Source Audio True Spring Settings Guide
The Source Audio True Spring is a dedicated spring reverb emulation pedal — modeling three distinct spring reverb tank types (small combo, large studio, and drip) with full control over dwell, tone, and mix. The True Spring is considered the most accurate spring reverb emulation available in pedal form, rivaling the actual spring tanks used in vintage Fender amps.
The best Source Audio True Spring settings start with: Dwell at 5/10, Tone at 5/10, Mix at 4/10, Type at 5/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Blues: Dwell 5/10, Tone 5/10, Mix 5/10, Type 5/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Dwell | 5/10 | Short → Long |
| Tone | 5/10 | Dark → Bright |
| Mix | 4/10 | Dry → Wet |
| Type | 5/10 | Small → Studio |
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
Moderate Dwell, Type at large-combo — the True Spring for blues guitar reproduces the spring reverb character of a Fender Deluxe Reverb or Twin Reverb. Mix 5 keeps the reverb present but not overwhelming. This is the most common blues spring reverb application: audible reverb tail that adds dimension to clean and edge-of-breakup tones.
Moderate Dwell, small tank — country amp spring reverb at practical settings. Small tank type produces the tighter, more present spring character of smaller combo amps. Tone 6 brightens the spring reverb to match the clean Telecaster character. Mix 4 keeps the reverb supporting without dominating.
High Dwell, high Mix — surf guitar spring reverb at full expression. Dwell 8 produces the long, dripping spring reverb characteristic of surf. Mix 7 pushes the reverb to a very wet level. The large studio tank type at this Dwell setting produces the distinctive spring "crash" when the guitar is struck hard.
A larger tank type at moderate Dwell gives a fuller, more present spring character than the subtle blues setting, suited to rock rhythm and lead tones that want an obviously vintage-amp-style reverb.
Short Dwell with low Mix keeps the reverb nearly invisible, adding a sense of space for recording without an obvious wet effect competing with other tracks in a mix.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The drip effect, the characteristic crashing and splashing sound when a spring tank is physically hit, occurs when Dwell is high and the signal suddenly stops — end a hard-picked chord abruptly to hear the characteristic spring drip. This is most pronounced with the large studio tank model at Dwell 7+.
- Tank Type is a genuine tonal choice, not just a size label — the small combo tank sounds tighter and more present, while the large studio tank produces a longer, more diffuse character closer to a dedicated studio reverb unit.
- This pedal is voiced specifically to emulate real spring hardware rather than a generic algorithmic reverb, which means it responds to picking dynamics and can produce the same physical drip and boing artifacts a real tank would.
- For players switching from a real spring-reverb amp, matching Dwell and Mix to the amp own reverb settings by ear, rather than starting from the pedal defaults, gets a faster, more familiar starting point.
- Pairing this pedal with a genuinely clean amp channel preserves the accuracy of the spring emulation — running it into an already-driven amp changes how the reverb tail interacts with the saturated signal in ways a real spring tank behind a clean amp would not replicate.
FAQ
Source Audio True Spring — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Source Audio True Spring: Dwell at 5/10, Tone at 5/10, Mix at 4/10, Type at 5/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Blues: Dwell 5/10, Tone 5/10, Mix 5/10, Type 5/10. Moderate Dwell, Type at large-combo — the True Spring for blues guitar reproduces the spring reverb character of a Fender Deluxe Reverb or Twin Reverb. Mix 5 keeps the reverb present but not overwhelming. This is the most common blues spring reverb application: audible reverb tail that adds dimension to clean and edge-of-breakup tones.
For Country: Dwell 4/10, Tone 6/10, Mix 4/10, Type 3/10. Moderate Dwell, small tank — country amp spring reverb at practical settings. Small tank type produces the tighter, more present spring character of smaller combo amps. Tone 6 brightens the spring reverb to match the clean Telecaster character. Mix 4 keeps the reverb supporting without dominating.
Dwell: Reverb decay length — longer Dwell produces more spring reverb character and drip. (Short to Long). Tone: Frequency character of the spring reverb. (Dark to Bright). Mix: Spring reverb wet/dry blend. (Dry to Wet). Type: Tank model — small combo, large combo, or large studio tank character. (Small to Studio)
The drip effect, the characteristic crashing and splashing sound when a spring tank is physically hit, occurs when Dwell is high and the signal suddenly stops — end a hard-picked chord abruptly to hear the characteristic spring drip. This is most pronounced with the large studio tank model at Dwell 7+. Tank Type is a genuine tonal choice, not just a size label — the small combo tank sounds tighter and more present, while the large studio tank produces a longer, more diffuse character closer to a dedicated studio reverb unit. This pedal is voiced specifically to emulate real spring hardware rather than a generic algorithmic reverb, which means it responds to picking dynamics and can produce the same physical drip and boing artifacts a real tank would. For players switching from a real spring-reverb amp, matching Dwell and Mix to the amp own reverb settings by ear, rather than starting from the pedal defaults, gets a faster, more familiar starting point. Pairing this pedal with a genuinely clean amp channel preserves the accuracy of the spring emulation — running it into an already-driven amp changes how the reverb tail interacts with the saturated signal in ways a real spring tank behind a clean amp would not replicate.
Got the Source Audio True Spring? Build the rest of your rig.
Use the Rig Builder to find matching guitars, pedals and cables for your genre and budget.