Thomann Affiliate: www.thomann.de/intl/index.html?offid=1&affid=3210 My personal Thomann recommendations: thmn.to/thocf/cv37zixo68 My webstore for Captures, presets etc: ko-fi.com/sonicdrivestudio Thanks for supporting the channel!
I finally pulled the trigger and got myself a ToneX pedal. I have to admit, the hype is real. It took me some time to browse the tone net models and learn how to set properly the gain and compressor, but after that, oh boy what an amazing piece of gear. I have found some really killer tones, EVH, Diezel, Bogner and Mark IIC+. I have no words, of course it's still can be developed and improved but honestly for the money, this is gold !!!!
Allow me to say that your captures are the best in the entire tonenet site. The fact that you caputre the head with the load box gives us the flexibility to load our IR or try the integrated VIR (those aren't bad at all). I would love to have clean, drive, hi gain for every head. Have you ever thought of selling your captures? I would buy them like instantly. I'm having a lot of fun with the JCM800, Orange Jim Root Terror and the Mesa...they sound so real! Consider selling your captures because your work on those is golden! Thank you, Jon.
I just want to say how much I really love your playing it really resonates with me. I come here to hear your great in-depth reviews as much as I do your tight, awesome playing. Thanks for everything you do. Please do us all a favor and keep them coming!
I was debating buying a helix floor model, but now I think I’m going to buy this. Because I already own a few amps I love and a hx effects. Now I get more access to great amp tones including my own, and keep my helix effects which I love.
As an owner of a latest and greatest UAD rack Apollo, I bought an Axe I/O (as a simple interface for when I’m on my windows PC) and the stuff from IK is seriously impressive. The hardware is a tank and the software has been rock solid and reliable. Everyone should definitely keep a close eye on their stuff.
thanks Jon. I struggled with your comment that you couldn't get the Axe to sound like your amps. Based on most of your comparison videos, you have easily made all modelers sound virtually identical to the amp source. You have an amazing ear.
It's just a general feeling. For some it will be perceived as subtle but I just can't "unhear" those sonic traits. I did however also say that the amp modeling is great :)
@@SonicDriveStudio thanks as always for your input. After owning the QC, FM9 and Helix I now know that even each modeler has its own sonic footprint outside of the amp. For example when I used the QC in the FM9 loop it sounded vastly different than putting the FM9 in the QC loop. Similar to you, I am interested in hearing how the TONEX pedal sounds in the FM9 loop. Thanks as always.
I'm not crapping on this. I've been into this stuff since I bought a POD 1.0 back in 1998. This is an amazing device/software. I honestly can't hear the difference on the recordings. As for how it "feels"? Nothing feels like a 100 watt head going into a 4x12 cab. The "feel" affects the way I play. I'm most inspired when the vibration of my speaker cabinet starts to vibrate the body of my guitar and the symbiosis starts kicking in. I still have a POD XT-Live under my desk. There's also a Fractal Audio X-Load connected to all of my amp heads. And there's an Atomic Ampli-Firebox (for impulse responses) within 12 inches of my keyboard. But the thing for me is that none of this gear inspires me to play. I need that symbiosis for inspiration. Where I live, that's not an option. Call me old school. I miss the real deal. An interesting product just the same and hats off to IK. But how many captures would you need to model all of the controls on the ENGL behind your right shoulder? 5 knobs can't replace 20. I'd rather just turn around and twist a knob over cycling through 50 presets of a single amp head.
Sure, but most of us can't play/practice/record at 90dB. For recording, there is the extra issue of recording the amp to satisfaction. The ToneX seems to be potentially inspiring to play. If we can't do symbiotic real amps at a level where they really shine, what other options do we have?
Awesome! I almost preferred the ToneX Pedal in this case. It has a little bit more mids and a bit more clarity, but of course this can easily be shaped with the EQ as well. Very close indeed. I'm using the ToneX software all the time these days. Great video as always, Jon!
The ToneX looks and sounds like a fantastic piece of gear. Thanks for specifically mentioning that it can be used to model Pedals as well. No need to take expensive, hard to find/replace boutique Pedals to a gig. 👍 The ToneX sounded a little brighter, clearer, with a little less bottom end than the real Amp. I suspect that any difference could be easily dialed in to match using the handy ToneX knob controls. The ToneX is a pedal, platform, and solution that I'm definitely considering purchasing. I'd like to see more videos on how it could be used when combined with a Modeler like the HX Stomp. 🤔 Excellent demo as always! Thanks 😎
it looks great and the price is also amazing! Honestly a little bit disappointed about no delay/modulation effects or fx loop.. unfortunately in this way, it is not a all-in-one solution for a live situation, a delay is quite mandatory for a solo for example... anyway great product and it sounds really good! Good job IK!
I feel the same way, if it was an all in obe solution i would buy it right away! Build in power amp, preamp and effects and ir loader. That would be great! But the good thing is that the other companies have to keep up now and make the better product. Great times we live in 😁
@@che2335 I'm thinking the same. Put Tonex in the effects loop of the HX Stomp. Turn off IR in Tonex and use the IR loader in HX Stomp. That way you can move the Tonex anywhere in the signal chain. Of course, that means now spending over twice as much.
When I think of the questionable quality gear you could buy for that money when I was starting out in the early 90's, its just nuts how far technology has come and how accessible these awesome tools have become. Especially considering the price of the two bundled applications if you bought them separately, thats an incredible price!!
Seriously. I dusted off my old zoom 505 a few weeks back. Got it for Xmas in 1995 ish. It’s so crazy that 1. That thing still works perfectly, and 2 how awful it sounds compared to cheap gear today.
Neural Amp Modeler sounds amazing and its free, open source. Ola released his plugin for the NAM, it's really popular. It doesn't have the native amp controls for each model but it sounds great and it's fun. But for 400 bucks, I might give this a try too
12:06 😂 Really great review. Killer product 😉 but can we all acknowledge the killer riffs Jon comes up with? We need an album! The sound comparison was scary close. Very impressive.
