Some opinions from a Silk Drive user: I've been using the Silk Drive as my "amp" on my board for the past 2 years with the cab sim, and only recently in the preamp mode with a TC Electronic Impulse pedal for IRs. The preamp/drive is where the beauty is, but the cab sim is an analogue EQ response applied to the preamp and it does not take drives in front of it as well as an actual amp. For the last couple of years I've found out that having my Xotic EP booster really solved the problem as it sort of fixed the cab sim sounds, but that's changed for me with the Impulse because IRs just win the cab sims. As an owner of one of these, I know why they aren't selling well, and that's because the marketing direction was off. These should be competing in the amp pedal category with the likes of Strymon Iridium, Walrus Audio ACS1, Universal Audio Amp pedal series etc. But the Valvenergy has one advantage, they can also be overdrives, they aren't useless when you plug your board into the front of your physical amp! Heck, these excel at that! The flexibility of the modes put them ahead of the game against the other amp pedals, but that's not marketed well. Vox marketed them as overdrives, four of these versus the thousands of other overdrives out there. These totally got lost in the sea of all the other ODs and are frankly quite forgettable, and that's why we don't see these out in the wild. These are going to get discontinued, the prices of these have been dropping and stock doesn't seem to be coming into stores. But I think Vox can really pull these off if they're marketed correctly. But these could improve on: 1. That cab sim mode. That's the weakest of the link that can really be improved if there was a proper IR loader. 2. The LED screen can be a feature, but let it show more useful information, like IR presets (as in point 1) or even presets of the parameters. Thanks for this video, Vox in a Box!
2 weeks in? I use the Silk Drive more as a buffer/tone sweetener between my analog drive pedals direct to interface amp sims, and all I can say is wow! It does everything I was after within that application. My logic was it being better to clip the Silk Drive up front than my interface preamp, and I must say... It works in spades! Cheers!
The Copperhead Vox in a Box is my favourite. I think the Oscilator screen is a nice gimmic, but if your playing you are barely looking on it, so it's definitly not a must have. Btw. Merry Christmas Andy.
Love the Silk and the Copperhead pedals. Really love what they did. The other two we’re just so so to my ears. Very well presented! Thanks for showing them. 🤘
Just 25 seconds in, you answered a random thought that popped into my head about 3mins before. I used to know how to play the start of "day tripper." Now I remember. Cheers
The first boutique clean-ish one was my favorite. I will definitely be picking up one soon and trying it out! The red "Vox in a box" might be a good try as well since I was thinking about eventually buying up an AC30. I'm not much of a high gain person, so the third and fourth ones are a little bit much for me. Thanks for the demo!
Vox in the box! One thing I think these pedals could do well in preamp mode is turning a single channel amp into 2 channels using an ab switcher. I think the silk drive might work quite well as the clean channel compared to my orange dark terror! 😊 cheers Andy!
Vox in a Box? And a Dumble….and a Marshall….and a Mesa…. That silk drive is absolutely my favorite. I’m thinking about it as a sweetener always-on pedal (I have a dark amp -The Jack) and a blues tone. The oscilloscope….is mesmerizing….don’t eliminate it, make it a requirement for EVERY stomp box henceforth!!
Probably will rock the Mystic Drive “Vox in a Box”!! I just got the UA Dream ‘65, and the Ruby is a little pricey for as little as I would tend to want an AC30. This seems like a lovely alternative. Thank you for another insightful look at some DI tools!
Got the silk drive and use it as the amp emulator (either with an IR or it's own cab sim) with my hotone ampero ii, sounds and feels WAY better than any digital emulation and takes pedals excellent. Works great direct for live band gigs also.
A couple of years ago I picked up a used "Vox in a box" called the Tonelab ST for US $100, and I love it! I either use it with headphones or run it through my home PA set up, so no need for a guitar amp. However, I'm finding that it also plays nicely with the little Vox Mini Go 50 that I recently acquired . . . keep up the good work Vox! 😎
Just found this channel and its awesome! Most professional pedal review video I have seen on youtube. I liked that you recorded a loop before playing with the knobs. Also the quick overview of the pedals in the beginning. Subscribed!
Vaux in a baux, happy holidays everyone! If a four channel preamp for about 600-700 is your game, I'd say get all of them! They sound great and there's plenty of cab sims / power amps out there to pair these with. Between being in a cover band and having a home studio, I'd get all four of these, or I might hold off for a combo pedal if they ever make one with these as it's platform. Great playing Andy and always good to see you doing your thing!
Vox in a Box. That`s the situation at my place. I haven`t used my amps since I got a Amplitube 5. But I bought the Copperhead after having seen it in one of your videos. Maybe my days off at the end of the year will give me the time to use it finally. Merry Christmas to all in the GuitarGeek family.
“Vox in a box!” I liked the Copperhead because I really like and that Boogie Dual Rectifier sound. I’m already shopping for one of these. Thanks for the review.
