Help me decide: Tonedexter or Voiceprint? - Page 3

tadol · #31 08-22-2022, 08:38 PM

James is working very hard on developing Tonedexter 2, and while it will be some time before he will make any formal announcements, and longer until anything will be shipping, the feature set he’s planning on and the new functionality that he hopes will be included are gonna make it a rather remarkable unit - I’d recommend keeping that cash in the bank and wait until he’s taking orders. But yeah, if you need something right now, you’re probably out of luck. I was invited to go see Alison Kraus and Robert Plant last night by James, as he had made an emergency delivery of a Tonedexter to Alison for their tour - Robert admitted to us he had accidentally left it behind at Heathrow. But it was a fantastic show, and they were both very nice people -

geokie8 · #32 08-23-2022, 10:05 AM

Sweetwater says they are expecting ToneDexter deliveries the last week of December. (Yes, they were that specific).

tadol · #33 08-23-2022, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geokie8

Sweetwater says they are expecting ToneDexter deliveries the last week of December. (Yes, they were that specific).

And James is expecting that too - I’m staying hopeful!

AeroUSA · #34 08-23-2022, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tadol

James is working very hard on developing Tonedexter 2, and while it will be some time before he will make any formal announcements, and longer until anything will be shipping, the feature set he’s planning on and the new functionality that he hopes will be included are gonna make it a rather remarkable unit - I’d recommend keeping that cash in the bank and wait until he’s taking orders. But yeah, if you need something right now, you’re probably out of luck. I was invited to go see Alison Kraus and Robert Plant last night by James, as he had made an emergency delivery of a Tonedexter to Alison for their tour - Robert admitted to us he had accidentally left it behind at Heathrow. But it was a fantastic show, and they were both very nice people -

ToneDexter 2? That is exciting!

RogerPease · #35 08-23-2022, 12:24 PM

As long as they don’t call it the “Tonedexter XL Pro Platinum Plus+“. 8-D
Seriously, can’t wait.

_RP

YamahaGuy · #36 08-23-2022, 04:58 PM

My Ibanez is really the only guitar I have I'm not super thrilled with the plugged in tone, and for that reason it seldom gets played.

So now that the Voiceprint is Android capable, I might just have to get one so my Ibanez gets some play time. Wouldn't hurt to try it with my other guitars.

Brent Hahn · #37 08-24-2022, 11:34 AM

FWIW, working house sound at a couple different venues I used to see a lot of ToneDexters. Post-Covid... zero. I finally asked one of the former TD devotees why he wasn't bringing it and he said, "They're extinct, so it's never leaving the house." A little irony in that, considering what the thing was made for. But this latest development should be good news for him, and I bet I start to see them again.

Doug Young · #38 08-24-2022, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brent Hahn

A little irony in that, considering what the thing was made for. .

Seems a bit silly. "If I break or lose it, I won't be able to use it anymore, so I won't use it anymore" :-). Maybe these are players who primarily play amplified at home?

Brent Hahn · #39 08-24-2022, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug Young

Seems a bit silly. "If I break or lose it, I won't be able to use it anymore, so I won't use it anymore" :-). Maybe these are players who primarily play amplified at home?

Same conversation, he also said that he gets a better recorded sound with his TD than he does with his $3k worth of mics. Given that he doesn't know there's a difference between soundproofing and room treatment, and I've heard the recorded results, I believe him.

martingitdave · #40 08-24-2022, 01:36 PM

ToneDexter is an excellent product. So is the VPDI. There is every reason to support James May for his innovative work. I purchased a ToneDexter and used it successfully. There is a lot of flexibility in terms of the mics you use and the control of the IR. That said, I now use the VoicePrint DI after buying an iPhone. For me, it’s a tad easier to use and to train. VPDI sounds exceptional with the Lyric mic.

ljguitar · #41 08-24-2022, 05:48 PM

Hi all…
I like knobs.

The ToneDexter has knobs, lots of them. And they do things…(good things)…audibly discernible and relevant things to tone to make my acoustics sound like themselves. And there are buttons.

