How to choose the right FRFR for you.

I discuss FRFR cabs and the importance of transparency when dialing in your digital platform. I also do a shoot-out between several FRFR cabs and monitors.

[@dvscool]

This video has had a big impact on my choice. I think I'm sold on having a wood cab. Having played Mesa's all my life this makes sense....

[@MarcsFpvAddiction]

Great video. I am using a pair of Tech 21 Power Engines and I am happy with them. They are not true FRFR but close enough for my ears. And they are real cabinets. Just a home recorder.

[@David13Rome]

I use a Gemini 1 and can testify that you are 100% right in your assessment of other FRFR's.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

DavidRomeRecording thank you!

[@landon.cunningham]

I can't imagine dialing in a studio tone with speakers. I always dial in my tones with headphones - and when I run through the board if they run me flat I always sound the same. Every time I sound different there is some active filter or something they forgot to remove - I can instantly hear it - then they remove it and it sounds great. This works with every modeler I've tried.

[@tylerdodmusic423]

I swear by the Laney FR 212 cab. They sound incredible!

[@dryocum]

Absolutely true brother! That’s why I got my Friedman FRFR.... It’s also true for amplifiers as well. I play my Friedman BE100 through a Friedman 412 and the same goes for my Marshall, VOX, Soldano, Randall and other heads as well.. It’s like pairing fine wine with food... No one wants to drink milk when they are eating sushi...lol... I mean we all do crazy stuff like that....lol.. But, to get the best experience or in this case the best sound you want to use the best equipment you can. It has nothing to do with being a equipment snob. It’s all about your ears and a true flat response.... Great video!!!!

[@jasyynnoe8392]

I've had good luck dialing in tone thru studio monitors (even cheap ones with 5" speakers). I was worried the first time I ran direct to a very nice PA (casino gig), but it sounded great, left the eq on the mixer flat. Later I did the same to a low end Peavey set up, and it only needed minor eq tweaks. My rig was set up faster than anyone else. I am looking to get a FRFR for my stage volume, though, and this video was very helpful.

[@tomulator]

GREAT video! Thanks so much for putting it out there.👍🏼 Very “eye opening” and HELPFUL! 😎🎸

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Tomulator thank you.

[@rondunn7781]

Very informative! THANK YOU!!!!! This helps!

[@ChadPhillipsMusic]

Hey TW, thanks for this awesome video and the accompanying demo video. It changed my life. I wasn't able to purchase the Friedman (budget), but after watching your video I looked at active monitors with the characteristics you talk about in your video (namely high quality drivers and a wooden enclosure; it also has oversized heat syncs, is fan cooled, has tons of headroom and sounds very transparent) and found a Fender Fortis F-12BT in an open box with a price I couldn't resist. I rolled the dice and I'm so glad I did. I cannot believe the difference between it and my JBLEON 612. Like night and day. I don't know if it's the drivers, the cab or both, but it sure seems like the wooden enclosure made all the difference in the world from my plastic EON, which sounded okay, but somewhat sterile, not good at high volumes and had a tendency to overheat if I pushed it a bit. Anyway, thank you.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Master6String you're so welcome! I'm so glad that our information here helped you. Isn't it awesome when you find something that works for you? Rock on buddy and enjoy dialing in the best tone you've ever had.

[@ChadPhillipsMusic]

Thank you. My Helix never sounded better. Cheers!

[@bearpitrock]

Completely new to FRFR. This was really useful. Thanks man. Subbed!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

cosycampbell thank you! Which FRFR are you going with?

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Very good analysis. The same holds true for beer. I use a good beer glass designed for high end Belgian microbrews and can taste the difference!

[@billwarner213]

GREAT video! Very well done - thanks for the great info!

[@ksmit]

Love the analogies.....thanks for the demo. I'be been a cheap cabinet guy for so long.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

ksmit Thank you so much. I appreciate the kind words. Trust me, when you plug in to the Friedman, you will be blown away.

[@radmed979]

Thanks for the honesty

[@enricodedios2561]

Listening through my AKG headphones the mission sounded great to my ears 2nd is Line 6 and 3rd is Friedman asc12. Thanks for doing this comparison...

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Enrico de DIOS youre welcome!

