Digital amp modelers simply DON’T do this

[@wampler_pedals]

Links: *FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!* 🟠 Halloween Special: Get all of our courses at one low price! 🔴 Includes "How to design guitar pedal circuits", "Wampler Blueprint", "Guitar Pedals 101", "How to modify the Boss DS-1" and more! Go here: www.guitarpedalcourse.com/bundles/everything *PRODUCT LINKS* Friedman IRX Pedal:friedmanamplification.com/shop/pedals/friedman-ir-x/ Friedman IRD Pedal: friedmanamplification.com/shop/pedals/friedman-ir-d/ Friedman IRJ (Jake E. Lee Signature) Pedal: friedmanamplification.com/shop/pedals/friedman-ir-j/ *Special thanks to:* Rattlesnake Cables BTPA Cables Hosa Cables Porter Pickups Tonal Concept Pickups Fender Guitars Whitfill Guitars Epiphone Guitars

[@GearSounds]

I was kicked out of your facebook group for holding the opinion you express in this video. I think back then you were far more friendly to modelers, despite them being worse back then. Curious!

[@wampler_pedals]

@@GearSounds That doesn't sound like anything we would do, we've never kicked anyone out for an opinion around guitar gear. Our rules are pretty simple: treat people nice, don't bring up politics, religion, racism, sexism, etc - all things that have no place in a guitar centered group. Which moderator did you speak with? I'll look up the account. Edit: ahh, I recognize you now. No, you weren't kicked out for bringing up this opinion, there were a lot of other things involved, and this is not the forum to discuss that. You're welcome to send me a message on FB and discuss though, I'd be glad to revisit it.

[@Ottophil]

My entire rig is built around an IRX. Been gigging it for almost a year. It sounds feels. It is a real amp. People compliment my tone and ask where my amp is all the time.

[@mudpuddledive]

Same here, been using the IRX since it came out. My last gig I had someone tell me it was the best tone they had ever heard.

[@Joey_DiMarco]

@@mudpuddledive Just got my IR-X three weeks ago. It is the cornerstone of my new pedal board that I am setting up for 70's/80's rock. Really looking forward to playing live with it. I'm highly considering getting an EV 12" powered coaxial FRFR monitor to use as my stage monitor and run balanced direct out to it.

[@khalilhabib9607]

I love that you showcase other pedals on your channel. Your pedals are still the best though

[@CliveBarnesMusic]

I started dipping my toe into modelling in 2018 with the Fractal Ax8. By 2021, I was playing some shows with Amps and pedals and others with the Fractal. One day, I came to the realisation that I actually much preferred the Fractal. The creativity of the editor to build any sound I want. How it sounded live, how it felt. Every show I had been playing with my Amp setup had become a chore due to the house engineers constantly needing me to turn down and ultimately barely running me in the PA at all. I very slowly began selling all my amps. I was scared shit less as I spent years accumulating them. After a few months,I was 100% on the modelling train. I absolutely love pedals and amps. That's ultimately what modelling is all about. But I've never felt better on stage than I do now. The versatility, the sounds, the clarity, the balance, the ease of setup and transport, and the enjoyment of building your perfect rig for each show, for me, easily trumps the obvious beauty of a traditional amp and pedals. I still love amps and pedals, and I love Wampler and Brian's unending pursuit of great tone. Everyone will have a different opinion on this subject. And that's OK..! Long live Wampler

[@picksalot1]

Well put. 👍

[@djpgreek]

I agree with everything you said here. I did the same thing. I’ve been down the rabbit hole of analog stuff tubes and everything. I recently got an FM3 by fractal and I couldn’t be happier. I love the versatility and the sound is on par with anything that I’ve tried to put into my daw. ironically, I feel that the title of this video is a little in accurate. Actually modelers can do this and a lot more considering that almost all three of these pedals sound in essence the same. Give or take a few levels of gain. I like Friedman and don’t get me wrong, but they all kind of feel and sound the same. that said, I agree, I love pedals and amps always have always will but there’s something to be said about how advanced modeling has gotten and how we can solve a lot more issues

