IRs Have NEVER Been This EASY & FUN!

Thanks for watching the first episode of my "Things I'm Passionate About" series. This one is about the OwnHammer Rock-Box that I use every day! Using guitar cab impulse responses has never been this easy and fun! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Cheers!
Gear used in this video:
- ESP LTD SC-20
- Soldano SLO 30 Tube Amp
- ML Drums by ML Sound Lab
- Cubase 13 Pro
- OwnHammer Impulse Responses
- RedSeven Amplification Amp Central reactive load
This channel is sponsored by:
OwnHammer: www.ownhammer....
ML Sound Lab (ML Drums): ml-sound-lab.c...
An original song of mine with me on vocals: • My First Song w/Vocals...
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/ sonicdrivestudio
/ sonicdrivestudio_official
Join the official SDS Guitar Gear Forum on Facebook: / sdsguitargearforum
#impulseresponses #madeeasy #ownhammerrockbox
Disclaimer: this video is sponsored but as always all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own!
Keywords: metallica, sonic drive studio, james hetfield, meshuggah, deftones, rhythm, guitar, amp, tube, modeler, line 6, helix, fractal audio, axe fx, fm3, fm9, hx stomp, tonex, neural dsp, quad cortex, gibson, les paul, custom, standard, esp ltd, phoenix, black metal, deluxe, 1000, ec1000, ec1000t, baritone, prs, mushok, 9-string, 8-string, ibanez, meshuggah m80m, fishman, fluence, seymour duncan, nw44, schecter, hellraiser, e1, apocalypse, ml drums, ml sound lab, grit, meld, cubase, slate digital, steven slate audio, phoenix-7 sc607b, sc608b, adam jones, will adler, tutorial, lesson, tones, settings, new, firmware, free, mesa boogie, marshall, orange, soldano, friedman, peavey, evh, laney, redseven, victory, wangs, lichtlaerm audio, walrus audio, engl, bluguitar, driftwood, hughes kettner, pedal, djent, death, rock, crunch, classic, ola, fluff, blackstar, randall, dsl50, jcm 2000, ds20hr, dsl1000hr, 6505, 6505mh, 1992 original, xxx, satriani, astro 20, slo100, diezel, vh4, vh2, ksr, revv, generator, jvm410h, jvm210h, jvm205, boss, tube screa,er v30, ownhammer, rock-box, essentials, low-tuned, bogren, sc20, sv20, plexi, jubilee, 2525, invective, mini, leviathan, iridium, mercury, preamp, jmp1, dual, triple, mini, rectifier, mk iic+, mkv, kraken, mkii, fireball, 25, 100, powerball ii, savage, special edition, founders edition, slash, 5150, iii, el34, 6l6, single, or15, tiny terror, dual terror, or30, ad30, rockerverb, 50, mkiii, purple, nightmare, archon, mt100, mark tremonti, tubemeister, black spirit, grandmeister, deluxe, toontrack, superior, ez, drummer, ironball, ironheart, ht, clob, venue, jj jr, emg, jb comparison, rig, capture, kemper, profile, free, preset, headrush, amped, digital, analog, hotone, ampero, roland, me90, leptop, daw, kreative devices, desktop, music production, mixing

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Which of the OwnHammer Rock-Box packs are your favorites?

[@SomebodyPickaName]

The 1999 EN (founder's favorite) was my favorite as well, for sure. I just picked it up after seeing this video. Great advert, even though it wasn't meant to be!

[@TinusTheFlyingV]

The Founders Fav with the Modern cab.

[@scottykomer9992]

g65 and 65 creamback! I like York for its dv77 and greenbacks

[@joeywilder9708]

Ownhammers rockbox series is hands down the best IRs on the market. I’ve tried a whole bunch and nothing else can touch these.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Agreed!

[@MegaAndyGG]

I just yesterday bought Ownhammer Rockbox IRs. I already had York Audio IRs, but i really think this Ownhammer is even better! 🔥👌

[@kelvinfunkner]

wow...never been to this channel before. The tones were unbelievable, but even more jaw dropping for me was THAT ROOM FULL OF GEAR! Like....WHAT?!!!! Literally every dream piece that any guitar player would drool over all in one place!!!!

