Line 6 TonePort UX8/Gearbox Software - Now with Conclusions

[Anderton]

At this point, I've tested the UX8 with multiple platforms, used it in many sessions, and played through the GearBox software (and provided audio examples) with guitar, voice, and bass, so I think it's time for some conclusions.

 

I checked Musician's Friend for the current street price, which is about $500. For that, you get 8 clean preamp/line input channels with pad and low cut filter, S/PDIF I/O, GearBox software (equivalent to the Silver, but not Gold, package), the ability to run the GearBox processors as plug-ins as well as during recording, an input for an expression pedal, stable drivers for Win XP and Mac OS X, solidly-built rack mount enclosure, and ToneDirect monitoring, whose importance should not be underestimated. You also get true 88.2/96kHz recording, not the upsampled version found in previous TonePort interfaces.

 

What you don't get: physical MIDI I/O, individual +48V phantom power switches (there are two switches for mic pres in groups of four), and the ability to apply GearBox software to more than two inputs while recording. That limitation doesn't apply during mixing and playback, when you can run the GearBox software as standard plug-ins.

 

I do find the lack of a MIDI port curious, because you'll need another piece of gear if you want to use, say, a control surface, or if MIDI sequencing is an important part of what you do. With a MIDI port, the UX8 would have truly been a one-stop solution, particularly because (due to the proliferation of virtual instruments) it seems few musicians need multi-port interfaces anymore. Bottom line: If MIDI's important to you, budget another $100 for the Tapco Link.MIDI or equivalent.

 

You also don't get 64-bit drivers for Vista...yet. Line 6 has announced they're working on it, so knowing Line 6, they'll be available before too long. Given how many musicians are sticking with XP at the moment, though, that's not going to be a limitation to too many people. You also don't get to use multiprocessing in Sonar with the UX8, but supposedly while that problem is out of Line 6's hands, an update from either Cakewalk or Microsoft is expected to fix this. Also, note that the UX8 is a USB 2.0 device, so if you're still living in a USB 1.1 world, it's not for you. On the other hand, those with USB 2.0 won't have to deal with the FireWire issues that have plagued users of some interfaces on some computers.

 

In terms of value, Line 6 has always placed great importance on that, and the UX8 is no exception. But I'd give extra credit because the preamps are good, not just serviceable, and the converters are better than what I would expect in a product at this price point. Even without the GearBox software, the $500 street price would not be out of line at all because this is a fine audio interface.

 

However, to me it's the GearBox software and ToneDirect monitoring that take the UX8 to another level. With my primary instrument being guitar, I'm used to getting a sound and recording it. Playing through plug-ins has always been a compromise due to the latencies involved, but the feel when using ToneDirect monitoring is as close to real time as you can get. If you really need the "safety net" of being able to change the sound of your recording after the fact, you can always record a dry track simultaneously, and use the GearBox software in plug-in mode.

 

As to the GearBox software itself, there will always be those who feel digital models of amps don't sound like real amps. I'm not going to argue with them, because that's a subjective call. Personally, I find the flexibility of amp sims to way offset any differences in tone; and when playing back from a track, it's almost impossible - if not impossible - to tell that the sound wasn't recorded with a "real" amp. Even if you don't use the guitar-oriented aspects, however, GearBox is still a very useful suite of effects, period. I use it all the time on vocals, drums, and synths, as well as (of course) guitar and bass. Can GearBox provide everything you'd ever want? No. There are no tape simulators, maximizers, multiband compressors, etc. However, as a useful toolbox with a broad palette of sounds, you can't go wrong. Having them included with the UX8 is a great move, as I think just about any musician could benefit from having GearBox installed on a computer.

 

The bottom line is that Line 6 has done a superb job in their first foray into higher-end studio, not just guitar, gear. They've packed a lot of value into the price point, while offering solid construction and excellent driver stability. If you don't need to record up to eight inputs at a time, though, you can use something like the TonePort UX2 and derive most of the same benefits; the UX8 seems designed for someone above the "I'm just a guy laying down tracks all by myself in front of a computer" level.

 

Ultimately what matters is sound, reliability, and convenience. The UX8 delivers all of them; the proof forme is in listening back to tracks I've recorded with the UX8. If you're in the target audience for this type of product, you won't be disappointed in the UX8. And if you exploit the GearBox software and ToneDirect monitoring to the fullest, you'll be thrilled.

 

Although I've posted my conclusions, this thread will remain open for additional comments, and I'll be monitoring it to answer any further questions you might have. Thanks to all for your participation!

