Free Boston/Rockman IR's (Zip updated Nov 19)

[codamedia]

@roscoe5 has been very gracious is sharing some IR's he has created over the past few days. I figure this might be a good time to jump on that trend and share one that's been asked about a few times on this forum. 

 

I created these IR's from a Rockman X100 in order to capture that Tom Sholtz "Boston" EQ curve that is so hard to duplicate. 

This ZIP contains the four settings found on the X100.... Clean, Clean 2, Edge and Distortion. For best results... apply the clean IR's to a clean tone, and edge or distortion to an overdriven amp tone.   

• In theory these IR's would replace the cabinet model so you should load an amp model without the cab...
• Any amp works fine, but for Boston style tones.... try loading a Plexi style amp
• To hear a comparison, load a 412 Greenback Cab after the amp... then toggle between that cab and the IR. The difference should be obvious. 
• Clean 2 on a Rockman X100 does not include any cab simulation, but it is very enhanced in the high end. This may work good for acoustic instruments, and/or electrics with a direct sound. 

The attached ZIP file has been updated to include a louder (updated) version of CLN2 that has been discussed in this thread. 
(The zip also contains a readme file with suggestions for those that aren't sure how to get started with these)

 

 

Rockman_IRs_Updated.zip

[roscoe5]

Very cool @codamedia

 

I'll give them a try next time I am back at the command center. Never even heard of a Rockman X100, so will definitely be cool to learn a little tech history. See if I can get more than a feeling out of them :)

[themetallikid]

I'm probably out of my league gear knowledge wise and especially Rockman/Boston tone in comparison to this...

 

...But didn Def Leppard use Rockman's as well on the Hysteria album a lot?  Could these IR's help get you in the ball park of those tones?  I know several have asked about those over the years too....In my head they are different EQ curves for sure as you mentioned...however similar/same amp maybe?  Maybe one of these help make amp adjustments for that type of tone....

 

again, just going off of some things i've read and probably crossing them up

[codamedia]

2 hours ago, themetallikid said:

But didn Def Leppard use Rockman's as well on the Hysteria album a lot?  Could these IR's help get you in the ball park of those tones?

 

Yes and no :) 

 

They used the Scholtz 1/2 Rack models which were a little higher quality, and more options. The X100 was the headphone amp... and very good, but not quite the level of the 1/2 rack models. That said... the EQ curves should be quite similar. 

 

 

[HonestOpinion]

17 hours ago, codamedia said:

 

Yes and no :) 

 

They used the Scholtz 1/2 Rack models which were a little higher quality, and more options. The X100 was the headphone amp... and very good, but not quite the level of the 1/2 rack models. That said... the EQ curves should be quite similar. 

 

 

 

Love the sounds that came out of the X100. Thanks for putting the IRs up.  Amazing guitar tones for a headphone amp.  Strangely enough years ago I also recorded some vocal tracks through one. They give vocals this fantastic sort of phased/chorused sound when set properly.

[sweetpete]

Here's a recent review of the X100: 

 

 

[roscoe5]

Ha!  @codamedia.  There were definitely the easy-button to Boston tones!  I even learned a new song, today More Than A Feeling. 

 

A preset with two amps and snapshots with drive pedal, amp, and IR changes gets you through the whole song.  snapshots and IR changes are very handy.

 

I did try the plain Brit Plexi Brt, which was pretty true to the sound.  But i ended up on the German Mahadeva (Bogner Ecstacy).  Drove it with a light Valve Driver distortion in a parallel path to the input of the amp.  Then I got crazy with the Placater Dirty just because I likes da gain.

 

Pretty amazing that guitarists and engineers have been trying to ditch cabs and make analog and digital models for decades. 

 

And watching that video posted by @sweetpete above, Tom Scholz was a Mechanical Engineer from MIT, as am I (not from MIT though)!!!

 

Wow, the Rockman system was SO ahead of its time!  They even had a full range guitar cab and amp!  I bet this stuff was expensive in the day.  Someone (eh hem, Line 6) should model this stuff.

 

 

 

That was fun, thanks again!

[codamedia]

@roscoe5... glad you are enjoying the IR's, and taking yourself down a Tom Scholtz / Rockman lesson while you are at it. 

