Cab Pack: ML USA Bass based on Mesa PowerHouse PH1000

selta said:
I'm going to be doing some more short clips like that "soon". I'm in the middle of selling a house / buying another house so things are super hectic, but I'll get to it as quickly as possible. Thanks for the mention and sharing of that clip :)
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No problem buddy! :)
 
The pack was just released! Click here to find out more: http://shop.fractalaudio.com/ML_USA_Bass_UltraRes_Cab_Pack_p/fas-801-0029.htm

Notes:

ML USA Bass... Attention Bass Players!
Cab Pack: ML USA Bass - UltraRes contains 113 User Cab IRs and 16 Preset-Cab Bundles produced for Fractal Audio Systems by Mikko Logrén from ML Sound Lab. This collection includes separate and mixed IR’s of all speakers in the cabinet including a 15 inch speaker (marked “E”) , four 10 inch speakers (marked “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”) and a tweeter (marked “T”) to give you a variety of different tones. The “Ace” folder includes our favorite picks for each mic on each speaker for quick users.

User Cabs may be easily uploaded to your Axe-Fx II using Fractal-Bot, Axe-Edit, or Cab-Lab. This pack also includes the high resolution .IR files required to create your own original multi-mic UltraRes™ mixes in Cab-Lab.

NOTES FROM THE PRODUCER:

This pack is based on a Mesa Standard PowerHouse 1000 bass speaker cabinet. Within this huge cabinet you'll find four 10 inch speakers (4x10) with a 15 inch speaker in the middle (1x15) and a tweeter for a neutral response. I've spent a couple of months really studying bass tone and how it works. I had always thought DI bass was the industry standard but after going through stems for around 60+ songs I noticed that it was not actually the case. Mics are most definitely being used at least for the high end in most cases.

The 10 inch speakers (A, B, C, D) deliver that scooped grindy bass tone that's previously been offered in IRs based on Ampeg models, BUT... the sturdy construction of this cabinet makes these IRs even more powerful and aggressive. I liken its sound to some of my favorite classic bass tones on albums by No Doubt, Bon Jovi, Green Day, Metallica, Blink 182, Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold, Killswitch Engage etc. Speaker C was disabled in some of the captures because it was right next to the tweeter.

The 15 inch speaker delivers a more neutral and guitar-like sound. If you've ever felt like you prefer guitar IR's for bass then this is for you. It has the same low end that's meant for bass but it's not at all scooped and the high end is a lot smoother than on a 10 inch speaker. The R121 E1 is my go-to IR for bass right now and I try to go for a Paramore type bass tone with a thunderous low end and a very even frequency roll off all the way to the top. (Check the Preset-Cab Bundle called "Rock" for this type of a tone) Other bass tones that benefit from a 15 inch speaker are f.ex. Muse, Arctic Monkeys, AlterBridge, and Periphery.

The tweeter (T) and subkick (SUB) give you extended range when needed. The SysEx IR files for these speakers are intentionally phase inverted (I won't go in to the wavelength mumbo jumbo here).

Preset-Cab Bundles are what I've spent the most time on for this pack. All of the presets are based on real life bass tones but obviously every bass is different and this will affect the sound more than different guitars (since bass is mostly a clean instrument). The presets are as follows:


  • ML USA Bass Punchy - A "Green Day" type sound
  • ML USA Bass Beefy - inspired by "No Doubt"
  • ML USA Bass Balanced - inspired by "Blink 182"
  • ML USA Bass Smooth - inspired by "Kooks" or "Maroon 5"
  • ML USA Bass Power - inspired by "Bon Jovi"
  • ML USA Bass Growl - inspired by "Metallica"
  • ML USA Bass Hard Rock - Inspired by "A7X" or "Bullet For My Valentine"
  • ML USA Bass Rock - inspired by "Paramore"
  • ML USA Bass Metal - inspired by "Slipknot"
  • ML USA Bass Metalcore - inspired by "Killswitch Engage"
  • ML USA Bass Buzz - Inspired by "Blur" specifically "Song 2"
  • ML USA Bass Drive - Inspired by "Muse" specifically "Knights of Cydonia"
  • ML USA Bass Fuzz - Inspired by "Muse" specifically "Supermassive Blackhole"
  • ML USA Bass Distortion - Inspired by "Muse" "Assassin"
  • ML USA Bass Progressive - Inspired by "Karnivool" specifically "Simple Boy"
  • ML USA Bass Djent - Inspired by "Periphery III"


NOTE: Sadly not all presets could be converted to AX8 with dual amps etc.


