tone
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@howard do the ToneX folks have a pedal for loading the amp and cab sims? Something like a Strymon Iridium?
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That’s exactly what the ToneX is. It can profile your own, or load amp and cab sims made by others, including IK’s own models. Of which there are many - hundreds or more. Over 1000 models from IK, counting effects.
Dead serious, this thing probably obsoletes all other preamps for people considering a new purchase, and in some ways surpasses the Quad Cortex (though the QC does a lot more, incl multichannel, and has a way better UI).
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Quad Cortex (over)promised that you could load your purchased NeuralDSP plugins in the device. It’s still not available and people are starting to complain on the lack of updates.
Kemper is 18 year old…
Think both companies need to step up their game. Pretty sure we will see much more affordable products in the future. Would love to see a modern pedal unit from Kemper.
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I kept finding the ToneX capture box but didn’t see this and I couldn’t figure out what you were talking about. Thanks for the link.
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The pedal does both, capturing, profiling, creating and also hosting and downloading models and sims. It works alongside the ToneX software and Amplitube. It’s also an audio interface.
I would never use the capture functionality and it’s still the only preamp I would even consider at this point.
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As far as I understand it, you need extra hardware (a re-amp box) to actually capture amps/cabs (this is because you need to send signals to the amp, not just capture signals from the amp). However, you can use the ToneX software, your computer (and that re-amp box) to make captures. So, at least software-wise, you are all set for capturing if you get the ToneX pedal/ToneX software.
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Plus, of course, you also need an amp you want to capture 
That’s not at all where the real value of the ToneX pedal lies for me. It’s the fact that you can download both the IK models (1000-1100 of them), plus models and captures made by other people and shared on ToneNET. Most interesting preamps can sound like one or a few amps. Multieffectors usually provide a larger set of amps and cabs of varying qualities. But this thing has the potential to sound like any amp you want, and realistically it will, because even if IK hasn’t captured/modeled it and bundled it with the software, it’s likely someone else will.
I feel bad for other new preamps coming out now in the same or similar price ranges, like the SGT-DI that this thread was started for. They may be great (like the SGT-DI), but it’s going to be really hard to compete with the ToneX once people realize its potential.
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Oh, yes, I totally agree with you. I just wanted to add some detail regarding what you had written in your reply to Eric about capturing.
And, yes, tiny detail there 
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Yes, as I understand it for capturing, you need this thing:
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Yep, or any other re-amp box really:
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I dunno. Not every musician is into all the tech and programming etc. Maybe in the distant future as musicians come up differently but complexity does not often yield simplicity and reliability.
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It is the same deal with single pedals and multi fx units
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As much as I enjoy my HX Stomp I can see the appeal of having a preamp with all the controls I need in front of me with no menu diving.
I mean I don’t ‘need’ it but it’s the most tempted I’ve been in a while.
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Yeah. There’s always going to be a place for just brain dead drop-in tone.
That said, once you transfer the model you want to the pedal, the knobs on the ToneX are pretty similar to any other preamp for the basics.
I have mixed feelings about it; on one hand, it’s exactly everything I would want in a pedal; on the other, one of the few places I went gear geek was with collecting and going through different preamps.
That said, for me, it’s obviated all other choices; were I to buy a pedal today, that one would be it, no question.
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Yes but … the profiles are “recorded” with the knobs of the amp in a particular position, and the tone controls of the ToneX do not reproduce how the EQ (and other knobs) of the amp behave. That’s the big difference between profiling and more tradition modeling like what Line6 does, where the pots really reproduce how the real amp behaves. (at least that’s what they try to do)
With a profiling preamp, you play with the amp that has been profiled with one particular setup, and the EQ of the ToneX is more like a recording console or a post-production EQ, that applies to the global tone and not only in the preamp.
Also some amps have really interactive knobs (Vox and all derivatives) and the ToneX can’t reproduce that, so you better choose a profile with a good amp setup. That said, it’s probably less an issue with most bass amps.
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I think this is an important point and very well argued for, @terb. This is potentially even worse for people profiling effect pedals…
But, I am not sure that all the amp models you can get on ToneX are profiled. I would think that a lot of them are modeled foremost, and that you also can get profiles uploaded by users, but I certainly don’t know for sure.
I think the IK guys have a lot of experience with modeling (isn’t that what Amplitube does?) and in the ToneX pedal you can combine modeled and profiled versions!?
I briefly looked at their software drumming solutions, and they don’t use samples (like most of the competitors), but modeling, which apparently lets them more easily change such more exotic settings as whether you want the drum hit with the normal tip or the round (opposite) end of the stick etc.
Anyway, I think it is a very good point to remember that some of what you can get are “snapshots” of an amp or amp/cab with very specific settings.
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Yeah. This is something I am actually not sure about. If it is running models as well as just captures then there’s no problem. Otherwise, yeah, agree with @terb.
Taking a look at it, what they are calling models sound more like captures. I’m curious. Either is workable but I would much prefer software models over captures for the amps. Speakers I don’t care, those can use the trick of a bunch of different IR files for different mic positions.
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You can always put an EQ and gain pedal in front if you don’t want to tweak the amp.
You got indeed models and captures. The models can easily be tweaked. Still have to deep dive into all the possibilities, but I am already satisfied with just using 3 models lol
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