Why I Love my Torpedo Capture X
Many of us are gear heads. We chase guitars, amplifiers and effects and get great enjoyment in the so doing. At some point, cost and space catch us all, and one of the first places that space catches us all is in the area of speaker cabinets. Don’t get me wrong, I get great joy out of different sized and differently configured speaker cabinets, and I even think that I can hear the difference between different speakers.
Like many of us, I haven’t the space or wherewithal for dozens of speaker cabinets, so in light of a desire for my options in home recording, as well as the desire to “audition” multiple cabinets, I entered the somewhat confusing realm of impulse response based cabinet simulations.
In short order, I learned that even impulse response configurations, even of what is ostensibly the same cabinet, are not all the same. This is software of course, based on recorded cabinets and then processed by other software to create these Impulse Response files, referred to as IRs. Moreover, the choice of microphone, the placement of the microphone and the signal level going into the cabinet at time of recording all have impact on the final IR.
I also learned that the longer the duration of the IR itself, the more likely it is to deliver a more cogent sound. Thus a 500ms IR will in all probability sound better than a 125ms IR.
When I started recording, I needed an interface and after doing some purchases, tests and returns, I chose to go with Apollo interfaces from Universal Audio. Inexpensive they are not, but their preamps are excellent and they work well with the DAWs that I use for recording, specifically Apple’s Logic Pro X and more recently UA’s own DAW called LUNA. They also get you access to the enormous library of UA Plugins for your DAW and while none of them are really inexpensive, they are very good indeed and have never let me down.
I would also then need microphones, either to record the guitar sound directly in the case of acoustic guitars (mostly because I really dislike the sound of most piezo systems) or to mike up a cabinet that I already own. Over the decades, I have accumulated a decent set of amplifiers and cabinets to choose from. The expense of getting a set of good microphones is not for the faint of heart. There are so many to choose from and they do sound different, and then they get more different depending on the preamp you use with them. I have had a lot of fun learning using a single mike on a cabinet or acoustic and trying it with different mic preamp plugins. What I discovered is that the microphone preamps that I like best are fortunately available as UNISON plugins for the Apollo as my likelihood of finding or buying those preamps has a very low probability.
I also know that a lot of the tone in a guitar recording comes from the amplifier output transformer and the speaker cabinet. This means that a preamp direct to a DAW can be very nice, but will be less likely to sound like a “real” amp because there is no power amp output transformer, so while I do have some very nice amplifier plugins, I like the sound coming from an actual amp going to a cabinet best. There is a psychological aspect to sound from a cabinet, but many of us cannot run our amps in their sweet spot into a selection of different cabinets to experiment.
Enter the Two Notes Torpedo Capture X
It took a while to get here, because I wanted to give the proper perspective up front. The Torpedo Capture X does two things. First, instead of plugging the speaker out from your amp into the cabinet, you plug it into the Torpedo Capture X. The device is expecting a speaker level signal, and your amp is expecting the load of a speaker cabinet. The only thing that I wish was different was an impedance selection option. As it is, you need to buy the Torpedo Capture X in the impedance that you will be using, with choices of 8 ohms or 16 ohms. That is, in my opinion, a serious potential gotcha.
I bought the 8 ohm version and so far, I’ve been able to get by. Still, I would prefer the option to choose when connecting. You can then, if you wish connect your speaker cabinet to the Torpedo so you can “play through”.
When you connect the amp speaker output to the Torpedo Capture X, the device incorporates an attenuator. This implementation is far more sophisticated than the old resistance based attenuators that converted signal to heat to bleed off volume. Those things could be unreliable and did damage a lot of amplifier power stages. This is a much more sophisticated device that does not harm your amplifier. You can then run your amp in its sweet spot, which for me is typically much louder than I could play at home for any length of time. The Torpedo Capture X gives you a switch for how much attenuation you want going to the attached speaker cabinet. Very useful indeed, if your old non Master Volume head wants to be into the arena range to get its best tone. I would not suggest a Torpedo Capture X if all you need is attenuation, but the second and more flexible deliverable makes this very useful.
I did not connect a cabinet or the combo speaker to the Torpedo Capture X. Instead I took the XLR outputs and ran them right into the Apollo. This would not be great without the secret weapon, because I would just get the signal that would have gone to speakers, but at line level. The cabinet would be missing! This is the Two Notes value add. They have gone out and compiled hundreds of IRs for different cabinets. You can even purchase IRs for specific speakers, the selection from Celestial is particularly vast. If I were building cabinets and likely to use Celestions, this is a very inexpensive way to audition different speakers.
My success means that I can use the preamp and power stage of any amplifier that I own that has speaker outs that will match the Torpedo Capture X. Would I like to hear what that amp sounds like with a 1x12 with a Creamback (which in the case of my Victory Viscount is what is actually there) but without having to run microphones and deal with the volume needs? Very easy. What about the same amp into a 4x12 closed back? How about into a 2x12 open back? You are starting to get a sense of the power of the Torpedo Capture X. The attenuator is a great thing, but it brings a lot of flexibility into your recording environment without you having to own or rent a stack or herd of cabinets.