I was there while it happened... and tend to forget others were not :) 

 

Since you seem to really enjoy the technical side of things.... take a look at this interesting video. It's just a little insight to his mind. 

He was the ultimate tinkerer.... with a degree to qualify it. 

 

 

[themetallikid]

Very cool

[talonmm]

I downloaded the (4) ir's.  Thanks Coda Media.

 

I am a big fan of the Boston sound (having owned a rockman back in the day).  And I love the sounds of Def Leppard (especially on Hysteria). 

 

I am not great at making killer tones on my Helix, I hope someone can upload some tones with the new ir's.  I'd love to get close to the Def Leppard tones heard on Hysteria.

 

On a side note - Original Rockman X100's go for a lot of money these days!  There is demand for them!

 

[brue58ski]

Thank you for doing this. I was wondering if anyone was going to make IR's using the Rockman. I just used a plexi amp and fired it up. Threw the Tri chorus in there. Sounded great without any tweaking. I am still the proud owner of my X100 that I got in the '80's. It was what I mainly practiced with through my stereo at that time. Thank you again. Time to pull out the old Boston backing tracks again.

[HonestOpinion]

On 11/15/2020 at 2:30 PM, sweetpete said:

Here's a recent review of the X100: 

 

 

 

Referring back to my earlier post the manual page he details in his video mentions "Cln2" as the setting for use on vocals.

[delacloche]

Thanks for the downloads. I find that the volume level on Clean 2 is way below Clean 1. Based on the -18db level on the other 3 settings, I have to turn Clean 2 " output to about +3db to get a decent output. Anybody else noticed this?

[codamedia]

On 11/17/2020 at 8:55 AM, delacloche said:

Thanks for the downloads. I find that the volume level on Clean 2 is way below Clean 1. Based on the -18db level on the other 3 settings, I have to turn Clean 2 " output to about +3db to get a decent output. Anybody else noticed this?

 

Yes it is... I should probably add a normalized copy of CLN2 so it is more balanced with the other 3. 

 

Since CLN2's intended use was keyboards, acoustic instruments, even vocals.... it was likely designed to have more headroom (eg: quieter) to allow for those instruments. 

 

 

[delacloche]

Would really appreciate a normalised version of Clean 2 if you can  provide it.  These IRs are something special and my thanks for providing them on this forum.

[Guitarmaniac64]

On 11/14/2020 at 11:10 PM, themetallikid said:

I'm probably out of my league gear knowledge wise and especially Rockman/Boston tone in comparison to this...

 

...But didn Def Leppard use Rockman's as well on the Hysteria album a lot?  Could these IR's help get you in the ball park of those tones?  I know several have asked about those over the years too....In my head they are different EQ curves for sure as you mentioned...however similar/same amp maybe?  Maybe one of these help make amp adjustments for that type of tone....

 

again, just going off of some things i've read and probably crossing them up

Joe Satriani used it aswell in the 80,s i think the solos to Always and some others where tracked with only the rockman. 

[Guitarmaniac64]

Thanks for the IR's gonna try them 

[themetallikid]

Quote

Quote

On 11/16/2020 at 10:52 PM, HonestOpinion said:

 

Referring back to my earlier post the manual page he details in his video mentions "Cln2" as the setting for use on vocals.

 

 

Very Cool....it was like instant Hysteria at the core, could hear where layering would really take effect, especially multi tracking with just changing the echo/chorus off and some panning....man....awesome.

[codamedia]

10 hours ago, delacloche said:

Would really appreciate a normalised version of Clean 2 if you can  provide it.  These IRs are something special and my thanks for providing them on this forum.

 

When I normalized the IR's they ended being exactly the same. CLN2 is still just as quite. Even when I look at the waveform... there is no room to expand. If someone else can take a stab at it and try to make it louder, please do. 

 

Keep in mind... CLN2 has no cabinet.... and is extremely thin. This IR would not sound good with a dirty amp, it wasn't intended to be used like that. All the mids are ripped out, leaving nothing but emphasized top end. It does sound like it should.. which I guess is the important part. 