[@OrangeMicMusic]

My take on the matter amps vs modelers/ profilers is this: since many years ago I started to set up blind A/B tests. Even though I was setting up the tests, when someone else was switching between them, I couldn't figure out which one was which. I tried this with other guitar players. Same result, they didn't know. Year after year. And I'm talking about how it felt to play, how the guitar was reacting, etc etc. I started playing guitar professionally since 90's with Marshall full stacks and everything in between. Probably some gifted guitar players can "feel" a tube amp with a bunch of modelers in a blind test, but 99% people simply can't.

[@SamHooperGroup]

What are you playing the Fractal through, live? Do you bring your own powered speaker to hear yourself on stage or do you just depend on the sound person?

[@CliveBarnesMusic]

@SamHooperGroup several options. I used the house monitor for the longest time. I'm on in-ears now, and I'm never going back. It's incredible. Another benefit of modelling is their compatibility with in-ear monitoring. I also used the Laney 2x12 FRFR, which is great. I have my own HK Linear 5 monitor wedge and the G66 Red Sound stereo FRFR's. Since I went on ears, I only use these for home monitoring and rehearsal now.

[@giovannielixir]

If you have the X or D I recommend to connect to the latest software at least once and it will automatically update the firmware on the pedals. It should improve the IR/power amp simulation and latency. It also includes some ownhammer IR's to choose that imo are much better than the default one's.

[@wampler_pedals]

10000% !!!

[@Joe-mz6dc]

Definitely this. And the last Dave Friedman podcast he and Marc both agreed that the new update makes it sound even more amplifier-like.

[@endtimeguitarist]

A tube amp is like butter vs margarine. When you’re eating the margarine you say “I can’t believe it’s not butter” but the moment you eat the butter you know you’re eating real butter.

[@Mister_Greg]

Assuming it is the same as the Twin Sister, the IR-D topology is that of the Marshall 2203 Master Volume minus the 470p treble peaking cap before the final gain stage and minus the bright cap on the gain control which is shunted by 220k. The Bright/Tight switch either bypasses the 820 ohm cathode resistor on the final gain stage with 680nF (bright) or reduces the coupling cap after the first gain stage (tight). The structure switch switches the cathode resistance on the second gain stage between 10k, 5k, or 2.7k with a 680nF bypass cap. There is likely also a snubber on the cathode resistor of the cathode follower feeding the tone stack.

[@davidlogan9829]

😮🤯🫠 👍

[@masterofreality230]

I hope Friedman puts out the JJ (Jerry Cantrell signature) preamp.

[@dylannolan7454]

That’s next… I have no official knowledge… but at this point it’s a no brainer

[@masterofreality230]

@@dylannolan7454 I am a huge AIC fan, as are many others, it will sell some just based on that.

[@damonstewart70]

That would be awesome

[@guitarpunkcovers]

Brian I'm gonna stop believing a word you say, cause you make everything sound good!

[@coveryourears3851]

pretty much, everything in this video sounded decently uniform in a good way because he is tight

[@craigorio505]

Awesome Brian, I’m doing this too with my ir-d, but into a fryette ps100 and it’s killer (!!!) especially on the gigs. And the convenience of having just a single cable running from the pedalboard to the amp is the icing on the cake. These are brilliant. Well done Sir, thank u! 👏🏽👏🏾👏🏼

[@caleshtcincredibles]

I always enjoy your video master classes on tone as much as I enjoy having Wampler pedals on my pedalboard !

[@pedroroggla8129]

today ive been around 5 hours trying to get a proper recording sound outta my modelers (and plugins), in the end ive plugged the tube amp, it did sound better, and i got to where i wanted to be faster...

[@trixdropd]

Gotta stop with cheap modelers. Get a fractal. For recording, it’s beats the amount of unless you mic really well and have a great dab

[@frankenstein4106]

Thanks Brian for this video! Just ordered the IR-J and planned on running it into the power section of my Mesa Fillmore 25.

