Cab Naming Standards

[sprint]

Anyone know what the A,B,C,D,E... in the cab names refers to specifically? I know they are probably mic positions but what is the naming standard interpretation?

 

[h.c.e.]

I’ve never seen much of a consensus amongst the cab producers for their naming conventions. With most of the Fractal Cab Packs the A, B, C, or D designators tend to just differentiate various “sweet spots” shot on the day it seems, for some other producers they can denote which of the 4 speakers in a 4x cab that was captured. Sometimes the page about the given pack (or the pdf that came with the pack) might have more info.

 

[sprint]

Thanks - I've been looking at a few of the pdfs that came with the cab packs but have not found much related info.

I was auditioning class-A cabs and expected a 57-A to be brighter than a 57-C thinking that a "C" must mean "farther out on the cone toward the edge of the speaker", but I was hearing the opposite. So after this it's just "pick what you like the sound of" and your into the rabbit hole wince there's too many to audition in that manner.

For me I really need a logical way to choose from a large selection of IR files (ir brand, cab type/size, speaker type, mic type, mic placement in relation to cab (front/rear/off-axis), mic placement in relation to speaker cap, mic distance. If I don't have my head around what each IR files means in relation to these parameters in a big IR library to aid in selection then I find myself just aimlessly swimming in an ocean of IRs. At some point I imagine having a graphical interface where we choose a cabinet, speaker type, and mic typ and then move it around on the screen while the software picks the related IR behind the scene (I think BIAS has kinda done this with Celestion but not sure it would be possible across different IR suppliers).

 

[York Audio]

Thanks - I've been looking at a few of the pdfs that came with the cab packs but have not found much related info.

I was auditioning class-A cabs and expected a 57-A to be brighter than a 57-C thinking that a "C" must mean "farther out on the cone toward the edge of the speaker", but I was hearing the opposite. So after this it's just "pick what you like the sound of" and your into the rabbit hole wince there's too many to audition in that manner.

For me I really need a logical way to choose from a large selection of IR files (ir brand, cab type/size, speaker type, mic type, mic placement in relation to cab (front/rear/off-axis), mic placement in relation to speaker cap, mic distance. If I don't have my head around what each IR files means in relation to these parameters in a big IR library to aid in selection then I find myself just aimlessly swimming in an ocean of IRs. At some point I imagine having a graphical interface where we choose a cabinet, speaker type, and mic typ and then move it around on the screen while the software picks the related IR behind the scene (I think BIAS has kinda done this with Celestion but not sure it would be possible across different IR suppliers).

Every IR producer seems to have a different shooting method with different positions, distances, angles, etc... so there isn’t really a universal labeling system that would work across all IR brands.

If you ever check out my stuff, A-H is the mic placement around the speaker with bright, balanced, and dark variations for each position. That was the easiest way I could think of for you to visualize where the mic is being placed and also makes for quick auditioning.

Good luck on your hunt. The encouraging part is that once you’ve found the IR that nails the tone of the cab and speaker you’re after, you’ll rarely have to change it...unless you get bored or want to play with new mics. It’s definitely worth the time investment.