Pete Thorn- Recording Guitar With Load Boxes and Impulse Responses 

If anyone wants to share the vid, please do, I'd appreciate it.

I've been recording this way for about 2-3 months with a Suhr Reactive Load (best $400 I've ever spent) going straight into Logic Pro X and loading up some Ownhammer IR's through the Space Designer Reverb plugin.......MIND....BLOWN!!! After having worked in a studio in LA for around 7 years with all kinds of great amps, cabs, top-notch mic pre's, fantastic mics and a great room.....I'm telling you this...I may never go through the trouble of mic'ing up a cab ever again! I use a Vox AC30TB6 and it literally makes me wanna weep tears of joy. Plus, if I don't particularly like where it's sitting in the mix at the end of the process, I just load up a different IR. It's way easier and way more efficient.

As someone who is very critical of digital approximations of analog gear, this is the best solution I’ve heard so far. For the perk of being able to deliver that sound at any volume, its great. Sure, there is a difference in sound (most noticeable in the push and compression of bass moving the speaker) but its really quite good. This may finally be the solution to staying friends with FOH engineers. lol Thanks so much Pete!

I have been using load boxes/ speaker simulators for years and just as Pete says, NYC apartment screaming amp head! I recorded all the electric guitar parts for most of the themes on the COMCAST Sports Net, FOX Sports FIFA WORLD CUP Theme, ESPN Special OLympics World Games Theme and many others originally with a Palmer PDI-03 and lately (Due to Pete's great review) the Rivera Rock Crusher. Fantastic video Pete

Hi Peter, really fantastic video - definitely going to look into the torpedo, actually sounded fantastic, really interesting stuff thank you for taking the time to make it :-)

This clip made me a subscriber. It's all stuff I already knew (and learned at a cost, mostly) but it's explained here SO much better and more concisely than I can. (I have a tendency to digress) This is high-quality instruction from a master at his craft. Absolutely 20 minutes well spent.

Excellent video, IR's are amazing

what's so cool about this is Pete has a top notch studio but he still chooses to do it this way because its just so stinking practical

Sounds: 16:08 - Speaker Cab, 16:23 - THD, 16:38 - Airbrake, 16:54 - Suhr Reactive Load, 17:09 - Two Notes Reload, 17:23 - Fryette Power Station

I certainly learned a great deal from this excellent video, Mr. Thorn. Thank you. What an amazing time we musicians are living in.

The amount of work he had put in this video is just mind boggling Great great job pete thx for super detailed explanation and demos

OMG i just figured out why my JCM 200 was sounding like crap when i recorded it using my m-audio DI box and the amp's FX loop :D i was using it on the guitar level setting, not the line level setting! THANK YOU!

Pete, nobody on the internet makes videos as cool as you do. You really explain things in a way that makes sense and you know how to discuss the right things based on how an average home recording guitar player would approach these kinds of things. Thanks for the taking the time to do this video!

Pete, I can't than you enough. I just picked up the Suhr load box and I'm trying out some IR's with my tweed deluxe clone and it sounds better than I even thought it would. I can now record in my nyc apt at night without bothering the neighbors. Mixing close mics and room mics gives even more depth. I was concerned that it would not sound as good with a combo amp just breaking up as most demos are more saturated than I generally like.. but it sounds great! Way better than any amp simulator I've tried.

Very effective demo. You are a great teacher. Back in 2007 I took Bruce Egnater's amp building class and remember discussing the fixed load solutions with Bruce while soldering. Bruce was not a fan of them because they completely lost the nuances that occur between the output section of the amp and the speaker cab. I remember him commenting, "I don't know why they build them that way. It's not that hard to emulate what's really happening there." Apparently he was right. :) And, the difference in sound between the fixed and reactive is quite compelling as he predicted. It would be interesting to hear the recording you made at the beginning using the other reactive loads for comparison. Thanks for your work. I rarely comment, but I watch a lot.

It's really great how you manage to explain something that seems so complicated (to me) in a straight forward way. I love that about your videos, concise but detailed explanations. Completely understood all of that. Nice one 👍

Pete, that sounds closer than any impulse I've ever heard side by side. Great job and keep up the good work.