[@ThadBrown]

I have an HX Stomp for years and love it, but the IR-D convinced me to jump in. It's a fantastic, FANTASTIC companion to the Stomp. Sometimes I'll do a dual amp thing with one amp from the HX and the Friedman, some with just the Friedman, and then the HX always does some fx. Just an incredible combo.

[@tmduncan75]

Brian I would love to see you try out the Carvin x1 pedal. Man I don't understand why it doesn't get more love. I love that it's a real tube amp in a box. Sounds great as a stand-alone, preamp, and dirt pedal. I respect your take on this gear and would love it if you did a video on it.🎉

[@Andy_Yates]

All of these can be wired up like an add-a-channel to your amps with a loop. If you gig your HRD, you can still use its clean channel too. I have an IRX with a Driftwood Purple Nightmare preamp in the loop of the IRX for low, high, and chugging gain. Can run it direct or into another power amp. It's great seeing you so happy with these too. You can also just put a line level friendly delay/reverb after your IRX/IRD to have that too!

[@teerexness]

I'm 62. I kicked the tube amp habit around 2010 after a back injury. I'd wouldn't give up my Helix/Variax for any tube amp now. Insane versatility, one trip to and from the car. Priceless. And I look around at my fellow gigging musicians and it's heavily shifted to modeling at this point.

[@MRxr400]

I have just got my IR-D and a fender fr10. It sounds good, but so much bass in the fender fr10 that I'll dial out. but the send DI to desk is important too. I've got a bit of work to do to get it to where i really feel comfortable gigging it. But, so impressed with the unit and its amp like set up, feel, for an old valve amp guy like myself. i hate menus and too many options/voices found in modelers. Pretty excited to have such a versatile thing where i can go DI and receive it back through a fold back in a mix, into a amp on stage behind for more rock feel or take my mesa and quad to shake the room properly. you did a great job of getting great tones out of it.

[@wampler_pedals]

if using it with an amp, make sure to go through the effects loop return, it won't sound as intended through the input of the amp, since you're running a preamp into another preamp.

[@MRxr400]

@@wampler_pedals yes, that is my plan, without the ir section on as well. as you're playing through a real power amp and cab.

[@patrickfouhy9102]

Yup. The end result from modelers is/can be great and essentially indistinguishable from a tube amp. In many cases the end result is better than a tube amp because you eliminate user error and the inconsistencies of a tube amp. But there is certainly something that feels different about playing through an amp. I think most people associate a good feeling setup with a good sounding setup because they are playing better. When the amp responds the way you prefer, you are able to play better, so in turn you sound better.

[@victorvaldenegro4001]

Just got the IR-J last week. Sounds fantastic! I’ve only just scratched the surface of its potential. Awesome amp!

[@Billywagner22]

I own an Axe Fx and it’s great, but I LOVE my tube amps!

[@joelspaulding5964]

Brian giving much praise to other manufacturers- Honest and class take. Now I HAVE to get some of your pedals- not that I haven't wanted several, previously. Great vid!

[@odyssey6684]

Lots of overdrive sounds on the videos have improved so much. There used to be a nasty unnatural treble spike that was hard to get past. This recorded sound is an incredible improvement over the old. Much more listenable. Great comparison overall.

[@adeptgopnik]

I have the IR-D and I use it with a Fryette Power Station. Its a great thing.

[@BrianAndersonPhotography]

I won't get rid of my tube amp, but I also just got the Neural nanocortex so I could get access to amps I could never afford. I can enjoy a close copy without investing a fortune in tube amps. If I had the money I'd be flush in a bunch of tube amps ...lol.