[codamedia]

8 hours ago, Guitarmaniac64 said:

Joe Satriani used it aswell in the 80,s i think the solos to Always and some others where tracked with only the rockman. 

 

Interesting... I wasn't aware of that. 

 

I recorded a cover of that tune on a 4 track Tascam 244 back in 1988... the link to the MP3 is below.

All the guitar parts (clean and dirty) was the same Rockman I made these IR's from. 

 

Always With You Always With Me

[HonestOpinion]

1 hour ago, codamedia said:

 

Interesting... I wasn't aware of that. 

 

I recorded a cover of that tune on a 4 track Tascam 244 back in 1988... the link to the MP3 is below.

All the guitar parts (clean and dirty) was the same Rockman I made these IR's from. 

 

Always With You Always With Me

 

Heh coincidental, now you are really bringing me back! That exact Tascam model is what we used to record those vocal and guitar tracks through the X100 that I referred to previously. Not to belabor the point but the X100 can really do some interesting Lo-Fi things to a vocal track. Recording equipment has gotten a lot better and cheaper since then but I loved the cut we managed to wrestle out of those early devices. Buried in storage somewhere on a four track cassette tape. Lost in the mists of time long before the age of the internet.

 

Btw, nice playing on "Always With You Always With Me". Rhythm sound a bit like Andy Summers(can anyone match this tone? Grin!) arpeggiation.  

[roscoe5]

6 hours ago, codamedia said:

 

When I normalized the IR's they ended being exactly the same. CLN2 is still just as quite. Even when I look at the waveform... there is no room to expand. If someone else can take a stab at it and try to make it louder, please do. 

 

Keep in mind... CLN2 has no cabinet.... and is extremely thin. This IR would not sound good with a dirty amp, it wasn't intended to be used like that. All the mids are ripped out, leaving nothing but emphasized top end. It does sound like it should.. which I guess is the important part. 

 

I'll take stab at bumping up that CLN2 IR to match the others tomorrow.

[roscoe5]

9 hours ago, codamedia said:

 

When I normalized the IR's they ended being exactly the same. CLN2 is still just as quite. Even when I look at the waveform... there is no room to expand. If someone else can take a stab at it and try to make it louder, please do. 

 

Keep in mind... CLN2 has no cabinet.... and is extremely thin. This IR would not sound good with a dirty amp, it wasn't intended to be used like that. All the mids are ripped out, leaving nothing but emphasized top end. It does sound like it should.. which I guess is the important part. 

 

Well @codamedia I wasn't able to make that IR really any louder.  I amplified it as much as I could, but it barely made a difference.

 

When I look at the waveform, there just doesn't seem to be much there to start with.  I also notice that when I play/loop through it, is very lo-fi with some high end hiss.  Nothing like the other 3.

 

Is it possible there was an issue with the capture, or is it really the way the Rockman X100 CLN2 sounds?

[codamedia]

9 hours ago, roscoe5 said:

Is it possible there was an issue with the capture, or is it really the way the Rockman X100 CLN2 sounds?

 

CLN2 on the Rockman was a direct signal, not an amp/cab like the other 3.

 

The video posted by "sweetpete" earlier shows this tone (with the chorus engaged) beginning around 7:20. 

When he moves to CLN1 at about 10:30 on the video... the sound is much thicker, but his volume is not changing much. CLN2 is much thinner, but not much quieter. 

 

I'll look at my capture files again and see if something went wrong in IR process. Worse case scenario, I'll find the old Rockman and try again. 

 

BTW.... thank you for trying! 

 

[roscoe5]

@codamedia thanks for the video timestamps!  I hear what you describe.  Yeah, i think something may be up with the IR capture or processing on CLN2.

 

Man, it really would be cool if Line 6 would model this thing.   Is it an amp model?  Effects model?  Both and we piece them together in a chain?

 

This Rockman X100 is the 80s-in-a-box!

[codamedia]

2 hours ago, roscoe5 said:

Yeah, i think something may be up with the IR capture or processing on CLN2.

 

Well, well, it appears there was!

 

My original files had a distinct artifact at the end of the CLN2 file (the file used for comparison)... this must have disrupted the IR making processes. 

