How does Friedman’s IR-X measure up to full-size rigs? Tell us in the comments how you’d incorporate one into your setup, and be sure to swing by Sweetwater for a detailed look at the total scope of tonal possibilities afforded by Friedman’s IR-X Dual Tube Preamp and DI 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Friedman_IR-X
Looks like Dave took his synergy preamp and added in IR loader, I will say it is pretty sweet to see him jumping into the software world with this pedal/amp as well. Friedman never disappoints! Edit: Well, well. When you open the software what do you see at the bottom right? “Powered by Synergy” haha. Absolutely LOVE the open working relationship Dave and Synergy have. Bringing tubes to the modern age 🤘🏻
As someone who has had to pay a lot of money to have special replacement footswitches soldered onto a TC electronics unit, lets take a moment to appreciate Dave using non-PCB mounted industry standard switches on this thing.
I bought this today from another retailer that apparently didn't care about release day lol. It really is amazing. Turns my Quilter Aviator into a 21 pound monster. Both channels are very very good. Channel 1 cleans up really well by backing off the guitar volume. Super responsive.
I really want to try this and like it..I'm using an hx stomp or a headrush core. Ditched my tube amps a long time ago. What I'm really hoping for is that this unit isn't just a gimmick and you can actually hear and feel that tube/analog warmth to balance out the inherent digital sound you get with amp modelers.
having the same issue with a helix, placater sounds exactly the same, but been surfing videos and the ir-x is winning me over after seeing and hearing where the differences are. the mids are better on the ir-x with more harmonics, might have to cancel my return request, put that in a few hours after unboxing it.
Dear Mitch...About the 128 presets memories in this pedal, does it mean that, ie, for preset #1, i can have the channel 1 to have 50% gain, 55% Volume, Bass, Mid & High all at noon, select the 1st IR (& save it all to preset #1)....then on preset #2, again selecting channel one, i'll have the gain at 70%, Volume at 40%, Bass at one o'clock, Mid at 2 o'clock & High at noon, using the 2nd IR (& save it to preset 2)... then select channel 2 with 60% gain, 50% volume, Bass at 10 o'clock, Mid at 2 o'clock, Hi at 1o'clock (& save it to preset 3). And later, i can recall back all those 3 presets with the above mentioned settings from my loop switcher via MIDI (in this case, its my Boss MS3)?....I am sorry if i am not making this clear but i hope u get what i mean...So, is that possible?
The presets store the configuration and basic settings, but do not store every parameter. So, each preset stores Channel selected, Boost on/off status, IR selection (or bypass) per channel, FX Loop on/off status, and Thump and Presence setting per channel. Hope this helps, thanks for watching! Mitch
@@What11235 I looked into it. In order to do what I'm talking about you need a splitter box. It's in the manual. So it's possible, but you need another piece of gear to make it work.
For sure. Also, having the option to run each channel out independently would create a 2-amp stereo effect. Dave’s solution in another video was to buy 2 of these, ha. Also: Why no bypass switch? Sheesh, I had to reroute my rig completely.
I would want to take something like this and run it 4-cable method into my amp so that I could break into the amp head after the preamp and have a unit like this as my preamp and still utilize my power tubes and speaker cab. The other issue I see is that you have to use the app to turn off cab sim? Honestly, I would want to be able to do that with a switch. I don't really care for cab sim attached to my preamp since I want to run wet affects in the loop...(or just after whatever preamp I am using). In the end, cab sim (for me) is at the end of the entire thing (coming out of my attenuator). This gives me a speaker cab for a monitor and stage sound while being able to go into the house with cab sim (after the effects). In terms of not using an amp...I can use IR (at the end of my signal) to simulate power tubes and cabinet after the wet effects which I would put after the preamp....obviously overdrive and distortion and whatever fuzz and whah you want before that. I say since it is missing a "4-cable method" and is semi locking you into forced cab sim that it is not very user friendly. In terms of it having an effects loop for itself, and cab sim afterwards, it is notable; however that order locks you into this pedal or would put all your wet effects and cab sim (if you didn't turn it off) at the begiining of the amp input (if you are using an amp...granted)
The IR can be bypassed by holding down the left footswitch, or you could come out of the FX send jack, since it is pre-internal IR. Since this has an FX loop, plus input and output jacks, it would be very easy to incorporate into a 4cm rig. Hope this helps! Mitch
@@What11235 That would be a simplified and naive way of looking at it. Even the US price of Friedman (without shipping cost or import duties) is more expensive than the EU price of Marshall (without shipping cost or import duties). A Marshall ST20H is around 900€ in Europe, that is WITH tax btw. A Friedman Little Sister is around $1500 in the US, that is without tax so it's actually even more expensive when you pay for it. $1700~ for a 20W head is just insane. 900€ is expensive too, but way more reasonable. My point is that the only reason Friedman can charge that much is because Marshall in the US costs too much. If Marshall suddenly changed distributor and the price of them would drop to EU prices, let's say $900 for a ST20H, I think Friedman would be in a lot of trouble.
