So you've heard the word everywhere. Impulses. But what exactly are they and how do you use them? Well, I'm going to tell you! First of all let me give you a quick, not-too-technical definition
of impulses.
An Impulses response is a .wav file that is used as a virtual representation of either the ambiance of a room, the reverb of a reverb effect, or a speaker. The speaker part is, of course, what we will
be using to simulate the cabinet of a guitar amp. The impulse file, when used for guitar cabinets, will simulate the following:
-The power-amp section of the guitar head
-The cabinet
-The speaker that is mic'ed
-The ambiance of the room (depending on where the mic is placed)
-The microphone
-The pre-amp and A/D converters in the audio interface
So when you think about it, an impulse simulates a large chunk of the recording phase and allows for high-quality guitar tones to be recorded in your own home on a budget. A well made impulse also sounds
much better than most other forms of cabinet or reverb simulation. Of course, impulses are not perfect. They are static meaning, no matter how you play (dynamics, etc) the way the impulse reacts will
stay the exact same. This means that impulses will never sound as good as a great amp with a great cabinet and good mic'ing - but it can sound pretty damn close!
Now that you know what an impulse is, you might want to know how to use them! Ok, let's get started. In order to use impulses you need the following:
-An audio clip of a guitar without a cabinet (either a guitar going into an amp, then out the fx loop, or a guitar going through a pre-amp simulator)
-An impulse loader plugin
-An impulse of a guitar cabinet
Let's get started. I am going to assume you already have the first part. The next thing you need is an impulse loader. This is a plug-in that loads impulse files. I recommend you download KefIR.
It's free, simple and effective.
Link: http://habib.webhost.pl/ (Click on the KefIR link on the left)
If you do not want to use KefIR or are on a mac, you should look around for another free impulse loader. Voxengo Boogex is free and has an impulse loader in it. The Logic DAW also comes with one I believe.
Now that you have an impulse loader, you need an impulse. These are also free! (Most of the time)
Here are two GREAT websites you should go to if you want to find free impulses. I suggest you register as a member for both. They're free, and they are great websites.
http://www.guitarampmodeling.com/ (scroll down to the impulse section - you must be a member of the website in order to download the files)
http://ultimatemetal.com/ (click on community, then scroll down to the Andy Sneap forum - you must register as a member here aswell but it's free and doesn't take long. Once you're a member, do a search
for impulses. You'll be sure to find some)
In my experience, the very best impulses for hard rock and metal are the GuitarHack impulses which can be found on both websites.
So, time to put it all together. Along with a DAW, you have everything you need in order to use impulses. This is how you do it:
In your DAW, place your audio clip on any track. In the tracks fx section, add your guitar head simulator(unless you recorded your real head)
then directly after, place the impulse loader plugin. Now you must find out how to load the impulse file. In kefIR, there is a button you click which will allow you to chose an impulse .wav file. After
that is done, you MUST find the mix level control. In KefIR, it's a mix % knob. In other loader's it might be a Dry/Wet knob, or dry level and wet level knobs. You must find it and make sure 100% of the
output is wet. So in kefIR, the mix % should be 100%. In other loaders, the wet slider should be all the way up and the dry slider all the way down. This step is very important. Your tone will not sound
good without it.
There you go. If you did everything correctly, you have just used your first impulse as a guitar cabinet simulator!
Have questions? Post them below! I'll be happy to answer them. You can even post your audio clips below to show how great your impulses sound!