[@doughitty6348]

Thanks for the info dude. I am dealing with this now. I just bought the AX8. It's been a real pain just find a good tone. I absolutely agree with you on a wood cab. Have looked at the Engl, orange an Marshall 2 12 cabs. Also dealing with reackmount amp vs head. Like the BE 100. I bought the AX8 so I wouldn't have to spend 2 to 3 grand on a head plus a cab. Going to back off for a bit and let the sound come to me... Thanks again

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

doug hitty my pleasure! I would STRONGLY recommend the Friedman ASC 12. Balls and transparency for days

[@TheIronWord]

spot on right here, i was misign that last 10% and i couldn't figure it out. Now im glad someone agrees. you need wood to replicate that tone.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you! Like I always say... Wood is good Poly, you on dat molly

[@TheSavage1969]

IMHO no need to overcomplicate things nor overthink them. If using a modeler and playing venues straight to FOH, setup your patches using a high quality PA monitor such as QSC, JBL, Bose, Yamaha, etc. since this is exactly what is going to be pumped out from FOH to your audience. Setting up your patches to sound great on your backline or stage monitor will only result in your sole satisfaction and not necessarily that of your audience which should be the priority of concern. I play through high-end amp/cabs at home but build presets through PAs. I highly recommend checking out the QSC K12's as a solid choice. This is just the opinion of an old man so your mileage may vary. Regards.

[@danabnormal5892]

Got a Laney LFR-112 for my helix. Great job

[@TheBeechiebaby]

Dan has the Laney a wooden cab or plastic?? Tia

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

Fantastic analogies too

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

WholeLottaBulldog THANK YOU!!!

[@ericsmith7287]

Convinced me. I like 2 of them, one for the dirty stuff and one for cleans. Thanks for the video.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Eric Smith the mission cab was rrally good for cleans.

[@garywaddell6309]

I’m trying to figure out if I learned more about FRFR, beer or coffee 😂 great video on the FRFR topic, thank you!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Haha glad you liked the video

[@PainterDans]

If your not using the same speakers as the studio your going to have to tweak your settings. Good video, it shows that even frfr speakers all color your sound differently. Same as guitar speakers.

[@BlueJazzMusic]

I'm a guitar nerd and I really enjoy your analysis of the gear. Finally a place I can go and get an accurate break down, both good and bad. This episode really hit home I have been using a Mackie DLM 12 and DLM 12S for my Helix and Roland GR-55. It sounded great in my studio and then I ventured out to the world and it sounded so woffy it drove me nuts all night. This video explains it. Thanks off to look at a Line 6 PowerCab 2-12... Thanks again.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you so much for commenting and sharing this with me. I'm so glad that my videos are helping people. I just reviewed the Line 6 powercab 2x12. It's actually a really good product.

[@alfaalex101]

Great video, playing starts at 13:40

[@andrewbutcher3391]

The Gemini and the Line 6 sounded best to me. I use the L2t at home and as a monitor or an amp at gigs. It's heavy but I think I will stick with it.

[@vernonleemonii3334]

This is a great video and explains literally what happened to me today at our practice today! I thought I had my sound/tones locked down & good to go here at my house, then leave to go to practice and all of tones sounded thin and tingy and high pitched like there weren't any Mids within the tones. Threw me for a loop and had to revert back to my previous pedal board to find out the practice. Came home and started looking into why and came across your video, glad I did! This helps understand alot more of what I'm dealing with! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Vernon Leemon you're very welcome! What speaker did you dial your tone in on?

[@ericsmith7287]

I finally pulled the trigger on the one that I like. Thanks again for this video. I refer people to it all the time. Before I was building patches with IEMs or phones. Now I can actually hear the difference between each of the amps. Before they all sounded the same.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Eric Smith my pleasure! What frfr did you end up with?

[@mikeaustin4138]

If you're trying to decide what to buy, you might consider getting a used Atomic Reactor. They make 2 tube-based FRFR models - the 112 and the 50-watt version. I had the 112 (18 watts) and sold it for the 50-watt version, primarily because the 50 watt version has more features. (I'm not a professional and 18 watts is loud enough to play with a drummer, so I didn't need the additional power.) Another option is the Laney IRT-X. This is designed to be an "expansion" cabinet for your existing amplifier, but it is FRFR and can be used stand-alone. It has some nice features and can sometimes be gotten used on eBay/Reverb. (I paid < $250 for mine.)

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you for commenting. I've been trying to get my hands on the Atomic. Hopefully I will soon. Great advice!!

