Anyone only use one IR?

I really like finding pieces of my chain that I can keep consistent. It helps a lot with option paralysis. So with IRs, I use the Ownhammer 1x12 EVM12L IRs. I go in stereo, with one cab miked with a 57, the other, predictably with a 121. It mirrors my real cabs and therefore helps me craft tones by keeping it consistent between real cabs and IRs. I also find the the EVs pair well with a lot of different amps for what I go for tone wise. From clean to very distorted leads, they handle great.
 
I only use 1 IR all the time( have been for like 6 years), but I now feel that all my presets are sounding very similar even with different amps. I am thinking I need to start using a few different IR's when I use different amps.
 
I basically just use one, my trusty legacy 54 4x12 Pre-Rola 55 M160 (ML). I also mix in a touch (-40dB) of legacy 157 4x12 Mars G12T Room Mix (TAF). The room one gives it a touch of air. Those two happen to work well together.

I love that cab and greatly appreciate the simplicity that using only one IR has brought. I can get different cabinet tones by messing with the speaker impedance curves.

For live work, sticking to one IR brings a cohesiveness between my tones. If you're not careful with IRs, it's easy to make the transition from one tone to another too jarring. If your new cab sits differently in the mix, it can throw off your band mates, the sound guy, and the audience. If everyone gets used to you having a certain tone and you switch to something too different, other people feel like it's not you anymore. I've found that IR is the thing that will do that more than any other factor.

My personal experiences with live shows with real amps has been each guitar player has one amp. Of course, they have pedals and stuff but several aspects of the tone don't change during the set. To me, that's part of the "live" experience, especially when that makes it sound different from the recording.
 
I'm a one IR guy as well.

The way I view the Axe is: it's a substitute for amps and cabs and pedals. Different players use all sorts of rigs, and I don't see any need for changing my approach just because I'm all digital. If I were someone who generally had a large pedalboard and multiple amps and cabs and switchers onstage, I'd use the Axe that way and (very likely) experiment with even more amps and cabs.

But I've never felt the need to use more than one amp onstage. And I can relate to the IR "vertigo" when scrolling through the choices. I found one I liked on the first night with the Axe, and I've used it for almost every live show I've done since then. That's the way I'd use a traditional cab: find one that sounds good and stick with it.

If you're someone who always felt limited by using the same speakers for different parts of songs, etc... the Axe absolutely lets you go there. But sometimes with gear there's this feeling that "dammit, the box has all this stuff, I've gotta find a way to use it..."

And sometimes that urge gets in the way of making music :cool:
 
Yes, I only use one IR, it's the one I shot of my own 4x12. Nothing else comes close to as 'real' sounding as that one, to my ears.
Of course, this means that when I use different amps in presets, they can tend to sound very similar, as much of the character comes from the cab/speakers, but there is a specific sound I tend to go for, much like any other player would, so that kind of makes sense.
 
For all my Marshall stuff, I've been using the OH rEvolution 412 MRBW. The premixed blends are great. There are enough of them to cover any mix situation, they're not nasal, they're so well mixed there's really no hint of mic color, and I don't have to putz around with eq.

So technically not just one IR, but the same cab.
 
There's actually a cool bit of cognitive bias behind this- we tend to find familiar sounds more appealing than unfamiliar ones. I've got two IRs I use for basically everything, even though I have a few others that I can tell are just as "good," I keep going back to my mainstays because they sound "right."
 
craiguitar said:
Yes, I only use one IR, it's the one I shot of my own 4x12. Nothing else comes close to as 'real' sounding as that one, to my ears.
Of course, this means that when I use different amps in presets, they can tend to sound very similar, as much of the character comes from the cab/speakers, but there is a specific sound I tend to go for, much like any other player would, so that kind of makes sense.
Click to expand...
You make it sound good enough to... share? 😁
 
Ok well I feel like I’m comfortable being a 1-IR man. I only ever had one amp before! It’s mostly what others have said, finding that one that you like and tweaking amps to suit. Consistency is good! However... then I wonder... is there a magic trick one out there I just haven’t tried yet..... 😫😂
 
tysonlt said:
You make it sound good enough to... share? 😁
Click to expand...
Sure, I can share it. I can't imagine it would suit anyone else's setup at all, I mean, it's right for my purposes, that's probably about it....
It's a basic 1994 Marshall 1940A with V30's on the top, 75's on the bottom, which are mixed in a little bit on the IR. Shot with an SM57
 

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craiguitar said:
Sure, I can share it. I can't imagine it would suit anyone else's setup at all, I mean, it's right for my purposes, that's probably about it....
It's a basic 1994 Marshall 1940A with V30's on the top, 75's on the bottom, which are mixed in a little bit on the IR. Shot with an SM57
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks. Gonna try this out.
 
I usually start my preset with a greenback or v30 mix from a ML soundlab pack. If I feel its missing bottom end or something from the highs I'll add in an additional darker or brighter IR. I used to depend a lot on using the post EQ in the amp block when using one IR but found I use it less by mixing and matching IRs which is a pleasing workflow for me personally.
 
craiguitar said:
Sure, I can share it. I can't imagine it would suit anyone else's setup at all, I mean, it's right for my purposes, that's probably about it....
It's a basic 1994 Marshall 1940A with V30's on the top, 75's on the bottom, which are mixed in a little bit on the IR. Shot with an SM57
Click to expand...
Awesome thanks! I will try this out tonight!
 
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