bnt

Maybe the ToneX Pedal version, then - the One is the little brother of that. Both handle the same presets, software etc., and it's a matter of form factor.. The single footswitch limits us to those two modes.

You can switch between Dual and Stomp modes on the pedal, to access the 3rd preset, but it's a bit of a faff: hold down ALT for 8 seconds, then turn the first knob. Not something I fancy doing between songs on a dark stage. However, on my pedalboard I can add a bit of crunch with another pedal e.g. my Mosky Silver Horse "Klone". PS I should mention that the pedal also has a tuner that uses the LEDs on the knobs. Very basic, but handy.

And here's a screenshot of the Home page where you edit Presets. In this example, Modulation is active while Delay and Reverb are off. If you click on Modulation you can set that up e.g. I'm using the Rotary effect on this preset. So the workflow is basically to create and edit presets in the app, then add them to the pedal. The app and pedal are supposed to sound identical, as long as you watch out for what I mentioned above: you can have your sound being processed by the pedal and the app at the same time, which doesn't sound right. You want either/or, not both.

A preset can contain as much or as little as you want: any combination of an amp, cab, modulation, delay etc. These are blocks that you can turn on or off, any combination works. An amp model can be anything amp-like e.g. it can be a full amp or a SansAmp, a fuzz pedal, whatever you have a model for or can capture. Then once a preset is saved, you drag it to one of three slots on the pedal: two for Dual (A/B) mode, the third for Stomp (on/off) mode. Here's a screenshot I just took: in A and B I have The Fridge with and without a Phaser. I put a B15 Rotary preset in the Stomp slot. All slots take full presets. There are loads of modelled devices from other users free on ToneNet in the amp. That's where I got the Ampeg B15 model, while The Fridge is a factory model.

It's the latter - bypassed, no amp model. If you want to switch between Amp and Amp+FX, you use Dual mode.

I’ve mostly switched to plectrum playing now and have settled on light plectrums after hearing Nolly Getgood talking about how they help him get a more even sound. If you pick too hard, he says, the plectrum bends accordingly and you avoid peaks. The 0.58mm ones from Harley Benton (Thomann) are working for me. They have a parchment-like finish for a bit of grip.

I wish at least that they could make the ToneX CS app and a pedal work better together. It is both a preset tone editor and a librarian, and those two functions require different setups when I use the ToneX as the audio interface too: When working on presets in the Home page, I want to hear the preset in the app only, so I have to disable direct monitoring on the pedal and enable the app audio I/O settings. When loading and checking presets in the Librarian page, I want to hear the preset on the pedal, so I have to reverse the above changes manually. if I don’t, I both the pedal and the app process the audio I hear at the same time. Once I got my head round that, and got the pedal registered again, the software … OK. Despite that, I will say that the ToneX One has been well worth what I paid for it, for The Fridge (SVT) amp & cab models alone, before any of the other bells and whistles. The tone is seriously flattering to my playing, and I’ll probably end up using two variations on that as the presets on the switch. I kind-of wish I had gotten the larger Pedal model - something I haven’t ruled out, since you can use the One as a on/off pedal in Stomp mode too. £118 is a bargain, add a couple of cables or string sets etc. to get free shipping if over £149.

Thomann currently has the One on sale for £119 or €139.

After a little back and forth, they sent me a new serial number for the registration, and we're back in business. The Modulation effects work as I expected: you add them to a Preset, save it (use a new name if you're modding a factory preset), and transfer to the pedal in the Librarian section. The lack of Modulation effects was an odd omission before; they're pretty standard but are nice to have.

On a Mac you can also get Apple’s own MainStage for about £30, which is basically made for live use. It’s pretty powerful, maybe even too powerful with some complex MIDI control options that operate at different levels.

Well, I’ve gone and done something that might be bloody stupid or turn out positive: signed up to get a Chase Bliss Mystery Box: They’re promising that for €299 I’ll receive one or more pedals & goodies with a value of €399 or higher, but I won’t know just what in advance. Chase Bliss pedals tend to be weird things that you don’t really need as such, and the prices have put me off a bit, but this might be worth a punt. They do hold value on the market too.

Suffer In Truth - Meshuggah

After a bit more time with this pedal, I'm liking it more. The description on their website doesn't mention bass and undersells the pedal a bit. Clip Mode is a misnomer: it's more of a higher compression mode which makes clipping a possibility. I had Level set quite low to match the bypassed level, and with Blend and Sustain on full, I get just a little clipping - just a slight change in tone. To get more clipping I had to crank up the output level, which is not what I want. I don't need Sustain on full anyway. The outcome of all this is that the controls offer enough scope to set up two usable tones: one clean with moderate compression, one a bit less clean with a bit more compression. I saw one review on Reddit where the guy complained about some loss of bottom end with a Telecaster. On bass I'm not getting anything like that. I don't hear it adding noise either, though it will compress any noise coming in, of course. At the low price I think it's a great little musical compressor.

IK Multimedia have just added Modulation and Delay effects to ToneX presets. You can add them to Presets in the ToneX CS software then transfer the Presets to your firmware-updated ToneX devices. With the ToneX One, so far, it looks like you’ll have no control over them on the pedal itself, and all you can do is select between Presets that have the effects or not. It’s still a nice update, though, and can really turn ToneX models in to a one pedal solution. I’m not able to test this at the moment, since the IK software has “lost” my ToneX One hardware registration, and so I can’t use the Librarian side of the software. If I try to re-register the serial number, it tells me the pedal is already registered to another account. I’ve logged this with the IK Support people, last weekend, and heard nothing back yet.

