How Load Boxes and IRs are Changing the Game for Guitarists

Episode 57: How Load Boxes and IRs are Changing the Game for Guitarists
Welcome to the Chairmen of the Boards Podcast! The ultimate pedalboard podcast with the foremost rig builders in the world: Grant Klassen (Goodwood Audio), Brian Omilion (Omilion Audio), and Mason Marangella (Vertex Effects/The Rig Doctor). We've teamed up to democratize great tone and provide you with our best tricks, tips, resources and hacks so you can build the pedalboard of your dreams!
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#loadbox #impulseresponse #reactiveload

[@CnyMTB]

It took until 5:30 before I learned what a load box was 😂. Thanks for defining it Mason. You asked Brian to define it and he went around it😅

[@omilionaudio]

Don’t think I really “went around” it. 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@stockwellb]

​@Omilion Audio your definition just wasn't as concise as Mason's. I appreciate you both.

[@omilionaudio]

@@stockwellb Gotcha! That’s the great thing about Mason and Grant, I’m thankful where things I miss they help fill in the blanks! 🤘🏼 Glad you enjoyed the video still

[@nathanielheale]

I love that my Revv D20 has Torpedo embedded into with pre loaded IRs. I wish more amps did that. And maybe there are, and I just don't know about them.

[@dekrev]

One thing I want to mention about the power load - you can run your wet effects into the headphone FX in stereo then run a splitter cable from the headphone out to a mixer - it’s a dope unit - love the power load

[@peterschaefer1665]

Pete Thorn recently toured the Boss TAE cause you can program stereo delay, reverbs, compressor on cleans and a eq'd solo boost all programmed into individual rigs recallable through midi.

[@VertexEffectsInc]

Does doesn't speak to the quality of the load however. My biggest concern on the TAE is what it does to your amp overtime.

[@dylanjastle]

@@VertexEffectsIncdo you have an opinion on the suhr reactive load quality? I’ve been shopping it for some months and I’m leaning towards the suhr unit with the IR loading capability. Variable attenuation for passthrough signal and an FX loop would be nice, but I’m not sure it’s worth paying the extra for those features.

[@dylanjastle]

@@VertexEffectsIncgot my question answered at the end of the episode. Now I just need to decide if the extra $100 is worth it for the attenuator and fx loop stuff on the fryette

[@FakeGlasses]

The Delay on the Oxbox software includes modulations (flanger, chorus, vibrato, etc.).

[@dennisrichards7845]

I’ve been using the Rivera Mini Rock Crusher(s) for a few years now. I love that it’s still analog and answers a solution to the no stage volume that I find myself playing in most often these days.

[@Suicaedere666]

Tonetown baby❤ thanks for sharing boys! Learned so much more than I knew and absolutely flipped a few things I had thought, super helpful!🙌⚡️🙌

[@StephaneBergeronPixelyzed]

Great overview guys! I myself got a standard Torpedo Captor a few years back to record my amp direct using the Wall of Sound in my daw but, earlier this year I got the CAB M+ and I love it. It's much more practical for me and the Torpedo emote software is indeed very nice. What I like about this setup is that the CAB M+ on its own could be the center of a silent ampless rig if I needed to. I'm already playing a pedal platform amp with great analog drives. We have so many choices now!

[@Burnt_Gerbil]

I’m still using analog gear. Tube amp and a 4x12. IRs are static captures. Real cabinets are dynamic. It affects the overall response of the amp.

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

So I have a vintage 66 Twin Reverb, and I own a secluded home studio so I don’t need to be quiet at all, and I worry that a load box would stop the spring tank from being quite so affected by the cab vibrations and make it more washy. But I do want to try one. But fourteen hundo is a LOT of money to just TRY a load box, you know?

[@waynegram8907]

VERTEX, EVH loadbox was made by Jose Arrendondo which wasn't using 8 ohms or 16 ohms loads but was for 20 ohms loads because when you crank your amplifiers to ten maximum volume Jose Arrendondo thought that the speakers impedance changed to 20 ohms. EVH Brown Sound is setting the marshall amplifiers output to 8 ohms but the Dummy Load is at 20 ohms so that is an impedance"mismatch". You should look into this to make a YT lesson about it

[@MartinVazChannel]

Guys I purchased a Suhr reactive load IR to use with my Suhr Bella for live gigs to go to FOH with out a cab, but I’ve read that is dangerous to do that because of surges coming from FOH, not from the wall, but from FOH that could damage the gear, is this true? I’ve never heard of something like this before, any advice using this? Thanks.

