Atomic CLR First Time at Rehearsal

Tom just got a whole new batch in and offered a few hundred off so I opted to get one which is finally en route from east coast to me in Calif.
I have not used one in years so I will do an updated review following it's arrival :cool:
 
cragginshred said:
Tom just got a whole new batch in and offered a few hundred off so I opted to get one which is finally en route from east coast to me in Calif.
I have not used one in years so I will do an updated review following it's arrival :cool:
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Good to hear they're back in stock, I know they've had a tough time with supply chain issues. Are these new (CLR Active Cab)? I'm pretty happy with my EV PXMs, but I'd love to have something that looked a little more like a traditional cab.
 
Are the Atomic CLR's very flat or do they exaggerate certain frequencies? Used one for the first time last night with my FM9 and presets I typically use. But I never got the chance to try the Atomic before rehearsal so I just plugged in and went for it. Im wondering if my presets might have transferred with a bit more high end than normal? Idk. Im used to using in ears all the time so it was hard to tell either way. It's a new band, 2nd guitarist and different setup. Just wondering how flat the Atomics tend to be
 
Yes, being flat is the whole idea behind the design of the CLRs. They very accurately reproduce what the modeler is sending to them.
 
I might post my preset later to see what y’all think. I was at rehearsal standing next to the other guitarist. Again it was my first time rehearsing with them and the setup wasn’t ideal. I was standing next to the other guitarist. He had his amp and cabinet right behind him, the one PA speaker to the side of him and I had the atomic wedge a couple feet directly in front of me. He was off to the side of wedge but commented how he thought my tone had too much high end and couldn’t discern the notes. I’m open to criticism but how could he tell without being directly in front of the wedge for optimal listening?
 
Jipps0525 said:
I might post my preset later to see what y’all think. I was at rehearsal standing next to the other guitarist. Again it was my first time rehearsing with them and the setup wasn’t ideal. I was standing next to the other guitarist. He had his amp and cabinet right behind him, the one PA speaker to the side of him and I had the atomic wedge a couple feet directly in front of me. He was off to the side of wedge but commented how he thought my tone had too much high end and couldn’t discern the notes. I’m open to criticism but how could he tell without being directly in front of the wedge for optimal listening?
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If he was off to the side, he'd likely hear way less high end as he's outside the dispersion range.

Same applies for discerning notes.

As you move outside the dispersion range the sound tends to become muffled and bassy.

Possibly he's hearing the PA more?
 
unix-guy said:
If he was off to the side, he'd likely hear way less high end as he's outside the dispersion range.

Same applies for discerning notes.

As you move outside the dispersion range the sound tends to become muffled and bassy.

Possibly he's hearing the PA more?
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It's def possible. I wasnt even connected to the PA. Im going to try the PA next rehearsal. Here is the preset I mainly used and for the record, I use this preset in my other cover band (only guitarist) going direct to the PA and my IEM's and it sounds fantastic. So I think it just got in my head for a second. I also use my Ollo S5X headphones to make preset tweaks.
 

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Tried the preset. Sounds great, for HOME use. But it won't work at higher volume levels, like a rehearsal or gig. At those levels the sound gets much too bright and it will get lost in the mix, no matter how high you turn up the volume. This is the phenomenon known as: Fletcher-Munson.

https://wiki.fractalaudio.com/wiki/index.php?title=Connections_and_levels#Fletcher-Munson

To solve this, dial in your preset (or a reference preset) at high volume level. Then resist the urge to increase treble and bass when playing that preset at home. Or: use the High Cut and Low Cut parameters in the Cab block to dial back treble and bass.
 
Jipps0525 said:
Are the Atomic CLR's very flat or do they exaggerate certain frequencies? Used one for the first time last night with my FM9 and presets I typically use. But I never got the chance to try the Atomic before rehearsal so I just plugged in and went for it. Im wondering if my presets might have transferred with a bit more high end than normal? Idk. Im used to using in ears all the time so it was hard to tell either way. It's a new band, 2nd guitarist and different setup. Just wondering how flat the Atomics tend to be
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Take out your ears for a minute, and find out what the CLRs really sound like. :)
 
yek said:
Tried the preset. Sounds great, for HOME use. But it won't work at higher volume levels, like a rehearsal or gig. At those levels the sound gets much too bright and it will get lost in the mix, no matter how high you turn up the volume. This is the phenomenon known as: Fletcher-Munson.

https://wiki.fractalaudio.com/wiki/index.php?title=Connections_and_levels#Fletcher-Munson

To solve this, dial in your preset (or a reference preset) at high volume level. Then resist the urge to increase treble and bass when playing that preset at home. Or: use the High Cut and Low Cut parameters in the Cab block to dial back treble and bass.
Click to expand...
But this is basically just the CA3+ factory preset with a few tweaks... arent the factory presets made at gig level volumes?
 
Jipps0525 said:
I didnt have my ears in last night with the CLR
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Okay. That's not how I read your post...

Jipps0525 said:
Idk. Im used to using in ears all the time so it was hard to tell either way.
Click to expand...

That, coupled with the fact that you were relying on someone else to tell your that the sound was off, suggested that you had your ears in.

Either way, what @yek posted is valuable advice.
 
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Jipps0525 said:
It is, and I do the best I can, but if the factory presets are made at gig level volumes (could be wrong about that) then that shouldn’t be an issue.
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True. But you're not playing factory presets. You're playing factory presets "with a few tweaks."
 
yek said:
Tried the preset. Sounds great, for HOME use. But it won't work at higher volume levels, like a rehearsal or gig. At those levels the sound gets much too bright and it will get lost in the mix, no matter how high you turn up the volume. This is the phenomenon known as: Fletcher-Munson.

https://wiki.fractalaudio.com/wiki/index.php?title=Connections_and_levels#Fletcher-Munson

To solve this, dial in your preset (or a reference preset) at high volume level. Then resist the urge to increase treble and bass when playing that preset at home. Or: use the High Cut and Low Cut parameters in the Cab block to dial back treble and bass.
Click to expand...
This is really helpful. Can you feel from experience or do you have a go to backing track that helps put you in the range of how a preset might sound in the mix?
 
Matt007 said:
This is really helpful. Can you feel from experience or do you have a go to backing track that helps put you in the range of how a preset might sound in the mix?
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I can’t speak for @yek, but I’ll say this:

When you play a preset that sounds good at bedroom levels but sounds harsh and shrill at gig volume, you can recognize the harshness pretty clearly when you turn it up. If you’ve played such a preset in a band situation, you know from memory that such a tone will get lost in the mix, because you’ve experienced it yourself.

But it’s never a bad idea to play a preset at gig volume with the band or a backing track, just to see what it does in that situation.
 
I just got a new neo CLR from Tom at 200$ off for the pre order deal he offered about 3 months ago. Sounds killer and it really is the best option right now for what's out there for FRFR's

I think what Yek said makes a lot of sense and we all know it but need to be reminded. I just label a band volume pre set as LIVE, then save it to a different bank and then dial in my bedroom volume tone on another preset
 
I can't dial anything in 100% in advance b/c the room makes as much difference as the speakers, so even if you dialed it in loud in your practice space with the exact band, its not the room you are playing in.

This is why being able to make quick, on the fly adjustments to EQ and Reverb FX (if used) can be important. It's why I like the 3 band EQ on the SD700 for example - quick room rebalancing.
 
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