In my opinion, having a limited IR length of up to 20ms is not ideal as one can access countless excellent IRs, carefully captured and provided that are 200ms in length.

Featuring simulations of all the big name cabs, including AC30, Twin and Deluxe Reverbs, and Bassman, and so on, as well as all the key mics and placement options, there is so much scope for tone sculpting here. The NUX Solid Studio IR & Power Amp Simulator also features USB inputs to enable users to import their own impulse log in case any of the other options weren’t enough. Friedman haven’t just given you an authentic preamp, they have gone one step further to give you a hybrid pedal with digital impulse response cabinets and power amp simulations. You have the ability to plug in a play whether you’re in the studio, at home with headphones, or into a speaker interface without the need for a cabinet. This is also useful if you’re playing a smaller venue which can’t handle the necessary volume of certain amps. Whilst usually this might mean you miss out on the natural saturation or ‘break-up’ of your tone, by recalling an Impulse Response you can still achieve the same sounds but at any volume. Cramming not only the sounds of those units, but also a full-colour screen into a unit the size of the HX Stomp is certainly impressive and no mean feat. With MIDI in and out, there’s clearly been some consideration for those that want to incorporate the HX Stomp into a rig controlled by a pedal switcher. In that context, it’s easy to see the attraction.

Specs

Line 6 in 1996 launched an audio plugin for Pro Tools called Amp Farm with dozens of (digital) emulations of amps and cabs. Soon after (in year 1998), the company debuted its first hardware product that embedded that software in a roundish red box called Pod. That day, the world could almost hear the jaws of the community of tone seekers drop in unison: that new effect was destined to widen the sonic palette of every single electric guitarist in the world (and, soon enough, of every bass player as well). Read more about our rating system, how we choose the gear we feature, and exactly how we testeach product. Related buying guides

If our list of the best pedal amps was based on appearances alone, this would easily take the top spot. And while that is one of the best things about it, Milkman Sound’s The Amp has more to offer than just good looks. A class-D, solid-state power amp with a proper 12AX7 preamp tube, it offers between 25 and 100 watts of power. This article is about pedals that simulate the tone of guitar amps and cabs but are not able to power a speaker cabinet. If you are looking for a pedal that can do that, see our article about the best power amp pedals.Impulse responses are usually saved as generic .wav files. Many companies, producers and artists release their own impulse responses that allow you to accurately replicate their sounds. Alternatively, you can create your own – more on this later. Authentic Tube Preamp –Utilising two 12AX7 preamp tubes the IR-X delivers real Friedman valve tones that you can plug into any interface giving you scope to experiment with an array of tonal possibilities. As a result, it offers a respectable amount of headroom – though if you are looking for more, its bigger brother, The Amp 100, gives up to double the output power – as well as some great, warm tube tones, making it a good choice for players who have struggled to find that in purely digital options. Milkman Sound’s The Amp also runs on variable power, making it a much more user friendly option for those looking for a road-friendly power amp. First and foremost, we are guitarists, and we want other players to find the right product for them. So we take into careful consideration everything from budget to feature set, ease of use and durability to come up with a list of what we can safely say are the best pedal amps on the market right now. MIDI cable with right-angle 3.5mm TRS connectors, 1 ft./30 cm length. Also available in 2 ft./60 cm (BCC-2-3535) length. View Product

When choosing a pedal amp, it’s important to know what you’re looking for. Do you need something to create volume, tone, or both? That will decide whether you need a pedal that acts as a preamp or power amp. A preamp is the tonal shaping stage of any amplifier, where many of the sonic characteristics are added and tweaked, and you will often find a gain and sculpture (EQ) stage. If you are one of my regular visitors, you are probably aware of the gear I’m featuring in here. For the IR loader, I have been using my ENGL Cabloader for almost 2 years now without any issues. However, using the Cabloader has made me realise some design flaws in my use case scenario. With three different tube amp sounds (modelled on Fender, Marshall and Mesa Boogie), multiple mic placements, and a plethora of gain settings, you can cover a range of styles and sounds with just this box. While many players talk the GT2 down to a glorified distortion, it’s still an effective amp modeler and does an admirable job of getting aforementioned amp sounds down. CONTROLS Output, gate threshold, overall gain, low- and high-frequency gain, three-band EQ, depth and presence

Free included app/software

As in my use case, having tested dozens of external IRs and carefully selected them for each guitar and a different scenario, I am now able to store them in this tiny pedal and take them anywhere! Built-In Celestion IRs With this justification in mind, I started researching alternative IR loader pedals to my much-loved ENGL Cabloader. What I noticed was that there were many options but limited in terms of what I was looking for. As you may have already understood from the article, I’m very impressed with the Impulse! I think it’s one of the best designs I have ever seen for an IR pedal. Extremely affordable, on-point design that just gives you what it claims. Sounds Crispier? Reviewing the Chug Pedal, a new high-gain preamp pedal from Ola Englund’s Solar Guitars, is a bit like reviewing a hammer. There might be some nuance in the carve of the handle and the weight of the head: but hit a nail with it, and it’s either going to do the thing it’s designed to do, or it’s not. To torture this metaphor a little further, there’s also no point in seeing how well it turns a screw, or makes an omelette. The idea of an impulse response is to capture all of that information in one go, so you can instantly recall that setting. This means that wherever you are, you can retain your preferred tone, right down to the detail of your favourite mic placement and room sound. On stage, in the studio, jamming with friends – sorted. Impulse responses – the scientific bit

I can easily recommend the TC Electronic Impulse IR Loader to anyone looking for a compact IR pedal with killer design principles! One of the absolutely standout features of the ACS1 is the stereo output, which enables you to have different amps and cabinets on each channel using the L + R switch. Having a ‘dual-amp setup’ would be the dream scenario for many players, but the reality of hauling around two amps - temperamental tube amps at that - just isn’t possible for most, so having that available to you in something that will slot seamlessly onto your pedalboard feels like a result! With MIDI integration, you can easily switch your stereo rig on the fly too. Also common nowadays is for a multi-effects unit to double up as an audio interface or amp modeller. These USB-enabled devices can be plugged into one of the best laptops for music production, allowing you to record songs into a digital audio workstation ( DAW) like Ableton Live or Pro Tools.Once I accidentally left these settings in the previous positions and couldn’t believe my ears as I was hearing huge rumbling sounds that led me to investigate the external IRs first.