Does The Friedman IR-X Sound Like A Big Amp?

Рет қаралды 20,625

Күн бұрын

Thanks for watching my review and demo of the Friedman IR-X tube preamp (made by Boutique Amp Distribution). Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Gear used in this video:
- ESP LTD NW-44
- Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s
- Gibson Les Paul Custom
- Schecter Sunset-7 Triad
- ML Drums by ML Sound Lab
- Cubase 13 Pro
- OwnHammer Impulse Responses
- Kreative Devices Pro G16 Laptop
- Fractal Audio FM3 MKII Turbo
This channel is sponsored by:
OwnHammer: www.ownhammer.com/
ML Sound Lab (ML Drums): ml-sound-lab.com/pages/ml-drums
Thanks for watching! Please subscribe along with the bell and follow SDS at:
/ sonicdrivestudio
/ sonicdrivestudio_official
Join the official SDS Guitar Gear Forum on Facebook: / sdsguitargearforum
#friedman #irx #preamp
Disclaimer: this video can be considered as sponsored as I got the unit in exchange but as always all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own!
Timecodes:
00:00 Is The Friedman IR-X Worth The Hype?
00:26 What Is The IR-X All About & Feature Overview
04:36 Details Of The Signal Chain
06:20 Clean Tone Demo (Schecter Sunset-7 Triad)
09:10 Classic Crunch Demo (Gibson Les Paul Std. 60s)
11:31 Heavy Rock Demo (Gibson Les Paul Custom)
14:06 Metal Demo (ESP LTD NW-44)
15:41 My thoughts And Conclusion
Keywords: metallica, sonic drive studio, james hetfield, meshuggah, deftones, rhythm, guitar, amp, tube, modeler, line 6, helix, fractal audio, axe fx, fm3, fm9, hx stomp, tonex, neural dsp, quad cortex, gibson, les paul, custom, standard, esp ltd, phoenix, black metal, deluxe, 1000, ec1000, ec1000t, baritone, prs, mushok, 9-string, 8-string, ibanez, meshuggah m80m, fishman, fluence, seymour duncan, nw44, schecter, hellraiser, e1, apocalypse, ml drums, ml sound lab, grit, meld, cubase, slate digital, steven slate audio, phoenix-7 sc607b, sc608b, adam jones, will adler, tutorial, lesson, tones, settings, new, firmware, free, mesa boogie, marshall, orange, soldano, friedman, peavey, evh, laney, redseven, victory, wangs, lichtlaerm audio, walrus audio, engl, bluguitar, driftwood, hughes kettner, pedal, djent, death, rock, crunch, classic, ola, fluff, blackstar, randall, dsl50, jcm 2000, ds20hr, dsl1000hr, 6505, 6505mh, 1992 original, xxx, satriani, astro 20, slo100, diezel, vh4, vh2, ksr, revv, generator, jvm410h, jvm210h, jvm205, boss, tube screa,er v30, ownhammer, rock-box, essentials, low-tuned, bogren, sc20, sv20, plexi, jubilee, 2525, invective, mini, leviathan, iridium, mercury, preamp, jmp1, dual, triple, mini, rectifier, mk iic+, mkv, kraken, mkii, fireball, 25, 100, powerball ii, savage, special edition, founders edition, slash, 5150, iii, el34, 6l6, single, or15, tiny terror, dual terror, or30, ad30, rockerverb, 50, mkiii, purple, nightmare, archon, mt100, mark tremonti, tubemeister, black spirit, grandmeister, deluxe, toontrack, superior, ez, drummer, ironball, ironheart, ht, clob, venue, jj jr, emg, jb comparison, rig, capture, kemper, profile, free, preset, headrush, amped, digital, analog, hotone, ampero, roland, me90, leptop, daw, kreative devices, desktop, music production, mixing, friedman, ir-x, preamp

Пікірлер: 124

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

Special thanks to my daughters for the glitter under my eye! 🤪 What are your thoughts on the IR-X by Friedman? Does it sound like a big amp?