[Anderton]

One more thing: When the 64-bit drivers appear, I'll test them and report on the results here.

 

Also, feel free to post any audio examples using the GearBox software - the more, the merrier, and it will give people yet another perspective on what the software can do.

[tradivoro1]

Thanks Craig for the review... Definitely, this is something I'll consider in the future when upgrading my current sound card... I'm sure that if I'd just read about it in a magazine, it wouldn't have made the same impact as this blow by blow account, which fixed bugs and pointed out what the user has to do to get this work at capacity...

[Chris Martins]

It's true that the toneport is a really great unit. The price/quality ratio is really good on this, as you get a lot of equipment for the price you pay, and there's way more inside than meets the eye. The plug-in capability on top of the regular gearbox software is worth the admission price... Considering you also get a lot of I/Os that are really clean, it's just a great deal.

[Anderton]

Thanks Craig for the review... Definitely, this is something I'll consider in the future when upgrading my current sound card... I'm sure that if I'd just read about it in a magazine, it wouldn't have made the same impact as this blow by blow account, which fixed bugs and pointed out what the user has to do to get this work at capacity...

 

 

Thanks for the comments. Actually, I came up with the Pro Review format specifically to overcome some of the limitations of print that become apparent when dealing with deep, evolving products.

 

Hopefully the audio examples were useful as well...after all, that's where the "rubber meets the road"! Yes, I've been impressed with the UX8, particularly because of what you get at the price point.

 

One suggestion for Line 6: Offer a "UX8 Gold" package for another $100-$200 that includes all the available models and plug-ins. Also, a UX8/KB37 bundle would be cool where people could save on the KB37 because they wouldn't have to pay for redundant software. That also takes care of getting MIDI into your computer.

[ouga]

ok,here's how it goes.great puzzle.
i installed successfully the drivers and stuff,made the default sound card the ux8 in windows xp and opened the nuendo application.
when i go to the inputs and outputs section the program only recognize 2 inputs and 2 outputs!and when i try to change it,my ux8 does not appear in the list.
i have a huge problem with this and i dont know how to record drums with 8 mics using nuendo and a seperate channel for each mic.if anyone can help me please reply as soon.i'm really stuck:

[Anderton]

ok,here's how it goes.great puzzle. i installed successfully the drivers and stuff,made the default sound card the ux8 in windows xp and opened the nuendo application. when i go to the inputs and outputs section the program only recognize 2 inputs and 2 outputs!and when i try to change it,my ux8 does not appear in the list. i have a huge problem with this and i dont know how to record drums with 8 mics using nuendo and a seperate channel for each mic.if anyone can help me please reply as soon.i'm really stuck:

 

 

Have you set up the VST connections properly? That seems like the first place to look for issues. It's probably set up for stereo at the moment.

[ouga]

i tried a thousand times to setup the vst connections but my toneport ux8 does not appear in the list.i tried each one of the buses available and the only inputs and outputs i get are from my old card which is deactivated from the device manager,how's that possible?i don't get it.and the final part of the puzzle;even though the list in vst connections is as i described,i hear the playback from toneport!and when i record,it records only the instrument inputs of toneport and not at the same time.have i done something wrong?a difficult math problem would be easier..

[ouga]

i forgot to say what's going on in vst connections exactly.in inputs;i chose a bus with 8 mono inputs,the speakers reads mono,audio device reads asio multimedia driver and the device port my old card sb audigy4 in each channel,i hope that helps.i'm starting to lose my patience.please help

[ouga]

something new...i disabled the driver of sb audigy 4 from device manager and nuendo does not recognize any available asio driver.it seems the only driver it can use is the sb audigy driver.what can i do?where can i find the correct asio driver for toneport ux8 so nuendo recognize the device?

[ouga]

solved!hahaha!i'm really happy now...in the device properties i should check the correct asio driver.at last!

[Blades]

I just wanted to add a link to a few more vocal examples. These are really short clips just going through "flat" versions of each of the preamps, using a Rode NT1 mic going into my Layla3g via a Behringer ADA8000 - or maybe when I did these it was still coming off some cheap Behringer mixer - nothing fancy, nonetheless.

On my site (updating this soon to be more useful), select the music section, and then go tp the Lin6 stuff within that and you'll see my example files. Check out here http://blades85.com

Hope that adds something.

[Chris Martins]

It does...

