ToneHub Capture Guide
Step-by-step instructions for capturing your rigs accurately inside ToneHub.
Welcome to ToneHub Tracer
Powered by advanced Tracing Technology, the ToneHub Tracer can learn and replicate the sonic characteristics of your analog amplifiers, stomp pedals (distortion, overdrive, fuzz, EQ, and boosts), and entire recording rigs that include speaker cabinets paired with your favorite preamps and microphones.
STL Tracing Technology with Adaptive Tracing
Guitarists and engineers can now experience faithful emulations of their individual amps and stomps by combining analog modeling of the original amplifier's design and tone stack circuits with our precise Tracing Technology. The parametric parts of the rigs within ToneHub are analog-modeled, meaning you can tweak the controls and maintain the exact frequency-dependent and gain behavior of the original device.
Important Limitation: Capturing cannot capture time-based or phase-based effects such as gates, reverbs, delays, compressors, pitch shifters, choruses, tremolos, etc.
Interface Controls
Understanding the ToneHub Tracer interface will help you navigate the capturing process efficiently.
Main Controls
Getting Started
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Access the Tracer
Add the ToneHub plugin to your track and locate the 'Capture My Gear' tab in the ToneHub sidebar menu.
Capture Modes
ToneHub Tracer offers two different workflow modes to suit your needs.
Single Mode
Create one capture at a time with full control over every parameter. Recommended for first-time users to fully learn the capturing process.
Batch Mode
Create multiple captures in one streamlined session. Perfect when you have pre-prepared multiple audio files ready for capturing.
Single Mode: Capture Types
Select the type of capture you'd like to create based on what gear you're capturing.
Amp + Cab
Model an amp head and cabinet setup or combo amp.
Rig
Model one or more stompboxes connected to an amp head and cabinet set or combo amp.
Amp
Model an amp head or the amp section of a combo only (no cabinet).
Stomp + Amp
Model one or more stompboxes connected to an amp head or the amp section of a combo.
Stomp
Model one or more stomp boxes only.
Hardware Setup Examples: Click the 'Hardware Setup Example' button in the interface for routing diagrams on how to set up your hardware.
Merged captures: To create a Merged capture (containing settings for the entire ToneHub signal chain), create an 'Amp + Cab', 'Rig', 'Amp', or 'Stomp + Amp' capture as required, then use the Captures Manager to save the capture as a new Merged capture.
Single Mode: Setup Process
Follow these steps carefully to ensure a successful capture.
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Locate the TracerTone
Click the 'Locate' button to show the 'TracerTone.wav' audio file in a new Finder/Explorer window. Import this file into your DAW, refer to your DAW's manual for the best import methods.
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Create the Processed Audio File
Run the 'TracerTone.wav' audio file from your DAW through the signal chain you want to capture, recording the result to a 48kHz (or higher) WAV audio file.
Hardware Safety Warning: If capturing hardware equipment, exercise extreme caution when operating analog amplifiers. Failure to connect a speaker cabinet, load box, or reamp box before powering the amplifier can result in significant damage to your equipment. Please consult your hardware's documentation for best practices.
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Import the Processed Audio File
Click the 'Import' button to import your processed Tracer audio file.
Guidelines for Best Results:
- Avoid digital clipping! Do not exceed 0 dBFS
- Aim for approximately -5 dBFS at the loudest peaks of the TracerTone audio file
- Extreme deliberate digital clipping may produce unwanted results
- No wet/dry parallel blends - Must be 100% processed signal
The ToneHub Tracer analyzes the imported audio file and prepares it for capturing. You will be prompted if your selected file contains any errors (preventing you from proceeding) or warnings with suggested fixes or improvements.
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Proceed to Training
Click the 'Proceed' button to begin the capturing process.
Single Mode: Training Process
Configure the Tracer settings and start the AI training process.
Training Mode Selection
GPU / CPU Selection
Training times vary greatly depending on your system specifications. We suggest using the GPU option if you have a good-spec GPU. However, if your computer has a low-spec GPU, using your CPU may be faster.
Important: The quality of your capture will not change by this selection, only the processing speed is affected.
