Amplitube X-Drive Review
Our Verdict and Review Summary
The AmpliTube X-Drive is an extremely versatile distortion modeler, that is particularly strong when it comes to more modern distortion tones that dial in higher gain levels. We love the metal and hard rock presets, and didn't find that it required much tweaking if those are the types of distortion sounds you're looking for.

Remember the Line 6 distortion modeler from way back in the day? It was yellow and had maybe 12 different digital distortion models. The AmpliTube X-Drive is sort of like that, but with a lot more presets and a lot more sounds, with several decades worth of algorithm improvements to lean on.
It's a digital distortion modeler based on the AmpliTube software with 16 total amplifier and distortion pedal emulations, and plenty of variety within each algorithm.
For context, I used the following gear to test this pedal:
- Mesa Rectoverb Amplifier (going into a direct box and a USB audio interface)
- PRS CE 24 electric guitar (2005 model)
- Elixir electric guitar strings
For our reviews we take our own photos of each individual product. Feel free to use these photos, but please credit them with a link to guitarchalk.com. Thank you.

The AmpliTube X-Drive is a digital distortion modeling pedal that can handle a wide variety of gain sounds and settings.
For this review, I simply unboxed the pedal, hooked it up and tested each existing preset, making minor tweaks along the way.
While you can create a ton of your own presets, I was able to get through roughly 20-30 presets straight out of the box. We'll get into the details of my experience in this full AmpliTube X-Drive review.
The Rest of the X Series
In this section we've built a simple table with the rest of the pedals from the AmpliTube X-Series. You can use this table to check pricing for each pedal, and to browse product descriptions via the orange Sweetwater buttons.
We partner with Sweetwater to help support our site, which costs you nothing extra.
If you want to help us out, consider shopping for your gear via these links.
Otherwise, just enjoy the review.
X Series | DETAILS | Our RATING | Shop |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | AmpliTube X-Drive Distortion | n/a | |
![]() | AmpliTube X-Vibe Modulation | n/a | |
![]() | AmpliTube X-Time Delay | n/a | |
![]() | AmpliTube X-Space Reverb | n/a |
For our reviews we take our own photos of each individual product. Feel free to use these photos, but please credit them with a link to guitarchalk.com. Thank you.
Listen to the Amplitube X-Drive
Listen to our audio demo of the X-Drive which has no speaking and is an audio-only demonstration of many of the pedal's presets.
Basic Scoring, Pros, and Cons
We found the X-Drive to be particularly strong when it came to higher gain settings, while we were less enthusiastic about the fuzz/octave and lighter distortion tones. Most of the algorithms sound really good, but we were particularly impressed with the modern, metal, and hard rock sounds coming from the X-Drive.
IDEAL FOR: High-gain tones, recording, and all-purpose distortion modeling.
TONE
84
CONTROL
86
VERSATILITY
90
COST/VALUE
88
PROS
CONS
Tone, Sound Quality, and Algorithms
One of the coolest things about the X-Drive is how the presets and banks are already setup, in that they give you a nice progression from soft to heavy distorted tones, often within each series of presets.
For example, you have three Orange models that progress like this:
- Orange 1: Light gain
- Orange 2: Medium gain
- Orange 3: Heavy, high-gain
A lot of the banks, which come in sets of three, give you this progression already dialed into the pedal. For the most part, I didn't feel a need to tweak or change the presets that much.
And as we already mentioned multiple times, it seemed to be the high-gain models that gave the best results.
Most distortion models sound distinctly thick, and bass-heavy.
I even had to dial bass back on several presets, especially when recording.

Given the broad spectrum of distortion tones the X-Drive attempts to cover, the overall quality is surprisingly solid.
This makes the X-Drive more accommodating of heavier tones, which I was perfectly happy with. Those looking for bluesier, more subtle distortion settings might have to do some additional tweaking.
I'd loosely grade each category as follows:
- Metal/Hard Rock: A-
- Blues, moderate gain levels: B-
- Fuzz/Octave: C
To be fair, this is my own interpretation of the sounds and is certainly subject to my own gear and setup. But I also think it's fair to say this pedal has some pretty distinct strengths and weaknesses, especially since I tried to just let the presets speak for themselves.
Overall, the sound quality of this pedal is solid, especially given the wide scope of distortion sounds it attempts to cover.
Control and Versatility
The front panel of the X-Drive has a control scheme similar to an amplifier with drive, volume, and a three-band EQ. However, it's important to point out that this is not a preamp or amp replacement pedal.
It's a distortion pedal or digital distortion modeler that's not meant to substitute for an actual preamp and power amp.
Here's a list of all eight knobs on the front panel:
- Parameter (setup)
- Drive (gain control)
- Bass
- Mids
- Treble
- Volume (output)
- Model
- Preset
When you make changes with these knobs, the shift is displayed on the LED screen in numeric form, which is extremely helpful for dialing in more nuanced tone qualities.
The simplest way to navigate the algorithms is to use the preset knob on the right side of the pedal. Turning it will cycle through the factory presets, which covers a variety of all 16 emulations.
If you want to cycle through banks, you can press the left + center button to go down or the right + center button to go up.
Within each bank the three buttons function as three different preset selections.