@JonathanKillstring 5 ай бұрын

Nothing more metal than glitter :D Also, sounds good! Sounds like a Friedman, which is what one would hope :) Heavy Rock Demo showcases those AIC sounds nicely. Bit wooly for modern metal, but tbh, that's what Friedman amps sound like on their own. IMO, this is every bit as attractive as most Friedman amps to my ears. Though admittedly, they're not my favorite flavor of high gain, so I'm sure aficionados will find missing details that I didn't notice. Thumbs up!

@rangerdoc1029 5 ай бұрын

I recently got one and must say it is exactly what I've been looking for for many years. No more fighting the volume Beast. Yet this thing is so incredibly touch sensitive. I love channel 2 set to edge of breakup. It goes from that beautiful clean to crunch with just pick attack.

@thulioassis1023 5 ай бұрын

I tried to clean my screen a couple times. 😂

@emiliano9321 5 ай бұрын

11:30 sounds like it has a high noise floor? Not the worst I've ever heard anyway, but seems common on preamp pedals. Thanks for the vid as always!

@Ottophil 4 ай бұрын

@@emiliano9321compared to my 6505+ , using identical power section the irx has less hiss its got much better dynamics with the gain. Different guitars and different pickups sound different with the IrX, the 6505+ makes everything sound the same

@randymccoy2527 5 ай бұрын

Every single time. Your compositions and arrangements are on another level. How you have ~60k subscribers is mind boggling. Your mixes crush. Content this good being available for free is incredible. I would like to support your channel. Your mixes inspire me more than anything else I watch. Excellent work. Cheers man.

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

Thanks so much!

@flprmn9448 4 ай бұрын

Ditto. I wish you put out more of your own music, Jon. I just found out about Valhella and I'm loving it.

@TroyDADDY1984 4 ай бұрын

Absolutely agree. You're tone and playing always crush!!

@alexwood8555 5 ай бұрын

Man that track you made for the crunch tone.. Fantastic. Love this demo, I have the BE Deluxe and this is a natural evolution of that and more versatile piece of gear.

@zigballiveguitar 4 ай бұрын

One of the best demos of IRX, how it sounds in the mix. Well done.

@defmu3825 5 ай бұрын

The demosound at 11:32 is soooo good. And the dirty basstone aswell. Good job dude.

@hannesganahl6384 5 ай бұрын

Great review, thank you!

@orwendhag876 4 ай бұрын

I didn't try any metal sound on my hx stomp since month. I gave yours a try, without the IR, using stock cab. Sounds gorgeous, better than the other preset I had yet think. Thanks a lot !

@jewelcheese 5 ай бұрын

That heavy section was heavenly! Sounds a lot like COC loved it

@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power 5 ай бұрын

That Alice In Chains-y piece was niiiice 🔥

@redstrat5976 5 ай бұрын

Yeah the heavy rock tone was very Jerry Cantrell inspired

@JarickL 5 ай бұрын

Jon does the absolute best AIC inspired songs and I'm here for all of them!

@Naughtforeye 4 ай бұрын

Jerry Cantrell is my absolute favorite guitar player and tone monster. His tones are and have always been next level. I just wish I could afford his signature Friedman Double J, I do have his signature LP Custom Wino with some tasteful upgrades like a Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge which he used forever.

@vextract4662 Ай бұрын

Great review thanks! Well to get any better tones you explained it best at the end of the video about needing a big tube amp. Great option for smaller gigs, though, and I was looking for an option. It seems this is it.

@MRxr400 5 ай бұрын

lovely tones.

