hearing how the sound of an amp changes with different impedence curves was eye opening. It's not something you can recreate by just depth and presence controls. Hopefully Fenders impedence modeling gets close to how a real amp reacts with a speaker load.

[@djabthrash]

@@RyRyTheBassGuy Thanks for the info. I wish there were videos comparing (with audio but also some visual representation) tweaking EQ controls of a SS poweramp vs switching between different impedence curves (going into the same SS poweramp but with flat settings).

[@RobArnoldWorld]

@Deuterium2H Cheers John! I really appreciate your comprehensive explanation here for me! It makes a ton of sense, and I completely understand! Coincidentally, Fender reached out to me shortly after publishing this video, and shared similar information with me. I immediately started testing it out, and the results were in fact amazing, as you mentioned they'd be! However, I'm experiencing an issue, where after I place the extension cab in my signal path, dial it in, and then save..., after I switch to another preset, and then BACK to my newly saved preset that contains the extension cab, the sound is drastically different than where I had left it. I then made a video recreating and explaining the issue to Fender, and they're currently looking into it. I'll report back with a video documenting my experience after everything is resolved with that ghost in the machine/potential software issue. Stay tuned! And in the meantime, perhaps you'd like to test it out for yourself to see what happens? Place an ext. cab in line on one of your presets, then make some tweaks... specifically to the level parameter which is at -18db by default. Try bringing it up to 0bd, then save, then switch to another one of your presets, then switch back to the one you put the ext. cab on, and see what happens! I'l be curious to hear your results! 🎸

[@davehill9951]

A modeller is a modeller. All companys have there ideas on sounds. I own the Headrush core, which does everything i need it to. I own 2 original 1982 JCM 800 heads and 2 marshall 1960 slant cabs with jimmy marshall greenbacks which will never be duplicated on a modeller. But this unit comes close for my playing in a house situation. great vid keep em coming

[@preston2636]

Bro, you guys sounded great and many people said you guys were the best of the whole festival. Which is saying alot cause that lineup was stack. Idk if you were in charge of Jim's tone but goddamn it was the best chimaaira ever sounded live. And I couldn't stop thinking how much you must love that Jackson to choose it over your sigs. If you ever do another run of ltd sigs please do that color. Army jeep green is so sexy on a metal guitar.

[@Billy_bSLAYER]

They sounded tight and on point. Jim is using that David Ellefson sig bass that is very well rounded. Those Jackson Soloist are fuckin great, personally I own a 1900 Japan made Jackson Professional Soloist, and they shread (with the right pickups of course). 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@preston2636]

@@Billy_bSLAYER that's the reason I won't get Jackson again. Their stock hardware and pickups aren't good quality unless you get a usa or Japanese model. Their qc department is rather deplorable as well. I wish they would get their qc and pricing figured out because Jackson could be amazing again. 👏

[@RobArnoldWorld]

I appreciate that man! And Jim will be happy to hear it! 🤘

[@Winman9999]

The KSR PA50 will fox all your tone issues. It’s a game changer for modeling rigs. It makes them feel and sound like “real” amps.

[@official_bertonious]

I switched from the SD Powerstage 200 to the Fryette Powerstation PS-2a. Makes a world of difference to include tubes back into the setup. The SD sounded muddy and almost requires the presence all the up. Add that 16 ohms are out of the question for it (you never know what you’re going to get), the Powerstation was a no-brainer for me. It is almost twice the price but it’s so worth it.

[@jeffhirshberg5171]

I use the Fryette PS100 for the same reason. Can't say enough good things about the results. Quilter's 202 is an excellent ss option, though.

[@Jenswsmjens]

Got myself the ps-2a as well. Absolute banger.

[@chasebeynon7997]

Ah man, iv been down this exact same road with the 6505 and modelers. Ended up switching the Seymour Duncan PS for a Fryette PS2a for live. Its glorious. And it all fits in a carry on fly case.

[@stilwel]

@robarnoldworld for the Global EQ you can select whether it affects Output 1, Output 2 or both. There are buttons on the lower right of the Global EQ screen that allow you select which outputs are affected by it. You should also checkout the External Cabinet block option for the feed that is going to the live cab onstage. This will very likely help with the low end boost and high end that you were using the Powerstage EQ to compensate. I think it will bring back some of those nuances you thought were missing by using a solid-state power amp.

[@afterthetide3629]

I recently purchased a tonemaster pro under the influence of you and Ola! I use mine with a tube power amp and it sounds kickass! I’ve yet to mess with the IR’s but i definitely want too! Thank you for helping me make the leap from fractal to fender! I had an Ax-8 which I still love but the user friendliness of this unit is unmatched. Keep rockin! Cheers!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Awesome dude!