Controls on the front panel provide the basics, though there are plenty of factory presets to keep you busy before you even need to make your own changes.
Again, I didn't really feel the need to tweak anything given the scope of the presets that were already programmed into the banks. However, once I did start playing around with the EQ and the speaker cabs, I found there was plenty of flexibility if I wanted to deviate from any of the presets.
After awhile it gets a bit redundant, because there are only so many different ways distortion can sound.
But I would argue that whether you just want to use the presets or you want to custom-dial your own tone, the X-Drive is perfectly capable of accommodating both approaches.
We should also mention here that the X-Drive supports a couple of external control options:
- MIDI in/out
- Expression pedal control

MIDI and expression control jacks are available on the back panel of the X-Drive. Image via Sweetwater
Depending on how you want to set up your rig, these options can provide additional ways to control the X-Drive. The simplest setup would be some kind of MIDI controller that allows you to bank and cycle through presets more easily.
If you just use the X-Drive pedal, you'll have to switch between banks and then select your preset.
A MIDI controller would essentially take out that middle step.
Good fit for modern distortions?
I've noticed that it's harder to find a good modern distortion pedal than it is to find bluesy or vintage overdrive-style pedals. So I was surprised when I was able to get so many solid metal and hard rock tones out of the X-Drive, even when using non-metal presets like the Orange 3.
To be fair, not all of the high-gain algorithms were appealing to me.
Some of the fuzz settings, particularly when an octaver was added, were just too busy and chaotic.
But for getting that smooth, punchy, and percussive distortion, the X-Drive gives you a lot of real estate to work with.

There's a lot of metal in this box.
I should also add that recording these sounds produced good results as well.
While there is certainly some noise to deal with (not surprising at higher gain levels). It was surprisingly quiet, even with the drive knob cranked and the metal presets active.
So I'd argue from personal experience - the X-Drive is a great option for recording metal-style distortion tones.
Good fit for vintage distortions?
On the lighter gain side, the X-Drive still has a lot to offer.
There are plenty of blues-style overdrives, lighter distortions, and even a simple booster that you can use for more mellow tones.
However, it's important to add that digital modelers like this often have trouble with subtle overdrive and breakup that's typically handled by a tube amp. It's more difficult to model and potentially less satisfying than what a real tube amp can produce.
For that reason, we often recommend staying away from digital modelers when it comes to overdrive or vintage distortion sounds.
While some of those sounds are decent in the X-Drive, its strength is on the modern end of the distortion style spectrum.
Value
While there aren't a ton of comparables for the X-Drive, we believe the asking retail of $300 is reasonable and low enough to keep it in the high-value category.
As we mentioned, the most notable comparison that comes to mind is the Line 6 Distortion modeler from years past, which isn't in production anymore.
Here are a few larger-scale distortion pedals that you could use to compare:
- Friedman BE-OD Deluxe Dual Overdrive: $280
- Blackstar Dept. 10 Dual Distortion: $300
- Wampler Gearbox: $270
- JHS Sweet Tea V3 Overdrive: $345
Again, this should not be confused with preamps, which are often lumped in with the distortion pedal category and are typically more expensive.
However we see that compared to the distortion pedal market - the X-Drive is right where we'd expect. Not only that, but it does a lot more than most of its competitors. For example, the Friedman BE-OD is just a dual overdrive, while the X-Drive can produce 16 different types of distortion before you even get to tweaking and cab models.
Now, could you argue that pedals like the BE-OD and the Gearbox sound better? Sure, in some cases.
But when evaluating the value of the X-Drive, we'd have to say that $300 is a perfectly reasonable price point for this stompbox, given how much it can do and how flexible it is.
Final Thoughts & Questions
This was a fun and easy pedal to review.
It gives you a lot of sounds to work with, plenty of variety, and it never really felt like I was retreading sounds or recycling tired distortion tones. Yes, you can only have so many different high gain sounds, but AmpliTube did a good job here of showcasing as many as possible.
We'd recommend it for recording, particularly for high gain and metal distortion contexts where you need a more aggressive tone.
If you have further questions about our AmpliTube X-Drive review, feel free to drop us a line in the comments section below.
I'll jump in and help out as much as possible.
See you there.
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