New modeler from Strymon

I'm definitely the minority here... I purchased one and I'm gonna gig with it this Sunday.

Don't mean to hijack the thread but here's my little thought on the Iridium (one of the greatest jazz bar in NYC!! ;))

TL;DR - I'm quite impressed.

Disclaimer: I'm not a strymon fanboy. (Though I do own an El Capistan. Lol) Just a curious guitar nerd wanting to try different gears as they come out. Who isn't?

Also, I've tried the HX stomp before so I'm kind of giving a "comparison" of the sound. Not the platform. Cuz there is no way this can replace our axe fx rig..... or can it...? Dum dum dum!!!!!

Sound:
I plugged it to my mixer with Yamaha HS7's. I'm quite stunned at how good the sound is. That's what I've been telling my other musician friend. Quite impressed that this thing sounds this good. It sounds less tamed and more raw. Through the recording it may come up as brittle or buzzy but it actually does sound very much like (similar) amps I've tried. I have a vox type amp and it captures the sound, the vibe and the feel of the vox very nicely.

I think all three (HX Stomp, AxeFx ii, Iridium) in the context of a live band sound amazing (I haven't tried the iridium live, yet.) We all know it's us who are audiophiles but not the audience. So I'll report back on this after my service this weekend.

(Also, That's why I'm putting the below category. Not live but for the bedroom players 😂)

Headphone out:
So, I've been an axefx user for quite sometime now and I know how my axefx sounds. AMAZING. But never got the headphone out to have the same sound or feel I get from a PA.

I tried the HX Stomp as well. The sound was very good too. But a bit more tweaking was required than My axe. Couldn't get myself bonded with the headphone outs either..

Now the iridium. The first time I plugged it in. I listened to it out of the headphone jack. Never had a modeller where I actually enjoyed what I heard out of a headphone jack that instantaneously.

Feel:
I know feel is something we all look for. Lot of us attribute "feel" to how good the modeller is. We guitarists long for it cuz it makes us play better. Or at least that's what we like to believe. Haha.
The first thing you notice with Iridium is it has a really nice touch/pick responsiveness to it. You guys should definitely gotta try one. It really does have a nice amp-like responsiveness to it.

Pedal platform:
If you are still pedal users like me Iridium does take pedals really really well. I have few overdrive pedals and a fuzz pedal and wanted to kind of push the iridium with many of them turned on and I'm happy to report it doesn't fart out. 👍👍

Amp-switching:
This is something I'm hoping strymon will fix. There's a bit of a volume drop of the first amp when I switch to another amp. It's not an instantaneous switch. So can't do that during live (say, for your solo section you want to engage a different amp.)

I know this is not a comprehensive review but thought my fractal family might be interested in it.

Have a great day y'all!
 
I bought one and was eager to have a simpler interface to use. It's definitely quicker to find a good sound out of than the rabbit hole the AX8 or Atomic A6 leads you down. For me, it's a good solution for practice and studio tones at night time levels (i.e. kids sleeping) and it's not as mind numbing to operate as either of the other modelers. I want simple and this does that in spades. Is it the kitchen sink end all be all? No, but that's not why I got it. There's the AXIII for that or any of the other modeling units for cats that want those options. It does have a headphone jack which was missing on the AX8.
I don't doubt the FM3 is going to be a great unit but for now, this ticks the box for a small footprint, easy to use amp/IR modeler. Here's a quick video of it through a presonus AR8 mixer into a Turbosound IP2000 straight in.

Iridium PRS mixer sound column.
 
I ordered the iridium to go with my hx stomp. Sold my AX8 in July in anticipation of the FM3. Maybe the iridium will lead me back to more playing guitar and less tweaking...
 
i love my axe fx as all of us, but honestly this kind of small modeler in pedal form and a sturdy multi FX like line 6 M9 or a compact pedal board (I let you choose) makes the job perfectly for playing in small venues and/or at home.
Of course all all-in-one floor modelers are making the job too. It needs some work for preparing the gig, but it works perfectly. and not only fractal.
I am not at all a guy playing live, but I have seen many many concert (jazz, rock) with players and this kind of setup with a nice sound.
It is a question of preparation. If the player know its gear and prepare it well, it makes the job in my opinion (just my opinion)

I also go out pretty often dancing with my wife.
The most common platform I can see for guitarist on dance orchestra are players with Boss GT10 or equivalent . One unit and they can cover about everything. That's a fact. Not the best sound around, but it works perfectly.
I observe some fractal Axe FX (some more with the time), and always less and less real amps.
 
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I've never understood the "rabbit hole" comments. That's only the case if you don't know what you're looking for or how to get it.
 
I bought this. I use it primarily for practice convenience. It sounds good and it is extremely portable. If you dont like the IRs in it, which are decent, you can load your own. It has a head phone jack too so its great for practicing late at night when you dont want to turn on the full stack of gear tied to the Axefx or wake the neighbors. It also has a room function so you get nice sounding rooms to boot. Yes, no effects with it is its downside but I have a H9 so if I ever wanted to use it at jam/practice sessions I just bring the two pedals and I'm good to go.
 
The Iridium is shaking up the modeller market quite a bit.
It is sold out in every major music store in Germany, sells very well in the UK. I bought mine in Austria with a bit of luck.
There are already loads of videos on the www, and people show a lot of interest...
Why? Because it is small, simple to use and all tactile. And seems to sound pretty good.
Still waiting eagerly for the FM3 but I thought like: What if you had a pedal with even less switches than the FM3...? 😉
 
In short, after gigging a few times with it, I'll have to say it passed with flying colors! It feels really nice. Takes pedals decently, as well!
 
Any new thoughts on the Iridium? How is it for recording vs the FX 3 (assuming I already have a pedalboard of drives and delay and only need a few amp sounds)?
 
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