[@NickHillMakesMusic]

I totally agree. I’ve been going back to Ownhammer more and more with these packs and have been able to find a tone I love much faster. Great demo Jon!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks my friend! Hope you're well!

[@RamJam11111]

The advice you give from 9:30-10:30 is critical for anyone new to IRs or speaker packs. It can quickly get overwhelming and fatiguing to your ears to sort through 100 different options. Great video.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks! Glad to help

[@badtonestudio]

Good job spreading the gospel!This is exactly what I’ve been wanting to hear and see. I’m going to check this pack out.

[@jarodjacobsen3699]

Based on your demo videos I picked up several Rock Box packs. They are terrific. They have become my go to IRs. My previous go to IR was the York Mesa oversized mic mix 01. The Rock Box IRs just sound so much more alive. My favorites are the V30MV, H75CB and the DVNT77.

[@emmancastillo8679]

I've spent hundreds of dollars on OwnHammer's IR's solely based on your videos and how good they sound (to me) and how they keep making things better for everyone. After using ALL the other big IR brand names and even the small ones, I always come back to OH. They have nailed the IR and are actually affordable with great variety. Thanks for your hard work man, also, that V30-1999 is just pure IR bliss.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Awesome!

[@BlackChromeJamTracks]

The M65 Creamback mixed with the M25L Greenback is my current go to. Have several of the RockBox IR's. All are excellent, def great value for the money!

[@Stratman5150]

I learned of Ownhammer from your channel. I’m tired a bunch of IR’s and always go back to OH. They just seem warmer/fatter to my ears. My favorite is the 412 EDVH Essentials.

[@despot666]

OH were the first IRs I ever used before moving on to other brands because the OH ones just didn’t sit right in my mixes. Most recently I found the Bogren ones easiest to work with until I gave RockBox a chance. Been combing the “Classic” mixes of T75 and V30MV speakers. Sounds fantastic.

[@RequiemDead]

I just recently grabbed the OwnHammer DV-77 rock box and OH MAH GAWD! I have it loaded in my QuadCortex with ampguru captures and man, it's absolutely phenomenal sounding! Also I grabbed the Bogren Downtuned pack and did some blending, results were exactly what I expected, high end studio quality. Great vid as always, Jon!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Awesome! Have you ever tried the OwnHammer Low-Tuned Essentials? They might blow your mind! Or speakers hahahaha

[@RequiemDead]

@@SonicDriveStudio I haven't tried those yet, looks like I am about to now that you mention it! Hahaha...🤯🤑

[@RequiemDead]

@@SonicDriveStudio I also considered the Modern Progressive...I do a lot of switching between tuning, so I am wondering if the Prog pack would cover what the downtuned does as well? Thoughts?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

@@RequiemDead they compliment each other really well... I would get both

[@robertdonosobuchner3129]

The Creambacks and the Blend cabinet are my favorites. I like the sounds with my baritone. I will buy me a 2x12 cabinet with a G12M-65 Creamback and a G12 Neo Creamback from Barefaced Audio. I like the mix of these two speakers.

[@felipefarias7654]

Love ownhammer en ML LAB IRs, they make everything so much easier. More music and less tweaking.

[@nj1255]

I also remember when speaker IRs first became a thing. Digital cab emulations went from like 25% convincing to 90% convincing just from switching to IRs alone!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Yeah, it was magical!

[@orlandobandonunez1462]

The Blend Mix3 with Creamback M65 is gorgeus

[@lildrummerboy80]

Killer guitar tones. But let’s talk about them drums!!!!

[@audiobunny1767]

Thanks for making this aspect of IR's easier you understand, extremely helpful video, as always. Thanks again 🙏

[@givemeajackson]

damn the century vintage shines in the mix.

[@JarickL]

Thanks for the video! I got a couple last year and forgot about them. Redownloaded and really like the tall option and simplified cabinets.

[@LucasMastropasqua]

Man I love your videos! You always have awesome tracks to demo everything!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thank you!

[@obedmccalip9449]

Thanks man. I’ve been lost on this ir setup thing. Ive never heard someone explain what goes on and the signal chain. Makes sense, I’ll give it a try!