Sounds great John! You could hear a minute difference when the amps were isolated but I really couldn’t tell you which was the real one… closer to the tiny differences between each amp of the same kind than 2 different tools! The for the tone model too! By the way, I feel like you would make a killing selling all of your captures as you’ve got soooo many great amps!
Really enjoyed the video. I was a bit unsure to choosen between the Tonex One and the Tonex Pedal but after this great review I'll go for the big brother. MIDI and the full version of the Tonex and Amplitube software can come in handy for my workflow. I also plan to use it with my HX Stomp to have other effects than reverb in my live rig. So... Thanks, Jon, for all the effort... I always enjoy your work.
You do great videos. My only complaint is that in reality the biggest differences between these devices are found in the low to mid gain world. The higher the gain, the more the compression and they all start sounding pretty much the same. So, would be great if your videos could include more edge of breakup to moderate gain riffs.
This channel is mostly (although not completely) about high gain tones but for my amp demos and reviews I also always add clean and crunch clips. There are various channels out there that focus more on low gain tones though
In the context of the mix I could not hear any difference. In isolation the ToneX lacked some mid-low end punch and sounded a bit thinnier but not by much. I would definitely say that they sound the same at 90%. Just amazing!
I really appreciate the fact that this unit is affordable. This is definitely a no brainer. I regret however that they didn't include an aux in and a mobile app with Bluetooth or wifi. This would have been the absolute best, but well it's still something amazing.
Man, I was hyped when I heard the quality of the ToneX captures when it realeased, but super bummed you had to run it through a computer. This is exactly the kind of portable device I was hoping they would release! Definitely getting one!
@@kahlrhoam6769 Interesting! I have an iPad Pro and an interface that should work with it, so I’ll give that a try. The pedal is on backorder anyway, so I might aswell. I am a bit concerned about power though. The iPad holds charge for a good while, but it will have to power the interface aswell, which might decrease the battery charge significantly. It would be nice to have the iPad connected to power during a live performance, just to be safe, but the interface will take up that slot. Edit: And I would need some way to change presets on the fly. Might be possible through MIDI, the interface does have it, but I’m not sure how that works on iOS.
Well I am happy with the quad cortex and my freyette powerstation. I can use the powerstation as a preamp and vallhala. Amazing effects, Amp models with the powerstation goosing the front end. So many tonal options and configs at this point. Also Quad Cortex is coming out with a desktop editor soon. So no jumping ships any time soon
Jon, you should (if you haven't already) think about releasing a premium TONEX amp pack ala The Studio Rats. You know what you are doing (as do they) and I'd love to give you some money for some sweet amp captures. That crazy Red Seven you have would be VERY interesting to hear. I love your captures that are currently available, and especially love that they are captured without a cab so we can choose whatever IR we want. Thanks so much for your wizardry and playing. Always a pleasure!
As much as I want to love the digital stuff for convenience, this is the reason tube amps and real guitar speakers in real cabs are never beaten. Digital sounds smaller and flatter, also because of IR-stuff. Its never as inspiring to play through as a real rig. Really impressive tech though!
@@JustinLesamiz ah well count me in. i totally second his take on the current stage of digital amp modeling and IRs. they keep getting better and better and never cease to impress but not quite there yet. a piping hot tube stacked with a cab is a whole experience.
@@JustinLesamiz have you compared the difference? I compared using the Suhr Reactive Load IR with real heads, playing through a bunch of professional IRs (ownhammer included) in FRFR and monitors, and then plugged in the real cab in the same head. Try this and tell me how much better the real cab sounds. There is no contest what so ever
@Sonic Drive Studio lol I will be buying this next week. Need a great sounding and versatile amp for recording. Bouncing between an H&K Grandmeister Deluxe 40, a Kemper Studio, a Laney, and think I've decided on the Tonex/Amplitude. Gonna study a bit more so I don't misstep...again
I pride myself on having great ears but Tonex is spot on with the real amps and even trained ears can’t truly “blindly” pick out which is which. Game changer is right! Plan on incorporating this with my ampero 2 stomp and using it on the fx loop of that that way I have all the fx and pedals etc from the ampero combined with the amazing amps from Tonex. Beyond excited for this!! And thank you for the capture Jon! That orange sounds amazing!!
Awesome! You are the first review I've seen of this unit so I'm glad they gave you early access. You are the first channel I thought of when the Tonex software was announced, and even though it took a while for you to review it, I'm very glad you did as I value your opinion. The new hardware unit looks great as well, and you did a good job of demoing it! 👍.. Thanks again for giving out captures of your awesome amp collection, I'll check out the new one soon! 🙏
at 15:00 is clear that the chords are losing a little bit of 'chime', for lack of a better word. But otherwise is actually quite impressive the sound quality. Also, orange amps are ones of the most difficult to digitally mimic in my opinion.
@@andreaskaehny6624 I haven’t received mine yet but it’s pretty simple whatever effects loop you use in the back plug your send into the input and the outPut goes to the return and add that effects loop in your chain
Great job on your vid (as usual!), and once again thank you for sharing your captures. I don't have any amps due to space, so thanks to folks like you it really does help ! I thought it sounded great, and in the future I could certainly see myself picking one up (saves taking a laptop around!).
Seems excellent for the price! If I didn’t already have a quad cortex I would definitely get one. The thing about captures on the kemper and QC is the eq adjustment dials etc are not the same as on the amp itself. Also capturing pedals you don’t get the actual controls such as tone on an od pedal. Is this the case with tonex? Or can you adjust the amp/pedal settings like you could on the real device?
Honestly. I think you got that backwards. When you showed the pedal & the amp alongside the music, you had the pedal first. But you said A was the real amp. I have a sneaking feeling A was the pedal ... which tallies with what you showed ... but not what you said. I also reckon B was noticeably better, ie. more lifelike with a better depth of detail in the dynamics.