[@usta028]

I see that the Headrush FRFR-112 is pretty affordable. Will it be enough for "transparent" patch creation? It also seems great for smaller gigs.

[@WholeLottaBulldog]

This is good stuff man

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

WholeLottaBulldog THANK YOU! I'm glad you like it. Much more to come

[@claudetoybox]

I agree with everything you say. Dialling in a sound goes through many procedures. We spend so much time creating a great sound and then put it through a horrible speaker. The one thing that doesn't make sense to me is this: After spending a lot of time dialling in the right sound through a great FRFR speaker for our own stage sound, what about FOH? For example, we send Output 1 to FOH (AXE FX) and Output to to our monitor. So after all that work we've done, our FOH sound is most likely going to - two plastic speakers!! So the work pays off when we hear ourselves onstage, but FOH is still going to plastic PA speakers with a shitty sound! It's like, as guitar players, we can't solve everything! I'm sure some FOH speakers are made of wood but most of the pubs I play at that have in house PAs, have flown plastic FOH speakers! What do we do then? We'll always have a great onstage sound but not a great FOH sound - and though the FOH guy can EQ our sound, we're actually only solving half the problem!

[@Bri5150]

I'm using a QSC K12.2 for my FRFR set to studio monitor. I am also new to the helix. At first the sound was way off, but reading, reading, reading... Found out I had to cut the lows around 100 and the highs around 8. I was told this is because a normal guitar amp speaker would never produce those frequencies, so if you don't cut them out, it sounds like crap. It's better, but still needs more work.

[@nnalujim7848]

The Behringer sounds the best. Cheers.

[@MikeyGee001]

Gemini sounds awesome (personally I would dial out a bit of the WOOF) but at $1700 USD ... WOW !! That said, I wish you had an Alto in there since that is also a popular FRFR in the lower price range. I was surprised the Behringer did as well as it did considering the price difference from the Gemini

[@sjsphotog]

Yes can you do a LOW PRICE shootout as my budget is

[@prsplayer210]

I own the Headrush and my father in law owns the Mission gemini, we both like the Headrush better, and it costs 299$

[@ianlinder2168]

The room acoustics play a really big roles in the differences between home and live/studio usage.

[@TomiY1]

Really looking forward to trying out the new HeadRush FRFR-112... supposed to be pretty damn good!

[@SpectorEuro4]

How'd you like it

[@pipelineaudio]

Thank you for this. Transparency, accuracy, and repeatability MATTER! For all the marketing towards pretengineers and guitar players, all the audiophile psuedoscience nonsense and myths designed to separate you and your wallet from reason, having as flat a base as possible to start with will allow you to make decisions with actual predictability.

[@pipelineaudio]

Oops, should have listened to the whole thing before commenting. You went right off the flat earth deepend

[@bobajobrobb999]

Just a thought... if you always play through the same foh speakers, wouldn't it make sense just to dial your tone into those?

[@sjsphotog]

Hey nice Dream Theater t-shirt. Petrucci and DT are my fave. The Astonishing tour show was un-freaking! believeable. Superb sound, visuals and lighting show to say the least. One of the best shows I saw. Not their best album and not my fave but a great show. DT forever!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Stephen Soukup I'm a total DT nerd. JP is my boy!! You're correct, that tour was amazing. I was leaning on the stage 3 feet away from Petrucci the whole night. We did the meet and greet as well. I'll never forget that night.

[@gregwilliams2764]

your advice. Great for electronic drums ? because i mix all sound in computer???

[@PDXguitarfreak]

Hey man, that was a great video! What do you recommend for people that own the helix and are only using it for home recording purposes. I’m looking for a monitor that will give me the flat response that sounds exactly like what the helix should be producing but I don’t need lots of volume I just need accuracy

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you like the video. For home recording, I would recommend a really good pair of powered studio speakers. If you want a cab, the Friedman ASC 12 is very accurate and punchy

[@PDXguitarfreak]

Hey thanks bro, I appreciate the response back. The Friedman's look like a great product, but probably more than I need, and probably more geared toward live applications (I think, but correct me if wrong... then again, perhaps that was the point of your response). Have you been hearing about any specific studio monitors that are well suited for FRFR?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

@@PDXguitarfreak you're welcome. Regarding the studio monitors, what's your budget?