[@TinusTheFlyingV]

Hi John, thanks a lot for all these Ownhammer videos, it cleared up a lot for me! I want to upgrade my Mooer Radar, but i really didn't know where to start in this sea of awesomeness. The sounds are seriously overwhelming great, just what i was searching for :-D Grtz Martin

[@Wadey1960CS]

I purchased all kinds of Ownhammers IR’s packs in the past. (r)Evolution Debut Bundle, 412 MRBW GNR M25 pack, and a few others.They are Awesome!!! Just picked up the EV12L Rock-Box earlier this week. Honestly, all based on the video demos you’ve provided of them in the past. Keep up the great work! 🤘🏼🔥🤘🏼

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks!

[@mdkotler]

Your stuff and the Cameron Webb Lancaster packs are my go to. Always.

[@CheenTube]

brutal rifffage again love it ! im just getting into irs now with having purchased nux mg300

[@ianlahaye9476]

Ownhammer Owns!

[@danielpatrickswain4338]

actually the niicest tones and riffs ever, amazing as alwayys

[@cmd_f5]

I really dig the Rockbox series. I have quite a few of them and they are quite easy to get killer cab tones, paired with a good sim or amp of course. Hoping they do a Hesu Demon and some more oddball speakers that aren't Celestion. Kinda tired of everything being Celestion. Cheers man

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Which speakers are you enjoying the most?

[@cmd_f5]

@@SonicDriveStudio i really like the Lynchback and the DV77, and the Cntry2007A (might have that name wrong) quite a bit. When I start tone hunting I usually start there in the rockbox series.

[@zRavenlord]

Surprising how great the G12 T75 sounded on the first part

[@andreaseveso]

Amazing video dude! 💪🏻

[@AdamDallas]

Jon, you singlehandedly turned me on to OwnHammer impulses while ago. I really dig the Heavy Hitters collections and also really love the vintage rock set too. Must check out some more of these Rockbox sets! Thinking some creambacks perhaps.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Awesome! The Creambacks are a lot of fun!

[@djabthrash]

02:10 soooo Deftones "around the fur" / "the white pony" era haha

[@burtosu86guitar]

Great video, i got some IR 's becouse of you and they friking rock or metal 😂 I would like to see/hear some Jensen speakers on your channel. Rock on dude 🤘🤘🤘

[@foolishbillyproductions8071]

Nice Ampeg IR's

[@tylerdorsch3158]

Hi John! I have always been sooo impressed with the tones and quality sounds you can get with your irs (setup), gear, and playing! I am a complete noob with how to use irs. I know this is a big ask, but it would be so cool if you could go through how you write your songs and how you would have made a video like this with your entire setup and how you mix in your computer wiring and all. Is it possible to play with the irs live, or are they more after the fact with pre recorded guitar sounds?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

All modelers can load IRs nowadays so you can use them live!

[@ManuelTrujano]

I liked the blend cabinet

[@darkinuyasha06]

This is very similar to York Audios IR packs. Priced very similarly. I will have to check them out.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

The feature sets are quite different, fwiw

[@nevesnow]

I'm also a fan of the RockBox series! I have several from OwnHammer, which, in my opinion, are the best. It would be great if they expanded the RockBox series to include Redback, Hempback, and Ruby from Celestion, or even different speakers. What about the EV12L? I have that one too, but I was expecting the classic EV12L sound. It seems it might be a more modern version. It would be awesome to have a pack based on the 'old' EVs as well. 😜 Cheers!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

There's always more room for Rock-Box speaker releases imho! I could never get enough ;)

[@SoloDallas]

My issue with most IRs, probably including these is, it’s NOT only about the speakers or cabinet - and maybe even about microphones - bout about PLACEMENT of the microphone in relation to the speaker/cabinet. We do have IRs as well but what we did was to look for PRODUCER placement spots where we went with our ears and placed our microphones at varying distances, off angle - instead of straight close up head on. And I think the REAL challenge for tomorrow’s IRs will be just that, capturing magic placements within the room.

[@ThomasAshes]

Cool song, sounds a lot like Deftones ❤

[@Beastrider80]

I loaded a V30 IR package from Line 6 onto my Helix 2 years ago and unfortunately I wasn't happy with it! Today I'm playing with the IR's from Bogren Digital and I'm absolutely satisfied!