Hi people i need your guys insight, i have friedman ir x, everything feels so great, i love the sound of both channels, but i got one thing that annoyed me. I run some modulation, reverb, delay pedals into fx loop send return, everytime i switch between channel to channel, there is some noise when i click the switch, sounds like “kkrrt” and it happen only when i strum the string and i switch the channel. But when the guitar is silent everything is fine there is no strange noise. If i bypass the fx loop, everything is fine no noise at all in every condition, I tried many ways to handle it by re route my pedal , change cable, etc,but nothing changed. Does anyone have the some problem with me? And what is the solution?
Hi, thanks for your interest! Yes, you can use the IR-X to practice with headphones using your existing pedalboard. It doesn’t have a power amp built in - so, if you want to power an actual cabinet, you’d need something else to handle that. Seymour Duncan’s PowerStage series is a good example of a power amp that will fit on a pedalboard: www.sweetwater.com/seymour-duncan-powerstage/series Hope this helps - feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
Hello, great question. While you could in theory bypass the preamp by plugging directly into the FX return, there are also dedicated IR pedals without preamps which might be better for your needs. Feel free to give us a call to help you determine what would be best for your needs for one of those, thanks! Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Hello - great question. According to the manual only “CHANNEL, BOOST status (ON or OFF), FX LOOP status (ACTIVE or BYPASS), per CHANNEL IR/CAB simulation (1, 2, 3 or BYPASS) and per CHANNEL PRESENCE and THUMP” are storable via MIDI presets. I am not quite sure why the EQ would not be recallable, but it may be that the EQ circuit is analog only. Thanks! Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Hi, LaMarr! Thanks for your interest. Yes, the power amp simulation is independent of the cabinet IR, so it will work even when using your own IR’s. I hope this helps a bit - feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
Either way. It’s primarily designed to go into your DAW/PA and sound as if you are using an amp, without having to buy an amp and mic it. IR = impulse response. Changing your IR will make your signal sound as if it’s coming from a different cab/mic setup. There are videos dedicated to the topic. It’s hard to wrap your head around at first.
@@Joe-mz6dc I think he's saying the unit wasn't for sale on Friedman's site either. It was up and selling just a few minutes after this video came up on both sites. Probably such a massive surge in traffic they had to call in the IT guys to increase network bandwidth and server juice to handle the traffic.
@@Joe-mz6dc I said that it is "IT IS NOT AT fRIEDMAN." I did not say that it is " not a Friedman," as it appears you are accusing me of saying. It does appear that you MISREAD my reply. I was saying that I went to the Friedman website, and, they did not have it on their products page(s).
I really don't see this thing as useful and more of a novelty. For $300-500, one could get a full-featured modeler, like Atomic Amplifier with SHARC DSP, 12 footsw., and more than 1 trick pony! imo
The difference is this is an actual tube preamp made by one of the best in the industry. All electronic devices eventually plummet in value. People are dumping their Kempers all over the place. Electronics just don't retain their value as long as actual tube amplifiers and preamps.
This is the going market price for these types of pedals. Even a little cheaper when compared to some of the competition (Strymon Irididum, Two Notes Revolt, Walrus ACS1, BluGuitar Amp1, Tonex)
How does Friedman’s IR-X measure up to full-size rigs? Tell us in the comments how you’d incorporate one into your setup, and be sure to swing by Sweetwater for a detailed look at the total scope of tonal possibilities afforded by Friedman’s IR-X Dual Tube Preamp and DI 👉 sweetwater.sjv.io/Friedman_IR-X
The heavens have opens and poured out the piece of gear I have been waiting for all my life 😊
For $500.00 sweetwater will open up the pearly gates and UPS will deliver it to you.
Looks like Dave took his synergy preamp and added in IR loader, I will say it is pretty sweet to see him jumping into the software world with this pedal/amp as well. Friedman never disappoints!
Edit: Well, well. When you open the software what do you see at the bottom right? “Powered by Synergy” haha.
Absolutely LOVE the open working relationship Dave and Synergy have. Bringing tubes to the modern age 🤘🏻
Best demo of this unit I’ve seen. Really let’s you hear how amp like it is. Thanks Mitch!
