Modeler Shootout REVEAL - Which one wins?

[@worshiptutorials]

So who was right in the first video? (be honest, because almost nobody guessed them correctly 😂)

[@JosiahKingMusic91]

I only guessed about one and I said B was HX.

[@DbiPro]

I did and I hated C AND d needed an eq

[@nickmcvicker3091]

Everyone said c sounded the worst in the first video now watch everyone start saying b was the worst 😆 to me B sounded just like A but with a smidge more compression which I loved.

[@millman82]

I thought for sure the Fractal was the Quad Cortex due to the compression. Did you state it was a Tone Match? I wonder if that is why it sounded so compressed to my ears. It never sounds that compressed clean to me. It also has the best instrument input for use with pedals. I almost guessed ToneX as A but changed my mind due to the clarity. I knew D wasn’t a Fractal because there was a weird warble that came through on some of the clips.

[@samz9121]

I didn’t guess. I just noted that A was my favourite and hoped it was Tone X based on personal experience with the unit.

[@HRSP725]

A and C sound so good. Glad those turn out to be the devices I prefer..

[@MrTPGuitar]

Wow, So glad I kept my order for the Tonex. It was a KO in my opinion! To think Tonex accepted effects like this is AAaaamazing. Go look at the comments for the first video, Option A was a clear people pleaser

[@wrobie]

Wow, A in my opinion sounded night and day the best. I’m impressed Tonex

[@borjar.6373]

A video with nam will be great

[@bmitchellmusic]

FIRST! This shows something - you can’t run your pedals into everything the exact same way. Same way you can’t expect your pedals to sound great thru a Vox and then expect them to sound great thru a Fender. You’ll have tweak things. This only one part of this kind of series we’re doing. More to come 😎

[@TheTexas2step]

Technology has advanced to the point where these multi-effect units sound just alike and they're all good. Now it becomes a matter of HW/SW user interface, patch/IR availability, etc. Ditched my Fractal AX8 for a Hotone Ampero2 this week.

[@robbarker9878]

Very happy A was tonex. It was my favorite all over. The other 3 all had their strong points and were about equal. Also surprised C was axe. It felt the most shelved low and high, more focused

[@BadCat1990]

It probably felt that way because I believe it was summed to mono.

[@SethDStanley]

I'm not even sure if C was in stereo, it was so much more muted than the other samples and had hardly any stereo field (yes I was wearing quality studio headphones). I'm wondering if that was a mistake or if the Axe really did have less stereo image.

[@louisplett]

I noticed the same thing! All except C had a wide stereo field. It made it hard to compare C with the rest

[@davidretherford6073]

I own an axe fx iii. For some reason I’ve noticed that unless you use the stereo enhancer it’s not as wide just hard panning amps

[@schzacj]

Interesting! This was really cool guys! Thanks for doing this video. I think my biggest takeaway is really that all of them sound good but also that you have to dial in tone to match and they don't react the same for each device. I think it speaks volumes to the folks doing work to make patches, etc. and how much goes into dialing in things correctly so they sound great. Thanks!

[@MatthewDuminy]

Brand new Tonex user here - I’m so glad it was the one I thought sounded the best.

[@Oneill240Si]

Same. Still have a stomp on my board though. That pedal is a utility tool!

[@vwchad1]

I was 50% right. Interestingly though, the thing I found sticking out to me more than the differences between the "amps" was actually the difference in the guitars. I greatly preferred the PRS tone across the board. Interesting experiment. I appreciate you guys doing this. It's a lot of work for you, but fun for us to all listen to. Ultimately, I think they all sounded plenty good enough and you should choose the one you can afford and like to use. They all do the job really well.

[@worshiptutorials]

Thanks! That's the Semi-Hollow DGT. Definitely a magic guitar.

[@brettbianchi6706]

Super cool to hear and watch. Enjoyed this. Can’t wait for more on Bradford and Brian’s Worship Tutorials tone awareness quest for tone fun run race for the cure!

[@averagemike7554]

As an HX stomp user… I’m just surprised how close they all are. Great video

[@rbjamn4jc]

The stereo field on C was much different (almost non-existence). Is this expected or maybe a configuration issue?

