Matt Fig Fig V2 Snork50 [ToneX Capture Pack]

• Product: Fig V2 Snork50 ToneX Capture Pack
• Developer: Matt Fig
• Format: ToneX Capture Pack
• Requirements: IK Multimedia TONEX
• Source: mattfig.com/product/fig-v2-snork50-tonex-capture-pack

The Fig V2 Snork50 ToneX Capture Pack is 24 IK Multimedia ToneX V2 captures of a Bogner Snorkler 50 — a 50W EL34 single-channel amp with Blue crunch and Red high-gain modes, originating from Reinhold Bogner’s earliest British circuit mods that were later developed into the Cantrell Mod used on Alice in Chains’ Facelift and Dirt. Captures span Blue and Red modes across Low Gain, Mid Gain, and High Gain dial positions, recorded through a Bogner Studio 412 and full DI. The low-mid density specific to the Snorkler’s blue-board circuit — described by the capturer as a gut punch an EQ cannot replicate in another amp — was the primary capture target. It answers the query: where do I get ToneX captures of the Bogner Snorkler 50 across both modes and three gain stages with a DI option for IR-loader workflows.

Key Takeaway

Guitarists running ToneX who need the specific low-mid density and EL34 midrange sizzle of the Snorkler 50’s blue-board circuit — associated with Jerry Cantrell’s rhythm and lead tones across three decades of Alice in Chains recordings — are the direct activation context for this pack. The six LG/MG/HG captures per channel provide a complete gain range without gaps, and the DI captures support independent IR selection for engineers whose cabinet preference doesn’t match the Bogner 412. ToneX V2 captures are incompatible with the original ToneX app version; ToneX 1.7.0 or later is required to load them. Guitarists seeking clean or edge-of-breakup Bogner tones won’t find that territory here — both channels are dialed into crunch and above.

The Snorkler Circuit and the Low-Mid Gut Punch

The Snorkler 50’s lineage traces to Bogner’s late-1980s German modifications of British tube circuits — specifically the “blue board” high-gain preamp mod Reinhold developed before relocating to Los Angeles. That circuit became the foundation of the Cantrell Mod, applied to Jerry Cantrell’s Fish preamps to replicate the sounds captured on Facelift and Dirt, and the Snorkler 50 is its production-form descendant, now used on Cantrell’s I Want Blood. The EL34 power section — rather than the 6L6 tubes associated with American-voiced amps — produces the characteristic midrange density and upper-harmonic presence that differentiates the Snorkler from similarly-specified British-inspired high-gain amps.

The capturer’s stated priority was preserving the low-mid weight specific to the Snorkler’s preamp character — a quality he identifies as absent from even a directly comparable high-gain amp like the Friedman JJ 100. This isn’t a claim about EQ curves; it refers to the harmonic texture and dynamic compression behavior specific to the Snorkler’s gain stages, which produces low-mid punch that an EQ applied to a different amp’s output doesn’t replicate because the harmonic content isn’t there to boost. The V2 capture format was chosen over V1 for its improved accuracy at reproducing that dynamic character.

Blue and Red Modes: Two Distinct Gain Characters

The Snorkler 50 is a single-channel amp with two switchable modes rather than two independent channels — Blue and Red share the same EQ section (bass, middle, treble, presence) but differ in preamp gain architecture. Blue is the crunch mode: one gain stage, lower compression onset, more pick attack retained at the front of each note. Red adds a second gain control (Gain 2), cascading the preamp stages and pushing into sustained high-gain territory with a brighter switch option specific to Red mode.

Blue at High Gain still retains more transient definition than Red at equivalent dial settings because the gain structure in Blue doesn’t cascade — the compression behavior differs at the preamp level before any cab coloration applies. The captures reflect this: Blue HG and Red LG may reach similar loudness at the cab output, but the pick attack envelope and compression character in the preamp stage are structurally different between them. This distinction matters for rhythm parts where pick articulation needs to cut through a dense mix differently from the sustained compression of a lead tone.

Gain Coverage Across Six Captures Per Mode

Each mode — Blue and Red — is captured at Low Gain, Mid Gain, and High Gain, producing six captures per mode and 12 cabinet captures total, with a corresponding DI set adding 12 more for a 24-capture total. The three gain levels per mode aren’t defined by specific dial positions in the product documentation; they represent the capturer’s judgment of where the amp produces meaningfully distinct tonal character across the gain range — breakup onset at LG, saturated rhythm at MG, and full compression at HG. Switching captures to change gain level is the adjustment mechanism inside ToneX, since each capture’s dial position is fixed at the moment of capture and not adjustable after loading.

The DI captures carry only the preamp circuit with no Bogner 412 coloration. Running DI captures without an IR loader downstream produces the raw preamp character — functional for re-amping workflows, but not a finished tone. The Bogner 412 cabinet in the mic’d captures adds its own low-end tightness and midrange push to the already low-mid-forward preamp circuit; guitarists who prefer a different cabinet response use the DI captures with their own IRs rather than the mic’d versions.

ToneX V2 Format and Compatibility Requirements

V2 ToneX captures require ToneX version 1.7.0 or later — the format is incompatible with earlier ToneX app versions and won’t load in them. IK Multimedia’s ToneX ecosystem covers the desktop ToneX software (VST3, AU, AAX), the ToneX Pedal hardware unit, and the ToneX One hardware unit; V2 capture compatibility across hardware units depends on the firmware version installed. Guitarists running ToneX on hardware should verify current firmware supports V2 before purchasing.

ToneX captures are format-exclusive — these files don’t load in NAM, Quad Cortex, Kemper, or any non-ToneX platform. The pack is ToneX-only and requires either the free ToneX CS software or a ToneX SE/MAX license to load in a DAW. ToneX CS covers capture playback without additional purchase; full capture creation and advanced features require a paid license tier.

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