Vox in a box You’re killin me!! I watch these videos, then find myself poorer, but with an extensive range of guitars, amps and gear!! Merry Christmas!!
Mystic Edge is my favorite Vox in a Box. Nutube *is* in fact a vacuum triode device but is repurposed from a Korg blue display tube used in microwave ovens &c before lower powered LEDs. Wire the the triode differently it amplifies a signal at lower voltage & power than traditional valves/tubes w/ lower headroom. The blue light is now waste radiation but at much lower temperatures.
That Silk pedal was really nice. The rest were blah to me. I watched this a couple of times and the cab sim modes weren’t really very good. I’ve been using the Quilter Tone Block UK with a simple pedal board. The cab sim in that unit is actually really usable. I’m really blown away by that setup.
I want the Vox in a Box Mystic Edge version after watching this video but my favorite is still the Silk Drive which I own. I use the Silk Drive in Preamp Mode as my main tone. It has enough gain for distorted rock tones; just need to turn down the treble a bit. Also good with a tube screamer in front and especially good with both the tube screamer and the Silk Drive adding their own distortion. I usually tighten the sound a tiny bit with a gentle EQ ahead of all my pedals to remove some of the lower frequencies.
Love the vox in a box. I'm a big Fender Deluxe guy and that's all I want to use most of the time. But sometimes I like the AC30 sound (what can I say, I'm a big Brian May fan) and the Mystic Edge looks like it really would give me that AC30 sound out of my Fender amp. I'm going to look into this more as I'm already inclined to buy it.
Absolutely. Take the LED off of the VOX in a box and I would be able to afford it. That Silk and Mystic would be on my pedal bord because I would be able to afford them. But that Silk would be an absolute must. It has that SSS sound. Killer
Definitely better than most amp in a box pedals. Definitely better than joyo. As good as the Tech21 ones if not a smidgen better as it has a valve and switches to turn on/off the cab sim. And it's analog and not digital. What's not to love?
Vox in a box!: I would probably use the silk & copperhead channel switching style in standard mode in front of my amp or an ir200. I like the sound of those a lot, but not as amp replacements. Great vid! Thanks a bunch!
I have all 4 but use the Silk, Copperhead and Mystery. They sound terrific if you use the right amp and speaker. My favorite amps in a box, and I had a lot of them. They clean up like a real tube amp.
Just picked up the Silk Drive for a steal of a deal second hand, and I must say... Purely used as a direct to interface recording "analog dirt pedal platform" solution, and running to ML Sound Lab's new Mikko2 cabinet software?!! Yes, read that sentence again! All analog filthy dirt pedals direct to interface... Holy Smokes! Needless to say? "Hello floor, meet jaw!" I'm dead serious. It's that good. Unfortunately? Now I must obsessively catch 'em all from this Vox pedal line like they were freakin' pokemon! 🤓🖖
My fave VOX IN A BOX here was the Silk Drive and I totally agree that OSCless would be a boon for budget conscience players. I mean, most people are using DAWs these days, so it's not a major hassle to use an OSC plugin if you're out to visually tone match.
Vox in a box :-)The silk drive I prefer the most. Cheaper would be better, the oscilloscope is to me not really necessary. Kind regards and thank you for the video.
I’m all in on nutube, one of my amps is a vox mini superbeetle and I love it, it’s the main sound on my two amp rig. I think the silk drive will go great as an always on pedal for my second amp, a Roland JC40
Vox in a box my favorite is the Copperhead and the mystic edge those I would look at for my next pedal purchase and again thank you Andy for your time and providing this helpful content
Maybe I'm getting old, but I preferred the Deluxe Reverb over each of the pedals. And, surprisingly preferred the Cab/DI mode over the front of amp sounds
These Voxes in boxes sound great as dirt pedals. Maybe the design effort spent on the oscilloscope would've been better invested in tweaking the direct EQ. The Copperhead was disappointingly muffled in cab mode, though it was my favourite in dirt pedal mode. Great review anyhow. Maybe if you figure out how to get a direct sound you like you could post a follow up? My theory on the screen is that its main purpose is the warm valve-like glow at the top of the display, which would look wrong if that was all it was showing, so they added the oscilloscope to lend it a "purpose".
VoxInABox (the Mystic Edge) sounded 2nd best to me. Tbh i'm not a big fan of pedals trying to sound like this or the other pedal. As you said: what matters is, if it sounds good. So my favorite out of these four is the silkdrive and I don't know neither care, if it sounds like a Dumble (which one should it be btw?), it is a nice sweetener. I absoluteley agree that the led-oscillosomething is kind of useless but I'm neither an marketing expert nor someone whose interest has to be caught when walking through a music store. I'm just an old man and pedal addict watching gear demos on yt (btw thank you for your work. It is good to see your eyes shining again).
