Research Guitar Rig

---
name: research-guitar-rig
description: Research a guitarist's/band's rig from the web and translate it faithfully to Quad Cortex amp/cab/pedal models with correct settings — including the artist's tone palette as Scenes (clean/crunch/lead/heavy/ambient). Use when a request names an artist, song, or "sound like X" and you need to find the real amps, cabs, pedals, signal chain, knob settings, and per-scene tones, map each to the closest QC catalog model, and dial the parameters. Pairs with build-preset-routing (topology) and optimize-preset-cpu.
---

# Research a guitar rig and translate it to the Quad Cortex

Goal: turn "build me a John Mayer rig" into the **right models, topology, and settings** —
grounded in real sources, not guesses. Do the research FIRST; the catalog resolution and
param dialing follow from it.

## 1. Where to look (ranked)
Search the web; cross-check at least two sources (rigs vary by era/tour — pin the era).
- **Premier Guitar "Rig Rundown"** — the gold standard, an on-camera walkthrough of the
  touring rig. (Their article page may 403 to bots; fall back to the YouTube video's
  description/transcript, or secondary write-ups quoting it.)
- **Dedicated gear guides** — guitargearfinder.com, ground-guitar.com, equipboard.com,
  guitarworld.com / guitar.com features ("X's gear era by era"). Good for the full list.
- **Forums for exact settings** — The Gear Page (TGP), **Neural DSP Unity**
  (unity.neuraldsp.com), **Fractal Audio forum** (forum.fractalaudio.com — search "<artist>
  tone", often lists amp knob values), Kemper Rig Exchange, r/guitar, r/Fractal.
- **The manufacturer's own signature product** — e.g. **Neural DSP Archetype: <artist>**.
  Since it's the same company as the QC, its stock presets are the best statement of the
  intended amp/pedal voicing and settings; mirror them.
- **Video** — YouTube "rig rundown" and "how to sound like X" clips frequently show exact
  knob positions; pause on the amp/pedal shots.

Use `WebSearch` then `WebFetch` the best 1-2 pages with a focused prompt ("list the amps,
how they're run, cabs, and each pedal's chain position and settings"). If a page 403s, try
another source rather than forcing it.

### 1a. Mine the signature (Archetype) plugin — the shortcut
If the artist has a **Neural DSP Archetype** (or any signature amp-sim/plugin), it often
yields the *whole rig from one source* — Neural models the artist's actual amps/pedals and
states how they run. Five places, in order:
1. **Product page** `neuraldsp.com/plugins/archetype-<artist>` — the amps (with voicing
   notes), cabs/mics, every pedal/effect module, the signal chain, and **how the amps run**
   (e.g. Archetype: John Mayer X says outright: *three amps in parallel, "blended exactly as
   John uses them"*).
2. **Manual** `neuraldsp.com/manual/archetype-<artist>` — every module and **every knob**,
   i.e. the exact parameter values to map.
3. **Getting Started / "Tips for using your plugin"** — the common Archetype layout: a stomp
   section of 3-4 series pedals, amps arranged **low→high gain left-to-right**, cab sim with
   movable mics.
4. **Factory + artist presets** — ships with the artist's own presets plus hundreds of
   curated ones; their names + GUI settings are ready-made **tones/scenes** (§6). Seen in
   demo videos or in the plugin itself.
5. **Demo/walkthrough videos & reviews** — show the GUI, presets, and knob positions.

**Decode the branded module names.** Neural gives modules artist-flavored names, so
translate **branded name → real pedal/amp → QC model** (Archetype: JM example):

| Archetype module | real gear | QC model |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth Operator / Headroom Hero / Signature 83 (×3, parallel) | 15" American / high-headroom clean / boutique Dumble-family | US Tweed Basslad / US TWN / **Dumbbell ODS** |
| Justa Boost | Klon-style clean boost | Myth Drive |
| Tealbreaker (TS + BB modes) | Tube Screamer + Bluesbreaker | Green 808 (+ a Bluesbreaker OD) |
| Millipede Delay | analog BBD delay | an analog/BBD delay |
| Gravity Tank | '60s spring reverb + harmonic tremolo | Spring Reverb (+ tremolo) |

One plugin thus gives the amps (and that they're **parallel**), the front pedals, the time
FX, and the settings — then map each module to the QC catalog (§3) and cross-check against
§1 sources for the physical touring rig.

