I love the Strymon Iridium. I also now have an AC15 with Celestion Blue speaker gathering dust for months. Our church meets Sunday mornings at a local music venue with pro sound staff and setup. No more lugging that 50 lb AC15 and setting it up offstage which I did for years. The Iridium sounds great. We play through wedges but I can also bring a Headrush powered speaker (or two for stereo). The sound staff takes the signal from the back of the Headrush or a DI if I leave the Headrush home. It is a fantastic pedal. I have it in front of my time based effects and run out of my reverb. One day I will take the cover off of my AC15 again. Thanks for the video. Well done.
Your video is a godsend. It explained to me. Questions that i'd had about how to run the iridium stereo. I've seen many tutorials on this. Even factory tutorials and none of them covered it as thoroughly as you did. Thank you very much and keep posting!!! 👏👏👏👏
Great video AJ, I have an Iridium also. Such an underrated pedal especially when using upgraded IR's. Try using a DISO+ or Walrus Audio Canvas line ISO box to send your signal from your board to FOH. This will boost your level back up to line level for better signal quality and it will protect your gear too. Hope this helps!
Great Review and explanation on the Strymon Iridium. I’ve had this pedal myself for a long time and it has never failed. It’s a great simple easy to use pedal. You got a subscriber because your video was cool! Keep rocking and praising!
Hey Champ. You don't need a DI or that goon sack splitter cable from the headphone out to connect your Styrmon to your focusrite. Just connect the outputs from the Strymon directly to the combi inputs of the Focusrite with some 6.5mm cables.
Great video. I would like to understand your logic for using a split cable to record from the Iridium's headphone output vs. running separate TS cables from the Iridium's L Out and R Out into Input 1 and 2 on your interface? I believe the audio signal from the headphone, L Out and R Out jacks is exactly the same. Also, the Scarlett's instrument inputs are good enough that I wouldn't say you objectively need a DI box. That's mostly a matter of taste.
That's a fair question. I wanted a long cable(s) from my board to the interface so that I didn't have to be right next to the interface when I'm recording. The headphone jack cable that I mentioned in the video was cheaper than two long 1/4" cables. So I decided to go that route. Also, you are right. If someone has the ability to run directly in with 1/4" plugs like I do with the Scarlett, a DI box is not needed but I was at a studio recently where they had me go through a DI box; so, different moments call for different gear. Thanks for the question!
Thank you for this awesome video I learned a thing or two. my main question is why do you use the minijack to record out when you could use quarter inch stereo out the back into your DAW interface? That part of your process, perplexed me to be honest. My main take away is to put the iridium at the end of the pedal chain. Thank you kindly and have a great day! 🎸🙏
Great video! I love my Iridium as well! To me, the greatest advantage of the iridium over an all-in-one unit like the Helix is that if your Iridium breaks, you will still have your other pedals available, and you might be able to continue your gig using a back up amp. Whereas if the Helix stops working, you will also lose your effects. As for the Iridium not having a loop… my thought process is that an amp’s effects loop is there so that you can place your wet effects after the amp’s distortion/drive, but before your speakers. With the iridium, you can just place your wet effects after it, and run the output of the wet effects to the pa or mixer. Doing so will still carry the amp and cab simulation signal from the iridium. I have my iridium before a Strymon Dig delay and a Strymon Blue sky reverb. I run everything mono into the iridium, then stereo output from the Iridium into those pedals, and stereo out from the reverb pedal (last in the chain) into the mixer or audio interface using trs cables. It sounds great. If I ever want to hear the wet effects when I’m silent practicing at home, I plug my headphones into my audio interface, that way I can listen to my entire chain. Thanks again for the video! Subscribed!
Thanks for the comment! I see pros and cons to having it before vs after the wet effects. I say whatever sounds best to you is how you should use it! I love the Iridium.
They work great! You can think of the Iridium as the front of your guitar amp, and anything else in between the Iridium and the PA/mixer/interface as the effects loop. I run drives before the Iridium and delay/reverb after and it works perfectly for me. @@lightningstrikes7314
my use for it isn't super conventional but i love it! i use it with a variety of york audio IRs for digital recording, and then when i want to play out loud or live, i actually bypass the cabinet sim and use the preamp of it into the FX loop of a tube amp, so you get a little bit of tube saturation/compression from power amp tubes, and you also get some speaker distortion. super nice for when i want to play at a louder volume but basically use the same preamp settings i have tested digitally
Very good video you explain a lot of important things, but I have a question. Can iridium power a cab? As a speaker or a monitor without the eq integrated into the amp. I would like to sell my amp and only have a cab with iridium to play at home. Thank you for your answer. As you said, it's getting really heavy to bring an amp to church.
