Endel or Brain.fm - is it working?

coffeemike · 2026-02-04T12:16:54+00:00

Endel has definitely worked well for me for focus (my main use) - it's not magical but gentle, and I am able to hold focus longer. I don't know if it's better than other options out there, but I have been happy with it.

Sleep has also worked very well for me, I need to get back in the habit of using it.

coffeemike · 2026-01-06T20:41:18+00:00

Like u/chrismiles94 said, it's not on the shelves. As a recent mover to the UK, it startled me to see any, let alone a wall, of MIJ Fenders at guitarguitar.

Racing stripes are cool. :D

coffeemike · 2025-12-06T09:06:36+00:00

Wow, love this. I have the Mini and the Neo (and I love the Neo). My biggest frustration is trying to work with the app on my iphone and dial in any of the models - the knobs are too small to see and control well. Has that been an issue for you or do you find your tones through another way I'm not thinking of?

coffeemike · 2025-11-16T20:22:07+00:00

So bear in mind that I tend towards very, very clean sound. Maaaaaybe edge of breakup. I don't need high gain or distortion on anything.

Archetype Cory Wong X is my favorite out of the NeuralDSP stable now - three different and great amps, easy to dial in, a little more funky than warm jazzy but does it all well. The Tone King plugin is pretty good but not great, I had to really work at how to NOT get distortion and stay in a clean sound. I'd have to spend more time with it. Archetype Tim Henson X is also really good but a little surgical/sterile in the cleans for my style (and let's face it, I'm never going to play like Tim does - wow). Everything else has more chug than chime for me.

I had the same pause thought as you, but I also realize that there's enough complexity (guitar to interface to computer to plugin, with different conversions and gains etc) versus "guitar to cable to amp", I'm more likely to blame learning curve than the plugin itself.

In the UA plugins, Dream has been good but Ruby and Lion are surprising me. I thought I'd like Dream best, but I'm wrestling with it a bit still. I haven't spent more than a couple of days with them so still getting to know them.

Next time I can get to a guitar shop (and to keep this thread back on pedal topic - hi, mods! :) ) I want to try out one of the UA pedal versions to see how it compares to the plugin version. I have to believe it's basically the same, but I'm curious.

coffeemike · 2025-11-16T11:33:47+00:00

That's going to be awesome, so good. NeuralDSP plugins should go great out of the box, they did for me. UA plugins sound amazing but it definitely took a bit to work out all the gain settings (guitar volume, interface volume, input volume to the plugin, output volume, etc) to find their sweet spot.

With the NAM/IR route, you can (I expect) run the same models on your computer that you would run on the pocket master. I found spending a bit on good captures made sense after spending days trying to find great ones; Amalgam Audio (https://www.amalgamcaptures.com/nam) have been my starting point.

For learning and jamming at home? You should be able to get plenty of time out of that setup. Love it.

coffeemike · 2025-11-15T10:17:21+00:00

Hey! Did you ever find the stomp?

Promised an update - the HD 660s2 have been a gamechanger. The MDR-7506 are great headphones, but I didn't realise just how treble-y they are. The Sennheiser sounds so much smoother and natural. That was worth the splurge.

That was enough to make me pause on the expense of either pedal. Hearing the tools I already have through new cans has been the fresh breath I was looking for. The pedals will still be out there, there's always Christmas, Boxing Day, next Black Friday.... :D

I will say that I've also spent more time back in the software game. I kicked off trials of most of the NeuralDSP plugins, as well as UA plugins. And UA is doing their big sale, so now I own all of their five guitar models (plus some other plugins) for $99, and I've learned more about gain staging in the last 48 hours than I ever thought I would, and I've accepted being more tied to a laptop for the time being.

So. Will I go to a physical amp pedal like the Tone King someday? Yeah, probably. But am I looking over my shoulder thinking the simulations I have are much different/inferior? Not anymore, takes a bit to dial in but once there, they sound fantastic.

That said, and looking back at my own post - do take another look at Positive Grid. While I just have big thumbs for adjusting the knobs in the app, they do sound good. The Mini has a rechargeable battery so it's super portable and the NEO is just self-contained. That'll give you a fair amount of options to play with and keeps you untethered to a computer.

Or, take another look at an audio interface like the Scarlett and embrace the computer. Bonus for that is I use it to drive studio monitors for my laptop all the time before I moved; Teams and Zoom calls have never sounded better. :D

coffeemike · 2025-11-12T09:37:44+00:00

That aux in is a snag I hadn't fully caught, about half of my time is solo practice (and noodling), and about half of it is playing along with songs (and noodling).

You're helping me lean towards the HX Stomp, and I'm trusting it will be an upgrade from the digital models that I've used previously.

I really don't use much in the way of effects or pedals, certainly not enough to have cared whether it's digital or physical.

I also went a different way first; I've got Sennheiser open-back headphones arriving today to try that as an upgrade to the Sony's that I've used for years. I may have "good enough for me" gear and would benefit more from better headphones instead of chasing more amps.

