No. 0101970·blues-rock·3 blocks

Layla

One of the most passionate guitar performances ever recorded. Clapton's tone on Layla is raw, urgent, and biting: a Fender Stratocaster ('Brownie') through a cranked Fender Champ, with the tiny amp pushed to its absolute limits. The Champ's single-ended 5-watt circuit compresses and distorts beautifully when dimed, producing a thick, creamy overdrive with natural sustain. Duane Allman's slide guitar interweaves with Clapton's lead lines, and both guitars were recorded through small amps at high volume for maximum saturation.

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs coverLayla and Other Assorted Love Songs
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 9 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster ('Brownie')
Pickups
SSS
Tuning
bridge+middle
Strings
standard
Volume Pedal
Deluxe Comp
Scream 808
Minotaur
US Small Tweed
1x8 Small Tweed
Dynamic Plate
Tilt
Volume Pedal
← Volume pedal
Volume/Pan
Pedal
100%
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compressor
Dynamics
Threshold
-32dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
38ms
Release
200ms
Mix
50
Level
0dB
Scream 808
← Tube Screamer (modern push)
Distortion
Gain
2
Tone
5.5
Level
8
Minotaur
← Klon Centaur (clean boost option)
Distortion
Gain
2
Tone
5.5
Level
7
US Small Tweed
← Fender Champ (dimed)
Amp
Drive
9.5
Bass
5
Mid
6
Treble
6
Presence
5
ChVol
8.5
Master
10
Bias
5.5
BiasX
5
Sag
7
Hum
5
Ripple
5
1x8 Small Tweed
← Fender Champ 1x8
Cab
LowCut19.9Hz
HighCut20100Hz
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Dynamic Plate
← Studio plate (Criteria Studios EMT)
Dynamics
LowCut130Hz
HighCut8000Hz
Mix
20
Decay
1.8s
Level
0
PreDelay
40ms
BassFreq
100
BassBoost
0
VarDelayAmpl
0.6
Damping
4500
MatrFreq
0.3
Tilt
← Tilt EQ (global brightness)
EQ
Tilt
0.5
CenterFreq
1000Hz
Level
0

What we checked

Computed by a program, on this recipe, every time this page is built. How this works

Preset files — 1 of 3 complete
  • Helix builds complete — every block in the recipe is in the file
  • Quad Cortex 3 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Studio Comp, Search Cortex Cloud for 'Fender Champ' capture, Tilt EQ. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

  • Katana 3 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Crunch, Blues Drive (Booster), Plate. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

Helix DSP
37.2% of one chip — fits (1 block has no published cost and is counted as zero)
Sources
2 cited, 1 from publications that do original gear reporting
Attribution
Not yet rated — This recipe predates the attribution-confidence field and hasn't been reviewed for it.
What we didn't check
  • Nobody played this through a real amp. There is no human listening test behind any number on this page.
  • The settings are reasoned from the sources below, not measured off the record.
  • No audio has been rendered for this recipe yet, so you cannot hear it before you load it.
  • 3 platforms on this page (TONEX, Kemper, Fractal) get a model pointer, not a preset file — nothing was built or checked for them.
The mic in this chain

Shure SM57

Still made, still the studio default. The cheapest part of this chain to get right.

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The mic is listed because the chain uses it, not because anyone paid for the placement.

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