Strymon Iridium - First Impressions from an HX Stomp User
Vložit
- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- 2022 New IR’s are here! These stand out in the sea of IR’s. Check it out:
www.michaelwwe...
2022 Ir’s: www.michaelwwestbrook.com/presets-and-irs/new-impulse-response-pack-strymon-line-6-etc
I just got the Strymon Iridium - Here are my first impressions on it from a Line 6 HX Stomp user. I talk about a few routing options that I'm looking forward to using (as just an IR loader while using my Two Notes Captor) and how I'll be using it with the HX Stomp. There is a demo and examples of each of the 3 models - Round, Chime, Punch using a variety of different guitars. Look for more videos on the Iridium coming up soon!
Some of you have asked: The unique blue-ish guitar that's been in a few of my recent videos is on loan from Sugar Guitars! Check them out: www.sugarguitars.com
Ways to support the channel:
Buy HX Stomp and Helix Presets: www.michaelwwe...
Buy Kemper Profiles: www.michaelwwe...
GEAR! (amazon affiliate links)
Line 6 HX Stomp: amzn.to/2RpDXUT
Line 6 Helix: amzn.to/2UTwwYg
Radial JDI Direct Box: amzn.to/39WaRmL
My Interface: amzn.to/39RIPZz
Strings:
amzn.to/2uscs4x
Picks:
amzn.to/3aAzYge
Best small Gear Bag (for picks and etc):
amzn.to/36scBlU
Straps: amzn.to/2TQWKdY
Glass Slide: amzn.to/3aFp4py
Brass Slide: amzn.to/36jHKYE
Tuner: amzn.to/2Rowdmw
Small Guitar Stand: amzn.to/3aGBCNj
The best iPad stand I’ve found: amzn.to/2RtZo7X
The absolute best way to secure pedals:
250 Dual Lock: amzn.to/2veUUsW
400/170 Dual Lock: amzn.to/38FgDsB
Headphones: amzn.to/2tDR1gZ
Direct Amp Recording: amzn.to/2tT9mGT
Studio Monitors: amzn.to/3c5qV6S
Vocal Shield: amzn.to/39QHe61
Studio Acoustic Panels: amzn.to/2y4sLpP
Must Have Pedals:
Looper and A/B box: amzn.to/2tPvBxo
Compressor: amzn.to/2veWbjI
Reverb under $150: amzn.to/36piUGR
Delay: amzn.to/3aDZWiV
My Camera: amzn.to/2RrYUPg
Required Reading:
“Listen Up!”: amzn.to/3aI6lty
“Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back)”: amzn.to/2sV3xYU
“Chronicles”: amzn.to/2RT0h8O
“How Music Works”: amzn.to/3c0rkY3
To everyone who thinks iridium is pricey, they need to realize that its 3 amps and 9 cabs and with the favorite switch its essentially a 2 channel amp. You can tweak a setting on the fly and save it in a matter of seconds. No menu diving, endlessly tweaking. Its plug and play and most importantly the TONE is way better than anything remotely close to its price. Literally all that matters is the tone. So simple to use and great sounding. The stock irs are great or you can use your own. Instead of spending all your time tweaking endless parameters and effects, spend your time actually playing with consistently great tone.
Thinking something is better is subjective.
It all comes down to the user. If the user is tech savy, each of these pedals is a weapon.
If !
In my opinion neither are worth the price. Especially considering that if strymon wanted too. They could make a big box ir and cab sim. This was a half finished product, but being strymon it sounds great still. But it’s still not what it should be. And not hating because I love there stuff. But walrus just basically copy and pasted it with some tweaks. So it’s also not sufficient in my opinion
@@jessieplaysmusic8530 This is a very popular opinion about a lot of Strymon pedals, and I can totally see the point. Their pedals are essentially software plugins running on a small computer. They could include everything in the world on it. But you know - I've been using a bunch of their pedals for a long time. And the more I do, the more I realize - Strymon like nobody else knows when to stop adding features and start refining them until every single one of them is good, useful, polished, fully capable of delivering desired results without any messing around. Also, they often have tons of features hidden under the hood, accessible through button press combinations and such. Stuff you want, but don't need on the fly. So giving a general reply to this - yes, they are pricey. There's no argument around it. But I always feel like every feature it has was given full attention and engineering it deserves. Which for many people is worth the price. And not something I can say about every pedal maker out there.
