(1) How do I set all of my input and output levels on the ToneX (large) pedal?

The first consideration is your signal chain - i.e. what order are you putting the ToneX pedal relative to any other pedals or amplification. Depending on where you place the pedal, some volume adjustments may differ.

There are 4 basic volume controls on the ToneX pedal (not including the "Gain" knob", which is really part of the overall tone of the amp model). For purposes of explanation, we will be referring to the volume settings found on the large ToneX pedal. The ToneX One has similar, corresponding settings. Note: any reference to standard decibel (“db”) levels may not necessarily correspond to the volume levels (numbers) displayed on the ToneX pedal. They should be used as a standard reference only. Here are the controls and what they do:

1) (Global Settings) "Input Trim" - this control is mainly to get your guitar signal into the pedal at a proper level so that it can drive the presets with some dynamic range and fullness. While most digital devices that accept an analog input place the input trim control first in order to protect the A/D converter from clipping (causing unwanted distortion), IK Multimedia designed the ToneX pedals with the A/D converter FIRST; so it is indeed possible to clip the converter if your input signal level is too high. To match the specific output level of your guitar with the pedal, you can set this by ear; or you can use the basic metering of “lo / hi” in the ToneX display to optimize the input level for the best sound with the presets. Guitarists who use multiple guitars might consider adjusting pickup height on each guitar to match the output level of all of your guitars. This allows the Input Trim to be set once for all guitars.

Here is one reliable method for setting the input trim on the ToneX: (a) start with the trim up 1/4 to 1/2 way, (b) Choose a super-clean sound that you do NOT want to distort. (c) Gradually increase the input trim until you DO distort the clean tone. (d) Reduce the trim gradually, play a note, repeat until your loudest attack can no longer distort the clean sound.  That’s basically your “sweet spot”.  Or at least your MAX input trim setting.

2) (Global Settings) "Main Volume" - this controls the global output of the pedal for BOTH the bypassed and active settings on the presets. What does that mean for your setup? This is the level you will set to drive the next pedal, amplifier input, DI box etc. Whatever that NEXT piece of gear is, it is important that the it sees a level that is optimal for its input. So, if your ToneX is your last pedal before, say, the FX return on some amplifiers or the input stage of a power amplifier, you might set it higher (up to about +4db or “pro” line level) than you would if you had placed it on your pedalboard in between other effects pedals. In that case, your Main Volume probably should be set somewhere around (pro) instrument level (about -10db - sometines referred to as “consumer line level”). And if you use the preset-bypass feature of the pedal (typically when feeding an amplifier’s preamp input), the (-10 db) instrument level setting would also probably be your best choice.

3) “Model Volume” (lower-left parameter knob, second function) - this controls the relative volume of each preset. Thus it shoud be adjusted and SAVED to the preset so that you have balanced levels between presets.

4) “Volume” (lower-right knob on the large ToneX pedal) - this controls the master output of all presets ONLY. It is NOT saved with presets and is always active. Thus, once you have properly-balanced Model Volume settings between presets, you will use this knob to make sure the preset levels are matched to your bypassed level (if you are using that or if you use the ToneX pedal in a switchable loop) by adjusting this knob. CAUTION: because this knob is always active, to avoid accidentally changing your pedal volume (with your hand or foot), it is a good idea (during performances) to use the "LOCK MODE" by pressing the preset and parameter knobs at the same time. Repeat to unlock.

I hope this helps you optimize your ToneX setup.

(2) What are my options for placing the ToneX pedal(s) into my guitar signal chain?

The reason we discussed levels in (1) above is because once we decide WHERE to place the pedal in the chain, we need to adjust input and output levels to match our desired hardware configuration. When audio levels are properly matched, we have several choices where to insert the ToneX pedal.

1) As simply another gain-type pedal on your pedalboard, running into a guitar amp. This is the easiest conceptually, as we only need match the ToneX input and (mainly) output levels as per the rest of our pedals; which is likely somewhere around (-10db - instrument level). As to which effects in the ToneX preset we use and how much, nothing is illegal. But there are some points to consider: (a) sometimes an IR speaker cab has a nice sound through an amp, but more likely won’t sound good simply because a lot of IR captures lose immediacy in the sound stage. (b) Reverb. Very little, if any so that you can put reverb near last in your pedalboard chain. (c) Compression - to taste. You know your system and playing style. Bottom line is that sometimes we want the ToneX to only be part of the total sound. With the new effects (delay, chorus, phaser, flanger, rotary, tremolo), you will have even more options, but generally best to place any modulation or time-based effects after overdrive or distortion as a rule of thumb.