[@froople]

Hey Rob, great run down! Apologies if you already know this but the feature you mentioned at around 24:16 is (kind of) possible. If you select the 'FS MODE' whilst a preset is active, the 8, left-most switches become configurable to individually switch effects for that preset. You can also colour code each switch too which is handy. I run it like this with multiple, switchable amps in one preset to punch in/out for clean/rhythm/lead tones. It saves having to build a whole new preset for minimal changes to effects, amp eq., etc... Hope that helps!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Thanks dude, yeah I'm aware of FS mode, but I use preset mode, and so the method you're suggesting unfortunately wouldn't work for me. The color coding thing is a great idea though!

[@IndependenceGuitar]

That’s awesome that it worked out so well. I definitely don’t have the kind of experience you guys do, but my own opinion on the issue is that these newer modelers rival real amps on tone, it’s more the “umph” of the response. Things you wouldnt notice unless you’re the one playing the rig. I was floored when you brought up the tube v ss power amp, because in the last band I played in, the other guitarist was using a line 6 POD (the larger nice one), and he was constantly messing with it trying to get closer to my real 6505+ into V30+GBs. His real amp was a crate tube head, and he didn’t like the sound of it. One day, I got the idea to have him turn off the IR on the POD, and run it into the return on his effects loop so he had the real tube power amp, and it sounded pretty huge. I got the idea after reading somewhere that Misha Mansoor only uses his invective for the power amp. Maybe that’s something you could mess around with. Then if it seems to make a difference, maybe look into getting a tube driven power unit.

[@djabthrash]

"Maybe that’s something you could mess around with." This is precisely what he did in this video ... :)

[@djabthrash]

23:13 a looper is very handy actually because it allows you to record a riff, loop it, and tweak your tone without having to play at the same time

[@drewcadaver]

Mind. BLOWN. I had never thought of this. Fuck. You've just changed the game.

[@djabthrash]

@@drewcadaver 1) if your comment is ironic, then : keep in mind in guitar videos you mostly see people fiddle with their tone without looping/reamping, so it seems using a looper is not obvious to enough people yet :) 2) if your comment isn't ironic : i'm glad i helped. Have a blast tweaking your tone this way !

[@drewcadaver]

@@djabthrash Yeah, I'm being 100% serious man! No sarcasm at all. It's a great tip - I'd previously just been recording into protools, tweaking and comparing the old vs new.

[@djabthrash]

@@drewcadaver Good ! Keep in mind this works at home, but also during rehearsals, and when doing soundchecks for live shows.

[@bobberjoe7550]

@@drewcadaversame here and I always have to ask someone to play while I tweak the sound

[@Zimak0v]

Glad to hear you’re enjoying it!!! Stoked you made this video. I love gear vids personally.

[@RobArnoldWorld]

🤘🎸

[@Nickdoomofficial]

As long as your "close enough" to what you want, I'd be amazed if anyone out front can tell a difference. I moved from amps to my quad over a year ago and get nothing but compliments about tone. Don't get me wrong, it takes time to get these settings correct. You can get a decent tone pretty quick but it'll definitely need fine tuning before it's ready to go.

[@outermarker5801]

Beyond musicians, I've concluded _nobody_ out front cares about anything we sweat details over. The silliest thing to me now is videos comparing the unaccompanied tones of electric guitars and gear. Not EQd, mixed, live and definitely not the typical final production release on the typical consumer's listening device (a smartphone or pc and earbuds). Just sitting in a room saying 'look how close I can get to pedals and tubes' like it matters to anyone but us. And don't even get me started on my past fellow bass players doing the same sweating with FAR less in the chain😂

[@tylerreid8640]

Hey Rob, I love this video. I went through this very thing when the axe fx2 was all the rage about 7 years ago. I was playing a Mesa Mark iv tube amp. Love the tone of that amp to death but wanted to be able to switch from clean to rhythm to leads without tap dancing so i went for the axe fx 2. While it was great, i could never get that feeling on the chugs that the real tube amp gave me. I ended up tweaking all the time and not just playing and writing and enjoying the power and feel of the tube amp so i bought a Mesa JP2C with midi and a fractal FX 8. The FX 8has all the fx of the axe fx but not the amp modeling. The FX 8 will switch channels and fx but i have that sweet feel of the mesa tube amp. Keep up the good work and come to seattle so I can watch you guys live! 🤘

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Right on dude! And I'd love to make it back to Seattle sometime soon!🤘

[@shannonjones3714]

Absolutely killer video! I could elaborate on this for hours, but you really did an amazing job of hitting the right points! Outstanding!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

👊🎸

[@TheDannyDerringerOfficial]

i am also a metalhead who has always used head/cab combos, but I have been using the tonemaster pro. I've been using it for a few months now for convenience, in live settings and have been pretty satisfied. Super happy with it actually, but I do always feel like there's something missing, idk if its just me looking to always improve my tone, and I am also having the high fizz sometimes on the high gain amps that is hare to get out without killing the tone. I love the uber, but am now currently trying to experiment with other amps, cabs, and signal splitting with different cabs/mics, I've been looking for more videos on the tonemaster pro in the metal genre but there's not a lot out there lol, I hope you enjoy it man!

