Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary  Lately I've been goofing off with the Line 6 Tone Port UX2––it's cheap, and it sounds good, and its exceeding simple to use... once you get your software configured!
Of course, you probably wouldn't want to use it for professional recording, but its a great piece of hardware/software for doing quick demos and the like.
The included GearBox sofware, which models a bajillion different amps and effects, is just really fun to use... the pre-sets leave abit to be desired (as I hear about most of Line 6's products,) but with a bit of tweaking you can get some really great tones going direct in.
I originally bought it just as a USB interface, intending to mic my amp (which I still intend to do,) but I've gotten kind of sucked into all the possibilities of the GearBox software.
Paired with a decent set of monitors (I bought the M-Audio DX4s,) it's a very decent set-up for home recording, for a price tag of less than $400... not bad for just having fun! |
Good going with the Line6 UX2.... I dig the VU meters. The one thing I don't like about the Line6 software/hardware is that once you "commit" to a tone and put it on "disk"... You can't really change your mind. They did just come out with a VST "plug-in" for other recording software, but you have to have your Line6 gear plugged in to use it (which is kind of a hassle if you're recording on ProTools or using a more advanced sound interface), and it's an additional $200. Also, you can probably get most of the same tones using Amplitube or another plug-in and not have the hardware limitation (granted those plug-ins sometimes cost more the the Line6 gear).
But if you are just putting down some quick stuff, the Line6 stuff is great. It lets you do some experimenting that isn't really possible in the "real" world. It lets a lot of people hear what certain amps sound like for the first time.
A test we did in the studio comparing plug-ins vs. amps a few months ago revealed some surprising results. Pushing air through a speaker has a quality that plug-ins have not been able to model.... even mic'ing an amp that has a modeler in front of it had that "realness" to it....particularly in the high end and in certain mid registers. Also, and most importantly, the pre-amp that the mic is going through can make or break the recorded guitar sound....and also make it blend with the rest of your "live" tracks. I'll take just about any amp mic'd running through an Avalon 737sp over the sound of a modeler.
I've done freaky stuff were I've taken the output of the DAW with a direct recording of the guitar (through RME's great limiting instrument pre-amp), and ran it through a mic'd amp...tweaked the amp while looping the track, and re-recorded the "processed" track. I've gotten the most amazing tones that way.