IRs York Audio Master Thread - Newest Cab Pack: KW 412 M25-SH

Third-party impulse response pack
DropDee said:
These are the best freaking IRs I have ever used! Thank you so much for this! Found a great combination of a 58, 421v and the 184. Love it with the Recto Straight SIC at 100 Hz. Perfect modern rock tones with the Atomica High.
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This makes me so happy to hear! I was nervous about the pack not having Mixes, so it's been really cool reading all of the positive comments and seeing people creating their own Mixes and loving their tones. Thank you for sharing!

komorebi_dayo said:
Justin, thank you so much for everything you do <3 Just placed my order and installed Cab Lab 4. Incredibly excited to try these with the 25.00 beta that just dropped
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Thank you for saying that. I hope you love your new tones. I'm gonna back up my Axe-Fx and take the beta FW 25.00 for a spin today as well. Might be time to compare some amps and models again.
 
York Audio said:
This makes me so happy to hear! I was nervous about the pack not having Mixes, so it's been really cool reading all of the positive comments and seeing people creating their own Mixes and loving their tones. Thank you for sharing!


Thank you for saying that. I hope you love your new tones. I'm gonna back up my Axe-Fx and take the beta FW 25.00 for a spin today as well. Might be time to compare some amps and models again.
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It's incredibly easy to get amazing tone with this cab pack! Have created a nice 57/121 mix as well! Everything I try sounds great with this pack! People can always share their cab lab 4 sessions I guess since this is allowed as far as I know.
 
Thenewexhibit said:
Hey, Justin! Which impedance curve do you use with the VX 30 212 Blue? Also, the tele in the first clip of that pack; want kind of tele is it and what pickup?
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I'd go with the 2x12 Class-A 30w impedance curve. The Tele is one my friend built with an MJT body and Warmoth neck. I don't remember what pickups he put in it, but it's the best Telecaster I've ever played.
 
York Audio said:
I'd go with the 2x12 Class-A 30w impedance curve. The Tele is one my friend built with an MJT body and Warmoth neck. I don't remember what pickups he put in it, but it's the best Telecaster I've ever played.
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Nice! Thanks for the reply! I'm trying to get a similar sound to your preset you posted, but for some reason it sounds much more boxy than yours and I can't figure out why. I know it's been different firmwares since then, but I've tried it with humbuckers in my tele, which I know won't sound like your clip because it's a humbucker, but then also trying it with a tele with single coils, and it still sounds much more boxy and dark in comparison but can't figure out why. Cables are good, and I'm using the same mix number 3 as well. Are you able to dial in a similar tone to that original clip with the current firmware?
 
Thenewexhibit said:
Nice! Thanks for the reply! I'm trying to get a similar sound to your preset you posted, but for some reason it sounds much more boxy than yours and I can't figure out why. I know it's been different firmwares since then, but I've tried it with humbuckers in my tele, which I know won't sound like your clip because it's a humbucker, but then also trying it with a tele with single coils, and it still sounds much more boxy and dark in comparison but can't figure out why. Cables are good, and I'm using the same mix number 3 as well. Are you able to dial in a similar tone to that original clip with the current firmware?
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I posted the preset here:
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...ack-kw-412-m25-sh.156603/page-23#post-1986283

Humbuckers definitely won't sound like a Tele with single coils, so you'll want to approach that guitar differently. I don't know how much firmware changes have affected the sound between when I made it and now, but you'll want to tweak it for YOUR guitar, hands, playing technique, and listening environment anyway. You can also use the GEQ in the amp block to remove some of the boxy frequencies if you need to, but go light with it... the AC30 is famous for its signature midrange and chime.
 
York Audio said:
I posted the preset here:
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...ack-kw-412-m25-sh.156603/page-23#post-1986283

Humbuckers definitely won't sound like a Tele with single coils, so you'll want to approach that guitar differently. I don't know how much firmware changes have affected the sound between when I made it and now, but you'll want to tweak it for YOUR guitar, hands, playing technique, and listening environment anyway. You can also use the GEQ in the amp block to remove some of the boxy frequencies if you need to, but go light with it... the AC30 is famous for its signature midrange and chime.
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For sure! Even my tele with a single coil still seemed dark for some reason with the same preset. I know I’d have to tweak it more. I don’t generally use the graphic eq, but I know it’s there for a reason. I hear your tones and know you’re very minimal in your approach and settings, so it’s super inspiring and makes me want to be able to get such fantastic tones with such little tweaking. :)

One thing I did notice in that preset is that the Speaker Drive and the Speaker Thump were off and you had the Gain Enhancer on in the Dynamics tab of the amp block. Are those parameters that you adjust often?

