impulse response

An impulse response (IR) is a frequency measurement of a mic'd-up guitar cabinet, contained within a .wav file that can be read by an IR loader or convolution reverb¹. In guitar use, it is described as a sonic snapshot measuring the exact sound of a complete amplifier setup². IR convolution technology aims to provide realistic sound while preserving the unique character of the cabinet and microphone used to record the impulse³. IRs appear throughout rigs as dedicated IR loaders and IR-based cabinet simulator pedals⁴⁵⁶, as loadable cabinet simulation in preamp and distortion pedals⁷⁸, and as IR playback or loading in reverb and multi-effects units⁹¹⁰¹¹.