Guitar cab impulse responses (IRs) are very popular both in the studio and onstage, so in this guide, we discuss what guitar amp IRs are and how they work, and we show you how to capture your own! Follow the sections below to get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before we get into creating and using guitar cab IRs, you need to understand what impulse responses are and how they work in general. At its core, an impulse response is a digital copy of acoustic characteristics, such as a room\u2019s reverberation, a guitar cab, mics, and mic positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To understand the basics of an impulse response, let\u2019s try an experiment. Go into a closet and snap your fingers. Next, move to a larger room, like your kitchen, and snap your fingers again. You\u2019ll hear the difference in the room characteristics. In simple terms, the finger snap is the impulse<\/strong>, the \u201cdry signal.\u201d The room\u2019s reverb and tonality are the response<\/strong>, the \u201cprocessed signal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s the difference between amp sims (simulations) and impulse responses? This is a question that is often asked, especially if you\u2019re new to the world of IRs. In simple terms, think of an impulse response as a picture and a guitar amp sim as a video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Guitar amp sims, like AmpliTube, do what they say: they simulate or mimic a guitar rig\u2019s entire signal chain, including effects, guitar heads, and cab types. You have complete control of everything, like the amount of distortion on a pedal or EQ on a guitar head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Impulse responses, on the other hand, are snapshots, meaning they\u2019re linear and only capture the cab, mic, and room characteristics. If you want effects, you\u2019ll need to use external hardware or software to work with the processed output signal. So, if you\u2019re going to use a delay effect, you\u2019ll need a physical delay pedal or a delay plug-in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A great thing about the IR is that you can get a more accurate tone, and if you\u2019re recording, you also save computer processing power, as amp sim plug-ins can start bogging down your computer\u2019s resources, especially if you\u2019re using them on multiple tracks. Depending on your setup, you may choose one over the other, but in the end, both are great options to suit your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\nDifference between amp sims and impulse responses<\/h3>\n\n\n\n