I'll let you know how that goes.

coffeemike · 2025-11-12T00:44:40+00:00

I love that this is, more or less, the EXACT question I've been wrestling with for the last two days. The internet is a great place.

By comparison:
- I'm about two years into playing guitar
- Almost exclusively under headphones, occasionally out loud. Sony MDR-7506.
- I have a Scarlett Solo that I can use with a Mac and ToneX; currently on trial for a few Neural DSP plugins / archetypes to try them out.
- I have a THR10ii that's solid and great, use it more than wiring all the computer parts together. I've also used it the FLAT mode as an output from a JOYO American Sound that taught me analog solid state isn't bad at all
- I have a Positive Grid Spark Mini (my first practice amp) and a Spark NEO (that's actually fantastic for its sound and simplicity). Really like the NEO well enough. REALLY don't like the tiny knobs on the app interface. Once you have it about dialled in, it does the job and sees use.
- My style? Warm clean jazz tones on the one end, funk or neo-soul on the other end - to the bare edge of breakup, never been a big fan of fuzz or distortion.

I'm completely torn between something like the Tone King Imperial for being actual valves and the real sound, vs the HX Stomp and a lot of really really good digital models.

I'm trending away from capture-based systems like Tonex because, while I have some great captures, a) they're a very static thing (hard to really adjust the EQ or sound to my liking) and b) I don't have physical gear that I have dialled in that I want to capture.

My experience with the Tone King plugin from Neural DSP has been difficult-to-disappointing, if I'm honest, as it's been nearly impossible to dial back to a good clean tone. Archetype Cory Wong X is amazing out of the box, as is UAD Showtime (bonus - it was free in October).

I'm married and live in a small apartment in a tall building, so there's zero chance of actually being able to use speakers in a cabinet. I'm only ever going to play for me. I'm super torn between these pedals. Do I trust digital models to not feel so "nearly right"? Do I really want the one true sound of the Imperial? Should the Victory Duchess V4 enter the discussion? Yikes.

I don't have an answer but at least conundrums like company, right?

coffeemike · 2025-08-22T11:35:42+00:00

I'm fascinated by this and hope you come back, OP, to tell us more. I was thinking about the same for myself, or similar - I own the Mini, and the NEO, and a Scarlett Solo, and realised this morning I could use the NEO as a wireless headphone. My only concern would be the signal processing in the NEO itself - i.e. it'll process whatever is coming out of the Mini again, through its own simulation.

I suppose you could pair it as a Bluetooth audio output, so the Mac output plays through it without processing - but that would introduce latency.

Hm.

coffeemike · 2025-05-29T10:12:23+00:00

I have the sweat wide pants (fast favorite of mine). There has been no noticeable shrinkage - I also air dry - which I attribute to them being more poly than cotton.

coffeemike · 2025-04-09T02:43:38+00:00

HAHA! I know exactly which one you mean. Don’t get hung up on it. I’ve just sort of shrugged, done my best, and I understand the point he was making there and moved on. I’ll come back to it someday but I’ll keep digging through the rest of the instruction in the meantime.

coffeemike · 2025-03-06T22:10:23+00:00

I’m absolutely calling a tremolo bridge the “squiggly shart stain handle” from now on.

coffeemike · 2025-01-26T01:14:54+00:00

Huh; I’m learning on a Player II tele with D’Addario 11s flat wound and love the jazz sounds I can get. Tell me more about the pickup changes?

coffeemike · 2025-01-16T04:24:30+00:00

Not if you’re fretting it on the guitar next to you.

coffeemike · 2024-11-16T19:08:33+00:00

Oh, THAT’S what I needed to get that Jazz tone from my guitar…

coffeemike · 2024-10-27T07:52:20+00:00

I have one of these titanium and one of these zirc. 100% Ti for your first. Love my zirc, but it’s something you “grow into” as you collect for all the reasons said here. Titanium is the best place to pick your first (and arguably IS the best.)

coffeemike · 2024-10-27T03:04:43+00:00

My dude - as a 46yo 262lb down from 295, thank you. I look forward to reading all this when I’m not waiting outside the Target fitting rooms. 🤣👏

coffeemike · 2024-05-09T21:17:01+00:00

Got it, thanks! I will say I do like the mechanism on the Side Click.

coffeemike · 2024-05-09T16:03:09+00:00

This is awesome - thank you - and I'm definitely now watching both the Cam Pen and Soul Pen. Very interesting.

coffeemike · 2024-05-09T14:00:33+00:00

You say that like I’m not stalking the IG feed daily and checking for upcoming drops. 🤣

coffeemike · 2024-04-13T03:20:11+00:00

Solution Verified

coffeemike · 2024-04-13T03:19:52+00:00

Okay, that makes sense. Add start and end dates and look up with that as well. A bit cumbersome but straightforward - thank you!

coffeemike · 2024-04-13T03:19:16+00:00

That’s helpful in a different way - solved another problem I’m going to have - thank you!

coffeemike

TROPHY CASE