Reviving Lifeless Guitar Tones? IRDX Core Tested by Metal Audio Engineer
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- Опубликовано: 1 июл 2024
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In-depth comparison testing for Bogren Digital's IRDX Core. IRDX Core is a mixing plugin that's supposed to bring back the life, depth and nonlinearity of recording real cabs back to amp sims and IRs. In this video, I test Bogren Digital's marketing claims via blind tests.
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⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 Start
00:14 Intro Blind Test
00:31 What is Bogren Digital IRDX Core
// BLIND TEST 1 - HIGH GAIN RHYTHM GUITAR //
01:55 Blind Test 1 Setup
02:34 Test 1 Ampbox
03:04 Test 1 Ampbox Answers
03:09 Test 1 Amphub
03:50 Test 1 Amphub Answers
03:53 Test 1 Gojira
04:35 Test 1 Gojira Answers
04:53 My Initial Thoughts on IRDX Core
// BLIND TEST 2 - HIGH GAIN RHYTHM GUITAR //
05:10 IRDX vs Saturn Intro
05:19 IRDX vs Saturn Setup
06:00 Test 2 Ampbox
06:39 Test 2 Ampbox Answers
06:43 Test 2 Amphub
07:13 Test 2 Amphub Answers
07:18 Test 2 Gojira
07:53 Test 2 Gojira Answers
// BLIND TEST 3 - GUITAR SOLO //
08:03 Guitar Solo Test Intro
08:18 Solo Test
08:49 Solo Test Answers
// BLIND TEST 4 - BASS GUITAR //
09:05 Bass Test
09:39 Bass Test Answers
10:08 IRDX Core In a Full Mix
11:35 IRDX Core All Parameters Demo
12:15 Final Thoughts
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Видеоклипы
What are your thoughts on IRDX Core?
Use the code "JAMESZHAN" to get 10% OFF Bogren Digital IRDX Core! bogrendigital.com/products/irdx-core?ref=ahmZJDRtmlkdaH
James, thanks for such an elegant and clear review. The MOST OBVIOUS way to test IRDX Core is to use it with BLUNTSTATIC sources - meaning, not even a guitar to begin with, but a pure mono sustained saw wave or similarly generated tone from a retro computer/console like one of the Plogue chipsynths: hold down a sustained note, then move the IRDX Core knob around. You'll DEFINITELY hear a difference of how it "excites" the higher frequencies and subtle dynamics movement. Let that be your benchmark.
It adds dynamics to a static lifeless tone. Like taking something in suspended animation and animating it. Pretty remarkable design. I'd use it!
In order of preference for me, it was Saturn > IRDX > Amp sim every single time. I didn't expect that at all because I was blown away the first time I tried IRDX when demoing the MLC Subzero plugin, but good to know that Saturn (which I already own) will effectively accomplish the same goal with better results for my taste. I've already started using this in a couple of projects and it works great - thanks for the trick!
IDRX kinda reminds me of an exciter for IRs. It does make a difference that you can hear on stand alone, kinda exciting the high end.
Comparing IRDX to an exciter is pretty accurate I would say!
I’d be curious to hear your opinion on how IRDX compares to the resonance knob in STL Libra, and/or the NonLinear knob in Cabinetron. So far I’m preferring Cabinetron although the NonLin is very subtle. Thanks!!
Was wondering when they'd do a standalone IRDX plug. However, in the MLC 100 they put out I almost never use IRDX. I think it's more like a post-processor kinda sound, like an exciter or saturator plugin that is perhaps tuned for guitar a bit more. So yes it does hype the guitar sound a little, but I'm generally ok with doing my own processing after the fact on a guitars bus. Great video!
Finally. I was waiting for IRDX standalone for a long long tome since the MLC was released…I am not necessarily saying that IRDX will definitely make guitar sounds ‘better’ or ‘realistic’. Yet, IRDX is a pioneering product in terms of its concept: it thrives to capture the non-linearity of real cab and speakers, which is exactly the last piece of puzzle needed. During the years, amp sim algorithms has become almost perfect (at least in my opinion), and IR remains to be the only cab sim method (in fact there were a bunch of analog hardware cab-sim products in early years. However they are way unrealistic compared to IR, since it’s almost impossible to emulated all the tiny peaks & valleys of the frequency response of real cab & speaker). It’s reasonable for IR to be the dominating cab-sim method. Firstly, it is simple in both terms of creating one and putting one into use. It’s just a convolution. Secondly, impulse response is no different than a EQ in frequency domain, while IR can easily reproduce the “tiny peaks and valleys” of real cab & speaker mentioned above, that analog gear cannot reproduce. As these advantages made IR almost perfect cab-sim as well, people forget one thing that IR is essentially linear, while real cab & speakers are absolutely NOT. This means in reality, cabs will have natural gain compression and harmonic distortion and will behave differently under different input level (assuming the same input waveform). Thus, if IRDX can truly reproduce that non-linearity of real cabs, it will potentially open a whole new chapter of future cab-sim product. Without knowing much of IRDX algorithms, now I highly believe that Bogren Digital was using some kind of neural network or other Machine Learning methods, which are the most effective and popular reverse engineering techniques, to achieve IRDX. NN’s are very good at capturing non-linear aspects in real world. Enough bullshits from an engineer perspective, now back to the producer’s view: I said IRDX might be inspiring in terms of technique, but not necessarily ‘better’ for producing. Still, the producer doesn’t really care “how real the plug-in is” but only care “how good it sounds in a mix”. So, I won’t say IRDX can 100% make every guitar track of mine better. Also, there are more technical considerations such as: even though IRDX is claimed to be able to capture the natural compression and saturation of real cabs, I don’t think that at current stage it works well for all types of IR’s, because different cab and speaker combination have their unique behavior of compression and saturation, due to their unique impedance & physical structure, etc. Thus, IRDX may only ‘roughly’ emulate the non-linearity of all cabs, but may not ‘closely’ emulate a specific cab. Still, IRDX is a very impressive product that I am happy to try out.