Thanks JJ. I have no idea about the Dumble but It does sound good. I still love the oscilloscope because it’s so geeky but maybe it’s pushing the price up
*You can buy these direct on Vox's website for $99 by the way!* (Are these already being discontinued? They seem mostly unavailable at Sweetwater, Andertons, or Amazon now... Not just out of stock but completely removed from Sweetwater's site for example. Maybe they'll reissue them cheaper without the screens?) Regarding the cab sim not being great. The Pre mode on the switch is to use the pedal as a preamp, so wouldn't that mean you can run it as a preamp into any cab sim/IR loader you want? It would be slightly less portable since you'd need a cab sim pedal, but still totally portable and amp-less rig! I'm interested in these _Vox In A Box_ pedals. Particularly the Cutting Edge, as I tend to play a lot of death metal etc. Ola Englund demo'd it and it sounded good when he did, but then again most stuff he demos does lol.
Yea, are they just under cutting all their dealers? lol Very strange, I would be a little ticked off if I bought one at $180 then saw it for $100 lol Something isnt right. Free shipping even lol
@@masterofreality230 My guess is that they're end of production and just trying to clear them all out, hence why a lot of retailers list them as unavailable etc as well.
For someone like me without an actual tube amp the Silk Drive is just incredible; it makes my guitar sound just like it did when I demoed with a high-dollar tube amp in the store. I hope that Vox keeps these around but I’m also guessing that these are on their way out; the price drop feels like a closeout.
Well, these VOX IN A BOX pedals seem pretty cool to me. I am a synth guy and just ordered the Copperhead from the VOX site for $100.00 to use to bring some tubelike distortion to some groove boxes. Since it seems like they are discontinued and once the stock at VOX gets sold off they will become difficult to get, I think I am going to order a Silk Drive for my Fender Rhodes electric piano as well. I suspect that in a few years these will increase in value beyond their current $100.00 price tag as more people appreciate their sound and figure out how to stack them with other FX.
The Silk would be my Vox in a Box choice - sounds great! Would be interested to know how it behaves with other pedals in front of it, too - have you had a chance to play around with any?
Sounds kind of fun, the marshally and 'boutique' pedals offering most promise. On the vid, the highs are quite harsh and lack a warmth that may have sounded different in the studio through the amp. 'Cab' simulation was a bit one-dimensional with harsh treble. Thanks for the review.
thanks brother, the cutting edge sounded just ridiculous to me, nothing like my dual rec, just fizzy and a bit processed even throught the poweramp section of the recti..i think that vox should not try to do high gain stuff and at least not for that much money...by the way, i have an old real tube vox bulldog distortin pedal, much better than the new digital stuff imo, cheers 🎸
Maybe one way to make this series of pedals an absolute no-brainer is to add a digital back end and allow for IR loading on each of these pedals. Maybe just one IR but just the ability do add your own would be great! I absolutely loved each one of these through the DR. I do fear these are slated on to be in that category of gear that is great, but just flies under the radar and then gets discontinued in a few years and then people rediscover them and then these would go for a premium price on the used market. I hope these Voxes in Boxes don’t go that route!
The weak spot of the Silk Drive is definitely the Cab Sim. I use a Zoom G1X Four mainly as a Cab Sim and headphone amp with aux in mixer for my Silk Drive; its own Cab Sim sounded good in this video but it’s not for me on my setup.
Vox had a line of pedals a few years ago with the oscilloscope visual on them, if I remember correctly they were just various overdrive/distortion pedals and not trying to be amps-in-a-box. Is this line a revival of that? I liked the Silk best of the bunch. I was surprised by the Mystic Vox-in-a-Box, I usually don't like AC30 emulations for some reason.
I tried and hated all four of these. The Vox in box was the best one to me. They’ve had them on sale for months and I can only suspect it’s because they aren’t moving.
Quite interested to hear that. I thought it was all a bit hit and miss, didn't hear anything particularly special here. I know that things are different when you post onto UA-cam, compression and stuff kicks in, but there was nothing here that piqued my interest at all, and that little LED wave thing is just plain silly.
@@NewFalconerRecords Unfortunately I just tried them in-store. I have no video of it. But I too felt “eh” about it. The cab sim feature is nice, the light is silly and at the end of the day, there are better options.
Vox in a box ! I wonder if these are based off the amp models in their modeling amp that is kinda in the same market as the Vypr and Line 6 spider amps, I was surprised how good the little Vox modeling amp sounded for the money.
Nice love vox stuff especially high-gain stuff and Nu tubes too cool. I love my little vox headphone amp Metal unfortunately this wasn't a better version of that and instead a messa clone which I already have with my joyo zombie.
I am probably not going to get more than three or four of the Mystic Edge preamps, I have a half-dozen Vox-in-a-Box type pedals already, but those Vox units are sort of the Factory Version, actually being Vox branded, and direct to the power amp may be useful. 😸 Actually the pedals that I have do the Solid State preamp tone, and I lack any actual AC30 sound in my array. Pretty ironic, considering the vast assortment of Vox products that are here.
