Glen, as a guitarist of only 2 years, I'm ever so thankful that I found your channel before looking on forums or listening to other musicians for advice. The amount of money I will not waste in the future due to your videos is unreal. Keep up the good work.
Love my kemper rack and kemper stage. Sure there are great cheaper alternatives. There are even free plug ins as well. Dont have any reason to get rid of the kemper after the fact. It works and sounds better than my tube amps live.
Oh my God, Oh my God Glenn used my comment on his show! I’m shaking I’m so excited. Best day of the year so far! I just want take a moment to say: I could never had done this without the continuous support of my wife, son, and colleagues. Thank you everyone!! Also, I’ve been a Metalhead since the age of 6. I can play some jazz, blues, and surf on the guitar. But no matter how hard I’ve tried, I cannot play metal at all!!! 😢 That stuff is impossible🤘🏻
Strymons for example are around 400$ a pedal in my country. As the AxeFX, Kemper and Quad Cortex come with these advanced effects I think it's a fair comparison. sure you can get a basic chorus or delay pedal for 50$ that will definitely sound good, but... that's not what's coming with the higher end modelers that are almost 2K. It's also a bit more comfortable programming wise to have everything inside the same unit, so yeah I definitely understand those who whine about the effects even though I kinda disagree with them.
I own a complete Kemper rig with the toaster, Kemper Kab, foot controller, etc and I love it. Paired with some excellent profiles it has been one of the best purchases I've ever made for my guitar playing enjoyment. But I will also be getting a ToneX because it looks absolutely amazing and technology does move forward, no sunk cost fallacy here. If it is vastly better, I can always sell the Kemper rig. If I like them both then I'm simply spoiled for choice. Been playing for 20 years and IMHO there has never been a better time to be a guitar player.
Well you heard the blind test didn’t you? I didn’t hear any difference at all, but you get rid of the Kemper you then have to fiddle faddle with stomp boxes and jury rig the ToneX that doesn’t have an FX loop. You’ll probably set it all up then see you wasted your time. 😅
Rn now I am playing my 2 and it's great, waiting for my 3 that was fried by a lightning strike to get sent back with new DSP. Still sounds better than all these plugins
We are only as good as our experience. I have been recording metal music since 2000 and you really don't need to spend a lot of money to get good results. Thanks to everyone at Spectre Sound Studios, we can gain experience much faster. Much props keep up the good work!
Thanks for featuring my comments. There’s a lot that goes into making good sounds. With the right equipment, half the battle is over. Learning to play the chosen instrument helps too.😁
At 22:00 the guy talks about audio for UA-cam ...I wonder if you will talk about set ups simple - intermediate and pro for sound for PC gamers - headphones and mikes - and home recording sound for youtube channels and online meetings - just a though. Always happy to add to another's workload. PS love the channel - I don't even record but I love it when you shout/swear and the high speed readers comments are sublime! BW from the UK
As a dad-rock bedroom musician, IK is single handedly the best equipment and software I have every bought. I have been through half-stacks, amps, and had my pockets bled dry chasing the magical unicorn of tone that does not exist. There is no reason to need amps these days if you are a guy like me. I focus more on my playing and creating music (and enjoying myself) than I do jerking off knobs on amplifiers I'll never get a good tone out of anyways as they never get cranked to the point it matters. And when you put it in a mix, it doesn't fucking matter anyways.
I am a bit torn. I don’t make money with music or have any limitations regarding my rig, so I am pretty happy with my Engl, Marshall integrated into my digital setup and enjoy playing with the real hardware. I don’t need anything like the ToneX. Although it would be really handy to profile my equipment and use it with the ToneX.
Dude ~1:45 nailed it. I keep all my old and just buy new gear when it offers me something i need. Try the keyboard market over the past 30 years. I can get some decent tones out of my 20 year old Roland that ran $2500, but it doesn't touch modules I could get for a grand today. 🤷
11:30 guys, seriously... BUY SECOND HAND. I bought like half of my entire gear used, and everything still works fine. My Marshall JCM2000, Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas and Gibson SG (yes...) combined cost less than a new Kemper.
I saw a video of Glenn the other night, and he bragging about how great getting new pickups in your guitar would be.. I love how once his show caught on he become full blown myth buster. The Glenn of today is the Glenn we need.
Regarding an effects loop for your amp on stage: I'm an old guy and I gig regularly. I have never used and amps effects loop at a live performance. Always straight into the pedal board and then out to the amp. Everything sounds and works just fine. Studio you might want to clean it up using the loop I don't know.
Agreed. Even with live amps, my rig was usually dirt-pedal and slap-echo in front (maybe chorus or phase on rare occasions) and FX loops have never seemed needed.
Glenn, I have a good “stupid bass player/musician” story for you. It’s from Dave Grohl’s Storyteller book. While on tour far from their home town in Virginia his band, Scream, was in L.A. . Like most bands, they were living on the little money they made playing shows and bunking at friends houses along the way. One night the bass player vanished and went back to Virginia with no explanation. He left the bad broke, unable to complete their tour or travel home. They literally were stuck in LA and had no way to get home. Luckily for Dave, he soon got word from Nirvana to try out for their band. The stupid musician part is that said bass player had done this before and they took him back when he asked to return only to have him later destroy the group by leaving unannounced in L.A. . It wasn’t all bad though, while they were stuck in L.A. they were also staying at a house full of female mud wrestlers. 😂
The Tonex unit looks like it is pretty cool for the price. If you don't have anything like it, it's a great deal, and will hopefully start driving down some prices. However, I have to call you out on the last video when you said that if you already own a Kemper, that you should ditch it and buy a Tonex. Terrible advice. That's like telling someone who already spent the money on an iPhone 14 to go ahead and sell that and go out and buy an iPhone 13 because it's cheaper now. You're unnecessarily spending more money for little return. No one selling their Kemper or QC is going to get what they paid for it if they sell it. That means you have to add that loss to the cost of switching to Tonex, then consider that you are trading functionalities. If you have to buy effects, then you have to add that to the cost. If you already have a Kemper or QC, then keep using it. You don't really gain anything by making the switch. If you don't already have either of those, then get the Tonex. It's way cheap, and looks like it's worth the money.
Not to mention there's limitations on the ToneX he always leaves out. That sponsorship money is really changing things up on this subject and not for the better imo.
@@Schatje79 It just goes to show that a lot of UA-camrs are basically glorified music salesmen. They aren't giving you the best advice that they can. They are giving you the best advice for their bank account statement. He's becoming no different than the asshole Guitar Center salesmen who pushed the Line 6 Spider because it gave them a higher commission, rather than the best amp in that price range.
Glenn You are spot on with everything you are saying here. Like you I am old skool. Playing 43 years. If young musicians were wise, they would take this episode to heart. So many pieces of wisdom, which only comes with time and age. Good job! Cheers!
What you are about to do the Crate can work surprisingly well. I rehoused a Peavey Minx into it's own head and fixed a speaker jack to the back. A little repair was required in the power section (some idiot burned caps with a soldering gun). Replaced those, and cleaned the pots. I plugged it into an oversized Traynor 2x12 8ohm cabinet. It sounded awesome. Great little bass amp (very clean). Worth the effort, and now a I have a great pedal platform with a line out.
7:19 - I think a lot of it comes from most people not being able to do 2 things at once, like hearing the tone differences more accurately while playing (me included). Have to have someone else play while tweaking knobs and tone. Funny thing is, the modelers and tone capturing can really help with this. Just use a looper, let the looper play while you tweak…
16:00 I truly want to hear the results to that experiment. I wonder if some crappy emulating amps, like the Line 6 Spider or the Fender Mustang would expect to have an improvement or not. I have a Mustang III v2 that comes with a Celestion G12T-100 and I'm really tempted to change it for a different speaker like a G12T-75 or even a Creamback, but Idk if it is worth the investment.
I have installed Switchcraft switched jacks in my Marshall Lead 20’s so I can plug in my 4-12 cab and the speaker in the amp is shut off. It is amazing how much better the amp sounds. I even did it to my battery powered PIGNOSE amp , and man what a difference it made. The Pignose roars like a lion pushing the 4-12 cab. No not a huge amount of volume but great tone from small practice amps as the speakers are the limiting factor in these small amps. My guess is that the Crate is going to scream very nicely through a quality 4-12 or even a 2-12 with good speakers
Hey, Glenn! What do you have to say about those who say that tone is in the fingers? I always said that technique is in the fingers, but tone is about amp and its settings, speakers, microphones and stuff like that. Eruption by Van Halen won't sound like it's supposed to if it's played on a clean amp and a guitar without a wiggle stick.
19:28 the axe fx actually has a phantom power blocker in all its xlr outputs. another one of those "useless features" of the device that makes it so demonstrably expensive...
As for the person asking about swapping the speaker in a solid state amp, definitely! I still have my very first amp, a Peavey Envoy 110. I replaced it with an Eminence Rajun Cajun and it really improved it a lot. For a 10” practice amp, it sounds good now. Awesome channel Genn!
I love this channel and Glen. It always puts a smile on my face. Even when I am pissed at the world. Although I do not agree with Glens views sometimes I still enjoy the posts. I personally still prefer real amps over the captures. However I can't afford real amps so I use my line 6 Helix it has around 70 models in it and I like how instead of using captures line 6 actually recreates the circuits of the amps digitally so it feels morganic than most processors I have played with. But it is preference. Just like I notice a huge difference in guitars with different pickups when I am playing and when I change the pickups. I even like the stock pickups on most guitars that people swear are horrible. It all comes down to what we as individuals prefer.
