Stereo Cab question

Claude M

Claude M

Inspired
Hope this is not a stupid question!

I know that if I use two separate Hi/Ultra res cabs in parallel, I must select Left or Right in the Input Select field of the Room Page and also balance each cab 100% left and -100% right.

If I use a ONE Stereo cab (not Hi/Ultra Res or Normal Res), in the Room page I select 'Stereo" for the input select option, but in the cabinet page, there are 2 settings for panning where the default is: -20% Pan L and 20% Pan R - should these be panned 100% L and -100% R as well or left at their default settings?

Prob is a stupid question........ Lol

Oops forgot to also mention. Say if I wanted to run a mono cab, if I pick one Normal res cab, the Input Select field in the Room page defaults to Stereo - is that supposed to be changed to Sum L+R if you want this cab to be mono?

Prob another stupid question........ Lol
 
You do not need to use the select left or right inputs unless you are using 2 amps or a stereo signal before the cabs. If you are using them right after an amp then the signal is mono and there is no need to pick left or right input.

As far as using a stereo cab block and pan. It depends where you want one cab in the stereo field and where you want the other. 20% keeps them fairly in the middle with a bit of separation. -100 and 100% will have them hard panned. It all depends what you are going for.
 
javajunkie said:
You do not need to use the select left or right inputs unless you are using 2 amps or a stereo signal before the cabs. If you are using them right after an amp then the signal is mono and there is no need to pick left or right input.

As far as using a stereo cab block and pan. It depends where you want one cab in the stereo field and where you want the other. 20% keeps them fairly in the middle with a bit of separation. -100 and 100% will have them hard panned. It all depends what you are going for.
Click to expand...

Hi Java - thanks for replying - you're a gem!
I'm still confused though! (doesn't take much!)

In Yek's Dutchfest You Tube video and in his presets, whenever he has 2 Hi/Ultra cabs in his preset, he pans one fully RIGHT using the balance control (that is usually on 0 - now 100), selects RIGHT in the Input Select field and chooses MUTE.
Then he does the reverse for the other cab - pans it fully LEFT (normally on 0 - now -100) selects LEFT in the Input Select Field and chooses Mute.

Maybe it's easier if I tell you what I want to do!

I want to run the axe in Stereo and create Stereo patches and take two lines out to the desk (from Output 1) and one line only to my CLR (from Output 2). When I need to run the axe mono (because of the PA) I simply only give the sound man 1 XLR Left out (assuming I have no phase issues in my patches) and not touch any settings in the I/O area. In I/O settings (from memory as I'm at work atm) I have Output 1 as stereo and Output 2 as Copy L/R and Output 1 echo or Output 2 echo (can't remember

My patches template is (and let me know if something is wrong here in regards to the stereo application I'm aiming for above):
Comp
Wah
Pitch (in parallel)
Drive
Amp
2 Hi/Ultra cabs (in parallel each with Yek's settings as described above so they're stereo)
PEQ
Filter
Vintage Tape Chorus (in parallel - LFO at 90)
Script 90 Phaser (in parallel - LFO at 90)
Rotary (in parallel)
Stereo Delay (in parallel)
Reverb
Of course all parallel effects have their mix at 100%.

So will that patch above be in stereo when I want to take two lines out to the desk, but equally work in mono by just taking LEFT out without changing any I/O settings? I'm looking for a stereo patch that will also work in mono. The patch doesn't have to have 2 cabs in it (though I like it), but again I want to create a stereo patch that will also work in mono.

Thanks for your help.
 
Are you using 2 different IRs in the cab blocks? If not, you'd only need one mono cab after amp there. Input select on the cab doesn't matter with that order since the amp block is mono out.

If you have 2 IRs and want them fully L/R, set the cab balance controls that way. Other balance settings could be used to create any desired blend of IRs in one or both channels.

Taking one channel for mono will probably be fine. That assumes your stereo delay ratio is close to 1, not something else creating an obvious offset between L & R delays.
 
Bakerman said:
Are you using 2 different IRs in the cab blocks? If not, you'd only need one mono cab after amp there. Input select on the cab doesn't matter with that order since the amp block is mono out.

If you have 2 IRs and want them fully L/R, set the cab balance controls that way. Other balance settings could be used to create any desired blend of IRs in one or both channels.

Taking one channel for mono will probably be fine. That assumes your stereo delay ratio is close to 1, not something else creating an obvious offset between L & R delays.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bakerman.
I am using the same cab when using 2 parallel cabs. I know it's prob weird but I guess I'm simulating a stage set of if you had, say 2 marshall cabs.