The nuTubes are indeed real tubes. They are based on the technique of Vacuum fluorescent displays. They behave like real tubes because they are technically speaking real tubes. But the bring in one of the drawbacks of real tubes: Just the unit itself tends to be quite microphonic. That is no problem in a studio but can get problematic on a stage. The ibanez unit shields the nutube quite well, but I have no idea how good the Vox pedals are doing it.
Well. I need to review the little Super Beetle Vox amp. Lil 10 inch stack. Hahah. From my short use as it's my son in laws he let me use. It sits. Sounds creamy and awesome. Just need to figure out a good way to showcase the tones.
I don't do any amp channel switching at this time, but it seems like an attractive option to me to get the Red and the Gold ones and use the cable option to get the switching functionality. I am currently experimenting with a Marshall type amp in the choral group with all of the Voxes, and I think that I can see a use for some swappage of one or more of the channels. 🎸
I think these demos are really well done and helpful. one thing I don't like to do is use a loop to demonstrate the tone etc of something. I love loops and their a great thing to use but to my ear they color music in a way i wish they didn't. On the other hand if the loop is used to test all the pedals etc then they are all on the same playing field so it wouldn't really matter. Anyway I do like the Geeks demos etc so give him a like and don't be a grump..Bye for now I always think of something else I want to say and that is I do think that loops color the tone etc sometimes i really like it. I sounds synth like to me and sometimes It sounds great. also everybody wants a bigger rig so this would both and instead of either or. Once again I shut myself up. Bye for now.
Have the Synergy Syn30 head with Morgan AC module and the base clean amp channel is very uncolored so I am really wanting to try one of these as I think would be a great fit.
I need an Oscilloscope to set the Bulldog limiter on all my Thomas Vox amplifiers anyway, it seems like it would be kind of interesting to leave it in the circuit when I play, monitoring the actual voltage to the speakers or something. It's probably more expensive to put the hole in the case for mounting the visual display than to put the bits into the circuit, fairly trivial in the totality either way, or I could be wrong about that. 🤷♂
I've had all four for a while and they were my secret weapon...now you've told everyone...Thanks.
Some opinions from a Silk Drive user: I've been using the Silk Drive as my "amp" on my board for the past 2 years with the cab sim, and only recently in the preamp mode with a TC Electronic Impulse pedal for IRs. The preamp/drive is where the beauty is, but the cab sim is an analogue EQ response applied to the preamp and it does not take drives in front of it as well as an actual amp. For the last couple of years I've found out that having my Xotic EP booster really solved the problem as it sort of fixed the cab sim sounds, but that's changed for me with the Impulse because IRs just win the cab sims.
As an owner of one of these, I know why they aren't selling well, and that's because the marketing direction was off. These should be competing in the amp pedal category with the likes of Strymon Iridium, Walrus Audio ACS1, Universal Audio Amp pedal series etc. But the Valvenergy has one advantage, they can also be overdrives, they aren't useless when you plug your board into the front of your physical amp! Heck, these excel at that! The flexibility of the modes put them ahead of the game against the other amp pedals, but that's not marketed well. Vox marketed them as overdrives, four of these versus the thousands of other overdrives out there. These totally got lost in the sea of all the other ODs and are frankly quite forgettable, and that's why we don't see these out in the wild.
These are going to get discontinued, the prices of these have been dropping and stock doesn't seem to be coming into stores. But I think Vox can really pull these off if they're marketed correctly. But these could improve on:
1. That cab sim mode. That's the weakest of the link that can really be improved if there was a proper IR loader.
2. The LED screen can be a feature, but let it show more useful information, like IR presets (as in point 1) or even presets of the parameters.
Thanks for this video, Vox in a Box!
I love the idea of looping the sound using different settings on the pedals, it's one the most sensitive way I have seen on a pedal review.
2 weeks in?
I use the Silk Drive more as a buffer/tone sweetener between my analog drive pedals direct to interface amp sims, and all I can say is wow!
It does everything I was after within that application.
My logic was it being better to clip the Silk Drive up front than my interface preamp, and I must say...
It works in spades!
Cheers!
The Copperhead Vox in a Box is my favourite. I think the Oscilator screen is a nice gimmic, but if your playing you are barely looking on it, so it's definitly not a must have. Btw. Merry Christmas Andy.
Love the Silk and the Copperhead pedals. Really love what they did. The other two we’re just so so to my ears. Very well presented! Thanks for showing them. 🤘
Just 25 seconds in, you answered a random thought that popped into my head about 3mins before. I used to know how to play the start of "day tripper." Now I remember. Cheers
The first boutique clean-ish one was my favorite. I will definitely be picking up one soon and trying it out! The red "Vox in a box" might be a good try as well since I was thinking about eventually buying up an AC30. I'm not much of a high gain person, so the third and fourth ones are a little bit much for me. Thanks for the demo!