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

I am 77 and past my best before date, LOL. I have forever been humping an antique 50 watt Plexi. Friends have been saying ''get a Modeler! '' Sooo these tube pre's seem to be the answer. Dave F. is hinting there will be a amp to team it with. I am guessing a 100 watt type D pedalboard amp. I run my amp at just before breakup and use pedals for any serious gain/dirt. I think you have the right idea with the black one, the IR-D. THANX for the comparison. All the other reviews feature the gain and I did not get to hear the low gain and cleans. You made it easier to choose.

[@wampler_pedals]

Thanks so much! I agree- I know Friedman is know. For its high gain stuff but it does lower gain tones great as well, it’s a shame very few show that side of it!

[@Danny_da_Gearho]

I have the IR-D on my pedal board and run it straight into the mixer which goes directly to the mains and monitors. I only use the top channel set up fairly clean. Sounds great and I always get compliments from other players that come up to figure out what I'm running. Power trio. Using the Belle and a Tumnus for my drives.

[@thejakefromstatefarm6768]

Mans amp game is very strong! Respectable indeed.

[@danstringer7610]

I love all amps but I have recently acquired a Roland Blues Cube Hot…my Nobles OFR-mini into that amp is my perfect Boomer Rock go to…light weight, loud, and sounds great!

[@naguibabuhadba6418]

I agree! But now ive bought a simplifier mk2, and i love it as my blues jr 4.

[@TyroneLoganMusic]

I run the IR-X with the HX FX and am very happy with the results. I’ve also used the HX FX to send midi commands to the IR-X.

[@hereonmars]

I almost think it's more about analog vs digital. Ive used a tonex for a year live. I got bored and plugged a sansamp in and it was night and day. I can now feel the latency in the tonex. It doesn't necessarily bother me, but it's definitely there.

[@J.C...]

Glad I didn't go for the Tonex. I, may splurge for the Kemper Player. $699 for that is a steal! I just don't record at all so it doesn't seem,like a good idea. All I have is combos and no FRFR speakers so I'm not so sure I'd gain anything from it except more complexity

[@kimblez]

latency !!! yup

[@ScottfromBaltimore]

Come for the knowledge, stay for the playing. I loved the Lay It Down reference.

[@phillamoore157]

*This is the best I've heard these pre-amps sound, of all the demo's I've heard.* I've got a request for the suggestion box, Brian (my apologies if I've asked for this before...). You know exactly how to dial in these amps, to the tones they were designed for. 99% of the time, they're some version of the Marshall circuit. But, NO ONE these days are dialing these amps in for those killer crips, punchy, articulate Marshall-era tones. They're almost *ALWAYS* using too much gain...whether it's the style of music, or style of playing (i.e. lead tones that traditionally use a ton of gain). Can you do a short video to show how these Marshall-esq circuits were designed to sound like (that includes the SLO circuit). These days I wouldn't even call it high-gain (that's what we called it circa '87)...it's more of a "Super Crunch". Give these kids a bit of a lesson on making sure the design of the circuit is respected while they're doing their gear demo's.

[@Magnet54]

Totally agree with you Brian. They are a beast (heavy, but the tone is so sweet and organic.

[@CrookedMonkey-band]

I have Fractal FM3 and it is awesome, I used it as my audio interface and play it hours every day, but I still strongly prefer tube amps like you say for live. The feel and having KNOBS. I have the Friedman preamps and my board is built around the IR-D and I can go direct to FOH or back in to the FX return of my Friedman Dirty Shirley. Dave makes the best amps on the planet and has the EAR for tone. I had the IR-X first and then the IR-D. I set my channel 1 with the gain about 10 and it's kind of ac/dc level gain and then the boost is activated for a hotter crunch rhythm sound is my default setting. I use channel 2 with the mids dimed, gain about 3 c'clock and hit with the boost set to on for my solo. All under MIDI control along with delay and verbs I get complimented on the sound at gigs all the time and people asking me how I get it.

[@thedddemon]

Anything that doesn't weigh a ton and sounds good, is always welcome. I have tube amps and I;m tired of spending a small fortune to physio after a tour.

