No. 2371987·rock·5 blocks

With or Without You

The sustained line that runs under this song is not a keyboard and it is not an EBow. It is a prototype of Michael Brook's Infinite Guitar -- a Stratocaster modified with a feedback-driven sustainer circuit -- which the Edge had access to because he and Brook had worked together on the Captive soundtrack. Understanding that changes how you chase the sound: the tone is a fairly plain clean amp, and the thing that makes it unmistakable is an instrument that never lets a note decay.

The Joshua Tree coverThe Joshua Tree
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 8 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster modified as a Michael Brook Infinite Guitar prototype
Pickups
SSS
Tuning
neck
Strings
standard
Deluxe Comp
Minotaur
Simple Delay
A-30 Fawn Brt
2x12 Blue Bell
Glitz
Tilt
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compression on the guitar track
Dynamics
Threshold
-20dB
Ratio
3:1
Attack
20ms
Release
250ms
Mix
60
Level
1dB
Minotaur
← Clean level lift into the amp
Effect
Gain
1.5
Tone
5
Level
7
Simple Delay
← Korg SDD-3000
Delay
LowCut160Hz
HighCut6000Hz
Time
480ms
Feedback
22
Mix
25
Level
0
A-30 Fawn Brt
← Vox AC30 Top Boost
Amp
Drive
3.2
Bass
5
Mid
5.5
Treble
5.8
Presence
4.5
ChVol
5
Master
9
Cut
6
Bias
5
BiasX
5
Sag
5.5
Hum
3
Ripple
4
2x12 Blue Bell
← AC30 built-in 2x12, Celestion alnico
Cab
LowCut110Hz
HighCut7800Hz
Resonance
5.5
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Glitz
← Room ambience at Danesmoate / Melbeach
Reverb
LowCut180Hz
HighCut6200Hz
Mix
26
Decay
3.4s
Predelay
40ms
Level
0
Tilt
← Global brightness trim
Effect
Tilt
0.5
CenterFreq
900Hz
Level
0

What we checked

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

Preset files — 0 of 3 complete
  • Helix 1 block missing from the file
    Which ones

    Not in the file: A-30 Fawn Brt. The recipe calls for this block, but we have no verified model ID for it on this platform, so the preset is written without it. Add it by hand using the settings above.

  • Quad Cortex 4 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Studio Compressor, UK 30 TopBoost, 2x12 Vox Blue, Hall Reverb. 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: Clean, Clean Boost, Hall. 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
35.5% of one chip — fits
Sources
4 cited, 1 from publications that do original gear reporting
Attribution
Documented — The player is named for this specific part in credits or an interview.
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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