EVH vs captures (Tonex, QC, Headrush)

[GuitarJon]

I am still a little bit in an "EVH mood" after my recent comparison so I figured I'd do another one. This time I'm comparing my EVH 5150 III 50W EL34 to three capture platforms. So it's the red channel with a high-gain tone against a Tonex tone model, a Quad Cortex capture and a Headrush clone. Let's see which one sounds the closest!

One thing that I wanted to do this time around was let the platforms do their thing and not tweak the capture or clone in order for it to sound closer. So these are the pure captures without human interference. With the previous comparisons I think I did tweak the captures here and there but now I didn't. So you'll get to simply hear how accurately these platform capture my amp... once again the results are interesting!

I've uploaded all the captures for free to their clouds and stuff, so you can try it out for yourself. Of course it's a direct capture so you will need to add a cab or IR. Check it out and let me know your thoughts:

 

[DrewJD82]

Let the games begin!

 

[JiveTurkey]

 

[GuitarJon]

Maybe I should have made this a blind test? Oh well, maybe next time

 

[SeeD]

Sounds good, buuut, again there is someting missing in the ( presence) hi-treble in both the ToneX and the Quad Cortex, but my guess is we can add that back in after, by tweaking the capture.
The ToneX lets you match the gain before the capture is done..done. I wish the QC would let us do that ( and bake that into the capture )
But all in all, these two sounds `like the amp` and that is a good thing

But the HeadTurd, that guy needs to start using modern things and not old tech

The future looks bright!

 

[OrganicZed]

I suspect that this won't cause as much buzz as the last video did. Headrush doesn't seem to have the same army of zealous acolytes as some of the other platforms.

 

[laxu]

Like I did with your last video, I closed my eyes and listened to the isolated parts and this time the Headrush was the one that sticks out. It's not bad by any means, but it's different whereas I had a hard time telling where the real amp stops and Tonex or QC begin.

All of those in isolation would be something I'd happily use so I don't hear a big problem here. Plus the Headrush Prime is a cheaper multifx device so I'm willing to give it some price vs performance leeway compared to the expensive Tone Master Pro.

 

[GuitarJon]

Like I did with your last video, I closed my eyes and listened to the isolated parts and this time the Headrush was the one that sticks out. It's not bad by any means, but it's different whereas I had a hard time telling where the real amp stops and Tonex or QC begin.

All of those in isolation would be something I'd happily use so I don't hear a big problem here. Plus the Headrush Prime is a cheaper multifx device so I'm willing to give it some price vs performance leeway compared to the expensive Tone Master Pro.

The problem with the Prime here is that it doesn't capture the essence of the amp. The Red channel is quite saturated and even though it's tight, the low-end response is still organic and has some "give". It sounds like a completely different amp, or an approximation of an amp anyway.

 

[mikah912]

Gotta pile on. Headrush isn't miles and miles away, but it does sound undergained and with less presence or high end harmonic content. The others are pretty much indistinguishable.

 

[Lysander]

Agreed with the rest - the only one sticking out as clearly different is the Headrush. Not bad sounding, but not 5150 III either.

ToneX sounds basically identical IMHO.

 

[metropolis_4]

 

[GuitarJon]

The free Quad Cortex Capture: cloud.neuraldsp.com/cloud/p/5b545b6b-c491-493b-a26e-d4a6bc08d6c6

The free Tonex capture: https://www.tone.net/tonex/tonemodels/41330

In case you want to try the captures for yourself! Headrush clone is also in the cloud

 

[Whizzinby]

If you’re using a device at the top of the food chain for captures, in a mix, they all kickass. It’s virtually indistinguishable in any meaningful sense.

In isolation I thought the ToneX sounded a little fuller in the low end than the QC (much to Dave’s disappointment) but I think both were really good. Unsurprising imo.

 

[Los-D]

I think they all sound pretty dang decent actually. Surprised by the Headrush tbh, though I preferred the other two, although all were pretty honky.

None went “Chug, chug, yowwwwwTM” though for me.

(Great playing as always!)

 

[norminal]

All of them are close enough IMO.

Profiling, capturing, etc. has gotten so good that it basically boils down to what platform works best for your workflow.

 

[timbuck3]

I am still a little bit in an "EVH mood" after my recent comparison so I figured I'd do another one. This time I'm comparing my EVH 5150 III 50W EL34 to three capture platforms. So it's the red channel with a high-gain tone against a Tonex tone model, a Quad Cortex capture and a Headrush clone. Let's see which one sounds the closest!

One thing that I wanted to do this time around was let the platforms do their thing and not tweak the capture or clone in order for it to sound closer. So these are the pure captures without human interference. With the previous comparisons I think I did tweak the captures here and there but now I didn't. So you'll get to simply hear how accurately these platform capture my amp... once again the results are interesting!

I've uploaded all the captures for free to their clouds and stuff, so you can try it out for yourself. Of course it's a direct capture so you will need to add a cab or IR. Check it out and let me know your thoughts:

I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR al these captures compared to the fractal model.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

1st: Tonex
Close 2nd: Quad Cortex
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.
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.
.
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Participation: HeadRush

 

[norminal]

I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR al these captures compared to the fractal model.

Jon would have to capture the exact amp that Fractal Audio used to create their model in order for the comparison to be accurate.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR al these captures compared to the fractal model.

It would be interesting to hear, but I’d also expect the Fractal to be more different than the QC or Tonex simply because those have the advantage of cloning the exact same amp being compared.

It might still beat the HeadRush though because the dynamics of the HeadRush are even more off than the tone.

 

[GuitarJon]

If I put some effort into it I'm sure I would be able to make the Fractal sound really close. Not 100% but closer than the Headrush.