@swmorgan515 3 ай бұрын

Thanks for the demo on this. I think the concept behind this pedal is brilliant, and it suits my needs perfectly. I have good modelers, but always gravitate back to low-gain and high-gain marshall amp sims for all my tones. So the ability to get those in the form of two real tube preamp channels, with the digital power amp / cab sim stuff for the DI out is perfect. I wish Orange would follow suit on this and issue a dual-channel, analog version of their Super Crush preamp stages with a power stage / IR sim for DI out and effects loop. I'd buy that instantly since the Super Crush is my main real amp.

@dhrandy 4 ай бұрын

Clean and classic crunch game me Hopesfall vibes. Heavy rock game me STP vibes. Great review!

@chrisw5742 Ай бұрын

Dude that thing sounds freaking AMAAAAZING. I want one now.

@ozzlayer 5 ай бұрын

Very versatile pedal. Impressive 💪

@Insaniaguitarist 5 ай бұрын

Loved the glitter 🤩! Can’t escape ‘em with daughters 💕

@robertdonosobuchner3129 5 ай бұрын

It sounds great. I didn't expect it from this pedal amp. Your riffs and sounds are wonderful! 🤘 I would like to hear an album of your music.

@terpholm 5 ай бұрын

Dude you have the cleanest guitars in the business. Not a single dust particle to be seen 😮

@truthfactreality6814 5 ай бұрын

Yes it does. I have many amps and this stands up big time

@JarickL 5 ай бұрын

Love mine! It's so plug and play compared to my modelers and works really well with effects. Killer addition to a direct board!

@AD1978leo 5 ай бұрын

Very cool but you already made me buy a VH2 lol love that monster

@Elektrifekt 5 ай бұрын

The last tone sounded great to my ears and I don’t really play metal. 🤷‍♂️ great demo and a pedal I will look at investing in at some point.

@HEAVENSFIREOfficial 3 ай бұрын

Hey man!! Love the channel and I just bought an IR-X after watching this but..........what are you using for a noise gate? Also, what IR would you recommend for an "Pull Me Under" / "Under a Glass Moon" chug? Thanks in advance dude!!

@MatthewBlackMetal 4 ай бұрын

Youre room os getting so full of gear ... lol a dream land so dope

@cw.austin6633 2 ай бұрын

That metal tone 😮

@charlesycoker 5 ай бұрын

Killer unit. I love mine, I use it direct for recording, live when I want to go direct (replaced my Fractal FM3) as well as into the FX return of several amps including my Friedman Dirty Shirley 40 and JJ Junior. I now have one small pedalboard that I use for everything, I had a delay/verb in the loop, wah, tuner, mid boost, Phase 95 for modulation. At home I run it in the FM3 which serves as my audio interface and disable the onboard IR and use the FM3 for stereo IRs, delay and verb, etc.. I have done tests going into my FRFR with the IR-X vs the FM3 and the IR-X defintely has a more immediate and punchy feel. Really, the main thing is it just instantly sounds great with hardly any effort vs the MONTHS of exhaustive amp deep diving and IR testing. I am using 3rd party IRs with the Ownhammer Classic Rock. I use the Greenback 57 IR for live use and stereo 57/121 for direct into DAW. Dave knows tone. LOVE the IR-X.

@toddcollins6746 4 ай бұрын

Could you explain a little more about how you use it in combination with the FM3 and why? I have the FM3, use it at home for direct recording into Logic, and like it but just trying to get a little closer to the sound of a real amp in a room. Thx, Todd

@ibanezman1025 4 ай бұрын

For amp in the room tone with the Fractal you should consider disabling the cab block and instead use an EQ block with a hi cut as low as 5-6K to mimic how an actual speaker sounds in the room, not what a microphone capturing a speaker and all it’s resonances and overtones sounds. Cooper Carter has a video on this.

