Blackstar ID:X Floor | MusicRadar Reimagined] - Guitar | Technique

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What is it?

The world of digital modeling has evolved from misunderstood ‘compromise’ to cornerstone, and as we enter the second quarter of the century, the market has never been so well catered for, and, at times, confusing. But, while Line 6, Neural DSP and Fractal battle it out at the top end of the market with enough scientific references to make Einstein ditch his EL34s, Blackstar has its crosshairs trained on the other end of the spectrum.

If you think that quality valve amp emulations and organic-sounding effects are the reserve of deep-pocketed pros possessing a physics degree in order to get a good tone, the UK amp brand is here to attempt to change your mind.

The ID:X Floor series sees Blackstar’s ID:X amps and effects ported into a trio of floor-based units designed to deliver your amp, speaker and effects emulations in a compact and affordable format.

They all feature the same headcount of amps and effects, but the hardware expands as you move up the range. Here, the focus is on the mid-level Floor Two, which gains an expression pedal over the Floor One, while remaining smaller than the Floor Two.

(Image credit: Matt Lincoln/Future)

Specs

Blackstar ID:X Floor Two — (Image credit: Blackstar)

Launch price: £219 | $279 | €249

Type: Amp modeller/multi-effects pedal

Controls: Voice, Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, ISF, Master Volume, Manual switch, FX on/off buttons x4 , Response/Voice controls, Focus rotary controls, Cabrig button, 3 x footswitches

Features: Expression pedal, tap tempo, tuner

Connectivity: Input, Amp output, Line Out/headphones, XLR L/R (Cabrig emulated) MIDI in (TRS), line in, USB-C

Bypass: N/A

Power: 9V, 500mA

Dimensions: 215x68x155mm

Weight: 2.07kg

Options: N/A

Contact: Blackstar

Build quality

Build quality rating: ★★★★½

Weighing in at just over two kilos, the ID:X Floor Two feels meaty when first removing it from the box thanks to its all-metal construction. The controls are capped with Blackstar’s regular plastic amp knobs, accompanied by nine soft-touch buttons along with a pair of rotary encoders for editing the effects. The footswitches are metal too, however they are a tad on the flush side – a little extra height would make patch changes and tempo-setting feel a little more definite.

To the back, the input and output sockets all feel solid, with no wobbling or unwanted movement from across the connectivity/control set.

The expression pedal treadle measures 16cm x 7.5cm, which while not full size when compared to say, a Crybaby, it does feel comfortable to us with a good amount of movement without feeling too ‘mini’.

Finally, there’s the 30mmx15 mm OLED display. It’s bright and clear, making up for what it lacks in size with bold output. The only slight issue is that I found using the two encoders beneath the screen often caused me to obscure the display with my hand. Overall, it’s a compact and sturdy unit.

Usability

Usability rating: ★★★★☆

The ID:X Floor functions in two modes: Preset or Manual. In the former, the pedal offers 99 patches for you to save and recall signal chains from, while in the latter, the pedal operates in a WYSIWYG arrangement, where the sound will reflect the current state of every control.

The Floor Two is laid out in a clean and logical style, with three main sections covering your amp choices, effects selection and power amp/cab settings.The integrated expression pedal is activated with a traditional toe-switch under the treadle and there’s a button next to it for selecting between volume, wah and a custom assignment.

The Voice selector lets you choose one of the ID:X’s 18 amp models – these are arranged into three groups of six, governed by the Voice button to the right-hand side of the pedal. The first comprises models of Blackstar originals, the second group is Blackstar’s Ampton selection, based on classic amps from other brands, and the third is home to a pair of acoustic amps, an acoustic simulator and a trio of bass amps.

In operation, it’s all quite straightforward. You can scroll up and down incrementally through the presets, or hold the footswitch to scroll faster in either direction. Obviously this does require some planning of your patch order if you want to use the Floor 2 live, as unlike the Floor 3, there’s no banking of the presets. I should also note that jumping between presets does result in a noticeable dip while the Floor 2 transitions.

In Manual mode, things are just as simple. Choose your amp, apply effects, pick a power amp flavour (EL84, EL34 or 6L6) and you’re away. The amp-like control layout across the top makes tweaking your core sound familiar, with Gain, Volume, three-band EQ and Blackstar’s patented ISF control all to hand.

