Tone Tech
We created our Hybrid IR™ libraries to simplify your search for immediately usable sounds. We’re going to show you the versatility of the impulse responses from our Classic Rock Revival pack. The names of these IRs give you a starting point – a guideline – of where to begin but don’t stop there! We encourage you to experiment with your amp sim and use these IRs in low gain, high gain, vintage or modern applications!
The “Custard” IR was made referencing Led Zeppelin’s “Custard Pie” from their Physical Graffiti album in the mid 70’s. By this time, Jimmy Page was using his signature Marshall stacks to achieve his earth shattered tone.
Dialing in the British Plexi Sound
We’re not going for an exact sound, but rather a vibe that offers you a starting point to either develop a copy of Page’s sound or something entirely your own. We like to keep things very simple, so in this example, we’ll use the Quad Cortex to develop a basic signal chain that can be equated to an amp and cabinet setup. That’s it!
For our basic tone, we decided to use the “Brit Plex 100 Bright”. We turned up the presence and the treble dramatically, with a slight boost to the gain before adding an IR loader (single stereo) with our Custard IR.
Using the Volume Knob to Craft New Tones
One common practice in modern guitar playing – particularly in the metal world – is to leave the volume and tone knobs at their maximum setting. This probably evolved from using high-gain amplifiers, but a lot of sonic goodness can be found without ever touching the amplifier dials.
Once you have your full-blown Marshall Plexi sound, try dialling back the volume knob in small increments and experiment with a new range of expression. There are amazing harmonic overtones to be found as you roll the volume off between 25-75%. Experiment taking things from clean, to the edge of breakup and beyond!
Swapping Amp Heads Rather than IRs
Another common practice in the digital amp sim world is to swap your IR rather than the amp sim itself! If you have a multi-amp modeler type unit at your disposal, you can get very immediate results by changing the amp head and leaving the speaker cabinet characteristics in place.
Once again using the Quad Cortex, we decided to switch from the Brit Plex 100 Bright to the Matchmore D30, which is a model of a Matchless DC30. We bring up the treble, presence and gain a little in this example to showcase some of the edge of breakup cleans that can be achieved using our Hybrid IR™ libraries.
If you’re using a plugin with a singular amplifier, by all means, swap the IRs out and see what dramatic differences can also be achieved through that method.
Can Classic Rock IRs be Used for High Gain?
Absolutely!
Remember, impulse responses are digital speaker cabinets, so feel free to put these IRs through their high-gain paces. We decided to experiment with a number of high gain amps, settling on the lead channel of an EVH amp equipped with 6L6 tubes and the result was glorious high-gain madness!
There you have it friends.
Our naming system gives you a guideline of where to start with your sonic exploration. “After Forever” has Black Sabbath vibes; “Stone Free” has Hendrix vibes and “Day Trip” will help you relive the British invasion through The Beatles.
Don’t be afraid to experiment using our impulse response libraries – you’ll probably stumble upon some incredible new sounds that unlock new levels in your playing.