I thought I was building a mini board for mainly Bass VI, but I can fit on more mini pedals than I thought I could. On the way, it's turned in to an "affordaboard" where I'm trying out cheap mini pedals: Changes since the previous iteration: Boss MD-200 replaced by my Lekato Loop Auto and a new Donner Mod Square II. Not the greatest modulation effects but I'm not a heavy modulation user. I've never had a Flanger before, and am trying that at the moment: Flanger I is milder than Flanger II etc. The legends don't align with the knob and it's more "set & forget" for a bit of flavour. I did a NBD post about the NUX Sculpture, which I quite like so far. Very clean in Normal Mode, definitely provides smooth sustain. I haven't felt the need to dial back the Blend, on full it's not taking anything away. The Clip mode is mild and wouldn't even be called "overdrive": it colours the sound slightly, at least the way I have it all set. Could be handy in combination with the Mosky Silver Horse also doing a mild overdrive. The ToneX One pedal is still great, I currently have The Fridge (Ampeg SVT) and a Fender Bassman into 1x15" as the two switchable preset models. I won't use this if hook the board to an amp. I'm having problems with my IK Product Manager account, though: it's lost the pedal registration and so won't let me use the Librarian any more to load the pedal. I'm on to support, will see what they say. What next? I might put the Mooer Soul Shiver back on as a second modulation stage. Or I might look for a mini octaver for the space up front, though I don't think octave works as well on Bass VI. I might put the larger T-Rex Diva Drive on this board in place of the Fuzz. The Marks & Spencer Curiously Strong Mints tin for plectrums doesn't really fit. How am I supposed to show off my middle class credentials if I can't have that?

I actually have a SpectraComp, kind-of: it’s half of my SpectraDrive, which is OK. I’m putting together a small “affordaboard”, though, so after thinking a bit more I ordered the Sculpture and it arrived today. First impressions are that it’s a very clean “sustainer” type compression, it reminded me of a Boss CS-3. That’s in normal mode, while the clip mode adds a tiny amount of hair, becoming more noticeable if you engage more gain after it. A little grit on the attack. Not a huge difference but another flavor that I can see myself using. Very good for the price, nice and quiet.

The Race - Yello

I spent some time yesterday trying out the ToneX One as purely an audio interface to other things, and it performed very well. To do this you have to switch Direct Monitoring off (in Librarian settings) and have it bypassed in Stomp mode. Connecting it direct to a new iPad Air was good, no problem getting power over USB-C. There's something about the sample rate that affects its compatibility with some iPad apps, which I've seen a few complaints about - I think it's because it's 44.1 kHz rather than 48 kHz, or something. I couldn't get it to work with Korg Gadget 3 or the Aurora Mammoth standalone app, but Mammoth and others worked fine as plug-ins hosted by AUM. Logic Pro was great too, as was IK's ToneX app that uses the same models. I also tried it connected directly to my Mac Mini, also over USB-C, using ToneX (of course), Apple MainStage and Logic Pro, and even Neural Amp Modeler - no issues there. There's no problem using the pedal's own processing when recording to DAW, but you don't need to when you have ToneX as a plugin in the DAW.

Street Spirit (Fade Out) - Radiohead

I'm in the market for a small compressor, and I know there are good options out there such as the Keeley Bassist, but I wonder whether anyone has any experience with this pedal on bass? It's about £35, and has a blend control, an unusual feature at this price point. It also has two operating modes: Clean and Clip, where the latter reduces the headroom and allows the signal to clip, turning it in to a gain stage you could blend in. There are only a few YT videos of this pedal in action, and none of those appear to use bass at all. At that price, I might just take a punt and report back.

Secret - OMD

These Dreams - Heart

I don't know the Tone Hammer range, but I presume you meant the pedal preamp? I imagine it sounds different dependng on whether you go direct to PA from it or through and amp & cab, since it doesn't have amp or cab sims, and the same would be true of the model i.e. I should try it in the ToneX with and without amp & cab sims. So far I've only really used the ToneX in Dual mode (amp & cab sims), not Stomp mode, since I don't have an amp.

I put together a small board to be more portable and suit the Squier CV Bass VI, with a Harley Benton combo PSU and Tuner to start. It's not the neatest with those power cables sprouting out the back, but it otherwise works great. MXR Bass Octave Deluxe - don't know if I really need it on this board, considering getting a small compressor for this space. My Orange Kongpressor is twice the size. Mosky Silver Horse "Klon": I might get a Golden Horse to replace it on this board, since I don't need both modes and it's not a lot of money. Nice for just a bit of dirt / mid boost. Tone City Matcha Cream, green Russian Big Muff clone. Brings the dirt. The Boss MD-200 is back for now since my JHS 3 Series Phaser has apparently died on me. It's a bit overkill and I could fit two pedals in that space. I have a mini size chorus/tremolo (Mooer Soul Shiver), the space could fit that and another mini phaser. Sonicake Sonic Ambience: delay/reverb, pretty good if a bit fiddly. IK Multimedia ToneX One: I have it on this board as an amp/cab sim with headphone and USB interfaces at home. Won't be needed if playing through an amp, but could be useful in a direct to PA situation. "The Fridge" preset gets used the most but I also have a cleaner Trace Elliot model on there.

Sunset Grill - Don Henley