In-Depth Look: NAM player Hardware and Software Walkthrough

[@ric771612]

Here are my first thoughts on the NAM player. I bought the pedal at full price, so my opinions are genuine. I've played it alongside the ToneX all week, using the same AmalgamAudio profiles to keep the comparison fair. In my experience, the NAM player is superior to the ToneX in terms of tone quality. It feels better under the fingers, and the customer service is fantastic. Although the NAM costs more than the ToneX, I do believe the extra money is well spent if you care about tone.

[@CTBlaze]

@@ric771612 the Amalgam captures are frickin amazing, on the NAM Player pedal!!!✌️

[@jconner3891]

I just bought a fm3 a month ago. Never stopped me before. I buy this as well. Screw practicing guitar. I love gear. ❤

[@KmanFlyDrone]

Lol!

[@ItaiIfrach]

Nothing to regret about, choose the FM3 as a stereo time based fx after Dimehead- should be fantastic

[@luisfguitar]

Hahahahhaha😂

[@billahler7728]

Same here

[@teriakamoto]

I thought I was the only one.

[@TheNino37]

I'm a big fan of all the new devices hitting the market that move the great new software onto the stage for live performance.

[@TudorAdrian]

Noise gate threshold being defined globally could come with its own issues if you have patches for hi-gain rhythm and leads. Dialing in the gate for the chugs can end up cutting the sustain on the leads (same as for cleans / EoB tones).

[@tiomkinnyborg2289]

The long press to delete should bring up a dialogue box with a choice to cancel or delete. Otherwise a good beginning.

[@CTBlaze]

good one, hopefully also with the factory reset😊

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

Just seen latest facebook post and that's fixed and included now.

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

Currently testing a DIMEHEAD NAM player. Man, the low latency of this thing is just stunning. Factory captures are also pretty, pretty nice. Espescially considering how many mediocre captures you can find on Tonehunt sometimes.

[@PippPriss]

This seems like an incredibly well thought-out product. As a big time NAM-fan and one of the "OG" adopters, short before it blew up: if there is any chance for a collaboration on presenting the product on my channel, I would be incredibly honored to put this device through it's paces! You have made all the things better which the ToneX has failed to do so - congratulations already on this astonishing product.

[@CTBlaze]

hey man, good to hear - I expected nothing else from the Brainiac behind the NAM Player pedal 🤩 Would you care to highlight a few points where the ToneX is inferior, in your view/experience?🙏

[@Sperzel]

Except add an fx loop, that would have really killed the Tonex imo

[@youscreamiscream]

It has an effects loop ​@@Sperzel

[@Bigfamilyhomestead]

A.I. voice and no audio examples?

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXqaaayie9GnnqM&ab_channel=DIMEHEAD

[@aviolentpurple9925]

I think dime head is probably a crappy Chinese company

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

@@aviolentpurple9925 Nope. Two Guys from north Germany, who started developing this idea in their free time while full-time working as software developers and electronic engineers for different companies.

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

@@aviolentpurple9925 Incorrect. Dimehead are based in Germany.

[@aviolentpurple9925]

Ah okay thanks!!!

[@CTBlaze]

This is one of the greatest inventions/developments in the domain of guitar/bass pedals from Germany in the last couple of years. Idea, Circuit Design, Parts Choice, Enclosure & UI design, DSP programming and much more, all done locally by bright Northern Lights in Germany, I am in awe, seriously. Ordered one right away!🤩👍

[@MaxPowersTastyTones]

Looks dope so far! I‘m really curious how this will sound! I‘d love to demo one sometime! ❤

[@nj1255]

Looks great! Pretty straightforward and utilitarian, which is how I like my pedals. €200 more than the ToneX pedal, but the higher quality captures and more features definitely makes up for the difference in price.

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

... Especially if you consider in order to play proper good quality nam models as of now you still need a good audio interface plus a rather capable PC and yet, the performance (especially the latency) wouldn't be equally good.