[@TheUncleshoes]

This is, as always from you Brian, an excellent and informative vid. Your content is A+, thank you!

[@tomaselke3670]

Of all of the amps that I've ever owned, my fractal sounds and feels better than all but one of them. The 'one that got away' for me was a mid 80's Peavey Butcher, through a Jackson 4x12 that I borrowed from a guy I knew. I still keep buying pedals though, even though I have several that I've never even plugged in. The "problem" I have with something like a Fractal, is that it's a very different work process than plugging in pedals, moving them around, and turning those physical knobs. You just don't get to do that with something like a fractal. If you want to change a pedal setting, you can do it but it's a whole process, so generally I set it - and forget it. Also, when I do use my "real" amp, it's currently a Blackstar HT-100 on a Marshall 2x12, and I typically use a Wampler Plexi Deluxe. It's a close vibe to my old Butcher, but not quite.

[@davidlawson7786]

Those pedals sound incredible , I dig them all. Personally I would get the IR-X. Friedman has that tone we love!

[@boonatuna]

they all sound fantastic!

[@picksalot1]

It would be great if Jim Lill would make a video that quantifies what factors contribute to the "Amp in the room sound" and if Modelers are incapable of replicating it.

[@aferreyrola]

I have the IRD. Really happy with it. That and my Pinnacle are my victory nox pedals.

[@chrisdover8507]

You don’t get enough credit for how good a player you are. You got the touch yo

[@wampler_pedals]

🙏 thanks so much! I appreciate that!

[@allendean9807]

It’s true; i do miss turning up a great, clean tube amp, through a 4x12 bottom cab, and a great sound shaping board. Noting beats the feel of the air pushing into your body, as you spin up the volume

[@ryleuty]

IRD is like the Dirty Shirley. I've got this pedal and the Little Sister head, great stuff for classic rock.

[@irvingdiaz1399]

Thanks for these videos, Brian.

[@endtimeguitarist]

I guarantee if you take a tube amp and crank it for people who aren’t used to it at a small show your instantly going to receive genuine shock and curiosity from everyone that hears it because in the field you will bring out a natural occurrence where people instantly recognize a strange sensation where they know they’ve been touched with something beyond their experience because it’s new to their ears.

[@kevinlong4657]

LOVE my IR-X. I have a bazillion amp sim plugins. Always go back to my IR-X for my playing at home. I like to use some UAD effects after it.

[@FlankinspanK]

I made a very tidy pedalboard with a Synergy Syn 1 on the actual board. I run it into a Torpedo Cab M and basically get the same stuff that the new Friedman products do except more options. Friedman makes great stuff. Its hella fun.

[@wampler_pedals]

Yeah, synergy stuff is great too! My favorite module from them is the mark 2cp, it's fantastic!

[@smoreshaunted]

Djent guy here. I sold my engl because I like the feel and sound of amp sims and impulse responses! xD

[@joewyatt8371]

I have all 3 of them as well. They are fantastic!

[@joeylodes]

Still picking my heart ❤️ off the floor after finding out the Hot Wired V2 was discontinued. Was my go to for years. Great video , Brian Ps …. Seeing you play that Brent Mason guitar just reminds me more !!!!! :_ :)

[@wampler_pedals]

hang tight, I have something coming you'll love even more ;)

[@joeylodes]

@@wampler_pedals YES 🙌

[@blakeanderson7906]

I enjoyed the video! I use the irx and I really love it!

[@thommccarthy1139]

These sound sick! I have one of those vox nutube things which has also been surprisingly convincing.

[@NitroModelsAndComics]

Dragging 4X12s around for me at 60 is a no go. Im in shape I am just sick of it after 40 years. This new stuff is a dream come true. Still love my big rig, if i had someone to schlep it around for me no worries. I dont.