[@yousocrazy1199]

man i really enjoying ur vids recently i been going ur old vids, u really sound humble and a person so calm i dont think u get mad. keep it coming i watched ur video all the time it really took off my stress at work. keep it Metal cheers!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Hey cheers man and welcome aboard!🎸

[@patrickkem689]

Hi Rob, First time viewer. Enjoyed the demo lots to work through ,,,I like that. Will be watching more!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Awesome! Welcome aboard! 🎸

[@nfg_coyote4615]

Your tone is killer. Also i love these tech videos. I could listen to this all day

[@stringsattached67]

Ive been using processors/modelers since The digitech legend pro was first introduced and ive used pretty much all of them at some point and i can honestly say that the fender TMP is my favorite thus far. TMP looks great easy to use and sounds great and just keeps getting better.

[@SteveHatzman]

I switched from the PS 200 to my JVM 410 for the power section of my QC. It’s a world of difference. It’s awesome. Granted I just play at home but the sounds are far superior.

[@iwillnevergetone5]

big time. when running through a traditional cab, the power amp makes a huge difference in the sound and feel of the modeler/preamp. A quality power amp is the best companion to any modeler

[@jasonrogers7318]

The KSR PA50 is a little more portable, but still to big for a pedal board. Great video Rob. Keep up the great work man. Cheers 🎉!

[@michael-jillianfox3049]

I ran into the same issue for a while on my Quad Cortex, where if hit the bank down so I did the same thing of programming my main patch one up and one down. The more I used it the less I did it. Same issue on the QC with assigning switches, I believe an update is in the works. Great video! I would love to see you and Ola interview each other in person or Via internet, split show of yours and his prt1 / prt2. Tell stories, talk gear, jam a tune or two…

[@DreidMusicalX]

I use modelers and amps and cabinets. I incorporated them into my rig. Not trying to replace old gear for new. I went down that rabbit hole once and it truly sucks when your Fender T Pro dies, your entire rig is dead! So I no longer try to replace, I just incorporate them as another pedal. Real amps just rule. I now use TONEX which now they have updated and working very well and run a pedal chain right to the return of my effect loop. I get the best of both worlds.

[@newskinrecordings]

Most of the modelers these days are totally passable in a live setting for sure. I noticed you said some of the notes get washed as opposed to a real tube amp. I find using that overdrive as a boost really helps that in modelers and amps for both riff and lead tones. It just brings that clarity to the notes. Also a real cool work around is finding a tube overdrive pedal to use with a modeler instead of the onboard overdrive.

[@Stephenmichaelsguitar]

Love seeing this. Actual real world validation and testing of this unit. I’m hyper curious on the Tone Master Pro but the price has me staying with my Fractal and Tonex.

[@zakfairchild2356]

Thanks for curating this. Excellent content!

[@thisguy2973]

I believe the lunchbox-style tube power amp Ola was using in the video you’re referencing is the KSR. They make a really badass distortion pedal (for those who need it), as well as some nice sounding amps.

[@Razrback]

been a member on olas channel for years never steers me wrong

[@msi1985]

Super interesting to see the different iterations of how to use the tone Master pro in a live setting. I used the tone Master pro for about 8 months in a live band setting we typically do a lot of doom, stoner, and other types of metal along with classic rock tunes... The part of this video that really resonated with me is that our lead guitarist runs a marshall amp setup, and his paddle board is pretty simple but all analog. I always think his setup sounds more pure... It just sits where it should in the mix if that makes sense? When I'm by myself in the home studio I can dial in these tones that I think sound amazing and I'll play them through backing tracks that have drums and bass and I'll make the tone fit perfectly on its own.... Then when I get to rehearsal I'm hearing the other guitarist play and I'm like WTF this doesn't sound good anymore... I kind of just went with it as well I always found my tone to be a little bit too bass heavy and or a little bit shrill on the high end no matter my efforts of setting high and low pass filters.. but I just went with it and my drummer actually didn't care because it just added a little bit more depth to it and no one ever really complained and said hey your guitar tones not cutting it... experimenting with all of these different impulse responses although they sound good really didn't make a difference in the context of what I'm talking about for my experience in a live band setting. I've kind of reverted back to using evh 5150 stealth with a traditional guitar cabinet and I'm using my quad cortex to run any boost pedals or any kind of effects pedals in front of the amplifier along with any reverbs or delays or phasers or modulation effects after the fact... I also love the fact that the tuner has a bypass so I could run the tuner and as well as a pitch shifter which tracks super well. I still have high hopes that one day I'll be able to take the dust off and just run a pure fly rig that is way lighter and easier to move around.

[@metallion0738]

The Fender Tone Master kicks ass, it’s easy to use and sounds very organic unlike the Felix and others. Great review as usual bro.

