Xsonic Xtone and Positive Grid FX2

[lkingston]

I just played out at open mics the last two nights with my Yamaha NTX-5 guitar going into an Xsonic Xtone being controlled by the Positive Grid FX2 app running on my iPhone 13 ProMax. I used the IR I captured on my NUX Optima Air running at 30%, followed by a EQ and some subtle delay and reverb. Pretty simple stuff. Anyway, the sound was really good. The blend sounds way better than the IR at full strength, and I could use an appropriate DSP.

The Xtone has 1/4” and XLR outputs with a ground lift, and the built in stomp switches work well with the FX2 app software. The box takes its power from the iPhone.

The Xtone is still on Christmas sale for just under $100, and the FX2 app is inexpensive as well. Basically the power of a Helix for under $200!

Going forward I can see using an iPad Pro for both chord charts and guitar processing.

It is a bit early to tell if it is a setup I will use regularly, but I certainly could. It is an elegant solution!

[kurth]

first time I've ever heard of that box. It is seriously interesting . Expression pedal input...also for keyboards. thanks for that heads up. Sadly amazon is showing 'currently unavailable'.

[lkingston]

You can buy them directly from xsonicaudio.com, and they currently are on sale.

I have both the regular Xtone and the Xtone Pro. I use them differently.

The Xtone Pro has both mic and guitar inputs, and super importantly, it has direct monitoring, which I find necessary for using with a DAW. On that one you have to use a OTG adapter along with the USB adapter because it pulls power from the OTG adapter for the headphone amplifier somehow. What I like about it over other USB audio interfaces is that it is rugged and designed to sit on the floor. That is super convenient when you are doing a mobile setup as it doesn’t take extra desktop space, and all the cables are down on the ground instead of running up to the table where you are working. As long as you are using a USB OTG adapter, there is no need for external power, though you can power it from a regular 9v adapter if you want to preserve your iPad or laptop battery. The only negative I’ve found is that the mic preamp doesn’t have enough gain for an SM7B so you need to use a Cloudlifter or FetHead.

I use the regular Xtone exclusively for live guitar processing. It is smaller, has just the guitar channel, no MIDI jacks, and works fine with a lightning to USB cable. As compared to a Positive Grid Riff, the sound quality is the same, but it has stereo outs, a built in DI, and three really nice assignable stomp foot switches.

The Xtone Duo scares me since the mic input is TRS and you can turn on phantom power. I would guess that if you turned on phantom power and accidentally plugged your guitar into the second input, you would short out and blow the phantom power on that channel. It wouldn’t be very useful for DAW recording anyway because it doesn’t have direct monitoring like the Pro.