[@paulkibbe9358]

I love the random office references

[@alexkrumm6470]

A little bummed to not see Fender Tone Master in there. I’d love ya’ll to give more input and love to that unit.

[@gregsteffey1266]

Great video. Lots of work I know. I listened again with headphones and realized when you go to amp C the stereo image is gone! No stereo verb or ping pong delay. Only on amp C but every clip. Sorry to break it to you but it could have been a reason some wouldn’t like C.

[@Oraneaab11]

A and D was my favorite

[@MrOz201]

B and C tend to round off some of the high end distortion when compared to A and D. Really cool shoot out. New name for WT Tone… WT Simplified.

[@TechyTimM]

The crazy thing is that my choices this time differed somewhat from the last video. Love the approach! The only thing I was consistent on was last place. C.

[@lsmgaming0151]

On the listen through yesterday I could hear the high end on B and knew it was how a line6 product sounded haha. A did sound really good though but I felt as though D had too much compression comparatively. Honestly as Bradford was talking about it, he kept saying how it felt with all the effects going in to it, which I think is something that we can't really hear or feel through phone speakers haha. And as someone who hasn't played any other unit, I felt as though sonically they are all different but for the most part if you set up each platform for the pedalboard and vice versa, you wouldn't be able to tell haha. Thank you guys for doing it! Was a great watch!

[@marcusoostenbroek3647]

I've recently gone to 2 tonex ones. My friend who is also on the worship team has a helix. Since coming on the team 12 months ago with UA Audio gear...there has been a distinct difference in tone between our two boards. So in that situation you can a/b different units. End result...he's just bought a QC.

[@williamwright6666]

This was fun. Thank you. I learned I know nothing, but I had fun. 😅

[@chadnedohin]

Please include the UA Dream 65 in the Deluxe Reverb shoot out.

[@pauli_wan_kenobi]

I’m here to say is, ALL these sound so so so good. But I’m a Helix guy

[@BourkeTommy]

Biggest takeaway is every option is a great option. Any time I didn’t love one of them it was because of harshness/fizziness in the way they broke up, which like you said could be a simple fix with eq or tone settings on drives etc. Spend enough time dialing things in and cutting the harsh frequencies on any of these and you end up with a great sound and ABSOLUTELY NO ONE in the crowd would ever know the difference 😂

[@cor_davi]

Hold a name contest for the rebrand!

[@BillBensen]

Coming from an ex-employee of L6, I just switched to Fractal a few months back. After the last update on Fractal, I heard a noticeable difference in the modeling. When I got my FM9, I built the exact same amp in both my FM9 and my Helix Rack. I listened in my nearfields, my FRFR, my SD Powerstage 700 through two 2x12” cabs(speaker emulation turned off) and my everyday headphones; the FM9 had a quality to it that wasn’t there in my Helix. This was also a loop in front of each unit. I’ve been in the box for years and years and I am super comfortable with getting the sound I want out of a modeler. The FM9 had that “something special” that I hadn’t heard in my Helix. Great blind taste test, gentlemen!!

[@philipm33]

I'm a Helix Native user as all of my playing is in an office. When Fractal creates a plugin I'm ready to make the switch.

[@robertsimpson5801]

Axe FX sounded the most compressed and lifeless to me!!!! Wow!!! My favs were the QC and the Tonex. 🦾

[@Team512]

Interesting results. Did you high cut the eq on any of these? Some of them were kinda fizzy sounding. Normally pulling the high cut down to 5k-6.5k will remove the fizz and make them sound a bit warmer and closer to the actual amp tone. Would be fun to hear each one back to back with the real amp/cab.

[@musiccreation1198]

Awesome guys, thank you

[@Allann-yi2cp]

I did A, but loved B and C haha, incredible, and I`ve loved Fractal forever.... Love this challenges guys

[@markelmore6581]

B was actually consistently my favorite in every sample, and in different playing samples the other units rotated as my second favorites. As a helix owner and Worship Tutorials user, I’m surprised how much I preferred it to the other units, but I guess my ears know what they’re used to. D was much brighter in my headphones, almost shrill in several samples and much more chime in others.