Expected Training Times (Default Mode)
Expected Training Times (Advanced Mode)
Start Capturing
Click the 'Start Capturing' button to begin the training process. Once complete, click 'Proceed' to continue to the Settings page.
Single Mode: Optional Settings
The Optional Settings section allows you to set default control and cabinet microphone positions for your captures, and to use Adaptive Tracing technology for selecting a matching tone stack.
Settings by Capture Type
Amp + Cab / Rig Captures
Provides settings for all amp and cab controls, as well as the option to select a tone stack that sets the behavior of the Bass / Middle / Treble / Master controls.
Amp / Stomp + Amp Captures
Provides settings for all amp controls, as well as the option to select a tone stack that sets the behavior of the Bass / Middle / Treble / Master controls.
Stomp Captures
Provides settings for the Tracer Stomp, which include a 3-band EQ.
Match Settings To Capture
The 'Match Settings To Capture' feature allows you to set control positions (and cabinet microphone position) to match those of the original signal chain, enabling the saved capture to respond to control changes like the original gear.
How to Use:
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Adjust Controls
Set any of the controls and tone stack selection to your desired values/positions.
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Apply Match
Click 'Match Settings To Capture' to revert the sound of the capture and apply the new default control settings.
Notes:
- Certain changes may result in volume drops or increases after matching, use the Volume, Level, or Master control to adjust accordingly
- The Amp Gain control cannot be matched
Click 'Proceed' once you've finished applying the desired settings.
Single Mode: Save Your Capture
Input a name, folder, and metadata for your capture to ensure it's properly organized and integrated into the ToneHub capture Browser.
Metadata Guidelines
- Include the brand name followed by the product name, correctly capitalized and formatted as per the product's website
- If entering multiple products, separate each product with a comma
- You will only be able to provide relevant metadata based on the capture type
Completing the Save
Click the 'Save' button to save the capture and exit the Tracer. Saving the capture will result in:
- The capture being automatically loaded
- The capture being automatically selected in the Captures Manager
Batch Mode: Setup Process
Batch Mode provides a streamlined workflow for creating multiple captures in one session.
Adding and Configuring Files
The ToneHub Tracer analyzes all added audio files and prepares them for capturing. You will be prompted if any files contain errors (preventing you from proceeding) or warnings with suggested fixes or improvements.
Click 'Proceed' to begin the batch capturing process.
Batch Mode: Capture Process
Configure and run the batch capturing session to process multiple files.
Configure the Tracer
GPU / CPU Selection: Training times vary depending on your system specifications. Use GPU if you have a good-spec graphics card; otherwise, CPU may be faster with low-spec GPUs.
Important: The quality of your captures will not change by this selection.
Run Batch Capturing
Click 'Start Capturing' to begin the batch process. You'll receive real-time information on:
- The capturing progress of the current file
- The overall Batch Capturing session progress
Note: Batch Capturing always uses the Advanced Training Mode. See the Single Mode Training section for expected training times for each file.
Completion
Once capturing is complete, the Tracer will display the name of the folder containing the captures and provide instructions for next steps. Use the capture Editor to apply required settings and metadata for each capture.
Click 'Finish' to exit the Tracer.
Cloud Capture
Cloud Capture does the same job as the Tracer in the plugin, but from your browser. You record your rig in the usual way, upload the files, and the training runs on our machines instead of your computer. Nothing to install, nothing left running, and you can close the page and come back later.
It is included with ToneHub All Access at no extra cost. Go to stltones.com/pages/stl-cloud-capture and sign in with the account your subscription is on.
In the plugin or in the browser
Both use the same Tracing Technology and produce the same kind of capture. Use the plugin when you want to capture and play in one place; use Cloud Capture when you would rather not tie up your computer, or when you have several rigs to get through.
Three Ways to Record
Tracer Tone
Download the Tracer Tone, play it through your rig, and upload the recording. The same method as Single Mode in the plugin, and the one to use if you are not sure.
Dry + Wet Pair
Already have a DI and its reamped take? Upload both and skip the Tracer Tone entirely. Useful for material you have recorded before.
Live
Record straight into the page through your audio interface, with no files to move around. The quickest way to try a rig.
Setup Process
Choose a Capture Method
Pick one of the three above. The page then shows only the steps that method needs.
