Vox Tonelab EX User manual

ii
Precautions
Location
Usingtheunitinthefollowinglocationscanresultinamal‐
function.
•Indirectsunlight
•Locationsofextremetemperatureorhumidity
•Excessivelydustyordirtylocations
•Locationsofexcessivevibration
•Closetomagneticfields
Power supply
PleaseconnectthedesignatedACadaptertoanACoutletof
thecorrectvoltage.DonotconnectittoanACoutletofvolt‐
ageotherthanthatforwhichyourunitisintended.
Interference with other electrical devices
Radiosandtelevisionsplacednearbymayexperiencerecep‐
tioninterference.Operatethisunitatasuitabledistancefrom
radiosandtelevisions.
Handling
Toavoidbreakage,donotapplyexcessiveforcetothe
switchesorcontrols.
Care
Iftheexteriorbecomesdirty,wipeitwithaclean,drycloth.
Donotuseliquidcleanerssuchasbenzeneorthinner,or
cleaningcompoundsorflammablepolishes.
Keep this manual
Afterreadingthismanual,pleasekeepitforlaterreference.
Keeping foreign matter out of your equipment
Neversetanycontainerwithliquidinitnearthisequipment.
Ifliquidgetsintotheequipment,itcouldcauseabreakdown,
fire,orelectricalshock.
Becarefulnottoletmetalobjectsgetintotheequipment.If
somethingdoesslipintotheequipment,unplugtheAC
adapterfromthewalloutlet.ThencontactyournearestVOX
dealerorthestorewheretheequipmentwaspurchased.
THE FCC REGULATION WARNING (for USA)
Thisequipmenthasbeentestedandfoundtocomplywiththelimitsfora
ClassBdigitaldevice,pursuanttoPart15oftheFCCRules.Theselimits
aredesignedtoprovidereasonableprotectionagainstharmfulinterference
inaresidentialinstallation.Thisequipmentgenerates,uses,andcan
radiateradiofrequencyenergyand,ifnotinstalledandusedinaccordance
withtheinstructions,maycauseharmfulinterferencetoradio
communications.However,thereisnoguaranteethatinterferencewillnot
occurinaparticularinstallation.Ifthisequipmentdoescauseharmful
interferencetoradioortelevisionreception,whichcanbedeterminedby
turningtheequipmentoffandon,theuserisencouragedtotrytocorrect
theinterferencebyoneormoreofthefollowingmeasures:
• Reorientorrelocatethereceivingantenna.
• Increasetheseparationbetweentheequipmentandreceiver.
•Connecttheequipmentintoanoutletonacircuitdifferentfromthatto
whichthereceiverisconnected.
• Consultthedealeroranexperiencedradio/TVtechnicianforhelp.
Unauthorizedchangesormodificationtothissystemcanvoidtheuser’s
authoritytooperatethisequipment.

Notice regarding disposal (EU only)
Whenthis“crossed‐outwheeledbin”symbolisdisplayedonthe
product,owner’smanual,battery,orbatterypackage,itsignifies
thatwhenyouwishtodisposeofthisproduct,manual,packageor
batteryyoumustdosoinanapprovedmanner.Donotdiscard
thisproduct,manual,packageorbatteryalongwithordinary
householdwaste.Disposinginthecorrectmannerwillprevent
harmtohumanhealthandpotentialdamagetotheenvironment.
Sincethecorrectmethodofdisposalwilldependontheapplicablelaws
andregulationsinyourlocality,pleasecontactyourlocaladministrative
bodyfordetails.Ifthebatterycontainsheavymetalsinexcessofthe
regulatedamount,achemicalsymbolisdisplayedbelowthe“crossed‐out
wheeledbin”symbolonthebatteryorbatterypackage.
IMPORTANT NOTICE TO CONSUMERS
Thisproducthasbeenmanufacturedaccordingtostrictspecificationsand
voltagerequirementsthatareapplicableinthecountryinwhichitis
intendedthatthisproductshouldbeused.Ifyouhavepurchasedthis
productviatheinternet,throughmailorder,and/orviaatelephonesale,
youmustverifythatthisproductisintendedtobeusedinthecountryin
whichyoureside.
WARNING:Useofthisproductinanycountryotherthanthatforwhichit
isintendedcouldbedangerousandcouldinvalidatethemanufacturer’sor
distributor’swarranty.
Pleasealsoretainyourreceiptasproofofpurchaseotherwiseyourproduct
maybedisqualifiedfromthemanufacturer’sordistributor’swarranty.
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*Allproductnamesandcompanynamesarethetrademarks
orregisteredtrademarksoftheirrespectiveowners.

