Tonex Pedal....It's REAL

[norminal]

TGF 2023 Clunk Trophy Recipient

It’s almost like they rushed it to market to capitalize on the recent boom in other profilers (NAM), and chose to fix its quirks and inadequacies later on, i.e., let the early adopters beta test the software fir them.

 

[JiveTurkey]

It’s almost like they rushed it to market to capitalize on the recent boom in other profilers (NAM), and chose to fix its quirks and inadequacies later on, i.e., let the early adopters beta test the software fir them.

TBF; other products doing the same Bae thing are still waiting for fixes. So I'll give credit where credit is due.

 

[norminal]

TBF; other products doing the same Bae thing are still waiting for fixes. So I'll give credit where credit is due.

Hence, my thread:

https://thegearforum.com/threads/software-vendors-we-are-not-your-beta-testers.1728/

 

[deepskyone]

After having to load third-party IR’s in, one at a time, that was the final nail in the coffin for me.

The original sin of IR loading. How you can get this wrong in 2023 is beyond me...

 

[JiveTurkey]

The original sin of IR loading. How you can get this wrong in 2023 is beyond me...

laughs in Boss

 

[deepskyone]

laughs in Boss

 

[Elric]

It’s almost like they rushed it to market to capitalize on the recent boom in other profilers (NAM), and chose to fix its quirks and inadequacies later on, i.e., let the early adopters beta test the software fir them.

This would be believable; if their other products were not also a mess in terms of UI even with the benefit of decades of development and feedback. Amplitube, Custom Shop, T-Racks, et al, are all still only passable at their best in terms of interface. IMHO

There are a bunch of products like this in plugin land, it is not just IK. TH-U has been around for decades... Sounds: phenomonal; UI: borderline unusable.

You'd think with the freedom of the computer's UI and the amount of time this has been developed and devs would have converged on some standards and elegant interfaces; but the plugin market is niche compared to others that compete for talent in this area and developers with limited resources/attention can only do so much. Some people are certainly wearing many hats in those teams, some of the teams may only be a couple of people.

But, yeah, all that said, the ToneX data management problem is so bad it has kept me from investing that ecosystem at all beyond the initial buy-in. This is partially because I have another platform I've dumped time into that is also half baked, lowering my personal incentive, but I really think that until this data management and content curation thing is sorted, there will be significant money on the table for some profiling product to really show how its done.

I think the garbage to gold ratio is pretty particularly poor for ToneX, too. I feel like there are tons of people just profiling presets from KPAs, Axes, Neural Plugins, etc.

To date, I think the real value for profiling products is capturing your own stuff and repackaging it into a portable digital solution rather than as a permanent cure for Amp GAS.

 

[signalpath]

A few weeks ago the TONEX pedal arrived and sat there unopened for a few days - did I really want to go through the whole rigamarole of going down the rabbit hole of figuring out how to make it work for me. And no. So I took it back and got a refund which I used towards getting a Victoria 5112 - one knob, volume. Here’s the pedalboard. Sometimes with lack of options comes complete freedom

 

[BenIfin]

This would be believable; if their other products were not also a mess in terms of UI even with the benefit of decades of development and feedback. Amplitube, Custom Shop, T-Racks, et al, are all still only passable at their best in terms of interface. IMHO

There are a bunch of products like this in plugin land, it is not just IK. TH-U has been around for decades... Sounds: phenomonal; UI: borderline unusable.

You'd think with the freedom of the computer's UI and the amount of time this has been developed and devs would have converged on some standards and elegant interfaces; but the plugin market is niche compared to others that compete for talent in this area and developers with limited resources/attention can only do so much. Some people are certainly wearing many hats in those teams, some of the teams may only be a couple of people.

But, yeah, all that said, the ToneX data management problem is so bad it has kept me from investing that ecosystem at all beyond the initial buy-in. This is partially because I have another platform I've dumped time into that is also half baked, lowering my personal incentive, but I really think that until this data management and content curation thing is sorted, there will be significant money on the table for some profiling product to really show how its done.

I think the garbage to gold ratio is pretty particularly poor for ToneX, too. I feel like there are tons of people just profiling presets from KPAs, Axes, Neural Plugins, etc.

To date, I think the real value for profiling products is capturing your own stuff and repackaging it into a portable digital solution rather than as a permanent cure for Amp GAS.

Maybe its just me :) ... and yes, I absolute love the sound / tone / feel of Tonex ... I will just add:-

=> yep, the software is a bit of a dog and totally un-intuitive to use <- it needs to get better !
=> having said that, after 10-15mins using it, it is now second nature and very easy to navigate and use
=> not being able to edit Librarian Presets on the Pedal via the Software is a big "miss" that should have been there from Day 1
=> my 4 Base tones - which are the foundation of my 12 sounds - were all found on ToneNET - just searched with "Amp" only and auditioned for no more than 45 - 60 minutes with my locked VIR-Cab of choice
=> I'm done, and playing and enjoying
=> still go back from time to time to see what's "new"
=> just waiting on Amalgamaudio to release their Carr, AC30 and Hiwatt DI packs in May and will grab those and if they scrub up well, I'll use some / all of them

Like I said - it really hasn't been anywhere near as bad as was being reported before I got my Pedal - and as "clunky" as the software-hardware integration is - and it is ordinary / clunky - for me, its a very small price to pay for giving me, what I hear as the best Amp tones I've ever used an any unit I've had.

