Our latest DSR has arrived – an undiscovered gem which sounds a little different.
Launched just a few years ago, the Celestion A-Type is a medium powered (50W) ceramic magnet guitar speaker. It delivers all the quality and precision you’d expect from a Celestion, with some distinct differences in tone; including a laid-back mid-range and bigger low end compared to something more classically mid-forward like a Greenback or a Vintage 30.
These attributes are often ascribed to American tone speakers, and we like to think of the A-Type as having Celestion tone with an American accent.
And now, we’ve launched the A-Type Dynamic Speaker Responses, having originally launched the IRs in 2017. So, what tones can you expect from the A-Type? Why did we choose the A-Type for our next release? And what makes the A-Type a great choice whether you’re just starting out with guitar speaker responses or whether you’re already an old hand?
A-Type Tone
The most noticeable thing you’ll hear from the A-Type is a warm, well-rounded, laid-back feel, with a very smooth and even response over most of its frequency range.
For clean tones, the A-Type lends clarity and refinement to low gain playing. But the tone quickly gets crunchy and raw for more energetic, higher gain playing, without ever becoming muddy or lacking in definition.
These qualities, especially the relaxed midrange and a full low-end, lends it something of an American flavour.
To hear the A-Type tone for yourself listen to the sample on the A-Type impulse response product page or check out the videos in the Listening Resources section below.
Why the A-Type?
Why have we chosen the A-Type for the next speaker response release, when it’s so different to other speakers in our range?
Well, partly because it is so different. We’re planning to cover all the “tonal bases” so that our impulse response customers can get as wide a choice as possible, and we feel that the A-Type offers players a distinctively different tone to enjoy as it is, or to experiment and blend with other IRs.
The A-Type tone isn’t something most people expect from a Celestion speaker, and it’s become a bit of an undiscovered gem within our range (although it does have its share of diehard fans as well, of course!). And perhaps, if a guitar player is trying to choose just one Celestion speaker to put in their home cabinet, the pull towards one of our more iconic models is understandable. So, by making the A-Type available as impulse responses and Dynamic Speaker Responses, we are giving more people the opportunity to experience its unique tones.
Adding the A-Type to Your IR or DSR Library
Downloading the Celestion A-Type speaker responses is a great choice whether you already have some of our other speaker responses or if this is your first time.
For those of you who have already taken the plunge and acquired a speaker response or two from our range (whether IR or DSR), the A-Type offers some interesting contrasts to our more traditional Celestion sound. For instance, if you’re recording a multi-guitar track using the same guitar, try applying the A-Type tone to one of them, to help distinguish it within the soundscape.
Alternatively, if you’re into blending your impulse responses, how about blending an A-Type IR and (say) a Creamback IR together to give a whole new tone?
If you’ve yet to try one of our speaker responses, the A-Type could be a great place to start. Because it can deliver both highly articulated tones for clean playing, as well as a very satisfying growl for higher gain playing, the A-Type is versatile enough to be a solid go-to speaker response for everyday guitar practice in a wide range of musical styles.
Listen to some Celestion A-Type samples and buy the IRs here.
Find out more about the physical A-Type here.
Or, for use with our SpeakerMix Pro plugin, you can download the A-Type Speaker DSRs.
About Celestion Dynamic Speaker Responses
The Celestion A-Type Dynamic Speaker Response library, available exclusively for use with our ground-breaking SpeakerMix Pro plugin, enables you to achieve stunningly realistic guitar tones in your DAW with ease.
Dynamic Speaker Responses (DSRs) running in Celestion SpeakerMix Pro react to the dynamics of the signal hitting the speaker to create the most authentic micro-dynamic sound of the real speakers for the next generation in digital tone, with all the life and three-dimensional feel of the real thing.
Listening Resources for the Celestion A-Type Speaker
Celestion A type speaker, demo by Pete Thorn
Pete plays different riffs on different guitars through an A-Type in a 2×12 cabinet.
Celestion A Type Demo
Celestion talks about the A-Type soon after its launch in 2014, and demos it with a 2×12 cabinet and a range of clean and higher gain playing.
Celestion A-Type demonstration
TecksMusic demonstrates the versatility of the A-Type.
Celestion A-Type sound clips
Joe Golden of Earthquaker Devices shows off the A-Type sound.