A Guitarists Guide to Impulse Responses
Impulse responses recreate the authentic sounds of amp cabinets, natural room tones, and more—and you can play the with NAM.
If you’ve heard the term “Impulse Response” bandied about and didn’t know what it meant, don’t be ashamed. You’re not alone. And you’re probably a guitar player.
For guitarists, an Impulse Response (also known as an IR) has a very simple use: it’s essentially like amp modeling, but for speakers and room tones. Essentially, an IR lets you digitally model what a speaker cabinet, microphone, and recording environment sound like when combined. Not only that, an IR can also capture all of the sonic elements of that environment: the room acoustics, as well as naturally occurring reverb and delay. Then, you can use that IR on your recorded guitar or bass tracks (or any tracks, really) and make the instrument sound like it’s coming from the speaker or the room you modeled.
Maybe the coolest part is that you can get excellent, free IRs that other people have made of their gear. It’s kind of like being able to borrow your friend's Marshall 1960AV cabinet for a session, but you don’t have to lug it around. Or give it back.
Download Impulse Response ➝ Marshall 1960AV
Let’s break down the basics of what IRs are, and how you can use them to create the rig of your dreams.
What Does “Impulse Response” Even Mean?
The term “impulse response” literally refers to the short audio file that you play through your speakers to create an IR. This audio file is designed specially to capture how a system or an environment reacts to sound. For guitarists, this system is typically a speaker cabinet + microphone + room setup.
The Sound of the Space
While impulse responses great for capturing cabinet and speaker sounds, they're also perfect for capturing the sound of real rooms, environments, and even reverb devices. Guitarists can use these IRs to make their tones sound as if they were recorded in pro studios, gritty garages, or even ancient mosques—all with stunning realism. Because impulse responses accurately model how sound reflects in any space or device, they can also recreate the character of reverb pedals, echo chambers, and any acoustic environments. This gives players endless ways to add authentic depth, space, and atmosphere to their tone.
Download Impulse Response ➝ Suburb Garage
Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) and IRs
The real fun of using IRs comes when you pair them with NAM profiles of your favorite amplifiers. While an IR models your speaker sounds, a NAM profile models the tone of preamps, amplifiers, and other such sonic inputs. When you combine a great NAM tone with a great IR, that’s when the magic happens.
An amp without a cabinet is like a broken pencil. Pointless.
For example, you can load a Marshall amp NAM profile and pair it with a Vox cabinet IR—or try a boutique amp like a Soldano with a massive bass cab like an Ampeg SVT 8x10. I mean, why not? Having unlimited access to tones gives you creative options that people couldn’t dream of in the past.
Neural Amp Modeler (aka NAM) lets you combine NAM profiles of iconic amps with IRs
Who Are Impulse Responses For?
IRs aren’t just for bedroom guitarists chasing their favorite tones. In fact, there’s been a pretty large underground community in the audio engineering world who were hip to IRs and trading them on forums long before they really caught on with the guitar community. So who really benefits from using IRs, and why?
Guitarists: IRs let players experiment with different cabinets, mic setups, and room tones without needing to own a massive studio full of gear. You can practice silently through headphones, record directly into your DAW, or swap between iconic cabinet sounds with a single click.
The tones are back in town
Bassists: Bass IRs capture the deep, resonant character of bass cabinets, making it possible to get great tone without mix without hauling a massive rig into the studio.
Name a more iconic duo
Audio Engineers & Producers: IRs provide engineers with consistent, recallable cabinet sounds, room tones, and natural reverb and delay. Instead of resetting mic placements between sessions, an engineer can load the exact same IR—streamlining workflows while still achieving authentic, mix-ready tones. Or they have the incredibly cool option of making any audio track sound like it was recorded in a different environment than where it actually was.
Engineers: They sure do love their speakers. (Image credit: Anthony Gordon)
In short, anyone involved in capturing, shaping, or mixing amplified instruments can benefit from IRs. They’re a flexible, portable solution for achieving professional-quality sounds in the studio, on stage, or at home.
Can I Make my Own Impulse Response?
The vast majority of folks using IR’s are just using pre-made impulse responses. Which is great—its the fastest and easiest way to for guitarists to explore the world of impulse responses. But you can absolutely create your own if you have some recording chops. To create a virtual model of your speaker setup, you send a known signal— a short “impulse” into the speaker and record the “response.” Think of it like taking a sonic photograph. Then you take that recording and run it through some IR software (most are free) to create your impulse response file.
That IR can then be loaded into the free Neural Amp Modeler plugin to make any guitar tone sound as though it was played through that exact speaker rig..
Get Impulsive
Impulse responses make life easier for everyone who records music. Guitarists can enjoy their dream rigs like gluttons at a buffet. Bassists can play a session without backbreaking labor or compromising their tone. Producers and engineers can find reliable cabinet sounds and authentic-sounding room tones, leaving them more time to tape their nerdy glasses back together. Paired with Neural Amp Modeler and shared on TONE3000, IRs open up limitless possibilities in the studio.