[@STONERY-BAND]

Great video , I feel the same way, nothing sags like a rectifier tube big fat juicy open chords not really the sounds but yes feeling how the notes responds is totally a different , solid state rectifier ,for me ,better for Palm muted sounds and digital , sim’s and iRs are different feel as well 👍🏻👍🏻⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🖖🏻😎✌🏻🎸💪🏻👏🏻

[@thisperfectworld]

After your opening commentary, I was really looking forward to your verdict: Are high voltage pre-amp tubes enough of the source of the "feel" of a tube amp, that running them into a solid state power amp checks the boxes for that thing you miss with a modeler? Thanks for another insightful exploration of tone!🎉

[@UncleAshGuitarZone-v6g]

I too have tube amps and love them... I have tried a wide variety of digital emulation and they just don't do it for me... BUT.... I find current generation sansamp stuff to be VERY SATISFYING and far more flexible and practical than my tubes amps. The Sansamps are so good that I rarely play through my tubes stuff because of the volume factor to make them cool.... Not an issue with the sansamps!

[@jeffbateman2339]

Brian, are we listening to the Friedman pedals into the Power Nap in of the amps (Femder, Peavey Bandit, etc) and you’re mic’ing the speaker? Or are we just hearing the Direct signal through an IR? Thanks so much for sharing

[@TheDanielGuy23]

Is it true that the clean channel on the IR-J is the same as on the IR-X? Also how similar/different would you say the gain channels on those are? It's hard to tell without a direct back-to-back comparison. I've got the IR-X and I'm trying to convince myself out of getting the IR-J, lol. Nice video btw!

[@MichaelMoore-od4jz]

i agree i use this setup with my orange amp and love it

[@gibs8412]

I use an irx on my board, into tube amps, it sounds great, and love it is midi.

[@adamalper804]

Have an IR-X that I gig with and love it. The only downside, if I understand it all correctly, is in the trimpots on the side...the adjustment for channel 1 is for gain, but for channel 2 it's volume. So for channel 1 I can increase the gain for the boost. But the boost on the second channel only adjusts volume. Other than that, I love it! Now just need to grab the IR-D for the JTM45 influence.

[@Ottophil]

You are incorrect. The trim pots are gain. The volume is the 4 knobs on the left.

[@adamalper804]

Could certainly be the case, although I get one helluva volume jump, didn't sound like a big gain change . But if channel 2's trim point adjusts the amount of gain, why does it say "volume"? The way it looks is that the pot for#1 adjusts the amount of gain on tap, while #2 does so for volume level available. I'll run it up again in the morning and listen again...

[@RomeoG39]

I have to agree about tube amps. You can call it sound, feel, mojo, voodoo, or whatever - I don't really care. But I enjoy playing through a tube amp. And I prefer both pre and power sections to be tube, although I don't mind if there is a solid state component, such as how some amps add diode clipping in the pre section. And to be clear, I own an Eleven Rack and an Axe FX III Mk2, so I am not against modelers. But I will not get rid of my tube amps until I have to due to space or finances.

[@Scooby743]

Love the Mesa Cali Tweed 20 10" Combo

[@RICO_SUAVE21]

You know it must be good if the BW gives you props!!!!

[@gffg387]

New York Times: "Old man yells about tubes"

[@JDubzDrumz]

As i said else where, guitar electronics genius... i wish you would do a pedalboard bravado 😢

[@YimmyyaRashoo]

The Peavey Vypry X3 is Great....the tube nonsense is a grift .....solid state has a 100% response too your playing...luv Wampler no offense, got some of his cool products❤

[@patrickkeenan6331]

You sold me on the IR-D. $499 I'll never see again....Thanks, Brian....

[@dmac3316]

Cool vid, thanks for posting! I’ve been wanting to try out the X and D and now I’ll add the J to the list. I’m leaning towards the D but am open to what sounds best. Quick question, Do you disable the IRs when running into the amps?