Applying effects is easy too, with each of the pedal categories laid out over four buttons: Pre FX, Mod, Delay and Reverb. They’re set in a preset order, so there’s no rearranging, and pressing the button engages the corresponding effect. From here, pressing the selected button again puts it into the ‘focus’ of the screen and two rotary controls for model selection and parameter editing. The screen is small, but works well enough for on-the-fly tweaking, particularly once you’ve got used to the functionality of the two controls. However, for more detailed building of sounds, Blackstar’s free Architect software certainly makes things easier.

So, while navigation is easy, it’s also where my biggest complaint with the Floor Two resides. With the seam between presets, an obvious work around would be to load one patch per-song and switch drives, delays and effects in and out as needed. But the only way to do this out of the box is to take your hands off the guitar and press the buttons. A MIDI footswitch would also solve the issue, but if this is a dealbreaker then you’ll need to look at the ID:X Floor Three, which comes with footswitches for each effects section.

The ID:X Floor Two punches well and truly above its price tag

Sounds

Sounds rating: ★★★★½

When it comes to sounds, though, there’s very little to complain about. Blackstar made its bones in the tradition of great-sounding UK valve amps. As such, the ID:X Floor Two punches well and truly above its price tag in the amp department. 18 might not sound like that many by today’s standards, but they’re done very well, and it forces some focus rather than just model-hopping. Everyone is catered for, from low-gain, high-headroom models such as the Clean Bright (Artisan 30) to classic crunch found in models such as the Super Crunch (HT Club 50) and the all-out high gain assault of the OD 1 (Series One 100). The same goes for the Ampton models, which bring the familiar tones of amps including a Fender Twin, Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, Marshall JCM800 and more .

Blackstar ID:X Floor Two

(Image credit: Matt Lincoln/Future)

But it’s not all just about the amp modelling. Blackstar might not be as well known for its effects, but here it shows that it knows exactly what it’s doing in that department.

With over 35 effects split across the four categories, you’ve got pretty much everything you’re likely to need here, with the exception of pitch-based effects.

From overdrive pedals including a Tube Screamer, Klon Centaur, Rat, Big Muff and more in the Pre-FX section, to the deep, widening of modulation and delay pedals (the Analog, Tape Echo and Shimmer are particularly nice) to the full, lush blanketing of the reverbs. These are quality sounds that have a more ‘expensive’ flavour than the price the ID:X is asking.

Verdict

There’s no faulting the quality of the sounds on offer here, particularly given the price tag, and Blackstar has done a great job of supplying plenty of useful presets straight out of the box.

The amps respond with dynamics to pick attack and volume adjustments from the guitar, and sound very, very good for the money.

Likewise, the effects really deliver and the entire Floor Two is easy to use without having to dive too deep into the manual. Having access to Blackstar’s Architect software makes things even more straightforward, but if you’re the type who wants to keep their music-making away from computers, it’s not essential.

The amps respond with dynamics to pick attack and volume adjustments from the guitar

The only choice you’ll need to make is likely to come from the application you want to use it for. There’s a variance between the whole ID:X Floor range of £110, with only £50 between the Floor Two and Floor Three.

So, if you’re likely to be using this at home for practice or recording, where jumping between sounds seamlessly is less crucial, the Floor Two bags you the integrated expression pedal and sits in a fairly sweet spot for some high quality modelled amps and effects.

However, if you intend to use this live and need the ability to switch pedals on and off within a patch, the relatively small jump to the Floor Three is probably a no-brainer.

MusicRadar verdict
The ID:X Floor is bursting with great sounds, and the good news is that you don’t have to delve too deep to find them. Menuphobes will love the hands-on feel of the main controls, which make perfect sense if you’re new to using modellers. The foot control limitations scupper its power slightly, but the Floor Three solves this for an extra £50. It’s the modelling unit for those who’d rather play than get bogged down in too many details.

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Ratings scorecard
Test	Results	Score
Build quality	It feels like it’s ready to undergo years of punishment, with the shallow footswitches being the only (small) negative.	★★★★½
Usability	In navigation, it’s about as straightforward as they come with hardware-style control. Footswitches for the FX blocks would be great, but you’ll need the Floor Three for that.	★★★★☆
Sounds	The ID:X Floor sounds are nothing short of fantastic. It’s got nearly everything you’ll need, and it’s great quality.	★★★★½
Overall	For home and recording use, it’s a tough act to follow. Live players will likely spend the extra on the Floor Three for greater control.	★★★★½