ToneDexter 2 - initial thoughts and reviews

[julienmary]

I did the experiment with the IR of my Taylor 418eR on Optima Air. So far you recognize the Taylor obviously, and it's not bad at all, it's even very good.

I have an explanation to that. The piezo takes the string signal before the guitar body shows it's response. So at this moment the signal is pretty pure.
Of course there will be a difference but not so much. What I say means that if you record the signal from the same piezzo with strings vibrating attached to a block of concrete, not a guitar, that would be enough to generate an IR.

I haven't made the test yet. But I would be curious to see it.

[shufflebeat]

Originally Posted by julienmary

What I say means that if you record the signal from the same piezzo with strings vibrating attached to a block of concrete, not a guitar, that would be enough to generate an IR.

I can imagine the mic’d sound would be pretty unimpressive.

[lkingston]

Ok, even though I’ve been sort of a naysayer on this group (getting an Optima Air, and experimenting with using the IR I captured on that on devices like my Helix Stomp), I just couldn’t resist, and ordered the new ToneDexter II. It came yesterday and I just captured my first (and possibly the only Wavemap I actually need).

It just kind of hit me when I moved the mic away from the guitar and it still sounded like I was listening through it… wow! this thing sounds amazing!

Still a lot of learning to do, but I already know I am glad I bought it!

[idimata]

Originally Posted by lkingston

Ok, even though I’ve been sort of a naysayer on this group (getting an Optima Air, and experimenting with using the IR I captured on that on devices like my Helix Stomp), I just couldn’t resist, and ordered the new ToneDexter II. It came yesterday and I just captured my first (and possibly the only Wavemap I actually need).

It just kind of hit me when I moved the mic away from the guitar and it still sounded like I was listening through it… wow! this thing sounds amazing!

Still a lot of learning to do, but I already know I am glad I bought it!

Welcome to the club! Now you get it, the TDII is amazing

How do you think it compares to the Optima Air?

[lkingston]

Originally Posted by idimata

How do you think it compares to the Optima Air?

Ah, good question. I got a pretty nice IR out of the Optima Air, and have been using it various places: with my Helix Stomp XL, with Positive Grid FX 2 on my iPhone, and in the Nembrini IR loader with my iPad and computer.

The biggest problem I had with the Optima Air was that there wasn’t a blend control. There isn’t a blend control in the Nembrini IR loader either, but there is in the Helix and in FX2.

There are some real advantages to the Tonedexter II though. First and foremost, the IR (Wavemap) I captured sounds a little more natural in the high frequencies. When I finished analyzing and moved the mic, it really surprised me because the sound was still there and I thought I was listening to the mic. Very natural indeed! When I listened to the original Tonedexter demos on YouTube, I didn’t really hear a difference between it and the other IR effects units. They all had a little bit of weirdness in the high frequencies…hence the need for the blend to mask them. A sort of weird phasey sound. I don’t hear that at all on the Wavemap I captured today.

Then there is the ease of capturing the Wavemap. Wow, it is so fast and easy! I love the way it automates the setting of levels.

Then there is the much higher level of control. You can EQ the Wavemap and straight sounds independently. That is way cool. I love the control over center frequencies and the notch filters. It really lets you, not only sculpt a really good sound, but optimize it. To do that on the Optima Air, you need external processing.

I LOVE the way the software is built into the Tonedexter and you just access it with a web browser and an IP address! That means that I can do librarian stuff and update the firmware from my iPad Pro. I really appreciate that!

The tuner is really nice. So is the boost. So is the use of TRS jacks. So is the customization of just about everything you need for it to be practical. Things like independent 1/4” and XLR output levels, or does the tuner mute through the headphones, or when you power it on, does it start in play or tuner mode…all very practical and useful stuff.

I LOVE how solidly it is built. I love that it doesn’t pop when you power it on. I love that you can reboot without disconnecting the power supply. That it can work with a standard 9V power supply. Really very high quality all around!

About the only thing that I dislike is that it uses micro-USB instead of USB-C. Come on guys! It’s 2024! USB-C should have been a no brainer! It’s one token flaw…

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by lkingston

About the only thing that I dislike is that it uses micro-USB instead of USB-C. Come on guys! It’s 2024! USB-C should have been a no brainer! It’s one token flaw…

On the other hand, USB-C is a bit of a disaster. You can't tell the players (cables) without a score card! Too many are power-only, and data capabilities vary widely. I just ordered a USB-C analyzer to help figure out which of my cables, if any, can carry data at rates higher than 480 Mbps.

[GoPappy]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

. . . I just ordered a USB-C analyzer to help figure out which of my cables, if any, can carry data at rates higher than 480 Mbps.

I'd be interested in which analyzer you ordered and what your thoughts are on it once you've had a chance to test some cables with it.

[lkingston]

I think with the Tonedexter, it is just passing data at USB 2 speeds. If they had gone with USB-C, any cable that was designed for data and not just charging would have worked.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by GoPappy

I'd be interested in which analyzer you ordered and what your thoughts are on it once you've had a chance to test some cables with it.

I ordered the ChargerLab Power-Z KM003C. I ordered from AliExpress, since it was about half the Amazon price.

https://www.chargerlab.com/introduci...ower-z-km003c/

[lkingston]

I’m getting deeper into the ToneDexter II, and wow!

One of the things I imagined setting up is to use the lows and mids from the IR, and the highs from a mic (especially for recording at home). That way you would get the isolation from the lower frequency noises (traffic, lawnmowers, AC, etc.) that tend to go through walls, and the highs from the mic. If you used the same mic to capture the IR and record the highs, they should match nicely. I was imagining coming up with a complicated way to patch this together.

Do you know that the ToneDexter II has parameters especially to do this!? It has the crossover, mixing, and everything! Wow! Just wow!

[Juiced06GTO]

I'll be joining the club here shortly! I ordered today and will have mine in hand on Thursday. I am hoping to play around with it a bit Thurs/Fri and have it ready for a gig on Saturday. I couldn't stand the sound I was getting at my last gig and impulsively pulled the trigger on one today, we'll see how it goes!!

[Larrison]

Originally Posted by lkingston

I’m getting deeper into the ToneDexter II, and wow!



One of the things I imagined setting up is to use the lows and mids from the IR, and the highs from a mic (especially for recording at home). That way you would get the isolation from the lower frequency noises (traffic, lawnmowers, AC, etc.) that tend to go through walls, and the highs from the mic. If you used the same mic to capture the IR and record the highs, they should match nicely. I was imagining coming up with a complicated way to patch this together.



Do you know that the ToneDexter II has parameters especially to do this!? It has the crossover, mixing, and everything! Wow! Just wow!

The routing options are extensive to say the least. I think the main rule is that only one source can have the wavemap applied.

I have 3 dual source K&K guitars and on the one I use the most live, I changed over to the crossover setup and I couldn’t be happier. I can get away with a lot of mic in the blend in our auditorium, and I know some can’t- but it sounds amazing when dialed to our room. I’ll be changing the others over to crossover when the time comes that I need to play them.

My upcoming Kopp will get a similar setup- but with an Ultratonic and a K&K mic.

[phcorrigan]

This is a few months old, and targeted to bowed instrument players (violin, cello, etc.), but one of the best deep-dives into the capabilities of the new ToneDexter I've seen. I wasn't planning to upgrade, but after seeing this I think I may have to.

[Juiced06GTO]

Ok I just got mine and trained my custom built dread and my old alvarez and WOW. I dont have any idea what I am doing but, they sound unbelievable!

Question for you guys using these live, if I am using a looper, does it go in the chain prior to this or after it?