The evolution of IK Multimedia’s Tonex ecosystem continues apace with the launch of its flagship amp modeller, a unit that of course brings with it thousands of guitar amp sounds and thousands of effects, cab sims, and options by the score.
But what makes the Tonex Board an even more compelling proposition is its capabilities as an all-in-one rig.
Yes, the Tonex One mini pedal can be your fly rig for the night, likewise the Tonex Pedal. The Tonex Board, however, allows players to run four Tone Models at once – and that makes it an all-in-one solution for running complex wet/dry and dual-amp stereo setups.
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Those four Tone Models can be run over two wholly independent signal paths. And that is a pretty big deal for the gigging musician whose sound is a little more convoluted. Dual stereo inputs mean you can run two guitars into one unit, and route each through its own signal path.
This would not be a new launch of a piece of digital hardware without a whole bunch of new sounds, and so we’ve got lots and lots of sounds here. There are 76 in total, 51 from IK Multimedia’s AmpliTube 5, 15 from Tonex, and 10 all-new effects models.
All the main food groups are covered, with nine effects categories including overdrive/distortion, modulation, delay, reverb, et cetera. A custom IR module lets you upload your own Impulse Responses.
A stereo effects loop lets you integrate your pedalboard. And a quick look at the back of the unit will tell you that there is no shortage of connections, with MIDI, USB-C, a headphones out, those stereo inputs in, and you can use the unit as a guitar audio interface to record.
There is a bewildering array of sounds. IK Multimedia says you get 2,000 Premium Tone Models, some of which are from the Tonex MAX library, some from the new Tonex ONE+ Signature Collection, while some are exclusive to the Tonex Board.
If you’re familiar with the Tonex lineup you’ll be aware that there are more sounds available via the ToneNET user community.
You can position up to a dozen Tone Model and effects slots wherever you like in your signal chain, arranging them via the push-rotary controls and the Tonex Board’s 5” colour touchscreen. There are 1,400 onboard presets. Those Tone Models, lest we forget, are engineered using IK Multimedia’s AI Machine Modelling.
Players can also model their own amps, cabinets and pedals and full rigs with the bundled TONEX Modeler software, or use their Tone Models as guitar plugins or standalone apps. The TONEX Board Editor allows you to load existing Tone Models to the unit.
The Tonex Board is available now, priced £959/$/€999. See IK Multimedia for more.
