Should you get the ToneX in 2024?

[@thetoneshepherd]

Thanks a ton for the shoutout Sam! This video is super good. Really clear and super helpful!! I’ll be referring this to people for SURE. 👍🏼

[@SamWittek]

Thanks Devan! I was trying to figure out how to tag you so I'm glad you saw this 😂

[@thetoneshepherd]

🙌@@SamWittek

[@stringedaz]

I have a bunch of tube amps that I don't want to take out. I used a tonex to capture them, and now I have all of my tones in one box. Best toy I have.

[@colinparks619]

Same, it's miles ahead of my kemper too

[@LunaGuitars68]

I don't understand why these companies that make these kinds of pedals continue to overlook incorporating an effects loop???

[@BrendanClune]

Immediately gets solved when you run the tones pedal in the effects loop of an HX stomp. Onboard and industry standard effects plus arguably the best profiling software as far as tone and feel go = the best rig you can get for $1000

[@mikedfurman]

I don’t think they’re overlooking this. Seems it’s a thought out decision that I’m sure has nothing to do with money or form factor.

[@JohnWiku]

It has to do with the way their algorithm works. It would add some hurdles to slot in the middle some exterior signals, into the already processed audio from the ToneX application. Since this device is a capture player, it can't process the signals, that take hours to process in a desktop, in real time so that you can add effects in-between the capture of a preamp and a power amp + cab. If you know how things work, you can easily understand why they can't do just whatever you want, and surely it wouldn't cost 350/400 bucks!! A device that can accomplish what you asked will have to cost a much higher price point, and it'd put it against fierce competition like QC, fractal, Kemper, Helix, headrush, etc. Who is to say that they won't release a higher end product to fight in the upper range, with all bells and whistles? Maybe it's coming sooner than we think!!

[@MotownGuitarJoe]

Cuz THIS goes into the loop of other stuff (HX Effects, for example): overdrives before the effects loop block, then the effects loop block (Tonex) then the time-based effects: delay, chorus, etc.

[@sanate_sanghming]

listen to ToneJunkie TV. He covered this.

[@stringedaz]

I have a bunch of vintage amps I don't want to bring to gigs, so I ordered the tonex and capture box.bhoping it is as good as people say! At under a quarter the price of kemper and quad cortex, I am hoping for the best.

[@dancrowell2933]

Thank you for the consistently excellent content. I got a ToneX today and I'm running it stereo with a Friedman IR-X. I'm watching your video to learn how to setup the ToneX.

[@SamWittek]

Thanks Dan, congrats on the new ToneX! 🙌🏻

[@Jay-sy5yf]

This is a great idea! As a irx owner I'm gonna try adding a tonex. Thx!

[@erikhartley2494]

I axed my Fractal fm9 for a rig based around a single tone x. I don’t mind stereo fx in post. The Tone X has the best amp feel and response of anything I’ve ever played besides the real thing. Highly recommend!

[@SamWittek]

Totally agree!! Yeah if you don't mind wet effects after the amp then a single ToneX is fantastic!

[@thomasanderson9202]

I use Amplitube 4 and POD GO for home recording. I still haven't heard anything from ToneX that makes me feel YES !!! Sorry but I just don't hear it. Anything I hear from ToneX is tones I can achieve with what I already got.

[@MickyWalnuts]

Well done you. Have absolutely no idea why you bothered to let us know this though​@@thomasanderson9202 😂😂😂

[@bobbywaldschmidt6825]

Thank you Sam! I have been thinking about switching from Iridium to a Tonex

[@SamWittek]

Thanks Bobby! They're definitely great!

[@saint__andrew]

Love your sounds, Sam! I've been really enjoying the dual toneX setup, too. On input trim - I don't think it always makes sense to follow the capture vendor's recommended setting. Input level is affected a ton depending on what pickups you're using and what pedals you have running into the front of toneX. Imo your ears are the only tried and true tool to figure out proper input trim level - everyone's gotta just tweak it til it sounds good for their individual setups. I think your tones sound absolutely immaculate as-is, but you mentioned having issues feeling like toneX has limited headroom - boosting your trim to 8.5 like you showed here is probably a big reason for that. I wouldn't touch anything now, but if you lowered it some, and then reset each of your gain stages, I think you'd have a much easier time dialing everything in.