2) As a pedalboard-direct-to-recording or live mixing console rig. In this case, we have a few options. If we are modifying the pedalboard configuration (above), we can either keep the same drive-modulation-time-based fx type signal chain, OR we can make the ToneX pedal more like a final amplification stage of our chain. Either can work on its way to a DI box. As to the output level setting on the ToneX, often times, sound engineers may not want a +4db feed from the guitar; as they may have their channels set up for -10db. Again, this is why we need to be ready to adjust to the venue and ready to level-match everything. So when we do decide to run the ToneX last and pretend it’s a real amp at the end of the pedal chain, we would likely follow that with a DI box for best results on its way to the console. Most DI boxes can accept a standard range of db input levels; so anything from -10db to +4db should work.

3) As a preamplifier stage preceeding a power amp or an fx return on a guitar amp. In this case, we are simply replacing the DI box (above) with a power amplifier / speaker combination. Many power amps will take a +4db input level; but make sure you know the nominal input level for your amp’s effects return jack - if you are using it. Some are set to -10db and others are set to +4db. As a general rule of thumb, a +4db output level from your ToneX will offer a higher signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio than -10db, simply because you have a higher range. But sometimes it just works better at -10db. Once you know your gear and your venues, that will take some of the guesswork out of your default setup.

Final note: we often get caught up in the sound of the pedalboard signal chain and forget that if sending the output to an amplifier (guitar amp, PA, power amp etc.), the sound is not finished “baking” until it reaches our ears. When deciding whether to amplify our pedals with flat-frequency speaker systems (PA, FRFR etc.), solid state or tube guitar amps, or something else, remember that each component that preceeds our ears has an effect on the final sound that reaches our ears. And how your instrument sounds in a room will depend on both your gear, the room, the style of music, the ensemble and your playing technique. It’s a synergistic whole. Thus, when selecting an amplification system for one or more venues, do yourself a favor, put down the specs, pause the YouTube video, and just use your ears.

Happy tone-sculpting!

(3) “Stacking stuff”

One hot topic these days is how to add boost pedals, overdrives, multiple amps and other gain-type effects to a ToneX signal path that might already include an amp model or distortion pedal model etc. What are the rules? What works and what doesn’t? What order should I put everything in?

Rather than offer a list of rules, let’s instead look at some pretty basic concepts. As mentioned in (1) above, the first concern is getting your input and output levels right. That requires you to have a good idea of the best level to send EACH pedal in your chain. Sometimes pedals will have output level controls, which can be used to set the incoming level for the next pedal in the chain. If there is no output level control on one of your effects, chances are that the output level is roughly at unity with the input level. The idea being that we want every pedal to operate with maximum dynamic range without clipping - i.e. at nominal input level.

The second concern is how two (or more) pedals interact with regard to timbre. Are the overdrive or boost sounds complementary, or do your hear unwanted distortion or equalization issues? A lot depends on musical style and taste; but nonetheless, this will require some experimentation with gain levels, mix leveles etc.. In addition, you may have frequencies starting to cancel each other or cause your tone to suffer. Equalizer adjustments may also be necessary.

And as stated above, you might choose to turn off the CAB IR (speaker sim) part of the ToneX preset for more clarity and presence. Lastly, experiment with the order of these extra pedals to see what works best. If using the ToneX modulation and delay effects, you may prefer to place extra gain pedals before the ToneX. The bottom line is that there are NO rules. Only what sounds good to you. What all of your pedals and amplification equipment simply need is the right level input signal. The tonal colors present IN that input signal are up to you.

(4) Understanding “Headroom”.

Back at the beginning of what we would call “audio engineering” - the technology that allows us to record, reproduce and perform music with electronic instruments - back before ToneX; and back before digital audio existed, audio engineers knew that the sound of a musical instrument in the hands of a well-trained musician had dynamic range - soft to loud. Whether it was an acoustic instrument, electric instrument or voice, it was important to be able to record or amplify those sounds with dynamic range.

During the development of recording equipment, for example, recording these sounds with dynamic range meant that the device (microphone, etc.) needed to perform without distorting the incoming audio signal. The dynamic range capability of a particular recording device came to be known as “headroom” - i.e. the usable dynamic range of a recording device before distortion. The earliest recording technologies had a rather narrow dynamic range (before distorting). Such recordings often had musical creativity but lacked much dynamic range. So, too were the limitations of the playback equipment - speakers and the like. Ironically, it is this distortion that came into play when developing distorted sounds for guitar amps and pedals. However, “headroom” in the recording environment is not about using distortion musically, but avoiding it for that component of the recording process. In other words, the guitar could use a distorted sound; but the recording device capturing it should not suffer from distortion itself.

The earliest digital audio processors had lower dynamic range as well as poorer resolution - meaning poorer frequency response and less clarity. But even as technology progressed, headroom remained a primary specification in audio equipment for recording and amplifying instruments. Thus the ToneX, with all of its parameters and complexities, is still performing the same task as older analog equipment used decades ago.