I just picked this up yesterday after selling my Fender tube amp, and I’m immediately impressed. Lots of headroom as needed, and I found the ac30 tone and Marshall lead tones I could get were absolutely fantastic!
Ahh, that moment when a box appears at your front door. It's when I knew I'd like this video.
It’s the best!
In the world of "all the options all the time"...the Strymon Iridium is a breath of fresh air. It sounds great out of the box. Great video as always, amigo!
Totally! Thanks!
Strymon is my favorite effects company, though pricey. Their efffects are rich and varied. If you cant find it here you won't find it anywhere. And when I had a problem with one of their units ( it was really MY problem) they fixed it right away, no worries. I might add JHS is my second fav, and they have some cool videos.
Everything Strymon makes is incredible. My Big Sky (blows me away) every-time I step on it. (also) Love my Zuma. They are also a great company to-do-business-with. Phenomenal customer service. oNe LovE from NYC
STRYMON are a Fantastic Company , Fantastic Organic Sounding Products as I dare say most that work there have been giging musicians at some point and know what they are hearing and don’t Stop till they Nail it and great customer service I always get quick Email reply’s if I have questions ,and they really value their customers unlike so many companies once they get big 👍🏻⭐️🌞
The bigsky is my all
Time favorite pedal hands down, and I’m a metal player. It made me turn from metal to tons of other kinds of music to incorporate into my songs.
I bought the walrus acs1... Already had the stomp. The walrus is great for just plugging in and playing but now I'm finally digging in my stomp.. And loving it.. I use a valve preamp pedal before the stomp..
The Iridium is a great pedal. I demoed one and it took me under a minute to know I was buying it. I love that its tweakable enough to give a good range of tones, but not so much that you're having to try hard to get a good tone. Add a few pedals into the front of it and you're done (I just used my existing pedal board).
I have a pod go wireless and I think I will do the same. Run the strymon as the amp and ir modeler into the fx loop and use the pod go just for effects 😊
I have the Iridium and the HX Stomp too. With Line 6 adding more blocks for effects/amps I may combine them to save DSP too.
It’s a great combo
People often don't consider the fact that it's pretty much the only ir loader pedal capable of loading 500 ms irs,making it the strongest ir loader you can possibly get,at this price point the whole modeling thing is a bonus,comparing it to a townote cap m which is it's true competitor,you get hell of a deal
Cheers!
townote cap m? that's not even close man :-)
two notes CAB M
Thanks for this review Michael. Your lead-in music was awesome and a great representation of what this device can do. I bought one of these recently as well. I am not a pro, but what I like about it is getting such great tone - like an AC30 with a really good mic, but without high volume levels. Really makes things easy and so nice to lay this in behind my existing pedal chain, just replacing my ac15.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Exactly what I like too... just plugs right into my setup in place of an amp
A Strymon "big box" Iridium like the Big Sky or Timeline with maybe some Trem or Reverbs or maybe even some channel switching options in the models would be a no brainer. That said, the current Iridium was a godsend for me.
I 'm looking for a great sounding, 'hit the ground running' unit that I can plug into a couple channels of my 24 track recorder and do some layers on songs at 3 am. Something that sounds great without using an amplifier. My experience is that too many choices, menus, sliders, back and forth stuff doesn't work for me. I do own a couple of Strymon pedals and like them very much. I think this Iridium is definitely worth a try. I prefer the visual meat and potatoes knobs. Great demo and ideas, thanks
Yeah, I’d say it’s a great fit for what you are looking for. I’ve found it really easy to dial in great tones with
@@MichaelWWestbrook Ok, ok, I'm getting a multi effects box as well then...maybe an HX Effects instead of the Stomp? I don't really want to amps in Stomp?