[@HanhaloArt]

fx loop to use with other analog gear would be such a benefit

[@RafaelNunes-sd3sj]

Very nice !! Congratulations👍

[@NO-TALK-GuitarPlugin]

Wow they managed to put the DSP power of a gaming PC into a pedal to run the FULL NAM tech…!! And with imperceptible latency at 0,5ms (it’s like the time sound out to travel 17 centimeters..!!!) It’s less latency than any Mac/PC with a 2k$ sound interface. What a great time to be alive❤❤❤❤

[@guitartoneSA]

No balanced stereo output to FOH.

[@CTBlaze]

​@@guitartoneSAwhy stereo? for the built-in effects? that's luxury 😜 (and would need a different design in space and circuitry I reckon). Despite the huge screen, it's made to be as compact as you can with the parts and I/O needed

[@arschi6554]

​@@guitartoneSA which then sends a mono signal to the speakers 😂😂

[@kellenmichaelguitar]

@@CTBlazeThis guy gets it

[@TurquoiseArmies]

Does it support 500ms IR’s. I love some real room mic IR’s mixed in… I guess the convolution reverb loader would handle those if you crank the mix to 100%. Great job guys!

[@BlazonStone]

My only concern is the spacing between footswitches. They seem a bit close to each other for accurate footwork and risk of misclicking two at once in a live situation

[@dimehead]

It's always a compromise between board space and ease of use. You can easily connect an external MIDI controller to change presets.

[@teriakamoto]

Is this unit something for an old guy with very limited computer skills and is it useful right out of the box ? Usable IR’s out of box ? FX ? Most importantly, Amp Tones like Fender Chime/Cleans and Diezel high gain ? I was told it’s not a modeler, but a Snapshot of certain Rigs. I returns the TONEX after day 2.

[@MetalJare]

Looks amazing. Ill like to have also an Integrated Pitchshifter upfront the line input, just in case you miht need to have it on live gig where you cannot chage tuning all the time

[@ryanhalliwell6671]

Holy shit! I knew this was coming

[@dylanjastle]

This thing is awesome

[@Brodensson]

Looks awesome! Can you tell me what the exact dimensions of the pedal are? Trying to size up a new pedal board and need to see how to make it fit! I see the weight on your website, but no dimensions (yet)!

[@dimehead]

188 mm x 120 mm x 56 mm (7.4 in x 4.7 in x 2.2 in)

[@Brodensson]

@@dimehead thank you!

[@paulbradshawguitar]

very interesting, Stereo outputs would be incredible , I/O makes quite a difference if it's a question of space constraints moving connections to accommodate for stereo output could be an idea (e.g midi + headphone out on the side of the unit), or otherwise 2x Line outputs (like other modellers have, is ok) it might be an idea to have the rotary knobs do different things on different pages so instead of them being assigned to one thing , depending on the page that's selected they can also be used to quickly change parameters (for example delay selected, knobs 1-3 change mix/time/feedback ) that way you get more usage out of the knobs instead of them being solely assigned to volume/bass/middle/treble for example, having knobs that are assignable from the main page (so for example if you always like to tweak delay mix from the first screen or another parameter) modifiers are otherwise always fun =) (LFOs etc..) , happy to give more feedback if you like

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

Regarding the lack of stereo output: It appears that this pedal is primarily tailored to suit the needs of regular gigging guitar or bass players, who probably don't rely on complex stereo setups during live shows. If you're seeking sophisticated multi-routing in a studio environment, there are already plenty of other software options available. Sure, those still don't have the low latency we have here.

[@paulbradshawguitar]

@@fuzzaldryn9626 i get that, it's to have those options should that be a possibility, having a single amp profile with stereo effects (headphone users will hear the difference or if you have the option of going out in stereo) there are other ways of course of achieving this, but if the option/development is there why not explore i'd perhaps otherwise suggest some kind of FX loop then to incorporate other effects

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

@@paulbradshawguitar It's the company's first real market product. Let's see, what further products for users with a different user profile they will come up with. ;-) I personally would love to have a power amp to be already implemented instead of the line out. Because that would be the ultimate flexible and transportable gigging machine for me.