I just finished rebuilding all of the IR's.... the other 3 ended up the same, but CNL2 certainly increased in volume, and clarity. NOTE: It still isn't as loud as CLN1, but it is much closer. 

 

In my opening post I uploaded a new ZIP file that contains the new version of CLN2... (the original CLN2 is also included for reference with a new name)

[cwelling]

I remember my Rockman really took input boost really well.  It was my main goto rig in the studio on jingles and demos back in the day.   

I had a BC Rich guitar with a 10 or 20db boost switch and it made the Rockman really sing.   Much better tone.  

[codamedia]

15 hours ago, cwelling said:

I remember my Rockman really took input boost really well.  It was my main goto rig in the studio on jingles and demos back in the day.   

I had a BC Rich guitar with a 10 or 20db boost switch and it made the Rockman really sing.   Much better tone.  

 

I agree.... the X100 had the input attenuator on the back... and you could cut or boost accordingly. I used to boost that quite a bit to simulate what you are describing. 

 

The X100 also had built in compression which simulated a "studio compressor" not a "stomp box". When it was pushed hard it really produced a sweet tone/feel! 

[Paulzx]

On 11/15/2020 at 12:41 AM, codamedia said:

 

Yes and no :) 

 

They used the Scholtz 1/2 Rack models which were a little higher quality, and more options. The X100 was the headphone amp... and very good, but not quite the level of the 1/2 rack models. That said... the EQ curves should be quite similar. 

 

 

 

Just to clarify this a little bit.. it was the x100 portable unit they used on Hysteria, the rack mount version was made for them after the album was recorded. Phil literally covered this in a podcast last week from his home where he actually showed the viewers the real x100 he had there with him, the one used on the album. He went on to say they used the chorus + distortion setting instead of the reverb setting.

 

Glad I found this thread because I've been looking for an x100 tone for my helix for ages and it always seemed just a little bit out of reach with the current options. It would be cool to get it added to helix as an effect although I suspect there isn't much demand for it these days

[codamedia]

2 hours ago, Paulzx said:

Just to clarify this a little bit.. it was the x100 portable unit they used on Hysteria, the rack mount version was made for them after the album was recorded. Phil literally covered this in a podcast last week from his home where he actually showed the viewers the real x100 he had there with him, the one used on the album. He went on to say they used the chorus + distortion setting instead of the reverb setting.

 

Interesting... I like it when the actual musicians tell it as it was. 

 

The 1/2 Rack series (rock modules) started to come out in '86 so I naturally assumed that higher quality product would have been what they used on the album. What I didn't consider was that the album took 3 years to record... with tracking starting back in '84.

[Paulzx]

On 1/17/2021 at 12:40 PM, codamedia said:

 

Interesting... I like it when the actual musicians tell it as it was. 

 

The 1/2 Rack series (rock modules) started to come out in '86 so I naturally assumed that higher quality product would have been what they used on the album. What I didn't consider was that the album took 3 years to record... with tracking starting back in '84.

 

Yeah he's still got the original unit they used to record the album. I think the rack one was built for them probably more as a live solution going forward, but I don't get the impression they ever really used it much. The following record, Adrenalize, was also done with the rockman. I never knew that until seeing this podcast, he mentioned it there.

[codamedia]

2 hours ago, Paulzx said:

I think the rack one was built for them probably more as a live solution going forward, but I don't get the impression they ever really used it much.

 

They might have had "something" built for them, but the "rockmodules" began in '86 and were in full swing as a commercial release by '87. I'd have a hard time believing that line of products was created because of them :) 

 

None the less - I do find it interesting that they actually used the X100 on those albums. Thanks for that info. 

[MGW-Alberta]

On 11/16/2020 at 7:24 AM, talonmm said:

I downloaded the (4) ir's.  Thanks Coda Media.

 

I am a big fan of the Boston sound (having owned a rockman back in the day).  And I love the sounds of Def Leppard (especially on Hysteria). 

 

I am not great at making killer tones on my Helix, I hope someone can upload some tones with the new ir's.  I'd love to get close to the Def Leppard tones heard on Hysteria.