Great video. You answered most of my questions with the Iridium and the HX Stomp.
Thanks! Glad it was helpful
The iridium is pricey, but the ease of use is great, and it’s capable of way way more than just the three amp models it advertises
I’m really liking the simplicity right now
Seems like a smart pairing for the HXStomp.
Absolutely!
The simplicity of the Iridium is intriguing.
I have to admit, it’s really nice to have a lot fewer parameters
Sometimes less is way better - as much as I like my POD Go, I also find myself tweaking more than playing and recording. I also find I like twiddling actual knobs rather than virtual sliders.
Great work! Concise and to the point impressions and clear examples (and great playing) :) I had a HX Stomp (and sometimes still miss it), but decided to switch to a Iridium-based setup last year. I liked the HX Stomp, but the simplicity of the Iridium makes it the clear choice for me.
Thanks! Yeah, I really like the simplicity so far
@@MichaelWWestbrook I’ve just returned to this video as I was curious about your thoughs on the pros/cons of combining the HX Stomp (only effects) and the Iridium (either in the fx loop or after the HX Stomp). Maybe you could make a video about that at some point if you run out of ideas? :)
I incorporate my HX Stomp into my pedalboard and the effects that I use routinely, compressor, overdrive, EQ, etc. That frees up the HX Stomp for cabs, IR's and less frequently used effects. It also allows me to patch the HX Stomp into my effects switcher to make it easier to use for a live gig by having it programmed into the switcher.
I’ve been doing a similar thing using other effects but I love the delays and modulations on the HX. With some of those and amps/IR’s DSP goes quick! A switcher would be a amazing but I haven’t gone that route yet (I did years ago but haven’t gone back)
@@MichaelWWestbrook I also use the delays and modulation in the HX Stomp. I do have a separate univibe though and a reverb in case I want to put the HX stomp earlier in my signal path but still want reverb at the end.
Can you help me connect the iridium with a hx stomp xl? I want to use my iridium vox amp and the stomp for modulation. How are the cables physically connected?
A Fan for Life Michael. Thanks you .
Thanks!!
hxstomp+iridium is an awesome combo ;)
Oh yeah! Already loving it
I remember circa 2001, a friend of mine brought over his expensive line 6 amp with amp modeling. Boy, we have come a long way since then. That amp sounded like crap. And line 6 had come along away since then as well.
Yeah, things have come so far. I need to revisit the old Red Bean and see how it holds up. I had a POD 2.0 back in the day.
Do you prefer the amp models and cab simulations from the Strymon Iridium or from the HX Stomp? (in terms of sound quality and fidelity to the real thing)
Thanks
Amazing intro track. Bravo
Thanks!
Because...have you ever had a Strymon miss?
Your wallet is lighter...but your spirit is brighter.
Truth
I wish the Iridium had a Fx loop and, even more importantly for me, an Aux in. If that was the case, I would have kept it for sure.
I'm considering buying the Iridium, but the lack of an FX loop is kind of bothersome. I've seen people recommend putting reverb/delay/anything you'd want in an FX loop after the Iridium in your signal path, but is there a disadvantage to this that an actual FX loop would fix?
@@jhubsley the biggest thing is if you plan on using the headphones out on the Iridium. If you do, the delays and reverbs placed after won’t be heard in your headphones. If you plug in an interface then you avoid the problem.
@@allakazoo6267 Thank you, that is definitely something I would have overlooked haha
@@jhubsley yeah, it’s kind of a bummer, for me at least. That and the absence of “Aux In” input to play along with music on the fly. Those were the main downfalls for me and the main reasons I went with the Simplifier instead (after trying the Iridium).
I don't use either of these. I do have a Digitech RP360. The effects are really slick. Most of the amp models are weak. If it's effects you want, the RP360 smokes the HX Stomp by miles. If you want to model this and that and the other thingy, the HXStomp looks better. I just want the effects, like triggered phaser. Or the other killer modulation/delay effects in the order I need them. Still, you can't go wrong with Strymon. I got their Volante, love it, killer gear. I use my RP360 in the loop of the Superego in a side chain to my main chain. Mix it back before the amp. I doubt the HX Stomp could work as well for me.