Great video Pete! and I agree that this is revolutionary technology, especially for home studios. I recently started using a Two Notes Torpedo Live and I have to say it's just awesome! Recording stuff at home through the speaker cabinet has been tough, always feel like I'm annoying somebody and no matter how many times people around me say they don't mind, I know that they are just being polite. End result is I have always felt "held back" by this. The Torpedo eliminates all of this and sounds amazing. I can crank my Egnater Renegade anytime of day or night through the headphones and not bother a soul. cheers

Great video Pete! The proof is in the tone. It's VERY close to a mic'd cab and the portability, reusability and ability to get a tube head into the sweet spot without going deaf or getting evicted is a game-changer for home recordists.

I came back to watch this video out of curiosity after getting my Captor X and being blown away by how easy it is to get killer tones into my DAW using it. This is a great video for being made over 6 years ago, and the tech details are really useful for me in understanding how my Captor X is actually working and how I can get the best out of it. Really appreciate the work that goes into these videos. I'm also digging the Malcolm Young hairstyle while rocking out those AC/DC like riffs👌

Thanks man. This solved a long debate I had with myself and a friend about whether having a cab to mic was really that much better. It is. It was so much more harmonically rich, the real thing, not even close. The cabinet is necessary, the IR vs Cab itself might be a different debate (still using the cab itself as a load).

I have read many articles and watched many videos about impulse responses and this explanation and demo is the very best. Thanks very much Pete for such a clear and concrete example!

Super helpful informative video. Thanks.

Great video, Thanks for touching the technical details

This video was invaluable for getting me up and running. I now have Amp(s) > Fractal Audio X-Load (reactive) > Atomic Ampli-Firebox (Celestion IR Host) > Wherever I want it to go. I can send the final signal to my Yamaha THR10C running in Flat mode at low volume, or I can send balanced XLR out to my channel strip, or both. I have been using modeling amps for the past 12 years because I live and play in a low volume environment. This set up allows me to get back into real tube amps and get that driven tube amp sound at a volume level similar to modelers. Great technology. The Fractal X-Load is the latest reactive load box on the market and it works very well.

Pete, this video changed my life. Thank you.

Helping this dad in understanding my son's need(s) as he heads off to music college. He's currently in a band, has lots of equip, but a Stomp xl, load box and IR will certainly simplify his life and limited space and amp cranking ability when he's in a hopefully apartment on his own. Your explanation is intelligently presented, concise and very informative. Thanks, man. I'm a 70s guy whose ears are still ringing from all the shows, car stereos and home stereos cranked. Old Led Head...live Jimmy 73. Can't be beat. Any of these gadgets do laundry?

Another thing you can do if you don’t have a load box and don’t want to buy one is just leave the speaker connected and stick a loose patch cable or 1/4 inch jack into the FX return. This will stop any signal reaching the power amp and hence there’ll be no noise coming out of the speaker. This is totally safe to do and works very well.

A little late to the party... such an amazing video. Thank you so much for sharing!

Awesome video Pete. Thanks for making it available. Great real world examples.

Really appreciate the effort you've gone to Pete. Cheers.

Very good presentation mate. Thanks

Best video out there on this! Old school guy here looking into two notes. Thanks Pete

I was listening to this on my tv but I could not tell the difference at all! Amazing!!!!

Pete, you know your shit like no other. You're like a Vulcan scientist explaining this stuff. 🍻

THIS. This is the video I have been waiting to find on the internet. I really want to use tube amps, but live in an apartment. Now I feel comfortable forking over the money to get some tube heads and the Reactive Load. Thanks, Pete!

So I kept reading about recording guitars with IRs... I was that confused (and old) I thought it meant InfraRed. Thank you for shedding light on the subject. It was a RU-vid user by the name of Flash Grover that suggested I check this out, so thank you to both you guys!

I don't think I've ever heard so much about loads in such a short amount of time.

A slight drag that a PT video doesn't start with a sparkly, beautiful original tune, but this was a very informative and useful video. I still have my Scholtz Power Soak from 1983-4ish ... if you stop it all the way down, you can line lvl it into a console/interface, though I actually never have. I use it to (somewhat) impedance match the bridged outputs of a solid-state Yamaha 2050 (16 Ohms) to a Music Man 210RH with EVM 75 watt 10" speakers wired for 4 Ohms. The Power Soak has a switch to select the impedance shown to the amp, so I set it to 8 Ohms, which the 2050 is comfortable with, whereas it gets pretty hot into the 4 Ohm cabinet by itself. All 35 year old gear still going strong. :)

Absolutely brilliant Pete - thank you - you're more of an audio scientist than you give yourself credit for! Video much appreciated!

