Friedman IR-X
The Friedman IR-X dual-channel tube preamp is an entire Friedman rig in a compact pedalboard-friendly package. Powered by two high-voltage 12AX7 preamp tubes, each channel delivers the harmonic richness and touch response of Dave Friedman’s finest designs. DSP IR cabinet/power amp simulation sends a studio-quality mic’d-up tone to your DAW or Front-of-House.
IR-X isn't simulating a Friedman tube preamp. It is one. While many available preamp pedals utilize tubes to 'warm up' their digital or solid-state circuit, two glowing hot 12AX7 preamp tubes, running at the proper high voltage, are this pedal's beating heart. A genuine preamp in every way, IR-X delivers all the tone, response, gain characteristics, and harmonic complexity you expect from a Friedman design.
IR-X boasts two fully independent foot-switchable channels. Like the famed Friedman flagship amps, channel one takes your tone from bluesy, British-voiced cleans to a muscular Plexi-style roar. Engage channel two for the Friedman signature higher-gain voice and all the percussive punch, note clarity and singing sustain that comes with it.
Both channels feature their own independent and highly tweakable Boost circuits. This essentially gives you four channels, accessible with the tap of your toe.
All great tube amps need a great speaker cabinet, and whether sending your signal straight to the board or silently playing through the onboard headphone output, IR-X gives you a selection of Dave Friedman’s favorite IRs. Select the IR per channel using the 3-way mini toggle switches or load your own quickly and easily via IR-X’s editing software. You can even disengage the onboard IRs entirely to use IR-X’s tube preamp with another IR loader.
IR-X gives you astounding tonal control, but its included Friedman IR-X Editor software takes it to a new level. With it, you can tweak each channel’s power amp simulation via the thump and presence controls, load your favorite IRs, activate the Boost Lock feature, select loop ON/OFF and save it all to 128 MIDI presets.The IR-X software includes 12 free Friedman IRs to choose from.
IR-X is MIDI-capable. Whether pulling up presets with a pedalboard controller or switching channels with the laptop running your entire show, IR-X is ready for the job. It truly is the perfect marriage of modern control and classic tube tone.
The IR-X’s transparent effects loop allows you to easily integrate your favorite effects with everything from the most straightforward setups to the most complex digitally controlled rigs.
Fortunately, solutions are legion: hardware amp emulators, faux-amp plug-ins, and—our focus here—load box/speaker emulators that let you capture the sounds of your favorite amps minus their usual volume. In fact, we're zeroing in on one particular type of product: load box/emulators that faithfully mimic the sound of a miked speaker via impulse responses.
Impulsive Behavior
Speaker impulse responses (IRs) are created by running a test signal through a cabinet and recording the results. The software then compares the raw signal to the sound that emerges from the speaker, and imposes the same coloration on raw, direct-from-amp tones.
Meanwhile, the load box makes your amp "think" it's connected to a speaker. (Running an analog amp without a speaker load is a quick way to destroy the amp.) The four devices examined here include speaker-out jacks, so you can play through your speaker at reduced levels if desired while simultaneously capturing the direct IR sound. All four offer attractive faux-speaker sounds. Beyond that, prices and features vary dramatically.
While we're specifically examining stand- alone devices, it's also worth noting that amp manufacturers—among them Revv, Fender, Victory, and Mesa/Boogie—are increasingly offering built-in cab IR tech, too.
During COVID, many of us needed to carve out sonic space for remote-schooled kids, telecommuting roommates, and housebound neighbors griping about loud music—not just on evenings and weekends, but 24/7.
About the Demo Clips
I recorded all clips using a ReAmp, so I could run the identical material through each device without having to worry about performance inconsistencies. Each device is represented by three clean tones and three distorted tones. All were recorded through a Carr Lincoln amp, a Vox-inspired boutique model. The test guitars are a pre-CBS Fender Stratocaster for the clean tones and an '80s Gibson Les Paul with retro-style PAFs for the crunchy ones.