@@SonicDriveStudio I'm not suggesting any trickery. I'm just confused as to why when you played the audio examples the second time, with the amp & pedal on screen, the first one was the pedal and yet you say the amp is A. When you played the audio examples the first time, with nothing on screen, the first audio example is A. So ... either you reversed the audio so first time it was ABAB as shown and then with the pictures you played BABA ... or you got something wrong with your labelling.
i have watched all your videos and really love them, your amp tone and playing style are to my taste, watching this video again today i am really excited, in the future if you decide capture all amp tones in your collection on Tonex, glad you share and really appreciates
Like everyone had a kidney bean POD when they came around (I still do!)… everyone is gonna have one of these. On another note… that one amp tone you’re sharing is worth $400 on its own. That really is a perfect modern-stone age recording tone. Holy smokes!! Thanks for the great review!! This video is the deal sealer for me!! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙏🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🙏🏻
It was clear that this was coming but i was more than happy with my setup… iOS TONEX with the XTONE interface… no pun intended 😂 with MIDI routing via Audiobus very flexible and versatile
I’m an owner of IK stuff since that 30 pin ipad connector yonks ago. Bought some other stuff over ther the years and yep they gave me the software version of this. Saweet. A pedal ? Wow. Paused at 1;09, looking fwd to the rest of the vid
All these new technologies blow my mind. $400 for all that? It's crazy. If I didn't already have the HX Stomp I would be thinking hard about something like this.
Agreed on the hx stomp! I pair it with the hx effects pedal and the one of the biggest things preventing me from selling the hx effects for the Tonex pedal is the ease of midi pairing/control. Line 6 SLAYS this! But my god the power you get from pairing the stomp with Tonex 😲
To test myself, I listen to the blind test without watching the video. So, I can't read A or B and don't know when you switch from amp to tonex. All I know is you will play the same passage twice. It makes listening to blind test more fun. Anyway, from the first riff on full band mix, I can hear one has more treble and the other is not. I immediately guess A is the real amp. For other section, the different isn't so obvious especially in palm mute part. Somehow, I also like IK approach to the device. By separating, the capturing device and the pedal, a customer, who doesn't have a real amp, can buy the pedal only but still can enjoy tone capture from others. This way, the customer doesn't have to pay for something he/she doesn't use.
Yeah I was surprised it didn't have one. It doesn't do pre-amp modeling, so it makes sense, but have effects before the cab also seems reasonable. It's the only thing it's really lacking.
Hey man. I'm so glad I came across this video, LOVED IT and subscribed to your channel. I'll go watch other videos now. Fantastic review of the TONEX pedal, very helpful and simple to understand! I actually ordered it and can't wait for it to arrive. Hey, one thing was a bit complicated for me to understand is how you use this pedal in your recording tracks? You talked about using Fractal and DIs (both I'm unfamiliar with) and somehow replace the actual amps with this pedal. Can you please make a video showing exactly that, how you use this pedal in conjunction with your other devices and DAW to record tracks while choosing your own captured tones from the TONEX pedal? I'll MUCH appreciate it if you can do that, also didn't find another youtube video showing that. Again, great video. I'll go watch lots of your previous videos now.
Super cool this sounds great! If you're looking for another one to do, please get into that Powerball 25. :) Those tones on the "One song one amp" for your ENGL Powerball 25 are among my favorite on the channel. I love those! Cheers! Looking forward to what you do with this unit. And thanks for sharing the tones!
I assume there is a delay or lag when switching presets of amps. That is the reason I got rid of my Kemper Stage and went back to a real pedalboard an amp with stacked drives. I know other companies have solved this issue with "scenes". Also, it sounds like those switches aren't noiseless and make a loud click when engaged. So, I can't imagine playing a show and starting on a cleanish amp preset maybe a Vox, then clicking preset B, and hearing the amp cut off and a loud click, then the delay or lag o the next preset is engaged. That definitely wouldn't work for me.
For 400 bucks that is excellent! As a hx stomp user, i don't think i would replace it with this, but as a method of getting my own amps into plugins it looks excellent. Along with native for fx and stuff i could totally see myself using this. Edit: ok no profiling capability is a deal breaker.
@@SonicDriveStudio ok, presumably i'd still need a DI box though right? if i wanted to capture the full amp and not just the preamp? can i use any interface for the profiling? cause in that case i could just grab the tonex capture as a relatively cheap DI box + software bundle and plug that into my HX stomp.
I don't think that you could replace the HX Stomp with this anyway. You would lose all the pedal options. This becomes handy if you have a real Amp, which sound you love and would like to have on stage. So would you would capture that with the ToneX software and load it into this pedal. But still, you probably would like to add an Overdrive or Distartion and sometimes maybe even Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Whatever effects. This is nothing would the ToneX pedal does. In your case, you would take your HX Stomp and use them together. The HX Stomp for Pedals and all your FX, the ToneX only for the Amp Sound (and IR/Cab Sim if you like). With this, you're still in a cheaper range than the other available products (Kemper and Quad Cortex). It also might become a bit more complex when it comes to wiring, but for recording, you would not even need the hardware (which neither Kemper nor Quad Cortex can give you AFAIK). Also it shouldn't really bother you, because both HX Stomp and ToneX can be controlled via MIDI. So you can control your presets on stage automatically from your DAW, based on the currently playing (part of the) song. And if one of the units fail, you could use both of their digital counterparts, considering your computer has enough power.
@@frankyfire-tech exactly. i have an engl blackmore that i love. for live use i could slap the tonex pedal with a blackmore capture into the FX loop of the HX stomp, for recording i could sandwich the tonex plugin between two instances of helix native. i probably don't need the pedal for my usecase, i can get a perfectly good live sound with either my real amp or with the stomp on its own, but for recording it would be super convenient to have a plugin version of my amp available. so i might get the tonex capture thingy to hook between my amp and cab, profile that, and do all the rest with helix native. considering the brainworx savage that is the next best option to get something like my blackmore in VST form is 100 bucks, 180 for the DI box + tonex software looks like a pretty good deal to me. gonna try to do a preamp capture in the free version using my stomp, see how that goes.
IK Amplitube has always been good. i would not hesitate to blend it in with original tracks, with tweeking, of course. but now - it sounds like your amps are now a second back-up, behind Hardware & Software
So here is my question. When people use these types of amp pedals, what do they run them into when you are playing. Like do you just run this into the amps that you have? Do you run them into FRFR's? I mean I know that you can run them into a computer etc to play in your videos. But what about just playing them?
