MusicRadar

• Review

The original Vox Tonelab appeared back in 2003, applying existing Vox Valvetronix technology to the 'desktop' format popularised by… well, a certain red, bean-shaped product.

While most units of this type rely completely on digital modelling, the Tonelab does the initial tone shaping and amp modelling in the digital domain before the signal passes into a valve power-amp circuit.

Now, it wouldn't be particularly practical to have a standard valve power stage in a compact unit designed for direct recording, so this is where the clever stuff happens.

A single low-wattage 12AX7 valve does all the work, but this is combined with a 'virtual' output transformer and a dummy speaker circuit, meaning that the final stages of the signal chain are all in the analogue domain.

Desktop modellers aren't ideal for stage use, though, and the Tonelab SE provided all the Tonelab sounds in a comprehensive pedalboard layout. And now, for players wanting something a little more compact, the LE model makes for a good compromise. Unlike the SE, it only has one expression pedal and there are fewer stompbox effects, but there's still plenty to suit most musical styles here.

Operation

Basic operation is simple, as we've come to expect from all multi-effects units nowadays. The 120 patches are arranged in banks of four, and there are four main footswitches for selecting the patches within a bank, along with up/ down footswitches for scrolling through the banks.

The function of the control footswitch and the expression pedal varies according to the patch selected. Both can be assigned to a huge range of functions. You can instantly tell whether the control switch is assigned to an on/off function (such as adding an effect to the chain) or a time-based function (such as tap tempo) by whether its LED is blinking or glowing solidly.

In common with several other units of this type, the Tonelab LE has an effect on/off mode, entered by holding down the bank up footswitch. In this mode, each of the four main footswitches corresponds to an effect type (pedal, modulation, delay, reverb) allowing you to use the LE more like a row of stompboxes.

Whichever mode you're using, it's a quick and easy task to change and adjust the settings for a patch. The five chicken-head rotary switches at the top of the control panel correspond to the amp model and four effects modules. Simply turn these to select the desired amp model or effect and you're done.

Any of these modules can be added to or removed from the signal chain by means of a small pushbutton by each rotary switch.

Adjustment

Further adjustment is available from the row of 'value knobs' next to the footswitches. These knobs are used for adjusting parameters in all five modules, so you first have to make a module 'live' by clicking its pushbutton.

This layout isn't a million miles away from the matrix editing display found on several multi-effects units, but Vox's insistence on using real knobs and switches feels a little more 'real' and will be a crucial feature for players who normally shy away from all-in-one effects units.