How A Pro Engineer Uses Softube's Murder One & Celestion Speaker Shaper

Taylor Crouse

— 3 min read
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Engineer using Softube Murder One and Celestion Speaker Shaper

This video dives into the world of amp and cabinet simulation with a focus on two new plugins from Softube: Murder One, an emulation of Lemmy Kilmister's iconic Marshall rig, and the Celestion Speaker Shaper. We've got Monte Pittman, guitarist for Ministry and Madonna, joining us to put these tools through their paces, showing how a working pro approaches these new sounds.

Key Takeaways

  • Softube's Murder One plugin accurately models Lemmy Kilmister's specific Marshall amp and cabinets.
  • The Celestion Speaker Shaper plugin allows for deep customization of speaker cabinets, offering a wide range of tonal possibilities.
  • Both plugins can be used effectively for both bass and guitar.
  • The plugins offer dynamic response, reacting realistically to playing intensity.

Exploring Softube's Murder One

Monte Pittman kicks things off by introducing the Softube Murder One plugin. This isn't just any amp sim; it's a direct model of the exact Marshall rig Lemmy from Motörhead used. The plugin comes with the amp head, cabinets, and controls that are pretty straightforward. You've got your standard presence, bass, middle, treble, and two volume controls, plus input selection. What's really cool is the additional panel where you can swap out microphones. It offers a Shure SM57, Sennheiser MD 421, and a Beyerdynamic M 160, allowing you to mix and match them on two different cabinets: the Marshall 1960 and the Marshall 1970s 4x15, which Lemmy actually used. You can pan, invert phase, and even bypass mics or cabinets. There's also a simple EQ with high gain, mid gain (with frequency selection), and low gain, plus a master output. For plugin users, there are extra panels for input and output, and importantly, a high-pass filter and a headroom control. This headroom knob is super useful for managing signal levels and saturation on the fly.

Monte starts by playing through a factory default preset. The response is immediately noticeable – it cleans up when played softly and gets aggressive when dug into, just like a real amp. We then experiment by bypassing one of the cabinets and switching microphones while Monte plays, showcasing the tonal shifts possible.

Murder One on Guitar

While Murder One is modeled after Lemmy's bass rig, it's also a fantastic tool for guitarists. Monte jumps on his ESP Eclipse guitar, loaded with Seymour Duncan pickups and D'Addario strings, to demonstrate. The plugin handles the guitar signal with impressive clarity and sustain. Even with distortion, the notes remain articulate, and there's a dynamic quality that makes it feel like you're playing through a real amp. It can sound clean one moment and distorted the next, showing its versatility.

Introducing the Celestion Speaker Shaper

Softube didn't stop there. They also released the Celestion Speaker Shaper, a dedicated plugin that works within Amp Room, Softube's complete guitar suite. This allows you to bypass the Murder One's built-in cabinet simulation and create your own custom cabinets. You can choose from a wide array of Celestion speakers, including Vintage 30s, G12T-75s, G12K-100s, Greenbacks, and more. You can select the number of speakers (one, two, four, six, or eight) and mix and match them. You can even choose whether the speakers sound new or aged, and adjust their size. This opens up a whole new world of cabinet customization.

Monte experiments with different speaker combinations and settings. The aged speakers tend to sound a bit darker, and changing the speaker size also impacts the tone. The results are surprisingly versatile, especially considering the plugin's focus on a specific sound profile.

The Rickenbacker Bass Test

To truly honor Lemmy, we bring out a Rickenbacker 4000 series bass, similar to what he famously played. Monte plugs in, and we run it through the Murder One plugin using the factory preset. The sound is instantly recognizable as Lemmy's signature tone. The articulation is fantastic; you can hear every note clearly, even with distortion. The plugin captures that gritty, powerful bass sound with remarkable accuracy. It has a great spark and feels both clean and distorted simultaneously, a testament to its dynamic response.

Final Thoughts

Both the Softube Murder One and the Celestion Speaker Shaper plugins are impressive tools. Murder One delivers an authentic Lemmy bass tone and works exceptionally well for guitar, offering dynamic and responsive sounds. The Celestion Speaker Shaper provides deep control over cabinet creation, allowing for endless tonal shaping. As Monte notes, the journey of finding the right sound is part of the fun, and these plugins certainly provide the tools to explore.

Monte Pittman is available for guitar lessons via FaceTime or Zoom, and you can find all his links, along with information on the Softube plugins, in the description below. Don't forget to subscribe for more content!

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