Vox VC-12 User Manual download pdf (Page 6)

GuitarNuts™ Review of Vox AD60VTX – March 2006

of the preamp. It would seem to me to have made much, much more sense to model both sections

of the preamp (using the Gain knob for the bright gain and the Volume knob for the normal gain).

The knobs were available and everybody knows that some of the best plexi tones ever produced

were achieved by jumpering the bright and normal inputs. As much as I like my AD60VTX, I am

keeping my fingers crossed that Vox will consider a firmware upgrade in the future that will

implement this improvement. Of course, that assumes that the firmware can be upgraded and I

haven’t opened the amp yet to see if that is feasible.

Figure Five – The FX Loops

The virtual effects loop is one of the nicest touches on the amp. It puts the time-based effects

(delay and reverb) and modulation effects after the EQ and overdrive of the preamp. The most

“natural” place for these effects is post EQ and distortion, so this makes a lot of sense. On the

other hand, I think it might have been even better had they carried this one step further and put

the reverb effects, at least, after the valve reactor section. You can’t do that with a real power

amp, of course, but in this modeling amp placing the reverb between the valve reactor and the

solid-state power booster probably would have given an even more natural sound. Of course, as a

practical matter placing any effects after the valve reactor would probably have required another

A/D conversion and possibly even another processor chip.

The reverbs and delays are quite good. Time based effects are easy to model and this is one area

where digital effects do a fine job, perhaps even better than a spring reverb. Of course, you can’t

kick the amp and get a “doing” out of a digital reverb!

The digital modulation effects on the other hand aren’t anything to write home about though they

are occasionally useful. Perhaps it’s just that I’m not a big fan of any of the modulation effects

types provided, but I don’t find myself using any of these except an occasional hint of chorus.

The amp also has a physical effects loop, something I consider essential on any “gig worthy”

amp. The effects loop is placed between the virtual effects loop and the valve reactor, exactly

where you would expect it but not necessarily the best place for it. Since it probably isn’t

practical to provide another A/D section and processor to move the built-in reverb effects after

the valve reactor, it would seem to make a lot of sense to put the physical effects loop between

the valve reactor and the solid-state power amp. This way you could have true post-overdrive

reverb, for example. Granted, you aren’t able to use a “real” tube amp this way – but this is one

case where a little forethought might have made the AD60VTX better than a tube amp!

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Vox VC-12 User Manual Page 6