I got mine from Sweetwater yesterday and its awesome. Used it with a Duncan Powerstage and a Fractal FM3 in the loop into an FRFR
Is it more amp like and open than HX stomp?
@divyagauravpunkrock1205 yes. Especially on channnel 1
I wish they had this in the 90s. Kids are so lucky today.
I wish they had this in the '70s.
@@Joe-mz6dc ok you win
80s
As someone who has had to pay a lot of money to have special replacement footswitches soldered onto a TC electronics unit, lets take a moment to appreciate Dave using non-PCB mounted industry standard switches on this thing.
I like that wooden table-top stand
The pedal sounds great 🎉
I need that in my life for my SansAmp.
Mitch, you make some of the very best-and best-sounding-gear demos in the business. This is a a perfect example of just how great they are.
I bought this today from another retailer that apparently didn't care about release day lol. It really is amazing. Turns my Quilter Aviator into a 21 pound monster. Both channels are very very good. Channel 1 cleans up really well by backing off the guitar volume. Super responsive.
$$$ ??
@@jhonpasquez6145500
@@jhonpasquez6145 I'm not sure what that's for
@@allanb1402 how much u paid for the unit? 🤟
@@jhonpasquez6145 I paid MAP, $499 USD.
I need this. I’m playing live every week now, and need something lightweight
I really want to try this and like it..I'm using an hx stomp or a headrush core. Ditched my tube amps a long time ago. What I'm really hoping for is that this unit isn't just a gimmick and you can actually hear and feel that tube/analog warmth to balance out the inherent digital sound you get with amp modelers.
I'd love to try this unit 4cm with the Helix!!
Well Done Dave 🎉
This unit is amazing! Sweetwater has 3 days left $14 x 36 months of financing or $499 I need this.
I think they're a little early... again
It's not even for sale on their site.
Works now.
This preamp sounds great and Mitch is looking like an old US president (compliment).
so cool ..dave friedman dose it again his amps rock now a sweet pre amp ir to live gigs ..great demo
I’ve been hoping that Friedman would do something like this! Super stoked! Great review! Picking this up!
Very cool! I'm sure these will sell like hotcakes. Im sticking with my SmallBox 50, but I can see how this could be a useful tool for many guitarists.
Yes! Once again Mitch gives the GOOOOOOD sound. Ohhhhh I hope I can afford this at some point to go with my processing units.
As someone who dislikes plugins and rack units, this is a godsend.
Mitch does the best videos!
This is the one. Sounds amazing.
It is a Synergy module on steroids!!! Synergy now needs to update their SYN-1 tabletop preamp decks and incorporate the USB/IR functionality!
Just got mine from Sweetwater and I like it so far can’t decide if the Tonex is just a better application
having the same issue with a helix, placater sounds exactly the same, but been surfing videos and the ir-x is winning me over after seeing and hearing where the differences are. the mids are better on the ir-x with more harmonics, might have to cancel my return request, put that in a few hours after unboxing it.
Mitch, great demo! I think you’re channelin some of your inner Mick Ralphs 😛🙌🏻
Sounds great.
Dave F needs to team up with Matchless guys. A plexi channel and a Matchless 30 channel. Ultimate boutique preamp pedal
Where did you get the wood slanted holder? I like!
It’s a bamboo iPad stand that my wife found for me a few years ago. No idea where it came from…
Thanks for watching,
Mitch
Dear Mitch...About the 128 presets memories in this pedal, does it mean that, ie, for preset #1, i can have the channel 1 to have 50% gain, 55% Volume, Bass, Mid & High all at noon, select the 1st IR (& save it all to preset #1)....then on preset #2, again selecting channel one, i'll have the gain at 70%, Volume at 40%, Bass at one o'clock, Mid at 2 o'clock & High at noon, using the 2nd IR (& save it to preset 2)... then select channel 2 with 60% gain, 50% volume, Bass at 10 o'clock, Mid at 2 o'clock, Hi at 1o'clock (& save it to preset 3). And later, i can recall back all those 3 presets with the above mentioned settings from my loop switcher via MIDI (in this case, its my Boss MS3)?....I am sorry if i am not making this clear but i hope u get what i mean...So, is that possible?
The presets store the configuration and basic settings, but do not store every parameter. So, each preset stores Channel selected, Boost on/off status, IR selection (or bypass) per channel, FX Loop on/off status, and Thump and Presence setting per channel.
Hope this helps, thanks for watching!
Mitch
Bummer that it doesn't have 2 outputs, one with IR and one with IR bypassed...
Right? How can you forget that🤷🏻♂️
@@What11235 I looked into it. In order to do what I'm talking about you need a splitter box. It's in the manual. So it's possible, but you need another piece of gear to make it work.