@charlesycoker 4 ай бұрын

What monitors are you running through? Better monitors will definitely sound and feel better. I moved from KBL 305s to Kali 3 way In5s, much more detailed midragnge sounds and they sound fantastic turned up. Using the cab block and putting in some room sound, like 30% helps.. Different IRS, I went through a ton of them and settled on the Ownhammer Classic which are Greenbacks and I use the 57 on onside and 121 on the other. of coure some reverb and a tad of delay. I don't use any compression whatsoever. Sometimes I will run the IR-X into the FM3 with it's internal IR off and no amp model in the FM3. I do think a big thing is just to turn it up so that it feels punchy, thre drums and bass are punchy in the DAW. @@toddcollins6746

@void_snw 5 ай бұрын

Sounds pretty sick. Would love a shootout against the Friedman models in the Helix and alikes :D

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

Maybe one day I'll get a real big boy Friedman on the channel too! Not that I don't like my JJ JR

@LucasLeCompteMusic 5 ай бұрын

I think its awesome if you just want to take a pedal board to a gig and use the house amp/or PA as the power amp.

@KreativeDevices 5 ай бұрын

🔥

@thulioassis1023 5 ай бұрын

Big boy tones. I didn't expect that.

@jonathantremblay79 5 ай бұрын

Hello Jon. I am a big fan of your tone. I see you like to use Fractal instead of an audio interface to record your guitar tones. Any particular reason for this? I usually run my guitar thru my apollo interface i was wondering about the difference. Thank you for all the great content!

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

I just find it very convenient for direct monitoring, DI tracking and reamping

@jonathantremblay79 5 ай бұрын

@@SonicDriveStudio Cheers Jon! Thank you for the quick answer. Im going to try this with my FM3 ! Also got a redseven loadbox inc my way, been my dream loadbox since i saw your review. Hard to come by in Canada! Rock on! :)

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

Wonderful! Enjoy!

@TheBhannah 5 ай бұрын

Nice demo … I wonder how it sounds in the effects loop of an amp ?

@3J_Music 5 ай бұрын

kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eqt3iqVozr21hHU.htmlsi=-29th9Ex-2ZOkne_ Sounds like this @TheBhannah

@attrition0 5 ай бұрын

I've had it plugged into the fx return of my marshall dsl40cr and it sounded great.

@rogerYT69 3 ай бұрын

very cool device ...simple, sounds awesome and it's a perfect pedal platform. also like the uafx lion but the friedman is more set and forget😊 ...the bright switch in channel 1only works if the gain is maximum at ca. level 8 after 8 the switch does nothing 😉

@ssmetalrulz 5 ай бұрын

So I've always had this question - when using IRs do you also need to use a power amp simulator or do IRs already incorporate the sound of a power amp section in addition to the mic and cabinet when they were captured?

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

It's good to have flat IRs because modelers etc have poweramp simulation

@mrchrisbeaver 5 ай бұрын

Have you tried it through a tube power amp yet? Would love to hear an A/B to see how its digital power amp compares to the real deal

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

I have not

@spottswoode8122 5 ай бұрын

I've put it through a Fryette PS2. Let's just say that it lacks balls, period. Don't bother with it for this application. Just use a good tube amp.

@gral9440 5 ай бұрын

i run mine with a KSR PA50 plugged on a Zilla 2x12 Fatboy Vertical Angled Cabs loaded with V30+G12H75 speakers and it’s awesome and if I compare with my Runt 50 plugged on a Zilla Big Block loaded with the same speakers, I would say that the IR-X is naturally tighter and has more gain that my Runt 50 if this one wasn’t modded, but mine is modded with Legendary tones’ Mr Scary module so it has a way more gain than the pedal but the pedal is far more tighter

@wtpmikee 5 ай бұрын

hey Jon! if i understand correctly one cant go to a PA with an IR and also has an output to go into power amp and a real cab? or can it be done through send?

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

I would assume it could be done with the send but I haven't tried

@progpogs 4 ай бұрын

What made you initially underwhelmed? Just better once you loaded your own IRs or had to work it more? I'm wondering if this half-analog gear "feels" any better than modelers.

@brianbowersox8392 5 ай бұрын

It will be interesting to see if BAD uses this same tech for Bogner, Soldano, etc like they did with the mini heads.