[@PDXguitarfreak]

I'd love to spend $600, but I know that's pretty limiting... perhaps $800. After doing more research today, I'm thinking about a pair of Yamaha HS8's which would put me at around $700 new.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

@@PDXguitarfreak KRK is another good choice

[@guille_toledo76]

I was very impressed with this sound test. I feel very nervous, because I'm about to purchase a Helix LT , but I still have my Marshall MG 102 CFX and don't know how it's gonna sound or if I should connect the Helix to the return loop effect and switch off the cab block. Now I know for sure that a I need an FRFR speaker like the Line 6 Powercab 112, but It will have to wait, since I live in Chile and they are quite expensive 😟. Have you ever test a Headrush 112 BTW????

[@michaelperry2446]

GREAT VID! I AM JUST NOW LOOKING AT FRFR OR STUDIO MONITORS. I AM WANTING TO BUILD MY OWN CAB WITH AN FRFR SPEAKER. CAN U RECOMMEND A QUALITY SPEAKER AND SET UP? THANKS

[@kinotorres]

nice video dude!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

kinotorres thank you

[@liquidsmokemustang1537]

Very informative. The Mission Gemini sounded the best and most transparent IMO. Have you tried the Headrush 108 or 112? Would be interesting to hear those compared to the Gemini.

[@metalgear4199]

To my ears, coming from valves and standard cabinets, Behringer sounds really good

[@Bognerman14]

Your title says "Important" but for a second I thought it said, "Impelliteri." I thought maybe you were gonna give us an Impelliteri shred demo! Ha! Great video....

[@tomulator]

One thing that would be interesting is to see how close you can dial in say...the Mackie Thump 12 to the Friedman. Many people who can’t afford a high end FRFR might be able to borrow one and “tone match” it...🤷🏻‍♂️

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

Mission Gemini 2 sounded the best to my ears then the Friedman.

[@echelecopao]

I would simply bring whatever amp or powered speaker I used at home to the gig/studio. Simply use one that has enough power, or if necessary get it mic'ed up at the gig along with the other instruments, amps, etc

[@bailey12444]

The line 6 played through the line 6 link with helix is better I think that’s how I run mine cheers great video bro

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thank you!! The line 6 speakers are definitely pretty good in PA mode.

[@bailey12444]

TONE WARS I love the sound of the mission , I would like to see it vs the atomic clr

[@GtrMan863]

Last year my band played a lot of shows until the virus, my friends and family complained not about my playing but about my tone I was using a Headrush powered speaker, as I had time off from work I made some adjustments to the hi and lo cut of the speaker cabs in my Helix not sure if it helped because I haven't played out, the band I was in would get pissed if I plugged into the house so I only did a few times, I got a Katana ii and there is a amp input for guitar processors, is there anything else I can try? love this channel

[@JamesBurwellActual]

Have you ever tried the Helix through Yamaha DBR12s? It's a plastic PA/Monitor wedge. Wanted to know what you thought of it as far as accuracy/consistency.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

James Burwell yes I have. IMHO, it's the best poly enclosed unit so far. It's not as dull as the others. That said, I st I'll ll prefer the Friedman. More transparency, rage and balls

[@willman100]

Great video. What about a high quality PA speaker enclosed in a Baltic Birch cabinet?

[@TheLaw1]

Do you run your impulse responses into the Friedman/Mission cabs? If so, why? Wouldn't that be like having a large cup of coffee, then you put a smaller cup of coffee inside the bigger cup before you will drink it?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

The Law I use ownhammer ir's. And I tried bypassing the ir and it sounds like static mixed with aids.

[@ronnieparfait]

Love your Monarchy, do you find it a challenge going back and forth from the bolt-on neck of the BFR (I think that’s right) to the all access neck of the Monarchy?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

ronnieparfait thank you. I love it too. I actually talk about that very thing in my review of the Monarchy. There is definitely an adjustment period of 10 to 15 minutes when I go from one to the other. That said, they both have definitive characteristics that make them special in their own way.

[@SteveKuhMusic]

Thanks for this video. The difference between the expensive and inexpensive speakers is stark. Are you saying that when you dial in what you’re looking for on a true FRFR at home, then that tone will transfer accurately to FOH (subject to minor tweaks)?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

That is correct

[@HickoryTropicals]

I really love the Mission Gemini I would have already bought one if i could get it from zzounds the can finance for me But ill eventually have one awesome video Jarrod

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Mike Francis thank you!