It is in this context we can mention “input trim level”. As explained above, we are trying to maximize the expressiveness of our instrument by maximizing headroom. If we set our input trim low - say allowing a dynamic range of 5db, we are compromising the expressive dynamic range of the instrument if say, we actually had a usable headroom of 20db. That is one reason why some systems benefit from a line-level (+4 db) setup - to add more db of dynamic range or headroom. Which is why we mentioned above in (1) to set the headroom “ceiling” to not distort a clean preset - our maximum headroom. Once that is done, whatever tonal qualities we choose for our sound will benefit from maximum expressiveness through our playing dynamics or other fx gear feeding the signal. There really is no reason to restrict dynamic range at the input stage of our audio equipment, since we can always use compression later in the signal path to reduce dynamic range if desired.

Lastly, headroom is not only important in preserving an instrument’s or vocalist’s dynamic range. In many circumstances - especially with analog equipment, headroom can lower the noise floor (which is at a low db level) by increasing the s/n (signal-to-noise) ratio of the loudest musical sounds as compared to the level of noise present. Again, the input trim level will affect this, too. So although much of this can be done by ear, it is important to understand how to calibrate the best audio signal possible to bring out the best musical sound quality.

(5) Getting Your “Sound”

So…after exploring all of the many presets available for ToneX, you’re still having difficulty reproducing the sound you achieved using you trusty hardware tube amp (and maybe a few pedals). It doesn’t make sense. You carefully captured your vintage Marshall amp, or maybe found some beautiful captures of a Mesa Boogie amp; and yet, when you plug everything into your FRFR or effects return of your solid state amp, it just doesn’t sound right. The warmth is missing or the sound is too brittle. How can this be when the models/presets sounded so true to the original when you auditioned the presets?

There are many possible explanations. One is that your input/output levels throughout your signal chain may not be set optimally. They may be too high or too low as compared to your bypassed guitar tone. Another possibility may be that the presets you are using were not adjusted for your signal chain, guitar and amplification setup. A third possibility may be that the order of your pedals - including ToneX - may not be optimal for creating the best sound. All of these topics are covered in the sections above. But there is a fourth possiblity.

What is the one thing you use to determine if you have “your” sound? Your ears, of course. And while you’ve been focusing on your pedalboard to get every knob adjusted just right, there is something else your sound passes through on its way to your ears: your amplification setup. An amplifier, FRFR, PA, mixing console etc. is not simply a device to make your sound louder. It contributes to, filters, enhances or degrades the sound you crafted with ToneX and your other effects pedals. There are two important factors at work with your amplification setup: gain-staging and eq.

When you use your fx loop return for example, you are bypassing the tone-shaping heart of your amplifier - the preamp stage. The preamp stage was not only designed to enhance your guitar tone, but also carefully calibrated to properly drive the power stage and the speaker designed for that amplifier. Now in many cases, an amplifier’s preamplifier stage may seem unnecessary since the ToneX pedal can effectively replace that stage in your signal chain. It can, indeed, however, the ToneX pedal is going to “push” the power amplifier stage a bit differently, with perhaps a different output level than the amplifier’s preamp stage. That in turn, may cause a different frequency response from the speaker in the amplifier. The same can be said for any pedalboard-(ToneX)-to-power-amplifier connection. For some types of sounds (presets), that may work great; for others, not so much.

The next factor is eq. What many guitarists are not aware of is that the guitar is NOT designed to output a flat frequency response - meaning equal volume level at all frequencies. When we listen to a band or orchestra (live or on a recording), the mix we hear and the separation of instruments we hear to create this beautiful spectrum of sound would not sound as good if every instrument were outputting a flat frequency response. There would be phase-cancellation (volume drops caused by instruments with competing frequencies) and less audible separation between instruments. In fact, the guitar usually sounds best in a live environment or recording when its natural frequency range where it speaks best is favored in the way it is amplified and eq’d. This contributes to a warmer sound, with less brittle high-frequencies and shrill tone; and closer to what we would hear plugging into, for example a tube amp with no effects.

But doesn’t the sound of the capture/preset take care of controlling the frequency response, even when plugged into an FRFR, you ask? Maybe. A lot depends on the preset, the settings of the preset, the FRFR amplifier circuit, and its speaker’s frequency response. In short, it’s a gamble - because we cannot assume that even an FRFR is not going to add or enhance any frequencies we don’t want. We don’t know if the normal high-frequency rolloff we normally hear on a tube amp will be exactly reproduced by the combination of the ToneX pedal and an FRFR.