[@michaelpeacestewart]

I’m using a stereo setup with an irx and an ird running through mosvalve power amp into Marshall 412s lexicon reverb and delay in effects loop it’s glorious

[@tonykennedy8483]

Guitar playing is supposed to be fun, so use whatever makes you smile and want to play That being said, gotta disagree with some of your opening comments Brian. I had an IRX for a while recently, fine pedal. But, it soon was up for sale as my AXFXIII was doing everything the IRX was doing, but so much more. It's easy to get a great sound out it and with the myriad of options in it you can fine tune to your hearts content. I currently have a Quad Cortex and though a fantastic unit, the modelling - for me - is not anywhere as good as the Fractal. It's kinda flat TBH in comparison to the richer sounding AXFXIII But, I'm spending time playing through both units comparing what they can do - Fractal keeps coming out ahead btw - and having great fun doing so. Anyway, always enjoy your content but found the IRX couldn't keep up with the Fractal

[@michaelmitchell5909]

Which one will do metallica better? The lrx or the irj ?. Both r kick ass pedals.

[@void_snw]

I'd love to see one of the big brands do a comparison when they release their next amp to software - record a loop and run it through the real and modeled amp, null test em against each other :p

[@mindfield9832]

Vox mv50 is a pretty good solid state that comes close to tube feel and it’s small and light as hell.

[@philf4086]

Great video Brian - since these units are running higher power into the tubes, do they get noticeably hot? As an aside, I am running either Amplitube 5 or my HX Stomp into my Fender Princeton Chorus (SS amp) effects return, just like you did with your Bandit. It works!!

[@dreamingone615]

I hear you. Tubes, yes. But... I like to stick several transistors in front of them. Fuzz into tube amp wins.

[@M00nkat55]

This sounds great.

[@Dr_Reason]

There is a place for solid state amps. I use mine to prop up my tube amp so the crowd can get a better view of the glorious tone machine.

[@swampscott2670]

I will always keep my real amps and assorted effects. But honestly, my Kemper has replaced them for 99% of practical applications. Still my “own” sounds, easily controlled stage volume, works with all guitars, including acoustic, great effects, highly adaptable to all situations. So unless anyone would ever want me to play in a big studio again or provide a roadie for gigs, the nice amps stay home.

[@GmanMusicProductions]

Great demo of these preamp pedals Brian! I hope Synergy makes an updated Syn-1 with the features that the "IR" line has. By the way, what IR were you using? I thought that sounded great compared to the stock ones.

[@wampler_pedals]

It's actually a custom IR I made, Greenback speakers with sm7/R121 mics, a little bit of 1176 comp on it, and some of the room mixed in.

[@GmanMusicProductions]

@@wampler_pedals I like sm7 too, not as ear piercing as the 57 but still has that character. Have you thought of making an IR line? Sounds like you might have something there like your pedals. ;-)

[@wampler_pedals]

@@GmanMusicProductions I do have a bunch of IR's made, I'll probably put them on guitarpedalcourse.com website when I get done with the next course :)

[@robbieyates1685]

I had an IR-X for a while and I own a Fractal FM-9. I sold the IR-X because I was able to create a patch in my FM-9 that sounded identical to the IR-X channels using the Friedman IRs. I couldn't feel a difference between the IR-X and Fractal.

[@johncruz9357]

I couldn’t agree with you more!!!!

[@moddaudio]

A lot of this tech is oversold by marketing. Impulse response/convolution, used for cabinet simulation, can not model a non linear or time varying signal. This means that it can not model any speaker breakup (distortion), it can only model the eq curve of the speaker. Convolution is just a mathematically efficient way to implement a large FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filter. Add in the addition latency, which is usually a few milliseconds according to my measurements, and it does not feel as responsive. The analogy I like to use is that a digital amp sim is like a print of the Mona Lisa. Good, but not quite the real thing.

[@wampler_pedals]

Yep, IR is linear. However, I'm not using an IR here technically... I'm using a very special neural model ;) Would I use that in the studio? Not if I had the budget to spend time with mics/placement/etc. On stage and on youtube though, works great for me. I'm also monitoring with a real cab both in the room AND on stage. The latency drives me nuts, even though it's minor.