[@tanza14]

great video just completely confused.. if 2 cabs are frfr they should sound the same right? or at least pretty close given the different builds.. the mission and Friedman sounded vastly different.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

tanza14 Thank you, I'm glad you like the video. I totally agree with you as well. They all sound different even though a lot of them claim to be full range flat response. Check out this video of me comparing each cab to my direct recorded tone. Let me know what you think kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5XGlXuKq8x2ha8

[@p.c.1019]

tanza14 I’m with you. Plus, if all eq levels aren’t set flat across the board, isn’t the tone being colored from the get? It’s super subjective. I’ll say this...the Mission and Friedman are likely the easiest to dial in, because of the r&d, and quality. You’re starting from a good scratch. Great video tho. Much appreciated. Kinda wish you would have said which ones got you closest to a hassle-free transition in a studio/live. Gotta guess it’s the Mission/Friedman? Thanks for the vid.

[@Tecom38415]

Those Laney active Cabs are insane check em out

[@epiphonevermelha]

Great video. I'm completely new to digital gear. I bought a line 6 hx stomp for use with amps modeler only. I am currently using the stomp on the return of the laney Lionheart 5w combo FX loop but I am not completely satisfied. I would like to try a FRFR cab. I'm undecided between Headrush cab and line 6 power cab 112. What would you recommend from these two?

[@danabnormal5892]

Paulo Madeira I use a Laney Lfr-112 with my helix. Fantastic frfr cab for reasonable cost

[@jlondon53]

Thanks for doing this. It does show me (and it's shocking) how different speakers, all claiming to be FRFR, can be. But I'm not sure this is showing me that one is actually better than another. While some obviously sound better than others (like the Mission), you don't say which speaker you used to create the patch/tone (I'm suspecting the Mission) to your personal liking. How good would the Mission speaker have sounded in this demo if you had created the patch/tone on, say, the Stagesource? What I'm suggesting is that whatever speaker is used to create the tone might sound a lot better in the side by side trial. Also, it's been my experience that whatever sounds good in your living room is 'still' not going to sound the same in a different setting. Regardless, I'm heading over to the Mission Engineering website soon as I finish typing this. Also I'm having high hopes for the new Line 6 Powercab 112 (or 212 when they get around to it). Again thanks. It was very educational for me.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

jlondon53 thank you. I'm glad you got something out of this. I also have high hopes regarding the Line 6 Powercab. I'll be reviewing it very soon!

[@fernandolaserra514]

have you ever tested the yamaha dxr10?

[@speedriff]

So which do you find gives you a reference sound? I’m assuming it’s the Mission Gemini? I say this because to my ears all the others sounded, well, not so good. Great video and yes, you need a speaker that will translate to accurate FOH unless you are just going to mic the cab.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

I found the Friedman to be the closest

[@juanvaldez5422]

How do you feel about the powercab ? I pulled the trigger on a kemp head and remote even though I been using helix but I’m going to need a frfr being I have been using the helix 4cm with a tube amp. Also, have you used the kemper with a tube amp? Like going in the amp effects return to utilize the power amp section?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

I think the kemper sounds best when he run it through a tube power Amp and real cab. It shines big time. I actually think the power cab is a decent unit. That said, the Kemper Kab is more suitable for the kemper because of the features that it has. It sounds really good as well. Keep in mind it's not powered though.

[@juanvaldez5422]

TONE WARS do you think it sounds ok ran through the power section of a tube amp via effects return then into cab? Thanks for responding . Nobody in KZbin , but you and a few, talk any about how to actually route the kemper or the helix

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

@@juanvaldez5422 no problem. Yeah it sounds great if you run it thru the return of an amp head

[@briandgr8st]

I have a question. What is Line6 L3M “reference setting?” And Line6 L3M “ele guitar setting?” The “ele guitar settting” sounds lightyears better than reference setting. How do we get that kind of setting? Thanks this video has helped alot.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

The settings are on the back.of the speaker

[@tomw1970]

IMO the Mission sounded best but I realize that's not the point. Best doesn't always equate to accurate depending on how your unit is dialed in. Also sounding best would be subjective. Understanding that this is the point of this video I'm betting either it or the Friedman were the most transparent. I think it would be interesting to see each cab tested with a spectrum analyzer, each cab having pink noise run through them, same can position, same mic positioning and same DB level. Also it would be interesting to see if a cab could be made more accurate using the same procedure with a graphic EQ. If so then you could say this cab sounds like crap because it's mids are exaggerated in this range etc