@garettoverstreet 5 ай бұрын

Soldano new preamp with its own IRs already on display at NAMM…

@brianbowersox8392 4 ай бұрын

Yep, I know. I was referring to something in the same format, not a rack unit.

@sorashima Ай бұрын

How would you compare it vs the BE-OD Deluxe into the clean channel of a tube amp?

@portainfericz 4 ай бұрын

Hi, is it possible to take out from the preamp signal without cabsim and power amp sim (to power amp and guitar cab) simultaneously with signal with cabsim (direct to FOH) ? Thx

@vextract4662 Ай бұрын

Yes. You can run from the send to the return of your power amp and just turn off the cabinet simulation and power amp simulation. Run direct line out to FOH with cab simulation engaged and power amp on as well. I'm going to do this with my line 6 vetta II because I need an option for tight gigs where my Marshall is too bulky and loud plus the Vetta has all the FX I need without careying my pedal board. (It's lighter than the marshall tube amp by far)Plus, the Friedman IR sounds way better than the direct out from most any Marshall amp. Hope this made sense!

@vextract4662 Ай бұрын

I also would add that the direct out sounds better than the vetta II cabinet simulators from 20 years ago which is why I would use the IR-x. It's sound very smooth.

@peterrovaniemi138 4 ай бұрын

Hey, would you use this one or a synergy module if you where going into the power amp of a tube amp? Asking about your preference

@SonicDriveStudio 4 ай бұрын

Good question, I've never tried the Synergy stuff so I wouldn't know tbh

@stevenbanquer8552 4 ай бұрын

How are you getting your bass tone?

@brrblack497 4 ай бұрын

Maybe an ENGL or Soldano unit? That would be cool.

@adamstein9333 5 ай бұрын

If only Mesa Boogie did this with the Dual Rectifier! I would be done! For about a year lol G.A.S.

@gral9440 5 ай бұрын

Mesa is dead since Gibson bought it.

@adamstein9333 4 ай бұрын

You’re absolutely right! I forgot about that. Do You know anything about the new falcon amp?

@felipegomabrockmann2740 4 ай бұрын

Does the FM3 sound like this pedal? I have a Axe-Fx III. Is it worth to buy the IR-X?

@user-by6eb6zo7g 4 ай бұрын

They sound great and the ir's were made by Michael Nielsen and sound fantastic

@MetalZoned 5 ай бұрын

It's a very good amp but personally I just did not care for it and I returned mine. Great demo

@mrhyde2250 5 ай бұрын

Solid tones for sure but tell us about the grungy bass tone in the AIC inspired track!

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

Helix Native and an OwnHammer bass IR

@mvyper 5 ай бұрын

Which IR, if I might ask?

@lexlexlex007 2 ай бұрын

How about comparing Friedman IR-X with Engl e530?

@robertkoascorpio Ай бұрын

Crunch sounds slightly fuzzy . You need a second IR possibly in SERIES to make it smooth like a Pro Recording ...or one which has stronger filtering...IMO.

@chemavivar 5 ай бұрын

So, would you take this Friedman ir x or an Ik Tonex?

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

Very different pieces of gear

@jasonhudson5357 5 ай бұрын

Just to clarify, you said they didn't pay you for the review . Did they ask you to return the unit or did they let you keep it?

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

I can keep it

@TheOtherJohnBrowne 5 ай бұрын

You are just a human sick riff machine

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

Haha thanks buddy!

@ThyWorshipMetal 5 ай бұрын

So will the sound be different or similar if I connected this directly to my Interface as I do not own an FM3?

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

The same, the FM3 is just acting as my interface

@ThyWorshipMetal 5 ай бұрын

@@SonicDriveStudio thank you so much! 😁

@playthefightriffjohn843 5 ай бұрын

Got some Misery Signals vibes from that second song

@colinparks619 5 ай бұрын

I love it, but I still go back to my tone x .....

