AMAZING Direct Tones With The STRYMON IRIDIUM! Tips, Walkthrough & Review!

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I get asked a lot how I get my Strymon Iridium to sound the way I do. So here's a fairly in depth explanation and walk through of exactly that! Hope you enjoy!
0:00 - Intro
2:56 - Round Amp (Fender Deluxe Reverb)
19:09 - Chime Amp (Vox AC30)
24:27 - Punch Amp (Marshall Plexi)
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@thebenmneal

[@willgo7898]

ok ... dick comment that'll save you 30 mins - the pedal's got 2 toggles and 6 knobs. Fiddle around with them and find tones you like.

[@BenNeal]

What he said!

[@johnamartine]

Best Iridium video I've watched in the past few nights and I think I've watched about twenty. Exactly how I'm planning on using it. Subscribed.

[@BenNeal]

Thanks so much!

[@MrZipdang]

Great demo mate! I’ve been using an iridium for a year or so now for recording and gigs, and I’ve learned a lot more from your video that I can’t wait to try out. The use of the room sound you demonstrated is a revelation in itself!

[@thigarciaable]

This is the best video about the pedal, mate!! Well done, awesome tones!! Cheers from Brazil 🇧🇷

[@BenNeal]

Thanks so much Thiago!

[@lisan1010]

Thanks Ben, I have my Iridium for 2 years now and I've learned a lot from this.

[@BenNeal]

You’re so welcome!

[@JohnCoughlan_JAC]

Great video! I have an iridium and love it but this was a big help - I’ll be able to get a lot more out of it now. Thanks for putting this out there!

[@BenNeal]

Thanks for the feedback John!

[@yokohamaborn]

Awesome demo. Just got an iridium and this is so helpful. Am glad to hear all three amps have a pretty good clean tone sound as well. I normally play a Vox AC15 but was surprised how much I liked the tone of that Marshall emulation.

[@tylerwoods6055]

Great video, very in depth. Got me feeling like I need one. Thanks!

[@BenNeal]

Cheers Tyler! Yeah I think you need one…

[@dewlab3]

Thankyou so much for your videos. You’re my favourite guitar person on KZbin. Love how you explain things. You’re helping me so much!!

[@josephelias3295]

Nice to see a new video on this. Love my iridium

[@BenNeal]

Love mine too!

[@Williamk492]

This was very informative and also very entertaining. Thanks! 👍🏻

[@staffanedlund4929]

This was a very good video on the Iridium! 👍

[@mikebledsoe2315]

*Awesome informative video Ben.*

[@BenNeal]

Cheers Mike!

[@larryb3946]

Excellent walk through 👍. Helpful.

[@BenNeal]

Thanks! Glad it helped!

[@guitardigitaltone]

The best Iridium video I've ever seen. Congrats bro.

[@Hamppzah]

Hats off my man.. This was very informative, I thought I knew everything about the Iridium already but boy was I wrong.

[@BenNeal]

Thanks so much! So glad it helped!

[@MrDavemiley]

Very informative Video . This is the same approach I like. The fact that the Stock IRs sound really good. Has got me sold. Thank you for posting this very helpful video !

[@poesybeat]

Really nice demo! Thanks

[@BenNeal]

No worries!

[@67er_matze97]

fantastic guideline for the strymon iridium imo! And great playing btw 👍

[@dver89]

Awesome vid!!

[@hansmeissner734]

Very good video about that pedal! One of my personal favourite settings with a Strat is Marshall with drive 2-3 o'clock, mid 13 and treble rather flattened. Great choice to feature a plexi's underrated middriven character for soloing.

[@BenNeal]

Thank you!

[@UglyOrgan8038]

awesome! thank u for sharing.

[@BenNeal]

No worries, thanks!

[@drcockles]

Brilliant video cheers, subbed 🤟🏽

[@BenNeal]

Thanks!

[@drcockles]

Working through and it’s great, something sounds flat, I always forget that input / output switch on the back (mono / sun / stereo), it sounds shite when it’s set wrong!

[@daviddisharoon]

Great video, thanks! Is your Iridium set on the default instrument level or is it running at line level?

[@Chonism]

Thank for great informative video . What kind of the guitar in this video , sound so good even dry signal.