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Tom White hey Tom, thanks for commenting. I really like what you said here. I would love to see analytics for these cabs/monitors as well. Like you, I want the most transparent FRFR cab I can get. Here's a video that I posted comparing my direct recorded tone to the cabs. Let me know what you think. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5XGlXuKq8x2ha8

[@JFRiley]

Great video, thanks (and subscribed!) I’m just starting to learn about these new gen multi effects boards. My last one was a Boss ME something from 2004. Now I play a mark v with full pedal board set up. What are your thoughts on getting rid of the pedal board but running a helix or fractal into a Mesa amp using 4CM?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks so much for subscribing! Regarding your question, go for it. I run my helix via 4cm with my Synergy rig. It switches everything and gives me great fx.

[@howardronan1339]

you prolly dont care at all but does anyone know of a method to log back into an Instagram account..? I somehow forgot my login password. I would appreciate any help you can offer me.

[@dakotalayne7717]

@Howard Ronan instablaster ;)

[@howardronan1339]

@Dakota Layne i really appreciate your reply. I found the site on google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@howardronan1339]

@Dakota Layne it worked and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D Thanks so much you saved my ass!

[@michalmikolajmaslowski3994]

Thanks for the video, I leally liked it. I'm pondering a Friedman ASM-12 with Ace-FX III going along with a Majesty Monarchy. Given the concerns that you've addressed in the video, does this sound like a reasonable platform? I am specifically asking in terms of the actual FRFR model choice for and the modeller. Thanks!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

TheToneZone the Friedman will be a perfect match for you. Transparency, punch, headroom and clarity

[@michalmikolajmaslowski3994]

Thank you very much for your reply. I hate to be asking, but how would you view it relative to a Gemini Wedge (if you have had the pleasure of using the latter), tonally speaking? Entirely subjectively speaking from my angle here, I find a lot more pronounced sparkle, or the high-end in the Gemini when compared to the Friedman in question. Thanks for your time, and keep on rocking!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

TheToneZone you're very welcome. They are both fantastic products. If you play modern metal, djent, prog and heavier type stuff, the Friedman would be more what you are looking for. If you're playing more classic or blues or jazz then go with the mission.

[@michalmikolajmaslowski3994]

Thanks!

[@OM-et4qj]

Hey man thanks for this video. Can i ask you 2 questions? The Behringer b215a is an active pa speaker, right? Can i connect my multi effects unit straight into something like the Behringer B215A?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

You're welcome. Regarding your questions...yes and yes

[@OM-et4qj]

@@TONEWARSgearshow thank you very much. Have a great day and stay safe.

[@joe1003]

we need an updated version with the laney lfr-212 and lfr-112 any other frfr cab since 2017 when this was made....and then the frfr celestion speakers in a 2x12 and 4x12 cabinet also would be nice

[@Nick-ox6gz]

i had a kemper cabinet, n i wish to upgarde to friedman ac12, is that ac12 much better than the kemper cabinet..? 😊

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

I'd stick with the kab

[@kristofkolosnagy9152]

Any info on the Tech 21 Powe Engine Deuce Deluxe?

[@shanewallace4294]

Should call this guy Mr. analogy😉

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Shane Wallace You're not the 1st person who has said that lol. If I was a superhero, I think my name would be "Analogy Man"

[@TheVigilantStewards]

Yeah, the Gemini seems to sound very real. Does it translate very well/with a lot of accuracy? I thought that and the friedman were my favorites, but the Friedman seems to have so much midrange.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

They are both great products. Out of the two, I definitely prefer the Friedman though. in my humble opinion, the friedmen represented my direct recorded tone the best

[@TheVigilantStewards]

@@TONEWARSgearshow Oh really!? Good to know, thank you. From what I could tell online I thought the gemini was more transparent. I'd prefer the simpler of the two and more accurate sounding, but also the one that is most fun to play in the room

[@corymoore5093]

What was the cab sim you were using? That's what is really important here. How accurately does the FRFR reproduced the cab that is being simulated

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

I believe I was using an IR from the Ownhammer HHVII series. The Friedman definitely presents the difference cab sims very well

[@justinarmbruster3960]

Just out of curiosity what do you think about the gemini 2 over the matrix 212 frfr?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Justin Armbruster great question. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to try out the matrix yet. I will soon though.

