Cab-Lab Live newbie FAQ

shasha

Fractal Fanatic
Just bought it last night, fired it up and was not exactly thrilled. Turned out that I had some things that I had to set up correctly, so I thought that we should go ahead and make a thread so people aren't running around trying to figure out what is what in a million different threads.

CabLab 3 user manual

LIVE MODE
QUES: "I can't hear anything in Live mode"
ANS: Make sure that you are connected (top menu) and then go to the settings tab and configure the Audio to use the FAS driver.

QUES: "when I am in Live mode it sounds different then when I load it into the cab"
ANS: Make sure that you have the cab block bypassed in the preset. This doesn't happen automatically and you are basically running a cab block into a cab block (it should, but it reportedly is not the case and is being looked into by FAS).

QUES: "my levels are low when in Live mode"
ANS: Check the I/O->AUDIO menu of the AxeFXII and make sure that USB/DIGI OUT SOURCE is set to OUTPUT 1
ANS: Check the I/O->AUDIO menu of the AxeFXII and adjust the USB RETURN LEVEL (I just 0dB) * This is only for FW v18.01 and later

QUES: "My levels are different between live mode and just using the cab"
ANS: As of right now I'm going into the output mixer and raising the level about 3-6dB; not sure if this is just a "me" issue, but I checked everything I can think of and it's working great.

QUES: "I am experiencing a lot of latency in Live mode"
ANS: Make sure that you are using ASIO as your audio device type under the SETTINGS ->AUDIO menu. You can also select ADVANCED and then CONTROL PANEL and open the FAS driver control panel. It will be set to SAFE by default. Selecting STANDARD and perhaps lowering the buffer to 256 will eliminate most of the latency. In some cases you can run "low latency" at 128 samples (that's what I am running right now). Be sure to hit RESET DEVICE in select audio device menu before closing the window.

iLok
QUES: "why do we have to have iLok"
ANS: Because people are utter douchebags and it is one of the only ways to reduce piracy. And yes it is designed to work with the AxeFXII, but the plugin version is usable by anyone with a DAW so it opens up a whole other market which means it's more likely to be illegally distributed.

QUES: "I just bought CabLab3 12 seconds ago, where is my activation code"
ANS: Codes are issued manually by FAS so depending on the time of day or whether it is within the business week there could some delay.

QUES: "do I have to be connected to the internet to use CabLab"
ANS: To activate the license it needs to be able to connect to the iLok server, but I have disabled the network adapter after activation and the application opened up fine. There may be a time limit involved where it will need to be checked though, we probably need further clarification.

QUES: "can I use CabLab on more than one machine"
ANS: From what I understand so far there are two options. One involved buying an iLok2 USB dongle and you can just move that from machine to machine and it will automatically activate the instance on that machine. The other option is to use the iLok manager and deactivate it from the current machine and activate it on the one you are going to use each time you change workstations. I have not tried either so I can't confirm these methods.

QUES: "if I activate CabLab on a Mac and then upgrade the machine to Windows can I transfer the activation"
ANS: Not answered by FAS directly, but I am sure that this is possible, especially since you can deactivate and activate on a machine by machine basis.

QUES: "can I use my iLok2 dongle"
ANS: Yes

QUES: "does iLok cost anything"
ANS: If you buy a dongle then yes, if you download the software it is free. FAS has paid to use iLok so it is probably factored into the cost of the program to some degree.

More to come......
 
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Question: I have been using CL2 and am considering upgrading to CL3, probably just the standalone version. Can anyone point out the significant differences between the two?

EDIT: Just saw the manual was up. I'm guessing the answer to my question is the more powerful editing tools like phase adjustment?
 
Question: I have been using CL2 and am considering upgrading to CL3, probably just the standalone version. Can anyone point out the significant differences between the two?

EDIT: Just saw the manual was up. I'm guessing the answer to my question is the more powerful editing tools like phase adjustment?
The biggest differences are being able to hear the IR in real time through the AxeFXII as you adjust it (live mode). The other is that you can use a reference file (included in the last couple of cab packs) that removes all of the influence of the amplifier that was used to create the original IR's. It's not a massive change, but it is definitely audible and I am sure that some of the guys who are obsessed with pristine representation would consider this a big deal. Personally I use them if they are available right now.
 
I can't edit the original post, but there is an update that needs to be made.

QUES: "My levels are different between live mode and just using the cab"
ANS: As of right now I'm going into the output mixer and raising the level about 3-6dB; not sure if this is just a "me" issue, but I checked everything I can think of and it's working great.

That needs to be changed to:
QUES: "My levels are different between live mode and just using the cab"
ANS: There will be some differences between CabLab and the cabinet block due to some of the parameters available in the AxeFXII. If it is significant make sure that your USB return level is set to 0dB. You can adjust the mixer output level to compensate slightly, but make sure that you set it back when returning the cab block and exiting CabLab live mode.
 
HELP Please

I am using a MacBook Pro with Yosemite 10.3.3

I connect the axe fx to the mac pro by an internet cable.

I try to use cab lab 3 in the live mode but the SOUND disappears.

On the axe fx monitors are connected to the output 1. Guitar is coming from front input. I went in and on the I/O audio tab adjusted usb return level to 0db and usb return to output 1. On mac pro the cab lab settings are also adjusted to in and out for axe fx.

I am using version 19 with the latest drivers on mac book pro.

I am able to load patches to cablab3 and send them to scracthplate and the connection is good but as soon as i press the live mode the sound disappears.

PLEASE HELP !!!!!! Where am i going wrong?
 
Great info, thanks! Also, thanks for the user manual link, I was not able to find this manual on the manual page at Fractalaudio.com
 
Thanks for the link to the user manual I didn't see it on the main Fractal site, and thanks for the Q&A stuff really helpful!
 
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