Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab Settings Guide
The Strymon Iridium is an amp modeller and IR (Impulse Response) cabinet simulator — three amp types (Round, based on Fender blackface; Chime, based on Vox; Punch, based on Marshall) combined with impulse response cabinet loading. It is designed for direct-to-PA and direct-to-interface recording use without a real speaker cabinet. The Iridium is widely used for silent stage recording (headphones or in-ear monitoring) and high-quality home recording. Stereo output.
The best Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab settings start with: Gain at 5/10, Bass at 5/10, Mid at 6/10, Treble at 6/10, Reverb at 3/10, Output at 6/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Blues (Round/Fender): Gain 4/10, Bass 5/10, Mid 6/10, Treble 7/10, Presence 6/10, Reverb 4/10, Output 6/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Gain | 5/10 | None → Full |
| Bass | 5/10 | Thin → Thick |
| Mid | 6/10 | Scooped → Forward |
| Treble | 6/10 | Dark → Bright |
| Reverb | 3/10 | None → Full |
| Output | 6/10 | Off → Loud |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Round (Fender) model at moderate Gain — the Iridium's Fender emulation is accurate and warm. At Gain 4 it breaks up naturally, appropriate for blues. Treble at 7 adds the blackface sparkle. The built-in IR loading means the "cabinet" is part of the sound — choose a Fender 1x12 or 2x10 IR for the most authentic blackface character.
Chime (Vox) model at moderate Gain — the Iridium's Vox emulation captures the EL84 chime and compression. Treble at 7 emphasises the Vox brightness. Bass reduced to prevent bottom-end boom through direct output. Gain at 6 pushes the Vox preamp into its natural breakup.
Punch (Marshall) model at higher Gain — the Iridium's Marshall emulation has the mid-forward character of a Plexi. Mid at 7 emphasises the Marshall mid honk. No reverb — Marshall amps traditionally have no built-in reverb. Use a separate reverb in front or after if needed.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The Iridium accepts custom IR files (up to 200ms) via the IR import function from a computer — this allows loading commercial or free IR captures of specific speaker cabinets. The included IRs are high quality, but custom IR loading significantly expands the tonal range.
- For live use direct to PA, the Iridium's output should connect to a DI box or directly to an XLR input on the mixing desk. The output level is adjustable — set it so the Iridium's output matches the PA's expected input level (typically around -10dBu to +4dBu depending on the venue's gear).
- The Iridium works with overdrive and fuzz pedals in front — it responds to pedals as a real amp does, since the Gain control models the real amp's preamp stage rather than simply adding digital gain. Stack a Tube Screamer in front of the Round model for a blues lead boost as you would with a real Fender Twin.
FAQ
Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Strymon Iridium Amp & IR Cab: Gain at 5/10, Bass at 5/10, Mid at 6/10, Treble at 6/10, Reverb at 3/10, Output at 6/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Blues (Round/Fender): Gain 4/10, Bass 5/10, Mid 6/10, Treble 7/10, Presence 6/10, Reverb 4/10, Output 6/10. Round (Fender) model at moderate Gain — the Iridium's Fender emulation is accurate and warm. At Gain 4 it breaks up naturally, appropriate for blues. Treble at 7 adds the blackface sparkle. The built-in IR loading means the "cabinet" is part of the sound — choose a Fender 1x12 or 2x10 IR for the most authentic blackface character.
For Classic Rock (Chime/Vox): Gain 6/10, Bass 4/10, Mid 6/10, Treble 7/10, Reverb 2/10, Output 6/10. Chime (Vox) model at moderate Gain — the Iridium's Vox emulation captures the EL84 chime and compression. Treble at 7 emphasises the Vox brightness. Bass reduced to prevent bottom-end boom through direct output. Gain at 6 pushes the Vox preamp into its natural breakup.
Gain: Amp preamp gain / distortion (None to Full). Bass: Low-frequency EQ (Thin to Thick). Mid: Mid-frequency EQ (Scooped to Forward). Treble: High-frequency EQ (Dark to Bright). Reverb: Built-in reverb — 5 types per amp model (None to Full). Output: Master output level (Off to Loud)
The Iridium accepts custom IR files (up to 200ms) via the IR import function from a computer — this allows loading commercial or free IR captures of specific speaker cabinets. The included IRs are high quality, but custom IR loading significantly expands the tonal range. For live use direct to PA, the Iridium's output should connect to a DI box or directly to an XLR input on the mixing desk. The output level is adjustable — set it so the Iridium's output matches the PA's expected input level (typically around -10dBu to +4dBu depending on the venue's gear). The Iridium works with overdrive and fuzz pedals in front — it responds to pedals as a real amp does, since the Gain control models the real amp's preamp stage rather than simply adding digital gain. Stack a Tube Screamer in front of the Round model for a blues lead boost as you would with a real Fender Twin.
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