Sweet! The Volante is on my short list of things to try. Looks so killer. I had the Superego Plus that I loved - I need to get another one soon
@@MichaelWWestbrook - Volante is amazing. Side chaining the loop of the Superego+ is the trick for a nice ambient wash that completely differs from the guitar sound. I'd likely run the Nightsky after the Superego in the side chain. I use the RP360 in there now.
Hi Michael, excellent video and thanks for sharing your usage case for combining hx stomp and iridium. I was wondering if you also considered going to a full Helix or Helix LT instead? (Or maybe even chaining an additional HX effects?) good stuff. I just subscribed.
Thanks! In an ideal situation I’m still using my amps and I prefer analog overdrives and gain pedals so the rest of my pedalboard is more traditional. I don’t see myself going the Helix route. I’ll be doing a video on my full pedalboard coming up soon!
Meanwhile I'm here with two iridium setup 😅.
For most part i agree that hx stomp was indeed a better buy if you can get it second hand........
2 Iridiums! You can go surround sound! 😂 HX is so versatile but I’m liking the simplicity of the Iridium.
@@MichaelWWestbrook but hey i got more reverb pedal....... tbh i should spend more on camera and livestream setup then pedal 😅
Guitarist logic
Pedalboard>camera & livestream setup
Iridium = Instant tone! HX Stomp = Fool all day to find any amp that is good!
Loved this review! That blue guitar looks amazing, what is that model? Thanks!
Thanks! It’s from Sugar. Check this vid out featuring it: czcams.com/video/gkhlr7uoCJo/video.html
@@MichaelWWestbrook Thanks!
Very nice video! (and song demo). Love the tones! I'd like to know which drum library are you using? I'm looking for this type of low tuned snare sound. Thanks!
Thanks! I’m using EZ Drummer
Couldn't find a comment about this, but have you ever noticed that your thumb arches way back when holding the pick? Any backstory to this?
😂 yeah, no back story - my thumb just does that. You’re not the first to mention it. I’ve always heard people call it a hitchhiker’s thumb
Just bought the Iridium for its simplicity. I like the Line 6 stuff, but it’s a big time suck.
I had a Stomp. Enjoyed it, but decided I would rather use my amps when possible and bought a CaptorX. My church has Kempers, but I’m considering picking one of these up when the world comes back around for small stage situations (Eddie’s Attic) or light travel situations (showcases, etc). Curious to see how you feel about it over time.
Yeah, I’m curious how it will hold up. I’ve been playing my tweed a lot lately so I do wish it had something that flavor but it does have some great sounds in it. It’s very dynamic and punchy
Michael W. Westbrook my main amp lately has been a Nolatone Club Master (made in Flowery Branch, btw), and it’s also quite tweedy. An oft overlooked, but paramount tone in the guitar world. Give me tweed over a black panel any day.
@@MichaelWWestbrook it doesn’t really do tweed but cranked mids is supposed to do more frown face or tweed like I think... according to the manual.
@@kentonschroer2347 Yeah, I've seen that, I need to experiment with this more!
Great sounds! Could you spill the beans on how you connect it to your sound interface and especially how you gain stage it? Mine sounds a bit dull and lifeless unless I listen to it through the headphone out. Thanks.
Signal chain is: Radial JDI (DI boxes) in my Seventh Circle N72 preamps (neve clones) into my Focusrite Clarret 8preX interface. In my set up I prefer the direct sound to the headphone out. My guess is that it depends on the set up and what interface you are using.
@@MichaelWWestbrook Yes and this is a point that no one to my knowledge has addressed in a video! They all show how the box's sound but do not show what it is that is capturing the sound signal and sending it through the computer they are recording the video with. Are they using software to capture the sounds or are they using other hardware? I'm truly left in the dark here. Not everyone has a studio in their basement.