iv
Contents
Introduction ..............................................................1
Main features......................................................................1
Panel Tour (Top and rear panels) ...........................2
Top panel............................................................................2
Rear panel ..........................................................................8
Making connections.................................................9
Trying out the ToneLab EX ...................................10
Performance modes .........................................................10
Creating your own sounds ....................................12
Creating a sound ..............................................................12
Noise reduction settings ...................................................14
Using Total Equalizer .......................................................14
Saving a program...................................................15
About the amp models, 
cabinet models, and effect types.....................15
Amp models......................................................................15
Cabinet models.................................................................20
stand alone pedals ...........................................................22
Pedal 1 .............................................................................23
Pedal 2 .............................................................................24
Modulation ....................................................................... 25
Delay types ...................................................................... 28
Reverb types .................................................................... 29
Tuner .......................................................................29
Tuning procedure ............................................................. 29
Switching tuning mode ..................................................... 30
Calibrating the tuner......................................................... 30
Using the expression pedal for control ...............31
Expression pedal settings ................................................ 31
Assigning a function to 
the expression pedal (Quick Assign)................................ 31
Expression pedal minimum and maximum values ........... 32
Adjusting the sensitivity of the expression pedal.............. 34
Connecting to your computer (USB connection) ..35
Using librarian software.................................................... 35
Transferring audio data .................................................... 35
Restoring the factory settings ..............................36
Troubleshooting.....................................................36
Song Preset Program List .....................................38
Specifications.........................................................39

1
Introduction
ThankyouforpurchasingtheVOXToneLabEXModeling
EffectProcessor.
Inordertogetthemostoutofyournewgear,pleasereadthis
owner’smanualcarefullyandusetheproductasdirected.
Keeptheowner’smanualinasafeplaceforfuturereference.
Main features
•TheToneLabEXfeaturesapowerampcircuitthatusesa
miniaturetriode12AX7(ECC83)vacuumtubethatisnor‐
mallyusedinpreamps,generatingthesoundofarealtube
amp,andcapturingthefeelandtoneoftheoriginalampli‐
fier(Valvetronixtechnology).
•Thi
rty‐threeampmodelsusingsophisticatedmodeling
technologyarebuilt‐in.Therearealsoelevenspeakercabi‐
netmodels,givingyouaneasywaytorecallsoundsrang‐
ingfromvintageampsofthepasttoexpensivehigh‐end
tubeamps.
•Fourty‐fivehighqualityeffectsarebuilt‐in,allowingyouto
simultaneouslyuseuptonineeffecttypesincludingnoise
reductionandthe
volume pedal.
•Thereareonehundredpresetsounds(fourprogramsin
eachof25banks)thattakeadvantageoftheampsandef‐
fects,togetherwithonehundreduser‐editableprograms
(fourprogramsineachof25userbanks),givingyouatotal
oftwohundredprogramsthatyoucanswitchbetweenby
pressingafootswitchwhileyouperform.
•Youcanassignanyoftheelevenstandalonepedalsandad‐
justvariousparametersusingthecontrolknobsintheamp
section.Inthisway,theToneLabEXenablesyoutocreate
complex,pro‐levelsoundsfeaturingabundanteffects.
•Theexpressionpedalletsyoucontrolwah,volume,or
manyotherparameterswithyourfoot–agreatassetdur‐
ingliveperformance.
•T
heQuickAssignfunctionmakesiteasytoassignparame‐
tersorotherfunctionstotheexpressionpedal.
•TheAmp/Lineswitchensuresthatyoursoundiscorrectly
optimizedwhetheryou’reusingaguitaramporline‐level
systemasyouraudiooutputdevice.Settingthisswitchto
LinewillactivateaTotalEqualizerthatadjuststhetoneof
thefinaloutputsound.
•Abuilt‐inAutoChromaticTunerfeaturesswitchableNor‐
malmodeandStrobemodeforeasytuning.
•I
fyouuseacommerciallyavailableUSBcabletoconnect
theToneLabEXtoyourcomputer,you’llbeabletousethe
ToneLabEXlibrariansoftwareonyourcomputertoman‐
ageuserprograms,orusetheToneLabEXasaUSBaudio
interface.

