Tone Sharing Guidelines

Overview

TONE3000 is for amp brands, artists, audio engineers, producers, recording studios, creators, and anyone with great gear and great tones.

Here are a few examples of great tone packs and profiles:

• https://www.tone3000.com/amalgamaudio
• https://www.tone3000.com/claybennett
• https://www.tone3000.com/blackstaramps

Tone Sharing Policy

TONE3000 is for sharing Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) captures and impulse responses (IR's) of real analog gear, acoustic spaces and experimental captures of physical objects and systems. To keep the community fair and respectful to creators and companies, we’ve established guidelines for which tones can be shared publicly.

Permitted:

• Captures of analog gear, such as amps, speaker cabinets, guitar and bass pedals, rigs, and outboard gear.
• Captures of acoustic spaces, such as rooms, studios, halls, and other physical environments.
• Experimental captures of real physical objects, devices, systems or signal chains that do not fit into the standard gear categories.
• Captures generated from custom LiveSPICE circuits.

Prohibited:

• Captures of audio plugins or amp sims, to prevent software piracy.
• Redistributing or sharing someone else’s NAM captures or IRs.

Any publicly shared tones that violate this policy will be removed. To report a tone, click "Report Tone" at the bottom of the tone page.

Tone Pack = One Unit of Gear or Chain

A tone pack (sometimes called "tone" for short) is a collection of NAM captures or impulse responses (IR's). Each tone pack should represent one piece of gear or one signal chain. A single pack should not mix multiple unrelated pieces of gear or multiple signal chains. This keeps packs clear, searchable, and useful, both on TONE3000 and in partner products that use the TONE3000 API.

Good tone packs include:

• One amp head
• One amp + cab pairing
• One pedal
• One outboard unit
• One experimental capture of a physical object or system
• One complete signal chain, such as pedal → amp → cabinet → mic

Avoid combining unrelated gear into one pack, such as:

• Different amps in one pack
• Different pedals in one pack
• Several unrelated studio chains in one pack
• A "genre" pack (e.g. "metal tones")
• A "artist" pack (e.g. "Nirvana IRs")
• A "random favorites" pack with no clear gear or chain focus

Tone Pack Titles

The title of a tone pack is the name of the primary gear that was captured. Nothing else.

Format: [Brand] [Make and Model] [Year]

Examples: Fender Super Reverb 1969, Marshall JCM800 2203 1983, Ibanez Tube Screamer TS9 2004

Do not include:

• Genres or styles ("Metal Tone," "Blues Pack")
• Marketing words ("Mix Ready," "Hyper Accuracy," "Ultimate")
• NAM architecture or model size ("NAM A2," "Standard," "Nano")
• Microphones, cabinets, or other chain components that are not the primary gear
• Artist names, song references, or creator names

Any of that information belongs in the description, tags, and makes and models fields, not the title. A clean title is what makes your pack searchable and lets it sit correctly alongside other captures of the same gear.

Makes and Models

The Makes and Models field lists the gear that made up the chain that was captured. This literally means only the physical components in the signal path: the amp, the cabinet, the microphone, the pedal, the outboard unit, and so on. Nothing else.

Tone Pack Images – Important

Every tone pack must include a high-quality, square photo of the actual gear used for the capture. Images help verify that the captures came from real analog gear, so the photo requirements are strict. Packs that use stock images, web photos, AI-generated images, or graphics will be removed.

Investing in great images goes a long way. Your pack image is often the first thing users see when browsing tones online or in the TONE3000 Plugin. A clear, well-lit photo of the gear is what makes someone stop scrolling and choose your tone.

Image requirements:

• Show the actual gear or signal chain that was captured
• Take the photo during the capture process
• Show the microphone when capturing full rigs (amp + cab)
• Crop square
• Use a high-resolution image
• Use natural studio, rehearsal space, live room, or real-world gear photos
• Keep a consistent visual style across your packs

Do not use:

• Stock photos
• Photos pulled from the web
• AI-generated images
• Graphics or logos
• Heavily edited photos
• Images that do not show the gear described

Example of a good image:

Tone Pack Descriptions

A strong description tells the story of the gear. Users should understand why it matters, what makes it special, and what kinds of tones they can expect before they load a single model.

A great description can include:

• How you acquired the gear
• Why the gear is meaningful to you
• Interesting history behind the unit
• Fun facts, quirks, mods, repairs, or unusual details
• Records, sessions, tours, artists, or projects where the gear was used
• What the gear is known for sonically
• The range of tones included in the pack
• Musical styles or use cases where the pack shines
• An overview of the capture chain and process

Descriptions should focus on the sound, story, and usefulness of the captures. Avoid overemphasizing physical build quality, construction, road-readiness, or other details that matter less for neural models.

Capture Overview

Always include an overview of the chain and capture process in your descriptions. Useful details include:

• Signal chain
• Microphones used
• Gear used
• Calibration notes
• Relevant studio notes
• Any important settings or capture details

This helps users trust the captures and understand how the tones were made.

Model Names

Good model names make it easy for users to understand what they are selecting before they play it. Use a consistent naming format for the models in each pack.

Format: [Brief Description] – [Gear Settings] – [Mic or Chain]

Example: Clean Rhythm – OD2 G10 V10 – SM57

Tone Pack Tags

Please review and update the tags for each tone pack. Tags are important for search, filtering, and discovery across TONE3000 and partner products using the TONE3000 API.

Tone Pack Videos

Videos are highly encouraged! Good videos can include:

• Artist demos
• Studio walkthroughs
• Session clips
• Performance clips
• Before-and-after examples
• Short videos showing the tones in context

Videos should help users quickly understand what the gear sounds like and why they might want to select your tone pack.

In the YouTube description for each video, please tag @tone3000-nam and link to your TONE3000 profile: https://www.tone3000.com/username

Your Profile

Your packs live on your profile, so give it the same care. Fill in your bio, profile image, social links, and website or portfolio links in your account settings. Your profile should clearly explain who you are, what you make, and why the TONE3000 community should be excited about your captures.

Things worth including:

• Your musical background
• Artists, records, or projects you have worked on
• Studios, scenes, or communities you are part of
• The kinds of sounds you are known for
• Why you are sharing these tones with the TONE3000 community

Free and Paid Packs

Right now, all tones are free. Soon, we’ll launch monetization, allowing you to earn money from your tones.

For now, free and paid tones should be kept in separate packs. Once monetization launches, we’ll automatically consolidate them into a single pack for you.

Recommended structure:

• Free pack: 2 to 3 tones that showcase a variety of what the gear can do
• Paid pack: 10 to 30 tones that capture the full range of the gear or signal chain

Publishing free packs is the best way to earn trust and traction in the community. Users who love your free captures are the ones who will buy your paid ones.

Verified Profiles

If you consistently make outstanding tone packs, you may qualify for our Verified tier. Verified Profiles are made up of brands, artists, and top creators who share trusted, high-quality captures of real gear with clear context, photos, and capture information. See Blackstar Amps for an example of a Verified Profile.

Verified Profiles are prioritized throughout TONE3000, including in search, browse, and featured placements, and they will be prioritized for monetization as it rolls out. This is how we help users find and access the highest-quality tones on the platform, and how we make sure the creators behind them are rewarded for the work.

If you're interested, follow these guidelines to prepare your profile, then email support@tone3000.com. Our team will review your profile and tone packs to determine if you qualify.