Just my 2c for what its worth.

Ben

 

[norminal]

having said that, after 10-15mins using it, it is now second nature and very easy to navigate and use

But when you see the same questions and frustrations about the same quirks, over and over on the forums, it’s a problem.

 

[Foxmeister]

But when you see the same questions and frustrations about the same quirks, over and over on the forums, it’s a problem.

To be fair, much of this is likely down to laziness on the part of the people asking the questions - it's just become so much easier to ask first than it is to work something out for yourself.

I don't think anyone is saying that the software wouldn't benefit from a significant overhaul in the usability department, but it is far from "unusable" in its current state.

 

[mbenigni]

I really hope IK are working on a revamped editor with better management of content and better editing with the pedal connected.

Me, too - and as I've said before, I think there are a few simple s/w updates that can be made in order to make this pedal much more viable. (Specifically, you've got to be able to edit presets from the PC/Mac/iOS software. And that software has got to be bullet-proof.)

The problem is that the pedal has sold so well as is, at such a low price, IK has very little incentive to circle back and dot the i's, etc. Easier to keep sales volumes up based on price and easily quantified "strengths", e.g. A Bzillion Models on ToneNet!™* *Nobody says they're all good. Some owner's have already gotten what they came for - great-sounding captures in a cheap, pedalboard-friendly format - and that's great. But I'm not one of them; I could never, ever find the patience for it.

 

[mbenigni]

I don't think anyone is saying that the software wouldn't benefit from a significant overhaul in the usability department, but it is far from "unusable" in its current state.

I'd beg to differ. I mean, it's easy to deliver a s/w package that only does half of what it ought to do, and then say that that half is usable. The ToneX apps really should have offered Preset editing in addition to capturing/ model librarian functionality, in light of the super-clunky h/w UI. Moreover, the iOS app was pretty terrible even at what little it aimed to do - frequently crashing and/or reporting errors with non-descript messages.

 

[Foxmeister]

I'd beg to differ.

Is is *unusable*?

If the answer to that question is no, I don't know what point you beg to differ on?

What it "ought" to do is entirely subjective - in my opinion the Headrush modellers ought to have a desktop editor, but they don't so the point is moot.

I genuinely don't have an issue with not being able to edit a preset in the librarian, but I completely appreciate that your mileage may vary!

 

[MirrorProfiles]

I think the fact that you can only import presets via ToneNet is kind of holding you hostage to sharing your captures and boosting their library.

(Not specifically this, but) so much of the ToneX user experience could have been better with more thought and care. I'm not saying its easy to get right, but there was glaring mistakes and omissions from ToneX that any competent beta testing should have iron out without issues.

 

[mbenigni]

Is is *unusable*?

If the answer to that question is no, I don't know what point you beg to differ on?

What it "ought" to do is entirely subjective - in my opinion the Headrush modellers ought to have a desktop editor, but they don't so the point is moot.

I genuinely don't have an issue with not being able to edit a preset in the librarian, but I completely appreciate that your mileage may vary!

It's pretty uncommon for a piece of software - even really lousy software - to fail for every single user. The ToneX package was absolutely unusable for me: the iOS app crashed every time I clicked the ToneNET button (which is somewhat essential), and after an update, it instead reported that "An error occurred." Meanwhile, on Windows, the ToneX ASIO driver would cause the standalone ToneX application to hang whenever audio inputs were selected. IK tech support... didn't. (In fairness, I was less interested in answers by that point, and more interested in getting my $300 back.)

So yes, for this customer (a software developer and IT professional, if that lends any credibility): unusable. Definitely intolerable, if that's a better semantic fit per subjectivity.

 

[Deadpan]

I think the fact that you can only import presets via ToneNet is kind of holding you hostage to sharing your captures and boosting their library.

You can export and import presets but it's one by one which isn't fun.

 

[Foxmeister]

It's pretty uncommon for a piece of software - even really lousy software - to fail for every single user.

Since it hasn't "failed" for me, I'll just chalk this up as hyperbole.

a software developer and IT professional, if that lends any credibility

Your credibility was never in question as you are perfectly entitled to your opinion.

If IK *never* changed the software UI or added the ability to edit presets on the pedal via the software, I would still continue to use the unit until something better came along - for me at least, this, by definition, makes it both "usable" and "tolerable".

I think this is likely true for most ToneX pedal owners, but I can't speak for everyone.

P.S. I'm also a software developer and IT professional - I think we are extremely common in the D&M forums!

 

[JiveTurkey]

Software was clunky. Captures were hit or miss in success rate (mainly miss) and using the pedal was an exercise in clunk I hadn't felt since using an Atomic product. Only more limited and more clunky? I think it's a cheap way to try something for profiling/capturing outside whatever current modeler eco-system you're in without spending a bunch of money. That's about the gist of it for me.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

You can export and import presets but it's one by one which isn't fun.

Oh I mean to the iOS version - I dont believe its possible to import or export like you can on the standalone/plugin versions. Unless they changed it recently, the only way is to import from ToneNet when on iOS