Doug Weiand is a young guitarist, composer and touring musician. Drawing heavy influences from metal and rock, as well as jazz, classical music and rock fusion, this gun for hire finds himself taking somewhat of an exotic-style approach to his playing.
Fresh off the back of an amazing performance at NAMM, we caught up with Doug to discuss how he’s beginning to use Celestion Impulse Responses more and how he seems them shaping the musical landscape.
First of all, thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview, Doug!
You are absolutely welcome!
It was really interesting to see what you did at NAMM. It was such a great illustration of how IRs are a go-anywhere technology – what made you decide to do that?
I talked to John Paice at Celestion and we had this idea to record a quick demo video using Celestion IRs. That was actually my first time trying out an impulse response from Celestion. Everything was super quick, it was a last-minute situation and it went really well.
So, was this your first experience with IRs overall?
That was the first time I used a Celestion Impulse Response, but I have previously tried other IRs.
How did you find the Celestion Impulse Responses in comparison to the ones you had already tried?
I think Celestion’s are really great. They have an amazing tone, fast response and feel natural to play. I’ve noticed Celestion IRs are more realistic compared to the previous IRs I tried. Great feel and tone overall.
What did you think of the free Cenzo IR mix which you used to record the video at NAMM?
The Cenzo IR sounded great, plug and play and was ready to go, no post production on the video. I’ve downloaded the whole Celestion IR package, I’m still trying them out and going over them, there’s a lot of options!
I really like the Vintage 30, it’s one of my favorite speaker of all time and I especially like the closed-back 4×12 cabinet IR for this speaker. Out of the ones I have tried out so far, it’s definitely one of my favorite.
In general, the IRs are very convenient and easy to use, especially in a plug-and-play situation if you have to quickly record a song or you want to complement your recordings, Celestion IR will sound great for sure.
So, most of the time at the moment are you using a physical setup, or digital?
I have a Mesa Boogie 4×12 cabinet, loaded with the Vintage 30s; that’s the cabinet that I use for recording and live situations.
Do you use that setup when playing live as well as recording at studio?
Yes, that’s my gear 99% of the time – live and in the studio. I also have a 1×12 Mesa Boogie Cabinet, also loaded with the Vintage 30 speaker, sometimes I swap with the Celestion NEO creamback which I like a lot too. Vintage 30s are in pretty much everything I use!
We also have another 4×12 cabinet at the studio loaded with Celestion Copperbacks. The Copperbacks are high wattage speakers; they’re meant to not breakup and they have a very clear sound.
So, do you see the way that you work changing as a result of trying out the Celestion Impulse Responses, perhaps moving towards a more digital setup as opposed to physical?
I think in the studio, the digital technology is evolving very fast, there are so many plugin options nowadays. If you have a plug-and-play situation and you’re still want to keep the high quality, the Celestion IRs work really well. I would say in the studio, as a complement or if you want to mix a specific speaker tone in your songs, I think they do the job perfectly.
And what about for playing live?
Right now, I don’t have a device to load the IRs and use in combination with my amp when playing live. Once I have a way to load them, I will definitely try the IRs on stage.
Do you see that change making your life easier?
It all depends on the situation and what kind of tone you are looking for, but I’m very curious about trying the IRs when playing live. It may be great for tour situations where you can’t bring your guitar cab.
Awesome! So, tell us a bit more about yourself and the projects you’re currently working on.
I’m based in Los Angeles, I’m from an Italian-Brazilian family and I moved to the US about four years ago. I like it here; it’s very different from both Italy and Brazil, especially when it comes to the music scene. There are a lot of bands and musicians to play with. I’ve been working with a lot of different artists in LA, touring and playing as a session and recording musician. Currently, I’m involved with four different bands; I’ve tried to keep myself as busy as possible, working with different music styles and in so many different situations!
You compose music as well, right?
Yes! Absolutely. Back in Italy, I used to do a lot of original soundtracks for advertising/companies.
Do you have a Facebook page or any social media that you’ll be using to post online?
Yes, I have a Facebook page and Instagram – those are my main two channels to share content online. You can easily find me there.
So, going back to NAMM, do you attend every year?
I’ve been at NAMM for three years now, basically I started to attend one year after I got to LA. It was something completely new to me, it’s always a very interesting experience.
Is there anything else you would like to add about IRs, to encourage other people to give them a try?
I highly recommend people to try IRs in general, but especially Celestion’s. They sound very realistic and are highly versatile – they’re basically high-quality digital representations for the physical speakers. I think people will definitely like if they decide to give them a try.
What do you think would encourage more people to try IRs?
I think if someone is looking for a specific speaker tone and they don’t have access to the physical one, using the IR is a great alternative. That was what got me into trying IRs. It’s good to have the option of a digital representation of the real speaker.
And they’re a lot less expensive than buying the physical speaker, too…
Of course! They’re also very easy to use, you basically just need a software to load the IR and you’re ready to go. It is very convenient and they keep the high quality of the physical speakers which is the most important thing. I would definitely recommend them.
Brilliant. Well, as we’re wrapping up, is there anything else you would like to add?
Thank you very much for inviting me to do this interview! You can find me online at Instagram @dougweiand and on Facebook – Doug Weiand.
In case you want to check out the bands that I’m currently working with, here is the info:
https://www.dianthuslive.com/
Instagram: @disnthuslive
http://thechimpz.com/
Instagram: @thechimpz
Acid Fusion – my solo project instrumental jazz/rock/fusion improvisational band, more info directly on my Instagram account: @dougweiand
TÔR is my most recent project, old school classic heavy metal, to be released this year.
It was a real pleasure speaking to you Doug, thanks very much for your time!
My pleasure! Working closer with Celestion speakers is a fantastic experience for me. The Celestion team has been amazing and very supportive, it’s a real honor being involved with the company.
You can find Doug’s favourites, the Vintage 30 and Copperback IRs here, along with our other ever-expanding range of Impulse Responses.