@guidedbyechoes 5 ай бұрын

I like most of the sound but it's too smooth sounding for more aggressive tones in my opinion. Sounds pretty great for lead tones and polished hard rock tones.

@zipporaid 5 ай бұрын

I reaaaally hope that BAD starts making this a whole line from their partners. Hopefully this is a proof of concept! Gimme a diezel version with tubes (⁠⊃⁠ ⁠•⁠ ⁠ʖ̫⁠ ⁠•⁠ ⁠)⁠⊃

@wojtekn6411 5 ай бұрын

Taurus sh8 zjada to coś na śniadanie

@nobodyimportant76467 5 ай бұрын

I put my IRX through an FRFR and it sounded as good as any head I’ve played through Hard to see how you can go wrong with this

@steverherb 4 ай бұрын

Cool, did you use balanced out or the effects send into FRFR?

@nobodyimportant76467 4 ай бұрын

@@steverherb Balanced out

@steverherb 4 ай бұрын

@nobodyimportant76467 Thanks, I have an old Tech 21 Power Engine that might work for the IR-X

@nobodyimportant76467 4 ай бұрын

@@steverherb Cool. I hope it works out. You’ll probably want a little bit of delay/reverb in the effects loop of the IRX just to give it some character

@chadhudson2046 4 ай бұрын

Almost sounds as good as the Wangs 1987.

@pearmainstudios3942 4 ай бұрын

New Alice and chains song?

@azzazelo 5 ай бұрын

Imo for the price it's def not worth it. You can still pickup a dsl for around that price if you take your time looking.

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

Fair enough but this is for people who need a compact solution that works well in multiple situations (also cab-less etc)

@lattjeful 5 ай бұрын

I disagree. I think they fill two different spots in the market. DSLs are lovely amps, but they aren't as portable and you can't use it for quiet recording/practice like you can the IR-X. Different folks for different strokes.

@attrition0 5 ай бұрын

@lattjeful yeah the headphone jack on the ir-x is actually useful, my dsl40 sounds pretty bad with the emulated out. However you can take the fx send from an amp and plug into the fx return in the ir-x and use headphones through the friedman, and it's back to being great :)

@lattjeful 5 ай бұрын

@@attrition0 Yeah the IR-X's versatility is incredible. You can do soooo much with it. Genuinely one of my favorite gear purchases in a long time. Versatile, sounds great, and no menu diving. As somebody who works with computer shit all day, the last thing I want to do is more menu diving. Great product for lazy mfs like me.

@patdevelours1 3 ай бұрын

Il y a des preamp à lampe derriére, pur commerce...

@riffmondo9733 5 ай бұрын

Are there any reviews of gear that just sucks?

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

I'm sure there are but I'm not interested in making content about crap gear. However, I have been critical of some items on the channel in the past. Sometimes it can't be avoided

@TomatePasFraiche 5 ай бұрын

I wish my daughter would glitter me up too instead of downtuning all my guitars… everyday…

@SonicDriveStudio 5 ай бұрын

She wants you to Meshuggah, don't take it the wrong way

@TomatePasFraiche 5 ай бұрын

@@SonicDriveStudio You are right, I should have waited instead of blasting their songs to my wife’s belly 😂

@jamesthompson6726 5 ай бұрын

Yeah and it's half the cost of a BE 100

@user-by6eb6zo7g 4 ай бұрын

Well... actually the be is 4 grand now so this cost 1/8th lol

@steverherb 4 ай бұрын

The IR-X is the best way to get the Friedman sound at a reasonable cost. Just plug it into the effects return of a decent amp and you're good to go!

@vextract4662 Ай бұрын

Yeah into a l8ne 6 vetta II head with all the fx I'll need for smaller gigs. No pedal board, no giant heavy tube amp. I can feed the FOH with the IR-x and have my own real powered stage sound. It's huge