Vox in the box! One thing I think these pedals could do well in preamp mode is turning a single channel amp into 2 channels using an ab switcher. I think the silk drive might work quite well as the clean channel compared to my orange dark terror! 😊 cheers Andy!
Vox in a Box? And a Dumble….and a Marshall….and a Mesa….
That silk drive is absolutely my favorite. I’m thinking about it as a sweetener always-on pedal (I have a dark amp -The Jack) and a blues tone.
The oscilloscope….is mesmerizing….don’t eliminate it, make it a requirement for EVERY stomp box henceforth!!
i would really like to know where those little oscilloscope screens and circuit comes from.
Probably will rock the Mystic Drive “Vox in a Box”!! I just got the UA Dream ‘65, and the Ruby is a little pricey for as little as I would tend to want an AC30. This seems like a lovely alternative. Thank you for another insightful look at some DI tools!
Vox in a box! I would totally rock the Silk Drive.
Got the silk drive and use it as the amp emulator (either with an IR or it's own cab sim) with my hotone ampero ii, sounds and feels WAY better than any digital emulation and takes pedals excellent. Works great direct for live band gigs also.
A couple of years ago I picked up a used "Vox in a box" called the Tonelab ST for US $100, and I love it! I either use it with headphones or run it through my home PA set up, so no need for a guitar amp. However, I'm finding that it also plays nicely with the little Vox Mini Go 50 that I recently acquired . . . keep up the good work Vox! 😎
Just found this channel and its awesome! Most professional pedal review video I have seen on youtube. I liked that you recorded a loop before playing with the knobs. Also the quick overview of the pedals in the beginning. Subscribed!
Welcome aboard!
I like that dumble one!!! The first one. But hey all of them are marvelous sounding.
I loved the "Vox in a Vox" Silky Drive. Every body should have one in their board 😍
Vaux in a baux, happy holidays everyone! If a four channel preamp for about 600-700 is your game, I'd say get all of them! They sound great and there's plenty of cab sims / power amps out there to pair these with. Between being in a cover band and having a home studio, I'd get all four of these, or I might hold off for a combo pedal if they ever make one with these as it's platform.
Great playing Andy and always good to see you doing your thing!
Vox in a Box. That`s the situation at my place. I haven`t used my amps since I got a Amplitube 5. But I bought the Copperhead after having seen it in one of your videos. Maybe my days off at the end of the year will give me the time to use it finally. Merry Christmas to all in the GuitarGeek family.
I hope you got the ToneX free version for Amplitube 5, it's also stand alone - it's great! You get 20 free amp models. with the free version.
“Vox in a box!” I liked the Copperhead because I really like and that Boogie Dual Rectifier sound. I’m already shopping for one of these. Thanks for the review.
Mystic Edge for me....I've been looking for a Vox in a Box. 😊 Thanks Andy!
I would definitely go for the red Vox in a Box! Love the AC30 sound an having that in pedal format is just amazing
I love the Silk Drive.
I probably watched every available video on it… more than once. That’s how I knew I had to get it.
I have a nutube in my vox mini super beatle and I like it a lot. Not big into effects, but the USA vox in a box sounded good to me. Thanks for posting
Vox in a Box Silk Drive is my favorite and I'll be ordering it soon.
I've got the Copperhead, it's phenomenal!
“Vox in a box!” I think my favorite is the Marshall pedal. Great video, my friend!
Silk drive vox in a box ,thanks Andy, sounded much better then expected
Vox in a box is Mystic Edge
Vox in a Box. Great video. I have the Silk Drive. I would also get the Mystic Edge too, based on this demo. 😎
Vox in a box
You’re killin me!!
I watch these videos, then find myself poorer, but with an extensive range of guitars, amps and gear!!
Merry Christmas!!
Cheers Curtis! Merry Christmas!
Mystic Edge is my favorite Vox in a Box. Nutube *is* in fact a vacuum triode device but is repurposed from a Korg blue display tube used in microwave ovens &c before lower powered LEDs. Wire the the triode differently it amplifies a signal at lower voltage & power than traditional valves/tubes w/ lower headroom. The blue light is now waste radiation but at much lower temperatures.
That Silk pedal was really nice. The rest were blah to me. I watched this a couple of times and the cab sim modes weren’t really very good.
I’ve been using the Quilter Tone Block UK with a simple pedal board. The cab sim in that unit is actually really usable. I’m really blown away by that setup.
I want the Vox in a Box Mystic Edge version after watching this video but my favorite is still the Silk Drive which I own. I use the Silk Drive in Preamp Mode as my main tone. It has enough gain for distorted rock tones; just need to turn down the treble a bit. Also good with a tube screamer in front and especially good with both the tube screamer and the Silk Drive adding their own distortion.