Thank you! I do not think it can power a cab. You probably have to use a powered speaker but I could be wrong. There is a way to bypass the cab in the iridium but again not sure if it will then power an external cab.
The fact that nowadays pretty much all of these type of devices can store custom IRs, makes them pretty much ageless...you can get some killer York audio vox impulses for example and it would be really difficult to outgrow this little box even if new stuff come out constantly....
Thanks for the video mate! one correction: I think you can only separate IRs for L/R but not amps. So, in any of the modes (round, chime, punch) you can have a stereo IR setup. Unless I've been missing this feature for all these years! haha
So, I’m confused. If I have a JHS emperor (which is stereo), a DD-500 (is stereo as well), and a Walrus Fathom (which I believe it’s mono)… if I’m recording, should I just run everything in mono? And then double track everything? Or should in replace the fathom for something stereo, AND THEN record in stereo?
Noob question. I want to use this for recording mainly. If I plug this into my interface and studio monitors, and then I also run pedals through the iridium, will the interface pick up all the other pedals that are connected to the iridium?
What is the secret behind programming the L and R outputs to be separate amps/cabs? I can’t find anything anywhere describing the process or if it’s even a feature..
Is this a good competitor for a bedroom amp ( katana, yamaha thr....) using it with a studio monitor such as a rockit or yamaha? I don`t find videos about this, it seems people use it live with PA or at home with a DAW and/or headphones.
I’m not familiar with the bedroom amps you mentioned but I just plugged into a pair of powered JBL studio monitors to practice. I thought it sounded great! Or you could use one powered monitor and run mono. No DAW needed!
I don't know if you point this out later in the video, but you can't call it a digital guitar amplifier like you did at the beginning of the video. Without a pa system or power amp, the Iridium is just an amp simulator.
Very helpful video, great overview of the Iridium. I am confused about a few things though. 1) I've been watching some videos about the Iridium vs. the UA Dream 65, and one criticism that comes up of the Iridium is that people don't like the stock IR's but they are not changeable. But you say you've changed them out. Was there maybe a time a few years ago when they couldn't be changed out? 2) Also, what does it feel like playing through the Iridium? Are there any latency issues? 3) When recording, is your method generally considered okay or are there better ways to use the Iridium to record? 4) Finally, I still don't understand DI boxes. When you want to play through speakers of some sort, is that what the Iridium has to go into first? Active or passive? What is the general purpose of it? I've read the definitions of them but I still don't quite get what they are and why are they are needed. Thanks. Trying to figure out how to use one of these amp in a box things, but all the videos or articles on them assume too much knowledge that I just don't have yet :). There don't seem to be many "beginner courses" out there for all this tech that comes out.
These are great questions and sorry that I didn't go more in detail in the video! I'll post a video on Thursday answering each of these questions in detail. Thanks for the comment!
If you want to plug a guitar or pedalboard into an amp, then an unbalanced TS (tip/sleeve) lead is generally used. But if you want to plug into a mixer or PA, then a balanced XLR cable is more common. The DI box takes a TS input and passes it through to a TS output for your amp AND also passes it to an XLR output for the mixer/PA. Guitar outputs and guitar amp inputs tend to be high Z, whereas a PA will likely need a low Z input. The DI box will also match up these Z types (where Z is impedance and needs to be matched) which is important. In essence, use a DI box to split your signal (if you are also using an amp) and send the other output (if split) to a mixer/PA. Mine also has a ground lift switch to break a ground loop if you are getting excessive hum.
Unfortunately, and this is probably due to the form factor, it lacks a loop and balanced XLR out. Not having an app for organising presets doesn't help either. It is, however, a great sounding unit.
@TModel Normally drive/distortions are before the loop in units like this (Mooer Preamp Live, Two Notes Revolt), and the cab IRs after. So, you could mess around with IRs in the DAW if you bypassed them in the unit or just used the loop to send the dirt.