It's probably being 74 yrs old and having started with a Shure Vocalmaster (with the tall columns) and 2 SM-58 microphones which draw me in that direction.

The Tone-Dexter is not an experimenter's rig, it's solid assurance I get decent sound in the house…even when the person on the board is novice. I especially love working at decent room volumes without a feedback buster in the soundhole…even in not-optimum rooms.

Have fun deciding, acquiring and using these tools…and if you are under 30 yrs old, they are likely not the last gear you'll purchase.

schinckley · #42 08-24-2022, 06:20 PM

FWIW vis-a-vis mics and IR’s: I have a VPDI, and my “best” Voiceprint result was recorded with the mic from the Apple EarPods wired headset. It did require some EQ’ing, but I got a result I actually really like. I found James May’s comment to be true—the mic is not the weak link in the chain when it comes to IR.

Also true with everything acoustic guitar amplification—YMMV, and personal experimentation with your gear and your ears is the only way to know what works for you. Just like no wine is the “best,” so too know acoustic guitar amplification scheme is “best.” There are only preferences, and even those change with the context in which the music is being played.

Speaking of wine, can you sniff IR’s?

YamaYairi · #43 08-30-2022, 08:57 PM

Now that I have had some time with the LR Baggs Voiceprint, here are my thoughts.
1. I successfully made voiceprints for 6 guitars. 4 of them have LR Baggs I Beam Active pickups in them and 2 have passive pickups designed by a local luthier, similar to a KK Mini, but with more natural sound out of the gate.
2. Some guitars required some EQ tweaking using the Voiceprint's app, some did not, it didn't seem to have any relationship to what pickup was used.
3. I tried putting my cell phone on the edge of a desk with a wall behind the desk, when making the voiceprint, which I would have thought would affect the pickup of the omni mic in the cell phone. Then I tried putting the cell phone on a tripod in free space. Didn't seem to make any difference, the Voiceprints were very natural sounding both ways.
4. In all cases I placed the phone directly in front of the sound hole, about 8" away.
5. At first I played some scales when instructed to do so, but I got better results playing some fingerstyle in different places on the neck; I played "Blackbird."
6. Note that when you tap on the bridge you are supposed to mute the strings. I looked at the video and saw the guy doing it.
7. Some guitars sounded better with the Voice setting at 60%, a couple sounded better at 100%.
8. Once you have created your Voiceprint, save it. Then, using that Voiceprint, make any other changes; EQ, level, etc, then save the preset both to your phone and the device. When you do this it loads all the settings into your device under that preset. The instructions were not clear, I thought you only had to save the Voiceprint.
9. When you are previewing the Voiceprint and adjusting the EQ, use a good set of headphones. Plug the preamp into a mixer with headphone output, an amp with headphone output or a stereo. Set the tone controls to flat.
10. After it sounds natural through the headphones, plug it into your acoustic amp and adjust the tone controls on the amp so it sounds natural. This way if you plug the preamp into a board you will get natural sound if the sound guy sets it flat.
I got more natural sound, closer to the unamplified sound of my guitars than I have ever had.

jonfields45 · #44 08-31-2022, 06:02 AM

I think if you are on the fence, buy a ToneDexter.

They are the underfunded little guys with Baggs and Nux entering their likely not huge market segment (at least compared to electric guitar distortion pedals). It is a great product and to see it slip under the waves would be a shame.

Being a completely self contained unit with turn-key IR generation and all the real knobs for performance you need makes it a valuable option. They've also got the most experience in IR optimization.

keith.rogers · #45 08-31-2022, 07:01 AM

I think I posted it in another thread, but unfortunately ToneDexter not in current production due to a chip shortage (site link).

I put my pre-order in at Sweetwater, but the unconfirmed rumor I heard was that it will be close to year end before the re-designed product is out. I was told that it will retain all of the current (last?) product design's features.

The reason I want the TD is because it actually has a preamp built-in and the tone controls are on the device. There is no actual preamp in the Baggs IR pedal design. My mandolin pickup needs a preamp, and LRB's suggestion to keep the GigPro (what I use now) in front of the VPDI is not what I'm looking for. So, I'll wait (and support "the little guy").