BOSS WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core Reactive Load Box
Advanced Creative Tools for Studio-Grade Tube Amp Tones
The WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core is a professional recording solution for capturing tube amp tones with exceptional quality. BOSS' Tube Logic approach and reactive load design retain your amp’s natural feel and touch response, while premium cab emulation and studio processing make it simple to craft high-impact direct sounds. Creative options include a helpful Mix Assist tool that ensures tracks fit perfectly within every mix, plus a unique Air Feel feature that authentically recreates “amp-in-room” sound with advanced spatial technology. And with the integrated 30-watt reactive drive power amp and your favorite cab, you can enjoy “sweet spot” amp tones at home-friendly levels.
FEATURES
- Professional direct tube amp recording solution driven by the advanced Tube Logic design philosophy
- Selectable reactive load retains your amp’s natural feel and interactive response
- Supports most tube amps rated up to 100 watts*
- Built-in 30-watt reactive drive power amplifier with continuous volume control
- Mix Assist function optimizes the recorded sound to dramatically improve production quality
- Air Feel feature recreates “amp-in-room” sound with natural depth, dimension, and ambience
- Choose from 22 BOSS cabinet emulations and five selectable mic types (two simultaneously)
- 64 user IR slots supporting mono/stereo WAV files up to 500 ms and 32-bit floating point/96 kHz resolution
- Comes preloaded with 10 Celestion® Digital IRs
- Use up to two third-party IRs simultaneously and smooth the sound with onboard time alignment tools
- Premium stereo effects, including compression, parametric/graphic EQ, delay, and reverb
- Ten recallable rig settings for storing favorite setups
- External effect loop with selectable series/parallel operation
- Balanced XLR stereo line outputs for connecting to mixers and recording devices
- USB-C® for audio recording and playback with computers and mobile devices**
- Headphones output for quiet practice with cranked-up amp tones and immersive Air Feel ambience
- Speaker output for connecting an external cabinet (supports 4 ohms and higher)
- MIDI input for advanced control
- Dedicated WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core Editor (macOS/Windows) for editing and IR loading
- Optional Bluetooth® Audio MIDI Dual Adaptor (BT-DUAL) enables wireless audio streaming from music apps and remote editing/IR loading with the mobile version of the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core Editor (iOS/Android)
*Mesa Boogie Dual and Triple Rectifier amplifiers are not supported.
**Compatibility with all third-party devices and software is not guaranteed.
***IR loading via the Android app will be supported in a forhcoming update.
HIGHLIGHTS
Supreme Tube Tones at Any Volume
A tube-based guitar amp sounds and feels its best when the volume is cranked and its power section is really working. Unfortunately, the levels produced are usually unmanageable for anyone without an isolation booth or very forgiving neighbors.
The WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core solves this issue, capturing your amp’s speaker output with a reactive load and selectable options that accurately emulate combo and stack-style speaker behaviors. The sound goes directly to the internal 30-watt reactive drive power amp, ready to connect to an external cab for low-volume practice. The same signal is also sent through the unit’s speaker cab emulations and effects processing, giving you a polished feed for direct recording applications.
Premium Speaker Sounds
The companion editor software provides a studio playground for shaping the raw amp sound within the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core. Choose from 22 BOSS cabinet emulations and five classic mic types (two available simultaneously) and dial in the ideal blend with position, distance, and level controls. Alternatively, it’s possible to use up to two speaker cab IRs at once, either from the included Celestion Digital IRs or selections from your personal IR library. With the time alignment function, you can precisely line up IR combinations for the smoothest tone.
Professional Recording Tools
The WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core contains powerful tools to help you achieve world-class recorded tones—with no engineering experience required. Developed with top guitarists and studio engineers, the Mix Assist function lets you apply one of three sound contour curves with variable transient control. This makes it easy to record parts that blend perfectly within mixes, drastically improving your production quality. There’s also an immersive Air Feel feature that uses BOSS spatial technology to recreate the inspiring “amp-in-room” tone that guitarists love. The two Air Feel studio variations deliver realistic richness, depth, and dimension, providing more natural results than the room mics typically used to add space to guitar recordings.