[@SteveKay77]

Hi, I have a Gemini 1 and I find it’s distorting if the master on the helix is turned up. Is that clipping? I wouldn’t have expected that as I thought it was powerful. Where do you run your master on your helix into the frfr?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Steve Kay sorry to hear that. I typically have my volume at 12:00. That does sound like a clipping issue.

[@SteveKay77]

TONE WARS The problem I face is I need to have the master up to full for the pa to get a decent signal. So obviously this is making the speaker clip on the mission, is there a way of having less volume go through one xlr output than the other one?

[@PatDeJongeSoundwise]

Nice...But... What amp are you using the drive these speakers?

[@SCgrad98]

All of the speakers are powered.

[@joeriley5633]

Tone Wars, is it possible to run 2 studio monitors and a Friedman ASM12 at the same time? I have monitors but I am also interested in the Friedman, I do like to have a stereo image.

[@joeriley5633]

Sorry forgot to mention I meant with a Helix.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Joe Riley yes you can. There's several optiins. 1/4" out to monitors XLR to friedman

[@benburnett8109]

Very interesting test. Great player, great sound, except for the mackie and line 6; those sounded awful. IN blind tests, The Behringer sounded best to me. The Freidman was awful out of the high dollar stuff----In my opininon. Here is what I did. I went to the 4 main clubs ( I live in a very small town in MO) and found out what equipment they used. All of them used a large board (behringer or mackie) and EV speakers/monitors. All had EV speakers and monitors. I could not afford EV so I bought the Powered monitors that sounded most like the EV's at a very loud bedroom volume. Not scientific but close enough. Going from a Freidman or MIssion to a FOH board/monitor/speaker setup would be disastrous in my opinion.Especially when you add in a board. In addition, NONE of the "sound guys" even knew what a Helix or a Fractal was and this was in 2017. I am sure in bigger cities this would not be an issue but it is here and I suspect in other small towns as well. I think if you approximate the setup used in your live venue, and work with that, you are in a better postion than working with Freidmans or Mission One, THEN going into a live setting. Just my thoughts. By the way, in all 4 settings, they asked me to "setup that weird shit" so I did. In addition, Accurate is a strange way of looking at this. I see what you are saying, though. Your Mesa should sound like a Mesa and a Marshall should sound like a Marshall. However; find me two of those amps that sound the same. I've tried for years. Two mesa's in a music store sound different every time. So in my long winded rambling opinion ACCURACY DOES NOT MATTER, great tone does. You can sound like a mesa going into a behringer just like you could into a EV/board. The idea is "similar" not identical. Great video and I love your channel And that guitar was absolutely gorgeous. ----Ben

[@ExplicableCashew]

Silly question: would it make sense to take a reference track (Bohemian Rhapsody, Jesus of Suburbia, Master of Puppets, what have you, something that everyone is familiar with) and line-in it into each speaker? Shouldn't it demonstrate the flatness of each speaker in a similar manner to how people are testing studio monitors and headphones?

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

That could be an option for sure. Some FRFR cabs only have XLR inputs though. Which may make it more difficult to do.

[@ExplicableCashew]

@@TONEWARSgearshow Thanks for answering! I actually looked around for a video like this and couldn't find it...

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

@@ExplicableCashew my pleasure!!!

[@stuffwithjon]

Is the headrush frfr okay for homeplay? Why didnt you use it to compare here? Couldve been educational

[@JD-td6xu]

Great Overview! Thank you for the information. Makes my decision easier. Cheers!!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

JD thank you. So which FRFR product are you going with?

[@JD-td6xu]

I went with the Friedman... Purely for the guitar! A full range compliment that can be dialed back for warmth and softer tone Faith, jazz, blues, classic rock; with room the ramp it up for scream, crunch headroom found or required in metal, grunge alternative heavy genres. Winner!! And yes, I will go for the Mission Gemini II (when I have the cash in hand) for guitar, vocal, aux blending where the need for headroom and scream is not required. Cheers!!

