One Pedal, Full-suite Acoustic-electric Preamp Power
Across its aural offerings, NUX has cemented itself as a leading purveyor of pliable pedals with an inventive ability to reimagine combinations of various effects, tools, and technologies, into a singular, innovative apparatus. The NUX Optima Air is a shining example of this ingenuity — a dual-switch stompbox that offers both acoustic guitar simulation and preamplification, each capable of simultaneous, independent activation. The Amp side toggles the preamp side of the pedal, delivering a versatile and malleable emulation of the iconic “73” preamp and equalizer, faithfully reproduced by NUX’s state-of-the-art White Box algorithm physical-modeling technology. The IR (impulse response) switch is your gateway to one of the 15 onboard IRs that meticulously capture the distinctive character of some of the guitar world’s most sought-after acoustic 6-strings, with variable optimization for use with acoustic guitars, electric guitars, magnetic pickups, and piezo pickups. What’s more, this pedal saves nine slots for loading third-party IRs, including any you might use the Optima Air’s Send/Return effects loop to make for yourself — a feature that Sweetwater’s recording guitarists continue to utilize for inventive sound design and reliable sonic consistency. The Optima Air’s sleek interface is ergonomically configured for unfettered hands-on control of its myriad sound-shaping tools, including the 3-band EQ, Gain, and Reverb controls, as well as an IR Level to blend your guitar’s signal with both the selected IR and the Preamp section. Whether you’re in the studio or on the stage, the Optima Air’s versatile I/O suite has you covered with a 3.5mm headphone output for silent practice, a dual 1/4-inch effects loop, and a 3-pin XLR DI output. Finally, a rear-mounted Micro-USB Type B port accommodates not only USB-audio streaming, but also lets you connect the Optima Air to your laptop or computer, as a recording interface, as well as use NUX’s free-to-download editor software to tweak and refine built-in and custom-recorded IRs!
Interface with the physical and the virtual
The Optima Air’s sleek interface is ergonomically configured for unfettered hands-on control of its myriad sound-shaping tools, including the 3-band EQ, Gain, and Reverb controls, as well as an IR Level to blend your guitar’s signal with both the selected IR and the Preamp section. Whether you’re in the studio or on the stage, the Optima Air’s versatile I/O suite includes a 3.5mm headphone output for silent practice, a dual 1/4-inch effects loop, and a 3-pin XLR DI output. Finally, a rear-mounted Micro-USB Type B port accommodates USB audio streaming while also letting you connect the Optima Air to your laptop or computer as a recording interface. Finally, you can use NUX’s free-to-download editor software to tweak and refine built-in and custom-recorded IRs!
Note: Use of the NUX Editor Software with Windows devices requires the additional download of the NUX ASIO Driver software. Please contact your Sweetwater Sales Engineer with any questions.
NUX Optima Air Features:
- Multimode dual-switch pedal provides acoustic guitar simulation and powerful preamplification in a singular stompbox with dual, independent operation
- Preamp circuit utilizes NUX’s cutting-edge physical-modeling White Box algorithm technologies to capture the full force of the historic “73” preamp and EQ
- 15 IR presets give you a diverse sonic palette of iconic 6-string acoustic and acoustic-electric guitars, optimized for use with preset-specific magnetic- and piezo-pickup instruments
- 9 user-preset slots and IR loader let you customize your pedal to suit your studio and stage needs
- Send/Return 1/4-in. I/O supports capturing your own IRs with high-quality 24-bit, 48kHz sampling quality, in addition to effects loops
- 3-band EQ and Gain circuit allow for extensive sonic contouring with the Preamp circuit
- Built-in Reverb lets you shape and sculpt space, depth, and dimension with a comprehensive yet streamlined 1-knob design
- IR Level control gives you full control over how you blend your guitar’s signal with your preferred IR
- 3.5mm I/O supports inventive sound design and flexible silent-practice opportunities, respectively
- 3-pin XLR DI output ensures balanced, high-fidelity connection to mixers, PA systems, recording setups, and more
- Micro USB Type-B port supports both USB-audio streaming and functions as a USB recording interface
- Free-to-download Editor Software provides intuitive, detailed sound design and customization tools for preloaded and user-provided IRs