 

It's cool that the people who don't have the gear can hear what the different preamps can do for them... I think that's a fair representation of what the gearbox software can do, not just for guitar players for for vocalists too... I know that my vocal mic sounds REALLY nice through the american classic and vintage UK preamp simulations for example ( Z5600A by Se electronics ), but not quite so good with the avalon sim ( a bit harsh and trebly )... And I think that the tonal character of each pre is well represented in your demo...

 

Nice...

[Anderton]

Yes indeed, good stuff. I should add that just because I posted vocal examples doesn't mean everyone's voice will sound the same through the models - if you switch mics, for example, the "flavor" changes. The Line 6 vocal pres don't so much force a character on a mic/vocal, but influence it in a certain way.

[Japetus]

Good review on the UX8. I have spent limited time using the UX8 but I have been using the UX2 for almost 2 years now and I love it. It makes recording demos SO easy and a lot of times, people are surprised at the quality overall if you have a good drum track.

It's amazing these days how inexpensively you can put out a quality recording. $130 for a UX2 and Reaper for free.

[Anderton]

Agreed! I think what surprised me the most about the UX8 was the mic preamps - they definitely exceeded my expectations. Frankly, I think if someone can't get a good recording out of something like the UX8, I think they need to look elsewhere than their gear for the problem.

[justcrash]

I did this for a fun thing that is going on in guitar jam. I used the gearbox plug in, the vocal preamp was the vintage UK.

gj_comm_jc.mp3

[blackmonday]

Big fan of line 6 here, the UX2 has served me well for a couple of years. Question - Can you use 8 different modeling stages at the same time? That would seem to need a lot of horsepower. Would that require using plugins, or can the gearbox software be configured for each input?

 

For example, on the UX2 I can specify a guitar input with a modeling chain, and a mic input with a different modeling chain. Am I correct that the UX8 lets you have 8 different modeling chains at the same time?

[Anderton]

You can apply the modeling to two inputs, not all eight. Of course, if you're using the GearBox software as plug-ins in a host program, the sky's the limit (well, the sky being your processor speed and RAM).

 

In practice, I haven't found this to be much of a limitation, as I'm usually recording by myself and have the luxury of doing the TonePort monitoring thing. On those occasions where I'm recording multiple sources at once, I'll apply plug-ins during mixdown on those signals that weren't recorded with processing.

[AxlOz]

Hi guys, this is my first post here. I've been using a UX2 for a couple of years now and have found it amazing useful for demo'ing. I've been thinking about upgrading to the UX8 recently as its come down in price a fair bit. In your opinions, is it worth the upgrade?

I probably wont need all the extra inputs as I generally only record myself, so is the hardware itself any better than that of the UX2?

The UX8 now also comes with the pod platinum modelling pack, which adds a heap more models to its lineup, this is a plus i'm aware of.

Any info will be much appreciated.

[Ashmil]

Inputs aside, the main advantage in terms of hardware I guess is that it's a lot more durably and solidly bit - the UX2 is a bit plasticky in comparison. Relevant if you need to take the unit around with you - I think the UX2 is better off left on the desktop. I think the UX8 is a great unit.

However if you're doing alright with the UX2, and don't need the extra inputs, why upgrade? The extra models/fx (worth getting) can be added to your UX2 quite cheaply.

[bostonwal]

The UX8 can send numerous streams to your DAW simultaneously, including:

Can this be done with the other Toneports - like the UX1 or the UX2?

EDIT: I just discovered the "Send 3-4" right next to all the effects, so I guess the answer is Yes. That's awesome! Although I believe only two of the three in the above list can be done at a time but that's fine with me.

[bostonwal]

The UX8 now also comes with the pod platinum modelling pack, which adds a heap more models to its lineup, this is a plus i'm aware of.

 

 

The Power Pack and the FX Pack will give you all the Platinum models for $75 total. Add the Plugin functionality for $50 and you have the complete Platinum Plugin Pack. Not sure what the Platinum Pack for $250 is all about though.

[TamaMan92]

Hi, just one quick question,

 

Can you record (from the mic inputs on the rear) onto 8 separate channels in the DAW software? ie can I multi-track a live recording using the toneport's mic inputs?

 

Cheers

 

 

(Awesome review btw, I am pretty much one step away from buying after reading this!)

[gregap_42]

You can absolutely record all eight tracks simultaneously.

I am using my UX8 to record into GarageBand and all I have to do is identify which input goes to which track and it's done.

You can also mix and match what comes through those inputs. For instance I have channels 1 and 2 set to the instrument inputs, channel 3/4 is a stereo pair from my keyboard into the UX8's XLRs and channel 5 is used for a vocal mic. You could set any of channels 3-8 to the line in or XLR.