Check out this video where I show how I changed IRs in the IR Manager software: ruclips.net/video/NOFzBNcuYQI/видео.html You can skip to the 1:30 mark. That's when I start talking about the different sounds for left and right.
@@ajlindseymusic thanks for the answers. I re-watch your video, but with your method ou only change the left and right Cabinet , the amp remains the same. I thinks run 2 differents amp ins't possible. Only Walrus ACS-1 could make it :/ . Iridium style great with the Jfet analog preamp, make it feel geat playing :) Thanks
Perhaps relatively inexpensive compared to the amps it's modeling. Purchasing a Deluxe Reverb, an AC30, and a Plexi would cost multiple times what one would pay for an Iridium.
I love the Strymon Iridium. I also now have an AC15 with Celestion Blue speaker gathering dust for months. Our church meets Sunday mornings at a local music venue with pro sound staff and setup. No more lugging that 50 lb AC15 and setting it up offstage which I did for years. The Iridium sounds great. We play through wedges but I can also bring a Headrush powered speaker (or two for stereo). The sound staff takes the signal from the back of the Headrush or a DI if I leave the Headrush home. It is a fantastic pedal. I have it in front of my time based effects and run out of my reverb. One day I will take the cover off of my AC15 again. Thanks for the video. Well done.
By far he best Iridium video that I've seen so far. Thanks for posting.
Your video is a godsend. It explained to me. Questions that i'd had about how to run the iridium stereo. I've seen many tutorials on this. Even factory tutorials and none of them covered it as thoroughly as you did. Thank you very much and keep posting!!! 👏👏👏👏
Great video AJ, I have an Iridium also. Such an underrated pedal especially when using upgraded IR's. Try using a DISO+ or Walrus Audio Canvas line ISO box to send your signal from your board to FOH. This will boost your level back up to line level for better signal quality and it will protect your gear too. Hope this helps!
Amen! These amp sims sound amazingly good!
This was such a helpful video! I haven't seen any others explain the stereo function as well as you did. Thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
Great Review and explanation on the Strymon Iridium. I’ve had this pedal myself for a long time and it has never failed. It’s a great simple easy to use pedal. You got a subscriber because your video was cool! Keep rocking and praising!
Thank you for sharing this. It could definitely be handy for recording and live situations!
It is my best tool for live work and studio, great video! greetings from Argentina
Excellent video and great information. The Iridium seems to be a wonderful tool for any guitarist. Great channel!🤟🏻🎸
Marcelo from M&R.
Hey Champ. You don't need a DI or that goon sack splitter cable from the headphone out to connect your Styrmon to your focusrite. Just connect the outputs from the Strymon directly to the combi inputs of the Focusrite with some 6.5mm cables.
This, it has a stereo switch on the back and two inputs. Plus the ability to upload different irs to left and right
Great review. I’m looking to get one and you simplified it for me. I’m sold. Thanks 👍
Glad to hear it! I love it!
Great video. I would like to understand your logic for using a split cable to record from the Iridium's headphone output vs. running separate TS cables from the Iridium's L Out and R Out into Input 1 and 2 on your interface? I believe the audio signal from the headphone, L Out and R Out jacks is exactly the same. Also, the Scarlett's instrument inputs are good enough that I wouldn't say you objectively need a DI box. That's mostly a matter of taste.
That's a fair question. I wanted a long cable(s) from my board to the interface so that I didn't have to be right next to the interface when I'm recording. The headphone jack cable that I mentioned in the video was cheaper than two long 1/4" cables. So I decided to go that route. Also, you are right. If someone has the ability to run directly in with 1/4" plugs like I do with the Scarlett, a DI box is not needed but I was at a studio recently where they had me go through a DI box; so, different moments call for different gear. Thanks for the question!
Thank you for this awesome video I learned a thing or two. my main question is why do you use the minijack to record out when you could use quarter inch stereo out the back into your DAW interface? That part of your process, perplexed me to be honest. My main take away is to put the iridium at the end of the pedal chain. Thank you kindly and have a great day! 🎸🙏
The cable that I had for the headphone jack was long and cheaper than two long 1/4" cables. I now use the main outputs to record.
Great video! I love my Iridium as well!