[@moddaudio]

@@wampler_pedals There is a DSP trick that can extract the impulse response of each harmonic individually. You basically use a specifically sized log chirp, which lines up the harmonics in time. Each harmonic IR gets reflected at a known location and is time reversed. I think I demoed it using your Equator Parametric EQ pedal a year or two ago. I always thought that it would be useful for displaying the difference of a modeler to the actual amp. But alas my channel never got enough subs to justify the software development work let alone to buy any products for testing.

[@baronvongrimm4780]

The pickups add very much so to response and touch. You can make up a lot with the pickups.

[@joelspaulding5964]

IR-X giving vibes from "A Flick of the Switch"

[@brianzulauf2974]

I got that behringer tube pedal thing and even that thing improves the distortion tone and im using an orange solid state so it already has good tone.

[@drewbarries]

Yes, thank you, they fool my ears and can be tonally, extremely ideal, but the feel is not the same.

[@communitykyle]

@wampler_pedals - Great video. I play direct and can tell you after owning an IR-X and now an IR-D, both sound AMAZING with a Belle or Tumnus:) Personally I feel these "best" a tonex or quad cortex for direct to FOH tones. They take pedals amazingly well. Now I just need a Friedman Vox or Fender flavor so I can run stereo:) Both of you make incredible pedals I am happy to own.

[@joereddy3146]

Sounds wicked.

[@guitarman5560]

I was a die hard tube amp guy... Until I got my first Fractal modeler. Haven't touched my tube amps in months.

[@houseofshred3725]

Friedman have hit the nail on the head with these things.

[@OrangeMicMusic]

You're pedals and knowledge about guitar amps are amazing, but I'm curious if you ever did a really well set A/B blind test between few modelers/ profilers and real amps. A test set up by someone else, and you'll not know what you're playing. I'm curious if you can really point out, which one is which.

[@MrBallynally2]

Do you prefer Friedman ( US) or Kingsley (UK) preamps?

[@wampler_pedals]

I don’t have any Kingsley actually! I should change that

[@johnmoser1162]

Cmon dude ... can you remember things like C-64 and Apple I ? Now imagine how this amp modeling and simulation stuff will develop in the next few decades if the money pours in - and it definitely will. So what you have today are just C-64s and Apples alike tools. Don't know if you will be alive but in 10-20 years modelling and simulation will of a different universe.

[@TheFueloep]

Dont know but hasnt modelling been around since the 90s?

[@johnmoser1162]

@@TheFueloep Well the question is how much CPU power you get. In today's devices, it's laughable what CPUs/DSPs are built in. You could even today have 10x or more performance. But who would buy a guitar FX device for $10'000 or alike ? You know like the AT PC in the 90ties for $10'000 and Intel 486 ... 🙂

[@BananaManPL]

Just a thought: do you feel the response of the tubes OR (hear me out) the nice speakers at high volumes?

[@DavidNorthUK]

A lot of people are using modellers with cab sim so never going to the same. Running one into a real cab is another matter. Then you have a fair comparison.

[@wampler_pedals]

I rarely play at higher volumes. There is ALWAYS some amount of latency when using a digital or neural modeler. You just don't have that with analog, (well, minus the speed of light and sound roughly I suppose) but there is definitely a different feel to them, and in digital models I always hear these weird "whispy" harmonics that just are... strange. I don't have that with tubes. Even some solid state pedals have harmonic details that I'm not a fan of, and it's actively something I try to design out of my own products.

[@Ottophil]

What you hear is no propegational delay from the dac’s even 1 or 2 ms can’t be heard. But you can feel it

[@cwness4587]

I see your playing the Mason Tele and it looks like you have 3. How have you got them setup. I got rid of my tele's and just have the Mason. It has all the great tones out of one Tele. IR-X here. Great vid and playing.

[@cchavez248]

Am I the only one who liked the IR-D through the Peavey better than through the Deluxe?👍😁