For years I’ve used IK Multimedia products. T-RackS, iRig, interfaces, plugins, monitors, you name it. I’ve been working with their gear since the early 2000s. However, somehow, despite all of that, I’d never actually done a proper deep dive into TONEX.
So while I was in Modena filming at IK Multimedia headquarters, I finally sat down with Lorenzo, Marco and the team to see what all the fuss was about.
And I’ve got to say, I came away seriously impressed.
Walking In Pretty Cold
One thing I wanted to make clear right from the beginning was that I wasn’t pretending to be some kind of TONEX expert. Quite the opposite. I deliberately went into this pretty cold.
Of course I knew what TONEX was. I’d heard the hype, seen the videos, and watched players like Alex Lifeson using it live. However, I’d never really sat with it myself and explored what it could actually do in a real-world recording and production situation.
That’s what intrigued me most.
Not just whether it sounded good in isolation, because honestly most modern modellers sound pretty decent these days, but whether it behaved like a real amp.
That’s always the thing for me.
Can you play softly and keep it clean?
Can you dig in harder and have it respond naturally?
Does it feel alive under your fingers?
That’s the difficult part.
First Impressions
The first thing they handed me was the TONEX pedal itself.
Immediately I was impressed by just how much was packed into it. Tons of presets, stereo operation, IR support, onboard effects, amp and cab flexibility, delays, reverbs, modulation, compression, all of it.
However, features are one thing.
I wanted to hear sounds.
So I started shouting out amps.
“Give me a Deluxe Reverb.”
Straight away they pulled up this gorgeous Fender-style clean tone with chorus and reverb. Warm, dimensional, really familiar feeling.
Then I asked them to strip the modulation off so I could hear it more naked.
Still sounded fantastic.
Then I went for the Roland JC120.
They nailed that instantly too. That glassy hi-fi chorus thing was absolutely there.
Then an AC30.
Then a Marshall JMP.
Then a 5150.
And every single time the thing that stood out wasn’t just the EQ curve or the distortion character, it was the response. The way it reacted when you changed your picking dynamics.
That’s where a lot of digital systems still fall apart.
This didn’t.
It Actually Takes Pedals Properly
This was another big one for me.
Back in the day, one of the fastest ways to destroy a modeller was sticking pedals in front of it. Especially Tube Screamers, Klons, boosts, things like that. Everything would just collapse into fizzy harshness.
However, the TONEX handled pedals really well.
They had a Tube Screamer and a Klon-style pedal running into it and it reacted much more like a real amp than I expected.
That immediately got my attention.
The Feel Is the Whole Point
This is the bit that’s difficult to explain unless you’re actually sitting there playing it.
A great amp isn’t just about frequency response.
It’s touch sensitivity.
It’s that edge-of-breakup thing where lightly picked chords stay clean, however the second you lean into the strings it starts to compress and grind in this really musical way.
That’s what makes amps addictive to play.
And honestly, TONEX V2 gets frighteningly close to that behaviour.
Much closer than I expected.
Capturing a Real Amp
Then we moved into the studio to create our own capture.
This part was fascinating.
We set up a real Fender Deluxe Reverb with a Tube Screamer in front, miked it with an Shure SM57, dialled the sound in properly, and then captured the entire chain using the TONEX software.
What I liked immediately was how straightforward the whole process felt.
You don’t need some insane studio setup.
You can use your own interface, your own laptop, your own amps.
The software walks you through everything.
Marco explained the difference between traditional modelling and what TONEX is doing with its AI capture process.
Traditional modelling tries to mathematically recreate every component inside the amp.
TONEX is listening to behaviour.
Input versus output.
How the amp reacts dynamically.
How it compresses.
How it responds to picking strength.
That’s why the feel gets so convincing.
TONEX ONE+ Makes a Lot of Sense
While I was there, IK were also talking about the brand-new TONEX ONE+, and honestly this feels like a smart evolution of the whole ecosystem.
The original TONEX ONE was already impressively compact, however the new ONE+ adds wireless control through the TONEX Control app on iOS and Android.
That means no computer needed just to tweak tones or manage presets.
You can literally sit there with your phone or tablet, browse ToneNET, edit captures, organise presets and tweak sounds wirelessly.
That’s genuinely useful.
Particularly for players using compact fly rigs, small studio setups, rehearsals, or modern pedalboard systems.
They’ve also added full MIDI support via TRS and USB, which means it integrates properly into larger switching systems and live rigs.
That’s a big deal for touring players.
You can automate changes, switch presets in real time, control parameters externally, even run dual-pedal stereo setups while keeping the footprint tiny.
The pedal ships with 100 premium Tone Models as well, and connects directly into the larger TONEX ecosystem with access to more than 60,000 Tone Models on ToneNET.
That part really stood out to me during the visit.
This isn’t just becoming a pedal.
It’s becoming an entire platform.
The Blind Test
Then came the fun part.
They turned the screen away from me and started switching between the real amp and the TONEX capture without telling me which was which.
At first I thought I could tell.
Then I realised my brain was completely messing with me.
I guessed wrong.
Repeatedly.
At one point I identified the TONEX as the real amp, then moments later identified the real amp as TONEX.
Which basically told me everything I needed to know.
That was the moment where I suddenly understood why players like Pat Metheny and Alex Lifeson are actually using this stuff professionally.
Why Producers Should Care
This is where I think TONEX becomes really powerful.
As producers, we spend hours getting guitar sounds right.
Right amp.
Right cab.
Right mic.
Right placement.
Right pedal chain.
Then the session ends and that exact setup disappears forever.
With TONEX, you can preserve that chain permanently.
That’s huge.
You’re not just storing an amp model.
You’re storing your sound.
Your mic placement.
Your pedals.
Your gain staging.
Your workflow.
That captured tone becomes something you can pull back up instantly months or years later.
And for touring players the advantages are obvious too. Instead of dragging expensive vintage amps around the world every night, you can capture them properly once and carry the whole rig in a pedalboard.
Consistent every night.
No worrying about mic placement.
No venue surprises.
No maintenance headaches.
Final Thoughts
I went into this curious but definitely sceptical.
I came away genuinely impressed.
Not because it replaces the emotional experience of standing in front of a cranked vintage amp, there’s always going to be something magical about that, however because it gets incredibly close while solving a lot of very real practical problems.
And honestly, the blind test said it all.
When I genuinely couldn’t consistently tell the difference between the capture and the real amp, that was the moment it clicked for me.
Technology has come a very long way.
Have a marvellous time recording and mixing.
IK Multimeddia ToneX One Plus: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/GbZaLm
IK Multimedia ToneX: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/B06yXL
IK Multimedia ToneX Amp Simulating Software: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/nLYBRR
IK Multimedia ToneX Cab: https://sweetwater.sjv.io/2RWO47