@@SpectreSoundStudios You are correct. The funny thing is that the subtle differences I hear when playing through different pickups are barely there or completely gone when I play them back. I personally have not switched out pickups in guitars in years. I am generally fine with stock anyway but it makes me wonder if those perceived differences are more in my head than an actual real noticeable difference.
I think people are missing the point of what the ToneX is actually meant to do. A simple unit that’s meant to capture the character of an amp as closely as possible WITHOUT all the fuss of 50 different types of delay, reverb, etc., which is probably how they were able to keep the price so low. With that being said, a model with an FX loop would a little more expensive, but I think would be a great add on for people who want to add whatever effects they want.
Sooooo Glenn about the Northern Lights whistling part did you at least ask what happens if you farted instead of whistled?😅 Agree with you 100% about some of the craziness on the fictitious assumptions about equipment with no empirical data to back it up and yet, this is where the craziness comes in, they are skeptical or remain in total denial when they are 'educated' with bonefide data. I don’t presently own any amp modeler because they weren't affordable for me. After your review on the Tone X I now will be able to get something I can afford. Thanks for your honest reviews and keeping it real.
I learned that I get my best "tone" when sitting on a stool instead of a chair. So, it's fair to say that true tone comes from an IKEA BEKVÄM stool. It has to be the natural one, the white or black ones don't deliver the same tonal dynamics.
No way man... you have to spend at least $4k on a designer stool that has been handmade from Italian oak and Bratislavian Spruce and then coated in nitro finish. Otherwise your tone is gonna suck balls 😎
So, a $600 songwriting course "on sale" for $300 is something that is something that people should buy, even though there are tons of free resources for songwriting, and songwriting is literally "all in your head". Your inspiration and approach is a huge part of songwriting. But if you spend $100 on a pickup, or anything else besides a speaker, that inspires you to write to some great songs, you're wasting your money. Guitar tone isn't about science, it doesn't matter. Tone isn't for the audience, it's for the player. The only person that cares about the guitar tone is the guitar player themselves. It doesn't matter whether it's a songwriting course, lessons, speakers, pickups, wood, whatever else, if it makes you think you sound better and gives you confidence and inspiration, then it's worthwhile.
@@SpectreSoundStudios I just wish more of these types of devices had stereo output AND input! I have two ears, and I want to pleasure them! lol Nevertheless, I have my JOYO UZI OD pedal feeding into a MIMIQ and a Cab X2 for those stereo jollies. No amp needed!
Following up on my comments on those ToneX vids, it's great that there are cheaper options. But it doesn't instantly make anything else on the market obsolete. How much better are the tones compared to the HX Stomp? Or even better, compared to the similarly priced, and massively more feature rich, POD Go that you raved about 2 years ago?
The HX stomp and POD GO don't use profiling technology where Glenn can if he wants, sell captures/profiles of amps for money. In case you are ever wondering why his obsession with this unit in particular. That is why
Growing up and getting into guitar durning the 2010’s a kemper or axe effects was always a tone I’ve wanted. I’m glad to see products like the line 6 pod go and the tonex really cut the cost on digital amps. I run my pod through a celestion cab and the tone is amazing for just $500 dollars. I love the tips you give out and I appreciate the wisdom.
"match the gain...." we've had the LPB-1 for over 40 years. All you need are pickups that don't have too low a cutoff frequency or magnets so big they pull the strings out of tune, and a boost pedal to hit the amp hard. You can even stick a tubescreamer set as a boost or other pedal with a useful filter in front of the amp to control the character of the distortion. If you're using a modeler you don't even need a boost pedal, and you can probably model the pedal too.
Excellent video! Have you had a chance to mess around with the Mod Audio Dwarf pedal yet? They just added a new amp modeler called the Aida-X and it sounds amazing!
That pedal idea is definitely doable if you don't mind D-class amplification in the output stage. The rest is Electro-Smith's Daisy Seed hardware loaded with NeuralAmp captures/presets, and maybe even a Raspberry Pi with MODEP. All of that can fit in a pedal not bigger than ToneX... now that I think about it, I need to build me one of these...
I have a sick amount of gear, sick as in not healthy, lol. And I can say I will never part with it and I still THANK you for your insight and suggestions. You are spot on in all accounts. The only areas I'd disagree on do not deal in your wheelhouse and that is something you've made perfectly clear. You are a gain metal driven wizard and we love you for it!!! Keep spreading the knowledge!!!
One thing that I would like tosay about the tonex is that I don't have ANY desire to capture guitar cabs. I just want to use the included or download able captures. Heck, if it comes with decent captures, which it seems to, I might never go into the software via computer etc. I need things as simple as possible, plug and play.
Tonex is great! I have been using that for about a month, & I’m really liking it..I also have an AxeFx 3…but now I’m shutting the amp sim off & using the AxeFx for effects only…it is becoming overkill just for effects…i might replace it with a delay & chorus…Tonex is that damn good! Plus I REALLY like that Plate reverb on it. Don’t get me wrong, the AxeFx has been great…but if I am only comparing the amp sim of the Axefx to the captures of the Tonex…I like Tonex better.
I have been a Kemper user for many years now, but I would definitely cross shop it if I were just getting into something like it. I would be curious if you can automate the Tone X via MIDI the way you can with the pricier units, but most users wouldn't use that function anyway. Modern players have so many options now, that there really are no wrong answers to finding great tone.
Finally, the voice of sanity. Kemper was ground breaking 10 years ago. So it was naturally expensive to cover the R&D. Today, others have joined the party and now it looks expensive. But hey, that's the price we all pay for being early adopters of great new technology. Good to read a level headed reply. 🙂
Over ten years ago I purchased my first pedal ever, Behringer UM300 because I thought it would make my guitar sound metal af. I plugged it into my 15w practice amp and it sounded horrible. Then I got a new guitar thinking it would a world of a differece. Nothing. My mum would even say "I hear no difference." Then I got a Zoom G1n. It helped me get slightly better tones but when I got to finally play big amps and big cabinets I got amazed at how everything sounded massive. A few years later I got into amp sims and cab IRs. Now, to present day, I have a Zoom G1on, old technology by today standards, but I coupled it with a Cuvave for IRs in live use. I got all the tones I need now for live use. I would like to have a better petal, but I just can't see myself spending a lot of money on something I use maybe 20 times a year, and also, people generally don't care about your tone as everything is so effing loud that they're deaf already hah
Hey Glenn you really gotta get ahold of some guitars and drums from Sawtooth. They make great stuff and after using their 7 string guitars there isn’t a better axe out there for the $ in our opinion. You definitely don’t have to spend thousands of dollars for a reliable functional electric guitar that’s a joy to play….it is fun splurging if you are into the craftsmanship aspect. Anyway love your stuff. Check out Sawtooth.
Hey Glen, i`m currently interested on the Blackstar Amped 3 Pedal Amp. For exactly the reasons you talk about the ToneX. I can take right in the Bag and take it everywhere. 1, 20, 100 Watts and also DI in the Mixer etc. I like this concept very much. Maybe you can do a review of this pedal? Also for unterstanding: The ToneX Pedal need`s an Poweramp when i want to use ist with a Cab?
I've just got my ToneX and I LOVE it. Gonna be paired with a Line 6 HX Effects and a Poweramp (Just in case I have to go through a cab) and that'll be my new "ampless" gig rig. No more lugging around a 12 pedal pedalboard or heavy amp head and cab for me. I'm sure my back will thank me.
Re solid-state and speaker upgrades: My first amp was a little 10w JMF Spectra w/ 8” unbranded speaker. I never changed the speaker, but I did used to like running from the line-out Jack on the Spectra into the effect-loop input on bigger amps (Peavey tube amp in this case, w/ stock 12) and the improvement in hi-gain tones was HUGE. Not that stock Peavey Black Widows were the greatest speakers either, but I’m quite sure that was at least 50% responsible for the tonal improvement. (Also shows how easily impressed I was in the 80s.)😅
The ToneX is a brilliantly affordable more than ample to the task modeler. My buddy has a home studio set up with the Amplitube 5 modeling suite and I have to say it is very accurate and high quality. The fact that the ToneX comes with this suite included is amazing (I would opt to get the Joe Satriana add on). IK has really been shaking up the modeling scene for a while now and to offer a stompbox styled pedal that allows you to do very similar things as the Kemper and Quad Cortex at roughly 1/5th the price is outstanding. The ToneX leaves a great deal of meat on the bone for other accessories like a Carvin Mach 100 pedalboard amp ($189), a TCE Prophet Delay ($49), you could go TCE for the analog chorus ($49), or go for a MXR M-134 Stereo Chorus ($189). No matter how you went you are still under 1K for an entirely new rig that fits in a gig bag. Sure it is a few more pieces of hardware but still is over 800 bucks cheaper and is equally as versatile. I just do not understand why people are so quick to equate a pricetag as discerning either inferior, or superior quality? Not everything of quality requires a boutique pricetag, and the ToneX pedal is one of those times that I feel we get to have our cake and eat it too in that you won't have to donate an organ to afford it and it doesn't suck!