Very good comparison ! Personally i like IRDX, i hear some little presence that i like. Thank you for this video !
It has filtering, presumably some eq, a noise generator, and saturation with a expander / compressor section depending on the mode you choose. Normal mode operates as a expander, intense mode operates as a compressor. I think the idea is to actually use intense mode on dynamic content, and normal mode on distorted content, being that, normal expands the signal, and intense compresses the signal. Thus allowing you to expand distorted guitar for perceived depth while compressing / focusing clean guitar for clarity. You can re-create this chain relatively easily, but then it raises the question, are you just chasing the tail of the dragon?
the difference is very very subtle
I'm corious to hear in a Pop - Funk track on the guitars. I'm gonna check this one out. this really catch my attention.
Awesome comparison! Saturn 2 is gold on any source material
Thanks! And agreed. Saturn 2 is soooo good
Outside the mix, I tended to prefer the original amp sim and Saturn 2. In the mix, however, the IRDX definitely made a positive difference and I liked it much more!
It's definitely noticeable. The IRDX tracks sound less thick/muddy and have more harmonic content and top end shine it seems. It's a bit subtle, but not subtle enough not to matter. It make a positive change.
There were instances where I liked it on and others off. Bought it just so I have it within reach.
IRDX seems to add a little bit of high end and I might be hearing more transient detail? Pretty subtle but not so subtle that I couldn't hear the difference.
I'm listening with cheap JBL wired earphones, I can hear the difference but it is so minimal that I think it does not giustify the price of this plugin, expecially for rock and metal where the sound is already so saturated. The casual listener uses laptop/smartphone/bluetooth speakers, so these nuances are lost like tears in rain.
I mainly perceive it as an increase in dynamics - the feel while playing live through it is the biggest draw, for me. Turning it off, everything sounds and feels more two-dimensional.
How do I use it on Headrush?to play live
I do own n love a lot of bogren digital products but for IRDX core 39 euro seems too much for me..
Sounds like a black box packing some EQ, compression, and saturation moves. It's probably reproducible with other plugins but at $39, it's worth it as a shortcut to a (in most cases) desirable result.
All your samples are flawless and very high quality, I don't hear any enhanced difference worth noting. As it sounds great on and off.
I know ML Sound Labs did a whole sweep of A/B phase flipping tests, with some very minor transient differences.
IRDX with a static IR doesn't sound anything like what a real speaker creates when they A/B phase flipped it to hear it's Delta signal.
Those people saying it makes it more 3D, I have a whole forrest of Tone Wood(TM) I could sell them.😁
Definitely can hear it, harder to hear in the mix.
You could sum both tracks flipping phase in one of them to actually isolate and listen to what's different in both signals. Everything else will be cancelled and silenced
I actually considered doing that in the video, but I scrapped the idea because I'm not sure what purpose that would serve; like I don't know how hearing only the differences would help people determine if this is a tool that could help with their sound. For me, it doesn't really matter what the differences are; what matter are what the differences add to the original sound and how the differences sound in a mix context.
@@JamesZhan I totally get it. It was more about checking out what the plugin is doing with an analyser, pure curiosity. We'd be able to spot EQ changes and added harmonics. That'd be useful info when trying to emulate what this plugin is doing with something like Fabfilter Saturn. You can even spot if it's doing compression, if some frequencies appear and dissappear over time. This would also discourage the "I can't tell the difference/It's not doing anything" comments.
You need to add your girlfriend/wife (can't remember) at the end of the video for a blind test! That'd be fun! Your last video together was great 😁
I'd like to hear it on cleaner tones. So far all the examples have been with metal tones.
That is a good point.
I guess I deaf .... I sometimes see more depth, but in the mix I don't hear any difference ;'(
Much better with it off! That saves some money!
Saturn 2 on every instance was better, only a little but noticeably.