## 2. What to extract — the rig anatomy
- **Amps:** which models, how many, and **how they run** — single, stacked, or **multiple
  amps blended in parallel** (very common for pro rigs; see build-preset-routing).
- **Cabs / speakers:** cab model + speaker type (drives the cab-model choice).
- **Pedalboard:** each pedal, its **chain position**, whether it's **always-on vs
  footswitched**, and **in front of the amp vs in an FX loop**. Note the "core" always-on
  pedals (e.g. a Klon, a comp) — those define the base tone.
- **Signal chain / routing:** series vs parallel; wet/dry; where time-based FX sit.
- **Tone character:** clean / edge-of-breakup / high-gain; bright/dark; compressed; how
  loud the amps run (headroom).

## 3. Map real gear → QC catalog models
- **First check whether the artist's own plugin devices are on the unit.** CorOS 4.1
  put the X-updated Archetype device sets in the QC's own catalog — **John Mayer**
  (Smooth Operator, Signature 83, Headroom Hero, Three-In-One + Halfman OD,
  Justa Boost, Tealbreaker, Dream Delay…), **Petrucci**, **Rabea**, **Misha
  Mansoor**, **Tim Henson** — each with matching cabs, drives, comps and effects.
  When the artist you're researching is one of those five, use their real devices
  instead of substituting, and skip most of §3's guesswork. `find_devices` on the
  artist's name lists them. They still need that plugin's licence: if a block goes
  silent or won't load, that's the licence, not the routing.
- **A device preset may already be the tone.** CorOS 4.1 ships ~2750 factory
  device presets (`list_device_presets("<model>")`); names like "Crunch" or
  "Bass Dark Drive" are dialled-in starting points. `load_device_preset(row, col,
  "<name>")` sets every knob at once — a fast first pass before fine-tuning, and a
  good way to hear what the model's designers intended.
- `find_devices(query=..., category=...)` searches by name **and** by the emulated gear —
  every catalog model's `based_on` cites the real brand (e.g. "Based on Klon® Centaur®").
  Match on that. Categories: `Guitar Amplifier`, `Cabsim Guitar (M)`/`(ST)`, `Guitar
  Overdrive`, `Compressor`, `Delay`, `Reverb`, `Modulation`, etc.
- **Handle gaps** — the QC won't have every amp. Substitute within the same *family*:
  - Two-Rock / Dumble Steel String Singer → **Dumbbell ODS** (Dumble-derived).
  - Fender Bassman/Bandmaster (tweed) → **US Tweed Basslad**; Twin/Deluxe → **US TWN / US DLX**.
  - Klon → **Myth Drive**; TS-808 → **Green 808**; Boss DC-2 → **Chief DC2W**.
  State the substitution and why (don't silently swap). If a signature capture exists on
  the device or Cortex Cloud, prefer it (search the DIRECTORY).
- Mono (M) cabs by default; stereo (ST) only when you need width (2× CPU).

## 4. Understand and apply the settings
- **Amp knobs** — map the artist's described settings to the QC amp's params (in DISPLAY
  units via `set_parameter`). Names/ranges differ per model: gain/drive, bass/mid/treble,
  presence, master/output; some amps expose channel, bright, cut, sag. Read the model's
  params first (`get_current_preset` or `find_devices` returns the param list) so you set
  the right index.
- **Pedal settings** — gain/drive, tone, level (a Klon is usually low-gain/high-output as
  an always-on boost; a comp set for sustain, not squash).
- **Gain staging** — respect how hard the amps run (headroom vs breakup) and don't let a
  parallel sum clip (build-preset-routing §gain-staging).
- Start from the **model defaults**, then move toward the researched settings; forum knob
  values are a *starting point* — trust the target tone.

