The guitar side of things

What would a processor be without industry-standard guitar effects? The PRIME features effects, such as delay, reverb, distortion, and overdrive, ticking every box that guitarists typically have. There are then 12 footswitches, all easily accessible for stage performing, and each one features a customisable LED light and OLED scribble strip to lay out your pedal arrangement exactly how you like it.

Of course, an expression pedal is implemented alongside these 12 footswitches to give you a direct sound how and when you need it.

It’s okay to hang onto the past. That’s why the PRIME has a built-in amp cloner function that captures the very essence of your all-time favourite amp, preamp, distortion pedal, overdrive pedal, or fuzz pedal. Cloning your favourite pedals is as easy as connecting your pedal to the PRIME and following the simple directions displayed on the touchscreen.

Once the cloning process is complete, you can make adjustments, e.g., remove the speaker cabinet sound from an amplifier clone to enable you to use the clone with different cab models or impulse responses. The onboard WiFi then allows you to connect straight to the HeadRush cloud to share your clones with other HeadRush fanatics.

Another feature that is likely to stand out to guitarists is the looping function. This is a world-class looper that allows you to layer parts during performances or use them as a songwriting tool in between shows. Each loop lasts a maximum length of five minutes and can hold up to a staggering 20 minutes of layered audio at any one time!

The vocal side of things

Similar to the amp cloning function, vocalists can take advantage of the microphone modelling function. This captures the authentic sound of any microphone you like.

By simply plugging in the microphone via any of the XLR inputs, you can follow the directions on-screen to save that exact sound of the microphone.

Don’t worry, condenser microphones haven’t been forgotten about here as the PRIME has built-in phantom power to take good care of them.

Antares auto-tune has been implemented into the HeadRush PRIME to finely tune your vocals or even add a whole new character to them.

With this auto-tune FX being industry-standard, you can count on it for every application, from studio to stage.

Every FX available for guitar is also available for vocals, giving you free rein to create exciting and unique sounds with a push of just a couple of buttons.

Technology that keeps on giving 

As previously touched on, the HeadRush PRIME comes with an onboard Wi-Fi connection so you can access the HeadRush Cloud. The HeadRush Cloud is a free-to-use service for all HeadRush users; it allows you to browse, demo, and download exclusive rigs and clones created by other HeadRush users.

If that wasn’t enough, you can also easily search for the most downloaded and liked rigs if you’re looking for some extra inspiration. You can search via different parameters, such as genre, to boost your inspiration even more. And thanks to the HeadRush Cloud Preset Sharing, finding your new sound and implementing it into your rehearsals and performances has never been easier.

Third-party IR support has been implemented into the PRIME, giving you over 300 perfectly captured impulse responses for the big cab sound you’ve always dreamed of. These impulse responses were meticulously created in a studio in the UK with some of the most renowned guitar cabs from Marshall, Vox, Fender, Orange, and more.

In addition, you can drag and drop your third-party IRs via USB or Dropbox if connected to Wi-Fi. If that wasn’t enough, the PRIME has pretty-much unlimited storage for IRs with 1024 and 2048 sample lengths.

Wanting to enhance and develop your guitar playing or vocal skills? The PRIME has you covered with its onboard practice tool. In fact, it’s the first processor with the ability to load songs directly from Dropbox over Wi-Fi. You can take these songs, slow them down, and loop them to your heart’s content until you’ve mastered that guitar solo or a capella vocal section.

HeadRush PRIME connectivity 

As well as its Wi-Fi capabilities, the HeadRush PRIME shines in the studio or your home recording setup. Its built-in USB interface allows you to hook up to your PC directly for instant recording on any DAW.

And the USB connections don’t stop there. A USB-A input lets you import and export files directly from your USB drive should you not have access to a local Wi-Fi network. Bluetooth audio connectivity is also integrated into the PRIME for instant audio playback, perfect for learning and rehearsing your favourite songs.

The back of the unit showcases plenty of inputs and outputs for every occasion. Starting from the left-hand side, you have an XLR/TRS input with its own volume adjuster, a guitar jack input, external amp output, two pedal inputs, and two FX loop inputs.

You then have a 3.5mm headphone input, perfect for home rehearsals and keeping the neighbours happy, and mono L/R outputs for hooking up to a PA system and bringing the noise.

Finally, for connecting to your DAW there is a MIDI-in and out connection followed by USB-A and USB-B inputs. It’s definitely fair to say the PRIME generously caters to every vocalist, bassist, and guitarist.

Let’s recap

It’s difficult to sum up the HeadRush PRIME in just a few short sentences – there’s so much to talk about! However, I will say this: the PRIME truly comes into a world of its own with it being the first effects processor to cater to guitarists, bassists, and vocalists.

Filled with the latest technology and effects, creating and mastering your sound has never been easier thanks to the PRIME. You may be thinking “that’s an awful lot of technology to take with me on the road”, but HeadRush have thought of this and encased it all in a robust steel chassis, capable of handling the demands of gigging life.

If you’re an aspiring guitarist, bassist, or vocalist looking to enhance, develop, and improve your sound without breaking the bank, the HeadRush PRIME effects processor is definitely for you.