Tried out the demo on PC, not really a fan of the high end. You can mask it a little bit with some high pass filtering, etc. but I find it has that artificial or digital sounding top end to it, much like a Line 6 spider or a Fender modeling amp. It's not bad at first, but I find myself with a headache after 30 minutes of playing because there's just an overwhelming unpleasant high frequency to ALL of the tones. It's most of the way there I feel, but it's still not nailing that high end fizz from the real thing. I find it to be very harsh on the ToneX, again you can dial it out. It's not bad to make a few demo tracks, but I don't think it sounds good enough to me to actually fully purchase and record a full album with. Just my two cents. I think there's better programs out there, don't just buy the flavor of the month, because this month's flavor isn't all that great.
The tone models in the free version are not a good representation of what this thing can do. Listen to my comparison in the video, sounds very close right?
The character sounds the same but I hear a clear difference between the real amp and the captured amp. The captured amp is more 'flat' especially the palm mutes sound less concussive and have less impact with de modeled amp. It doesn't sound bad just different. But feature wise it is a great product especially for that price.
Love this channel! Thinking about getting this and pair it with my HX Stomp (which I think also is a great pedal) as a small rig. With that combo I get even more amp models 😂
This is INSANE. I was recently entertaining getting a Kemper for various reasons, studio and live, but this honestly seems like a much better investment. It sounds like the real thing, and you don't have to rely on someone else's profiles if you already have gear you know and love and some load boxes. I have several well-loved tube amps, and plenty of OwnHammer IRs that just rock. My main question is: do you have to send the profiled sounds to a FRFR speaker like with the Kemper, OR can you profile the amp, and then say, send that through the power stage of something and into a traditional guitar cab and have it sound "like it's supposed to" (you know, like the amp you just profiled)? Thanks!! Love the channel and have found it super useful over the past couple years.
I prefered A but they were so similiar! And I even thought that B is the amp as the slight worse sound I was thinking were because of microphone. But with closed eyes I woudln't even know probably that you are changing the amps : D I prefered A because it has the tiniest bit more sheen and clarity, B had just a bit of that bad room sound, but the difference wasssssss soo subtle. It's kinda crazy. If you could get tonex secondhand for the price that tonex one goes, would you get a bigger one? : )
One thing I hate is using a computer for a quick practice session or just some noodling. I just want to plug in an go. This seems to tick a lot of boxes, easy to implement in a lot of setups. There is one gripe for me personally. I don't need and want 150 different choices or banks. I'm looking for a simple platform that mainly can emulate one decent amp. Nothing more. Just to keep me focused 😅 and stop altering every bank available and keep switching things around. Pure self reflection over here😉 But anyway, finally a pedal version of modern software that's reasonably priced and sounds good.
That sounds super close! Can still hear the differences in both examples. But like at this point its close enough where its not worth worrying about it! I'd be interested to hear how it compares to the other capture solutions on the market. As always sick riffs and tones!
Thomann Affiliate: www.thomann.de/intl/index.html?offid=1&affid=3210
My personal Thomann recommendations: thmn.to/thocf/cv37zixo68
My webstore for Captures, presets etc: ko-fi.com/sonicdrivestudio
Thanks for supporting the channel!
I finally pulled the trigger and got myself a ToneX pedal. I have to admit, the hype is real. It took me some time to browse the tone net models and learn how to set properly the gain and compressor, but after that, oh boy what an amazing piece of gear. I have found some really killer tones, EVH, Diezel, Bogner and Mark IIC+. I have no words, of course it's still can be developed and improved but honestly for the money, this is gold !!!!
I still have a mint+ Mark IIC Simulclass from 1984
You have such a talent to write gorgeous riffs and make Mix-friendly sounds
Thank you!
Agreed!
Yea man his riffs are 💥🔥
Most amazing riffs indeed!
Allow me to say that your captures are the best in the entire tonenet site. The fact that you caputre the head with the load box gives us the flexibility to load our IR or try the integrated VIR (those aren't bad at all). I would love to have clean, drive, hi gain for every head. Have you ever thought of selling your captures? I would buy them like instantly. I'm having a lot of fun with the JCM800, Orange Jim Root Terror and the Mesa...they sound so real!
Consider selling your captures because your work on those is golden!
Thank you, Jon.
Thanks for the kind words! Who knows, I might sell some tone models one day...
I just want to say how much I really love your playing it really resonates with me. I come here to hear your great in-depth reviews as much as I do your tight, awesome playing. Thanks for everything you do. Please do us all a favor and keep them coming!
I was debating buying a helix floor model, but now I think I’m going to buy this. Because I already own a few amps I love and a hx effects. Now I get more access to great amp tones including my own, and keep my helix effects which I love.
was thinking about this or a hx stomp just for versatility and backup if for an amp if running DI - did you wind up doing it?
As an owner of a latest and greatest UAD rack Apollo, I bought an Axe I/O (as a simple interface for when I’m on my windows PC) and the stuff from IK is seriously impressive.
The hardware is a tank and the software has been rock solid and reliable. Everyone should definitely keep a close eye on their stuff.
thanks Jon. I struggled with your comment that you couldn't get the Axe to sound like your amps. Based on most of your comparison videos, you have easily made all modelers sound virtually identical to the amp source. You have an amazing ear.
It's just a general feeling. For some it will be perceived as subtle but I just can't "unhear" those sonic traits. I did however also say that the amp modeling is great :)
@@SonicDriveStudio thanks as always for your input. After owning the QC, FM9 and Helix I now know that even each modeler has its own sonic footprint outside of the amp. For example when I used the QC in the FM9 loop it sounded vastly different than putting the FM9 in the QC loop. Similar to you, I am interested in hearing how the TONEX pedal sounds in the FM9 loop. Thanks as always.