[@SamWittek]

Thanks dude! Totally agree, maybe I didn't clarify that well in the vid but I think starting with wherever the capture vendor intended, and THEN using your ears to tweak as needed is the way to go. Really using your ears should be your biggest tool with all things gear related haha. As far as lowering the input trim, I've actually tried toning it down but was just not happy with how weak my clean tone sounded. The biggest fix for me was moving to "clean" captures as opposed to "breakup" or "edge of breakup" captures, and then re-adjusting my gain staging from there. Definitely helped a lot with having enough headroom on tap! 💪🏼

[@musicman4christjesus]

Totally true. I found the exact same thing. Great post!

[@elijahgomez3376]

He Sam, was just wondering if you could make a guide on setting up the TONEX! I’ve been having trouble setting up mine and it just sounds like a bad speaker whenever I hit it with drive or a boost. If you could that would be awesome!

[@SamWittek]

Hey man absolutely! It's definitely an idea I have on the backburner. In the meantime though I would definitely check out @thetoneshepherd and his KZbin channel. He has a few great ToneX videos that should help you in getting everything set up! 💪🏼

[@crappyfellow]

Can you load additional software into a ToneX. For example, can one loan the IK Multimedia AmpliTube Joe Satriani Collection Software Suite into this?

[@Jim_Cox]

Make sure you get the recent pedal firmware update if you haven't already. They added a tuner function to the pedal. The software does still need work though. One thing I'd like is a way to just wipe out all of the banks I'm not using rather than having to keep something in every spot. I haven't really gone digital yet and use tube amps in my studio/office. I use my ToneX in the bedroom with a PowerStage170 power amp and single 12" cab. I just run mono with a Bath Time Reverb pedal between the ToneX and SD170. This suits me well so far but if I find a cheap HX Stomp I might try that for all of the effects. Leon Brown Music has a decent video on integrating the two. You may want to look at that also. You could get the stereo out of the HX Stomp and just use one ToneX pedal. It may not work with everything else you have going on I'm not sure but it's worth looking at.

[@SamWittek]

I've been thinking about grabbing an HX stomp lately, they just seem to be such a great swiss army knife pedal! Also yes definitely want to update the firmware for that tuner 🙏🏻

[@IainFrame]

I got a Tonex about 6 months ago and it's great fun but I'd say that the Valeton GP-200 now looks like a far more flexible piece of gear.

[@johnfleet1854]

I have Valeton GP 200 with lots of purchased presets ... are the Tonex presets better ?

[@IainFrame]

@@johnfleet1854 They're definitely getting better as it matures and more modelling gets done.

[@colinparks619]

Yes you absolutely should , its ridiculous how close this gets me to my tube amps , its actually insane tbh

[@SamWittek]

Agreed!

[@colossians1_15-20]

Interesting you mentioned the headroom thing. I've been struggling a tad with that myself, especially with my P90 equipped guitar. Brought my input trim down to 0.0 and still fighting it a good bit. Any specific tips for managing this? Great content btw!

[@SamWittek]

Thanks! What captures are you using? I've found that opting for "clean" captures rather than "breakup" or "edge of breakup" captures definitely help. I've also re-structured my gain staging a bit so I'm starting out with a cleaner clean tone than I normally do, and my pedals are just pushing more volume. Hope that helps!