To me, the greatest advantage of the iridium over an all-in-one unit like the Helix is that if your Iridium breaks, you will still have your other pedals available, and you might be able to continue your gig using a back up amp. Whereas if the Helix stops working, you will also lose your effects.
As for the Iridium not having a loop… my thought process is that an amp’s effects loop is there so that you can place your wet effects after the amp’s distortion/drive, but before your speakers. With the iridium, you can just place your wet effects after it, and run the output of the wet effects to the pa or mixer. Doing so will still carry the amp and cab simulation signal from the iridium.
I have my iridium before a Strymon Dig delay and a Strymon Blue sky reverb. I run everything mono into the iridium, then stereo output from the Iridium into those pedals, and stereo out from the reverb pedal (last in the chain) into the mixer or audio interface using trs cables. It sounds great. If I ever want to hear the wet effects when I’m silent practicing at home, I plug my headphones into my audio interface, that way I can listen to my entire chain. Thanks again for the video! Subscribed!
Thanks for the comment! I see pros and cons to having it before vs after the wet effects. I say whatever sounds best to you is how you should use it! I love the Iridium.
Do reverbs/delays after the Iridium work with dirt pedals before the Iridium OK? You don't get that weird 'overdriven reverb' thing going on?
They work great! You can think of the Iridium as the front of your guitar amp, and anything else in between the Iridium and the PA/mixer/interface as the effects loop. I run drives before the Iridium and delay/reverb after and it works perfectly for me. @@lightningstrikes7314
my use for it isn't super conventional but i love it! i use it with a variety of york audio IRs for digital recording, and then when i want to play out loud or live, i actually bypass the cabinet sim and use the preamp of it into the FX loop of a tube amp, so you get a little bit of tube saturation/compression from power amp tubes, and you also get some speaker distortion. super nice for when i want to play at a louder volume but basically use the same preamp settings i have tested digitally
Thanks for clarifying how to run it in Stereo, very informative Video 👍
Very good video you explain a lot of important things, but I have a question. Can iridium power a cab? As a speaker or a monitor without the eq integrated into the amp. I would like to sell my amp and only have a cab with iridium to play at home. Thank you for your answer. As you said, it's getting really heavy to bring an amp to church.
Thank you! I do not think it can power a cab. You probably have to use a powered speaker but I could be wrong. There is a way to bypass the cab in the iridium but again not sure if it will then power an external cab.
The fact that nowadays pretty much all of these type of devices can store custom IRs, makes them pretty much ageless...you can get some killer York audio vox impulses for example and it would be really difficult to outgrow this little box even if new stuff come out constantly....
Thanks for the video mate! one correction: I think you can only separate IRs for L/R but not amps. So, in any of the modes (round, chime, punch) you can have a stereo IR setup. Unless I've been missing this feature for all these years! haha
For live you should try running the iridium into something like the Walrus Audio Canvas, it will help you.
I've considered it. What are the benefits to that?
Thanks for the info, very helpful! Is there. Is there a way to use the impulse manger on an iPad Pro
So, I’m confused.
If I have a JHS emperor (which is stereo), a DD-500 (is stereo as well), and a Walrus Fathom (which I believe it’s mono)… if I’m recording, should I just run everything in mono? And then double track everything? Or should in replace the fathom for something stereo, AND THEN record in stereo?
Noob question. I want to use this for recording mainly. If I plug this into my interface and studio monitors, and then I also run pedals through the iridium, will the interface pick up all the other pedals that are connected to the iridium?
Strymon Iridium + York Audio IR = MAGIC
Great review! Very helpful…. Looks like a great pedal. Thanks!
I'm glad it was helpful!
What is the secret behind programming the L and R outputs to be separate amps/cabs? I can’t find anything anywhere describing the process or if it’s even a feature..
Can you provide the link to buy those TRS cables? I have a GFI Systems Skylar, and I want to run it stereo but I can't find an L angle cable for that.
www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/EBSICY30--ebs-icy-30-right-angle-flat-insert-cable-30cm is this what you need?
@@ajlindseymusic Thank you thank you!!
Is this a good competitor for a bedroom amp ( katana, yamaha thr....) using it with a studio monitor such as a rockit or yamaha? I don`t find videos about this, it seems people use it live with PA or at home with a DAW and/or headphones.
I’m not familiar with the bedroom amps you mentioned but I just plugged into a pair of powered JBL studio monitors to practice. I thought it sounded great! Or you could use one powered monitor and run mono. No DAW needed!