[@DanielBobke]

This was a really interesting video. I think we guitar players do get way too deep in our heads about tone. We trick ourselves into hearing things that aren't actually there because someone else told us something that may or may not be real. The reality is that in most concert venues (specifically an outdoor one), the acoustics suck anyway and the audience does not hear the difference between you using a 6505+ vs. your TMP modeler. Hell, most of us in the audience are half deaf from going to concerts much of our lives!! It does need to sound good to you (or at least good enough) - the audience isn't going to notice.

[@chronik301]

I ended up setting up a small board with tonex one as my amp capture and hxstomp for effects with same power stage and amp very happy with the results running into a 5153 cab great flexibility and sound.

[@woochyna]

Similar thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago - played at a festival and brought a Blackstar AMPED V3 which sounds amazing (didn't use the XLR out as I wanted some air to be pushed on stage), but I was literally mangled by the other guitar player's tone (he brought a cable and used the venue's 6505+), especially when I listened to the FOH recording. No contest. The never-ending quest for the perfect sound in an affordable fly rig continues.

[@EclipseAtDusk]

One thing that really helped me dial in the amps on a modeler was treating the master volume on the Amp as another sort of tone control - the amp character can change Wildly depending on the level

[@Sutch66]

Great video and I absolutely agree with the assignable footswitch section. The looper and bank up and down are not something I use but the ability to assign them to presets or FX on/off functions would be so useful..

[@RobArnoldWorld]

💯

[@jonathankarr8283]

You are the man Rob! Really enjoy your videos🤘🏻

[@RobArnoldWorld]

I appreciate you tuning in!👊

[@DidiHyena]

Love your words over comparison with real amps👍To get in tough with this feeling of playing a real amp with box, the new devices are good, they have some advantages(weight) but it is not the same, called interactions, Keep on rock'in ✌

[@dadnewdjent7592]

Apologies if someone has said this but you can assign the global eq to one or the other or both outputs. Also check out the parametric eq for some more in depth tonal shaping. Great video love your channel!

[@IfSwineFlu]

Caught your set at inkcarceration and was super stoked to see you guys again after around 10 years. Definitely didn't dissapoint! I've grown up playing modelers. I'm currently using a more compact version of this style of pedalboard rig (an HX Stomp with a Line 6 G70 wireless and an EHX Magnum .44 power amp) and honestly the biggest thing that has helped my tones, besides good cabinet IRs for DI, is a low pass filter anywhere from 15k-10k depending on the amp model and settings. It gets rid of a lot of the digital fizz that most modelers produce in high gain amp models. I'm not sure about the TMP but a lot of modelers also have power amp emulation that you can dial in to taste. The Helix line lets you adjust biasing and sag so that's definitely something to look into to mold a more faithful tube tone.

[@drewcadaver]

Where about are you placing the LPF and what's the name of the block? I'm keen to try this. I love my helix tones, but always down to improve them!

[@IfSwineFlu]

@@drewcadaver I either use the filters built into the cabinet/IR blocks or put the global EQ on. You could also use the "Low and High Cut" EQ block at the end of your signal chain.

[@everydayperson764]

You could always use whatever head the festival is providing for a power amp, but, that is a risk on its own. I think you got it nailed, tone master pro for compact rig and head and cabs for headlining runs. Master pro sounded great with either configuration, but, i did favour it being powered by the 6505, it just has that nasty bite that the digital stuff just cant quite replicate. Either way, awesome discussion as always Mr Riff 🍻!

[@ericpalkovich]

Hey Rob! Been a fan of Chimaira since the very beginning! Your tone, playing style, etc. have been a big inspiration in my own playing since I was a youngin'. With that being said, I've had a similar experience with tube vs digital gear for a long time. I've owned Marshall heads, Peavey Heads, Jet City Heads, Fractal, Kemper, ISP Technologies, etc. and have found that overall it's extremely tough to decipher a difference. Currently, I use a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier accompanied with a 2x12 & 4x12 (very small pedalboard without too much EQ or drive effecting the signal). At home, I've chosen to use the ISP Technologies Theta MSX, as it reacts and sags like a tube amp. Furthermore, the interface is very simple (no menus or crazy UI, which I understand some people aren't into) but it's very much barebone as far as it's presentation (it's a small blue screen with some words & numbers with some switches and a few knobshaha). I will say I "just play" it, and don't experience option paralysis with it like I have with out devices (menu diving, back and forth with settings, etc.) Again, just my two cents, as there's hundreds of these units out there that are well-suited for so many different folks. We live in an exciting time for us guitarists, and I'm here for it! Your tone sounds excellent, BTW - If you're interested, there's some other IRs that are probably better than Fender's, like Ownhammer, for example. Wishing you well, Rob! All the best. EJP

[@ROKRmarc]

Good job with this TMP overview. Much appreciated.

