Archetype: Tom Morello precisely models the renowned guitarist’s longtime amplifier and speaker-cabinet rig, incorporating key processors that replicate his signature sounds.
HELSINKI, FINLAND, May 24, 2023 — Neural DSP today announced the launch of the Archetype: Tom Morello, the innovative company’s latest in a series of highly successful plugin collaborations with exceptional and game-changing world-class guitarists.
Tom Morello is living proof of the transformative power of rock’n’roll. Known for his innovative guitar solos and thunderous chords, Morello is a groundbreaking artist whether in his solo career or as an original member of the rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, two acts responsible for multiple Grammy Awards and a combined 30 million albums sold worldwide. His trademark style — elastic slapping, atmospheric distortion, and effects that resemble turntable scratching — was a crucial component of Rage Against the Machine's rap-metal sonic attack in the late '90s, helping launch Morello and the band to Grammy-winning, multi-platinum success and leading to his recognition by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the “100 Greatest Guitar Players of All-Time.”
However, Morello’s passion manifests most clearly in his inventive and thoroughly modern approach to guitar playing and tone, which makes him an ideal Neural DSP Archetype ambassador. His innovative techniques have redefined what a guitar virtuoso can be: combining guitar tones and effects with unprecedented creativity, he spearheaded a fusion of classic rock, punk, and hip-hop unlike anything else while simultaneously writing era-defining riffs for both Rage Against the Machine (newly ensconced in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) and Audioslave.
Archetype: Tom Morello is instantly recognizable as the noted guitarist’s signature tonality. That’s because it’s literally modeled on Morello’s longtime amplifier and cabinet combination – a rig he has used for every recording and performance of his long career, live and in the studio.
All of the classic tonality of this configuration — the gravelly grit of the vintage amplifier paired with the articulate clarity of the 12-inch speakers — is at the core of Archetype: Tom Morello, along with key processors that replicate his signature sounds, such as a dive bomb pedal, a wham pedal, and a wah.
Neural DSP has precisely and authentically virtualized this unique guitarist’s signature sound in Archetype: Tom Morello. As much as many of us would like to, we cannot actually be Tom Morello, but Archetype: Tom Morello will allow guitarists to inhabit his sonic soul in a way and to a degree unimaginable before.
Morello, who has always fervently espoused a philosophy of sharing — his time, his talent, his generosity — says he looks forward to having his guitar sound available to every guitar player.
“We have worked tirelessly to perfect the Archetype: Tom Morello plugin to make sure it sounds EXACTLY like my amp and set up,” says Morello. “The plugin is a testament to how amazing Neural DSP’s proprietary modeling technology is and how meticulous their development process is. I told them I only want to do this if we get it just right, and we got it just right. It’s really pretty incredible.”
“What we share with all guitarists is a deep and abiding respect for their core sound, their sonic signatures, so to speak,” observes Neural CEO Douglas Castro. “Our modeling technology has been able to precisely capture the contemporary sounds of brilliant guitar innovators like Cory Wong and John Petrucci. Now, with the release of the new Archetype: Tom Morello plugin, we’ve extended our lineup to include one more singular star in the universe of the guitar.”