I usually tighten the sound a tiny bit with a gentle EQ ahead of all my pedals to remove some of the lower frequencies.
Love the vox in a box. I'm a big Fender Deluxe guy and that's all I want to use most of the time. But sometimes I like the AC30 sound (what can I say, I'm a big Brian May fan) and the Mystic Edge looks like it really would give me that AC30 sound out of my Fender amp. I'm going to look into this more as I'm already inclined to buy it.
Man I wish I could play as smooth as you.
I use the Silk Drive on my Rhodes Electric Piano and it gives it just the right amount of touch-responsive dynamic tube warmth
The Mystic Edge would definitely be my Vox-in-a-box choice, although the Dumbledore wouldn't be a bad choice either.
Absolutely. Take the LED off of the VOX in a box and I would be able to afford it. That Silk and Mystic would be on my pedal bord because I would be able to afford them. But that Silk would be an absolute must. It has that SSS sound. Killer
Definitely better than most amp in a box pedals. Definitely better than joyo. As good as the Tech21 ones if not a smidgen better as it has a valve and switches to turn on/off the cab sim. And it's analog and not digital. What's not to love?
I like Mystic Edge the best.
You made the Copperhead sound incredible--perhaps and possibly my next purchase? Maybe....
You are killing it!! Great job doing your reviews. Your presentations and guitar playing are great
Much appreciated!!
Preamp mode > interface > plugin IR Loader would probably make the higher gain pedals sound much better IMO.
Vox in a box!: I would probably use the silk & copperhead channel switching style in standard mode in front of my amp or an ir200. I like the sound of those a lot, but not as amp replacements. Great vid! Thanks a bunch!
Excellent review. Truly great reveal for VoX. These seem quite usable.
Well. Those seem pretty good. And who wouldn't want a vox in a box!
Nice video. I've been wanting to check these out for sure. Your paying is sounding excellent these days Andy! Cox Box
I have all 4 but use the Silk, Copperhead and Mystery. They sound terrific if you use the right amp and speaker. My favorite amps in a box, and I had a lot of them. They clean up like a real tube amp.
great demo - vox in a box! Mystic Edge and Silk Drive ftw - other two sound great too
Just picked up the Silk Drive for a steal of a deal second hand, and I must say...
Purely used as a direct to interface recording
"analog dirt pedal platform" solution, and running to ML Sound Lab's new Mikko2 cabinet software?!!
Yes, read that sentence again!
All analog filthy dirt pedals direct to interface...
Holy Smokes!
Needless to say?
"Hello floor, meet jaw!"
I'm dead serious.
It's that good.
Unfortunately? Now I must obsessively catch 'em all from this Vox pedal line like they were freakin' pokemon!
🤓🖖
My fave VOX IN A BOX here was the Silk Drive and I totally agree that OSCless would be a boon for budget conscience players. I mean, most people are using DAWs these days, so it's not a major hassle to use an OSC plugin if you're out to visually tone match.
This is an excellent review!!
High gain all the way!!!!! I would 100percent buy 2 pedals if they were cheaper! Thanks Geek 1st time watcher. Very Thorough video! I'll be back.
Vox in a Box - Dumble sounded best to my ears. I wanted the Marshall to sound better but I think Dumble sounded more usuable. $99 in the US.
Vox in a box :-)The silk drive I prefer the most. Cheaper would be better, the oscilloscope is to me not really necessary. Kind regards and thank you for the video.
I don’t think they are expensive at all and I like the tiny oscilloscope!
I’m all in on nutube, one of my amps is a vox mini superbeetle and I love it, it’s the main sound on my two amp rig. I think the silk drive will go great as an always on pedal for my second amp, a Roland JC40
Vox in a box my favorite is the Copperhead and the mystic edge those I would look at for my next pedal purchase and again thank you Andy for your time and providing this helpful content
Hey Glen. You’re very welcome. I wish you well with your new gear
Maybe I'm getting old, but I preferred the Deluxe Reverb over each of the pedals.
And, surprisingly preferred the Cab/DI mode over the front of amp sounds
Silky ! Vox in a Box oh yeah baby! MERRY CHRISTMAS to one and all!
And to you too
These Voxes in boxes sound great as dirt pedals. Maybe the design effort spent on the oscilloscope would've been better invested in tweaking the direct EQ. The Copperhead was disappointingly muffled in cab mode, though it was my favourite in dirt pedal mode. Great review anyhow. Maybe if you figure out how to get a direct sound you like you could post a follow up? My theory on the screen is that its main purpose is the warm valve-like glow at the top of the display, which would look wrong if that was all it was showing, so they added the oscilloscope to lend it a "purpose".
I run a dirty tree boost into the Cutting Edge and holy hell it turns into such a chug monster.
I use a ir sim after Cutting Edge in pre amp mode , it sound good too. But I use it for synth.