So let's say I want to run a stereo cab (but it's silly to run 2 cabs in parallel that are the same) do i just run 1 x stereo cab and leave the pan at 20 and -20 or pan them fully Left and Right?
Then do I just leave my chorus, phaser, rotary, delay and reverb as described above and I have stereo? And then to run mono I just take one line out instead of two yeah?

Sorry I know that this is prob obvious but i guess I've got 'option anxiety!'
 
claudesmusicbox said:
So let's say I want to run a stereo cab (but it's silly to run 2 cabs in parallel that are the same) do i just run 1 x stereo cab and leave the pan at 20 and -20 or pan them fully Left and Right?
Click to expand...

Fully left & right if you want each IR heard in one channel only. Other settings could be useful if you like the overall sound of 2 IRs combined, but want to lessen the EQ difference (a.k.a. width or stereo-ness) between left & right channels.
 
Bakerman said:
Fully left & right if you want each IR heard in one channel only. Other settings could be useful if you like the overall sound of 2 IRs combined, but want to lessen the EQ difference (a.k.a. width or stereo-ness) between left & right channels.
Click to expand...

So if I DID run 2 x same parallel cabs (both Marshall 1960) and ran 2 lines to the desk, I would hear 1 cab on the left side and one on the right (assuming the PA is stereo). If I chose to run mono and take one line out L, I would hear the LEFT cab in my parallel patch (still Marshall as they are both the same) yeah?

Obviously if I had two different IRs in the patch (Boogie on left and Marshall on right) in mono to the PA I would only hear the Boogie if I take Left out correct?
 
claudesmusicbox said:
Thanks Bakerman.
I am using the same cab when using 2 parallel cabs. I know it's prob weird but I guess I'm simulating a stage set of if you had, say 2 marshall cabs.
Click to expand...

It's not silly, it's just not really stereo. You're basically just getting a louder mono signal through the cab blocks.
 
claudesmusicbox said:
So I'm confused? How do I run stereo then?
Click to expand...

You can run stereo effects after a mono cab. If you want the stereo-ness to also include differences in tone from different left/right IRs, that's when 2 IRs panned left/right is useful. 2 of the same IR panned L/R is no different than one centered mono IR in your routing.

If your routing/fx goals require cab after stereo effects, then there's a reason to use stereo/dual cabs with the same IR for left/right. Without doing that you wouldn't be able to maintain the stereo sound created by whatever the effects are set to do.
 
So am I looking at this wrong? The way I'm approaching creating patches is similar to a live setup (of course we're in a digital domain).

1. (Axe fx patch or in real life). I have one amp and one cab with one mic on the cab = stage mono setup > one line to PA. If PA is stereo = mono out front. If PA is mono = mono out front.
2. (Axe fx patch or in real life). I have one amp with 2 cabs with one mic on each cab = stage stereo setup > 2 lines to PA. If PA is stereo = stereo out front. If PA is mono, mono out front.

I thought that the 'stereo' part of your patch begins at the amp and cab. Whether you have one or two cabs, if you select them as stereo cabs, then your signal is stereo isn't it? Then all I'm doing is adding stereo effects after the cab, stereo chorus, stereo delay etc

Isn't that a stereo set up?
 
It's stereo when you create some difference between left & right channels. 2 identical cabs panned L/R immediately after one amp is redundant. 1 cab centered is the same thing. It's the later effects that make it stereo.
 
Think about it this way:

Using actual amps and such, the only point of going stereo (seeing as how most guitars output in mono) is getting different tones in the left and right channels. Those different tones are achieved with multiple amps with different settings, different types of cabs, or different (or specifically stereo) fx.

It's the same thing with the AFX. You're taking a mono signal and the only way to make it take advantage of the stereo field is to split it and make each side different. Just splitting it isn't really going to do anything.
 
To the OP: - what you're "thinking" is stereo is really "dual mono". you're running 2 signals side by side of the exact same signal, hence dual mono. This doesn't really achieve anything because you can still split a mono signal into two different physical speakers (PA speakers for example) and you've just accomplished the exact same thing, a mono signal being sent to multiple outputs.

Like the others are saying, stereo isn't truly stereo until you treat the 2 signals differently to create a widening effect etc. Otherwise you're still just running 2 parallel signals of the exact same. Even if you just change the CAB block to a different IR, you're still running dual mono if you're not adding any stereo effects along the way. Dual mono can have different amps/cabs etc. but it's still a mono signal until you apply stereo effects.
 
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