Thanks for taking us to school Pete, appreciate it!

I know this is an oldie - but man - what a great video. Thanks Pete. You clarified so much in there.

Really great and informative video!!! Thanks! simulation 7:34 Real Thing 7:59 On youtube I hear no difference.... I’m a big fan of the Rivera Rock Crusher… Best one I’v heard, missing that one… (it sits on the shelf?)

Great Demo of information. A lot of people are going to love this video. Thanks for taking the time.

EXCELLENT clip! Thanks very much.. The reactive loads all sounded way better than the resistive loads. The impulse response tech is really fascinating. Like you mentioned, it would be awesome for people like me with Manhattan apartments, who have to attenuate the HELL outta our amps!!! Thanks for the great work.

Hi Peter, You made a difficult subject easy to understand Science has a huge place in recording and the world of guitar. Thanks for making the video Hope to see more coming JIM

Thank you, Pete, for all the incredibly informative videos and for the great great playing.

This is an excellent video presentation. For someone who confesses is not an engineer, your demonstrations equal or in most cases, surpass the quality of anything else i've seen out here in RU-vidLand. Part of the reason, i think, is that you're an actual musician with a good practical background, and a good ear. The second reason is that you've got a good mind. You're very articulate and can communicate intricate concepts in an extremely cohesive way. Up until now, I never really "grasped" IR's (though honestly, i haven't put a whole lot of thought into the topic either). If your playing hands ever give out, you've got a great future in education ! Please keep up the great work, Pete. Best Rgds.

Excellent video Pete ... you make it understandable for everone, thanx a lot! greetz from Brazil.

So informative! Thanks for posting this and making so many comparisons. You have really shined a light on what is out there and what can be done with home brew IR. I recently got a fender bassbreaker which has an xlr out with speaker simulation button which has made it possible to play killer tones in my apartment.

Wow! That's amazing! Nice video, Pete!

Hello Pete! Thank you, above all, for sharing your knowledge with us! I have learned so much about playing and producing thanks to you and your channel! Rock on! Utmost respect!

Pete, thanks a lot for this video, I just bought and connected Suhr Reactive Load and this is by far the best innovation since sliced bread. You definitely sold me on this load box and I also bought Friedman BE OD because of your video :-)

Thanks for this shootout, it is a vast and difficult subject very well explained! I own two hot plates, two two notes, a fryette and a ua ox... they all have their good and bad sides... I think the comparison between the hot plate and fryette was a bit unfair, the hot plate also has a "bright" and "deep" switch that could have been turned on for the test and, with some sympathetic eq on the amp and the right choice of ir, they can be made to sound pretty decent, they were definitely the best thing when there was nothing else around and IMO work pretty good as attenuators as well (at moderate att levels)

Listening to the difference between the cab and the IR, it sounds like there was something a little flat around 4k... but, you could EQ that to be perfect... this really makes me want to explore IRs more!

Thank you for posting this video. I've never been tempted to try this method of using impulse responses, but the results are great - totally useable, almost identical to the original. The technology is complicated, but guides like this definitely make it less scary to try.

I couldn't hit the LIKE button enough for this. Great...GREAT video Pete!

Wow. I had no idea just how much the resistvie or reactive load has on the amp's tone - that was the first such demo I've heard A/Bing the various loads with the same IR loaded. What an eye opener. Thanks for another great video Pete!

Two notes stuff is great. Load box recording is really the only way to practically record in home studios. The two notes presets in Torpedo reload give you tons of mics and speaker options. Making my own IR's aren't even needed.

Great video! Thank you very much for explaining it all and making it easy to understand. I’m studio-only these days and have gone from years of recording only with virtual amps to real valve amps and real cabs and mics of late, but I can see how the load boxes and IR workflow is very efficient and I’m certainly going to try it after watching your video and hearing how good it can sound!

this is the best video ever made on these subjects. great job PT.

Brilliant video. Just brilliant.

You are a a really smart guy Pete, thanks for the videos...

Great video. Straight to the point with the best detail yet. I just bought a Torpedo Live ...literally waiting for FEDEX now :)

Great demo and explanation, Pete-thanks so much!