[@paulbradshawguitar]

@@fuzzaldryn9626 for sure, interested to see how this develops for me, a power amp would add extra weight/mass and cost, and a lot of gigging guitarists (myself included here) tend to use IEMs , silent stage or already have a power amp + cab combo, or some people just use FRFR style speakers, the extra cost is the biggest concern i think

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

@@paulbradshawguitar don't think a modern class d amp would add much weight or costs. These things are nowadays pretty efficient and cheap (and surprisingly good sounding IMHO). For me it definitely would add practicality, as I'm just an average hobbiest jumping from rehearsal room jam session to rehearsal room jam session, where mostly there isn't much more available than a spare speaker cab. So yeah, completely different profile in my case I guess. :D

[@Mr_Bollie]

Awesome! Ordered one, as so far only the NAM VST is really able to satisfyingly reproduce my Friedman Smallbox 50. All the other current solutions kinda fail. So I'm expecting great from this! Can you tell us what kind of processor you are using? It must be some beefy hardware.

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

You would be surprised.. but nope, no beefy hardware. Just think about it: less than 500mA current draw. ;-) Made possible by some clever and well thought code optimizations, which is also partly why this thing comes with this initial "hefty" price tag. It's not like they just took the open source NAM as it is and simply build some hardware. It's meticulous software optimizations AND hardware development (which could be fairly called the easier part of this product).

[@Mr_Bollie]

@@fuzzaldryn9626 The used Cortex A72 is actually almost a decade old. So I wonder what they did to the Wavenet libs to make them run efficiently on that platform. ;)

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

​@@Mr_Bollie... Well, that's the secret coding sauce. ;)

[@Mr_Bollie]

@@fuzzaldryn9626 Not a fan of "secret sauce", when it comes to base a product on open source software. It should be a give and take, so it would be nice to see any optimizations be shared back with the community. Perhaps that has been happening already, dunno. :)

[@slazinger]

This looks promising to be honest

[@BlazonStone]

The 0.5ms latency sounds too good to be true, I hope it really delivers!

[@dimehead]

Feel free to watch Leo Gibson's video about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJfSl6SvlN-dlaM

[@CTBlaze]

@@BlazonStone it's just like that, 0.5-0.8ms, not noticable at all. Real audio and DSP engineering, not at all crappy as so much other stuff, but a class of it's own.

[@thecaveofthedead]

Superb work.

[@steffenberg4480]

Will it be possible to add 2 NAM captures in the Signal chain? One Amp capture + Drive capture? Thanks

[@arschi6554]

It is now possible with the latest firmware update.

[@uwegoldschmidt7575]

Hi, kann ich mit dem NAM Player auch captures heruntwerladen, die ansonsten für den Neural DSP Cortex gemacht sind? Grüße Uwe

[@dimehead]

Moin Uwe; das ist leider nicht möglich. NDSP ist ein geschlossenes System und läuft auf keiner fremden Hardware/Software.

[@ValeriaGallardo]

Where to buy. Do you send to Chile or do you have a distributor?

Is there a plan to include a boost state on second press of a selected preset? That's a good feature to have. Ideally, it would comprise a change in all parameters needed (gain, effects/mix, volume, etc.)

[@nebroTtfeoH]

Looks very interesting. What’s the innovation in comparison to a MOD Dwarf? I only see it a bit more guitarist focused with certain knobs to directly adjust the typical settings. But the MOD Dwarf seems to have much more sound capabilities with all the effects and wiring options. Or am I missing something??

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

The Mod Dwarf doesn't have enough CPU power to load any standard architecture NAM models. So, if you want something to load standard NAM models (the vast majority of models on Tonehunt), NAM Player is the only option in a hardware pedal. The idea is to do that job perfectly, without any struggles, which means a 10x more powerful CPU is requited. Also, additional features such as loading Cab IRs, Reverb IRs, a delay, other FX options are planned.

[@moroboshidan7960]

Finally somebody did it. The latency is 0.5ms even with standard models?

[@kevinac4397]

Does adding reverb and delay increase the 0.5ms latency?

