VOX JAMVOX: JAM-ALONG MONITOR + SOFTWARE System ($250)

[Jon Chappell]

Vox Amplification JamVox ($250, street)
Integrated Monitor + Software Jam-Along System

All guitarists like to learn from their heroes and influences by listening, analyzing, practicing, and jamming along. And all students of the guitar (whether currently “taking lessons” or not) dream of having a rig that makes practicing, jamming, and recording versatile yet easy to manage. But assembling all the required gear for a complete and efficient system for handling these varied tasks can produce a dauntingly complex snake-pit of cords and gadgetry. Consider that you need a sound system to play back the recorded music; you need your own rig and the right effects to emulate the sound at hand and to inspire you; and you need some way of mixing the two together, as well as a way of changing both your own sound (like effects switching) and the playback of the backing tracks. Oh, and you want to be able to record everything, too. Whew. Even if you’re willing to put in the energy to cobble together a rig that accommodates all these scenarios, it’s going to be one ugly, unholy mess.

That’s where JamVox (http://www.voxamps.com/jamvox) steps in. In a single system that is both streamlined and powerful, Vox Amplification’s JamVox obliterates clutter and gives you all the resources you need for creating a jam station, an educational mechanism (teachers, take note), and a sound-creation workbench. And they do it with one box and one computer cable. You supply the guitar, guitar cord, and computer (plus optional expression pedal if you want wah or other real-time control).

Hey, you don’t even need a power cable or AC outlet with this thing, either (which translates into portability). With any computer (including your laptop running on battery power), JamVox gives you everything you need to practice, play, record, and study the songs and licks of the greats. All for $250.

http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/main1.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

The JamVox package consists of one software disk and the monitor (plus a standard USB cable), which most guitarists will come to think of as “the amp.” (Though of course, it’s a mixer, too.) So conceptually, the bulk of JamVox’s features lie in the software part of the package.

The highlights of the software-based features include:
• Amp and effects modeling: 19 amp models, 54 effects, 100 artist preset sounds.

• GXT, or Guitar XTraction technology, which removes the featured guitar or vocal from virtually any recording, allowing you to play the part yourself, over the backing tracks, which are left intact.

• Playback and record features that allow you to tempo- and pitch-adjust, loop, and automate certain functions, like patch changes and the in and out points for the GXT (e.g., only in the tune’s solo sections).

• A tuner, metronome, onboard drum beats, a mixer, two-CD/28-song bundle, and other disk-management functions to help you organize your work.

http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/3.jpg
The JamVox’s main screen and features (see circled numbers above):

1. VOX logo
You can click this to view the About screen, which provides information about the version.
2. Program select (program name, up/down arrows)
Here you can view and select the program.
3. Utility buttons
This area contains buttons that perform various functions for guitar programs, such as the Save button, Compare button, and Audition button.
4. Tube (Valve)
This area displays vacuum tubes. The type and number of vacuum tubes shown will depend on the amp model you’ve selected. The way in which the vacuum tubes illuminate will depend on the “VR GAIN” setting of the amp model.
5. PICKUP SELECTOR
This simulates the guitar’s pickup.
6. Effect routing
The effect routing shows the amp model and how the various effect modules
are arranged.
7. Amp/cabinet control panel
Here you can select and adjust the amp model, and select the cabinet model.
8. Effect control panel
This shows the effect module that’s selected in the effect routing area.
You can edit the parameters of the effect module that’s displayed.
9. METRONOME
Here you can turn the metronome on/off, and specify its tempo and time signature.
10. MIXER
Here you can adjust the volume of the guitar, mic, and music player tracks.
11. Music player
Here you can play back or record songs.
12. Library/list
This area lets you manage music, guitar programs, and GXT programs.
13. Function buttons
This area contains buttons for various functions used with the music
player.
14. CPU meter
This indicates the current load on your computer.

[Jon Chappell]

JamVox is a system with two principal components: the software and the hardware monitor. The monitor is a lunchbox-sized “amp” with two speakers and a control panel along the bottom. It looks and works just like a practice amp: you have your inputs (guitar, mic), level controls (input, output), a headphone jack and a monitor level control. On the back panel are two footswitch jacks (one dedicated to an expression pedal) and stereo line in and out jacks (four total). The USB jack connects you to the computer for data transfer and to draw power for the monitor.