2
Panel Tour 
(Top and rear panels)
Herewe’llintroduceyoutotheswitches,controls,andcon‐
nectionsontheToneLabEX’stoppanel .
Top panel
1
2
3
876549
1.Amp section
Hereyouʹllcreatesettingsfortheampmodelandstandalone
pedal.
Fordetailsoneacheffect,referto“A m pmodels”(p.15)and
“standalonepedals”(p.22).
NOTE: Youcannotusetheampmodelandstandalonepedal
simultaneously.Ifyouturnoneofthemon,theother
willturnoff.
ac
de g h
f
b
a. AMPS bank select switch and LED
Usethistoswitchthebank,ortoturntheampmodelon/off.
Eachtimeyoupresstheswitch,thebankwillcyclebetween
STANDARD,SPECIAL,CUSTOM,STANDARD...
ThecoloroftheLEDwillindicatethebankthat’sselected.
•STANDARD:green
•SPECIAL:orange
•CUSTOM:red
TheLEDwillbelit‐upiftheampmodelison.Byholding
downthisswitchforaboutonesecondyoucanswitchthe
ampmodelon/off.

3
b. STAND ALONE PEDALS switch and LED
Usethistoturnthestandalonepedalon/off.
TheLEDwillbelit‐upifthestandalonepedalison.
c. CABINET ON/OFF switch and LED
Thisturnsthecabinetmodelon/off.TheLEDwillbelitifthe
cabinetmodelison.
ByenteringtheOPTIONparametersettingmodeyoucanset
parametersforthecabinetmodel.
The OPTION parameter setting mode
ToentertheOPTIONparametersettingmode,holddownthe
CABINETON/OFFswitchforaboutonesecond.You’llbein
TheOPTIONparametersettingmode,andtheLEDwill
blink.
TheOPTIONparametersettingmodeletsyouadjustthefol‐
lowingsettings.
•GAINcontrol:cabinetmodel(CABINETSELECT)
•TREBLEcontrol:presence(PRESENCE)
•MIDDLEcontrol:noisereduction(NR)
•BASScontrol:TotalEqualizerHigh(EQHI)
•REVERBcontrol:TotalEqualizerLow(EQLO)
•VOLUMEcontrol:Trim(TRIM)
Toreturntothepreviousoperation,presstheCABINETON/
OFFswitchortheEXIT/TUNEswitch.
NOTE: TotalEqualizerisenabledonlywhentheAMP/LINE
switchissettoLINE.
NOTE: Presenceiseffectiveonlywhentheampmodelorthe
standalonepedalisturnedon.
d. AMPS/STAND ALONE PEDALS selector
Thisselectstheampmodelorthestandalonepedal.
Thetypeyouselectwilldeterminetheresponseofthegain
circuitandtonecontrols,andtheorderinwhichtheyare
locatedinthecircuit.
Iftheampmodelandstandalonepedalsareturnedoff,rotating
thisselectorwillturntheampmodelorstandalonepedalon.
e. GAIN control
Thisadjuststhegainoftheselectedampmodelorstand
alonepedal.
IntheOPTIONparametersettingmode,thiscontrolselects
thecabinetmodel.Ifthecabinetmodelisturnedoff,turning
thiscontrolintheOPTIONparametersettingmodewillturn
thecabinetmodelon.
f. TREBLE, MIDDLE, BASS controls
Theseadjustthetoneofthehigh,mid,andlowfrequency
ranges.Thewaythesecontrolsaffectthetonewilldependon
themodelyou’veselected.
NOTE: Dependingontheselectedampmodel,theremaybe
almostnosoundifyouturnallthreeofthesecontrols
tothefarleft.
IntheOPTIONparametersettingmode,theTREBLEcontrol
adjuststhepresence,theMIDDLEcontroladjuststhenoise
reduction,andtheBASScontrolenablesyoutoadjustthe
TotalEqualizerHigh.
g. REVERB knob
Dependingonthepositionoftheknob,thisselectsthereverb
type(SPRING,ROOM,orHALL),andadjuststheamountof