[@LegendLength]

nicely done i know that kind of UI would throw up some challenges for you

[@akaerik1]

🤯😳🤩😍 want this yesterday

[@faben70]

That's really a good product, but for the price I would have expected some more features; 2 model slots in series (so to be able to load a pedal model and an amp model), and a dual IR with stereo output and pan for each one of the 2 impulses. 1ms latency would still be great if 2 models in series require more latency. Wouldn't mind about reverb, although it's useful - and what's the point of a mono reverb by the way?

[@cancion5791]

Does it have ambient reverb, like shimmer type, that would be nice, also can it do snapshots, like 4 snapshots per preset/song that also be useful

[@CTBlaze]

you can load ANY Reverb IR into the Convolver part

[@XChristianNoirX]

The one thing that's gotten me not to the pull the trigger on any sort of profiling pedal yet is that none have Spdif. The reason is that I integrate the Kemper with the Fractal stuff via spdif to drop the Kemper in as an FX block to add profiling to the Fractal stuff. The large Kemper has spdif but the profile player does not. The ToneX pedals don't have it either, and neither does this. I suppose someone could have a solution where the USB plug could put out USB audio somehow to some sort of converter to SPDIF. It would also have to run at 24bit 48k to work with Fractal. My Fracta/Kemper spdif setup has been working great, but it's not portable enough anymore. I can't lug a big rack around these days. However, the benefits are great. The Fractal has better converter sonics or whatever, which make the Kemper sound better. Mainly, I've become totally dependent on my Fractal for FX because I can't duplicate them with any other device (believe me, I've spent $1000's trying, so it's non-negotiable for me at this point. :/ I could patch a "profile player" into a Fractal via audio cables, but that will introduce more conversion steps and latency, while eating up I/O. I also do use the 4-cable method already, so it becomes a bigger problem.

[@Bilsuburbians]

Very nice. But the UI kinda old like kemper. Im interested in the long run

[@rtchau4566]

What UI framework/kit does this use? I'm doing some embedded stuff and I'm hunting for a decent UI kit with menu heirarchy etc...

[@dimehead]

We tried many UI frameworks. Most of them are unusable, especially for LCDs. Eventually we developed our own :)

[@rtchau4566]

@@dimehead It looks super nice. What resolution is the LCD? I don't suppose you're open-sourcing the UI framework? :D

[@FrederickCouch]

When is this puppy coming on the market?

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

Sooon!

[@rosthariton7930]

​@@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugsNeural DSP loves this Word as well.

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

@@rosthariton7930 - yep, it has become a meme over the years. Most people reference it as a joke nowadays (including me).

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

Yesterday! pre-orders are live =)

[@tendingtropic7778]

Hmmm this or the nanocortex? unfortunately this one only has 1 fx slot and no fx loop (nano cortex doesnt either). and this one doesnt capture.. what is the benefit of this over the nanocortex?

[@dimehead]

The video hasn't been updated yet. Check out our homepage! The NAM Player has 2 capture (NAM) slots and can run 3 room effects simultaneously :) Plus, it features an FX Loop and XLR DI out.

[@nicolasrivera5310]

WoW!!!!!!

[@canconeteirodopunk]

do you think upgrade with tuner and compressor?

[@dimehead]

Both are planned for firmware updates in the near future.

[@mylogify]

@@dimehead For future updates, Paid or non-paid?

[@marceloSDMF]

Are you guys shipping to brazil?

[@zerstaerker]

Bietet ihr auch Ratenzahlung an? 🙈

[@tgchan]

Can you guys show how to implement Dimehead with pedals for live and studio? How would one connect pedals that normally go into FX loop? LINE OUT? and then from the last pedal into a mixer? Literally the one thing that is stopping me from buying/

[@CTBlaze]

@@tgchan Pedals go in front, and Delay and Reverb are on board! (DSP and 60s Convolver IR driven)

[@tgchan]

@@CTBlaze Yea but bascially you cannot use any FX return pedals that you normally use... BOSS SY-1, PS-6, BF-3, CE-5, TR-2, etc... just to name a few... A quite deal breaker... Funny enough... nobody mentions this...

[@CTBlaze]

@@tgchan funnily enough, the latest revision now has FX loop, and you can determine the placement in the chain with a parameter in the GUI

[@JohnWiku]

It's great that this already exists. I'd buy one today if the price was closer to the tonex pedal. This is way too expensive as it stands.

