Cab IR starting point

sk8te4free7

sk8te4free7

Inspired
As i'm very new to the idea of purchasing cab IR's. I have bought at least one speaker IR by ownhammer and one fractal cab pack but i don't know where to start. I've experimented with most .wav files included in each purchase but in conclusion i can't get a good result as to the tone i'm to achieve for high gain amps (Cab-Lab is used as well). I hear so much grain and fizz while i try to send each sample to the cab scratch pad and use different amp models, yet i'm still stuck.

How do you guys know which IR to approach first in order to get the tone you're aiming for? do you have a preferred .wav Mic positioning? What other factors must i consider before diving into getting a IR for mid high gain amp usage?
 
IR's as tone is a matter of taste . There are great IR's out there , classic or modern sounding , for different music styles . Mic positioning gives you brighter or darker tones , tighter or more room like ambience . For Hi gain amps I use CK CabPack 7 , and CabPack 8 just released , see Clark Kent demos , huge tones there. I would't bother at the beginning with Mics . For more , see link:Impulse Responses (IRs) - Axe-Fx II Wiki
 
Hmmm, i might be overthinking the idea of having so many IR captures for one speaker. I get the different mic positioning and different mic IR's but the speakers... they're confusing me for some odd reason lol
 
You can still correct the amount of lows and highs if an IR is too bassy or way to shrill, so a wrong balance there isn't a reason to say an IR is crap or not.
That what EQs can't change much is the charakter in the mids and lower highs. Think of it like a humans voice, the FOH tech can add lows and so on, but you still hear who's voice it is.
For the IR there is something similar, a certain voice in the midrange that reminds you of a real cab, a cab that you know and that you have heard before. It might hit you when you hear it. If one hits you, keep it, and EQ bass and highs to see if you can get it balanced for your needs by a following eq block.
Thinking if it as human and animal voices made things easier for me, so I can tell if it's part of the charakter or something for the eq.
 
Ahh aright, i'm getting a better idea as to what you're referring to.. So as i'm trying different files left and right in the scratch pad, i must have my amp and EQ blocks setup to my needs and tweak as i change the IR samples?
 
I think the best place to start is with a general idea of what various popular speakers sound like... why do rock guys gravitate toward v30's, country & pop often have alnico's, heavy guys like 75's & 100's, greenies for vintage, etc.
Same goes for mics.
As for mixing them, the quickest & easiest way I've come across is to start with a pair of IRs with a character you like, one bright and one dark, then mix them to taste. Then go back and cut boominess & harshness with EQ.
 
sk8te4free7 said:
As i'm very new to the idea of purchasing cab IR's. I have bought at least one speaker IR by ownhammer and one fractal cab pack but i don't know where to start. I've experimented with most .wav files included in each purchase but in conclusion i can't get a good result as to the tone i'm to achieve for high gain amps (Cab-Lab is used as well). I hear so much grain and fizz while i try to send each sample to the cab scratch pad and use different amp models, yet i'm still stuck.

How do you guys know which IR to approach first in order to get the tone you're aiming for? do you have a preferred .wav Mic positioning? What other factors must i consider before diving into getting a IR for mid high gain amp usage?
Click to expand...

I think you might be approaching this backwards.
Instead of trying different amp models with the same IR, you should first build a great tone with one amp model you like and then audition different IR's with that setup.
Using the browser auto audition feature in Axe Edit, you can go through a hundred IR's in fifteen minutes.
Check out this video from Chris@AxFxTutorials.com:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-MarYG1OVg

The first half talks about auditioning presets, the second half is dedicated to cabs.
 
sk8te4free7 said:
Ahh aright, i'm getting a better idea as to what you're referring to.. So as i'm trying different files left and right in the scratch pad, i must have my amp and EQ blocks setup to my needs and tweak as i change the IR samples?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's a bit of a problem at the start. Once you have decent settings it's getting easier, because you can AB sound and tell if it's a progress. When I audition IRs I try to keep amp settings but I use eqs. When I audition amps I keep the IR but I use eqs. Changing all three parts together isn't the way for me, but out of luck good results might be possible as well. I need the feeling that I had a bit of a structure when searching through collections and it was not just a waste of time because I was fooling aroung without a plan.
 
All you need to do is try a couple of CK's Alloy mixes, find one that sounds good, and jam.

Clark totally took all the hassle out of IR's but providing a folder of fantastic sounding, and tonally different, mixes so its literally as simple as "does #1 sound good ?, No ? then try #2 ? Hmmm. still not there, try #4 ? Perfect ? Great"
 
I find that with Marshalls, Greenbacks work for me. The trick is to know what type of speaker will work with your amp of choice.

From the new V3 from OH I like the EDVH, PR20 Greenback, and the Lynchback if I'm using a Marshall. Usually middle of the mic position around 4, sometimes 3. Sometimes a straight SM57 other times the RMDR mix on 3 or 4. I'm also loving the Bogner cab slightly more than the TV, and with the Lynchback for now.

IRs are very much trial and error. The OH pricing makes this much more tempting. If you hate one, it's only a few $.
 
My tip would be to not complicate it. It is really easy to get a proper sound with the Axe-Fx.

People seem to like my tones and I usually use a Recto or Freidman HBE completely stock with everything at noon. Then obviously my own IRs.

I'm not sure what FAS Cab Pack you got but you can try the free IRs I made that are in your Axe-Fx factory slots for trying Cab Pack 7.
 
I have a better understanding on how to approach the IR's now. I do appreciate the feedback guys. I really do! In regards to the cab pack by fractal, i have cab pack #5. If you guys have this pack, which file # should i try to test first?

From what i've heard so far on my end is that there is a "mix" IR, from my judgment that means that all the .wav files that each cab pack comes with has a mic just slightly in a different offset position? The mix cab has All of those combined into one mixed version?
 
I don't have experience with Cab Pack 5 but it's got an impressive list of cabs in it.

Just for comparison I suggest you try out the free stock IRs from Cab Pack 7. F073 and F074 are what I'm talking about. You can blend those two together and you should have a "perfect" sound. :)
 
Most mixes are not about offsets of the same mic, they are mixes of different mics.
Good combinations often contain one mic with strong mids and highs (Shure SM57 or other dyn) and one mic to supply strong lows (like Royer 121) and some have something special like the 1x6 oval speaker mixed in or a farfield IR (farfield sounds like it's far away, but that begins like 1 foot away from the cab).
 
Awesome, thanks for the input guys. What i ended up doing was mashing one factory cab with the cab packs i've purchased and i'm hearing a tone difference.
 
I wonder if there is a diagram where it shows an image drawn of a speaker. Have numbers pointing out in numerical form where each mic was placed in front of the speaker so we wouldn't have to guess by ear why each .wav files sounds a certain way but we can visually see roughly where they were recorded. If that makes any sense at all. Like a planogram
 
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