No dubt about quality of such modeler as IRIDIUM, HX etc... but I'm afraid that the only serius and pratical solution is connect it to an expensive FRFR cabinet, that you'll need both in small clubs or on stage as monitor
Hi Mike, just wondering if you are gonna review the Walrus Audio Mako Series: ACS1 Amp + Cab Simulator? seems to beat the Iridium in some ways ie: real MIDI in/out ability to rune different amps/IR in stereo. cheers
I’d love to but at this point I have to buy the things I do my videos on. There are pros and cons to that but can’t swing the ACS1 currently. It does interest me for sure! The ability to run two separate amps, one per side, seems awesome!
I'm all for simplicity but the Iridium isn't really simple it's just lacking helpful features while being priced at a premium. Never received my free IRs from one of their partners back when it was released. Sold it and bought the Stomp.
Question? What IR are you using for the Round and Punch channels? Mine sound absolutely nothing like yours and your's sound right.
The stock Cab C for round, can’t remember for the Punch model but either cab A or C. The trick on the Punch model is not running the treble too high and turn the mids up. I’m working on my own IR’s right now that are dialed in for the amps too!
@@MichaelWWestbrook the punch sounds stunning, is there much post production going on or are we hearing a fairly true representation of the pedal?
@@n8dawg85 This solo examples have no EQ/compression - Just direct recorded. The demo is mixed, but I try to use minimal eq/compression to make everything sit nice together. This creates a "real world" scenario because that's how the guitars would be treated normally but the solo examples give you the true representation of what it does without processing.
@@MichaelWWestbrook great to hear! Thanks for the reply. I’m a hx owner currently but as much as i love it, i love the simplicity of a few knobs and the 3 amps + IRs are perfect for me...it solves the option paralysis problem some modellers give you!
sorry for the stupid question: could you do a super minimal setup with iridium and helix stomp going in a frfr?
Yeah, seems like that would cover all the bases
Hello nice interesting video! I would like to ask you this question: I want to do a small midi pedalboard with Iridium and an effect that does the rest. I was thinking of the same hx stomp or plethora x. What do you recommend? Thanks for your reply
First modeling stomp box? I thought strymon was started by ex line6 guys. I think even the flint used modeling.
I know Strymon came out of a company called Damage Control... not sure where they were before that. It’s the their first amp modeling box for sure but I’m sure they are using things they learned from their previous effects
Get a knife dude :) Thanks for sharing your experience! Debating getting one of these ~
El iridium es muy bueno, pero cuando lo usas con audífonos es Muy Ruidoso!
I was thinking along the same lines. I honestly don't feel like I need more than the stomp can do at my skill level, but it just seems like a great idea to have Cab and Amp simulation down the chain from the stomp, and then a nice reverb after that. Just have other things I need to buy first. I think I may not understand what IRs are though. I thought IRs encapsulated amp and cab models, but you say the iridium lets you load IRs, but then you say you can't change the amp models. Are IRs just doing cabinet modeling? Sorry. I'm just trying to get a handle on all the modeling stuff.
Yeah, think of an IR as the cabinet/microphone part of the equation. You have an amp model > IR (a speaker/cab/microphone combination). On the Iridium there are 3 amps but you can change out the IR.
@@MichaelWWestbrook Thanks. I'm glad you mentioned it the way you did before I spent money on something that may not have done amp simulation.
I hope it doesn’t further confuse things, but you can also think of impulse responses as The relationship between audio as it’s generated and how it interacts with the space around it. So yes, while in this case impulse responses is referring to the cabinet/microphone part of the equation you could make an impulse response of your garage and how sound reverberates in that room. Or your living room. I know someone who made an impulse response of their friends garage while a drum kit was set up, so when he instantiated it as A reverb affect and talked it literally sounded like he was in his friends garage, get this, complete with the sympathetic resonance of the drum kit that happened to be set up. So think of if you’ve ever been standing in the room with a drum kit, and you’re talking, and certain pitches resonate with the toms, snare, a little bit in the bass drum maybe, etc. That detail was captured in this IR of his friends garage. It was absolutely, crazy.