[@CarcPazu]

With the release of the Tonex One pedal at $180, I don't think they can match that price.

[@ObtuseRhombus]

​@@CarcPazu The ToneX One just upset everything. It's too good at that price point, especially when you factor in size and weight. Buy 2, leave them under the pedalboard. Set & Forget.

[@CarcPazu]

@@ObtuseRhombus Yes exactly, I actually bought two full size Tonex pedals to run them in stereo with a TC MIMIQ Doubler. Runs great but two of them takes so much place on my desk. Those tiny Tonex One are perfect. I root for that NAM player though, I hope it will work well and that people will embrace it, they'd be a great addition to this ecosystem.

[@ObtuseRhombus]

@CarcPazu Agreed! I am all for NAM and it having a physical home on a pedalboard. I think it has amazing opportunities for adaptation into a small format pedal. I can't wait to see what the open source community does over the next couple years!

[@CarcPazu]

@@ObtuseRhombus First order of things should be to have a proper installer like any other software, maybe it's already solved but last time I checked you had to compile something or whatever geeks do with their github gizmo thing… I never tried because of that.

[@jdubbs9655]

So, I already own a Quad Cortex. Am I missing something? How would this offering be more advantageous? 🤔

[@yargnad]

If you already own a Quad Cortex, this isn't for you.

[@shorerocks]

I have a Kemper for years. Super happy. Still interested. Just don't tell my wife.

[@TheRecurrence]

NAM generally edges out NSP. So if you have infinite money you may want this as well :)

[@ImpostorModanica]

Next version: Stereo inputs/outputs + stereo IR loader ❤

[@Scarlet_Host_Guitars]

When can we buy this?

[@dimehead]

you can pre-order now ;-)

[@swmorgan515]

Can it use captures made with Tonocracy?

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

Tonocracy is compatible with NAM models, but it has it's own separate capturing system/format and those aren't NAM files... they are a different proprietary format which means it isn't possible to use them in the NAM player pedal.

[@lankududniteshift]

Maybe in the next update, the Noise Gate threshold could be saved with different threshold level (or even switched off) per preset instead of globally. This is really a very promising product but as it is (same goes with the Tonex & Tonex One), it's not for me. Don't get me wrong, like i said this is a really promising product, but for me personally, i would like to have a stereo capable outputs (& even sweeter if it has separate stereo DI outputs with the Cab sim switched ON, while the 1/4" stereo outputs, having switchable Cab sim ON or Off)..... also a stereo effects loop built in. Other than that, i am very sure this product will be great for many others. Again, these are just my personal preference.

[@truthtorpedo99]

I loved the bit where you showed how it sounds by playing guitar using some example models

[@dimehead]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/lYWup2SsqLOXq7s

[@Adams456]

What about the hardware?

[@cuanyu]

What is the latency

[@dimehead]

0.5ms - take a look at our homepage at dimehead.de for more details. :)

[@Jerrythill]

No stereo?

[@svenandresen6494]

what will be the pricetag?

[@CTBlaze]

you can (pre-)order it now, around EUR 595,-

[@svenandresen6494]

@@CTBlaze thank you for your reply ... imo way to much

[@JohnWiku]

I can buy right now the toneX pedal for 380. There's no reason for this to cost 600 bucks when the ecosystem is open source.

[@CTBlaze]

@@JohnWiku but exactly that is the benefit and convenience! IK Multimedia will never serve you with THAT quality and amount of models; and the hardware platform with DSP programming has nothing to do with the open source world. It's a completely new hardware development, an ingenious invention actually!

[@schenkerrothmoore]

@@JohnWiku this company put in a ton of work in a short time 100+ hour weeks for many employees

[@joshuaranzman643]

It´s a pity, that that great device doesn´t have a send/return connection.

[@dylanjastle]

Yeah, putting a reverb/delay/chorus in the loop before it sends a balanced signal out would be really nice. Regardless, I’m tempted to buy one

[@marctamtonthat]

2 preset per bank is really not enough. 3 is would be the minimum. 64 bank also is too small.