I'm not crapping on this. I've been into this stuff since I bought a POD 1.0 back in 1998. This is an amazing device/software. I honestly can't hear the difference on the recordings. As for how it "feels"? Nothing feels like a 100 watt head going into a 4x12 cab. The "feel" affects the way I play. I'm most inspired when the vibration of my speaker cabinet starts to vibrate the body of my guitar and the symbiosis starts kicking in.
I still have a POD XT-Live under my desk. There's also a Fractal Audio X-Load connected to all of my amp heads. And there's an Atomic Ampli-Firebox (for impulse responses) within 12 inches of my keyboard.
But the thing for me is that none of this gear inspires me to play. I need that symbiosis for inspiration. Where I live, that's not an option. Call me old school. I miss the real deal.
An interesting product just the same and hats off to IK. But how many captures would you need to model all of the controls on the ENGL behind your right shoulder? 5 knobs can't replace 20. I'd rather just turn around and twist a knob over cycling through 50 presets of a single amp head.
Sure, but most of us can't play/practice/record at 90dB.
For recording, there is the extra issue of recording the amp to satisfaction.
The ToneX seems to be potentially inspiring to play.
If we can't do symbiotic real amps at a level where they really shine, what other options do we have?
This is such an easy sale. Incredible value for the price. Well done IK, well done.
12:05 LOL! I loved seeing that classic brazilian meme! Great video! The TONEX pedal definitely made my G.A.S. come to life!
You always use really awesome chords for your progressions, I def suspect a Deftones fan! 👽
Haha yeah love Deftones
Amazing time to be a guitar player. Fantastic tones, you put that thing to great use! Looking forward to AxeFx vs ToneX vs Quad Cortex fights😎
Sounds absolutely fantastic!! And a very tempting price!!
Awesome! I almost preferred the ToneX Pedal in this case. It has a little bit more mids and a bit more clarity, but of course this can easily be shaped with the EQ as well. Very close indeed. I'm using the ToneX software all the time these days. Great video as always, Jon!
Cheers Ben!
Tonex + GT-1000 = Dream setup!
The ToneX looks and sounds like a fantastic piece of gear. Thanks for specifically mentioning that it can be used to model Pedals as well. No need to take expensive, hard to find/replace boutique Pedals to a gig. 👍
The ToneX sounded a little brighter, clearer, with a little less bottom end than the real Amp. I suspect that any difference could be easily dialed in to match using the handy ToneX knob controls.
The ToneX is a pedal, platform, and solution that I'm definitely considering purchasing. I'd like to see more videos on how it could be used when combined with a Modeler like the HX Stomp. 🤔
Excellent demo as always! Thanks 😎
I feel like IK Multimedia have a winner over here. Also at this price it's super nice.
it looks great and the price is also amazing! Honestly a little bit disappointed about no delay/modulation effects or fx loop.. unfortunately in this way, it is not a all-in-one solution for a live situation, a delay is quite mandatory for a solo for example... anyway great product and it sounds really good! Good job IK!
I feel the same way, if it was an all in obe solution i would buy it right away! Build in power amp, preamp and effects and ir loader. That would be great! But the good thing is that the other companies have to keep up now and make the better product. Great times we live in 😁
Would an hx stomp after toneX w midi loop switcher work like having an fx loop, in mono of course.
@@che2335 there's no fx loop so it is not ideal to put an effect after the IR.
@@che2335 I'm thinking the same. Put Tonex in the effects loop of the HX Stomp. Turn off IR in Tonex and use the IR loader in HX Stomp. That way you can move the Tonex anywhere in the signal chain. Of course, that means now spending over twice as much.
I'm glad I picked 'A' as the amp before I got to the reveal.
When I think of the questionable quality gear you could buy for that money when I was starting out in the early 90's, its just nuts how far technology has come and how accessible these awesome tools have become. Especially considering the price of the two bundled applications if you bought them separately, thats an incredible price!!
Seriously. I dusted off my old zoom 505 a few weeks back. Got it for Xmas in 1995 ish. It’s so crazy that 1. That thing still works perfectly, and 2 how awful it sounds compared to cheap gear today.
Neural Amp Modeler sounds amazing and its free, open source. Ola released his plugin for the NAM, it's really popular. It doesn't have the native amp controls for each model but it sounds great and it's fun. But for 400 bucks, I might give this a try too
12:06 😂 Really great review. Killer product 😉 but can we all acknowledge the killer riffs Jon comes up with? We need an album! The sound comparison was scary close. Very impressive.
Cheers! :)
@@SonicDriveStudio and we need Tabs 😛...
I still need to watch the rest of the video but that intro tune is absolutely sick!
Solid review man thank you
Sounds great John! You could hear a minute difference when the amps were isolated but I really couldn’t tell you which was the real one… closer to the tiny differences between each amp of the same kind than 2 different tools!
The for the tone model too! By the way, I feel like you would make a killing selling all of your captures as you’ve got soooo many great amps!
Really enjoyed the video. I was a bit unsure to choosen between the Tonex One and the Tonex Pedal but after this great review I'll go for the big brother.
MIDI and the full version of the Tonex and Amplitube software can come in handy for my workflow.
I also plan to use it with my HX Stomp to have other effects than reverb in my live rig.
So... Thanks, Jon, for all the effort... I always enjoy your work.
You do great videos. My only complaint is that in reality the biggest differences between these devices are found in the low to mid gain world. The higher the gain, the more the compression and they all start sounding pretty much the same. So, would be great if your videos could include more edge of breakup to moderate gain riffs.
This channel is mostly (although not completely) about high gain tones but for my amp demos and reviews I also always add clean and crunch clips. There are various channels out there that focus more on low gain tones though
Someone with a lot of Amps would know the most about comparisons. Thanks!
In the context of the mix I could not hear any difference. In isolation the ToneX lacked some mid-low end punch and sounded a bit thinnier but not by much. I would definitely say that they sound the same at 90%.
Just amazing!
I really appreciate the fact that this unit is affordable. This is definitely a no brainer. I regret however that they didn't include an aux in and a mobile app with Bluetooth or wifi. This would have been the absolute best, but well it's still something amazing.
It's a small pedal and in that case compromises always have to be made. Also to keep the price down!