Exercise caution when making direct sonic comparisons. The available models and effects vary from device to device. Also, since the Mesa CabClone IR+ has no effects, its clips lack the fattening compression and rich ambience of the rival examples. But CabClone users can easily add those effects within the DAW or at the mixing desk. Finally, remember that only the speaker/cab sound is under review, not the amp tone. Results vary immensely depending on your amp of choice. For example, you may not dig the vintage-flavored tube distortion heard here, but connecting a modern, high-gain amp would instantly yield modern, high-gain tones.
We'll proceed in ascending order of price.
We reviewed the OX almost exactly two years ago. I purchased the review model and have used it regularly ever since. The OX proved to be a hit, acquiring a large pro user base. It remains a go-to solution for low-volume recording and related tasks. I stand by the original review, and the device hasn't changed much since it debuted. So this is a rare opportunity to revisit a piece of gear after years of use while comparing its features to those of newer arrivals.
IRs vs. Modeling
Universal Audio refers to its emulating process as speaker modeling, not impulse responses. Impulse responses are realistic but static snapshots, whereas the OX aspires to mimic speakers in varying states, with a front-panel speaker breakup knob that introduces the harmonic variations that occur when speakers are pushed to extremes.
The OX's speaker emulations are magnificent. You get 22 superb models based on Fender, Marshall, Vox, Mesa, and Hiwatt cabs. There are six "usual suspect" mic models, and six virtual room mics. The room sounds are lush and realistic, and you can adjust the amount of room ambience via a dedicated knob on the box's front panel. You can also assign two virtual microphones to each cabinet, position them in virtual space, and tweak their characteristics.
But there's a downside to UA's proprietary speaker emulation process: You can't load additional IRs. I've never failed to find appropriate tones within the OX sound library. But if you insist on a specific speaker sound not included here, the OX may not be your best option.
Elevated Editing
The OX's software editor is attractive, powerful, and intuitive. Photorealistic depictions of the modeled gear make it easy to visualize your edits. You can store six favorite speaker/mic/effect combinations ("rigs") within the OX box itself and access them without connecting to a computer. The editors are available for Mac and PC. There's a mobile version for Apple iPads, but not for iPhones or Android devices.
The OX's software editor has the sophistication of a full-featured DAW.
You don't need a physical connection to edit the OX's sounds. The device includes its own WIFI network. Just connect your computer or iPad to the network, and tweak away. It's a great idea, but it is sometimes problematic in practice.
We must often go online while recording to access files, manage authorizations, and search for relevant data, which can mean constantly switching networks mid-session. Most pro users I know keep a dedicated iPad connected to the OX network, while the DAW's computer remains on its usual network. Even then, the iPad tends to drop its connection if it goes into sleep mode. I've always managed to get the job done via the OX's network, but this clever feature has never quite lived up to its promise.
Exemplary Effects
To my ears, Universal Audio's effects modeling is unsurpassed. The OX includes two dead-accurate models of classic recording gear: a Urei 1176 compressor and an EMT 140 plate reverb. There's also high-quality EQ and delay. All the devices covered here include excellent effects, and picking favorites is a subjective task. But to my ear, nothing else touches the OX's.
Other Noteworthy Details:
- The OX's impedance switcher supports 4, 8, and 16 ohms.
- The OX is an excellent direct recording preamp.
- The OX outputs sound via balanced stereo analog outs, digital AES/EBU, and optical digital TOSLINK. The analog outs are 1/4" TRS. But I've always wished there were pro-quality XLR outs, especially considering the OX's pro-level price. (The three newer devices all have XLR outs.)
- The attenuation level is continually variable, as opposed to using fixed steps.
- You can use one-, two-, and three-button footswitches (not included) to toggle the OX's effects.
- The OX has no MIDI control.
- The OX comes with 125 unusually good factory-preset rigs.
Despite the minor frustrations mentioned above, OX has been a miracle worker for me. I use it incessantly (including on many PG gear reviews) and I'm always delighted by the results.