Hi Glen, this is something I was thinking about. I believe you are right about the speaker is the main tone of a guitar sound. Another thing I was thinking about was tube amps. Most guitarists not all day a tube amp is the best sound, but most guitarists plug there tube amp into pedals. Most not all pedals are not tube pedals. So are they really hearing the tube amp sound or are they really hearing the non tube pedals. Hmmmmm. Maybe the tube amp sound they love are really not the amp at all just amplified pedals.
Hey Glen. One thing I’d like to point out regarding the quad Cortex vs Tone x. With the cortex you can run a whole band with one unit vs needing multiple tone x units to achieve the same thing but most people won’t use it this way anyways so tone x is probably worth it for most.
Great video! I just got into effects about a year ago (I'm a classical violinist, but a metalhead at heart) . I wanted to ask you, what is the best speaker/amp you would recommend to use with a tonex? Also, since I know next to nothing about effects, any recommendations on how to get and/or connect some effects to the tonex ? Most electric violinists I've seen use Helix/Kemper/QC and those are essay out of my budget. Thanks again for the video!!
I must've missed the video, because all I saw was a very brief ad/intro to the Tonex, but nothing in-depth on how to actually capture your own rigs (beyond drag and drop of already available stuff) with said pedal or how it fares in a comparison against Kemper and QC.
The boss LS-2 Line Selector pedal might be able to give that pedal a FX loop. my suggestion. Found out from a video a bass player posted. Turns out not all of them are useless.
I would like you to do a comparison with the capture that you can do with the mooer app... you can load that capture on the new preamp model X, a 160€ pedal.... Also, have you consider using valve preamps, Í use a V4 Kraken with the mooer radar as a power amp section emulator and then on to a power amp pedal that drives the harley benton g212... for me it sounds incredible, and all of that for ahlf of the kemper ;)
I don't have a Kemper (yet), but it's still on my list because I need a device I can include in my existing 19" setup with In ear and wireless system which can be controlled by midi and has enough outputs for my needs. I'd be open to other devices, but it just seems to be the best fit for my needs... 🤷♂🤔
I just ordered the ToneX Pedal. I have been waiting for this. Even better, I wanted to buy a gate and an interface anyway, and now I get a modeling amp almost for free with it.
I just wanted to answer your question about "where the eff is that guy getting $400 for a delay or chorus pedal?!?!" I believe he's talking about the higher end stuff from companies like Strymon or Empress (and there's a lot more of course). As an example, the Strymon TimeLine is $450, and it's essentially the be-all-end-all of delays. Super high quality and it includes every kind of delay you would ever want (there's 12 delay types, plus preset saving, plus midi control, plus multiple footswitches for easy patch changing, etc...). It's essentially like the old school digital rack delays that would cost in the thousands back in the day but in pedal form, where it provides a boat-load of functionality. They also offer the same thing for both Reverb and Modulation (each are $450) and it's the same deal where they each include 12 different types and a boat-load of options. Now of course, not everybody needs one of these and can get by with a much simpler delay / chorus pedal for much cheaper. In the metal world this is probably more true than not. But in the non-metal world, gigging guitarists tend to need these kinds of options as it's essentially helping them get more gigs due to their flexibility. Also they're fantastic in the studio if you want to experiment with soundscapes to record for various kinds of parts. This might be an interesting video / series of videos for you to do? Comparing the high-end boutique pedals to the more affordable options in a metal context and see if they're worth the spend? Cheers!
I am not a Kemper user. I do keep up with most of the technology. Have you seen the info on the coming tonestack/gain upgrade for Kemper users? It looks promising as it is easy to choose the appropriate tonestack and gain model for many amp designs. This gets baked into profiles with the amp settings. This becomes a starting point for tweaking the profile. Very interesting and smart. It is also said that re-baking these settings into an old profile is easy if you know the original amp knob positions
I think the easiest solution is like an HX effects or similar multi-fx board that would go into this. Itd be $1050 in the end which isnt cheap but it still gets you the same functionality as a kemper or QC for less and its a complete package. Although for me personally id just spend a little more at that point and get the fractal fm3 personally bc i dont care about profiling as a feature but thats me personally. Id rather be able to have the insane amount of control over the signal chain offered by a fractal product in a single unit. Thats not for everyone tho but if you already are spending $1050 you may as well spend like $50-150 more and get one unit thats more way more comprehensive. Again, thats IF you dont need profiling. If you do need profiling, i dont need to tell yall that fractals arent for you.
Hey Glenn, I just picked up Extinction level event about a week ago. I do a lot of hip hop and rap instrumentals and this was a great way to not have my beats sound exactly like everything else I hear. Absolutely killer plug in, would definitely recommend to the Rock, metal, and even hip hop crowd.
That crate was my first amp!!! I put a ts9 in front and it and it was incredible for hard rock! Really loved rail pickups. My dimebucker SANG and hotrails in a maiden style were great too. Can I have it ?😢 I paid $20 on the school bus in ‘99
Ron Nevison who produced “Out Of This World” with the band Europe tried out 20 different cabs for Kee Marcello’s guitar tone. He found 2 speakers he liked and mounted those in a 412. If anyone things speakers don’t matter….listen to the Superstitious solo. It’s a legendary tone.
Pretty amazing IK Multimedia is causing this tribal consternation with their $400 little box, competition is always a good thing! Maybe the other guys will also create a similar priced box rather than the super pricey models they have now. I really love the Neural DSP plugins, really enjoying them, and been a Amplitube owner for awhile and love its sound and variety, love the choices. I imagine IK will release at some point a Tone X with the inclusion of the X series Pedal effects, That would be a killer box.
I have a Kemper and just sold my QC due to reliability issues. I would absolutely switch to the ToneX pedal if IK made one with the other effects. For a live setup AND MY NEEDS the Kemper just checks all the boxes FOR ME (Power amp, all the effects, and so on) . BUT the cool thing now is I can leave my Kemper in the rehearsal studio and use the ToneX software for recording. Whenever IK comes out with a unit that has all of the other effects built in I will probably go for that one but for the time being I'm Gonna Keep on Kemper-ing lml PS - I have a 4.5 minute video of a QC failing during Rebea's demo at NAMM if you want it. It was the nail in the coffin for me selling mine...
The amount of art not being made or ignored for the sake of perfection of the sound truly baffles me. To be clear, you have to achieve a level of sound quality for your song, but that can be achieved in reaper using the free plugins (having good EQ balance, stereo and low to no noise). With the know how, reaper and an sm57, you can write the next generation of greatest hits. Don't believe me? take a look at Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. P.S. Talent makes for good music, not the mojo, the amp, guitar, microphones or preamps. BUDGET does not always equal beginner, if it works, then you can create.
Hey Glenn, I write you today with a problem I’ve been having, and I really trust your opinion. I just upgraded my noname chinese 2x12 to basically a pair of Matamp 2x12s and the difference is kind of disappointing. My chinese cab sounds so clear and studio like, and the new ones with ''real'' speakers almost sound fake, like a small practice amp kind of tone, and also kind of distant. any ideas at all? the new cabs are also huge 2x12s with Celestion G12T100s and Eminence Tonkers, so maybe that has something to do with it? I had an Emperor 2x12 with V30s and same issue. Using an Orange CR120 so maybe thats it ? First time I’ll take the blame, same issue 3 times I’m not sure sure anymore
I just got into the digital stuff (left tube amps) over Christmas. Got a Kemper. Few weeks ago bought a HX stomp XL. Can you explain the whole Direct box saving your unit if FOH hits phantom power while plugged in to their board? Or whatever the situation is? I don’t understand this kind of thing and would love a beginner explanation and rarely hear it brought up other than briefly . Trying to avoid frying my hard earned gear. Do I need to get a direct box for both my units? Or am I not understanding this correctly? Been watching(listening at work) for years and fuck you. Cheers from Akron Ohio.
I'm a Fractal user, and a real tube amp user, and if I replace my Fractal it'll be with a newer Fractal. An Axe-FX III whatever version, not an FM model. I literally have no reason NOT to buy another Fractal. I don't mind the cost...much. It's full featured, and allows me endless flexibility to play and craft some truly almighty (or really abysmal) tones, at my discretion. I'm not looking for or caring about "bargain" gear, never have, and never will. You like to find bargain and budget gear and present it to your viewers and that's great. You are doing a good service to many of your viewers. But don't YOU get butthurt if I choose the 3000 dollar modeller over the 600 dollar modeller, because that's my choice and my informed decision to make as a responsible consumer.
I started to get guitar pedals for my mic since I wanted something that wasn't all-in-one. Donner/Caline/Azor pedals are $20-40 each. Cool. "That reverb pedal sounds awesome! ... uh... $179... never mind". So... yeah... maybe later get an all-in-one. Still, with the ToneX + that pedal, you'll still come out ahead
I mostly run direct and, even with units that have built in effects, I never find them as good as the pedals I have. I also like the direct control I have with the pedals, not having to go menu diving to adjust them.
I wanted a qc for a while, and I still think it's a great unit, but 1800 with two kids in school (I'm in the US), couldn't swing it. ToneX comes out, sounds to my ears really, really good, I pulled the trigger. You are 100% correct, the tech improves, it gets cheaper, and I'm all for it, it's better for more people.