[@Ic3Ang3l]

Perfect timing. Just building a small Board with fuzzes and other fuzzy drives like the Benson Preamp around my FM9. Those are the only things it cant to that well. I liked the ToneX here. Maybe I should get one!

[@wilfriedcwik3475]

Wow....Tonex as A, okay I said it sounded the best and I know what my Tonex can sound like ;), but I set the stomp to C and it was my worst favourite, which was irritating. At the moment I don't know how I'm going to bring myself to buy an Axe FX. This week I was able to recreate the Cloudreverb on my Bigsky with the Helix Floor. Now I can take it out of my chain. Setup at the moment is a Helix Floor with a Stomp full stereo in a loop for more power, and the option to put my Tonex in another one. Maybe I'll buy a second Tonex for stereo, or rebuild Brian's latest little board with my stuff: C4 clone comp-> Silver Horse-> Double Barrel-> Tonex-> Bigsky.....let's have some fun because tomorrow we will get the Tonex update :D

[@DavidAnthonyFlores]

A and C were my favorite. Didn't know what was what but those were my favorite and I couldn't be happier. Although, at first I did prefer the gain of A. C was just a tiny bit too dull for me.

[@bronyraur661]

Any interest on the Hotone Ampero stuff? Specifically Stage 2. Replaced my Pod go in an instant and haven’t looked back.

[@loveaboveall2382]

Yeah that thing is a sleeper. I plan on getting the stage 2. I have the mini version. And it surprisingly sounds very usable. So I'm betting the Stage 2 is that much better than it.

[@lucianmezinoi-qq1zf]

guys your friendship is very cool!

[@SimonGaiser]

Thanks so much guys. in summary, I think the HX Stomp EQ needed a bit more high frequency to sound less dull. Would you be willing to do another quick shootout comparing HX Stomp with Tonex, but give the HX Stomp a little more high end to match the un-effected Tonex more closely and then add effects. If you do that I think the differences will be less.

[@worshiptutorials]

We have another comparison video going up at WT Tone featuring the Deluxe Reverb amp model. We dailed them in as close as we could with just the guitar straight in. So when you hear differences with all the effects, it's due to how the amp models/captures handle all the external effects going into them.

[@ngbritton]

Quick question that I’ve wondered about, having bought some of your amp captures and presets for QC. What input level are you designing the presets for? By which I mean the adjustable global gain in for the input you’ve got the guitar plugged into? Default setting? 0dB? Gain set to almost but not quite red-lining?

[@dkijc]

I love Fractal. Had them since the Ultra but the portability of stomp/xl just cannot be beat. The ONLY reason why I'm even considering the FM9 is the processing power... I'm going to go on a whim and say... modelers will always improve. I'd advise everyone to get a NICE set of IRs instead of focusing on which modelers you should get next. AND get yourself a Helix Native!!!!! SOOOOO convenient!!!

[@Genociv]

To me C is just more chimey and reminiscent of an AC30, whilst being the most together sounding, whether it was clean or dirty, the PRS or the JM. Cool video, but the best AC tone I found with a modeler was my Ruby. I love it. Plug and play, sounds fabulous, way less flexible but I need this or I tend to noodle around to try and find the best possible tone for hours experimenting bits and bobs endlessly. Cheers from France! 🇨🇵

[@beerbilly]

thanks guys!

[@frankunger7242]

I wish you guys would include the Fender tone master

[@phillipsouthard8285]

A and D were consistently my favorite, and C was right behind them. Not a bad choice on any of those three though. I love my FM9 and the usability, but if I ever went back to pedals, would be very happy with the tonex!

[@ejw3006]

Wish you would’ve thrown the Kemper into this comparison, especially cause of the blind test Brad did. Would’ve been cool to see how much things have really changed.