[@jrlee243]

I have been down this rabbit hole a year ago. The ox for recording sounds great. Unfortunately my ox kept dropping out. I would be using the software when recording and it would shutdown, and i read that some people experienced the same issue and some didn't. Hopefully they patched it by now. I also have the captor x. Its good i just preferred the ox over it, but its pretty close to the ox and nearly half the price. I also bought the Fryette power load IR, and that sounds really good, flexible, but i had trouble finding IRs that worked with it. I emailed them back and forth with no results. After searching around the internet, i read it only uses wav files, but by that time i was over it and moved on to the suhr, and i am happy with that. But keep in mind the Fryette load box doesn't attenuate your amp. If you connect your cab it will be at the same volume as your amp. If i play out around my house i normally bring my amp and, I now use a JHS little black box to attenuate my amp. It uses the fx loop with a volume knob. I can crank my master and turn down the black box and works great. 85 bucks. But it does not put a load on your amp. I only use it live with a cab.

[@ianmacneil556]

The Rockcrusher is an "attenuator" first and foremost. It has a "load" setting when the the attenuator knob is at max (i.e., labelled "studio").....but it's real strength is attenuation....there may be better options that are 100% load boxes.

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

I have the Bugera PS 1 Power Soak. A part for part clone of the old Jet City JS-1 designed by Mike Soldano . A decades old design but it does the job. I have used it daily on my 50 watt Plexi for over 5 years now with no problems. Still made $120.00 USD It does the job I get minimum 2 years out all my tubes and even then maybe one goes. Some say it kills a bit of highs but keep in mind they all load boxes stop the travel on your speaker cone and that is what can change the tone. You need to tweek the tone but no more than you tweak from club to club because the room you are in changes your sound regardless of using it or not.

[@godbyone]

Yes. I see a lot of top players use that ox box but does it hurt tubes?

[@stevefearon9337]

Development of load boxes and FRFR amp tech seem very slow in comparison to modelling and capture developments. Still hoping for ox 2 with a stereo effects loop and possibly duel inputs or multiple speaker emulation options. Love my ox…but I’ve got two amps… be nice to be able to mix wet / dry in a virtual setting.

[@shawnmarko7131]

Ok so the effects and whole signal is represented. "An Impulse Response or IR / IR Loader in the world of guitar is a sonic snapshot of an amplifier setup. Think of it as a polaroid picture capturing the exact sound of your amp in that second, including the microphone placement, speaker sound, pedals, rack-mounted gear and room sound"

[@Amish_Trivedi]

I've been really leaning Two Notes for a while but have yet to be able to decide fully. I mostly want it for recording, but I do feel like the three switch attenuator is kind of a miss. That said, software is important, headphones are important and price is important. Curious thoughts on those fronts.

[@SergioAureo]

If you are forced to play with headphones, like I do, I believe it is a great unit for the price. It’s was only the matter of finding the right IR for my amp and, from there on, it was a set and forget thing. It is well built, sounds and feels great.

[@Amish_Trivedi]

@@SergioAureo Thanks so much, Sergio- I think mainly I want the option, you know? I think XLR to DAW is also important to me.

[@SergioAureo]

@@Amish_Trivedi XLR to DAW works amazing... you can listen to some examples that I recorded (last 4 videos on my channel... I occasionally record some stuff just for fun, I have none whatsoever ambition of becoming some sort of youtuber :-) ; I'm only a home player so take it with a grain of salt, but I enjoy playing guitar and good tone)

[@Amish_Trivedi]

@@SergioAureo Very cool- will check it out!

[@ijustin_rocks]

Mason, in reference to you mentioning possible fly back voltage from some of the IR/Load Box units, have you ever heard of the Julius Music Box? I have the verision just with a load box and no DI out and use it alongside the Two Notes Cab M+ on a Morgan AC20 Deluxe. Do you have any opinions on this load box?

[@mtguitar5150]

Didn't IRs change the game like 5 years ago already

[@cheomoralesguitarist]

The BTPA coupon is not working It says it's expired

[@joejohnson8966]

1:00 30 interesting.