Man, I was hyped when I heard the quality of the ToneX captures when it realeased, but super bummed you had to run it through a computer. This is exactly the kind of portable device I was hoping they would release! Definitely getting one!
Get yourself a power amp and plug it in a cab. Go for it 🤙 that’s still tons more portable than a full sized amp. Even a 30 or a 15
It runs on iOS, right down to iPhones, too.
@@kahlrhoam6769 Interesting! I have an iPad Pro and an interface that should work with it, so I’ll give that a try. The pedal is on backorder anyway, so I might aswell. I am a bit concerned about power though. The iPad holds charge for a good while, but it will have to power the interface aswell, which might decrease the battery charge significantly. It would be nice to have the iPad connected to power during a live performance, just to be safe, but the interface will take up that slot. Edit: And I would need some way to change presets on the fly. Might be possible through MIDI, the interface does have it, but I’m not sure how that works on iOS.
@@CorpseInTheMakinghey there, I’m curious of this method. Can you please explain to me more in depth about it. Thanks!
Well I am happy with the quad cortex and my freyette powerstation. I can use the powerstation as a preamp and vallhala. Amazing effects, Amp models with the powerstation goosing the front end. So many tonal options and configs at this point. Also Quad Cortex is coming out with a desktop editor soon. So no jumping ships any time soon
Very impressed and ready to buy. Thanks for the comparison and videos. Great channel!
BEST demo I’ve seen, stellar job!!!
Thank you!
Jon, you should (if you haven't already) think about releasing a premium TONEX amp pack ala The Studio Rats. You know what you are doing (as do they) and I'd love to give you some money for some sweet amp captures. That crazy Red Seven you have would be VERY interesting to hear. I love your captures that are currently available, and especially love that they are captured without a cab so we can choose whatever IR we want. Thanks so much for your wizardry and playing. Always a pleasure!
The ToneX model sounded slightly more compressed, with less bottom end and a bit more upper mids. But yeah, they were damn close.
I also notice the lack of bottom end especially in palm mutes
As much as I want to love the digital stuff for convenience, this is the reason tube amps and real guitar speakers in real cabs are never beaten. Digital sounds smaller and flatter, also because of IR-stuff. Its never as inspiring to play through as a real rig. Really impressive tech though!
@@ludvanlazarz please stop being this pretentious. Thanks.
@@JustinLesamiz ah well count me in. i totally second his take on the current stage of digital amp modeling and IRs. they keep getting better and better and never cease to impress but not quite there yet. a piping hot tube stacked with a cab is a whole experience.
@@JustinLesamiz have you compared the difference? I compared using the Suhr Reactive Load IR with real heads, playing through a bunch of professional IRs (ownhammer included) in FRFR and monitors, and then plugged in the real cab in the same head. Try this and tell me how much better the real cab sounds. There is no contest what so ever
that wall of heads is pretty wild, like what $20,000 easily?
Nice sound man wow.
This was a truly excellent demo/review. I did a bourbon-induced order of one last night after watching this video.
Thanks! Enjoy the pedal :)
...expensive bourbon
@@jrockofages5413 Agreed but at least I didn't pee out the pedal.
@Sonic Drive Studio lol
I will be buying this next week. Need a great sounding and versatile amp for recording. Bouncing between an H&K Grandmeister Deluxe 40, a Kemper Studio, a Laney, and think I've decided on the Tonex/Amplitude. Gonna study a bit more so I don't misstep...again
I pride myself on having great ears but Tonex is spot on with the real amps and even trained ears can’t truly “blindly” pick out which is which. Game changer is right! Plan on incorporating this with my ampero 2 stomp and using it on the fx loop of that that way I have all the fx and pedals etc from the ampero combined with the amazing amps from Tonex. Beyond excited for this!! And thank you for the capture Jon! That orange sounds amazing!!
Very cool! Love to see this in conjunction with a seymour duncan powerstage and cab!
Awesome! You are the first review I've seen of this unit so I'm glad they gave you early access. You are the first channel I thought of when the Tonex software was announced, and even though it took a while for you to review it, I'm very glad you did as I value your opinion. The new hardware unit looks great as well, and you did a good job of demoing it! 👍.. Thanks again for giving out captures of your awesome amp collection, I'll check out the new one soon! 🙏
Cheers!
at 15:00 is clear that the chords are losing a little bit of 'chime', for lack of a better word. But otherwise is actually quite impressive the sound quality. Also, orange amps are ones of the most difficult to digitally mimic in my opinion.
Excellent video and the song you made for the comparison was super awesome.
I bought it this morning will be using it the same way as you in my Helix rack FX loop
can u show me the setup for helix?
@@andreaskaehny6624 I haven’t received mine yet but it’s pretty simple whatever effects loop you use in the back plug your send into the input and the outPut goes to the return and add that effects loop in your chain
Just bought Tonex after watching your review
Awesome review Jon! And looks like a bargain, real bang for your buck!
Yeah! What do you guys think?
Great job on your vid (as usual!), and once again thank you for sharing your captures. I don't have any amps due to space, so thanks to folks like you it really does help !
I thought it sounded great, and in the future I could certainly see myself picking one up (saves taking a laptop around!).
Seems excellent for the price! If I didn’t already have a quad cortex I would definitely get one. The thing about captures on the kemper and QC is the eq adjustment dials etc are not the same as on the amp itself. Also capturing pedals you don’t get the actual controls such as tone on an od pedal. Is this the case with tonex? Or can you adjust the amp/pedal settings like you could on the real device?
Honestly. I think you got that backwards. When you showed the pedal & the amp alongside the music, you had the pedal first. But you said A was the real amp. I have a sneaking feeling A was the pedal ... which tallies with what you showed ... but not what you said. I also reckon B was noticeably better, ie. more lifelike with a better depth of detail in the dynamics.