[@mcpribs]

All of them were my favorite on some settings, and all of them were my least favorite on some settings. Bradford was 100% right that pedals would be dialed for the rig. I have an HX Stomp, and this certainly hasn’t given me GAS. Great video series, and I appreciate you guys and all the work that went into this! ❤ I will say, Axe FX was my least favorite. The FX sounded really bizarre and mono at times, super harsh other times.

[@archisc9080]

From the previous posts and this one, it looks like many people favor Tonex/QC. A comparison between Tonex with Line 6 or AXE or Boss combos would be interesting.

[@itieknots7]

First off, Thank you for the comparison, I'm sure it took a lot of effort. It would have been nice to have the real tube amp also in the blind demo.... I.E. "A" (Tonex) sounded good, but did it capture the Tube breakup as well as Axe and QC? I personally find QC sounds closer and FEELS closer to my real tube amps.

[@tommanseau6277]

My thought originally was that A was a real amp, straight up. To me, it had more dynamic range. But it was also the one with the most gain too. And who doesn't like a little more gain & edge of break up? We are hard wired to like guitar sounds a little louder. This was a great demo, and I really appreciate hearing all of these units back to back. There's no way I'd be able to afford all of these units. It makes me want to really tweak the Tonex and figure or the best way to monitor it. A cheap powered wedge isn't cutting it.

[@worshiptutorials]

Thanks! When we do demos of all these presets here at WT, we use the Fender FR-12's to monitor them. They are excellent FRFR devices, so you can plug most anything into them. They get really loud (if you need it) and the on board EQ is very handy. We've used Line 6 Power Cabs before as well - those are also great.

[@tommanseau6277]

@worshiptutorials Thank you, that's really helpful! No offense to my local music store, but it doesn't have all the gear. The local stores tend to fall into basic camps of student stuff, acoustics, or really niche & random exotic stuff with corresponding prices. Ironically the Fender FRFR isn't someone on display. Go figure.

[@lowercase3635]

Wow I’m actually surprised by the Tonex I was way off.

[@p.4890]

Maybe you guys can try putting the input impedance on the Line 6 the 1M ohm and maybe a bit more aggressive on the high cut to make it a bit on par with other devices.

[@lucianmezinoi-qq1zf]

interesting I liked the A in all cases and that's what I regular use!

[@CaminiMusic]

I have a Helix Floor (no extra pedals). For me A sounded the best, followed by D. I was just hoping the Helix wouldn’t be B, because for me it was the worst. Feeling sad right now 💔😂

[@akaerik1]

I'm right there with you.

[@anthony_shay]

I’m fine with B but just glad line 6 wasn’t C 😂

[@gabrieladdenbrooke1964]

Thanks for this!

[@abcde3397]

dang I love my hx stomp so much

[@will_tenggara]

I was about to buy HX stomp, but I’m so impressed by C immediately. After I know it’s Tonex, now i’m thinking to buy both as a combination 😂

[@ryanpappenfusshhs]

C was not Tonex. A was.

[@will_tenggara]

@ yo you’re right 😅 sorry i didn’t see the whole video, it was Bradford’s guess that I saw instead of actual list. I always wanted to buy Axe fx since forever but I couldn’t afford it yet, now I know I can’t deny my love with Axe fx 🥲

[@derekmullen2507]

Maybe you answered this and I missed it, but why would you not use the helix floor, instead of the stomp?

[@nickmcvicker3091]

Same pedalboard recorded direct then into each stereo amp setup. The floor is its own pedalboard.

[@jaybearjewkrusel]

“Who wouldn’t like Bradford?! Everyone likes Bradford!” 🤣

[@chadnedohin]

I loved this shoot out. I was complexly sold on B. I expected it to be QC or Tonex and was ready to ditch my HX Stomp. And B ended up as Line 6 HX Stomp. I've decided I'm happy with my 2 Helix floors, HX Stomp, and Stomp XL. But What beats them all? UAFX Ruby and Dream 65. They are SIGNIFICANTLY better. So I'm going o use my Helix with the UA amps in the FX loop

[@kenable]

Guess i need to go get a Tonex! 😅

[@peterkirdan]

So what’s a fair price on the PRS semi hallow LTD? Thanks

[@worshiptutorials]

There are only a few of them left - check on Reverb. They’re all the same price 😅

[@VelhosNovos]

Having a Tonex and a Stomp HX I can say that I get great tone with both units, but... Tonex is easier to get a great tone (with a good IR, because the IR caputre is not good). You can get a great tone with the Stomp, but you need a little bit of time to achieve the tone.

