Tonelab se impressions or opinions?

[Tone_Terrific]

I finally tried out one in a music store because I can use many of its features and like the packaging and the reviews/reputation and need the headphone capabilities for direct-in band practice.

But I was using phones and the sound just seemed distant and obscured in the mid and upper freqs for all the models. Boosting with the pedal patches helped but I just did not get the "in the room with the amp" kind of response I had expected. Letdown again? Or, is there a secret?

If you use one is it good to phones, direct, live into the front of a clean amp or into a power amp?

I want great tone and easy access in all applications. Pedal POD???? or??

 

[Kewlpack]

Three articles that might help you:

http://www.thestompbox.net/Home/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=21

and

http://www.thestompbox.net/Home/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=10

and

http://www.thestompbox.net/Home/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=19


Hope they help.

 

[Tone_Terrific]

Hadn't seen those. Thanks.

 

[Nick Fanis]

The tonelab se is a FANTASTIC unit.
I own a huge pedalboard w/ many analog efefcts & the Tonelab meets or even EXCEEDS the tone I get w/ it!
BUT you have to READ the manual & PROGRAMM it very carefully!
I use it for direct recording & live playing through a tube amp .
The headphone output of the TL is USELESS for me too.

 

[journo]

Hi,

I have tried the ToneLab and find it totally useless for me. Others love it.

I prefer the Boss GT-8 or GS-10 for direct to PA or direct recording.
Everything I have posted in the Sound Clip area here at the Gear Page has been recorded with my GS-10 if you want to hear it in action.

Cheers,

Mats N

 

[Memorex]

I love the sound I get from my Tonelab SE. I hate the expression pedals. They felt good out of the box, but after a couple of months, they started to squeak intermittently. Now they slip a little under their own weight from the heel down position, which can affect some patches, but not many.

The other downside is that you can't combine multiple stomp box effects. But you can sort of work around that. If you needed, say, a wah -> fuzz -> phaser combo, you would have to use the wah, get your fuzz from one of the high gain amp models, and your phaser using the post-amp Duophase modulator (Mutron Biphase model). Some things you just can't do, like flanging with tremolo, because both are in the Modulation section.

But for the most part, I can reasonably simulate any sound I hear on a recording.

I run the line outs in AMP mode direct into my sound card. If I were playing out, I would probably do the same direct into the PA (assuming the stage monitoring was good enough to do that). I never use the headphone out, I don't like playing through phones.

 

[Tone_Terrific]

Originally posted by Nick Fanis

The headphone output of the TL is USELESS for me too.

Whoa!! Come back on this, please. Can you not get good tones on phones?
Anybody else finding a significant difference between the phone out and the line outs into a (flat) mixer/headphone setup?
I'd hate to be assessing on phones only if that is the case.
Disappointing in that respect, however, if so.

 

[Memorex]

The few times I've used phones (I have set of Fostex T-20s), I plugged them into my stereo amp and turned off the speakers, which means I was listening to the line outs and through my sound card. I've never actually plugged headphones into the headphone jack of the Tonelab SE. I'll try that later today and let you know how it compares.

 

[Tone_Terrific]

Originally posted by Memorex
I'll try that later today and let you know how it compares.

Excellent, thankyou.

 

[beatlenut]

I love mine with headphones and direct into a PA. I do not like mine with either my Traynor YCV80 or Line 6 Flextone II XL.

My buddy does however like his through his amps (tube) Vox AC30 and Peavey Classic 30.

 

[TheUsualSuspect]

I think it really depends on the sound you are going for...

With my TLSE, I had great success at cleans, and break up overdrives....Cranked AC15, AC30, Fender Tones - Non-Master amp sims were the bomb.....JTM45, etc....For this I owe the TLSE a big heap of gratitude - I never would have experienced these sounds as a player if it wasnt for this unit.....

The Marshall, Mesa & Boutique OD just were useless in my setups....The Soldano I found much more useful than most. But very limited in scope of what it could do....

The fact I couldnt get any good Marshall tones was my reason for getting rid of the unit.....

I just think for cleans, blues overdrives - its great - For Classic Rock Heavy Distortions and metal stuff was clearly a weak point.....

YMMV in your setups......

 

[Memorex]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I didn't realize the Tonelab SE had a 1/8" headphone jack, because I've never used it before. I didn't have a an adapter to convert my Fostex T-20s down to 1/8". But I found an adapter to convert my Altec Lansing PC headphones, which are pretty good, to 1/4" for my stereo amp. I figured a comparison wouldn't mean much if I didn't use the same phones for both.

Setup 1:

Direct outs (global set to AMP) into the soundcard. No EQ on soundcard mixer or power amp. Headphones in headphone jack of power amp.

Setup 2:

Same except headphones in headphone jack of Tonelab SE.

Final Verdict:

Both sound good through my headphones.

Setup 2 (TL headphone out) sounds a little brighter, perhaps a little more midrangy, a little more aggressive.

Setup 1 (TL direct outs) sounds a little more neutral.

If I were using the thing through a stage amp (and I'm not), I might even prefer the sound of the headphone out over the direct outs with certain amps. I couldn't find the output impedances of either outputs listed in the owners manual, it might be a factor with the headphone out, but I would bet the output impedance of both sets of outputs is fairly low and shouldn't be a factor with the high impedance input of a guitar amp or PA mixer. However, for long cable runs, the balanced TRS direct outs would probably sound better if you're going balanced.

 

[Tone_Terrific]

Originally posted by Memorex


Final Verdict:

Both sound good through my headphones.

Setup 2 (TL headphone out) sounds a little brighter, perhaps a little more midrangy, a little more aggressive.

Thanks for the reply. I'll have to check this thing with my own phones as a start point. I would like to like this unit as it could be the magical all-in-one box that I have been hoping for. (sure.....haha)