Effects and Rigs
Effect processing plays a vital role in crafting great studio guitar tones. The WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core features a series/parallel loop for inserting your preferred mod and ambience effects, positioned after the amp’s distortion for the clearest sound. There’s also an array of high-quality internal processing, allowing you to apply compression, EQ, delay, and reverb within the unit. You can organize custom setups within the editor—including cab choices and effects—and assign 10 favorites for instant access with the Rig knob on the front panel.
Versatile Connections
The WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core enables you to use your custom rigs in many ways at once. Record directly to music production software over USB or patch into a mixer or audio interface with the stereo XLR jacks. Hook up an external speaker cabinet (4/8/16 ohms) for daily practice. Or monitor through headphones via the front input, complete with Air Feel for an inspiring spatial experience.
Expansion Options
Using the WAZA Tube Amp Expander Core Editor, you can load 64 of your favorite third-party speaker WAV IRs in addition to the 10 included Celestion Digital IRs. Mono or stereo files are compatible, with support for 500 ms length and 32-bit floating point/96 kHz resolution for the finest audio quality. The optional Bluetooth® Audio MIDI Dual Adaptor adds wireless capabilities, allowing you to jam with music streamed from a smartphone and use the mobile version of the editor to tweak rigs and load IRs.
SPECIFICATIONS
Maximum Input Power
- FROM TUBE AMP: 100 W
Safety Load (power off)
- FROM TUBE AMP: 330 ohms
Rated Power Output
- TO SPEAKER: 30 W (8 ohms)
Load Impedance
- TO SPEAKER: 4-16 ohms
Input Impedance
- FROM TUBE AMP: 8 ohms
- FX LOOP RETURN: 1 M ohm
Output Impedance
- LINE OUT L/R: 600 ohms
- FX LOOP SEND: 1 k ohm
Nominal Output Level
- LINE OUT L/R: +4 dBu
FX LOOP Nominal Input/Output Level
- -10/+4 dBu (selectable)
Maximum Output Level
- LINE OUT L/R: +13 dBu
- FX LOOP SEND: +6 dBu (-10) /+20 dBu (+4)
Controls
- POWER switch
- SPEAKER OUT knob
- LINE OUT knob
- PHONES knob
- REACTIVE LOAD knob
- RIG knob
- AIR FEEL LEVEL knob
- WRITE button
- INPUT LEVEL switch
- FX LOOP LEVEL switch
- GND LIFT switch
Indicators
- POWER
- WRITE
- INPUT SIG/PEAK
Connectors
- FROM TUBE AMP jack: 1/4-inch phone type
- TO SPEAKER jack: 1/4-inch phone type
- LINE OUT L/R connectors: XLR type
- PHONES jack: Stereo 1/4-inch phone type
- FX LOOP SEND jack: 1/4-inch phone type
- FX LOOP RETURN jack: 1/4-inch phone type
- USB port: USB Type-C®
- MIDI IN connector
- Bluetooth® adaptor connector: Dedicated connector
- DC IN jack
Power Supply
- AC adaptor
Current Draw
- 470 mA
Accessories
- Owner's manual
- AC adaptor
- Power cord
Options (sold separately)
- Bluetooth® Audio MIDI Dual Adaptor (Model: BT-DUAL)
- Wireless MIDI Expression Pedal: EV-1-WL
- Wireless Foot Switch: FS-1-WL
- Carring Bag: CB-VE22
Size and Weight
- Width: 200 mm / 7-7/8 inches
- Depth: 202 mm / 8 inches
- Height (including foots): 99 mm / 3-15/16 inches
- Weight: 2.2 kg / 4 lbs 14 oz
* 0 dBu = 0.775 Vrms
*The specifications are subject to change without notice.
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