[@MattLawhonMusic]

So good! I know we won’t get too specific, but would y’all consider comparing a newer amp model from the line6 stuff? I know the deluxe and AC models are Day 1 models, maybe trying a Princeton? I had a feeling B was Line6 but I know that their newer models are even so much more improved! Man it’s definitely clear how good Tonex is though, stood out among the rest. I can see it becoming an industry standard in years to come Thanks guys for all your work, y’all make this stuff so fun and engaging🤘🏼

[@worshiptutorials]

Thanks! I think this would be a good idea. Even the C30 matchless model since it was added via firmware after the original launch.

[@fistwood]

Hi guys, is my ears correct that C is the only mono one in the demo?

[@trentonortgies1754]

Stunned! I was already becoming a QC fan, but this may have sealed the deal for me. B and C were my least favorites. Thanks for the blind tests!

[@GxBxN]

I really disliked the harsh top end from both B and D. Just so unpleasant. Both through studio monitors and headphones. A was consistently beautiful. Well done ToneX!

[@rhoydotp]

A & D was my favourite and thought one of those was Tonex.

[@DbiPro]

B was SOOOOOO GOOD

[@jhoags92]

For anyone who just wants to know: A: TONEX B: HX Stomp C: AXE-FXIII D: Quad cortex

[@picksalot1]

I liked A and D best. I have an HX Stomp, and it's the only one I could identify. It sounds too clean, so you've got to learn how to dirty it up. It was the 3rd least favorite, Fractal was my least favorite, whereas the ToneX was my favorite. Interesting results. Profiling/captures have gotten really good. Thanks

[@lojicdotcom]

I liked A the best, and D the second best. I have a Quad Cortex (D), so I'm very impressed with Tonex (A) !

[@dalbocha]

Not everyone can afford such high end units. Maybe you are living in Guitar Heaven, but it doesn‘t mean, the rest of the world does.

[@worshiptutorials]

TONEX one is $180, and it seems to be most people’s favorite choice.

[@brianbrittain4203]

Being honest I think you need to do one that only uses the unit and effects from said unit. That way you can tell the deference in the units. Most of us don't use the units' with a bunch of outboard effects. Just use them as the all in one units they. That is except the tone X. I was going to to the pedal board setup again I would not use any of the units. Just my pedals into an amp and with a two notes.

[@GuitarKilf]

Gotta say guys, im not really religious, I do however belive in Chistian values and the world needs Christianity (more than ever) I found both your channels recently and the tone you guys get are AMAZING INSPIRING, all the worship guys get great tone ( im a hige fan of tonejunkie too) anyway you have a new subcriber and I will be purchasing some of your tonex models, keep doing what you do 🎸💯

[@david_heryanto]

I will buy tonex after watching this. A sounds very good

[@elizeujunior9761]

Please create MNRS profilers for Mooer Ge1000.

[@LaminarSound]

Im not sure this was the most objective way to test these different modelers. I would say, set up each amp the way you think it sounds best. THEN compare. Or, then let us hear without knowing whats what.

[@ChillLoungeBurner1]

I challenge worship guitarists to stop using modelers

[@guitarplayerpatty]

Example C sounds mono…. Was that an accident?

[@Sharkbate211]

Pants, I have the stomp and it was my least favourite lol. The cockiness in me still thinks I could change the settings to get it to sound like the others

[@nickmcvicker3091]

Oh you definitely can, there are so many great eq and compression options in the stomp!

[@ricardoalfaro9613]

Sounds like The fractal was not stereo

[@ricardoalfaro9613]

You can hear in the beginning with the ping pong delays. Everything but the fractal sounded like it was panned. Not a fair comparison I think.

[@ericwaller6603]

A and C sounded way better even though my setup is Line 6 all the way. I was quite surprised.

