Speaker simulation in Logic

A while ago, I delighted in the fact that my little Epiphone Valve Junior 5 watt practice amp had been modded to include a line feed from the output transformer. As aficionados will know, this means that I can get all the tone that a simple valve amp creates, but because I'm bypassing the speaker I don't need to wake the neighbours.

But of course, the downside is that a guitar amp speaker tends to colour the sound too, which is why guitars still get played through vintage Celestions instead of modern hi-fi speakers.

The plan was to use to use the guitar amp simulator in Logic (Guitar Amp Pro or GAP) to simulate the speaker cab I wanted, but I was disappointed to discover that I couldn't have the speaker simulation without amp simulation too. Which kind of defeated the purpose.

So I posted a little moan on the Logic Studio discussion forum and forgot all about it. The day job and the life domestic has occupied my time since, but this weekend I decided to check up on the discussion thread.

In response, one by the name 'bdevoid' had suggested using Space Designer and a link to a selection of impulse responses for same.

[Cue thunder, lightning, light bulb switching on] Doh! Space Designer is a tool for simulating a space like a bathroom or a cave or the Albert Hall (did I mention that I played in the Albert Hall once?). But the space could just as easily be a speaker cab, or for that matter, an acoustic guitar body.

I promptly downloaded the Beamsonic Impulse Responses he'd linked to and discovered a 'Matchless Chieftain' amongst a whole lot of other goodies.

You can hear the result here: