ToneDexter II Support
ToneDexter II FAQs

Guitarist Doug Young shows how ToneDexter II can be used to modify the sound of the WaveMap for live gigs including anti-feedback.

This can happen for a number of reasons, and is easily fixed. The most common is that you’ve got some dry channel signal blended in and you didn’t realize it.

Another cause can be that the routing configuration has been changed from the defaults. Please check those if there’s any chance you’ve adjusted them.

Unlike the original ToneDexter, all WaveMaps are normalized to the same sound power level. This means that the exact levels of the pickup and mic during training are not critical.

The reason bypass can sound louder is because the direct pickup frequency content is different than with the WaveMap, and our ears are more sensitive to some frequencies than to others. The input gain can of course be adjusted, but the difference in perceived level will still remain.

In software version 1.2 and above there is a provision to trim the WaveMap gain which will eliminate this concern. Tap the WaveMap button, the adjust the WaveMap trim control.

Starting in version 2.6, the loudness matching has been greatly improved. The trim control is still present, but you may not need to use it.

• Check the input, FX, and output routing selections to make sure they match your use case.
• Make sure your cables are working properly.
• Assuming the above are not the issue, the most common cause is using a under powered power supply. Most pedal boards supplies will require daisy chaining of two isolated outputs to provide enough power. See the FAQ about what power supplies will work.

This can be caused by several factors. The most common cause is mic position. Experiment with different mic positions early and often to hone in on what works for your instrument. Audition with good quality, flat response headphones such as the ATH-M50. Then, after a few WaveMaps are created, test them out through your intended PA or acoustic amplifier.  The best mic position for live sound is usually not the same as what you would want to hear on a studio recording.

Another cause can be the mic choice. If you have access to multiple mics, try them all. Flat, small diaphragm condensers (pencil mics) consistently give better results than large diaphragm or vocal mics. The flatter the response, the better. Move the mic farther away from the instrument. This often makes it sound more balanced and authentic. Try an omnidirectional mic – this can often make finicky instruments sound much better.

If you have an active system, make sure your battery is not depleted. Also, make sure your volume control is set about midway. Some systems run out of headroom when set to maximum volume, and that can interfere with training.

Make sure your pickup is not on the ‘pickups that don’t work’ list.

If you are using a passive piezo pickup, and sometimes with an active system, you may hear some AC power line hum if your system is not grounded. By grounded we mean connected to a piece of equipment such as a mixer, powered speaker, or amplifier that has a 3-wire grounded mains line plug. In normal use ToneDexter will be connected to something which is grounded, and you will not experience any hum. But if you do hear hum when training using just headphones, plugging one of the outputs into a grounded system, such as an audio interface or mixer, will eliminate the hum.

Plugging into two different destinations, say a stage amp and mixer, each with its own ground reference, would normally have potential to suffer from a ground loop. ToneDexter eliminates this possibility by lifting the ground to the DI XLR jack, when you plug into the main ¼” out jack. This is the right thing to do if both destinations are grounded, which is normally the case. If only using one or the other output, it should be hum free. BUT, if you then plug into the 1/4” out jack and either don’t connect it, or connect it to something ungrounded, even if the DI XLR output is connected to a properly grounded system, you will have an ungrounded situation since plugging into the 1/4″ lifts the ground to the XLR output.

SUMMARY: if using one or the other output alone, make sure the destination is grounded with a 3-wire pronged line cord. If using both outputs together, the 1/4″ output (or the Aux output) destination must be grounded to avoid noise in both outputs.

Guitarist Doug Young shows how ToneDexter II can be used to modify the sound of the WaveMap for live gigs including anti-feedback.