In regards to phantom power frying gear, as a live sound engineer, I've been well aware of this for quite some time, having to deal with other people who have various bits of gear fried by this. What I did for my company was invest in a handful of phantom power blockers. That and direct boxes will certainly do the trick. Some desks have phantom power either "all on/of", others are on/off in banks. Once I was able to move up to better consoles, with phantom power being switchable per channel, I didn't really need the phantom power blockers anymore but I really did benefit from the direct box purchases! I also built phantom power testers that I gave to all my crew and we would test any ends before plugging into gear with XLR or balanced TRS outputs just as a good operating practice just in case someone didn't properly zero the console/channel prior to setting up. The responsibility kinda goes both ways, the musician should take measures to protect themselves, and the sound company should take measures and engage in practices to "do no harm" to equipment of others. For musicians, take a moment to express concern. For sound companies, take that same moment to listen and then check and if necessary, take action to avoid the problem.
I’ve had a Kemper for quite a few years, it’s the 600 watt solid state version. Wow it’s a great piece of equipment. If I was going to get a new rig today, I’d probably try the new $400 gadget.
That's some drummer maths on the price of the pedals. I use a bass butler (bass amp modelling pedal/DI), fuzz, overdrive, bassballs, compressor and a wireless kit. Total price £600 including all cables and the case. Also, I personally prefer to have separate pedals for effects. If anything dies, I don't need to replace the full rig.
The next big technological improvement I'm hoping for is lower latency on general-purpose audio interfaces. The digital pedals (everything from simple digital effects all the way up to axe-fx) have really great round-trip latency thanks to tons of little things like the ADC being integrated, not having the overhead of an operating system, you name it. Meanwhile the absolute best you can buy for a PC or Mac will only get you to the average or lower of the dedicated pedals or units. How great would being able to reasonably run Reaper-in-a-box be, instead of individual proprietary pedals?
I have the ToneX software, an Axe FX2 and a Blackstar tube amp. My personal thoughts are that the tube amp is the most satisying to play with, the Axe FX is the most fun and ToneX is the most practical
Upgrading the speak in an amp will fix a ton of problems, even if the amp sucks. I put an aftermarket car speaker in a busted practice amp some years back. Transformed it completely.
I have an axe fx but I love the tonex too, it's a damn good value for what it does...I consider it a 3 channel amp..and all I have ever used is chorus and delay so all the effects in the flagship units like my axe fx never get used.. I like everything lol
ROCK ON GLENN \m/ From the motherland. Now you should put together a list of effects to go with the TONEX. How much can you spend and get great FX for little money. The jury is out.
First you recommended the podgo... I jumped on it... now the mooer... got the pe100 desktop toy... things get better, and , smaller... so amazed at the technology nowadays.
Hi Glen ,great vid i laughed out loud on many parts ! like everyone ive been down the pick up rabbit hole, minimal differences to me, been down the pre amp/power amp tube route, again minimal if nothing. its just a feel thing i guess. in a band mix you couldnt tell shit . speakers? now thats where its at !! x pattern my os mesa cab 65s, 75,s, creambacks, 100s , the difference is insane. But i guess buying speakers isnt as cool as buying a shit load of pedals and other crap. ive just picked up a used cortex . personally i find it amazing, tho it is my first venture into the digital world. will work for me best live i feel, just the ease of use. i havnt heard the tone x but i am going this weekend to my mates studio to try his as he raves about it . nothing like a day of amp cloning and comparing. we live in amazing times in regards to tech. i have all my amps, rev f mesa, bogners archon, shiva, and i love them all, but gotta say im blown away by the cortex ! keep er lit from me in northern ireland !!!
Glen. And everyone else. After hearing the comment about you starting a second channel it brought back to mind an old idea I had. I've worked in film since I was 16 so I learned most things from trial and error. Now I'm finishing my degree and I'm flabbergasted by the stupidity of some people. Seriously I've had people surprised that I was cleaning my lenses. Seriously, full grown adults on the last year of college didn't know you had to clean the lenses. So I thought for a long time about creating a UA-cam channel to teach this stuff that should be obvious. Do you guys think it's a good idea?
I have been telling people in my studio for years that the speaker is vastly more important than most people realize. When I purchased my 5150 head I tested it with several cabs and chose a Randall cab over the traditional Peavey cab they match them with. Don't get me wrong I love a lot of Peavey gear but that cab was not the right one for that amp. On another note the TONEX has been a blessing for my studio!
I had a Donner chorus I got for $30 and it sounded absolutely great. Not only that, but I've used amps with built-in chorus that was fantastic. I borrowed a Rivera around '88 that had a wonderful built-in chorus. I also used a Gallien-Krueger with a wonderful built-in chorus. It was like an amp with a built in Rockman and it was amazing. I had that Maiden Somewhere in Time/Seventh Son tone and it worked. I remember playing a Roland JC and that built-in chorus is one of the best ever. In fact, the JC was the first amp with built-in chorus. After all, JC stands for Jazz Chorus. The thing is chorus is not a rare thing. There's no reason to pay a fortune for something so simple as a chorus. It's a ubiquitous thing.
The Boss CE-1 sell for a bazillion dollars so you are sort of contradicting yourself super massive big time by talking about the Roland Jazz chorus (what the ce-1 is made to replicate) and trying to go for this whole.. cheap gear is good thing. No reason to pay a million dollars, except for roland then you can pay a million dollars? Then it's okay. The FM3 is 999$ (less money than a roland jazz chorus) and comes with over 20 different types of chorus. Tri chorus. Quad chorus. Delays can all be turned into personal chorus because the FM3 unlike pedals give you actual control over effects and not one control like "rate". Please do not let this loud obnoxious man guide you in your buying gear.
Hey Glenn, are you going to profile all of your tube amps in the tone X? Would be nice to see that library of amps you have available. That Revv, Driftwood and ENGL amps you have are sooo nice.
The mental case at 11:00 probably googled the most expensive gear for this example, because the most expensive products are the only ones worth buying. Apparently. Ps. I looked up pedal prices on the top end out of morbid curiosity. Oh. My. Days. Nearly £2000 for a boutique delay pedal!? I'm surprised that Sir Spendsallot didn't quote these kinda of pedals when saying what the final price of the ToneX would be.
GLEEeeEEeeN! (Am I doing that right?) I've been really interested in the guitar reviews and experiments you've been putting out recently showing what sort of quality bang for your buck alternatives are out there, and what makes a big difference and what doesnt. (I heard a rumour that speakers aprantly have something to do with it? I dont know, seems a little far fetched to me...) Would love it if there was maybe something similar for bass guitars. But yeah, how is neck through compared to bolt on ACTUALLY? how do pickups effect a bass' sound when its NOT so distorted? (does it at all?) Do inreally need to drop 2k on a dingwall? Cheers! And have a spiffing time!
Ahh that Crate GT! I'll never forget that amp. It was the house amplifier of my High school Jazz improv class. We used to love to hit the "overdrive" switch and play Metallica songs in between the jazz numbers and drive the teacher crazy. It sounded cool when I was 15.
It blows my mind that Glenn isn't doing voice for animated characters.
He actually does. He mentioned it in one of his videos but I don't remember the cartoon name
Dude I could see him voicing and dubbing for a character in like dbz or something
Dude I could see him voicing and dubbing for a character in like dbz or something
He is an animated character. Lol
Holy crikey dingo you're right, Glenn needs to be in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure.
Around 6:00 you said "here we are in 2014". Had to check to make sure this video want 9 years old and I've been missing out for that long haha.
Glen, as a guitarist of only 2 years, I'm ever so thankful that I found your channel before looking on forums or listening to other musicians for advice. The amount of money I will not waste in the future due to your videos is unreal. Keep up the good work.
They grow so fast.
@@sharkuel Lol, like a weed
I just started looking into getting into a new guitar and I'm so glad I found out about tone wood not mattering. Makes picking a guitar much easier.
Love my kemper rack and kemper stage. Sure there are great cheaper alternatives. There are even free plug ins as well. Dont have any reason to get rid of the kemper after the fact. It works and sounds better than my tube amps live.
Oh my God, Oh my God
Glenn used my comment on his show! I’m shaking I’m so excited. Best day of the year so far!
I just want take a moment to say: I could never had done this without the continuous support of my wife, son, and colleagues. Thank you everyone!!
Also, I’ve been a Metalhead since the age of 6. I can play some jazz, blues, and surf on the guitar. But no matter how hard I’ve tried, I cannot play metal at all!!! 😢 That stuff is impossible🤘🏻
Don’t forget to thank Jeesus!!
@@shitmandood ha ha
I'm proud of you son
I think if you can play surf you can at least play classic metal, thrash, etc. Do you mean modern tech death or something?
if you can do surf, you can probably do speed or thrash fine
Strymons for example are around 400$ a pedal in my country. As the AxeFX, Kemper and Quad Cortex come with these advanced effects I think it's a fair comparison.
sure you can get a basic chorus or delay pedal for 50$ that will definitely sound good, but... that's not what's coming with the higher end modelers that are almost 2K.
It's also a bit more comfortable programming wise to have everything inside the same unit, so yeah I definitely understand those who whine about the effects even though I kinda disagree with them.
Boss ms-3 will do the job, sounds good and has everything for £400 or a TC Plethora X5 for cheaper and again sounds good.