4
reverbinthemix.Ifyouturntheknoballthewaytotheleft,
thereverbeffectwillbeturnedoff.
IntheOPTIONparametersettingmode,thiscontrolknob
enablesyoutoadjusttheTotalEqualizerLow.
Fordetailsoneacheffect,referto“Reverbtypes”(p.29)
h. VOLUME control
Thisadjuststhevolumeoftheprogram.
IntheOPTIONparametersettingmode,itenablesyouto
selectTrim.
HINT: Youcanadjustthevolumeoftheprogramevenwhen
theampmodelisturnedoff.
2.Bank select section
a. BANK UP/DOWN pedals
a
a
Inprogramselectmode,thesepedalsenable
youtoselectaprogrambank(p.10,“Trying
outtheToneLabEX”).
PressingtheBANKUPpedalwillincrement
thebankbyone,andpressingtheDOWN
pedalwilldecreasethebankbyone.
Thebanknumberwillbedisplayedinthe
Bank/Valuedisplay.
IfyoupresstheUPandDOWNpedals
simultaneouslyforaboutonesecond,the
“”indicatorwillappearontheBank/Valuedisplay,and
theunitwillenterStompBoxMode.InStompBoxMode,
thesepedalsturnonorofftheamp/standalonepedalandthe
effectassignedtopedal1individually(p.11,“StompBox
Mode”).
3. Program Select/Tuner/Stereo Speakers section
cc
ab
a. Program 1–4 pedals and LED
Inprogramselectmode
,thesepedalsenableyoutoselectapro‐
gramfromabank(p.10,“TryingouttheToneLabEX”).Ifyou
selectaprogram,aprogramLEDthatcorrespondstotheselected
programwillbelit‐upred.(Program1–4LEDsarelocatedabove
theprogram1–4pedalsandindicatethetuningstatus.)
HINT: Youcansetthedelaytimeusingtheprogram1–4ped‐
als.Inthiscase,theintervalatwhichyoutaptwiceona
programpedal(thatcorrespondstotheselectedpro‐
gram)willbeassignedasthedelaytime.
HINT: Ifyoupressandholddowntheprogrampedalthatcorre‐
spondstothecurrentprogramforaboutonesecond,allef‐
fectswillbebypassedandyouʹllbeabletousethetuner.If
youholddowntheprogrampedalforabouttwoseconds,
youʹllbeabletousethetunerwiththesoundmuted.
InStompBoxMode ,thesepedalsturnonoroffthepedal2
effect,modulationeffect,delayeffect,andreverbeffectindivid‐
ually.Whenaneffectisturnedon,thecorrespondingprogram
1–4pedalLEDwillbelit‐upred(p.11,“StompBoxMode”)
.

