Line 6 Toneport Kb37, usable without gearbox? Options

[Asphyxia Feeling]

simple question that i could not figure out on my own..

the KB37 looks like a great product, being a USB recording device AND a midi controller, all in one!

but. can it be used as is, without using gearbox?

i ask this because the recording software i use right now is Sequel. Sequel is a garbageband-type program with some easy-to-use recording features that is basically a "my first DAW" version of Cubase. very simple, one window interface. it has it's own Virtual insturments and amp simulators, and from what i understand it doesn't allow third party products (like gearbox) in it's recording. would i be able to just use the KB37 as a USB recording device / midi controller using other software (like Sequels built in stuff)?

thank you.

This post has been edited by Asphyxia Feeling: Feb 2 2008, 03:54 AM

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Yes you can, but...Gearbox is not plugin, it is a standalone app thats actually sends the signal to your host app Sequel. You will have no problems running Gearbox, in fact you must run it in order to send a proper signal to your host app. You can bypass all the settings off course if you wanna do the modelling in your host app, but I think Gearbox is decent enough for modelling guitars.

This post has been edited by Milenkovic Ivan: Feb 2 2008, 11:35 AM

[Toni Suominen]

Well, I found this guy sometime ago that uses Gearbox on pretty much all of his recordings, check it out:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songI...;songID=5744351

Those guitars sound just huge!!

I think Gearbox sounds great, and I would definitely use it over any other amp sim

[Melvyn]

You can use it without gearbox, or at least my Music Tech lecturer does, but there again he has loads of 'Legit' software :|

Its a good midicontroller/audio interface

Definately worth its beans

[Andrew Cockburn]

ALso, Gearbox can be used as a plugin if you pay extra for it - it is basically a Pod in VST form, but it costs several hundred bucks. I have it it is awesome, on a par with GuitarRig but I prefer Gearbox as I can get the exact sounds I get out of my Pod in VST form.

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Andrew one question? You are using both Gearbox and GuitarRig so if you can make some comparisons in sound quality please. I would like to hear because I didn't use Guitar RIg that much and don't have time to experiment with it, so and advice would come in handy, if GuitarRig is good for something that a Gearbox isn't so I can go ahead and buy it. Hope this makes sense..

[Andrew Cockburn]

Well, I've used Gearbox a lot more than Guitar rig (I got Guitar Rig as part of NI Komplete).
My impressions are that GB has more options around modelling, but that GR has some funker more out there kind of effects.

I work almost exclusively with GB as I know it better, and find it easier to get sounds that I like out of it.

If you have any specific questions though I'd be happy to answer Maybe you would like me to take a clean solo and put some GR effects on it so you can hear it a little bit?

[Ivan Milenkovic]

No need Andrew but thank you very much. I'll stick to GB too, as you say it is easier and more straightforward. Thanks for the info!

[Asphyxia Feeling]

thank you all for your replies. yes, the KB37 sounds like a great idea!

actually i agree with you guys. i've heard lots of gearbox made recordings; they sound very good! surely better then Sequels anyway. i just was just uncertain i'd be able to use gearbox with Sequel, and wasn't quite sure if i'm ready to step up to more complicated programs like cubase / pro tools / etc.

while we are on the subject of Line 6 products, i had (yet another) question! (sorry haha)

i have a Pocket Pod. it's pretty neat, but it has no recording via USB feature. if for some reason i wanted to record guitar tone from my POD through the KB37 (or UX1, or whatever) to the computer, it'd be done the same way i'd record my amps tone, right? line out of the pocket pod (instead of my amp) through the guitar in on the KB37 to my recording program?

EDIT! another question.

what's the difference between the gearbox included with toneport, and the gearbox 'plug-in'? are they the same thing? i tried really hard to find this out myself but couldn't! line 6 just pretty much just says "wow looks what we made all the cool stuff about gearbox, IN A PLUG IN!!!"

This post has been edited by Asphyxia Feeling: Feb 4 2008, 03:08 AM

[Ivan Milenkovic]

gearbox as a plug is the same thing as a gearbox in a hardware. By a hardware that's my siggestion. THere's no point buying a gearbox alone, you want use it as a post precossor anyway ever, and it costs too much. If you buy a second hand toneport or even pod's, you get gearbox for free, which is a paradox really. I don't know what line6 wanted with that one. gearbox is competitive simply because it is a give away with line 6hardware, very few need it as a separate plug.