[@drrodopszin]

Okay so I was think the get one Soldano. Well good price if it would be in pesos not dollars. 😂 Anyways, sorting the impulses by darkness is a great idea. It must be easier to dial that in than the an absolute random list.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

It's not a cheap amp!

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

Surprisingly, the difference between the speakers was not overwhelming. This means that this particular method makes the choice more foolproof. Like always you made them all sound great. Did you tweak the amp settings for each speaker or they were all the same?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

The same! Keep in mind that literally everything is staying the same between those takes aside from the speaker. So it should give a very honest representation of the actual differences between the speakers. The capture methods are very consistent!

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

@@SonicDriveStudio They indeed are!

[@obedmccalip9449]

It almost looks like someone is standing behind you and you’re using their arms. What ir would you say kinda sounds like something Clint Lowery would sound like. Does ownhammer present their irs in a way that suggests you could get a sound closer to a certain artist?

[@vpovince1001]

I still like the York IR’s more but these are very nice too.

[@ZaryaMain]

This is a step in the right direction for Ownhammer. The clutter of their old system is why I changed over to York Audio IRs initially. I still prefer the YA system where you get a reasonable of prescribed mixes so there's less option paralysis, and you still get the full range of mic options. OH kind of seems to be one or the other at the moment.

[@YsAbTones]

The lynchback sound great here BTW Jon, what main guitar cable do you usually use ?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Yeah that's a cool speaker! I just use some cheap Fender cables I think haha

[@YsAbTones]

@@SonicDriveStudiothat's actually one of my fav cables with the canare gs-6, i prefer them over the mogami for guitars, cables are underrated in the way they filter the pickups sound

[@philippgrunert8776]

Hope there will be eminence, fane IRs as well

[@guitartonetopia]

I play in a similar style to yours and I really can't decide between rockbox, modern progressive or low tuned series... watched all your videos and that didn't help haha. Any of these 3 your go to for one reason or another?

[@adolfpickler4295]

I wish their Moabi custom wasn't locked to fractal products. I could use their cab lab plugin but its still an extra step I'd rather not have to deal with

[@WickBeavers]

I used to have a stereo system wherein the 6’ speaker cables cost $12k. Today I use wireless headphones and buy stuff that makes my guitar playing sound better. I have a bunch of ownhammer speaker IR’s and just can’t hear anywhere near the improvement in sound as I hear in, say a great delay, trem or flanger. I’m not even using amp sims mainly to keep the noise down. But I really appreciated your video in its expostulation on IR usage, thanks!

[@wmxx2000]

So how do these packs go about choosing different microphones? Or is it all the same mic blend it's just the cab and speaker that changes?

[@girth_brooks]

You should do a video on Cabinetron if you havent yet. It's been such a great tool for me working with IRs!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Haven't given it a chance but with IR feature sets like these, I don't need anything else fancy really

[@alvarg]

how does the vintage 30 pack compare to ownhammers modern essentials?

[@wezrubmag]

Great video (as always) ! Could you, one day, test the Seacow cabs IR packs (from Audio Assault) and tell us what you think about it ? I have some of them, they are low budget IRs, though very impressive.

[@msi1985]

I have yet to try the own hammer stuff although I've heard great things. I recently picked up the Bogren digital pack, specifically the detuned pack and Woah my life's better haha 😆

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Luckily the OH stuff is quite affordable ;)

[@msi1985]

@@SonicDriveStudio I'm going to check it out because I want a diversify some of the impulse responses I have access to. You know my only hang up is the way that my particular piece of hardware interacts with impulse responses isn't the most favorable... Something to do with the way the impedance curve is calculated I think you know what device I'm talking about... Anywho I love your videos keep cranking them out I'll keep watching.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Oops.... I'm sorry. However, a little EQ might help!