[@JayStapley]

Can it load Kemper amp profiles?

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

No, that's not possible, but it can load NAM files =)

[@szveszs]

Man, 600 euros... I know, I know... But, man... Good equipament anyway.

[@vitaliistep]

For €300 it would be no brainer, €600 is too much considering the alternatives.

[@JohnWiku]

toneX pedal at 388 on Thomann. This pedal cannot ever be more than 100 bucks more expensive than that, let alone the current price

[@nebroTtfeoH]

That seems to be the price for made in Germany over made in China. For my part I miss an effects loop and dual amps in stereo. That would also justify its price tag.

[@vitaliistep]

@@nebroTtfeoH Nobody cares, made in China doesn't mean a bad quality anymore.

[@MrRob33]

Early adoption has it's price. So does buying something made by people who care about quality control over a sweatshop.

[@breakfasttouch]

at that cost, touch screen would have been the go

[@digitalchris6681]

Interesting. But for me to buy, the price would need to similar to the Tonex pedal which costs quite a lot less than this.

[@jconner3891]

The man in this video should be speaking about nature or someone 😂

[@artquantmindproject2116]

Compared to Tank G, it is 20 times cheaper, but the quality difference is no more than 30%.

[@pikkubuddha]

Only mono out…

[@CTBlaze]

What do you need stereo for? to have the DSP driven FX in stereo? that's a luxury feature, not really "necessary".

[@SenseiKreese]

I don't see the ability to run a high cut after the IR. This seems to be a huuuuugggeee oversight. Among other issues, like a lack of FX and snapshots. I guess 2x snapshots is something, at least you can go clean to heavy. But the lack of high cuts? That is a huge deal breaker for me, high cuts are so important to getting modelers to sound great, especially live.

[@mylogify]

Please never have paid upgrades like Kemper started... It'd kill the amp... And disappoint everyone.

[@fabianwolf6849]

Anyone got like 545€ so I can afford it? I have the other 50 myself. ❤

[@daveredfern8258]

Kemper for ever.

[@Tryggvasson]

this thing is gonna kill tonex. rip.

[@spyware1100]

It's a little bit expensive, compared to say a Tonex pedal.

[@johnhajewski1343]

Is this fake?

[@dimehead]

Everything solidly developed in Germany. Feel free to check out our other videos :)

[@CTBlaze]

why would it be, why would you be in doubt?

[@yargnad]

_"DimeHead"_ screams 14 year old...

[@VanjaSpirin]

If it's 200€ more than Tonex, and 400€ more than Tonex One, this is way to expensive. And no sound examples? Making a product much more expensive than a well designed counterpart?

[@dimehead]

Because nam requires many times more computing power than Tonex ;-) Take a look at our KZbin channel and homepage first before you just complain.

[@wolvesandguitars]

Looks like old tech

[@fuzzaldryn9626]

Maybe on purpose? It's not like electric guitars and tube amps are incredible high tech eiither. 😂

[@N8oRMusic]

Just get an amp

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

Then capture the amp, and then, load that into a small pedal unit and enjoy anywhere you like. Portable!

[@N8oRMusic]

@@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugsgigs don't work like that

[@michaellankton2771]

the strength of this unit is to have it on your desk running into your daw for recording, and unplugging it and hooking it up to a power amp and cabinet for performing....it might be the single best route I've seen for having your recording sound and your room sound be as close as possible with the least amount of fiddling to get there

[@N8oRMusic]

@@michaellankton2771 but no one cares of it sounds "exactly" like the recording. Plus if your songwriting sucks it's gonna matter even less.

[@Mike-fc5vp]

but ,,but .. ,, real things valve amp is always better choice .... rest is only -smoke on the water .

[@luxintenebris6614]

I like a sturdy tool and functional design, but this thing is so incredibly ugly! Why??? How do you guys want to be competitive, when most people would be ashamed to put such an ugly device on their beloved pedal boards? And yes, it looks so bad, it's NOT a matter of taste anymore 😀

[@DomMcsweeney-DoomPlugs]

I personally feel the opposite. You don't need to be horrible about it, and if you are it most likely says alot more about you than who you are being horrible towards.