Any ToneDexter users?

Niklas Widen · Post by **Niklas Widen** » 13 Feb 2018 3:06 pm

Has anyone in here tried the ToneDexter from Audio Sprockets? Itâ€™s like a Kemper profiler for acoustic instruments and uses technology similar to Fishmanâ€™s Aura pedals, with the added benefit of being anle to tailor the â€™imagesâ€™ (or WaveMaps, using ToneDexter lingo) to your own instrument.

Iâ€™ve had mine for a few weeks and really like what it does to refine a quacky piezo signal. Hereâ€™s a little clip I recorded with a dobro, switching between the raw piezo pickup and the tonedexter. Recorded straight from the output of the ToneDexter into my soundcard.

https://soundcloud.com/nickewiden/toned ... nic-guitar

Curious to see if anyone else has tried it. Would love to hear how it would work with a Weissenborn, for example.

Check put their website, www.audiosprockets.com

/Niklas

Bryan Daste · Post by **Bryan Daste** » 13 Feb 2018 11:24 pm

My bandmate has one for his acoustic guitar, and it’s truly amazing. It really does make the pickup sound like the instrument itself, using convolution. Takes a bit of doing to set it up, but if you’ve got a decent microphone it’s not that difficult really. I want one for my banjo and upright bass! And a Kemper while we’re at it.

Niklas Widen · Post by **Niklas Widen** » 23 Feb 2018 2:30 pm

I made a recording today of an improvised little bluegrass thing using the ToneDexter. All instruments are recorded through the TD (except for an electric bass which was DI:d) - no EQ, compression or other processing. I'm loving this little unit more and more

https://soundcloud.com/nickewiden/toned ... ass-demo-2

I have experimented with a few banjo pickup options and the best results by far were with the LR Baggs banjo bridge with integrated piezo. That's the one used in the link above. Compare it to my other bluegrass clip, which was done with a K&K. The only limitation with the Baggs pickup is that they only make it in a 5/8" height version.

Lee Rider · Post by **Lee Rider** » 25 Feb 2018 7:51 am

Niklas: What pickup are you using on your dobro?

Thanks

Lee Rider

Niklas Widen · Post by **Niklas Widen** » 25 Feb 2018 8:23 am

I’m using Fishman’s ’Nashville series’ pickup. That’s the one that uses piezo transducers built into two replacement bridge saddles.

Bob Watson · Post by **Bob Watson** » 26 Feb 2018 12:58 am

Does it have to be a piezo pickup? I have a Beard Gold Tone with the Classic Series Passive Resophonic pickup in it and I was wondering if it would work with that pickup?

Niklas Widen · Post by **Niklas Widen** » 27 Feb 2018 2:17 am

I think the passive Fishman pickup is a small piezo transducer, only that it's mounted to the cone center-screw rather than built into the bridge saddles. I have used that pickup before but never with the ToneDexter so I'm not sure how well it would work. I only know that magnetic pickups are not compatible with their technology.

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 13 Mar 2018 7:59 pm

I ordered the Tonedexter and had it delivered to my hotel at the Texas Steel Jamboree.
I had my mic with me and did the models or maps in my hotel room, without headphones because I forgot the adapter for 1/4” jack home

Played my Beard with the Fishman Nashville on the main stage and at least 10 players came to ask how did I get such a natural sound out of the guitar plugged in.
So, I`m really happy with it. I also played a loud bar gig in Austin using the Tonedexter and it fared equally well. A great pedal....

Tommy Detamore · Post by **Tommy Detamore** » 14 Mar 2018 3:59 am

I got mine a couple days ago. I am going to try it this weekend with upright bass, but meantime I did some preliminary testing here in the studio with a gut-string and a steel-string acoustic. This thing is impressive. And James May at Audio Sprockets has been very responsive and helpful.

I need to take it for a spin with my Schertler Basik-equipped dobro....

Tommy Detamore · Post by **Tommy Detamore** » 14 Mar 2018 7:54 am

BTW, really nice stuff Niklas! And the A-B testing is dramatic and revealing.

Charlie Thompson · Post by **Charlie Thompson** » 19 May 2019 1:16 pm

Niklas Your banjo playing is superb. I am wondering if you could share the procedure you used for the banjo wavemap?
Thanks

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 19 May 2019 4:52 pm

Excellent bluegrass playing and what a nice natural tone. That's great stuff there.

Richard Nelson · Post by **Richard Nelson** » 19 May 2019 5:03 pm

Isnâ€™t that the same technology that the Fishman Aura pedal uses?

gary pierce · Post by **gary pierce** » 19 May 2019 5:40 pm

I wonder if it will work with a Shertler basic, or does it have to be a piezo pickup.

Karlis Abolins · Post by **Karlis Abolins** » 21 May 2019 6:06 am

After this thread was originally posted, I checked out the tonedexter and decided to get one for my Baltic Psaltery. I have found it to live up to its claims about accurate reproduction of the pickup signal as if it were being mic'd.
The training procedure is simple and responds to your playing style. Because of this, you can have several programs which were trained on different picking styles.
The notch filter is a life-saver. My instrument has a strong resonance around D-Eb and I can quickly dial in the notch to eliminate feedback. I only wish it had a couple more notches like the Fishman Aura.
All in all, it is the best preamp that I own and the one I use all of the time. I use the Aura for outside playing because the tonedexter is not battery-powered.

Karlis

Larry Dering · Post by **Larry Dering** » 21 May 2019 6:40 am

I own the Fishman Aura Spectrum pedal and it never gets a tone like those examples. I have better results with the Baggs para DI. I'm totally impressed by the ToneDexter and will try one soon.

David Spires · Post by **David Spires** » 23 May 2019 5:32 am

Thumbs up on the ToneDexter as well, and I was a Jerry Douglas Aura user. Nothing more realistic that I have come across.

-David Spires

Charlie Thompson · Post by **Charlie Thompson** » 23 May 2019 5:59 am

Any recommendations for microphones and Mike placement?

David Spires · Post by **David Spires** » 23 May 2019 6:05 am

I used my Slate ML-2 (small condenser), and just like recording... find the spot to mic it that sounds best to you.

Charlie Thompson · Post by **Charlie Thompson** » 23 May 2019 8:31 am

David.. did you run it through recording software and use a model or just the mic direct?

So far i have used the Ml2 and a 57.. The wavelabs sound like there is a slight phaser effect which is undesirable for me. I am using Mics direct w/o software. I have tried several mic positions

David Spires · Post by **David Spires** » 24 May 2019 5:13 am

ML-2 direct, no modeling... Are you listening through headphones/in-ears, or speakers? Our fiddle player has been using the TD, and when we were on wedges, he felt the tone wasn't right, and I reminded him of the phase switch on the back.

The only other thing I can think to mention is staying very still at the mic during training (I sit down).

Hope you get it to work out... It's been amazing for me.

Sincerely,

David Spires

Charlie Thompson · Post by **Charlie Thompson** » 24 May 2019 5:32 am

Thanks David still working on it..Using headphones, very still and have tried both phase switch positions. looks like you are using on Dobro which I haven't tried yet. I have been using the Douglas Aura as well on on Dobro. I will be testing on dobro too. Thanks

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