I own a complete Kemper rig with the toaster, Kemper Kab, foot controller, etc and I love it. Paired with some excellent profiles it has been one of the best purchases I've ever made for my guitar playing enjoyment. But I will also be getting a ToneX because it looks absolutely amazing and technology does move forward, no sunk cost fallacy here. If it is vastly better, I can always sell the Kemper rig. If I like them both then I'm simply spoiled for choice. Been playing for 20 years and IMHO there has never been a better time to be a guitar player.
Well you heard the blind test didn’t you? I didn’t hear any difference at all, but you get rid of the Kemper you then have to fiddle faddle with stomp boxes and jury rig the ToneX that doesn’t have an FX loop. You’ll probably set it all up then see you wasted your time. 😅
I bought my Fractal Axe-Fx ii 6 years ago.
Best money I spent on sounds.
Still going strong.
Rn now I am playing my 2 and it's great, waiting for my 3 that was fried by a lightning strike to get sent back with new DSP. Still sounds better than all these plugins
We are only as good as our experience. I have been recording metal music since 2000 and you really don't need to spend a lot of money to get good results. Thanks to everyone at Spectre Sound Studios, we can gain experience much faster. Much props keep up the good work!
Thanks for featuring my comments. There’s a lot that goes into making good sounds. With the right equipment, half the battle is over. Learning to play the chosen instrument helps too.😁
At 22:00 the guy talks about audio for UA-cam ...I wonder if you will talk about set ups simple - intermediate and pro for sound for PC gamers - headphones and mikes - and home recording sound for youtube channels and online meetings - just a though. Always happy to add to another's workload. PS love the channel - I don't even record but I love it when you shout/swear and the high speed readers comments are sublime! BW from the UK
As a dad-rock bedroom musician, IK is single handedly the best equipment and software I have every bought. I have been through half-stacks, amps, and had my pockets bled dry chasing the magical unicorn of tone that does not exist. There is no reason to need amps these days if you are a guy like me. I focus more on my playing and creating music (and enjoying myself) than I do jerking off knobs on amplifiers I'll never get a good tone out of anyways as they never get cranked to the point it matters.
And when you put it in a mix, it doesn't fucking matter anyways.
Sounds good, Pops
I am a bit torn. I don’t make money with music or have any limitations regarding my rig, so I am pretty happy with my Engl, Marshall integrated into my digital setup and enjoy playing with the real hardware. I don’t need anything like the ToneX. Although it would be really handy to profile my equipment and use it with the ToneX.
My cat is really, really hungry. Hasn't eaten all day.
@@tortillaman2491 Try feeding it
@@tyleranderson1015 I have no cat food.
Dude ~1:45 nailed it.
I keep all my old and just buy new gear when it offers me something i need.
Try the keyboard market over the past 30 years.
I can get some decent tones out of my 20 year old Roland that ran $2500, but it doesn't touch modules I could get for a grand today. 🤷
11:30 guys, seriously... BUY SECOND HAND. I bought like half of my entire gear used, and everything still works fine. My Marshall JCM2000, Charvel Pro Mod San Dimas and Gibson SG (yes...) combined cost less than a new Kemper.
The nice thing about buying used gear is that when you sell it you can almost break even or sometimes even profit!
I saw a video of Glenn the other night, and he bragging about how great getting new pickups in your guitar would be.. I love how once his show caught on he become full blown myth buster.
The Glenn of today is the Glenn we need.
Regarding an effects loop for your amp on stage: I'm an old guy and I gig regularly. I have never used and amps effects loop at a live performance. Always straight into the pedal board and then out to the amp. Everything sounds and works just fine. Studio you might want to clean it up using the loop I don't know.
Agreed. Even with live amps, my rig was usually dirt-pedal and slap-echo in front (maybe chorus or phase on rare occasions) and FX loops have never seemed needed.
Glenn, I have a good “stupid bass player/musician” story for you. It’s from Dave Grohl’s Storyteller book. While on tour far from their home town in Virginia his band, Scream, was in L.A. . Like most bands, they were living on the little money they made playing shows and bunking at friends houses along the way. One night the bass player vanished and went back to Virginia with no explanation. He left the bad broke, unable to complete their tour or travel home. They literally were stuck in LA and had no way to get home. Luckily for Dave, he soon got word from Nirvana to try out for their band. The stupid musician part is that said bass player had done this before and they took him back when he asked to return only to have him later destroy the group by leaving unannounced in L.A. . It wasn’t all bad though, while they were stuck in L.A. they were also staying at a house full of female mud wrestlers. 😂
The Tonex unit looks like it is pretty cool for the price. If you don't have anything like it, it's a great deal, and will hopefully start driving down some prices. However, I have to call you out on the last video when you said that if you already own a Kemper, that you should ditch it and buy a Tonex. Terrible advice. That's like telling someone who already spent the money on an iPhone 14 to go ahead and sell that and go out and buy an iPhone 13 because it's cheaper now. You're unnecessarily spending more money for little return. No one selling their Kemper or QC is going to get what they paid for it if they sell it. That means you have to add that loss to the cost of switching to Tonex, then consider that you are trading functionalities. If you have to buy effects, then you have to add that to the cost. If you already have a Kemper or QC, then keep using it. You don't really gain anything by making the switch. If you don't already have either of those, then get the Tonex. It's way cheap, and looks like it's worth the money.
Not to mention there's limitations on the ToneX he always leaves out. That sponsorship money is really changing things up on this subject and not for the better imo.
@@Schatje79 It just goes to show that a lot of UA-camrs are basically glorified music salesmen. They aren't giving you the best advice that they can. They are giving you the best advice for their bank account statement. He's becoming no different than the asshole Guitar Center salesmen who pushed the Line 6 Spider because it gave them a higher commission, rather than the best amp in that price range.
Glenn
You are spot on with everything you are saying here. Like you I am old skool. Playing 43 years. If young musicians were wise, they would take this episode to heart. So many pieces of wisdom, which only comes with time and age. Good job! Cheers!
You had me at "affordable"
Lols…
cube baby: $40 IR / Cab loader. Even comes with pirated cabs and IRs.
@@snap-off5383 yeah but it lacks a bit in response, even a Joyo American Sound Preamp sounds more natural (tried both, daily drive the AmSound)
Thanks for the quote Glen. About to go in for heart surgery and it really lifted my spirits. Respect.
What you are about to do the Crate can work surprisingly well. I rehoused a Peavey Minx into it's own head and fixed a speaker jack to the back. A little repair was required in the power section (some idiot burned caps with a soldering gun). Replaced those, and cleaned the pots. I plugged it into an oversized Traynor 2x12 8ohm cabinet. It sounded awesome. Great little bass amp (very clean). Worth the effort, and now a I have a great pedal platform with a line out.
7:19 - I think a lot of it comes from most people not being able to do 2 things at once, like hearing the tone differences more accurately while playing (me included). Have to have someone else play while tweaking knobs and tone.
Funny thing is, the modelers and tone capturing can really help with this. Just use a looper, let the looper play while you tweak…
"Here we are in 2014 and I gotta say, the technogoly has matured". Haha XD well 2014 was a good year
16:00 I truly want to hear the results to that experiment. I wonder if some crappy emulating amps, like the Line 6 Spider or the Fender Mustang would expect to have an improvement or not. I have a Mustang III v2 that comes with a Celestion G12T-100 and I'm really tempted to change it for a different speaker like a G12T-75 or even a Creamback, but Idk if it is worth the investment.
I have installed Switchcraft switched jacks in my Marshall Lead 20’s so I can plug in my 4-12 cab and the speaker in the amp is shut off. It is amazing how much better the amp sounds. I even did it to my battery powered PIGNOSE amp , and man what a difference it made. The Pignose roars like a lion pushing the 4-12 cab. No not a huge amount of volume but great tone from small practice amps as the speakers are the limiting factor in these small amps. My guess is that the Crate is going to scream very nicely through a quality 4-12 or even a 2-12 with good speakers
Hey, Glenn! What do you have to say about those who say that tone is in the fingers? I always said that technique is in the fingers, but tone is about amp and its settings, speakers, microphones and stuff like that. Eruption by Van Halen won't sound like it's supposed to if it's played on a clean amp and a guitar without a wiggle stick.
19:28 the axe fx actually has a phantom power blocker in all its xlr outputs. another one of those "useless features" of the device that makes it so demonstrably expensive...
As for the person asking about swapping the speaker in a solid state amp, definitely! I still have my very first amp, a Peavey Envoy 110. I replaced it with an Eminence Rajun Cajun and it really improved it a lot. For a 10” practice amp, it sounds good now. Awesome channel Genn!
i miss my buddys bandit back in the day. 🤔🍻
I love this channel and Glen. It always puts a smile on my face. Even when I am pissed at the world. Although I do not agree with Glens views sometimes I still enjoy the posts. I personally still prefer real amps over the captures. However I can't afford real amps so I use my line 6 Helix it has around 70 models in it and I like how instead of using captures line 6 actually recreates the circuits of the amps digitally so it feels morganic than most processors I have played with. But it is preference. Just like I notice a huge difference in guitars with different pickups when I am playing and when I change the pickups. I even like the stock pickups on most guitars that people swear are horrible. It all comes down to what we as individuals prefer.
