IK Multimedia’s ToneX platform has a vast library of amp, cabinet, and pedal sounds — and more of each are added daily! There are lots of great options from artists, manufacturers, content creators, and the user library, plus you can easily capture your own sounds. So, when you’re looking for sounds, where do you start?
While having options is always good, suggestions or starting points can assist in getting through any search more efficiently. With that in mind, I’ve gathered four clean amp sounds from the ToneX universe that I’m really enjoying. This is definitely not a complete or definitive list; I’ve only heard a fraction of what’s available. However, these captures feel, sound, and respond right, and I think they’re worth shining a light of awareness on.
Sounds
Smooth As Silk (ODS Legends Collection)
This tone model is a Dumble Overdrive Special 50 clean channel through a Van Weelden cabinet with two EVM12L speakers. For me, this is a great all-around clean tone. It has enough punch to cut through a mix without being harsh. It’s full on the bottom end but not boomy, and it handles every pickup setting evenly.
Muscle ’59 (IK Premium Tone Model)
This tone model is a 4×10 Fender ’59 Bassman LTD with the channels jumped. It’s big and muscular, as the name implies, and has a good snarl with just a bit of grit when you dig in. It sounds great with humbuckers or single-coils, and I particularly like it with the bridge pickup. It’s perfect for classic country, Americana, etc.
Sparkling Bright (IK Premium Tone Model)
This tone model is a 2×12 Mesa/Boogie Maverick on the rhythm channel with the bright setting. It’s another good all-around setting that is leaner on the low end and less punchy in the mids. It’s perfect for shimmering chords and is exceptionally clear on the neck pickup.
CLN-100 (IK Premium Tone Model)
This is a Soldano SLO-100 through a 4×12 Marshall 1960BV cabinet. In contrast to my other picks, it is slightly mid-scooped in the EQ and somewhat modern in the feel and response. I think it would sit really well in a track, sounding full but unobtrusive.
The guitar I used for all the examples is a Paul Reed Smith Modern Eagle V.
Honorable Mentions
After going through the tone models that I have, it was really difficult to pick just four. There are so many sounds that I would choose for specific applications, which is the fun of having so many to choose from. Here are a few more that I think are worth checking out:
- Smoother Clean from the Mesa/Boogie Reference Collection — Mesa/Boogie Mark IIB
- Bright Loud Clean, an IK Premium Tone Model — Fender Twin Reverb
- Sweet Chime from the ODS Legends Collection — Dumble OD Special
General Tips
The input level into the ToneX is critical. The app has an input control with a meter in the bottom-left corner. Your guitar’s output level, as well as your picking-hand dynamics, will determine where to set the input control. It’s best to have the meter average somewhere around the center; too low and the sound is weak, too high creates digital crackle.
I prefer to use highpass and lowpass filters on any DI or modeled sounds as a general rule. It helps contain the sound and sort of tightens it up a little. It also helps create the “miked guitar amp” effect since guitar speakers don’t reproduce the highest or lowest ends of the frequency spectrum of human hearing. Experiment with the frequency ranges, but I find that 50Hz–60Hz for a highpass and 8kHz–10kHz as a lowpass usually work well for standard-tuned guitars.
Keep in mind that ToneX is basically a replacement for an amp, speaker cabinet, and microphone, so it’s not a “finished” recorded sound. Treat it as you would any other recorded amp with judicious use of a preamp, EQ, compression, reverb, or whatever you would normally use to polish a raw guitar sound. For these examples, I’m using Neve 1073 mic pre and Magic Death Eye mastering compressor plug-ins that are simply engaged on my Universal Audio interface. No radical settings, so the result is subtle but really good.
The right ambience and modulation go a long way toward finishing a guitar sound. For these examples, I’m using a bucket-brigade delay plug-in with the slightest amount of modulation (think Deluxe Memory Man) and the Strymon BigSky reverb plug-in on an aux channel. The BigSky is set to the Plate algorithm, which sounds very clean and unobtrusive while still adding a lot of space to the sound.
Tone Models Are Everywhere!
TJ 65 Deluxe Reverb N CLN is one of the best ’65 Fender Deluxe Reverb tone models I’ve found so far. It’s from our friends at Tone Junky and is part of their free collection. As of the writing of this article, IK Multimedia has just released the Joe Satriani Amp Vault Collection. I can’t wait to dig into that; there are definitely great clean sounds in that collection!
Have these sounds piqued your interest? If you’re interested in jumping into the ToneX universe, then check out all of the ToneX hardware and software options we offer at Sweetwater as well as the wide range of great amp and pedal tone models available. If you have further questions or just can’t wait, then reach out to your personal Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700.