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Happy to hear it! Check out my new TMP video I just posted today! kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWXaqqiQZ75kntE

[@GearStuffandThings]

This was a blast to watch. I think you'll be shocked at how something like the Quad Cortex sounds in comparison to the tone master. Especially with the captures of amps that would get you much much closer to the feel and vibe you're speaking on. I'd be really interested personally in hearing you try multiple platforms and choose one!

[@phillyhank8726]

Rob, I am a Philly 👮🏽‍♂️and you AND Ola are my favorite pass time while I’m SUPPOSED to be paying attention sitting in my Patrol Car. 😂🤷🏽‍♂️ Hey man, my priorities are RIGHT where they should be. “Metal lives Matter“ 🤘🏽😉🤘🏽

[@jconner3891]

That’s cool of you. ❤❤❤

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Haha that's right officer! Happy to help! 😝🎸 And thank you for your service!

[@JoeFic9997]

Philly Blues are great- from a blue line family member! And of course a metal fan!

[@Kouros-t6d]

extreme metal is for unintelligent CHIMPS

[@deylanengel7251]

I used to run my Pod X3 into the Power section of my Carvin V3, and loved the results! This was a sick video

[@joeylizotte7537]

1. Are you sure the gate is based off an ISP Decimator? (If so, what's the 2nd knob for?) 2. Ola uses a 50 watt KSR power amp. (I prefer the Randall Satan, though.) 3. Try any 100-120 watt power amp with 6L6's. Run one output through the Powerstage, and the other through the tube power amp (plus a stereo 4x12 cab).

[@RobArnoldWorld]

I guess I meant the "look" of the ISP, because in my opinion, there's no arguing that it does in fact look exactly like a Decimator, except for that second knob!

[@daysthrumycam]

Loving that Powerstage 200 man. Just picked one up to add to my PS170. Such a killer poweramp!

[@powersv2]

What a game changer for travel.

[@2000serpentor]

I think solid state response is so fast and we are used to that slower tube response that adds to that feeling loss additionally

[@riptidegonzo]

Oh that I don’t know. Still learning. If I could enroll in a class I would. Loving the TMP.

[@coppulor6500]

After 4 decades of messing with guitar processors and amps, this is the solution. Preamp matters very little in terms of replicating the feel of an amp. You can take a pretty shitty guitar processor and power it with tubes and it will come alive. Not saying it will suddenly sound great but it will FEEL infinitely better. So far, NOTHING that I have found (yet) will replace tube power section for feel. I go as far back as 1980's with a roland GP8, ADA-1, Digitech 2101, Rocktron Chameleon, a billion amps, combo, boogie cab powered with rack tube amp, solid state power amps blah blah blah. My current favorite amp because I no longer play on the road is a fender superchamp x2. digital preamp, tube power amp. This is the secret to the best of both worlds. Yes, it was heavy AF but I had a Peavey 60/60 6l6 tube rackmount amp and that thing provided so much "meat" and feel. So now, I don't even bother with SS power. Yes, I've tried a quilter and it could not feel more square and lifeless to me, and I've tried so many SS amps both combo and rackmount hoping and praying someone had figured it out but goddamnit, there simply is still no way to obtain that lower mid meat and balls. A relevant question is, how much difference does it make in the mix? Probably not as much as we think but I play much better when I feel that yummy tube power. everything just feels more alive. I never played metal but I don't think that matters much. Almost certainly even more applicable for metal. so, there you go. you want the best of both worlds? you can have it. you just have to be willing to carry it. I recently obtained a used 50/50 Peavey rack amp for like fiddy bucks lol. sounds great but I wish I had not sold the 60/60. the 50/50 has EL84's instead of the 6L6 I prefer. More experience saying the same thing: when the Fender mustang series came out, I had already sold my 4x12 boogie cab because my band/touring days were over and my business was getting to busy. I still wanted something to replace my also recently sold 2101 rack processor (yes, a long time ago). I was very pumped at the thought of the mustang because it could do it all (supposedly) and was perfect for playing at home. Went to GC, tried the smallest and was sooooo bummed. absolutely zero meat. kept trying the next biggest amp hoping more watts would fix the problem till I tried the biggest one they had. actually started getting pissed lol. I thanked the dude at GC (by then, I knew him well after years of buying shit when I was "touring" (regional band - so from florida to occasional new york and everything in between)). he said "well, we have the same thing but in a floor pedal so no power and its only $200. you can always return it and test it froo your tube amp". My face acquired a pensive look while I considered his words. Is there any sales tactic more effective than the famous "you can always return it" LOL. I brought it home, plugged into a tube head powering a 2x12 which I had recently acquired and holy shitballs!!!! there was that difference again. Kinda like I had forgotten the special sauce of digital preamp + tube power (and yes, I realize some of my earlier preamp/effect processors were not analogue but it still applies). It turned a flat caca lame sound/feel into something fairly respectable. So, I learned my lesson again. then bought the superchamp x2 about 8 years ago and same thing. just no substitute for tube power section .......yet. Although I must admit I am shocked they haven't figured that out yet. oh well........... disclosure: I have played for a very long time but am far from an expert, not a phenomenal player, but I know what feels good to me and feel is as important to me as tone.

