IK Multimedia’s TONEX platform has long been celebrated as being at the forefront of guitar amp and pedal modeling technology. But the company apparently surpassed even its own lofty ambitions earlier this year when it introduced the revolutionary AmpliTube TONEX Pedal, which Guitar World Tech Editor Paul Riario rightly calls “One of the hottest and most talked about new products from IK Multimedia.”
Essentially, the TONEX pedal allows the user to store and play AI Machine Modeling tone models live onstage. You can choose from thousands of the world’s most sought-after amps, cabs and pedals – or your own gear, modeled in minutes – then gig with them right at your feet.
As Paul explains, “Try not to think of the TONEX as a guitar processor, because that’s not necessarily what it does. I like to think of the TONEX as a powerful amplifier pedal that you can build a sophisticated guitar rig around, or a pedal that stores a vast library of super-realistic amps models you can use anytime, anywhere.”
The TONEX Pedal allows users to browse over 1,000 Tone Models via the TONEX MAX software, 150 of which can be installed onto the pedal in 50 banks of three via the USB connection. With the addition of the new TONEX Librarian feature, these 150 Tone Models can be edited, organized and arranged in any desirable setup, and can be easily recalled using the pedal’s Bank Up or Bank Down footswitch functions.
Additionally, thanks to the TONEX’s AI Machine Modeling software, which utilizes "deep machine learning,” players can model just about anything in their own rig, from single pedals to a whole amp-and-cab rig.
Other features include: an on-board noise gate, EQ, compressor and five stereo reverbs; exclusive VIR multi-IR cabinets and custom IR loader; full MIDI implementation for control over advanced rigs; a built-in USB port that doubles as an audio interface for recording and preset management; and more. And the TONEX pedal comes loaded with both the TONEX MAX software all-in-one player, modeler and librarian, as well as AmpliTube 5 software.
What’s more, IK’s online tone-sharing and social platform ToneNET now includes a dedicated TONEX section for browsing, downloading and sharing TONEX Tone Models and presets. You can download more than 12,000 free Tone Models from the ToneNET community, right inside your TONEX software or app, with new Tone Models added all the time.
To behold the awesome capabilities of the TONEX, watch Paul put the pedal through its paces in the demo video above.
His verdict?
“IK’s TONEX is the apex of their AI machine modeling technology, brought to you in a compact and affordable pedal,” Paul says.
“What’s noteworthy is the pedal’s singular focus as a powerful amp pedal that delivers astonishingly realistic amp captures to use live and in recordings,” he continues. “Bundle that with its connectivity to the TONEX app and the TONEX online ecosystem, and the ability to model your own unique amplifier rig using the TONEX modeling software, and you have one of the most exciting amplifier pedals that can be used in a myriad of applications.”
To learn more about the AmpliTube TONEX Pedal, head to IK Multimedia.