This is what I found amazing: this heavy-duty (for its size) enclosure, sporting two speakers and the necessary circuitry to drive them, does not require external power. If you know anything about the electrical power it takes to drive loudspeakers with enough oomph to be audibly satisfying to humans (especially guitar-playing ones), you’ll find this amazing, too.

Here’s a shot of the front panel:
http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/1.jpg
The monitor looks like a lunchbox-sized amp, with a heavy-duty cabinet housing two 2.5" speakers and a control panel. Note the jacks for both guitar and an XLR mic, which work simultaneously.

_

Here’s a shot of the back panel:
http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/2.jpg
The back of the monitor showing the stereo I/O, expression pedal and footswitch jack, and the USB jack used for data transfer and power.

_

[Jon Chappell]

The monitor is both the interface that hooks your guitar, mic, and external audio into the computer, as well as the sound system that plays back your mix (guitar with effects, mic, and backing tracks).

As the physical setup is obvious to anyone who’s ever used an amp and a basic stage mixer, it’s fairly intuitive how to hook up your gear. If you have a playback device, get the necessary adapters and plug it into the back. Ditto for an expression pedal (wah) or footswitch (for hands-free control of the JamVox’s functions). The guitar and mic plug into the front. If you want to plug the monitor into a P.A. for a bigger sound, use the 1/4" stereo outs in the back. Both power and data travel over the included USB cable. That’s all there is to setting up the system from the physical, hardware standpoint.

To get up and running, you follow the disk-installation routine, hook the monitor into your computer via USB, and you’re ready to go. Then it’s just a matter of plugging in your guitar (or other external sounds source, such as an mp3 player or DiscMan). Unlike some systems that carry their operating system onboard (i.e., within the circuitry of the unit itself), the JamVox requires a disk installation, so the computer you use must have an available optical drive (note well, all you netbook users).

http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/main2.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

One caveat to realize about the JamVox is that you can use only the guitar + mic or the aux inputs, but not both at the same time (though the mic can be used simultaneously with the guitar). So you can’t, say, blend your aux-inputted iPod and your guitar. (Well ... clever hackers will recognize that since both the mic and guitar inputs work simultaneously, you can use adapters to covert your 1/8" mp3 player output to XLR and then balance the blend using the volume control on the player.)

If both the front panel (guitar, mic) and back panel (mp3 player, DiscMan, etc.) jacks have plugs in them, the JamVox monitor gives the front panel priority. This is the right choice, because it allows you to leave your audio player plugged in more or less permanently in the back while accessing the front panel on demand. If you’re a teacher, you definitely want to plug in your mp3 player into the back because you can record any song in the analog domain this way. Once you try to import songs digitally, you may run into DRM (digital rights management issues).

Note: It is wrong to steal music, so don’t do it. But if you have a song that is not rights-protected, you can get it into the system via the rear-panel aux inputs in the analog domain.

The more important thing to realize is that to jam along, and to apply GXT (Guitar XTraction, described below) to any songs, you must first import the audio into the system as a file (mp3, wave, aiff). The easiest way is to do this as a file import, not using the rear-panel jacks.

[Jon Chappell]

We’ll get into all the workings and work routines of the JamVox, but certainly one of the unit’s chief featurs is GXT, or Guitar XTtraction (extraction) technology, which allows you to cancel out, or remove, the guitar or vocal from any track, leaving just the rhythm tracks (with just a faint trace of the original in many cases, but it’s masked once you start playing). This is not a new technology (“vocal eliminators” are common in both hardware and software formats), but the JamVox manages to include a couple of enhancements. These are: 1) parameter control, whereby you can optimize the treatment of GXT for the particular context. In other words, what might work well with a metal-based power trio might not work for a fully orchestrated prog-rock arrangement. The JamVox allows you tailor GXT to get the best result—and then save the result; 2) you can program GXT to kick in and out at just the right time, so that you don’t hear the effect except when it’s solo time.

_

http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/gxt_functions.jpg

_
As for the XTraction technology itself, this is an improvement over the older “vocal eliminator” approach in one significant way: you can listen to the extracted part (the guitar or vocal solo) for close examination, if necessary. This is comes in handy if you’re really studying a difficult part and want to hear it without the surrounding instruments. Plus, you can slow it down without changing the pitch for even closer scrutiny. The other way GXT improves on other systems is, as mentioned above, by allowing you to extensively control the parameters of the extraction process and then save that setup as a “GXT program.” You’re free to then set up another profile for another song. Vox even encourages you to upload your programs to build up on online library (www.jamvox-online.com). That way, if I want to see if someone’s created a GXT profile for Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher,” I can check online first.