5
b. TUNER LED
Theselightsareusedfortuning(p.29,“Tuner”).
Whenyou’reusingthetuner,theLEDswillindicatethetun‐
ingstatus.
c. Stereo speakers
Youcanlistentothesoundoutputfromthebuilt‐instereo
speakers.Toadjustthevolumelevel,usetheSPEAKER
LEVELcontrolontherearpanel(p.8).
NOTE: Thespeakerswillbemutedwhenacableisconnected
totheOUTPUT/PHONESjack.
NOTE: Someprograms(especiallythosewithanemphasized
lowrange)maycausethesoundfromthespeakersto
bedistortedornoisy.Insuchacase,adjustthevolume
levelusingtheSPEAKERLEVELcontrol.
4.Pedal 1 section
b
a
Hereyoucanadjustthesettingsforthe
pedal1effects.
Fordetailsoneacheffect,referto“Pedal
1”(p.23)
a. PEDAL 1 ON/OFF switch and LED
Thisturnsthepedal1effecton/off.
TheLEDwillbelitifthepedal1effectison.
b. PEDAL 1 knob
Rotatingthisknobenablesyoutoselectthepedal1effect
typeandadjuststheeffectparametersassignedtoeacheffect.
Ifthepedal1effectisturnedoff,rotatingthisselectorwill
turnthepedal1effecton.
5.Pedal 2 section
Hereyoucanadjustthesettingsforthepedal2effects.
Fordetailsoneacheffect,referto“Pedal2”(p.24).
a. PEDAL 2 ON/OFF switch
and LED
b
ac
Thisturnsthepedal2effect
on/off.TheLEDwillbelitif
thepedal2effectison.
b. PEDAL 2 selector
Thisselectsthepedal2type.
Ifthepedal2effectisturned
off,turningthisselectorwill
turnthepedal2effecton.
c. EDIT knob
Thisadjuststheparametersofeacheffect.
6.Modulation section
b
acd
Hereyoucanadjusttheset‐
tingsforthemodulationeffect.
Fordetailsoneacheffect,refer
to“Modulation”(p.25).
a. MODULATION ON/OFF switch
and LED
Thisswitchturnsthemodula‐
tioneffecton/off.
TheLEDwillbelitiftheeffectison.

6
b. MODULATION selector
Thisselectsthemodulationtype.
Ifthemodulationeffectisoff,rotatingthisselectorwillturn
themodulationeffecton.
c. EDIT knob
Thisadjuststheparametersofeacheffect.
Youcanusethisknobtoadjusttwodifferentparameters,EDIT1
orEDIT2.Thespecificparametersthatareadjustedwilldepend
ontheselectedeffect.Fordetails,referto“Modulation”(p.25).
•EDIT1:turntheEDITknob
•EDIT2: holddowntheTAPswitchandturntheEDITknob
d. TAP switch and LED
Thisisusedtosetthespeedofthemodulationeffect.The
intervalusedtopresstheTAPswitchtwicewillbeassigned
astheeffectsmodulationspeed.
TheLEDwillblinktoindicatethespecifiedspeed.
HINT: Tosetaprecisespeedthatmatchesthetempoofasong,
presstheTAPswitchseveraltimesinrhythmwiththesong.
•Ifyou’veselectedPITCH,thepitchsettingwillchangeeach
timeyoupresstheTAPswitch.
•Ifyou’veselectedFILTRON,theenvelopeup/downsetting
willchangeeachtimeyoupresstheTAPswitch.TheLED
willlight‐upifUpisselected.
•fyouʹveselectedTALKMOD,thevocalcharactertype(1or
2)settingwillchangeeachtimeyoupresstheTAPswitch.
Iftype2isselected,theLEDwilllightup.
YoucaneditparameterssuchasSPEEDorPITCHbyholding
downtheTAPswitchandturningtheEDITknob(EDIT2).
Fordetails,referto“Modulation”(p.25).
7.Delay section
b
a c
Hereyoucanadjustthesettingsforthe
delayeffect.
Fordetailsoneacheffect,referto“Delay
types”(p.28)
a. DELAY ON/OFF switch and LED
Thisswitchturnsthedelayeffecton/off.
TheLEDwillbelitiftheeffectison.
b. DELAY knob
Rotatingthisknobenablesyoutoselectthedelaytypeor
adjustthedelaylevel.
Ifthedelayeffectisturnedoff,rotatingthisselectorwillturn
thedelayeffecton.
Toadjustthefeedbackamount,rotatetheDELAYknobwhile
holdingdowntheTAPswitch.
c. TAP switch and LED
Thisisusedtosetthedelaytimeofthedelayeffect.Theinter‐
valusedtopresstheTAPswitchtwicewillbeassignedasthe
delaytime.
TheLEDwillblinktoindicatethespecifiedtime.
NOTE: Youcansetthedelaytimeusingtheprogram1–4ped‐
als.Inthiscase,theintervalatwhichyoutaptwiceon
aprogrampedal(thatcorrespondstotheselectedpro‐
gram)willbeassignedasthedelaytime.
HINT: Tosetaprecisetimethatmatchesthetempoofasong,
presstheTAPswitchseveraltimesinrhythmwiththe
song.