Considering the price of the Strymon and its “limits” (and potential lack of new features/updates in the future) I’d be more inclined to get a 2nd HX Stomp. Horses for courses I suppose?
Yeah, absolutely. 2 Stomps gives you ALOT of options!
I did exactly that, it’s great for 3.0 poly stuff
Mmm... To much money... U can buy a helix lt and all the problems resolvs by dsp... Even the two note capture are a great machine... Tha iridium seems to me a wrong way
Two words: Quad Cortex
Would the Stomp XL accomplish the same goals?
How about a little drop while preset cainging? IS it a problem playing live?
Not sure to be honest. I don’t typically change between presets, I’m only turning effects on and off
Using the Iridium as the amp/cab sim and the stomp as the fx, do you think its worth it or I could achieve the same thing by tweaking my stomp?
Depends on how many effects and/or external effects you typically use.
@@MichaelWWestbrook I am now thinking instead of the Iridium, I'll just pair my stomp with an hx effects.
Thanks for that, just wondering.......I bought the Iridium too but I have had a problem with hum, did you come across this at all? in the UK by the way.
The only issues I’ve had are when using USB and having the outputs connected at the same time. I get a grounding buzz
@@MichaelWWestbrook Thanks ... interesting, I have not used it in stereo and was told by strymon to connect the spare stereo out to an amp input.....as I don't have an amp I have not tried that. Anyways cheers for taking the time to reply to me.
Of course, best of luck!
Electric voyage.. Just seen your comment. I've just bought one of these and also have terrible buzzing.. Did you manage to find a fix? I run an instrument cable out of the 2nd output and put it down my sock which reduces the buzz.. Not ideal and very disappointing for a piece of gear which is relatively expensive. Good review Michael.
I'm running into the same problem is you especially with the new pitch blocks. I have used your matchless preset and IR's almost exclusively since you released them and I can't run your dual IR's and the capo block.
So the big question is - Stomp + Iridium or two Stomps? 😬
Yeah, the new pitch blocks use a lot of DSP. I have hardly used them because I don’t have room for them. Right now I’m really digging the simplicity of the Iridium but am missing the number of amp choices!
Buy a Quad Cortex and never run out of DSP again.
@@danielbertola7868 that would never fit on my pedalboard! I wish it were smaller
HX Stomp strymon Morningstar expression pedal tuner cry baby pedalboard. If you bought all these you could have bought two Line 6 helix. And you wouldn't be limited by your DSP on the tiny Stomp. Plus you would have about 50 less chords if you just went and bought the helix. Less cords less chance of failure. I just don't get it everybody gets a Stomp and then buys everything else for more switching and routing capability. Just get the damn Helix already. But I get it pedals are addicted that's for sure.
Yeah, I will always use my real amps when I can. That’s why the HX is such a great solution for me. Some effects on the HX don’t quite compete with the real thing (drives especially) as well for me so I’ll stick with individual pedals
@@MichaelWWestbrook yep I hear that it's all what works for you. The HX stomp is definitely a lot of bang for the buck that's for sure. Cool video keep them coming.
You know what else is cool about the Line 6 Helix products and pedals in general. Is that it brings a bunch of different musicians together discussing techniques and whatnot. Let's just say the metal guys usually don't talk to the country dudes. Or haven't much until the Helix came along, that's one thing I have noticed in the last four or five years. Which is actually a really cool thing and this has benefited my sound bye talking to other musicians from different genres.
I hadn’t thought about that but it’s very true! It’s it’s own little community
Should have bought another stomp XD
Now you can join the Strymon Bum Lover's Club
$100 more and you could have had a 2nd HX Stomp....
Very true but that’s a lot more space and I’d have to figure out powering it with my current set up! 2 Stomps would give you some serious options though
@@MichaelWWestbrook Ah yes, power is indeed a pretty tricky scenario. with the HX. Good point!
Dude. You need to dump the Rhodes. Old tech. Sell it to me!! 😊
Blah blah blah…