Here's a screen shot showing the landing page of Vox's online GXT programs. Note that you can view how many downloads each song has received, which gives you an insight into a song's popularity (teachers might find this info valuable, to determine which songs the kiddies are listening to these days).
http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/gxt_online.jpg

Hmm, maybe I will learn Joe Walsh's solo to "Hotel California" after all! :)


_

[Jon Chappell]

I tried a couple of different tracks, from Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy” to Eric Johnson’s “Cliffs of Dover” to Linkin Park’s “What I’ve Done.” It’s fairly amazing to hear the GXT work, and even though this technology isn’t brand new, Vox employs it to excellent effect here. It’s easy to invoke (a button press), versatile (you can program it to kick in and out at certain points), programmable (and save-able), and you can listen to either the “music minus one” tracks or the extracted track itself (which you can then slow down).

You do have to tweak it get the best results, but because you can save your GXT programs, it's well worth it.

http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/gxt_controls.jpg

[Jon Chappell]

Amp and effects modeling is one thing Vox does well, as evidenced by their amp series Valvetronix, and of course their ToneLab series of floor-based effects processors (you can see the Pro Review of the Vox ToneLab LE elsewhere in this forum).

But here Vox has really raised the bar, taking their sound production and architecture to the visual arena and computer screen as your interface, instead of on a hardware front panel. Here, you can take advantage of a very visual and intuitive approach to programming and tweaking: drag and drop. The artwork is excellent, and shows you at a glance the type of effect you’re looking for (wah pedal, green-colored tube-emulating stompbox, etc.). Drag any effect to or from the chain, and the animation shows the chain “making room” for the new effect, and then patching the new addition into the line.

Here’s a shot of the signal chain, copied from the manual (it looks better on the actual screen):

http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/signalchain.jpg

_

If you want to edit the controls on a component, simply double-click it, and it expands to reveal the front panel where you can tweak to your satisfaction.

Here’s a close-up of some of the individual effects’ editable parameters, again copied out of a page of the owner's manual.

http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/4.jpg

_

[Jon Chappell]

It should be noted the manual provides helpful hints along the way, especially with regard to their modeling technology. Here’s a helpful chart from page 10 in the effects manual on matching amp models with cabinet models:

http://Jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/amp_modeling.jpg

[streetknight]

Cool, been waiting on some news on these.

What's the deal with the Pickup Selector that's labeled #5 on the diagram?

Does this thing just emulate a humbucker or single? ie- If I'm playing my strat thru it and select the "humbucker" in the software, will I get the same tone as if I used my Les Paul, or does the actual guitar's tone come thru.

Thanks

[Jon Chappell]

What's the deal with the Pickup Selector that's labeled #5 on the diagram? Does this thing just emulate a humbucker or single? ie- If I'm playing my strat thru it and select the "humbucker" in the software, will I get the same tone as if I used my Les Paul, or does the actual guitar's tone come thru.

It's more the case of the former. This is all done within the modeling arena, after the guitar's signal has been converted into the digital domain. But calling it a "pickup selector" just makes it a little more intuitive to relate to. For example, if you're playing a single-coil and you want that initial (that is, pre-effect) sound fatter and with a little more output and less hum, you might try this one-control solution before messing around with the EQ, etc., and stuff further down the line.

The JamVox doesn't have the subtle and sophisticated controls of, say, the ToneLab LE, but for a quick fix, the pickup selector just might do the job.

[flowerpower]

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the rather exhaustive "review" of the JAMVOX, although I must say, for all of the words in it, I don't think there was much, if any, direct, specific mention of how it actually sounds.

I'm particularly interested to hear your opinion of how it stacks up, tone-wise, to its hardware cousin, the ToneLab. I'd love to be able to switch from the ToneLab to the JAMVOX, but only if the tone is there.

Any opinions you have on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Jon Chappell]

I'm particularly interested to hear your opinion of how it stacks up, tone-wise, to its hardware cousin, the ToneLab. I'd love to be able to switch from the ToneLab to the JAMVOX, but only if the tone is there.

I was going to continue my discussion about the workings of the unit and the tone qualities in a future post, but I can answer your question fairly easily: The JamVox is not a software replacement for the ToneLab. To be fair, the whole JamVox package is much cheaper than the TL, and the JV has to bundle a lot of different features into its system. Also, when you have a dedicated hardware device, with its own onboard DSP, you can generally beat out a software package that has to rely a host CPU to create tone, record, and perform other functions.