Make some A/B recordings… suddenly those differences aren’t quite as massive as we’ve been led to believe
@@SpectreSoundStudios A/B recordings are the bane of all gear snobs!
@@SpectreSoundStudios You are correct. The funny thing is that the subtle differences I hear when playing through different pickups are barely there or completely gone when I play them back. I personally have not switched out pickups in guitars in years. I am generally fine with stock anyway but it makes me wonder if those perceived differences are more in my head than an actual real noticeable difference.
I think people are missing the point of what the ToneX is actually meant to do. A simple unit that’s meant to capture the character of an amp as closely as possible WITHOUT all the fuss of 50 different types of delay, reverb, etc., which is probably how they were able to keep the price so low.
With that being said, a model with an FX loop would a little more expensive, but I think would be a great add on for people who want to add whatever effects they want.
Sooooo Glenn about the Northern Lights whistling part did you at least ask what happens if you farted instead of whistled?😅
Agree with you 100% about some of the craziness on the fictitious assumptions about equipment with no empirical data to back it up and yet, this is where the craziness comes in, they are skeptical or remain in total denial when they are 'educated' with bonefide data.
I don’t presently own any amp modeler because they weren't affordable for me.
After your review on the Tone X I now will be able to get something I can afford.
Thanks for your honest reviews and keeping it real.
Great information thanks for all you do Glenn keep up the good work much appreciated God Bless your UA-cam channel Ozzy Rocks Australia
I learned that I get my best "tone" when sitting on a stool instead of a chair. So, it's fair to say that true tone comes from an IKEA BEKVÄM stool. It has to be the natural one, the white or black ones don't deliver the same tonal dynamics.
ayyy bekväm supremacy. that built in footrest really brings out the woody warmth of my toan.
No way man... you have to spend at least $4k on a designer stool that has been handmade from Italian oak and Bratislavian Spruce and then coated in nitro finish. Otherwise your tone is gonna suck balls 😎
Ola has a great tone so this makes sense
So, a $600 songwriting course "on sale" for $300 is something that is something that people should buy, even though there are tons of free resources for songwriting, and songwriting is literally "all in your head". Your inspiration and approach is a huge part of songwriting. But if you spend $100 on a pickup, or anything else besides a speaker, that inspires you to write to some great songs, you're wasting your money. Guitar tone isn't about science, it doesn't matter. Tone isn't for the audience, it's for the player. The only person that cares about the guitar tone is the guitar player themselves. It doesn't matter whether it's a songwriting course, lessons, speakers, pickups, wood, whatever else, if it makes you think you sound better and gives you confidence and inspiration, then it's worthwhile.
Tonex + Amplitude 5 has officially blown my socks off!
Same here!
@@SpectreSoundStudios I just wish more of these types of devices had stereo output AND input! I have two ears, and I want to pleasure them! lol
Nevertheless, I have my JOYO UZI OD pedal feeding into a MIMIQ and a Cab X2 for those stereo jollies. No amp needed!
Following up on my comments on those ToneX vids, it's great that there are cheaper options. But it doesn't instantly make anything else on the market obsolete. How much better are the tones compared to the HX Stomp? Or even better, compared to the similarly priced, and massively more feature rich, POD Go that you raved about 2 years ago?
His sponsorship is really pushing this fr
The HX stomp and POD GO don't use profiling technology where Glenn can if he wants, sell captures/profiles of amps for money. In case you are ever wondering why his obsession with this unit in particular. That is why
Growing up and getting into guitar durning the 2010’s a kemper or axe effects was always a tone I’ve wanted. I’m glad to see products like the line 6 pod go and the tonex really cut the cost on digital amps. I run my pod through a celestion cab and the tone is amazing for just $500 dollars. I love the tips you give out and I appreciate the wisdom.
"match the gain...." we've had the LPB-1 for over 40 years. All you need are pickups that don't have too low a cutoff frequency or magnets so big they pull the strings out of tune, and a boost pedal to hit the amp hard. You can even stick a tubescreamer set as a boost or other pedal with a useful filter in front of the amp to control the character of the distortion.
If you're using a modeler you don't even need a boost pedal, and you can probably model the pedal too.
Excellent video! Have you had a chance to mess around with the Mod Audio Dwarf pedal yet? They just added a new amp modeler called the Aida-X and it sounds amazing!
Not yet!
That pedal idea is definitely doable if you don't mind D-class amplification in the output stage. The rest is Electro-Smith's Daisy Seed hardware loaded with NeuralAmp captures/presets, and maybe even a Raspberry Pi with MODEP. All of that can fit in a pedal not bigger than ToneX... now that I think about it, I need to build me one of these...
Dibs on “Douche Canoe” for a band name. Glenn, as ever, your videos are top notch. Thanks for all the helpful-and always entertaining-videos. Cheers.
"I've never made a wrong purchase in my life!" I say, just before tormenting your ears with the Getzen Frumpet.
I have a sick amount of gear, sick as in not healthy, lol. And I can say I will never part with it and I still THANK you for your insight and suggestions. You are spot on in all accounts. The only areas I'd disagree on do not deal in your wheelhouse and that is something you've made perfectly clear. You are a gain metal driven wizard and we love you for it!!! Keep spreading the knowledge!!!
One thing that I would like tosay about the tonex is that I don't have ANY desire to capture guitar cabs. I just want to use the included or download able captures. Heck, if it comes with decent captures, which it seems to, I might never go into the software via computer etc. I need things as simple as possible, plug and play.
Tonex is great! I have been using that for about a month, & I’m really liking it..I also have an AxeFx 3…but now I’m shutting the amp sim off & using the AxeFx for effects only…it is becoming overkill just for effects…i might replace it with a delay & chorus…Tonex is that damn good! Plus I REALLY like that Plate reverb on it. Don’t get me wrong, the AxeFx has been great…but if I am only comparing the amp sim of the Axefx to the captures of the Tonex…I like Tonex better.
Fair enough. I haven’t shot out the fractal yet..
I have been a Kemper user for many years now, but I would definitely cross shop it if I were just getting into something like it. I would be curious if you can automate the Tone X via MIDI the way you can with the pricier units, but most users wouldn't use that function anyway. Modern players have so many options now, that there really are no wrong answers to finding great tone.
Finally, the voice of sanity. Kemper was ground breaking 10 years ago. So it was naturally expensive to cover the R&D.
Today, others have joined the party and now it looks expensive.
But hey, that's the price we all pay for being early adopters of great new technology.
Good to read a level headed reply. 🙂
You can do mostly anything MIDI-wise with the ToneX. At least PC and CC messages, EXP if you so wish.
Over ten years ago I purchased my first pedal ever, Behringer UM300 because I thought it would make my guitar sound metal af. I plugged it into my 15w practice amp and it sounded horrible. Then I got a new guitar thinking it would a world of a differece. Nothing. My mum would even say "I hear no difference." Then I got a Zoom G1n. It helped me get slightly better tones but when I got to finally play big amps and big cabinets I got amazed at how everything sounded massive. A few years later I got into amp sims and cab IRs. Now, to present day, I have a Zoom G1on, old technology by today standards, but I coupled it with a Cuvave for IRs in live use. I got all the tones I need now for live use. I would like to have a better petal, but I just can't see myself spending a lot of money on something I use maybe 20 times a year, and also, people generally don't care about your tone as everything is so effing loud that they're deaf already hah
Hey Glenn you really gotta get ahold of some guitars and drums from Sawtooth. They make great stuff and after using their 7 string guitars there isn’t a better axe out there for the $ in our opinion. You definitely don’t have to spend thousands of dollars for a reliable functional electric guitar that’s a joy to play….it is fun splurging if you are into the craftsmanship aspect.
Anyway love your stuff. Check out Sawtooth.
Hey Glen, i`m currently interested on the Blackstar Amped 3 Pedal Amp. For exactly the reasons you talk about the ToneX. I can take right in the Bag and take it everywhere. 1, 20, 100 Watts and also DI in the Mixer etc. I like this concept very much. Maybe you can do a review of this pedal?
Also for unterstanding: The ToneX Pedal need`s an Poweramp when i want to use ist with a Cab?
I've just got my ToneX and I LOVE it. Gonna be paired with a Line 6 HX Effects and a Poweramp (Just in case I have to go through a cab) and that'll be my new "ampless" gig rig. No more lugging around a 12 pedal pedalboard or heavy amp head and cab for me. I'm sure my back will thank me.
Re solid-state and speaker upgrades: My first amp was a little 10w JMF Spectra w/ 8” unbranded speaker. I never changed the speaker, but I did used to like running from the line-out Jack on the Spectra into the effect-loop input on bigger amps (Peavey tube amp in this case, w/ stock 12) and the improvement in hi-gain tones was HUGE. Not that stock Peavey Black Widows were the greatest speakers either, but I’m quite sure that was at least 50% responsible for the tonal improvement. (Also shows how easily impressed I was in the 80s.)😅
The ToneX is a brilliantly affordable more than ample to the task modeler. My buddy has a home studio set up with the Amplitube 5 modeling suite and I have to say it is very accurate and high quality. The fact that the ToneX comes with this suite included is amazing (I would opt to get the Joe Satriana add on). IK has really been shaking up the modeling scene for a while now and to offer a stompbox styled pedal that allows you to do very similar things as the Kemper and Quad Cortex at roughly 1/5th the price is outstanding.