[@colossians1_15-20]

@@SamWittek I'm using a couple amalgamaudio clean captures. The AC30 TB and a Tone King Imperial (blackface style). But have also used the TF AC30 which was okay, just slightly darker/dull sounding for my P90s. If I am observing what you're doing in the vid correctly, it seems that you have your amps very clean, almost no breakup, the LVL as your "just slightly broken up" sound, and then you either stack your kilt or SB into that. I have a fairly similar approach where I use a Browne Carbon which I leave on all the time, then I stack one of two drive pedals into it for more volume and gain. I find doing this really starts to squash things up a fair bit and starts to limit the amount of volume boost I can get; and honestly I'm re-thinking my approach here and wonder if I should abandon stacking all together. I'm torn though because I like the consistent EQ that having the bluesbreaker style pedal on all the time provides. Anyway thanks again, will keep experimenting.

[@SamWittek]

Yep that's exactly what I'm doing! Using the LVL as more of an always-on "tone sweetener" and then adding drives on top of that. Do you find that you're adding a lot of volume when stacking on your drives? I was finding that would squash things a good bit for me so I've needed to dial things in so there's only slight volume increases for each gain stage. Def a good idea to keep experimenting though, hope this helps!@@colossians1_15-20

[@davide4917]

​@@SamWittekhave You find the same kind of difficulties with other amp modelers (Iridium)

[@Quarashi1]

Genuine question from curiosity, not antagonistic: Why do most modern worship guitarists seem to always run time based effects, such as delay, in line rather than using an effects loop? When run this way, combined with any sort of drive, it is extremely fatiguing to the ear due to delays and such also having repeats overdriven. Especially when factored with there are typically droning melodies/voicings happening quite often. In a church setting, I just don't see this being conducive to a great experience for the audience. Is it an ease of use scenario or a preference? Thanks, and keep up the great work!

[@SamWittek]

Of course! Great question, and honestly I'm sure you'll probably hear a lot of different opinions from different people. I think it's mainly a preference thing though. For me personally, I actually much prefer the feel and sound of the wet effects going into the front of the amp. I love the way it distorts and breaks up, and it feels a lot more natural to me. From a practical point of view though, I think running wet effects this way helps cut through the mix in a useful way. With so much competing synths and auxiliary sounds added to the mix in contemporary worship, it's a lot easier for you and your wet effects to get overpowered and disappear if they're too clean in a band mix. Just my opinion though!

[@Quarashi1]

@@SamWittek I see. That makes sense. It is a dense mix. Thanks for clearing that up!

[@lowercase3635]

I’ve been tempted to build a kemper rack rig with a few essential pedals lately.

[@SamWittek]

Kemper is still a super solid option!

[@DeloreanDave]

Did you have to adjust model volume on ac30 And benson captures when played together? Or do they come balanced with each other?

[@SamWittek]

They felt pretty balanced to me, if I've made any volume adjustments between the two they've been pretty minimal

[@davidholmquist4965]

What value pots did you get with your Emerson wiring kit? I’m switching out the stock pickups on my Aerodyne Tele for noiseless and trying to decide if 250k or 500k is the right move. Love your tone!!

[@SamWittek]

Thanks man! Not 100% sure which would be best for your noiseless pickups, but I have the 250k pots in mine!

[@davidholmquist4965]

@@SamWittek Thank you!

[@tayloreasterwood2860]

Any issue with software license and/or getting the unit registered? I’ve heard that’s an issue with getting a ToneX used.

[@SamWittek]

I didn’t personally run into any issues, both sellers provided the registration details upon purchase so it was pretty straightforward!

[@seanbatterberry]

Awesome video per usual, my friend! I was just curious, what did you bump your depth up to for your Tele?

[@SamWittek]

Thanks man! 🙌🏻 it depends on the capture but I’ll bump it up to about 6 on these

[@seanbatterberry]

Thanks for the reply@@SamWittek Mind if I bug you for the rest of the changes you made to the parameters on those captures for your Tele? I just got an America Ultra Tele and it's pretty bright compared to my Duo Jet, especially on the bridge.

[@SamWittek]

@@seanbatterberry Of course! I bumped the bass up a tad on both, I think to 5.5ish, left the mids alone, and pulled the treble back to around 4.5ish. Oh and I added a good bit of gain since I’m using the clean captures. I think around 6.5-7ish if I remember correctly. Hope that helps!