It's a good question, though, because many software amp emulators (Line 6 Amp Farm, NI Guitar Rig, Waves GTR3, IKM AmpliTube) create deep, complex tone-shaping tools with gorgeous interfaces. So theoretically, Vox could put the TL in software form, but they haven't done that here. Not with the JamVox. Not yet. :)

If I had to respond subjectively between the JV and the TL (after the disclaimer that it's apples and oranges), I would say that the JV sounds very decent, and is reminiscent of the TL technology. But there's not the editing depth nor the subtle interaction available on the TL. The JV is more about broad strokes. There's a certain three-dimensional-ness in the TL that the JV doesn't have.

That's strictly a tonal assessment, though. What is valuable is to be able to get close, and having an intuitive and quick drag-n-drop object-oriented method for building your signal chain--and then grabbing the individual knobs from there. It does make a difference in your practice to go from, say, metal to blues rock with a touch of a button, and to fix something quickly (like if you, friend or a student are using a different guitar and you need to make a quick adjustment).

So again, apples and oranges. The ToneLab is for live and recording work, and you would evaluate it against, say, the Boss GT-10 or Line 6 POD XT Live. The JamVox is a practice, transcribing, and jam tool that allows you to shape your tone with a fair amount of flexibility and producing decent tone.

[flowerpower]

Thanks for your thorough and fair response, Jon. It is much appreciated.

So what you're basically saying is that I was hoping to make apple pies with oranges.

:confused:

:)

So the ToneLab stays!

I AM interested in that GXT technology, though . . .

*rubs chin*

[Jon Chappell]

On the Vox website they have a demo of the GXT technology in action. They present three different types of music -- a blues shuffle, an uptempo chicken-pickin' country thing, and a twin-lead metal passage. As you listen to the excerpts, you can selectively punch in and out the GXT.

But I've included the audio here so you can experience it yourself, A/B'ing the two passages just by listening to one mp3 file per song, without having to push any buttons. Each passage is about 30 seconds long, so I put them back to back in the same file. The first time through is just the plain audio file (with lead guitars). Then I play them a second time, with just a few seconds of the lead guitar before activating GXT.

So what you hear in these three mp3's are the following:

Blues Shuffle: with lead, then without (GXT engaged) (http://jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/GXT_Off_On.mp3)

Chicken Pickin': with lead, then without (http://jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/GXT2_Off_On.mp3)

Twin-lead Metal Shredfest: with twin guitars, then without (http://jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/GXT3_Off_On.mp3)


http://jonchappell.com/hc/jamvox/GXT.jpg

[streetknight]

Seems like it does a pretty decent job to me. :thu:

[Jon Chappell]

Seems like it does a pretty decent job to me. :thu:

Yes, I agree, and remember that unlike some systems, in the JamVox version of their "guitar eliminator" circuitry, you can optimize the controls to get the best results, and then name and save these settings as a profile, which you can then re-load if you come across similar material.

[Jon Chappell]

Yes, I agree, and remember that unlike some systems, in the JamVox version of their "guitar eliminator" circuitry, you can optimize the controls to get the best results, and then name and save these settings as a profile, which you can then re-load if you come across similar material.

I should point out that the GXT works on any center-focused material, including vocals. You just move the controls around to find the best setting for what you want to remove. The more drastic results you want, the more "altered" the resultant sound, so if you're trying to cop a note-for-note solo, you don't have to bury the lead guitar that much, as your own playing will mask the original.

[Jon Chappell]

From the voxamps.com (http://voxamps.com) website:


JamVOX Guitaraoke Nights!

Catch a demo of JamVOX and try it out yourself! VOX representatives will be on hand to demonstrate JamVOX, then the stage is yours. Bring your guitar. We’ll bring the backing tracks. Everyone who plays gets a free VOX t-shirt.

April 29, 2009 - 7:00PM
Guitar Trader
San Diego, CA

May 1, 2009 - 7:00PM
Northwest Guitars
Bellevue, WA

May 1, 2009 - 7:00PM
Musicmakers
Austin, TX

[Jon Chappell]

Here's the YouTube video showing GXT in action.

MZHl--Fyzkk&

Vox is pushing the guitar extraction features, but of course the JamVox can do much more, including providing a nice practice interface that lets you drag and drop effects to create a whole signal chain.

I'm wondering how Vox's "JamVox karaoke nights" are going. Any word from folks in San Diego, Bellevue, or Austin?