The ToneX leaves a great deal of meat on the bone for other accessories like a Carvin Mach 100 pedalboard amp ($189), a TCE Prophet Delay ($49), you could go TCE for the analog chorus ($49), or go for a MXR M-134 Stereo Chorus ($189). No matter how you went you are still under 1K for an entirely new rig that fits in a gig bag. Sure it is a few more pieces of hardware but still is over 800 bucks cheaper and is equally as versatile. I just do not understand why people are so quick to equate a pricetag as discerning either inferior, or superior quality? Not everything of quality requires a boutique pricetag, and the ToneX pedal is one of those times that I feel we get to have our cake and eat it too in that you won't have to donate an organ to afford it and it doesn't suck!
Or you can just get an FM3 for 999$
Hi Glen, this is something I was thinking about. I believe you are right about the speaker is the main tone of a guitar sound. Another thing I was thinking about was tube amps. Most guitarists not all day a tube amp is the best sound, but most guitarists plug there tube amp into pedals. Most not all pedals are not tube pedals. So are they really hearing the tube amp sound or are they really hearing the non tube pedals. Hmmmmm. Maybe the tube amp sound they love are really not the amp at all just amplified pedals.
Hey Glen. One thing I’d like to point out regarding the quad Cortex vs Tone x. With the cortex you can run a whole band with one unit vs needing multiple tone x units to achieve the same thing but most people won’t use it this way anyways so tone x is probably worth it for most.
Do you have a Quad Cortex?
If yes could you do a video about the feature you're talking about?
@@kainagami just search "quad cortex multiple instruments"
I like the longer ones.....well they seam longer....keep up the awesome work!
Great video! I just got into effects about a year ago (I'm a classical violinist, but a metalhead at heart) . I wanted to ask you, what is the best speaker/amp you would recommend to use with a tonex? Also, since I know next to nothing about effects, any recommendations on how to get and/or connect some effects to the tonex ? Most electric violinists I've seen use Helix/Kemper/QC and those are essay out of my budget. Thanks again for the video!!
I must've missed the video, because all I saw was a very brief ad/intro to the Tonex, but nothing in-depth on how to actually capture your own rigs (beyond drag and drop of already available stuff) with said pedal or how it fares in a comparison against Kemper and QC.
The boss LS-2 Line Selector pedal might be able to give that pedal a FX loop. my suggestion. Found out from a video a bass player posted. Turns out not all of them are useless.
I would like you to do a comparison with the capture that you can do with the mooer app... you can load that capture on the new preamp model X, a 160€ pedal....
Also, have you consider using valve preamps, Í use a V4 Kraken with the mooer radar as a power amp section emulator and then on to a power amp pedal that drives the harley benton g212... for me it sounds incredible, and all of that for ahlf of the kemper ;)
I don't have a Kemper (yet), but it's still on my list because I need a device I can include in my existing 19" setup with In ear and wireless system which can be controlled by midi and has enough outputs for my needs.
I'd be open to other devices, but it just seems to be the best fit for my needs... 🤷♂🤔
I just ordered the ToneX Pedal. I have been waiting for this. Even better, I wanted to buy a gate and an interface anyway, and now I get a modeling amp almost for free with it.
I also ordered and am waiting 🤗
I just wanted to answer your question about "where the eff is that guy getting $400 for a delay or chorus pedal?!?!" I believe he's talking about the higher end stuff from companies like Strymon or Empress (and there's a lot more of course). As an example, the Strymon TimeLine is $450, and it's essentially the be-all-end-all of delays. Super high quality and it includes every kind of delay you would ever want (there's 12 delay types, plus preset saving, plus midi control, plus multiple footswitches for easy patch changing, etc...). It's essentially like the old school digital rack delays that would cost in the thousands back in the day but in pedal form, where it provides a boat-load of functionality. They also offer the same thing for both Reverb and Modulation (each are $450) and it's the same deal where they each include 12 different types and a boat-load of options.
Now of course, not everybody needs one of these and can get by with a much simpler delay / chorus pedal for much cheaper. In the metal world this is probably more true than not. But in the non-metal world, gigging guitarists tend to need these kinds of options as it's essentially helping them get more gigs due to their flexibility. Also they're fantastic in the studio if you want to experiment with soundscapes to record for various kinds of parts.
This might be an interesting video / series of videos for you to do? Comparing the high-end boutique pedals to the more affordable options in a metal context and see if they're worth the spend? Cheers!
I am not a Kemper user. I do keep up with most of the technology. Have you seen the info on the coming tonestack/gain upgrade for Kemper users? It looks promising as it is easy to choose the appropriate tonestack and gain model for many amp designs. This gets baked into profiles with the amp settings. This becomes a starting point for tweaking the profile. Very interesting and smart. It is also said that re-baking these settings into an old profile is easy if you know the original amp knob positions
I think the easiest solution is like an HX effects or similar multi-fx board that would go into this. Itd be $1050 in the end which isnt cheap but it still gets you the same functionality as a kemper or QC for less and its a complete package. Although for me personally id just spend a little more at that point and get the fractal fm3 personally bc i dont care about profiling as a feature but thats me personally. Id rather be able to have the insane amount of control over the signal chain offered by a fractal product in a single unit. Thats not for everyone tho but if you already are spending $1050 you may as well spend like $50-150 more and get one unit thats more way more comprehensive. Again, thats IF you dont need profiling. If you do need profiling, i dont need to tell yall that fractals arent for you.
Hey Glenn, I just picked up Extinction level event about a week ago. I do a lot of hip hop and rap instrumentals and this was a great way to not have my beats sound exactly like everything else I hear.
Absolutely killer plug in, would definitely recommend to the Rock, metal, and even hip hop crowd.
That crate was my first amp!!! I put a ts9 in front and it and it was incredible for hard rock! Really loved rail pickups. My dimebucker SANG and hotrails in a maiden style were great too. Can I have it ?😢 I paid $20 on the school bus in ‘99
11:20 Be careful, Glenn! You'll upset the apple cart with the Strymon Fanboys. 😂
Ron Nevison who produced “Out Of This World” with the band Europe tried out 20 different cabs for Kee Marcello’s guitar tone. He found 2 speakers he liked and mounted those in a 412. If anyone things speakers don’t matter….listen to the Superstitious solo. It’s a legendary tone.
Pretty amazing IK Multimedia is causing this tribal consternation with their $400 little box, competition is always a good thing! Maybe the other guys will also create a similar priced box rather than the super pricey models they have now. I really love the Neural DSP plugins, really enjoying them, and been a Amplitube owner for awhile and love its sound and variety, love the choices. I imagine IK will release at some point a Tone X with the inclusion of the X series Pedal effects, That would be a killer box.
Tone X is a different product when compared to lets say the Quad Cortex. QC is all in one whereas the Tone x is more a pedal platform.
I have a Kemper and just sold my QC due to reliability issues. I would absolutely switch to the ToneX pedal if IK made one with the other effects. For a live setup AND MY NEEDS the Kemper just checks all the boxes FOR ME (Power amp, all the effects, and so on) . BUT the cool thing now is I can leave my Kemper in the rehearsal studio and use the ToneX software for recording. Whenever IK comes out with a unit that has all of the other effects built in I will probably go for that one but for the time being I'm Gonna Keep on Kemper-ing lml
PS - I have a 4.5 minute video of a QC failing during Rebea's demo at NAMM if you want it. It was the nail in the coffin for me selling mine...
The amount of art not being made or ignored for the sake of perfection of the sound truly baffles me. To be clear, you have to achieve a level of sound quality for your song, but that can be achieved in reaper using the free plugins (having good EQ balance, stereo and low to no noise). With the know how, reaper and an sm57, you can write the next generation of greatest hits. Don't believe me? take a look at Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.
P.S. Talent makes for good music, not the mojo, the amp, guitar, microphones or preamps. BUDGET does not always equal beginner, if it works, then you can create.
Hey Glenn, I write you today with a problem I’ve been having, and I really trust your opinion.
I just upgraded my noname chinese 2x12 to basically a pair of Matamp 2x12s and the difference is kind of disappointing. My chinese cab sounds so clear and studio like, and the new ones with ''real'' speakers almost sound fake, like a small practice amp kind of tone, and also kind of distant. any ideas at all? the new cabs are also huge 2x12s with Celestion G12T100s and Eminence Tonkers, so maybe that has something to do with it? I had an Emperor 2x12 with V30s and same issue. Using an Orange CR120 so maybe thats it ? First time I’ll take the blame, same issue 3 times I’m not sure sure anymore
I just got into the digital stuff (left tube amps) over Christmas. Got a Kemper. Few weeks ago bought a HX stomp XL. Can you explain the whole Direct box saving your unit if FOH hits phantom power while plugged in to their board? Or whatever the situation is? I don’t understand this kind of thing and would love a beginner explanation and rarely hear it brought up other than briefly . Trying to avoid frying my hard earned gear. Do I need to get a direct box for both my units? Or am I not understanding this correctly?
Been watching(listening at work) for years and fuck you. Cheers from Akron Ohio.
