Very Nice Guitar Integration with PC - But it's not a sound card!
Written: Aug 07 '06 (Updated Aug 16 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Excellent way to get your instrument or voice into a computer program.
Cons: No footpedal, limited effects and amp models.
The Bottom Line: Very good consumer-level interface to the world of computers for the traditionally analog musician.
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| pescj's Full Review: Line 6 TonePort UX1 Sound Card |
NOTE: Contrary to the Epinions description at the time I wrote this review, the TonePort UX1 is NOT a sound card. It's an external device that plugs into a USB port.
I've played guitar for 30 years and worked with computers for twenty. In that time I've always resisted the push to marry the two. To me musical instruments have always been the antithesis of the 'Moore's Law' way of thinking that prevails in technology. I love the fact that the guitar and amp that I've owned for decades are as good or better than most of the stuff that's being made today.
So, as I said, I've always resisted the move to plug the guitar into my computer. Then, one day I was messing around with some recording/sampling/mixing software and I realized how powerful, clean and accurate it was. There, on my computer and at very little cost I had software that would allow me to record, bounce, mix, punch in and out, time-stretch, detune, sample, and on and on. It was a revelation! Turns out the computer and music ARE well-suited to each other. (Check out http://flstudio.com/ if you want to get a look at some really fun and hip software.) So I had to find a means by which to plug my Strat and ES-137 into my laptop and get my playing into the mix. I did a fair amount of research and the Timeport was exactly what I wanted.
The Setup
The unit plugs into a USB port on your computer. You plug your guitar or bass into the Timeport and the signal is routed to the software that Line6 ships with the unit. There are a couple of stereo line ins and line outs so you can monitor an external sound source or send your guitar to an external source (like a PA). There is also a mic input with a built in preamp, but I haven't used it.
The Software
Line 6 ships a good software package (Gearbox) with this unit. It contains a bunch of very usable amp models, speaker cabinets, preamps and effects. I play a combination of rock and jazz and I can usually create a tone that meets my needs. You can tweak any and all settings for the canned sample sounds and save them as user sounds.
I used to use my own custom sounds exclusively, but the latest version of Gearbox has a really cool Tone Library button which links you to a whole bunch of on-line tones that emulate sounds from people like BB King and other well-known player to staff members from Berklee. These tones are awesome! They really expand the usefulness of the software.
Speaking of which, the latest version also includes a cool little metronome which was sorely missing from the last version. You can use it to provide a simple click-track or use one the provided drum grooves. It even does 5/4 time. Very nice.
The effects are standard issue - Reverb, Delay, EQ, Chorus, Flange, Fuzz, etc. They are all serviceable and virtually noise-free.
The Sound
This thing sounds great for the price! The modelled amps are quite authentic. The only sound I haven't been able to reproduce is a Marshall Stack, but I think if I spent the time, I would be able to get just what I was looking for. I was afraid before I got it that it might track poorly or there might be a latency issue, but the thing is spot-on. I can bend, hammer, tap, pull, pop, mute, chicken-pick, etc and it doesn't miss a beat. Another fear I had was that the character of my guitar would be lost in all of that electronic processing, what with the modelling and all, but that is not the case. I'm happy to report that my semi-hollow-body retains its clear harmonics and subtle, round tones while the Strat chunks and crunches away.
Keep in-mind, however, that this isn't a studio-level piece of equipment. It's great for getting a guitar or bass signal into your computer. And the Gearbox software is terrific for a consumer-level signal processing, amp modelling tool. But don't expect pristine, high-end output. It's good, but keep the price in-mind when you form your expectations.
Some Drawbacks
There are a couple of minor drawbacks. First, you can't really use the thing on-stage because it has no foot-pedal. That means that you have to use your computer's mouse every time you want to select a different sound or change a setting. Second, I wish there were more options available for it. For instance, if people could write plugins for it, a whole world of effects or amp sounds might blossom. As it is, we're stuck with the options that the vendor puts out.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 129
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Epinions.com ID:
pescj
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Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 3 members
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