Awesome video! Thank you for being so cool and sharing this stuff. I learn a ton each time you do these videos. Keep up the amazing music too. Thanks!!!

very educational. thanks Pete

Thanks for all the info you share about IRs, the Suhr Reactive Load, and impulse response, and all other videos and comments at thegearpage were very useful! Cheers!

Great video. Thank you very much Mr. Thorn.

Fantastic video

Guys if anyone is interested both the Torpedo Captor and the Rivera MiniRockrec are resistive load boxes and reduce the upper and lower frequency range like the resistive ones in this video. Beware about getting them thinking that they are reactive ones since that's how they are advertised. Take the Captor and compare it to the Live and you'll hear the difference immediatly. If you can find one you should take the Suhr. I think it's the best reactive load money can buy right now since they only offer a load box and leave the other features out.

Man Pete you are just the best, thank you for always being super on point in all your videos

Great video Pete! Especially enjoyed the reactive/resistive load portion. This is something I've been curious to compare for a while and you came up with a great way to demonstrate and compare. Thank you!

shared on my Facebook music page and personal page :)

Hello Pete, One thing that I'd like to mention to your otherwise very informative video is the fact that it should also be considered to still use a cabinet as a load, but use attenuation to reduce the volume that exits the speaker. The impedance curve is very dependant on the actual volume that you are playing so using attenuation will no doubt reduce the positive effects of the curve. Tests show that major impedance changes happen after -16 db of impedance usually (I've built an attenuator myself and the technology behind it is so simple, that I can't imagine commercial attenuators act that differently). -16 db of attenuation is still almost 3 times more quite than the original signal. So one scenario where you could get very good results with a attenuator would be to use an amp with an attenuator at room volume and still record the line out of an attenuator. What you technically have then, is a reactive load, albeit, not with such a pronounced impedance curve as with a real speaker. I don't have data on how well resistive loads do in these regards. Interesting to find out!

This has to be the most informative video I've seen so far. This bridges the gap between the DAW and the great sounds of my Bogner shiva! thank you for doing this video. I've been using IR's for a while with guitar rig, and LE456 software which is pretty good, but I can't wait to try this with an actual guitar head.

great video, very usefull... thank you

Really great video. Thnx for posting.

Awesome lesson thanks

Incredibly informative video. I had to go back and relisten to some sections several times to understand what's going on, but I learned a lot.

Excellent, as usual. Just a technical remark: In electrical terms, a higher value in the impedance curve of a speaker doesn't mean higher sound level output at that frequency. All the rest is inquestionable, namely the conclusions, once that the overall response curve (which is what characterizes the tone) is certainly very similar to the presented curve.

Cracking video Pete

the king of gear videos thank you

Pete Thorn, thank you. Very informative!

thank you Thorn

Incredibly useful video Pete - excellent work!

I've been doing this. I bought a EVH 5150 - I've got my Cab in the Basement, mic'd with a 57, but, I actually run out my Pre-Amp output into my Interface, and then into a Cab Emulator. Works pretty great. I just plug in some headphones to kill the cab but there's still load on the Amp.

Thanks for making this. I always learn a lot from your videos.

Very kool, was doing this w/Mac n a Behringer Ultra G bk in 2008

Great Vid and comparison, Pete! So many thanks! I like what I hear out of the Suhr unit and the Two-Notes. I heard a slight bit more push from the Suhr unit but seriously, in a full mix, no one could tell the difference between the two. For me, the Two-Notes Live serves so many purposes because I use it as a whole solution when playing live, especially. One box has everything I need.

Thanks for the demo Pete. From what I hear, the Fryette is the winner hands down! It most closely represented the original and top end charateristics.

Another great video ... thanks Pete. I learned something new.

5 people dislike this. What is there to dislike? This is great info, especially for a gear head like me who wants to get into recording. Thanks Pete!!!

Terrific explanation and video Pete. I am an electrical engineer but new to audio stuff. Ive struggled to understand some of this technology because of poor explanation. However you've just cleared it up. Excellent work and tx.

Awesome video Pete sound great I'm going to try this out.. I appreciate the video!

thank you

Excellent video Pete !

This is the futre, mang. Two Notes Captor sounded really good to me, also affordable. OwnHammer impulses are indeed the shit. Line 6 Helix is a great core program to put it all together!!!!!!! exciting stuff

Man... what a great video, learned so much. Thanks Pete!

incredibly close sounding.... thank you!