VoxInABox (the Mystic Edge) sounded 2nd best to me. Tbh i'm not a big fan of pedals trying to sound like this or the other pedal. As you said: what matters is, if it sounds good. So my favorite out of these four is the silkdrive and I don't know neither care, if it sounds like a Dumble (which one should it be btw?), it is a nice sweetener.
I absoluteley agree that the led-oscillosomething is kind of useless but I'm neither an marketing expert nor someone whose interest has to be caught when walking through a music store. I'm just an old man and pedal addict watching gear demos on yt (btw thank you for your work. It is good to see your eyes shining again).
Argh, like this or the other amp. Sorry
Thanks JJ. I have no idea about the Dumble but It does sound good.
I still love the oscilloscope because it’s so geeky but maybe it’s pushing the price up
@@TheGuitarGeek and maybe the size More chunky….
*You can buy these direct on Vox's website for $99 by the way!* (Are these already being discontinued? They seem mostly unavailable at Sweetwater, Andertons, or Amazon now... Not just out of stock but completely removed from Sweetwater's site for example. Maybe they'll reissue them cheaper without the screens?)
Regarding the cab sim not being great. The Pre mode on the switch is to use the pedal as a preamp, so wouldn't that mean you can run it as a preamp into any cab sim/IR loader you want? It would be slightly less portable since you'd need a cab sim pedal, but still totally portable and amp-less rig!
I'm interested in these _Vox In A Box_ pedals. Particularly the Cutting Edge, as I tend to play a lot of death metal etc. Ola Englund demo'd it and it sounded good when he did, but then again most stuff he demos does lol.
Yea, are they just under cutting all their dealers? lol Very strange, I would be a little ticked off if I bought one at $180 then saw it for $100 lol Something isnt right. Free shipping even lol
@@masterofreality230 My guess is that they're end of production and just trying to clear them all out, hence why a lot of retailers list them as unavailable etc as well.
@@niclastname Hard to say.
For someone like me without an actual tube amp the Silk Drive is just incredible; it makes my guitar sound just like it did when I demoed with a high-dollar tube amp in the store.
I hope that Vox keeps these around but I’m also guessing that these are on their way out; the price drop feels like a closeout.
Well, these VOX IN A BOX pedals seem pretty cool to me. I am a synth guy and just ordered the Copperhead from the VOX site for $100.00 to use to bring some tubelike distortion to some groove boxes. Since it seems like they are discontinued and once the stock at VOX gets sold off they will become difficult to get, I think I am going to order a Silk Drive for my Fender Rhodes electric piano as well. I suspect that in a few years these will increase in value beyond their current $100.00 price tag as more people appreciate their sound and figure out how to stack them with other FX.
Vox in a box
Like deployed 👍
Happy Christmas Andy, I hope that you and your loved ones have a great time 🫂❤️
Vox in a Box! I would go with the Mesa Boogie one 😊
The Silk would be my Vox in a Box choice - sounds great! Would be interested to know how it behaves with other pedals in front of it, too - have you had a chance to play around with any?
I absolutely love that looper you are using. That is a sweet little setup. Those pedals are also bad ass. I have always liked VOX products.
Those little screens are a cool gadget.
Excellent presentation 👏
Sounds kind of fun, the marshally and 'boutique' pedals offering most promise. On the vid, the highs are quite harsh and lack a warmth that may have sounded different in the studio through the amp. 'Cab' simulation was a bit one-dimensional with harsh treble. Thanks for the review.
Thanks! When k edited I noticed the sounds are a little fuller in the room.
Hello @theguitargeek who made that beautiful ES 330 style guitar you played at the beginning?
These pedals are under looked sleeper gems IMO! Seriously!
thanks brother, the cutting edge sounded just ridiculous to me, nothing like my dual rec, just fizzy and a bit processed even throught the poweramp section of the recti..i think that vox should not try to do high gain stuff and at least not for that much money...by the way, i have an old real tube vox bulldog distortin pedal, much better than the new digital stuff imo, cheers 🎸
Good video and great comment on the screen!
Great demo. What’s the Les Paul-ish guitar you used to demo the Copperhead Drive?
Maybe one way to make this series of pedals an absolute no-brainer is to add a digital back end and allow for IR loading on each of these pedals. Maybe just one IR but just the ability do add your own would be great! I absolutely loved each one of these through the DR. I do fear these are slated on to be in that category of gear that is great, but just flies under the radar and then gets discontinued in a few years and then people rediscover them and then these would go for a premium price on the used market. I hope these Voxes in Boxes don’t go that route!
The weak spot of the Silk Drive is definitely the Cab Sim. I use a Zoom G1X Four mainly as a Cab Sim and headphone amp with aux in mixer for my Silk Drive; its own Cab Sim sounded good in this video but it’s not for me on my setup.
@@HikerDave57 Agreed. I use a TC Electronic Impulse IR loader with the Silk Drive in preamp mode.
