We’ve added a new and rather special Backline Heroes collection to our range of Impulse Responses for bassists – a series of stunning bass guitar cabinets from Massachusetts, USA, amp and cab legends Bergantino Audio Systems.
We joined up with Bergantino to capture the sounds of their NXT (Neo X-Treme) range of bass guitar cabinets in stunning digital detail. This collection includes eight sets of cabinets, featuring the exclusive NXT neodymium motor developed in partnership with Celestion, in a range of single and stacked cabinets, with and without tweeters.
This brand-new collection offers access to the sounds of these highly desirable Bergantino bass guitar cabinets for practice at home, recording in the studio, live on stage and anywhere else that you might want to plug into an amazing sounding, super high quality bass guitar cab.
Engineering led by design
Bergantino Audio Systems was founded in 2001 to build top quality audio and bass amplification systems designed by the man with his name above the door; Jim Bergantino. Jim had previously worked in hi-tech electrical engineering, pro-audio design and hi-fi, and had already designed bass rigs for other manufacturers. In Bergantino Audio Systems he created a rarity, a hi-tech manufacturer driven by excellence in engineering standards rather than chasing market share. The result is a range of amplifiers and speakers with a unique design ethos and supreme levels of performance.
The NXT speakers have a sound quite unlike a standard bass speaker, with the fast attack and clarity that neo-magnet speakers are famed for, blended with a warmth and punch more expected from ceramic magnets, producing a speaker with a complex, record-ready sound that adds richness to the bottom end for genres ranging from metal to country to pop and all points in-between.
Backline Heroes Impulse Response collection
Celestion and Bergantino have now teamed-up again to produce this unique set of bass guitar cabinet impulse responses recorded using the following mics:
- Sennheiser MD421
- Neumann U47 FET
- AKG D112
each in six different positions), plus a Neumann TLM 107 room mic. In addition, each tweeter-loaded cabinet has an additional high frequency IR recorded with a Neumann KM84 that can be used on its own or mixed with other IRs for added zing and glass at the top end.
Also included are some pre-set mic mixes:
- D112+KM84
- U47+KM84
- MD421+KM84
- D112+MD421+KM84
- U47+MD421+KM84
- U47+D112+KM84
- All close mics
- All close mics + room stereo
- All close mics + room mono
Plus Celestion’s unique ‘Playing Style’ IRs which have been optimised for a range of different playing methods:
- Finger basic
- Finger warmth detail
- Plectrum (Pick) basic
- Plectrum (Pick) aggressive
- Slap
The Cabinets
The Celestion Bergantino Audio Systems IR collection includes eight cabinet and stack options, each delivered in .WAV format for maximum compatibility with a wide range of leading DAWs, amp modellers and profilers.
NXT112 1×12” cabinet
The precision-tuned enclosures are built with the highest quality lightweight Italian poplar plywood (with Baltic birch baffle boards). The custom-designed 12-inch Neodymium bass driver has a full and punchy low-end and a very sweet midrange. The cab also features the “Reference” compression tweeter mated to a constant directivity horn, producing a very natural and extended high end, and mated to the woofers through a custom designed phase-coherent crossover with a tweeter level control.
ENXT112 1×12” cabinet
For the player who may not need those glassy highs and “air” in their tone, the ENXT112 is a tweeter-less design, but don’t think it can’t produce highs – with the same custom-designed 12-inch Neodymium bass driver as the NXT112, precision-tuned architecture and high quality construction materials, this cabinet can easily give bass players all the frequency range they’ll ever need with a more traditional sound to the high end.
NXT210 2×10” cabinet
Sometimes the tight and quick transient response of a pair of 10” drivers is just what is needed. The NXT210 has an even balance of rich and deep lows, organic and smooth midrange and singing, never strident, highs.
The precision tuned NXT enclosures are built with the highest quality lightweight Italian poplar plywood (with Baltic birch baffle boards) selected to demanding specifications. The twin 10” Neodymium magnet woofers are used for the low frequency section and deliver an honest, punchy low-end blending very naturally into the sweet midrange to produce a detailed and complex bass sound. This cab also features the “Reference” compression tweeter mated to a constant directivity horn, producing a very natural and extended high end, it combine with the woofers using a custom-designed phase-coherent crossover with HF level control.
NXV210 2×10” cabinet
The NXV210 is a for those players who are looking for the tightness and rapid transient response that is the essential characteristic of a precision-tuned 2×10 cabinet, but don’t necessarily require the chiming treble delivered by an integrated tweeter. Of course, you can still expect the same balance and responsiveness as the NXT210, thanks to the high quality Italian Poplar plywood cabinet structure and Baltic birch baffle, together with the custom NXT Neodymium woofers delivering a full and punchy low-end and sweet midrange.
NXT322 1×12” plus 2×10” stack
For devotees of the added complexity and fullness of the bass stack, the NXT322 features the rich and fulsome tones of the ENXT112 1×12 cab combined with the punch of the NXT210 2×10 cab. We’ve also added in the “Reference” compression tweeter for a natural sounding extension to the high end. As always the audio is this enhanced by the precision tuning and high quality tone woods used to build Bergantino’s NXT bass cabinet range.
NXV322 1×12” plus 2×10” stack
All the beautiful rich tone of the Bergantino bass stack but without the addition of the tweeter, for players who don’t need the additional glass and air sounds of the extended HF. What you get is the solid bass tones from the combination of the ENXT112 1×12 cab combined with the NXV210 2×10 cab. The precision tuned enclosures are built with the highest quality lightweight Italian poplar plywood (with Baltic birch baffle boards) selected to demanding specifications. The Neodymium magnet woofers deliver a full and punchy low-end and a sweet and balanced midrange.
NXT212 2×12” cabinet
The NXT212 is a precision-tuned 2×12 enclosure built with the highest quality lightweight Italian poplar plywood (with Baltic birch baffle boards). The tone of the 2×12” speakers is harmonically rich, alive and present while being ultra-supportive with clean, detailed and warm lows. The midrange is where the magic happens and your bass comes to life, with harmonics and overtones that were never audible before! Their presence in a band mix allows your bass tone to sit perfectly while “staying in your lane”. The NXT Neodymium magnet woofers are used for the low frequency section and have a full and punchy low-end with a very sweet midrange. The NXT 212 features the “Reference” compression tweeter mated to a constant directivity horn, producing a very natural and extended high end.
NXV212 2×12” cabinet
A superbly constructed 2×12 cab that packs all the rich tone and presence of the NXT range, the NXV212 is a for those players that don’t require the glassy highs delivered by an integrated tweeter. Of course you can still expect the same balance and responsiveness thanks to the high quality Italian Poplar plywood cabinet structure and Baltic birch baffle with the custom NXT Neodymium woofers delivering a full and punchy low-end and sweet midrange.
Download the new Bergantino range now in .WAV format!