Get the Tracer Tone
For the Tracer Tone method, download the file from the page. It is the same signal the plugin uses, so a recording made for one works in the other.
Record It Through Your Rig
Play the Tracer Tone through your amp, pedal or full rig and record the result, exactly as you would for a capture made in the plugin.
Guidelines for Best Results:
- 24-bit, 48 kHz, mono WAV - the same requirements as the plugin
- Avoid digital clipping! Do not exceed 0 dBFS
- Aim for approximately -5 dBFS at the loudest peaks
- Record the whole file from start to finish, without trimming the beginning
- Match the Tracer Tone's level into your amp to what your guitar produces, so the amp is driven as it would be when you play
Upload and Train
Drop the files onto the page, up to ten at once, each becoming its own capture. Fill in the details, then start training. A capture takes a few minutes, and the page shows the progress of each one.
Close the page if you like
Training happens on our machines, so it carries on whether or not the page is open. Come back later and your captures will be waiting.
Accuracy and Comparison
Every capture is tested against your own recording and given an accuracy score, so you can see how closely it matched before you use it. The A/B player lets you hear the two side by side, section by section, and switch between them while the audio keeps playing.
Publishing to ToneHub
When a capture is ready, publish it straight to your ToneHub library from the page. It appears on every machine you are signed into. You can also share it on Discover for other ToneHub users to play, or download the file to keep.
The same limitations apply: Cloud Capture cannot capture time-based or phase-based effects such as gates, reverbs, delays, compressors, pitch shifters, choruses or tremolos, for the same reason the plugin cannot.
Importing NAM Profiles
If you already have NAM profiles, you can bring them into ToneHub and use them alongside everything else in your library. They convert into ToneHub format and sit next to your own captures, the artist packs and the factory presets, with the same cabs, effects and EQ available to them.
Any NAM profile, including Architecture 2
Import one at a time, or batch import hundreds at once. Once converted they behave like any other capture in ToneHub: load them into a preset, put a cab and effects after them, and save the result.
What Gets Imported
A NAM profile carries the amp, and in most cases the cab as well, since that is how they are usually made. Once in ToneHub you can leave it as it is, or treat it like an amp capture and pair it with a different cab from the library.
Worth knowing:
- Converted profiles are yours to use in your own presets, exactly like a capture you made yourself
- The conversion does not change how the profile sounds; it changes the format so ToneHub can play it
- Whether a profile includes a cab depends on how it was originally made, not on the conversion
General Capture Guidelines
Follow these best practices to achieve the highest quality captures.
Audio Quality Requirements
- Sample Rate: Use 48kHz or higher WAV files
- Peak Levels: Target approximately -5 dBFS at the loudest peaks
- Never exceed 0 dBFS to avoid digital clipping
- 100% processed signal only, no parallel wet/dry blends
What Cannot Be Captured
Capturing technology cannot capture:
- Time-based effects (delays, reverbs)
- Phase-based effects (choruses, tremolos)
- Dynamic processors (gates, compressors)
- Pitch-based effects (pitch shifters)
Hardware Setup Safety
Critical: When capturing hardware amplifiers, always ensure proper load connection (speaker cabinet, load box, or reamp box) before powering on the amplifier to prevent equipment damage.
Best Practices
Use Appropriate Training Mode
Default Mode for clean to mid-gain tones; Advanced Mode for high-gain and fuzz tones.
Document Your Settings
Take notes on amp settings, pedal positions, and microphone placement before capturing.
Test Before Full Setup
Start with a single capture to verify your routing and levels before batch processing.
Organize Your Files
Use clear naming conventions for processed audio files before importing to batch mode.
Match Settings Carefully
When using "Match Settings To Capture," adjust volume controls as needed to compensate for level changes.
Leverage Adaptive Tracing
Select appropriate tone stacks to ensure your captured amps respond naturally to control adjustments.
Metadata Best Practices
Proper metadata ensures your captures are easy to find and use:
- Use official brand and product names with correct capitalization
- Separate multiple products with commas
- Include descriptive information about gain levels or tone characteristics
- Organize captures into logical folders (by brand, type, or use case)
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