There is another use case for gigging musicians. More often than not, we hear the “turn it down” complaint. So instead of carting your full head and cabinets to your gig, you have an option to take your head and Torpedo Capture X and run the outputs right to the PA. Less to carry and the ability to have the sound of different cabinets for different songs. The Torpedo Capture X has a six position rotary switch to select from your first six cabinet sims, but you can control it remotely with the Torpedo Remote app via your Smartphone. The app is very easy to use and also allows for tweaking the sound in real time.
The Torpedo Capture X has an input level control, so you can manage different input levels from your different amplifiers. The internal light glows blue (good) and red (bad). Use the switch to keep things in the blue. There is an output level control for the output signal that also controls the level of the headphone output, if you are using the device at home and you cannot have any music disturbing others. I do not sleep well and often have a set of Focal headphones plugged in and on my head whilst playing at 3am. The same control manages the output level through the XLR DI outputs
Keep that vent clear to allow proper cooling. The Voicing knob is your global tone control. The Space control gives you some management of the stereo field when the device is used in stereo configuration. Getting at some of these functions REQUIRES your use of Torpedo Remote, which is free and runs on PCs, Macs, Tablets and smartphones.
On the back we find the power connection, the adapter is supplied by the way. You will then find the two XLR outs to go to the DAW or PA. Within Torpedo Remote you can control how these outputs work, as dual mono, stereo or wet dry. The red speaker in is the signal from your power amp. Be sure to use a SPEAKER cable to connect your power amp to the Torpedo or bad stuff will happen to your amp, same as with a speaker cabinet. Use another speaker cable (you supply them both) to connect the Torpedo Capture X to your own cabinet. There is also a three position switch for volume to the speaker out, from full to -20dB to -38dB. There is a ⅛” MIDI connection and a micro USB connection to connect to your computer. For mobiles, you invoke Torpedo Remote on the device and turn on the Torpedo Capture X. The Torpedo Remote will see the device and invite you to pair. It’s so simple, folks have been confused about not having to futz with wireless or bluetooth settings.
Torpedo Remote
Torpedo Remote is an extremely powerful interface to the Torpedo Capture X. I also use it the REVV D20 that I wrote about and it’s the same except as the REVV D20 offers an output tube choice, those options appear in Torpedo Remote for that device.
The Torpedo Capture X is independent of any amp so understand that it is not an amplifier simulator. It is here that you can choose your cabinet from the ones that you purchase, or one of the 32 that come with the unit. There are also built in effects including a 5 band EQ or selectable parametric EQ, an Enhancer module designed to do some tone shaping and a pretty decent choice of reverb options. Considering that you get them as part of the solution, the quality of the reverbs is quite impressive.
There is also a very effective noise gate if you have a noisy environment and controls for two microphones including location, axis position and distance options. There are up to eight microphones available as part of IRs and the choice is very flexible. There is also an option to engage a Twin Tracker, which basically doubles your guitar. There are also virtual knobs for the front panel settings of the Torpedo Capture X EXCEPT the input level switch. Once you assemble a configuration that you like, you can save it as a preset in your Torpedo Capture X and use the Preset Manager function to place the ones you want selectable by the device preset selector in the first six slots.
Note that for various reasons, Two Notes IRs don’t have the name of the actual cabinet in the name of the file, however, the Two Notes site does tell you precisely what was used to make the IR. It’s a bit of a nuisance, but it is what it is. Before you download an IR to the device, a mouseover in cabinet manager will tell you what it really is but for reasons unknown, this function does not work, once the cabinet is installed on the device. I put a yellow post it on top of my Capture X to remind me at a glance what is in slots 1-6. I’d much prefer a little LCD panel on the device itself but that’s not there. There is a lot of power in Torpedo Remote. I encourage any user to RTFM (read the fine manual).
Wrapping It Up
The Torpedo Capture X is not an amplifier simulator like a Kemper. It is built to do a different thing and does it beautifully. If you like the idea of being able to record or play your amplifier through a number of different cabinets, this is a terrific choice. There are alternatives out there including the UA OX and the Boss WAZA Amp Expander. They are both excellent but in my opinion, you get maximum value at the lowest price with the Torpedo Captor X. I think that the others have much richer controls in attenuation. It is my opinion that Two Notes kills it when it comes to cabinet simulations.
Trying one out in a shop could be a problem. There is a learning curve and providing all the interfaces for effective testing could be a major challenge for guitar shops. My recommendation is work with your favoured Two Notes dealer and confirm a reasonable return policy for resaleable as new equipment. I doubt that if you have done your research and do proper testing that you will need to return it, however it is good to protect yourself and better dealers will find a way to accommodate you. Mine did, and they never saw the unit again once I had it set up. It’s an awesome unit and I get so much from it. You likely will too.
Thanks for reading and until next time, peace.
