Line 6 TonePort UX2

carlos
March 30, 2008

Rating: 10/10

i just get a new Line 6 TonePort UX2 is just the best interface for the price ever,i have try tascam but is not good enough,thanks for quality price.

Colin Morris
July 7, 2006

Rating: 9/10

So you want to build a decent home recording set up with that PC you got for Christmas? The Toneport UX2 from Line 6 gets you 90% there. Why? Read on..

The first thing I noticed when I was perusing the cornucopia of Soundcard Interfaces on the web was the very sexy look of this piece of kit. Let's face it, we all like our flashy lights -this, however has some retro VU meters and big silver knobs on top. Shallow? Probably. But whilst I delved into the intricicies of what made up the UX2, I was was amazed. Firstly, the hardware itself..

You get two switchable phantom powered XLR inputs (so you can run the best mics), two instrument inputs, a S/PDIF digital out for mastering to cd burners or minidiscs or whatever you like, the afformentioned silver knobs which control your mic gain, headphone level amongst others. And of course the lovely VU meters for all of us who want to think we're recording on Analogue!!!!

The software that runs Toneport is called Gearbox. This is a big Wow. Think of it as an incredibly sexy version of Guitar Rig. You have your different amp heads, cabs, how far you want to virtually mic your cab, or you can have no amp at all, just the pure tone coming from your instrument. Where it gets more impressive, is the presence of many vocal preamps which many other interfaces lack. Let's face it, if you put the straight signal of any mic straight onto disc, its sound is gonna suck. The preamps really "professionalize" it.

The only reason I only gave it 9/10 was for two small reasons:

1: Whilst the effects can be controlled by MIDI, there are no MIDI in or out ports which is kinda necessary when this is your only interface. Easy to solve though. I just picked up a Midisport 2x2. Cheap and does the trick.

2. Its weight and general structure. It's very lightweight and is made from plastic which may go against it compared to other interfaces. I certainly wouldn't use it live!

I use the Toneport with Cubase SX3 and an AKG c1000s and all of my lovely guitars, and for the money I spent, I've never looked back. I've absolutely no plans to upgrade it anytime soon.

lawman
April 14, 2006

Rating: 9/10

The TonePort is a USB recording interface/soundcard with software based guitar amp/fx modelling. It also has models for bass and vocals. What Line 6 have tried to do is provide an all in one product that can record vocals guitar, bass and even keys. It has Gearbox modelling software which is essentially the same as a pod XT, only with slightly less guitar amp/fx models. It also comes with a lite version of Ableton Live which means everything is covered short of actual instruments and mic’s for vocals. Drum parts can be built via the Ableton software - check out the video of the TonePort in use on the Line 6 website.

First impressions on taking it out of the box was surprise at the size. For some reason I expected it to be smaller but it is slightly larger than my Edirol FA101 and pretty solid, if a little plastic looking. But this thing has fun written all over it, probably due to the outsized, routable, VU meters. It looks oddly cool. It is USB2.0 powered and has 2 Mic +48v inputs and 2 guitar, bass or keyboard inputs - one of which is a pad input for high output instruments. Outputs are via a coaxial stereo S/PDIF or 2 unbalanced line out 6.3mm jacks. It also has 2 footswitch inputs which can be used for either effects or to trigger MIDI commands. My only gripe is they left off a Variax digital input - which is a shame because it would have tied the products in neatly.

As a recording interface it is pretty good, the signal to noise ratio is documented as being greater than 100dB and the Tone Direct (tm) near latency monitoring is very impressive even on the largest buffer size. All the inputs suggest that it has a number of channels but I think only one channel can be used at any time. The frogeye vu meters are great but I rarely use them as I prefer the ones within Cubase. Recordings sound clean and clear, far surpassing my expectations for the unit.

The modelling software is very impressive indeed. The guitar amps and effects are all from the Pod family and this unit is expandable - you can add the line 6 expansion packs and pretty soon this is a very versatile guitar unit in its own right. Add to that the bass, vocals and other patches which are all of comparable quality this is quite a package. In fact the bass and vocal patches are very impressive. The bass ones are useable and have their own character and the vocal ones (being a bit of a departure for line 6) are really convincing and add colour. Also included in the software is an excellent hum reducer - this does not sacrifice the tone but it really does work.


All in all this is a very good package for a fantastic price. It offers a very good recording solution, combined with excellent guitar/Bass vocal modelling. Highly recommended.