[@trioguitar]

Nice demo Ben. Interesting in your Round setting you went for the Vibrolux (I reckon all three cab settings have a distinct sound and all have their uses). I really like the sound of a strat through that Vibrolux cab with 4th pick up setting, but - you can get a tiny bit of bassiness. I could see you rolling that bass off a tiny bit, and tweaking the treble up, and thought: yeh, that's about right!

[@ryantilley9122]

Great Video! You gave me some ideas to play around with my Iridium! You should check out York Audio IRs, as well! In your signal chain, do you run your delay/reverb into a DI box /something, or do you go directly into your interface? Interested to know how you record with your affects after!

[@BenNeal]

Glad you enjoyed it Ryan! So once I hit the Iridium, I go stereo into the Timeline and Bigsky and then directly into my Apollo interface. I’ve got a video coming soon about DI’s when running direct so stay tuned 🙏🏽

[@mikevanleeuwen2858]

what a great video. Great simple and good pedal. How does it sound through a p.a. speaker ?

[@sumgui6010]

23:15 has some very nice playing, that's beautiful man.

[@BenNeal]

Thank you! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@matttheknife3652]

Awesome video mate - really helpful to see your process and how you go about dialing in some great tones! If I am understanding your signal chain correctly - its basically Iridium / Timeline / Big Sky / Audio Interface / DAW?

[@BenNeal]

Thanks! Yes so the chain was Guitar / Drive Pedals / Iridium / Delay / Reverb / Apollo X / Logic Pro. Hope that helps!

[@matttheknife3652]

@@BenNeal Awesome - thank you!

[@demetrioerrigo6314]

@@BenNeal do you go with two cables from big sky into the apollo inputs 1 and 2 ?

[@BenNeal]

@@demetrioerrigo6314 Yep!

[@albrenguesjean8177]

Awesome video. Which pickup position did you use on the strat ?

[@BenNeal]

Thank you! Mainly neck pickup 🤙🏽

[@wallacenock7423]

Hi Ben I wonder if I could ask for some advice. I have the following pedals on my board that I have just purchased to use with my ultra Strat and tele. I have the Bass 9 pedal for bass when I loop, then to the Iridium that goes into a cali 76 Stacked edition then into the Universal Audio Starlight and then the Universal Audio Dreams. I also have a blue sky but at this stage have not fitted it as I have run out of space. I will follow your advise on the Iridium as above for my clean tone, but I wanted to know if the order I have everything in is ok and also do I need a dedicated reverb and drive pedal. Sorry for all the questions but I am primarily an acoustic player that does a load of looping but now wanted to build an Electric board, but sadly have no idea on the flow of the pedals and what should come first etc and also if I need the xtra pedals. Thanks for a great video.

[@maurocasanova9929]

Hello! Considering only effects with midi door, what other pedal do you recommend to accompany the iridium. Without going to hx stomp which seems exaggerated to me. I see plethora x3 well! What do you think?

[@davelanciani-dimaensionx]

I also use my Iridium completely stock, too. Curious if you've decided to try the new NUX Amp Academy to compare to the Iridium.

[@BenNeal]

I haven’t tried it unfortunately!

[@TeddyMcCready]

im a pro musician, and I think this is extremly helpful, just ordered one of these bad boys

[@markaxlbyrne4353]

Great video. Definitely interested in buying one of these. I don’t want to play with earphones and don’t record music. I play at home to music out a loud. I researched then my only option for this is to play the iridium through an FRFR speaker. Will the tones be compromised at all from playing through a speaker as opposed to hearing it through your recording interface? Would that depend on the speaker I bought. And if so any recommendations on which FR speaker to get with this? Thanks

[@izaacandkitabeaton6685]

Hey Ben, could you do a review on a semi hollow telecaster?

[@BenNeal]

I might need some help from THE Izaac Beaton for that video! 🤣

[@terro570]

I have an existential doubt, can I connect it to Seymour Duncan's Powerstage 170? I can tell that it is the "amp" that I use in conjunction with a 2x12 celestion creamback cabinet. I use analog pedals

[@BenNeal]

I have absolutely no idea I’m sorry! 🙏🏽

[@McAdamstry]

Can the iridium connect direct to an iPad garage band? I currently use a fender mustang usb into the iPad but this sounds a lot nicer.