@@BigBoysStudios A is the real amp. There is no trickery
@@SonicDriveStudio I'm not suggesting any trickery. I'm just confused as to why when you played the audio examples the second time, with the amp & pedal on screen, the first one was the pedal and yet you say the amp is A. When you played the audio examples the first time, with nothing on screen, the first audio example is A. So ... either you reversed the audio so first time it was ABAB as shown and then with the pictures you played BABA ... or you got something wrong with your labelling.
i have watched all your videos and really love them, your amp tone and playing style are to my taste, watching this video again today i am really excited, in the future if you decide capture all amp tones in your collection on Tonex, glad you share and really appreciates
Sounds killer, but no FX loop? Guess you could combo it with something like an HX effects or HX Stomp and use their loop to make a great small rig.
Yup
Do you know what length IR the ToneX supports?….does it truncate long IR’s?….
Like everyone had a kidney bean POD when they came around (I still do!)… everyone is gonna have one of these.
On another note… that one amp tone you’re sharing is worth $400 on its own.
That really is a perfect modern-stone age recording tone. Holy smokes!!
Thanks for the great review!! This video is the deal sealer for me!!
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🙏🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🙏🏻
Thanks!
It was clear that this was coming but i was more than happy with my setup… iOS TONEX with the XTONE interface… no pun intended 😂
with MIDI routing via Audiobus very flexible and versatile
I’m an owner of IK stuff since that 30 pin ipad connector yonks ago.
Bought some other stuff over ther the years and yep they gave me the software version of this. Saweet.
A pedal ?
Wow.
Paused at 1;09, looking fwd to the rest of the vid
As usual, came for the gear, stood for your riffs
U are the best dude. Great quality playing and excellent reviews...
Thank you!
Killer intro demo 🤘
All these new technologies blow my mind. $400 for all that? It's crazy. If I didn't already have the HX Stomp I would be thinking hard about something like this.
This would pair AMAZINGLY with the Stomp.
Use the stomp for FX
Agreed on the hx stomp! I pair it with the hx effects pedal and the one of the biggest things preventing me from selling the hx effects for the Tonex pedal is the ease of midi pairing/control. Line 6 SLAYS this! But my god the power you get from pairing the stomp with Tonex 😲
Such a slight difference... really the difference a slight move in a mic on a cab could make.
To test myself, I listen to the blind test without watching the video. So, I can't read A or B and don't know when you switch from amp to tonex. All I know is you will play the same passage twice. It makes listening to blind test more fun. Anyway, from the first riff on full band mix, I can hear one has more treble and the other is not. I immediately guess A is the real amp. For other section, the different isn't so obvious especially in palm mute part.
Somehow, I also like IK approach to the device. By separating, the capturing device and the pedal, a customer, who doesn't have a real amp, can buy the pedal only but still can enjoy tone capture from others. This way, the customer doesn't have to pay for something he/she doesn't use.
Super sick intro music.
Finally someone admits the fractal is missing something. Shame to spend 2000 on axe fx and end up using a 400 device.
damn, they are real close.
the low end tightness is the thing that gives up tonex the most. But it will not be noticeable for most people.
Very close indeed
Sonic Drive Studio is AWESOME!
Cheers!
Looks like the only thing its really missing is an FX loop, which would be handy if you wanted to make use of the built in reverb.
Yeah I was surprised it didn't have one. It doesn't do pre-amp modeling, so it makes sense, but have effects before the cab also seems reasonable. It's the only thing it's really lacking.
Hey man. I'm so glad I came across this video, LOVED IT and subscribed to your channel. I'll go watch other videos now. Fantastic review of the TONEX pedal, very helpful and simple to understand! I actually ordered it and can't wait for it to arrive. Hey, one thing was a bit complicated for me to understand is how you use this pedal in your recording tracks? You talked about using Fractal and DIs (both I'm unfamiliar with) and somehow replace the actual amps with this pedal. Can you please make a video showing exactly that, how you use this pedal in conjunction with your other devices and DAW to record tracks while choosing your own captured tones from the TONEX pedal? I'll MUCH appreciate it if you can do that, also didn't find another youtube video showing that. Again, great video. I'll go watch lots of your previous videos now.
Super cool this sounds great! If you're looking for another one to do, please get into that Powerball 25. :) Those tones on the "One song one amp" for your ENGL Powerball 25 are among my favorite on the channel. I love those! Cheers! Looking forward to what you do with this unit. And thanks for sharing the tones!
I assume there is a delay or lag when switching presets of amps. That is the reason I got rid of my Kemper Stage and went back to a real pedalboard an amp with stacked drives. I know other companies have solved this issue with "scenes". Also, it sounds like those switches aren't noiseless and make a loud click when engaged. So, I can't imagine playing a show and starting on a cleanish amp preset maybe a Vox, then clicking preset B, and hearing the amp cut off and a loud click, then the delay or lag o the next preset is engaged. That definitely wouldn't work for me.
Looks like it was very well thought out
For 400 bucks that is excellent! As a hx stomp user, i don't think i would replace it with this, but as a method of getting my own amps into plugins it looks excellent. Along with native for fx and stuff i could totally see myself using this.
Edit: ok no profiling capability is a deal breaker.
You can make the captures on your PC. The software comes with the pedal so no additional costs
@@SonicDriveStudio ok, presumably i'd still need a DI box though right? if i wanted to capture the full amp and not just the preamp? can i use any interface for the profiling? cause in that case i could just grab the tonex capture as a relatively cheap DI box + software bundle and plug that into my HX stomp.
@@givemeajackson you can use just your interface
I don't think that you could replace the HX Stomp with this anyway. You would lose all the pedal options. This becomes handy if you have a real Amp, which sound you love and would like to have on stage. So would you would capture that with the ToneX software and load it into this pedal. But still, you probably would like to add an Overdrive or Distartion and sometimes maybe even Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Whatever effects. This is nothing would the ToneX pedal does. In your case, you would take your HX Stomp and use them together. The HX Stomp for Pedals and all your FX, the ToneX only for the Amp Sound (and IR/Cab Sim if you like). With this, you're still in a cheaper range than the other available products (Kemper and Quad Cortex). It also might become a bit more complex when it comes to wiring, but for recording, you would not even need the hardware (which neither Kemper nor Quad Cortex can give you AFAIK).