[@seanbatterberry]

@@SamWittek Super helpful! Thank you so much, Sam!

[@Stratman5150]

Great review! I really want to pick one of these up. Curious where you were able to find one for $300? Thanks in advance.

[@SamWittek]

Thanks! I was mainly checking Facebook groups like Gear Talk Classifieds as well as checking Reverb. There's usually some good deals that pop up, just gotta be patient 😁

[@Stratman5150]

Thanks! I just grabbed a new one yesterday for $350 but got them to toss in a few cables so I'm happy. Thanks again for the review and feedback. @@SamWittek

[@SamWittek]

Nice! Enjoy!@@Stratman5150

[@QuickSticks8771]

Does tone x have a global EQ to compensate for monitors and janky PAs ? Thanks

[@SamWittek]

The EQ is tied to whatever preset you're on. I know some people struggle with things sounding much different live as opposed to at home, and they will duplicate a preset they like and save it as a "live" preset, and they'll adjust the EQ as needed so it sounds good live. Just an easy way to quickly swap to a preset dialed to your venue.

[@davide4917]

Thank You for the video. How do you set the input trim level in the tonex pedal ?

[@SamWittek]

Of course! I set them to +8.5 for the tonefactor IRs

[@davide4917]

@@SamWittek thank you. I had increase treble/ prescence a lot with Tonefactor. Hace You find the same issue?

[@SamWittek]

@@davide4917 I actually dropped the treble a bit with mine, but I also have a super bright guitar lol

[@rheybusque9752]

Hi there, between the IR-2 BOSS and this TONEX pedal, which one would you recommend? Mahalo

[@SamWittek]

Hey good question! I haven't tried the IR-2 personally so I can't really give an opinion on it. Big fan of the ToneX though!

[@ArchaicMedia]

Both are great, but the TONEX for the win…

[@nlmal4]

2 Tonex one work for very well. 🤗🤗🤗

[@alexi082]

Sounds great! Awesome captures

[@SamWittek]

Thanks man! 🙏🏻

[@mathewworkman1625]

I've watched 20 Tonex videos, this one is by far the best.

[@SamWittek]

Thanks so much! 🙏🏻

[@ZachBrobstMusic]

well now I want to buy a ToneX... Thanks for the overview Sam! Helps seeing it from another worship guitarists perspective!

[@SamWittek]

Haha thanks dude!! 🙏🏻

[@ZachBrobstMusic]

@@SamWittek I ordered one...

[@SamWittek]

@@ZachBrobstMusic 👀👀 Super curious to hear your thoughts!

[@ZachBrobstMusic]

@@SamWittek I'm equally curious! I've heard the captures are even better than the Kemper so we shall see!

[@ArchaicMedia]

So you prefer your wet effect in front of the TONEX? I’ve been using mine after… guess I have to give it a spin!!

[@SamWittek]

Yeah I'd recommend giving it a shot! Everyone has their own personal tastes so nothing against anyone who prefers running wet effects after the amps, my personal preference is just running them before :)

[@ElyVaz_]

Great video! Is there a way to connect and edit BOTH ToneX at the same time? Or can you only edit one at a time.

[@SamWittek]

Thanks Ely! As far as I'm aware I don't think you can edit both at the same time. If anyone else has managed to do this though I'd LOVE to be corrected haha

[@benjaminkoskinen5835]

From what I've heard the Iridium has way more compression than the tonex. Has been many people's reasons to change to the tonex. SO that... seems quite weird hearing from you the total opposite xD

[@SamWittek]

Lol weird! In comparison I feel like the iridium felt a little flat. I wouldn't say it didn't feel compressed at all, but ToneX felt like it had more compression when I first tested them side by side. I def feel like I run out of headroom quicker w/ the ToneX compared to the iridium. Could just be my setup but that's been my experience so far 🤷🏻‍♂

[@benjaminkoskinen5835]

@@SamWittek keep digging for solutions. Maybe many hasn't gone directly from iridium to tonex but many say the tonex really shine with both the headroom & the feel of all wet effects. It should be in there 👐🏼 BUT it is mostly subjective at the end of the day.