For sure. Also, having the option to run each channel out independently would create a 2-amp stereo effect. Dave’s solution in another video was to buy 2 of these, ha. Also: Why no bypass switch? Sheesh, I had to reroute my rig completely.
is this really high gain and suitable for modern metal? thank you 🎸🎸
Look up kyle bulls demo. Thats what you want
@@Ottophil 👍
Dave has been teasing this and you spoiled it! Looks and sounds amazing though
Game changer
I would want to take something like this and run it 4-cable method into my amp so that I could break into the amp head after the preamp and have a unit like this as my preamp and still utilize my power tubes and speaker cab. The other issue I see is that you have to use the app to turn off cab sim? Honestly, I would want to be able to do that with a switch. I don't really care for cab sim attached to my preamp since I want to run wet affects in the loop...(or just after whatever preamp I am using). In the end, cab sim (for me) is at the end of the entire thing (coming out of my attenuator). This gives me a speaker cab for a monitor and stage sound while being able to go into the house with cab sim (after the effects). In terms of not using an amp...I can use IR (at the end of my signal) to simulate power tubes and cabinet after the wet effects which I would put after the preamp....obviously overdrive and distortion and whatever fuzz and whah you want before that. I say since it is missing a "4-cable method" and is semi locking you into forced cab sim that it is not very user friendly. In terms of it having an effects loop for itself, and cab sim afterwards, it is notable; however that order locks you into this pedal or would put all your wet effects and cab sim (if you didn't turn it off) at the begiining of the amp input (if you are using an amp...granted)
The IR can be bypassed by holding down the left footswitch, or you could come out of the FX send jack, since it is pre-internal IR. Since this has an FX loop, plus input and output jacks, it would be very easy to incorporate into a 4cm rig.
Hope this helps!
Mitch
Does/will clean up with the guitar volume knob?
tia
nux is on its way to make a clone of this
Can use that with my Marshall monoblock power amp
At almost 700, this is almost the same price as the SV20H (900). I don't understand Friedman pricing at all in Europe compared to Marshall.
$499 through Sweetwater.
@@jeremylewis2171 Did you even read my post? I wrote Europe.
@@What11235 That would be a simplified and naive way of looking at it. Even the US price of Friedman (without shipping cost or import duties) is more expensive than the EU price of Marshall (without shipping cost or import duties). A Marshall ST20H is around 900€ in Europe, that is WITH tax btw. A Friedman Little Sister is around $1500 in the US, that is without tax so it's actually even more expensive when you pay for it. $1700~ for a 20W head is just insane. 900€ is expensive too, but way more reasonable. My point is that the only reason Friedman can charge that much is because Marshall in the US costs too much. If Marshall suddenly changed distributor and the price of them would drop to EU prices, let's say $900 for a ST20H, I think Friedman would be in a lot of trouble.
Hi people i need your guys insight, i have friedman ir x, everything feels so great, i love the sound of both channels, but i got one thing that annoyed me. I run some modulation, reverb, delay pedals into fx loop send return, everytime i switch between channel to channel, there is some noise when i click the switch, sounds like “kkrrt” and it happen only when i strum the string and i switch the channel. But when the guitar is silent everything is fine there is no strange noise. If i bypass the fx loop, everything is fine no noise at all in every condition, I tried many ways to handle it by re route my pedal , change cable, etc,but nothing changed. Does anyone have the some problem with me? And what is the solution?
Recently bought an axe fx 3, is it worth selling my old ax8 in favor of this? Its so appealing as my backup / travel rig (instead of ax8)
so with this could I have just my guitar, pedalboard and headphones? if yes would I need a power amp on the pedalboard too?
Hi, thanks for your interest! Yes, you can use the IR-X to practice with headphones using your existing pedalboard. It doesn’t have a power amp built in - so, if you want to power an actual cabinet, you’d need something else to handle that. Seymour Duncan’s PowerStage series is a good example of a power amp that will fit on a pedalboard:
www.sweetwater.com/seymour-duncan-powerstage/series
Hope this helps - feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again!
Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
Anyone knows the midy functions ?? Is It likes a modeller ?? Can i save each sound with different parameters in each Botton of the midi pedalboard?
Omg!!!!! I want this so bad!
can you actually only use the Ir signal without the preamp ?
Hello, great question. While you could in theory bypass the preamp by plugging directly into the FX return, there are also dedicated IR pedals without preamps which might be better for your needs.
Feel free to give us a call to help you determine what would be best for your needs for one of those, thanks!
Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
Pretty amazing
Ordered 🤘
All these demos seem drive sounds. How about if I want to use it for say a clean sound like Sultans of Swing.
I read that it does not come with a power supply. Is that true?
How does it sound running it in front of a guitar amp?
SWEET
DUDE
@@vincelupone yup
Can you bypass the amp channels if you just want to use it for the IR/cab sim with another pedal?
Go into effects return on the x
Groovy af
Whats the white effects box Mitch is using on the left?
I was using a Wampler Metaverse delay in the IR-X effects loop. Fantastic delay that covers a ton of ground!
Thanks for watching,
Mitch
@@sweetwater awesome, thanks!
Are the positions of the EQ knobs storable via midi presets?
Hello - great question. According to the manual only “CHANNEL, BOOST status (ON or OFF), FX LOOP status (ACTIVE or BYPASS), per CHANNEL IR/CAB simulation (1, 2, 3 or BYPASS) and per CHANNEL PRESENCE and THUMP” are storable via MIDI presets. I am not quite sure why the EQ would not be recallable, but it may be that the EQ circuit is analog only.
Thanks!
Jason Filloramo, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1281, Jason_Filloramo@sweetwater.com
You should add more cowbell. I mean delay.
Mitch, what is the little effects box you used on the left side, it was delay or something?
I was using a Wampler Metaverse delay in the IR-X effects loop. Fantastic delay that covers a ton of ground!
Thanks for watching,
Mitch
Thanks so much@@sweetwater
If you run your own IR’s, will there still be power amp simulation in the unit?
Hi, LaMarr! Thanks for your interest. Yes, the power amp simulation is independent of the cabinet IR, so it will work even when using your own IR’s.
I hope this helps a bit - feel free to contact me directly with any further questions, and thanks again!
Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, (800) 222-4700 ext. 1620, caleb_lowrey@sweetwater.com
Awesome!!!❤❤💯💯
I’m confused, does this connect to your amp cabinet or computer speakers? What is an IR?
Either way. It’s primarily designed to go into your DAW/PA and sound as if you are using an amp, without having to buy an amp and mic it. IR = impulse response. Changing your IR will make your signal sound as if it’s coming from a different cab/mic setup. There are videos dedicated to the topic. It’s hard to wrap your head around at first.
@@gigaha ah I see! Thank you! I’ll check out more videos haha
Nice pedal, but I really want that stand it's on.
(:
Just out of interest, are you left handed?
I play lefty guitars, yes.
(:
Are you aware this unit isn't available on your site?
AND, IT IS NOT AT fRIEDMAN, also...
@sebastionhawk5565 How is it not a Friedman?
@@Joe-mz6dc I think he's saying the unit wasn't for sale on Friedman's site either. It was up and selling just a few minutes after this video came up on both sites. Probably such a massive surge in traffic they had to call in the IT guys to increase network bandwidth and server juice to handle the traffic.
@@Joe-mz6dc I said that it is "IT IS NOT AT fRIEDMAN." I did not say that it is " not a Friedman," as it appears you are accusing me of saying. It does appear that you MISREAD my reply. I was saying that I went to the Friedman website, and, they did not have it on their products page(s).
@@truescotsman4103 yes. that is what I was saying; thanks.
I can no longer stand the high mid spikes, I think I'm growing older
Can this be plugged straight into a cab? What is the ohms and wattage?
This is a preamp so it needs to be plugged into a power amp.
@@wootks thank you
Oh ffs, just take my money already
I really don't see this thing as useful and more of a novelty. For $300-500, one could get a full-featured modeler, like Atomic Amplifier with SHARC DSP, 12 footsw., and more than 1 trick pony! imo
The difference is this is an actual tube preamp made by one of the best in the industry. All electronic devices eventually plummet in value. People are dumping their Kempers all over the place. Electronics just don't retain their value as long as actual tube amplifiers and preamps.
Just hack through Montrose's debut and give it a rest.
Dude, after listening to hundreds of overdrives I've realized they all pretty much sound the same. Just sayin
You don't plan on buying a klon anytime soon? 😆
This isn’t an overdrive, it’s a preamp
Largely true.
It's a great time to be a guitarist. It wasn't always true. Trust me.
$500 bucks...ouch.
Fair price I think. Not a deal. Not a scam.
This is the going market price for these types of pedals. Even a little cheaper when compared to some of the competition (Strymon Irididum, Two Notes Revolt, Walrus ACS1, BluGuitar Amp1, Tonex)
It's a fair price but I do wish it were cheaper. The real question is, what would the resale value be if you want to get rid of it later?
@mr.d.572 Most of Friedman's stuff retains its value nicely.
You can't listen to such nonsense