I had hopes for the Marshall.... but I agree, the Vox/Fender disbursements better...
Vox in a Box
Vox had a line of pedals a few years ago with the oscilloscope visual on them, if I remember correctly they were just various overdrive/distortion pedals and not trying to be amps-in-a-box. Is this line a revival of that? I liked the Silk best of the bunch. I was surprised by the Mystic Vox-in-a-Box, I usually don't like AC30 emulations for some reason.
You're probably just remembering these same pedals when they were released 2 years ago.
I tried and hated all four of these. The Vox in box was the best one to me. They’ve had them on sale for months and I can only suspect it’s because they aren’t moving.
Quite interested to hear that. I thought it was all a bit hit and miss, didn't hear anything particularly special here. I know that things are different when you post onto UA-cam, compression and stuff kicks in, but there was nothing here that piqued my interest at all, and that little LED wave thing is just plain silly.
@@NewFalconerRecords Unfortunately I just tried them in-store. I have no video of it. But I too felt “eh” about it. The cab sim feature is nice, the light is silly and at the end of the day, there are better options.
Haha you got me at "new tube technology" :D
Vox in a box ! I wonder if these are based off the amp models in their modeling amp that is kinda in the same market as the Vypr and Line 6 spider amps, I was surprised how good the little Vox modeling amp sounded for the money.
the pedals sound good from what i can hear on the tube vox in a box
Nice love vox stuff especially high-gain stuff and Nu tubes too cool. I love my little vox headphone amp Metal unfortunately this wasn't a better version of that and instead a messa clone which I already have with my joyo zombie.
I am probably not going to get more than three or four of the Mystic Edge preamps, I have a half-dozen Vox-in-a-Box type pedals already, but those Vox units are sort of the Factory Version, actually being Vox branded, and direct to the power amp may be useful. 😸
Actually the pedals that I have do the Solid State preamp tone, and I lack any actual AC30 sound in my array. Pretty ironic, considering the vast assortment of Vox products that are here.
...Seem's-like a "Silky" experience to-have-a Vox-in-a-Box!!!...Peace...
I have Copperhead and it is the most "cheap transistor-sounding pedal" I ever owned :) Even through tube amps.
Update - sounds really great as a preamp!
The nuTubes are indeed real tubes. They are based on the technique of Vacuum fluorescent displays. They behave like real tubes because they are technically speaking real tubes. But the bring in one of the drawbacks of real tubes: Just the unit itself tends to be quite microphonic. That is no problem in a studio but can get problematic on a stage. The ibanez unit shields the nutube quite well, but I have no idea how good the Vox pedals are doing it.
If I had money to burn I’d get one of each Vox in a box because I can’t decide on a favorite. Happy New Year!
Well. I need to review the little Super Beetle Vox amp. Lil 10 inch stack. Hahah. From my short use as it's my son in laws he let me use. It sits. Sounds creamy and awesome. Just need to figure out a good way to showcase the tones.
Your a blast dude thanks for the info.
Vox in a box , would be great to own all of them. They are a really nice sounding, geez.
I don't do any amp channel switching at this time, but it seems like an attractive option to me to get the Red and the Gold ones and use the cable option to get the switching functionality. I am currently experimenting with a Marshall type amp in the choral group with all of the Voxes, and I think that I can see a use for some swappage of one or more of the channels. 🎸
I think these demos are really well done and helpful. one thing I don't like to do is use a loop to demonstrate the tone etc of something. I love loops and their a great thing to use but to my ear they color music in a way i wish they didn't. On the other hand if the loop is used to test all the pedals etc then they are all on the same playing field so it wouldn't really matter. Anyway I do like the Geeks demos etc so give him a like and don't be a grump..Bye for now I always think of something else I want to say and that is I do think that loops color the tone etc sometimes i really like it. I sounds synth like to me and sometimes It sounds great. also everybody wants a bigger rig so this would both and instead of either or. Once again I shut myself up. Bye for now.
Have the Synergy Syn30 head with Morgan AC module and the base clean amp channel is very uncolored so I am really wanting to try one of these as I think would be a great fit.
Yeh ya know mate pretty same as most fender overdrive pedal prob best out there
Great as always 😊
I'm a huge fan of the Marshall sound. I would definitely do without the led for a lower price. "vox in a box"
Seriously interested in the silk drive.
Yeah I agree that I'd prefer without the scope thingy. Vox in a box
I need an Oscilloscope to set the Bulldog limiter on all my Thomas Vox amplifiers anyway, it seems like it would be kind of interesting to leave it in the circuit when I play, monitoring the actual voltage to the speakers or something. It's probably more expensive to put the hole in the case for mounting the visual display than to put the bits into the circuit, fairly trivial in the totality either way, or I could be wrong about that. 🤷♂
I wish they would push the nutube thing a bit more in their amps.
Voxy in a boxy thanks Andy