 

On a side note - Original Rockman X100's go for a lot of money these days!  There is demand for them!

 

 

Maybe take a look at this one.

 

https://shop.line6.com/marketplace/classic-albums-hysteria.html

[talonmm]

 

On 1/20/2021 at 5:40 PM, MGW-Alberta said:

 

Maybe take a look at this one.

 

https://shop.line6.com/marketplace/classic-albums-hysteria.html

 

Cool, thanks!

 

[Paulzx]

On 1/20/2021 at 10:40 PM, MGW-Alberta said:

 

Maybe take a look at this one.

 

https://shop.line6.com/marketplace/classic-albums-hysteria.html

 

I've not found any rockman related patches or IR's that really worked well, no doubt they sound amazing on some people's setups but not quite right on my gear.

It's a very difficult sound to replicate, didn't Tom Scholz just put a very exaggerated EQ on those rockman's? Maybe if you're a whizz with EQ you can replicate

it on the Helix without a dedicated IR - or just using a standard IR?

[brue58ski]

1 hour ago, Paulzx said:

 

I've not found any rockman related patches or IR's that really worked well, no doubt they sound amazing on some people's setups but not quite right on my gear.

It's a very difficult sound to replicate, didn't Tom Scholz just put a very exaggerated EQ on those rockman's? Maybe if you're a whizz with EQ you can replicate

it on the Helix without a dedicated IR - or just using a standard IR?

 

I think part of it is how the signal is compressed. To me, the IR is just a fancy EQ so I don't think that will get you all the way there. There are many rumors about his setup. One is that part of the sound is a half cocked wah pedal. That would definitely be an exaggerated EQ. Here's a doc with several Boston "how to" comments and the MXR is Tom's actual EQ settings although, this goes right after the guitar so it's only EQ'ing the guitar signal. It is not the EQ for after the amp.

Boston Sound Advice No Pics for uploading.doc

[Paulzx]

On 3/30/2021 at 3:03 PM, brue58ski said:

 

I think part of it is how the signal is compressed. To me, the IR is just a fancy EQ so I don't think that will get you all the way there. There are many rumors about his setup. One is that part of the sound is a half cocked wah pedal. That would definitely be an exaggerated EQ. Here's a doc with several Boston "how to" comments and the MXR is Tom's actual EQ settings although, this goes right after the guitar so it's only EQ'ing the guitar signal. It is not the EQ for after the amp.

Boston Sound Advice No Pics for uploading.doc 33 kB · 4 downloads

 

Excellent find.. I'm now becoming obsessed again with trying to mimic the sound with the Helix! The wah rumour does make some sense because the tone was quite a nasal compressed type of sound wasn't it? Also there's not much bottom end in the tone is there or at least not on the Hysteria album. They seem to have extracted the basic rockman tone but dialled out all of the bottom end, which does give it an almost unreal cut through the mix type of sound.

 

I find this stuff quite interesting. I was watching a rig run through with Angus Young's tech last night and couldn't believe what they do to get his tone, using real Marshall heads, about nine of them! But there are other subtle devices they also use to affect the tone. I think it basically gives him that big sound but running the amps quite low, they just use a lot of them

[brue58ski]

37 minutes ago, Paulzx said:

 

Excellent find.. I'm now becoming obsessed again with trying to mimic the sound with the Helix! The wah rumour does make some sense because the tone was quite a nasal compressed type of sound wasn't it? Also there's not much bottom end in the tone is there or at least not on the Hysteria album. They seem to have extracted the basic rockman tone but dialled out all of the bottom end, which does give it an almost unreal cut through the mix type of sound.