[@B-Dubba-U]

Lol that Ola Englund Kemper Tube vs Solid state video is the reason I bought a Fryette LXII power amp to pair with my Helix. It gave me that punchy low end thickness and feel that I wanted. It sounds fantastic and for the first time I feel like the helix can really hold its own against my tube amps. The downside is now instead of a compact and lightweight setup it now weighs just as much as my tube heads. Its a pretty big tradeoff unfortunately.

[@canyonproductions7683]

Ha! Im like # 1000 And congrats joining the modeler world dude! Its a great place to be🎉

[@RobArnoldWorld]

🍻

[@draddognai]

Press the FS Mode button on the top right and the two left-most buttons become assignable. It’ll require you to make some tweaks to your setup though.

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Yeah I'm aware of FS mode, but I use preset mode, and so the method you're suggesting unfortunately wouldn't work for me.

[@christianbivona8165]

Great video. I’ve been running a similar rig - I use a Fractal FM3 through the effects loop return of an EVH 5150 Iconic. Using the tube power amp brings these modelers to life. Also, you can use the Resonance and Presence controls, since they are only affecting the power tube section. I crank the resonance up and it thumps.

[@robertparker3580]

great information Rob!!! thanks for sharing!

[@400_billion_suns]

25:20 I know exactly what you mean, and you are correct-the string separation in chords is something modelers still struggle with. Fractal’s gear (Axe FX and FM9) is the best I’ve heard in that regard. The TMP still has room for improvement.

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Something another guy said that makes a ton of sense to me, is that tube amps naturally create harmonic distortion, whereas the modelers do not. And without those harmonic overtones, certain chords can sound lackluster.

[@400_billion_suns]

​@@RobArnoldWorld Nerd alert, before you read this: modelers actually DO model harmonic distortion. It's *critical* to making them sound like the real gear. However, the overtone frequencies generated by harmonic distortion stretch far beyond the range of human hearing (>20kHz). Even though those frequencies are inaudible, they play a role in the interactions downstream which produce the final audible output. The problem is that to accurately model all of that, you have to sample at a frequency way beyond Nyquist for the audible human range. To clarify: human hearing only stretches to about 20kHz, at the absolute best. To re-create that digitally, you need at least 2x that frequency as your sample rate, so that would be a minimum of 40kHz. But when you add in the intervals of harmonic distortion like you get with tubes, it goes WAY above 20kHz, and you have to include that in the modeling math to make everything else sound right in the final output. This is where aliasing becomes relevant. Aliasing is basically "wrong" sound produced by sampling a high-frequency signal with too few sample points. If you're trying to model and sample harmonic distortion way above 20kHz, you need to be sampling with a frequency of something much higher -- e.g. >100kHz. This is commonly called "oversampling" and the best modelers like Helix and Fractal oversample well beyond 100kHz. If you don't oversample enough, you get false tones and a "smearing" of high-frequency detail. One of the audible results of that is the lack of string separation with chords + distortion. The Tone Master Pro is currently one of the worst-performing modelers in regard to aliasing. And that means, unfortunately, it'll also be one of the worst in regards to note separation with distortion + chords. This isn't just my opinion, and I have no affiliation to any brand. This has been measured with the correct methods, and the Fractal Axe FX III leads the pack, followed closely by the Helix, and the TMP is way off in third place. FWIW, I own both a Helix Floor and Fractal gear, but am not beholden to any brand. I almost bought a TMP, but from an unbiased technical viewpoint, it just isn't hitting at the level of its competition, yet. Emphasis on "yet." Hopefully it will get there eventually.

[@trevorphilips9484]

You could always get past the EQ issue, by running the IR through your DAW, and taking out/boosting whatever frequencies you have your eye on, then exporting the IR after you've baked in your EQ changes, back into the Tonemaster Pro. It's a bit of a long winded way of doing it, but it would work.

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Interesting!

[@highrateextinction]

Thanks for putting this out Rob, I'm think about selling my EVH 5150 mk III 50w and picking up a Tone Master Pro. I'm not in a gigging band anymore and I'm more interested in doing home recordings lately. I already own SD Powerstage 170 (bought as a backup a couple of years ago in case the 5150 ever went down but I've never really used it). My current modeller is a Boss GT1000 Core, its great and compact but I've always loved the 5150 sound. Keep up the good work!