## 5. Apply, then verify
- Build the topology with `build_preset` / the build-preset-routing skill.
- **Read back** `get_current_preset` and confirm the models resolved and params landed in
  the expected display values; screenshot the grid for the wiring.
- Sanity-check against the source: right number of amps, right chain order, always-on
  pedals present, tone character plausible.

## 6. Scenes — one preset, the artist's tone palette
Most artists don't play one tone — they switch between a handful (clean rhythm, a crunch,
a lead boost, maybe a heavy or ambient sound). On the QC these are **Scenes A–H**: snapshots
*within one preset* that store per-block **parameter values** and **bypass** states, so you
footswitch tones without reloading. Research which tones the artist actually uses (per
song/section) and build one per scene.

**Research angle** — from the same sources (§1), note the *distinct sounds*, not just gear:
rhythm vs lead, where they kick in a boost/OD, when a big ambient wash appears, whether
there's a high-gain part. That list becomes the scene map.

**Common scene archetypes** (what changes between them):
- **Clean** — amp at/below breakup, drives OFF, comp on, modest reverb.
- **Crunch** — push the amp (gain/volume up) or engage a low-gain OD; a touch more level.
- **Lead** — boost/OD ON + a **volume bump** (via amp channel/level or a lane/output volume)
  + often more delay/reverb; this is the classic "solo" scene.
- **Heavy** — high-gain amp/channel, noise gate on and tighter, scooped or focused EQ.
- **Ambient** — large reverb + delay (feedback/mix up), modulation/swells, guitar volume
  role; the amp itself often stays clean.

**How scenes work on the QC** (mechanism — see CLAUDE.md and build-preset-routing):
- A parameter must be **assigned to scenes** first (in the app: right-click → *Assign to
  Scenes*; on the wire: `params{index, scene_mode:true}` with no value), then each scene
  gets its own value. The MCP `set_parameter_scenes` does the assign + per-scene write.
- **Per-scene bypass** (turn a drive/block on for just the lead scene) is the same mechanism
  on the block's **bypass param (index 4)**; `set_block_bypass(..., scenes=[...])`.
- **Per-scene volume** for a lead bump: assign the amp's level or the lane output VOLUME to
  scenes and raise it on the lead scene.
- **Don't stop at bypass toggles — scene the AMP and FX params themselves.** Bypass alone
  gives on/off tones; the artist's palette usually needs the amp to *move* between scenes.
  Typical per-scene param moves (via `set_parameter_scenes(row, col, param_index,
  values[8], device_hash)`), values per scene A..H:
  | param | Clean | Crunch | Lead | why |
  |---|---|---|---|---|
  | amp GAIN/VOLUME | 3 | 4.5 | 5–6 | breakup ladder from one amp |
  | amp MASTER / lane VOLUME | ref | ref | +1–2 dB | the solo cuts through |
  | amp TREBLE/PRESENCE | ref | ref | −0.5–1 | tame fizz as gain rises |
  | delay/reverb MIX | low/0 | low | up (15–25%) | wetter leads (also the delay
  on/off mechanism — see below) |
- **Delay blocks: per-scene BYPASS is a silent no-op** (trails-capable blocks) — scene the
  delay's **MIX** instead (0 = off; nicer too: trails ring out across the switch).
- Name/color scenes for the tones; `switch_scene(0–7)` = A–H. Verify by switching scenes and
  reading back the per-scene values.

Keep the *signal chain identical* across scenes — scenes change **settings/bypass**, not the
grid. If two tones need different blocks (e.g. a whole extra amp), that's fine: include the
block in the preset and bypass it per-scene.

## Caveats
- **Pin the era** — an artist's rig changes across tours; "the" rig doesn't exist.
- **"Based on" ≠ identical** — emulations voice differently; adjust by ear/target.
- **Cite sources** back to the user (which rig/era you modeled) so they can correct you —
  and confirm ambiguous substitutions rather than guessing (e.g. "QC has no Two-Rock amp —
  use the Dumble model, or a clean Fender?").