Also, how much gain reduction do you aim for with a compressor block generally?
 
Thenewexhibit said:
For sure! Even my tele with a single coil still seemed dark for some reason with the same preset. I know I’d have to tweak it more. I don’t generally use the graphic eq, but I know it’s there for a reason. I hear your tones and know you’re very minimal in your approach and settings, so it’s super inspiring and makes me want to be able to get such fantastic tones with such little tweaking. :)

One thing I did notice in that preset is that the Speaker Drive and the Speaker Thump were off and you had the Gain Enhancer on in the Dynamics tab of the amp block. Are those parameters that you adjust often?

Also, how much gain reduction do you aim for with a compressor block generally?
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I always turn off speaker drive and speaker thump. The gain enhancer is great at very low values where it's more felt in your fingers than heard through the speakers. I forgot about that parameter until you mentioned it and need to try it again.

Compressors that hit around -7 to -9dB when playing hard is typically what I like. IMO, compressors sound their best and most musical when they're not squeezing the daylights out of your dynamics, so getting in that range when playing hard tends to allow your dynamics to still shine. Sometimes I'll back off the Mix to let more uncompressed signal through for even more dynamic playing.

The simple approach just works for what I like. Pick an amp, pick an IR, and dial in the amp. If your tone is too dark, bring up the treble and lower the bass until it feels right to you. Those settings just worked for my hands, that guitar, and the way I play. Whenever I share presets, they're just meant to be a starting point. I encourage people to twist knobs to get things to a place that feels inspiring to them.
 
York Audio said:
I always turn off speaker drive and speaker thump. The gain enhancer is great at very low values where it's more felt in your fingers than heard through the speakers. I forgot about that parameter until you mentioned it and need to try it again.

Compressors that hit around -7 to -9dB when playing hard is typically what I like. IMO, compressors sound their best and most musical when they're not squeezing the daylights out of your dynamics, so getting in that range when playing hard tends to allow your dynamics to still shine. Sometimes I'll back off the Mix to let more uncompressed signal through for even more dynamic playing.

The simple approach just works for what I like. Pick an amp, pick an IR, and dial in the amp. If your tone is too dark, bring up the treble and lower the bass until it feels right to you. Those settings just worked for my hands, that guitar, and the way I play. Whenever I share presets, they're just meant to be a starting point. I encourage people to twist knobs to get things to a place that feels inspiring to them.
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Got ya! I think I remember you saying that you get more high end/clarity by reducing those, no? That's cool to hear about the compressor too; I never know where to set it. I know it's all a matter of taste, but hearing your tones are inspiring, so it's cool to try similar approaches, so thanks for sharing! I always feel like I hear high and low end extension with your tones that sounds very present and clear. I tend to struggle getting that by just amp controls alone when comparing with the same IR, so perhaps it could be the guitar as well, and the way I play.
 
Thenewexhibit said:
Got ya! I think I remember you saying that you get more high end/clarity by reducing those, no? That's cool to hear about the compressor too; I never know where to set it. I know it's all a matter of taste, but hearing your tones are inspiring, so it's cool to try similar approaches, so thanks for sharing! I always feel like I hear high and low end extension with your tones that sounds very present and clear. I tend to struggle getting that by just amp controls alone when comparing with the same IR, so perhaps it could be the guitar as well, and the way I play.
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Yeah, speaker drive reduces top end, so I always turn that off. Speaker Thump isn't as obvious with its effect, so it's normally fine at default settings, but I normally turn it off anyway along with speaker compression.

Pickup and pole piece height along with magnet type play a MASSIVE difference in how your guitar sounds and feels. With single coils, raise the pickups until there's about 1/4" of space between the pickup and the string. That gives you more meat and clarity for sure.

For humbuckers, Alnico 4 and Alnico 2 magnets are the most pleasing, IMO. Alnico 5 can get brash depending on the pickup, and ceramic magnets always sound washed out and undefined to my ears. The only humbuckers I've kept have either A4 or A2 magnets and typically between the 8k-9k'ish range because I like clarity and dynamics in a pickup. Try raising the pole pieces a full turn for starters and then adjust your pickup height for the body and output you want.
 
York Audio said:
Yeah, speaker drive reduces top end, so I always turn that off. Speaker Thump isn't as obvious with its effect, so it's normally fine at default settings, but I normally turn it off anyway along with speaker compression.

Pickup and pole piece height along with magnet type play a MASSIVE difference in how your guitar sounds and feels. With single coils, raise the pickups until there's about 1/4" of space between the pickup and the string. That gives you more meat and clarity for sure.