[@ChrisDavisTGI]

Dude I can absolutely relate to the apprehension that comes with jumping into the digital world and replacing your analog rig. I made the switch back in 2013 to an axe fx 2 from my 6505/Mesa set up and went through this same exact struggle of worrying that it wasn’t the same. Now at this point I’ve played Axe Fx 2 and 3, Kemper and now Quad Cortex for the foreseeable future. For live use, I couldn’t imagine going back to an analog set up just because of the convenience and consistency of the digital world! So much of the tone is in your hands, which is exactly why your FOH said it sounded like you! The other side of that is getting the right impulse response in my opinion, that’s more important the actual amp sim itself to me. I’m not sure how the Tonemaster handles impulse responses, but if you can load third party ones you should test out the GetGood Drums Cali Oversize bundle IRs, they’ve been a game changer for me and every FOH that has toured with my band in recent years has gushed about how much they love them! Stoked to see how this unit grows on you over time!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Thanks for your insight Chris! Keep tearing it up, and hopefully I'll see you out there one day! 👊🎸

[@Inn0IWNL]

29 minutes went by like a breeze. Love the vid!

[@jchabo82]

Lol! The long name stuff takes me back to high school, man. My buddies and I were always like "oh, i got the ZX28 F32 600, sounds great!"

[@RobArnoldWorld]

🤘🤣

[@ProjectAdyton]

I’m using a Helix, Seymour Duncan Powerstage, Line6 g50 wireless, and Radial Big Shot I/O (which switches between the wireless unit or I can use a regular cable if the wireless fails. All on a Temple Audio pedal board. Cab is a blue flame maple mesa 2x12. I program the first 5 banks exactly the same and I leave it set on the 3rd bank. So, like you described in the video, if you accidentally hit page up or page down, you still have everything right where you need it. (Leaving it set on the 3rd bank means I have 2 banks above and 2 banks below in case something happens).

[@ffcwoods]

I’ve been messing around with all these setups for years now. I can definitely hear differences in what type of power amp you use. Not that any of them sound bad, but a tube power amp really does assist some push. Though I’m not sure if it’s in the tone but it’s definitely in the feel. I’ve recently went back to a tube head and feel that’s there really is no “replacement” for it. Don’t get me wrong, the digital aspect works well and there is a lot of convenience to be had there. So currently I’m running a large full size head at home and taking a 25 watt tube head when I’m on the go. (An Engl Savage and a Fireball 25 respectfully). Maybe try running the Peavey 6505 MH for your setup? I understand that it’s still not as convenient but every little bit helps I suppose. For fly dates I totally get going small as possible. Also as far as modelers go, I found the Quad Cortex to be a little more accurate out of all of them. Just my 2 cents though. I know it’s all subjective.

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

Make sure youre on the newest firmware. They originally had the impedance curve modelling baked into the cab section, meaning that when you either used no cab or an ir, it sounded flat af. Which would explain why it sounded flat for you into a cabinet.

[@bluematrix5001]

what I think you need to do is to add a pedal, before or after the Tone Master Pro (instead of your Power Stage), something like Beekeeper (tube), xotic EP Booster, Xotic Super Sweet or some kind of booster or a pedal like a drive or a simple line preamp API TranZformer GTR EQ/Boost Pedal, or the ZIO Preamp Pedal (just a tiny bit) just to shape/ warm the sound/ and clean the edges and gives a bit of a kick/vibe to your sound

[@catalyzed8457]

I’ve been down the power amp rabbit hole with my QC and eventually settled on the KSR PA50. All the solid state stuff just sounded stiff and sterile to me, whereas the KSR just has that feel in the room.

[@a-l3x]

Thank you for review. Its a very informative video.🤘

[@1320pass]

To my non-live sound ears, the upper frequency string definition sounds digital and flat. You're going from analog to digital back to analog. You nailed it (IMO) when talking about processing power. Maybe big John can work some more magic. 🤘

[@davidemmons4670]

Drain uses this live through a cab and they sound really good

[@Lontzelot]

I love geeking out on these gear videos. Just FYI, the Boss GT 1000 allows you to customize every switch. I got turned onto that from Nita Strauss using them. 🤘

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Yes, I was quite interested in the GT-1000 as well!

[@warrenelder2187]

Rob, that Crate setup is the G1600xl head I still use now with the Celestine loaded cab!! I don’t use the dirty side I use a fender tone master into the effects loop!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Awesome! I've still got a G1600XL too!

[@jerrallen]

Go to cabs block and scroll to the bottom and select ext. cab ,it contains the speaker sic, add it to the output going to the real cab.

[@eightbitinfinity]

When you were using 6505+ as power amp looks like your resonance and presence controls were at zero? (I believe you utilized these on the Seymour Duncan) May help bring out more life? Very curious! Awesome video 🤘

[@Shred_Rocket]

The 6505+ resonance and presence are not at the power stage as it is on a 6505 Original or 5150.

[@eightbitinfinity]

Thx I didn’t know this!

[@djabthrash]

@@Shred_Rocket Interesting...

[@djabthrash]

@@Shred_Rocket According to the user manual (description and schematic) they are... : assets.peavey.com/literature/manuals/00575680.pdf

[@suffersystemstudios]

@@Shred_Rocket The manual says it is though "Unique to Peavey instrument amplifiers, the Resonance control (22) can be set to boost the gain of the power amp in the low frequencies at the resonance/attenuation point of the speaker cabinet. In simple terms, the Resonance control works like a low EQ to offset low- end frequency drop out. The Presence control (23) works in the same manner, boosting the high frequencies. Experimentation using your particular speaker cabinet, along with personal taste, will determine your setting for these important controls."