[@msi1985]

@@SonicDriveStudio that's pretty much been the solution. I just put a seven band EQ between the amp and the IR. A little bit annoying but otherwise fits my purpose now.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

That's great! Just play it and enjoy it! That's all that matters in the end

[@teatime6414]

Which do you normally gravitate towards? These speaker-based packs or the Ownhammer Essentials packs like the RECT and Modern Prog?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Right now either the Rock-Box stuff but I also use the Essentials. Depends on the mood, song, source etc

[@davidezaccagnini6392]

Jon, one question: the low tune essential is worth for drop D and standard E? I like so much how sound in your video. Thx

[@SonicDriveStudio]

They work for any tuning. Any time I want something to sound heavy or metal, I go for those. Always instant success!

[@hodshonf]

Two Notes Genome with Dyn IRs have the best workflow for me. Especially for bass: The Ashdown Dyn IR set is amazing. Ownhammer is VERY limited with bass amp products.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Yeah, right now the Ampg is the only pack but it's amazingly versatile

[@picksalot1]

Does EQing a Speaker IR result in a significantly different sound than selecting a different flavor from a long list of IRs?

[@Zareh_Abrahamian]

I think in any case the different IRs drastically change the sound and eventual EQing depends on the particular track. By this I mean I may not be wrong to assume that practically every pro mixing engineer, including Jon, will first choose the IR before tweaking the amp or EQing.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

@Zareh_Abrahamian right! I almost never use EQ aside from a low cut

[@TheCcrunch]

Would you say its viable to mix two speakers together or would it get to overloaded and muddy or something?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

It's totally doable

[@TheCcrunch]

@@SonicDriveStudio ok nice, thanks for the quick reply man👍

[@mrrnrob]

Jon,When Using Amp Sim Plugin,What IR Loader Do You Use?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Libra

[@jimbo121]

With Mikko2 I have not had to look for new IRs since.

[@TheDistortionPrinciple]

Audio sounds really weird on this demo. Did youtube add noise to it?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Sounds fine here? Sometimes KZbin can garble up the encoding on mobile devices

[@TheDistortionPrinciple]

@@SonicDriveStudiothat describes why i was hearing for sure. I'll try again later

[@SonicDriveStudio]

@TheDistortionPrinciple it can be very annoying and as far as I know there's nothing that can be done about it. It happens sometimes on my android phone

[@RustyNotesTV]

Can you PLEASE start making Kemper profiles of your sounds?! PLEASE!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

If Kemper sounded better I would still own one. I just didn't gell with it I'm afraid...

[@RustyNotesTV]

That's interesting! Have you tried it since they updated it with liquid profiling etc? @@SonicDriveStudio

[@therobotwithhumanhair5659]

@@SonicDriveStudioI’ve found it just kinda sucks for hi gain. Thinking about swapping it for a tonex.

[@descendinguniverse666]

once I switched to Bogren Ir`s, it`s difficult to use anything else

[@obedmccalip9449]

I’m downsizing due to space issues. Recommendations on a smaller more compact tube head? Budget doesn’t really matter.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

SLO 30

[@obedmccalip9449]

Thanks! Just watched your video on that one. Seems pretty good. Think I’ll try it out. Cheers

[@KreativeDevices]

🔥

[@rossbalch]

I wish there were more non-celestian IRs. There's a lot of interesting speakers out there but 90% of IRs are V30s, Greenbacks, or G12T-75s.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

I hope they release many more speakers!

[@rossbalch]

@@SonicDriveStudio Wharehouse, Hesu, Eminence would be good

[@florisvanlingen]

So how would I know what microphones were used to create the IR, because this is not stated in the RockBox IR names?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

If it's not stated, the information won't be made public. However, if it sounds good, does it really matter?

[@florisvanlingen]

@@SonicDriveStudio Kinda

[@driftthekaliyuga7502]

I've only bought a few Ir packs and I'm hesitant to ever do it again. Each pack I bought has OVER 3000 files in them. How much time do they expect me to spend sifting through all of these IRs? Just give me a few that sound good. I have an EQ in the DAW. I don't need every single option possible.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

These packs have way less options, as the video shows

[@MusicOfDreamweaver]

Isn’t this the same as Celestion does?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Maybe they do similar things but it's far from the same

[@vangimot]

No paypal for the moment to order i hope to fix soon!

[@lovingpeace9715]

Nice but you didn't sample the classic cabs.

[@RikVermeirsch]

IRs and ampmodelers are nothing new. They exist already 30 years.