Question about IRs

[Ezequiel Romanko]

Hi guys i've been recently hearing about IRs, what are they? and how do i use them?

 

[Andrew Milner]

IRs are something called impulse responses. They are usually used with VSTs, particularly with the amp cabinet part. They basically control how your distorted sound...sounds. Basically, they modulate your distorsion so it doesn't sound like a fuzzy mess.

I am not sure if physical amps have them or if they go by the same name. I am assuming they do have'em, but @Ed Seith is a much better connoisseur of these kinds of things.

 

[Ed Seith]

It is, as Andrei says, an "impulse response." What that actually means is "speaker simulator." Whether it's built-in to your AxeFX hardware, added to it later, or part of Guitar Rig or Bias, or anything from Kemper or Line6, the IR takes your digital signal and puts it through a virtual speaker cabinet and microphone.

 

[Dominik Gräber]

It is, as Andrei says, an "impulse response." What that actually means is "speaker simulator." Whether it's built-in to your AxeFX hardware, added to it later, or part of Guitar Rig or Bias, or anything from Kemper or Line6, the IR takes your digital signal and puts it through a virtual speaker cabinet and microphone.

So what does this do to the Sound in general? When do people use an IR?

 

[Chris Johnston]

So what does this do to the Sound in general? When do people use an IR?

I use an IR in my band effect loop - It's really weird to describe but it just tightens the sound up and takes away some of the high end - like Andrei said.

But yeah it's really just a snapshot of what a particular Cab + Mic sounds like - it makes a subtle but noticeable difference to your tone

 

[Ed Seith]

So what does this do to the Sound in general? When do people use an IR?

I used to have an old solid state head, a Fender M-80. Since it wasn't tube, I knew I could plug it directly into my audio interface to record without damaging it. With it tuned to "my tone" through my 4x12 cabinet, it sounded exquisite to my ears. Full, deep, chugging, RIFFTASTIC. Plugged in direct to record, without an IR, it sounded thin, brittle, oversaturated and like someone just cranked a Metal Zone all the way on everything without caring what it sounded like. The speakers and microphone are a HUGE part of one's overall tone and just leaving them out entirely is bad news. An IR is the digital equivalent.

 

[Ed Seith]

PS: The Syn Gates Cab Pack is literally a package of IRs, for reference.

 

[Dominik Gräber]

I used to have an old solid state head, a Fender M-80. Since it wasn't tube, I knew I could plug it directly into my audio interface to record without damaging it. With it tuned to "my tone" through my 4x12 cabinet, it sounded exquisite to my ears. Full, deep, chugging, RIFFTASTIC. Plugged in direct to record, without an IR, it sounded thin, brittle, oversaturated and like someone just cranked a Metal Zone all the way on everything without caring what it sounded like. The speakers and microphone are a HUGE part of one's overall tone and just leaving them out entirely is bad news. An IR is the digital equivalent.

That makes perfect sense! Whenever I recorded something directly, No Matter with which amp, I felt that there is a huge Gap between the Sound you hear live and what's recorded

 

[Andrew Milner]

I use an IR in my band effect loop - It's really weird to describe but it just tightens the sound up and takes away some of the high end - like Andrei said.

But yeah it's really just a snapshot of what a particular Cab + Mic sounds like - it makes a subtle but noticeable difference to your tone

There ain't nothing subtle about it when we're talking amp heads followed by cabinets in your Reaper FX screen . The difference is like...planetary.

Basically, how I know IRs are used is the following. When in Reaper, say you want a really cool distorsion. You get a hold of an awesome free VST amp head (you know, the thingy with the bass, mid, treble knobs), you chug it in and then you find out that your sound isn't the face-meltingly awesome one you heard in the demo of the VST.

After you cry a bit, you get to reading and find out that hey, an actual amplifier that you use for your guitar has 2 parts in it. The head, and the speaker, or cabinet. After you've been enlightened and you no longer want to chug beers down, you search for an amp cabinet (LePou LeCab for example), and then you load it into Reaper, after the head. You then notice that that cabinet requires something called an IR, of which there are many readily available for free online. You then load it and finally sound like a normal guitarist with distortion.

This scenario may or may not be exaggerated and based on a true story.

 

[Ezequiel Romanko]

Thanks a lot guys for the explanations im probable going to use it with Bias fx since i can't afford Axe fx or kemper
the IRs are added in bias fx or i have to add them through another program?