 

I find this stuff quite interesting. I was watching a rig run through with Angus Young's tech last night and couldn't believe what they do to get his tone, using real Marshall heads, about nine of them! But there are other subtle devices they also use to affect the tone. I think it basically gives him that big sound but running the amps quite low, they just use a lot of them

 

I think I saw the same thing. AC/DC is another sound that I haven't ever been able to get quite right on any modeler. Part of the reason I watched that video. The funny part is, I used to not like the AC/DC sound at all. Too raw? I don't know, Whatever I was thinking, it's one of my favorite sounds now. But I just can't quite seem to get it. However for the most part, the Helix is the modeler that I've had the best experience with just using what the artist uses and coming really close. Pink Floyd Breathe? Hiwatt, Univibe, Strat... Holy smokes!! Montrose? Well he used a tweed Fender Bandmaster, a 3×10, apparently a combo. So I try a Les Paul, Bassman and a Big Muff. Boy that's close. Joe Walsh Funk 49? Tele and the Fender Champ. Wow. Apparently he used a blackface Champ which is said to sound a little different. Still really close. So it does work better than any modeler I've used before. Just not always. Another one I can't quite seem to get is the China Grove sound. Oh well. Nothing's perfect.

[Paulzx]

9 hours ago, brue58ski said:

 

I think I saw the same thing. AC/DC is another sound that I haven't ever been able to get quite right on any modeler. Part of the reason I watched that video. The funny part is, I used to not like the AC/DC sound at all. Too raw? I don't know, Whatever I was thinking, it's one of my favorite sounds now. But I just can't quite seem to get it. However for the most part, the Helix is the modeler that I've had the best experience with just using what the artist uses and coming really close. Pink Floyd Breathe? Hiwatt, Univibe, Strat... Holy smokes!! Montrose? Well he used a tweed Fender Bandmaster, a 3×10, apparently a combo. So I try a Les Paul, Bassman and a Big Muff. Boy that's close. Joe Walsh Funk 49? Tele and the Fender Champ. Wow. Apparently he used a blackface Champ which is said to sound a little different. Still really close. So it does work better than any modeler I've used before. Just not always. Another one I can't quite seem to get is the China Grove sound. Oh well. Nothing's perfect.

 

Yeah I know what you mean. Helix does a very good job of getting close to a lot of this stuff. I've got a self created Angus tone that I'm quite pleased with now, I think in a lot of cases that last little bit of difference can just be in the dynamics of the volume. It seems obvious thinking about it that if I'm playing through a modeller at relatively low volume and trying to get close to an album or live tone being played a he'll of a lot louder, I'm probably not getting all of the same dynamics, therefore if its sounding pretty close, I'm probably doing a decent job of it.

 

Funnily enough, I've got a hysteria tone now also that is starting to sound good. I started to realise that part of that rockman tone is actually achieved by cutting some highs on the EQ. I think we all knew it was accentuated on the mids, but cutting the highs and lows does get it in the ball park

[rockmancentral]

Def Leppard used the X100 for the recording of Hysteria, but used a modified Rockman XPR processor for the tour (since it handles all the switching of sounds via MIDI).

 

I always find it interesting when people talk about "THE" Boston tone.... my response is always, "Which one?"

 

Tom used many different tones over the decades.  Each song usually had its own tones, and multiples of different tones were layered up or used for different parts in a song.  For example, on "More Than A Feeling" there are 2 different distorted tones used in the chorus rhythm (and each are double tracked), another one used for the distorted rhythm during the solo, and another less distorted rhythm used for the very last chord of the solo.  The clean electric tone is run through a cocked wah as well for a very low-fi sound.  For the leads, there's a lead tone for the fills, but then the main lead solo lines have a different tone all together (a really nasally cocked wah AFTER the gain stage).  BTW, there are actually 6 tracks played (3 part harmonies double tracked) for the last 4 notes of the lead solo!!

 

And that's just for ONE song.  The other songs on that album use different tones too, as do the songs on all the other albums.

 

The first 2 albums mostly used a Marshall Plexi, and then Third Stage was mostly Rockman IIB, X100 and Model 100 Sustainor.  Walk on was mostly Model 200 Sustainor and the Ultimatum Distortion Generator.  Since then, he's mostly been using a VERY rare "Rev 20" revision of the Model 200 Sustainor for some time now, both live and in the studio.  Like, maybe a dozen or so were modified at the factory?  Yeah, THAT rare!!  I've seen them go for upwards of $5,000 IF you can find one.  They do sound quite different from your run of the mill Sustainor... more gain, more bite, and the auto-clean works very good.  I can do the Rev 20 mod on a Model 200 Sustainor, but it takes me like 17 hours to do it.  Very intensive!!!