Also it shouldn't really bother you, because both HX Stomp and ToneX can be controlled via MIDI. So you can control your presets on stage automatically from your DAW, based on the currently playing (part of the) song. And if one of the units fail, you could use both of their digital counterparts, considering your computer has enough power.
@@frankyfire-tech exactly. i have an engl blackmore that i love. for live use i could slap the tonex pedal with a blackmore capture into the FX loop of the HX stomp, for recording i could sandwich the tonex plugin between two instances of helix native.
i probably don't need the pedal for my usecase, i can get a perfectly good live sound with either my real amp or with the stomp on its own, but for recording it would be super convenient to have a plugin version of my amp available.
so i might get the tonex capture thingy to hook between my amp and cab, profile that, and do all the rest with helix native. considering the brainworx savage that is the next best option to get something like my blackmore in VST form is 100 bucks, 180 for the DI box + tonex software looks like a pretty good deal to me. gonna try to do a preamp capture in the free version using my stomp, see how that goes.
Mines on the way, it better be good you got me hyped on it, lol.
Amazing pedal
How is the latency? I have heard it’s pretty bad.
IK Amplitube has always been good.
i would not hesitate to blend it in with original tracks,
with tweeking, of course.
but now - it sounds like your amps are now a second back-up,
behind Hardware & Software
Tonex pedal with my Roland gr55 Take my money! 💵
Wow! I Actually liked B better. Sounds like it had a BBE sonic maximizer or something. Dang that sounds good.
So here is my question. When people use these types of amp pedals, what do they run them into when you are playing. Like do you just run this into the amps that you have? Do you run them into FRFR's? I mean I know that you can run them into a computer etc to play in your videos. But what about just playing them?
It is very very close and usable!
Finally a demo of this pedal that actually sounds good! Thank you!
Does the ToneX software allow pedal capture also?
Thanks! Yes you can capture pedals
I love this review.... good job buddy
Tried out the demo on PC, not really a fan of the high end. You can mask it a little bit with some high pass filtering, etc. but I find it has that artificial or digital sounding top end to it, much like a Line 6 spider or a Fender modeling amp. It's not bad at first, but I find myself with a headache after 30 minutes of playing because there's just an overwhelming unpleasant high frequency to ALL of the tones.
It's most of the way there I feel, but it's still not nailing that high end fizz from the real thing. I find it to be very harsh on the ToneX, again you can dial it out. It's not bad to make a few demo tracks, but I don't think it sounds good enough to me to actually fully purchase and record a full album with.
Just my two cents. I think there's better programs out there, don't just buy the flavor of the month, because this month's flavor isn't all that great.
The tone models in the free version are not a good representation of what this thing can do. Listen to my comparison in the video, sounds very close right?
The character sounds the same but I hear a clear difference between the real amp and the captured amp. The captured amp is more 'flat' especially the palm mutes sound less concussive and have less impact with de modeled amp. It doesn't sound bad just different. But feature wise it is a great product especially for that price.
4:32 power amp reference
if its going to be an audio interface as well it needs a mic preamp with 12v phantom power, just one.
I did select the right amp in the listening sample. I heard some complexities in the overtones/harmonics that gave it away BUT it was very close.
Love this channel! Thinking about getting this and pair it with my HX Stomp (which I think also is a great pedal) as a small rig. With that combo I get even more amp models 😂
That's a powerful rig!
This is INSANE. I was recently entertaining getting a Kemper for various reasons, studio and live, but this honestly seems like a much better investment. It sounds like the real thing, and you don't have to rely on someone else's profiles if you already have gear you know and love and some load boxes. I have several well-loved tube amps, and plenty of OwnHammer IRs that just rock.
My main question is: do you have to send the profiled sounds to a FRFR speaker like with the Kemper, OR can you profile the amp, and then say, send that through the power stage of something and into a traditional guitar cab and have it sound "like it's supposed to" (you know, like the amp you just profiled)?
Thanks!! Love the channel and have found it super useful over the past couple years.
You can do all of that, yes! For a regular guitar cab, turn off the built in cabs
Great demo.
You need to choose 1.
Tonex or blueamp 1 iridium ???
I prefered A but they were so similiar! And I even thought that B is the amp as the slight worse sound I was thinking were because of microphone. But with closed eyes I woudln't even know probably that you are changing the amps : D I prefered A because it has the tiniest bit more sheen and clarity, B had just a bit of that bad room sound, but the difference wasssssss soo subtle. It's kinda crazy. If you could get tonex secondhand for the price that tonex one goes, would you get a bigger one? : )
One thing I hate is using a computer for a quick practice session or just some noodling. I just want to plug in an go. This seems to tick a lot of boxes, easy to implement in a lot of setups.
There is one gripe for me personally. I don't need and want 150 different choices or banks. I'm looking for a simple platform that mainly can emulate one decent amp. Nothing more. Just to keep me focused 😅 and stop altering every bank available and keep switching things around. Pure self reflection over here😉
But anyway, finally a pedal version of modern software that's reasonably priced and sounds good.
Does it have stereo out?? I'm sold already lmao..Thnx bro \m/
Forget about Tonex for a sec ... can we a have a tab of these chords at 13:03? Sounds awesome! Amp has a tad more oomph through
Love your riffs
Thanks!
I couldn't distinguish between the amps in the mix or solo.
That sounds super close! Can still hear the differences in both examples. But like at this point its close enough where its not worth worrying about it! I'd be interested to hear how it compares to the other capture solutions on the market.
As always sick riffs and tones!
B for sure is the amp, more full in sound midrange, lets see if i am wrong
Ha ha i was wrong….omg hated digital…
I have a Kemper. I've had it a while, It's fair. The drive sounds are garbage whether Michael Britt or Christoph Kemper profiled them. I'm over it.
I would've liked to see the comparison to a mic'd ENGL PB2 and the modeler. I think that orange is easier to model..but it sounded SUPER close.
Excellent vids on the Tonex. And giving tone models away that sound this good? Class act mr. Symons!
Thanks!
Great video liked. Subscribed to see you demo the deisel
Does this mean the price of old classic amps will plummet?