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

JD the Friedman, even when cranked sounds clear as a bell. Huge headroom as you stated

[@SeskinStudio]

Hi. Can't thank you enough for the extremely helpful videos! I'm a new Helix owner and trying to make the transition to FRFR. I thought the ability to mic the Gemini was very interesting, but why is that the only FRFR here that can do that? I've been reading about how many people have issues with sound guys at gigs when trying to go direct to PA from Helix (output too hot, etc), so seems like it would be great to have the backup option of mic'ing just like an amp.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Brian Seskin thanks for the kind words, I'm glad you like the videos. To your question, most FRFR cabs/monitors have a separate woofer and tweeter. Thats why it's so hard to mic thwm. That said, I've never had trouble going direct at a venue yet...fingers crossed

[@wj74]

13:40 for start of comparison

[@potatosalad9519]

how many watt is the gemini 2 you are using?

[@aholder4471]

The mission sounds great but for that money, as a sound guy, I'd buy 2 qsc K12 speakers. They have a new model out now, the .2 series so the originals should have some good deals going on. Just my two cents. It's a beautiful can though.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

aaron holder thanks for commenting. I actually did a shootout with the Friedman and the QSC speakers. The Friedman sounded much better. Check it out and let me know what you think.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

aaron holder kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXLZg6Wgg9Wrrbc

[@peevee605]

What a difference between the Friedman and the Line6 and Mackie. No wonder sound engineers would be puzzled.

[@redstripe41j]

I think you forgot option #4... Some people just suck at dialing in a good tone lol. Not necessarily always the engineer. I dig your tones so I'm not referring to you, but in general some people have a tough time dialing in a good tone because they don't know what goes into dialing it in right.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

StefanShredsabit great point! Actually @ 19:40 I mentioned that via text. :) Once again, that is a great point and I'm glad you posted this

[@MrSchon1]

I’m playing an ax8 through a Mackie mixer into 2-15 yr old Behringer cabs. Can’t imagine having a better sound for the money. Running everything flat and have used same settings in recording with no issues. God with all the available eq options only a minor tweak if any is necessary! If you start with a buzz saw tone, no speaker system will help you out much. Point is if your playing out your going to be playing through a P A. Surely your not going to just use FRFR cab.

[@aic92581]

So, I have a Kemper 600W powered head & just recently learned about FRFR technology. I'm looking to get a new 2x12 cabinet. Either a Splawn vertical 2x12 with creamback Celestions, a Mission 2x12 FRFR cab or a Headrush FRFR Floor cab for $300. What do you suggest & why? The Mission is good, but it's fucking $1600 lol.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

aic92581 have you tried the Friedman ASC 12?

[@thecentralscrutinizerr]

Best bang for the buck: The Behringer.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Central Scrutinizer I will say that the Behringer surprised me. Especially for the price

[@williyG70]

What do you think, both home and gigs: FRFR 112 or 212? Thanks !

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

I'd go 212 and tube poweramp

[@WhiteLionParade]

The Friedman cab definitely sounded the best with my ears. Have you ever compared this with the Line 6 power cab plus? Only as it’s more affordable than the Friedman. I’ve got an art 310 A speaker with my helix (recommended by the music shop) but I’m not too keen on the sound. Good video 👍

[@justinTime077]

You da man 👍

[@RichardLuna2025]

Need a update, what about the line6 power cab 112 plus or the headrush 112 I'm only concerned about clear and accurate sounding in the room for practice-

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

Thanks for commenting. I will get that done for you ASAP!!

[@RichardLuna2025]

@@TONEWARSgearshow Thank you, I started playing guitar later in life and it m still using my spider jam. I watched this video when you first released it and it was very helpful because I wanted to get a kemper- So thank you for explaining what frfr speakers are, because I had no idea what my next step was going to be in the bottomless pit $$$$$ of the tone chasing game. You saved me alot of money. The kemper and gemini are wonderful but I went with the line 6 and a headrush pedal, I hope the search is over! 😁

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

@@RichardLuna2025 I'm glad you found what works for you!! Thanks for the kind words too. By the way, I'm uploading an episode today about the digital platform rabbit hole. I hope you enjoy that as well. Happy New Year

[@THALL0120]

People dont understand what sounds good in the room usually wont work in a mix lol.Ive found it best to get the source tones through studio monitors.I had a mackie thump had to cut alot of the low end for it to even sound good in the room.If you want that real amp in the room tone u need a "Real wood" cab lol 2x12 is my fav.You could even just get a cheap 2x12 combo and just throw it in the return of the effects loop.

[@TONEWARSgearshow]

I'm now using a Synergy SYN 50/50 power amp and 2 Mesa 2x12 cabs. I'm really liking it too.