New Music Gear Monday: Two Notes Torpedo Live Digital Amplifier Load Box
A guitar amp load box lowers the volume to, or even eliminates, the speaker cabinet so you can crank up your favorite amp without tearing the walls down with SPL. I go way back when it comes to guitar amp load boxes, even building my own before there was one on the market. I then purchased an Altair (which I still have) and a Scholz, and every other one that came on the market there for a while. They did the job, but there was always something missing from the sound. That was then and now is now, as the latest load boxes are a whole different animal, which brings us to the Two Notes Torpedo Live digital load box, the next generation of the device.
Actually I’m a bit late coming to the party on this one, as the Torpedo Live has been available for a few years. That said, it’s put back what was missing from the old boxes and then some, thanks to digital processing.
I was speaking to an old friend who works at a rather famous company that specializes in amplifier simulators, and he told me the formula for a good sounding amp model. “It’s all in the cabinet simulation,” he stated, and that’s exactly what the Torpedo Live gives you – not only models of 8 of the most widely used speaker cabinets, but 8 on the most used guitar amp mics in multiple positions and distances on the cab. Add in 8 different types of amp simulators and some EQ and you have an amplifier load box like no other.
What’s more, the Torpedo Live can also be further controlled by a very nice software interface via USB, and switched via MIDI. It has both balanced analog and digital outputs (with sample rates up to 96kHz) to connect directly to your DAW.
The Two Notes Torpedo Live goes for $995, and there’s a newer Torpedo Studio that adds more cabinets and effects for $1850.
If you’re a guitar player who loves his amp but needs the output level controlled, or wants to use a cranked amp in a home studio,this is for you. Check out the video below for more info or go to the website page.