[@RobsHouse]

You should give the Axe Fx a shot. Their modeling of tube amp dynamics is insane. It’s indistinguishable from the real thing and even lets you do things the real amps can’t do because it models every individual component of the amp, not just the full processed tone. I have A/B’ed mine against my real Triple Rectifier and honestly I think the Axe sounds even better. I pumped up my negative feedback, depth, and supply sag compared to what the stock settings are (modeling the real amp) and it sounds even punchier than my real amp. I’ve tried the kemper, line 6 Helix, and the quad cortex, but I like the Axe the best.

[@liquidghost]

to my ears when you switched to the 6505 power amp it sounded way better and real. I did not expect that much of a difference. I've been using modelers for awhile now, and I really dig the Quilter amps for my power amp. I bought one to use as a back up to an Orange Pedal Baby amp, and I ended up selling the Orange and keeping the Quilter. The Quilter has that deep fat sound for some reason.

[@Alex-Del-Rey]

Maybe, maybe… But actually the difference is more for the human that playing, than for the listeners.

[@apersonontheinternet8034]

Curious as to why you went with the Fender? From what I've seen/heard it's the worst modeller for high gain stuff.

[@mynr0]

He mentions in the video that it was a "time-place" thing in that Rob was thinking about switching to a digital setup at the same time this unit came out. 👍

[@timwheeler4883]

Hey Rob it was a KSR pa50! I’m using the Helix floor with the power stage 170 and I was using my invective 120 for power but just for convenience I switched to the power stage. Of course the peavey power sounded fuller and overall better but I’ve also used my orange dark terror for power which also sounds great! Just a touch darker and no eq control.

[@t_separator]

I thought you would go with a Kemper and profile your personal heads and cabs 🤷‍♂️ but the tonemaster sounds nice too. I’ve been using the powered profiler for years and I think the Tonemaster isn’t there yet.

[@robertlove7607]

How much did you like the powerstage 200?

[@TheCyberMantis]

It might feel slightly different, but it doesn't sound any different on my end. I wouldn't worry about it. Just use the TMP Pro with the SD 200. Great fly-rig. Leave the tube head at home.

[@lostinmyperception]

Hi Rob! One question!! QuadCortex or Fender??? Thanks

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Never tried the QC!

[@roberthanket2827]

Killer video, your right on the money with the tube solid state conclusion. The other guitar player in my band uses a Peavy tube amp and I use a Solid state Orange.. The tube amp has a presence in the low end that my Orange just can't touch. That said.. my Orange is way lighter, reminds me of a add that use to be in guitar player magazine with the guitar player carrying a ton of equipment. That's why it's called heavy metal lol. Cool video as usual.

[@davidlamote2251]

Hey Rob! Enjoying your vids especially this gear stuff. The TMP does sound really good, however as a Quad Cortex owner I can tell you it address a lot of the issues you mentioned at the end of the video. Not all, but most. Not to mention the amp options you have on the QC are endless especially if you use their Cortex app and download stuff off of there. Either way really dig you stuff and looking forward to the next one!

[@RobArnoldWorld]

🤘

[@DavidMacVicar]

Great video. I think you are bang on about the 'all the strings sounding the same" on those large chords. I find that is the case as well (not just Fender Tone Master, but alot of the digital stuff).

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Good to hear some conformation on that!

[@mustangguy3706]

The one thing I've noticed when I'm just using my headrush prime as my rig into a tube power amp and cab is how it falls short on filling the room compared to my synergy syn-2 into the same power amp and cab.

[@deadsoundradio]

Love the content! I’m a kemper and tonex player but always want to hear someone else’s gear experience 🤘🏾

[@Chrisshallperish]

I was right behind the stage and i noticed that. Sounds ood to me

[@stazrulez]

so this is a test i did, and suggest and see if you can hear the difference. use an a/b box, have someone connect them blindly, so you don't know which one is for a or b, and see if you can tell the difference. i think jim would make a good vanna white, if you know what i mean. i did it w/ my band and got my other guitarist on digital from that test alone.

[@RobArnoldWorld]

Jim as Vanna White! 🤘🤣

[@AIC68]

🤘😈🤘 Great video, I think it sounds awesome. The tube amps just have this bite, cuts through the mix, like it’s ALIVE! Just my thought lol🔥🔥🔥

[@chrismartinguitar]

If you’re looking for something that rivals a tube power amp, using the “return” of a Quilter ToneBlock or another one of their products is pretty close. I went the digital route and had a similar feeling then saw a Rig Rundown with Kurt Ballou and he was using them. I gave one a shot and it has been my go to power amp ever since then.