For humbuckers, Alnico 4 and Alnico 2 magnets are the most pleasing, IMO. Alnico 5 can get brash depending on the pickup, and ceramic magnets always sound washed out and undefined to my ears. The only humbuckers I've kept have either A4 or A2 magnets and typically between the 8k-9k'ish range because I like clarity and dynamics in a pickup. Try raising the pole pieces a full turn for starters and then adjust your pickup height for the body and output you want.
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Man, thanks for all of these tips! I really do appreciate you being so helpful and willing to talk about this stuff!

If I remember, you're a big fan of the Thornbucker Plus models, right? Have you kept any of the Thornbucker ii models at all?

I'm also curious; have you ever tried the Suhr SSV humbucker in the bridge before?
 
Thenewexhibit said:
Man, thanks for all of these tips! I really do appreciate you being so helpful and willing to talk about this stuff!

If I remember, you're a big fan of the Thornbucker Plus models, right? Have you kept any of the Thornbucker ii models at all?

I'm also curious; have you ever tried the Suhr SSV humbucker in the bridge before?
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Your timing on this subject is perfect since I've been going pretty deep down the pickup rabbit hole lately. I recently got a 1990 Les Paul Standard that might be the best LP in my collection. I put a Thornbucker+ set in it and it sounded great. However, I've heard a lot about the Bare Knuckle Mule pickup and bought a set to try in that Les Paul... it was phenomenal! More clarity, liveliness, complexity, and punch. The Thornbucker+ was softer and smoother when A/B'ing both sets through my looper pedal. They both sounded great, but I kept going back to the Mule.

I reached out to BKP for some recommendations and bought three different sets that are arriving today that I'll put in two Les Pauls and an SG, so we'll see how that goes.

As far as the Thornbucker II, I still have them, but I swapped the A2 magnet for A4 and liked it much better.
 
York Audio said:
Your timing on this subject is perfect since I've been going pretty deep down the pickup rabbit hole lately. I recently got a 1990 Les Paul Standard that might be the best LP in my collection. I put a Thornbucker+ set in it and it sounded great. However, I've heard a lot about the Bare Knuckle Mule pickup and bought a set to try in that Les Paul... it was phenomenal! More clarity, liveliness, complexity, and punch. The Thornbucker+ was softer and smoother when A/B'ing both sets through my looper pedal. They both sounded great, but I kept going back to the Mule.

I reached out to BKP for some recommendations and bought three different sets that are arriving today that I'll put in two Les Pauls and an SG, so we'll see how that goes.

As far as the Thornbucker II, I still have them, but I swapped the A2 magnet for A4 and liked it much better.
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Justin have you tried the 3rd power Mag Frags they are close to you in Nashville I believe
Also curious what 3 sets of BKP you bought I have been looking a a few of theirs
The Peacemaker and Rebel yell
 
York Audio said:
Your timing on this subject is perfect since I've been going pretty deep down the pickup rabbit hole lately. I recently got a 1990 Les Paul Standard that might be the best LP in my collection. I put a Thornbucker+ set in it and it sounded great. However, I've heard a lot about the Bare Knuckle Mule pickup and bought a set to try in that Les Paul... it was phenomenal! More clarity, liveliness, complexity, and punch. The Thornbucker+ was softer and smoother when A/B'ing both sets through my looper pedal. They both sounded great, but I kept going back to the Mule.

I reached out to BKP for some recommendations and bought three different sets that are arriving today that I'll put in two Les Pauls and an SG, so we'll see how that goes.

As far as the Thornbucker II, I still have them, but I swapped the A2 magnet for A4 and liked it much better.
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Oh, cool! I actually have a set of Mules in a Les Paul Traditional (essentially a standard) and they are really great! It’s funny; at first, I thought they sounded bland, and in a matter of minutes, I went from “these sound a little bland—I don’t know if these have character—that sounded really complex and rich—that sounds very vocal—that sounded very musical—these sound great!” Hahaha

You said you A/B’d the thornbucker plus to the Mules in the same guitar?

I find it interesting that you mention “punch” too. My strat build that has a Thornbucker +, in comparison to my Tele build which has a Friedman classic plus humbucker, sounds and feels like it has less punch than the Friedman (different magnets), so I’m gonna try an SSV in the bridge to see how that sounds. I have the feeling it will pair better with the V60LP single coils regarding punch and transient response.

Which other Bare Knuckle pickups are you trying out? Also, did the Mules that you got have covers, or were they uncovered?
 
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