[@herroglop7411]

Is this a good competitor for a bedroom amp ( katana, yamaha thr....) using it with a studio monitor such as a rockit or yamaha? I don`t find videos about this, it seems people use it live with PA or at home with a DAW and/or headphones.

[@BenNeal]

Yep absolutely! I use it like this all the time!

[@bok2bok333]

So, do you place your Iridium after your distortion pedals but before modulation and reverb pedals.....or......would you place the Iridium right at the end of the chain? Great video thanks.

[@bok2bok333]

Ah I read your earlier post. That is excellent. I should get mine in a few days.

[@BenNeal]

Enjoy it!

[@bok2bok333]

@@BenNeal Is there any way you have thought of to use two Iridiums? To get a stereo amp sound....say fender and Vox.....but still maintain the clarity with the effects.

[@blazerockers]

Hi Ben how do you use the FAV button mate Cheers Trev NZ 3

[@ChanokchaiChauychoo]

When the drive up you need to compensate the level by lowering it a bit. Is it corrected idea? Both max wiill be bad idea?

[@BenNeal]

Yeah probably not the best idea to have them both maxed but it all depends on how much headroom your interface or desk has!

[@davelanciani-dimaensionx]

Right - bad idea. The level is just a volume knob - it does not affect the tone or gain staging like a power amp control. The only reason you'd have it way up is to compensate for a very low input signal at a mixing board or interface.

[@ChanokchaiChauychoo]

thx! so i understood wrongly that higher level the clearer and meaty the signal flows into my chain.

[@thomass235]

Do you plug into your interface preamp, or do you plug into the interface line input?

[@BenNeal]

Hey Thomas! I plug into the two inputs on the back, linked, set to line in!

[@thomass235]

@@BenNealOh ok, So do you record those two linked outputs onto one stereo track, or do you record them onto two separate mono tracks?

[@ajleslie2]

What big sky setting for the big ambient sound?

[@BenNeal]

It was a Bloom setting 🤙🏽

[@Splattle101]

Great demo, Ben. Are you, perchance, a fan of the The Tea Party?

[@BenNeal]

Never heard of them!

[@Splattle101]

@@BenNeal Not sure if you're taking the piss. ;-) Presuming for a sec that you're not, they were a Canadian band from the late 1980s and early 90s. Alternative / progressive. Three piece. They dubbed their thing 'Moroccan' roll'. Fairly hefty Zeppelin influences in there. If you ARE sinkin the slipper, well...:D

[@BenNeal]

@@Splattle101 Haha no I haven't heard of them! 🤣

[@Johnsalad]

Thank you. I'm about to sell my Iridium. It might get another chance.

[@BenNeal]

No worries, I hope you hang on to it!

[@solsailor]

Did you end up selling it? I'm about to myself, I never really got the tones I wanted out of it

[@simongoode7025]

Great vid. Even with puns a bit stryhard….

[@BenNeal]

Haha thanks Simon!

[@nekkon1989]

Is it better than Neural DSP plugins, though?

[@BenNeal]

Hmm hard to say. Certainly not as versatile as the Neural DSP plugins have effects as well. They’re both great but I would say it’s up to what you’re looking for. Iridium is a great solution on a pedal board for recording or playing live, whereas the Neural stuff is epic for recording, live too if you want to bring a laptop to the gig!

[@brooklynboy1000]

With the vox some spikey annoying frequencies

[@chrisoconnor1800]

so much talking, so little playing

[@javaz81]

too much talking.

[@powbobs]

Buy an attention span.

[@steelhead197]

No one has ever asked you…be honest! 🤦😂

[@BenNeal]

30k views on this video says otherwise… 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

[@waltuhhimself]

Too much BS

[@BenNeal]

Is there a way to turn down the BS on the Iridium? I couldn’t find a control for that… 🤔

[@waltuhhimself]

@@BenNeal Your attitude matches your face

[@blublu6742]

you've got to be kidding me sounds nothing like a cab close miked with room, pedal pusher, we are not stupid!

[@BenNeal]

You’re the pro blublu6742

[@Cluless02]

Just play. No explanations or qualifying dialogue.

[@BenNeal]

Listen to albums 👍🏽