I'm a Fractal user, and a real tube amp user, and if I replace my Fractal it'll be with a newer Fractal. An Axe-FX III whatever version, not an FM model. I literally have no reason NOT to buy another Fractal. I don't mind the cost...much. It's full featured, and allows me endless flexibility to play and craft some truly almighty (or really abysmal) tones, at my discretion. I'm not looking for or caring about "bargain" gear, never have, and never will. You like to find bargain and budget gear and present it to your viewers and that's great. You are doing a good service to many of your viewers. But don't YOU get butthurt if I choose the 3000 dollar modeller over the 600 dollar modeller, because that's my choice and my informed decision to make as a responsible consumer.
400$ for a chorus pedal ?! Gosh.
*Small clone has entered the chat*
Empress Effects has you covered for a $500 delay.
@@rainbowkrampus I own the empress delay youre an idiot if you dont htink its worth it. It also has 4 cab sims in it. jack a s s s s s ssss s sss
Ha in my country the minimum wage is $1300 and a new chorus cost like $500 bucks 😂
I started to get guitar pedals for my mic since I wanted something that wasn't all-in-one.
Donner/Caline/Azor pedals are $20-40 each. Cool. "That reverb pedal sounds awesome! ... uh... $179... never mind". So... yeah... maybe later get an all-in-one. Still, with the ToneX + that pedal, you'll still come out ahead
Echoflanger has entered the chat
I mostly run direct and, even with units that have built in effects, I never find them as good as the pedals I have. I also like the direct control I have with the pedals, not having to go menu diving to adjust them.
I wanted a qc for a while, and I still think it's a great unit, but 1800 with two kids in school (I'm in the US), couldn't swing it. ToneX comes out, sounds to my ears really, really good, I pulled the trigger. You are 100% correct, the tech improves, it gets cheaper, and I'm all for it, it's better for more people.
FM3 is 999$
@@colelewis9940 Granted I'm only going by demos for all of these, but I like it less than the tonex or qc.
In regards to phantom power frying gear, as a live sound engineer, I've been well aware of this for quite some time, having to deal with other people who have various bits of gear fried by this. What I did for my company was invest in a handful of phantom power blockers. That and direct boxes will certainly do the trick. Some desks have phantom power either "all on/of", others are on/off in banks. Once I was able to move up to better consoles, with phantom power being switchable per channel, I didn't really need the phantom power blockers anymore but I really did benefit from the direct box purchases! I also built phantom power testers that I gave to all my crew and we would test any ends before plugging into gear with XLR or balanced TRS outputs just as a good operating practice just in case someone didn't properly zero the console/channel prior to setting up. The responsibility kinda goes both ways, the musician should take measures to protect themselves, and the sound company should take measures and engage in practices to "do no harm" to equipment of others. For musicians, take a moment to express concern. For sound companies, take that same moment to listen and then check and if necessary, take action to avoid the problem.
I’ve had a Kemper for quite a few years, it’s the 600 watt solid state version. Wow it’s a great piece of equipment. If I was going to get a new rig today, I’d probably try the new $400 gadget.
That's some drummer maths on the price of the pedals.
I use a bass butler (bass amp modelling pedal/DI), fuzz, overdrive, bassballs, compressor and a wireless kit. Total price £600 including all cables and the case.
Also, I personally prefer to have separate pedals for effects. If anything dies, I don't need to replace the full rig.
The next big technological improvement I'm hoping for is lower latency on general-purpose audio interfaces. The digital pedals (everything from simple digital effects all the way up to axe-fx) have really great round-trip latency thanks to tons of little things like the ADC being integrated, not having the overhead of an operating system, you name it. Meanwhile the absolute best you can buy for a PC or Mac will only get you to the average or lower of the dedicated pedals or units. How great would being able to reasonably run Reaper-in-a-box be, instead of individual proprietary pedals?
I have the ToneX software, an Axe FX2 and a Blackstar tube amp. My personal thoughts are that the tube amp is the most satisying to play with, the Axe FX is the most fun and ToneX is the most practical
Upgrading the speak in an amp will fix a ton of problems, even if the amp sucks. I put an aftermarket car speaker in a busted practice amp some years back. Transformed it completely.
Hey Glenn, speaking of tone and pickups, are you still planning on matching up the Keith Merrow Duncan video's?
I have an axe fx but I love the tonex too, it's a damn good value for what it does...I consider it a 3 channel amp..and all I have ever used is chorus and delay so all the effects in the flagship units like my axe fx never get used.. I like everything lol
ROCK ON GLENN \m/ From the motherland. Now you should put together a list of effects to go with the TONEX. How much can you spend and get great FX for little money. The jury is out.
First you recommended the podgo... I jumped on it... now the mooer... got the pe100 desktop toy... things get better, and , smaller... so amazed at the technology nowadays.
This. Exactly.
Great segment as always, Glenn. I really enjoy hearing you put those Kemper Klones in their place 🤘🏼
Kemper Klowns
Hi Glen ,great vid i laughed out loud on many parts !
like everyone ive been down the pick up rabbit hole, minimal differences to me, been down the pre amp/power amp tube route, again minimal if nothing. its just a feel thing i guess. in a band mix you couldnt tell shit .
speakers? now thats where its at !! x pattern my os mesa cab 65s, 75,s, creambacks, 100s , the difference is insane.
But i guess buying speakers isnt as cool as buying a shit load of pedals and other crap.
ive just picked up a used cortex . personally i find it amazing, tho it is my first venture into the digital world.
will work for me best live i feel, just the ease of use.
i havnt heard the tone x but i am going this weekend to my mates studio to try his as he raves about it .
nothing like a day of amp cloning and comparing. we live in amazing times in regards to tech.
i have all my amps, rev f mesa, bogners archon, shiva, and i love them all, but gotta say im blown away by the cortex !
keep er lit from me in northern ireland !!!
Glen. And everyone else.
After hearing the comment about you starting a second channel it brought back to mind an old idea I had.
I've worked in film since I was 16 so I learned most things from trial and error. Now I'm finishing my degree and I'm flabbergasted by the stupidity of some people. Seriously I've had people surprised that I was cleaning my lenses.
Seriously, full grown adults on the last year of college didn't know you had to clean the lenses.
So I thought for a long time about creating a UA-cam channel to teach this stuff that should be obvious.
Do you guys think it's a good idea?
I have been telling people in my studio for years that the speaker is vastly more important than most people realize. When I purchased my 5150 head I tested it with several cabs and chose a Randall cab over the traditional Peavey cab they match them with. Don't get me wrong I love a lot of Peavey gear but that cab was not the right one for that amp.
On another note the TONEX has been a blessing for my studio!
The fact you name dropped night Chicago died. What a niche song but one I love!
I had a Donner chorus I got for $30 and it sounded absolutely great. Not only that, but I've used amps with built-in chorus that was fantastic. I borrowed a Rivera around '88 that had a wonderful built-in chorus. I also used a Gallien-Krueger with a wonderful built-in chorus. It was like an amp with a built in Rockman and it was amazing. I had that Maiden Somewhere in Time/Seventh Son tone and it worked. I remember playing a Roland JC and that built-in chorus is one of the best ever. In fact, the JC was the first amp with built-in chorus. After all, JC stands for Jazz Chorus. The thing is chorus is not a rare thing. There's no reason to pay a fortune for something so simple as a chorus. It's a ubiquitous thing.
The Boss CE-1 sell for a bazillion dollars so you are sort of contradicting yourself super massive big time by talking about the Roland Jazz chorus (what the ce-1 is made to replicate) and trying to go for this whole.. cheap gear is good thing. No reason to pay a million dollars, except for roland then you can pay a million dollars? Then it's okay.
The FM3 is 999$ (less money than a roland jazz chorus) and comes with over 20 different types of chorus. Tri chorus. Quad chorus. Delays can all be turned into personal chorus because the FM3 unlike pedals give you actual control over effects and not one control like "rate".
Please do not let this loud obnoxious man guide you in your buying gear.
Well if you buy all strymoan pedals and mogami daimond encrusted 24k gold cables, you could easily get up to $1000 extra
Hey Glenn, are you going to profile all of your tube amps in the tone X?
Would be nice to see that library of amps you have available. That Revv, Driftwood and ENGL amps you have are sooo nice.
The mental case at 11:00 probably googled the most expensive gear for this example, because the most expensive products are the only ones worth buying. Apparently.
Ps.
I looked up pedal prices on the top end out of morbid curiosity.
Oh. My. Days.
Nearly £2000 for a boutique delay pedal!? I'm surprised that Sir Spendsallot didn't quote these kinda of pedals when saying what the final price of the ToneX would be.
GLEEeeEEeeN! (Am I doing that right?)
I've been really interested in the guitar reviews and experiments you've been putting out recently showing what sort of quality bang for your buck alternatives are out there, and what makes a big difference and what doesnt. (I heard a rumour that speakers aprantly have something to do with it? I dont know, seems a little far fetched to me...)
Would love it if there was maybe something similar for bass guitars.
But yeah, how is neck through compared to bolt on ACTUALLY? how do pickups effect a bass' sound when its NOT so distorted? (does it at all?) Do inreally need to drop 2k on a dingwall?
Cheers! And have a spiffing time!
That board thing with 100w (actually 200w) and a bazillion pre-sets is called Black Spirit 200 Floor and it's by Hughes and Kettner
Ahh that Crate GT! I'll never forget that amp. It was the house amplifier of my High school Jazz improv class. We used to love to hit the "overdrive" switch and play Metallica songs in between the jazz numbers and drive the teacher crazy. It sounded cool when I was 15.