[@SamWittek]

For sure! Definitely all subjective. I feel like I've landed in a good spot now after re-adjusting a lot of my gain staging. Definitely was a transition though after moving from the iridiums!@@benjaminkoskinen5835

[@rhoydotp]

Tonex with the price point is amazing. Not a lot of bells and whistles but it’s one of the most amp-like device in the market.

[@SamWittek]

Absolutely! Definitely huge value for the person running a full pedalboard and looking for more of an amp solution rather than amp + effects

[@timothyyi1991]

How do you know if polarity is out of phase? Is there a way to tell?

[@SamWittek]

Polarity can be a really tricky thing. Usually it's very obvious just by using your ears, it'll sound like all the low end went away and very weird. In other scenarios though it can be a little harder to tell. One trick is to hook them up to your DAW, pan them both to the center so they're on top of each other, and sometimes that can make it really obvious if they're out of phase. Another trick in your DAW is to record something with both ToneX and then zoom way in on the clip you just recorded so you can see the waveforms. You want the waveforms of the two ToneX to look similarly. If they're moving opposite of one another, then you'll know you need to flip the polarity. Hope that helps!

[@saint__andrew]

Easiest way to tell - if you have your stereo setup running into your interface/DAW just set your audio on your computer to output as mono instead of stereo. If there's a big volume drop and it sounds like doodoo then that means they're out of phase. Your FoH tech can also do that for you when you're checking line levels to check whether or not your stereo amps are in phase. He/she can even flip phase on one of the channels at the board so you don't need to worry about having to get a separate device like the DISO+ to flip phase at your setup. But if you're like me and want to make things simpler for FoH (and want to add the little bit of special sauce that the Jensen transformers provide) it's still a great tool to have if you're running the stereo toneX setup.

[@Packett1364]

I’m moving towards a toneX rig because since the amp response and breakup sounds/feels more natural, I can dial in gain stages more similarly to how I would with a real amp. That’s my only gripe with the iridiums, if you run them too clean, there’s not really any nice compression under the fingers, if you get the amp models cooking there’s too much compression and it limits headroom 🤔

[@SamWittek]

Yess 100% agree, the cleans AND the dirty tones both sound (and feel) so great with the ToneXs!

[@bassmanchristian1431]

You should have bought a second, brigter colored Limited Edition

[@SamWittek]

Didn't even realize there were limited edition colors. Looks awesome!

[@bassmanchristian1431]

@@SamWittek me too, it was recommended to me by Thomann some days ago. I live the Tone X Pedal

[@sihoon48]

i follow u end up buying two iridium and now two tonex 😅

[@SamWittek]

Haha yeahhhh I tend to change up my gear pretty often 😅🤷🏻‍♂️

[@virtus12ful]

Great product and great video as always, but I’m sticking with tube amps - church has an AC30 for use by us EGs. Love it!

[@SamWittek]

Nice!! I don't blame ya, if we had great amps available I'd probably be using those too 😂

[@1234mikeirving]

Jason from IK Multimedia tech support called me on the phone and explained to me that my Tonex pedal did not need to be connected to my computer to audition the amps in the librarian software. That was a huge revelation! The only time the pedal needs to interface with the computer is if you want to move,captures from the librarian to the pedal. I really liked the pedal, but decided to return it for a refund because I was spending too much time checking out all the different amplifiers rather than practicing my guitar. Overall, I prefer my Kemper stage to my pedalboard for playing in church.

[@SamWittek]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Gear can totally do that to us right? haha props to you for recognizing that and moving over to something else that inspired you to play more! I'm all about that 💪🏼

[@BrendanClune]

Uh hell yeah you should

[@SamWittek]

Easy question right?? 😂

[@BrendanClune]

@@SamWittek easiest question I’ve ever answered 😂