Try carrying a 73 SFTR or a Mesa MarkV Combo. That’s why I bought a KPA 11 years ago, and a Helix when they came out.
so... you cannot go with normal patch cables into 2 inputs on your audio interface from the Iridium and retain stereo image? That seems weird to me.
Well you can… The cable I used back then was just a cheaper option than 2 instrument cables. I use instrument canes now.
I don't know if you point this out later in the video, but you can't call it a digital guitar amplifier like you did at the beginning of the video. Without a pa system or power amp, the Iridium is just an amp simulator.
Very helpful video, great overview of the Iridium. I am confused about a few things though.
1) I've been watching some videos about the Iridium vs. the UA Dream 65, and one criticism that comes up of the Iridium is that people don't like the stock IR's but they are not changeable. But you say you've changed them out. Was there maybe a time a few years ago when they couldn't be changed out?
2) Also, what does it feel like playing through the Iridium? Are there any latency issues?
3) When recording, is your method generally considered okay or are there better ways to use the Iridium to record?
4) Finally, I still don't understand DI boxes. When you want to play through speakers of some sort, is that what the Iridium has to go into first? Active or passive? What is the general purpose of it? I've read the definitions of them but I still don't quite get what they are and why are they are needed.
Thanks. Trying to figure out how to use one of these amp in a box things, but all the videos or articles on them assume too much knowledge that I just don't have yet :). There don't seem to be many "beginner courses" out there for all this tech that comes out.
These are great questions and sorry that I didn't go more in detail in the video! I'll post a video on Thursday answering each of these questions in detail. Thanks for the comment!
If you want to plug a guitar or pedalboard into an amp, then an unbalanced TS (tip/sleeve) lead is generally used. But if you want to plug into a mixer or PA, then a balanced XLR cable is more common. The DI box takes a TS input and passes it through to a TS output for your amp AND also passes it to an XLR output for the mixer/PA.
Guitar outputs and guitar amp inputs tend to be high Z, whereas a PA will likely need a low Z input. The DI box will also match up these Z types (where Z is impedance and needs to be matched) which is important.
In essence, use a DI box to split your signal (if you are also using an amp) and send the other output (if split) to a mixer/PA.
Mine also has a ground lift switch to break a ground loop if you are getting excessive hum.
Thanks for the info… do you think I could connect the strymon to powered studio monitors with the headphone out using a 3.5mm to rca cable?
I haven’t tried it but I bet you could. As long as the speakers have rca inputs, of course.
Unfortunately, and this is probably due to the form factor, it lacks a loop and balanced XLR out. Not having an app for organising presets doesn't help either.
It is, however, a great sounding unit.
I do wish it had an effects loop.
@TModel Normally drive/distortions are before the loop in units like this (Mooer Preamp Live, Two Notes Revolt), and the cab IRs after. So, you could mess around with IRs in the DAW if you bypassed them in the unit or just used the loop to send the dirt.
Why do you use the headphone out for recording and not the regular outputs?
At the time I made this, I thought it was a good option but I no longer think it is. Use the normal outputs if you can!
how do you manage to get , two seperate amp from stereo output ? i only know 1 amp 1 IR method. thanks
Check out this video where I show how I changed IRs in the IR Manager software: ruclips.net/video/NOFzBNcuYQI/видео.html You can skip to the 1:30 mark. That's when I start talking about the different sounds for left and right.
@@ajlindseymusic thanks for the answers. I re-watch your video, but with your method ou only change the left and right Cabinet , the amp remains the same.
I thinks run 2 differents amp ins't possible. Only Walrus ACS-1 could make it :/ .
Iridium style great with the Jfet analog preamp, make it feel geat playing :)
Thanks
*relatively inexpensive, relative to what?
Perhaps relatively inexpensive compared to the amps it's modeling. Purchasing a Deluxe Reverb, an AC30, and a Plexi would cost multiple times what one would pay for an Iridium.
Relative to your future hernia surgery....
Less than 5 pounds. I thought you meant money, and I was like, what? lol
Not worth it.
Just get those brand new UAFX pedals and send your iridium to me.
Strymon = $400
Hand Truck Dolly = $40
Or u spend 400$ and never have to spend 40$ again