The takeaway here is that if you really care about the tone reaching your ears, everything in the signal chain - all the way to the speaker - cannot be taken for granted; as every piece of gear factors into the final sound. If your preference is an FRFR, amp effects return or direct-to-console, be aware that you may still need to make level and eq adjustments or change your pedal order to compensate for what you feel is not quite right with your sound. Almost any sound issue with any amplicication setup can be resolved if you are willing to spend the time analyzing and adjusting your equipment. Just don’t assume what works for one person will work for you; as there are an infinite number of possible combinations of gear and settings, as well as millions of different pairs of ears deciding what sounds best.

(6) How to double your preset sounds on the large ToneX pedal.

There is an often overlooked feature on the large ToneX pedal that can double the sounds available on a single preset and preset bank; which can be controlled by one inexpensive latching-type footswitch.  In the manual, this is referred to as “Macro A/B” mode, which allows a single external footswitch connected to the External Control jack on the ToneX pedal to alternate between two completely different settings on any preset.  This means not only switching between EQ and level settings, but also enabling or disabling any of the built-in effects as well - such as delay or modulation effects (see the ToneX manual for settings that are excluded from this function).

To begin, you will need a “latching” type footswitch (push-on, push-off), which shorts the tip to ground connector on a standard TS 1/4” plug.  Many are commercially available from various manufacturers, or you can make your own.  One useful feature to look for would be an LED indicator on the switch to know which mode is engaged (light on or off); as the ToneX pedal does not display which mode is active.  This function is saved for each preset and those settings are unique for each preset.  Any presets saved with the Macro A/B function can be freely copied to any other preset slot on your ToneX.  Before starting, make sure you know how to edit preset parameters on the ToneX pedal itself, detailed in the manual.

The following are step-by-step instructions for setting up this function.  The list of steps is long; but once you have done this a couple of times, it won’t be that complicated to repeat.

1) To switch parameter settings, the preset must first include any settings you want to change - i.e., if you want to turn effects on/off, those effects must first be saved to the preset, and cannot simply be added during the process of setting up the Macro function.  So you must start by enabling those effects for the selected preset.

2) Save the modified preset by first pressing and holding the “Preset” knob until the preset name begins flashing.  It is recommended that you give the preset a new name (or add a character) to make that preset name unique compared to the unaltered preset.

3) Press the Preset knob again to select a save-location.  You can overwrite the existing preset or select a new preset slot.

4) Press the Preset knob a third time to save (this is the process for any preset save operation).

5) Connect your footswitch to the External Control jack on the ToneX pedal.

6) Hold down “Model / Select” to enter “Global Setup” mode (turn knob to go to this setting).

7) Press the Model / Select knob again and turn until you see “Ext. Ctrl.”

8) Press again and select “Type”.

9) Press again to select “N.O. Switch”.  You can also use “N.C. Switch”, but no need - just use “N.O.”  This step will not need to be repeated when setting up Macro mode for another preset once you have set it once (globally).

10) Pressing the “Preset” knob will step you back through menus.  In this case, press it 4 times until you see the name of your preset in the display.

11) Press and hold the “Model /Select” knob and turn to enter “Preset Setup” mode.  Then press again and turn to select “Ext. Ctrl.”

12) Press again and turn to select “On”.

13) Press again (to step back) and turn once to select ”Ext. Learn”.  Press again and you will see “Learn”.  Press again and you will see “Learn A”.  The first preset footswitch will flash yellow.  You are now ready to begin editing parameters for Mode “A”.

14) Press the “Parameter” knob to begin editing parameters for Mode “A”.  Make sure you know how to edit parameters on the pedal itself as explained in the manual.  If you do not know how to do this, you can exit this setup and lose all changes by selecting another preset by turning the “Preset” knob.  To edit parameters, turn the knob to select the effect or parameter and press the knob to step through the parameters you want to change.  Hint: the “Power” parameter on an effect is a quick way to enable or disable it by setting to “On” or “Off”.  You can also modify any of the Model settings.

15) When you are finished with the Mode “A” settings, repeatedly press the Preset knob to step back through the screens until you see “Learn A” displayed.

16) Press the “B” footswitch to set the Mode “A” parameters and begin editing Mode “B”.  Repeat steps 14) and 15) to do the same for the Mode “B” parameters.

17) Press the “C” footswitch to set the Mode “B” parameters.

18) Most IMPORTANTLY, press and hold the “Preset” knob to SAVE these functions to the preset or they will be LOST.  Same procedure as saving any preset changes as described in steps 2) through 4).

19) Turn the Preset knob to switch to another preset (the next one is fine), then back to the edited preset to refresh the settings.  Test the Macro A/B function by pressing your external footswitch.

20) If for any reason you want to clear the settings for a preset, go back to step 13) and under “Learn”, select and turn knob until you see “Clear”.  Then re-save the preset.

That’s it.  As mentioned at the beginning, these modified presets can be freely copied to any other preset slot on your ToneX pedal and they will retain the Macro A/B function.  I hope you have fun with this feature.