[@ryanpappenfusshhs]

I was hoping A or D was either Tonex or Hx stomp because those were my two favorite samples and those are the two platforms I have. Tonex for the win! Surprised that fractal was C, it was my least favorite.

[@DbiPro]

B let you hear it all

[@chadnedohin]

Yep. B was it for me.

[@Mr1salisbury]

Was that a single tone x? Or two in stereo

[@worshiptutorials]

Two in stereo

[@just.because.why.not.]

Not kidding, I guessed them all correctly and I haven’t even played any of these 😂

[@nickmcvicker3091]

Ok so I got none of them right! Judging based only on sound quality I really thought B was ToneX because of all the hype. Ive been using ToneX for a year after retiring my stomp. A sounded too bright to me but something in B made it still sound great without piercing my ears. I thought C sounded the worst so I thought it was the stomp. Looks like I’m selling my ToneX and going back to the Stomp as it was my favorite overall even though I thought it was ToneX 😂

[@mattofthemountain]

I’m fairly shocked by how different they sounded with drive pushing them. I liked Tone-X the best, Fractal the least (almost sounded mono). Disappointed with how HX sounded because that’s what I have and I’m not changing.

[@nickmcvicker3091]

Man I thought the Stomp sounded amazing! 🔥

[@otfan522botjournalismisdea2]

ToneX! I was not sure which was what in the other video but for most samples I prefer the ToneX

[@scottbrady4472]

I don't think you recorded C properly on the previous video.

[@MartijnvanderDrift]

Both A and C sounded excellent to me. Can't believe how bad the fizzy ghost notes of the L6 and QC still are after all these years. And the bad thing is that you just can't dial that out without completely destroying the core tone. If you have a good analog pedalboard the tonex seems like no-brainer. Or sell that and get an axe fx which honestly if as good as any other pedal in the fx department as well. I'm glad I did! Less time fiddling, more time playing and better tones.

[@rejuvenator8966]

Tonex was the only one I got right with confidence, I would've been surprised if it wasn't A. Fractal I got correct with some luck lol, and I got QC and HX Stomp mixed up. I gig with QC and I dislike Helix lol, or so I thought 😂 But I did already know that QC can sound very harsh and bad, I was just hoping more of it

[@chadnedohin]

My Preference was B, C, D, and A. I mostly Use Helix Products. I have a Tonex One. I absolutely didn't like it. Was an early Axe FX user. I liked it, but not as much as Helix. Was considering a Nano Cortex, but not anymore.

[@nickmcvicker3091]

I used a stomp for years and went to ToneX for several months, sold em and went back to my Stomp. Funny, I thought B sounded just like A with a little more character. Love my Stomp!

[@chadnedohin]

@@nickmcvicker3091 Overall, I like the functionality of the Helix products. Even when I use USFX Amp sims, it’s just in a loop of an HX product. That gets me through best of both worlds.

[@rianelliott1]

C sounded so different from the other 3…like it was just muted or something. B & D had copious amounts of top end that perhaps was a little more digital sounding. I think A might have been the best blend without overdoing it across the board. (Haven’t seen the results yet…we’ll see where my modeler fits in the mix, though to be fair, I’m not running an AC30 patch at all).

[@rianelliott1]

While I didn’t win the overall or share the same opinion as Bradford, I chose A as the best overall, and my new board is running stereo Tonex / Tonex One, so I feel as though I won what mattered most. Only downside is I’m not running AC30, so it might not matter…lol. Good stuff…love this concept for a video series and will watch again.

[@matter3117]

Honestly can’t believe A was the tonex

[@skunkymuggles]

Wooooh!!! I can't believe it i picked A then D but C was my less favorite... Surprise! Surprise!!!

[@DbiPro]

I don’t like how muddy A was in the low strings. A and C are out for me. B and d were better but I would still accept A over D

[@nickmcvicker3091]

Absolutely agree!

[@jordanguill361]

Believe A wins. But still doesn’t touch a solid VOX or Matchless amp. I’ve run diff modelers and it’s still a noticeable difference feel and how the cut thru the mix.