Laney IRT-pulse

A concentrate of Ironheart DNA, designed for the modern studio

Coming from the Ironheart universe, the IRT-PULSE was designed to provide a very current solution to a timeless need: capturing a convincing tube tone without relying on an amp, speaker cabinet, and microphones. The idea is simple: to recover the grain and punch of a high gain preamp, but in the form of a compact unit capable of interfacing directly with a computer, tablet, or smartphone. The result: a hybrid tool, halfway between a tube preamp, USB audio interface, and silent practice solution.

Who is the IRT-PULSE for, and in what contexts does it make a difference?

The IRT-PULSE is aimed at guitarists who want serious tone in the home studio, quick tracking before rehearsal, or in a lightweight live setup (output to PA/mixer, headphone monitoring, or amp return). Its natural playground remains heavy rock and metal (tight rhythms, singing leads), but its settings also allow for expressive crunch and more restrained saturation. It's an excellent choice if you like to record often, layer tracks, compare takes, and keep the option to adjust your gain and EQ afterward via reamping.

Key features: USB, reamping, EQ and gain modes

At the core of the unit is a tube audio path with a paired Gain / Volume control to dial saturation and output level, plus a dedicated headphone volume control. The HOT switch adds an extra gain stage: in "Regular" mode, saturation is more gradual and natural; in "Hot" mode, the preamp pushes harder for Ironheart-style high gain tones. For tone shaping, three switches provide immediate access to useful colors in various situations: BRIGHT to awaken a dark guitar/signal chain, DARK to tame an overly bright amp or system, and EQ to activate a "preshape" curve (more dramatic and ready to play).

For recording, the T-USB 2.0 interface simultaneously sends a processed channel and a dry (unprocessed) channel to your DAW. The IRT-PULSE goes further with a "cable-free" reamping function: once your dry track is recorded, just activate reamp mode to send the USB signal back into the preamp and capture a new take... without reconnecting the guitar. Finally, the built-in (switchable) speaker cabinet emulation allows direct output to a console/PA or headphone recording with a more "amp-like" feel, while keeping the option to disable it if you prefer to process later in your DAW.

The sound

The IRT-PULSE's personality is clearly oriented towards tube high gain: sharp attack, musical compression, generous sustain, and a response that follows the picking hand (and guitar volume) more organically than simple digital saturation. In Regular mode, you can get a more open saturation, ideal for tight crunch and expressive leads; in Hot mode, the grain becomes denser, more biting, with a feeling of reserve under the fingers. The DARK/BRIGHT/EQ options serve as very effective "shortcuts" to adapt the tone to your guitar, pickups, and monitoring system, whether in the studio, on headphones, or plugged into an amp.

Technical specifications

Category	electric preamp	Number of channels	1
Technology	Tubes	EQ	Tone
Format	Pedal	Headphone output	No
Effects loop	No	Color	Black
Pre-amp tubes	2 x 12AX7, 2 x ECC83	Power output	6 W

2 tubes	ECC83 (12AX7)	Footswitch jack	6.35mm TRS (optional compatible footswitch)
Functions	silent practice, direct recording, reamping, fly rig, preamp/boost for pedalboard	Simultaneous DAW output	processed signal + dry signal on separate channels
Potentiometers	Gain, Volume, Headphones Volume	Sample rate	44.1 kHz
Switches	Hot, Bright, Dark, EQ, Emulation	Compatibility	Windows, Mac, iOS, Android
Bypass	buffered HZ routing (buffered bypass)	Dimensions (H x W x D)	85 mm x 95 mm x 120 mm
Instrument input	6.35mm Jack (1 M? impedance)	Weight	0.85 kg
Main output	6.35mm Jack	Required power supply	12V DC
AUX/MP3 input	mini-jack (470 ohms)	Current	750 mA
USB	USB 2.0 (bidirectional audio)	Power consumption	6 W