Speakers & Microphones
ML USA Bass is based on a Mesa™ Standard PowerHouse® PH 1000 cabinet with Eminence™ 1x15 and 4x10 speakers & HF Horn

  • Microphones used include:
  • Shure™ SM57
  • Shure™ Beta 52A
  • Royer™ R121
  • Sennheiser™ e906
  • Sennheiser™ MD421
  • Beyerdynamic™ M160
  • Subkick Microphone
 
I like them already!
They're nice and clear, and they've got a pretty good plug-and-play functionality to them.
I made a couple presets from scratch this morning, and I'm finding I don't have to doctor the sound as much as I usually do with bass to get things to sit nicely both in the room and in a mix.
 
The Last Romantic said:
I like them already!
They're nice and clear, and they've got a pretty good plug-and-play functionality to them.
I made a couple presets from scratch this morning, and I'm finding I don't have to doctor the sound as much as I usually do with bass to get things to sit nicely both in the room and in a mix.
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That's exactly what I was impressed with immediately when doing the first session with the cab. We've all been there mixing bass and trying to make it fit somewhere in a natural way where it doesn't go over the guitars or kick. Haven't had that problem ever since I've been using these. :)
 
Hey Guys!

I'm having trouble importing the preset-cab bundles in Axe-Edit. I just get "Unable to import. The selected file is not a valid preset."

Anyone have any suggestions?

Oh, btw... I have an AxeFx 2 Mark 2 and am running Axe-Edit 3.0.4



Lewis
 
loconnor said:
Hey Guys!

I'm having trouble importing the preset-cab bundles in Axe-Edit. I just get "Unable to import. The selected file is not a valid preset."

Anyone have any suggestions?

Oh, btw... I have an AxeFx 2 Mark 2 and am running Axe-Edit 3.0.4



Lewis
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How are you trying the import? It worked flawlessly for me. Is it just one bundle, or multiple?
 
loconnor said:
Hey Guys!

I'm having trouble importing the preset-cab bundles in Axe-Edit. I just get "Unable to import. The selected file is not a valid preset."

Anyone have any suggestions?

Oh, btw... I have an AxeFx 2 Mark 2 and am running Axe-Edit 3.0.4



Lewis
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Might be a stupid question but are you using the correct files? The ones in the Axe-Fx Preset-Cab Bundles folder?
 
Yeah, I don't use Axe-Edit very often but I think I'm doing it correctly.

Click the 'Import' button then select any of the files in the Axe-Fx Preset-Cab Bundles.

I've attached a couple of screenshots of this process.

Screen Shot 2016-09-30 at 09.56.44.jpg Screen Shot 2016-09-30 at 09.57.13.jpg
 
loconnor said:
Yeah, I don't use Axe-Edit very often but I think I'm doing it correctly.

Click the 'Import' button then select any of the files in the Axe-Fx Preset-Cab Bundles.

I've attached a couple of screenshots of this process.

View attachment 35304 View attachment 35305
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I'm pretty sure it's a problem with Axe-Edit. I double checked the officially released pack with the newest version of Axe-Edit and found no issues. The newest version of Axe-Edit is 3.8.2 which is what I'm using so you may want to try that one out. Also the firmware of your Axe-Fx plays a part. I hope this helps you get things working. :)

EDIT: The way Axe-Edit will load these Preset-Cab Bundles is that it'll automatically place the IR's into scratchpad slots. If you like the preset and want to save it, it'll prompt you about saving the IR's onto user cab slots.
 
The Latest Firmware updates for AX8 and AXFX and their -Edit programs addresses and corrects the Preset-Cab import process. BTW, Mikko, another stellar job on this cab pack! Caused me to whip out my decades old junky mystery bass that I seldom use, with great results.
 
bradlake said:
The Latest Firmware updates for AX8 and AXFX and their -Edit programs addresses and corrects the Preset-Cab import process. BTW, Mikko, another stellar job on this cab pack! Caused me to whip out my decades old junky mystery bass that I seldom use, with great results.
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Thank you so much Brad! :) I've been playing bass more than guitar lately as well.
 
Thanks Guys! Updating Axe-Edit has done the trick :)

Awesome work Mikko, I've been struggling to dial in a good bass tone for a while now but playing around with these cabs/presets makes it effortless. That metal preset sounds like it was made for me!

Fantastic stuff.


Lewis
 
ML SOUND LAB said:
For a slight dirt the 1987X.
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This is one my go-to amps for blending in with my DI and bass amp tracks for some grit. I like using it with a 4x12 Marshall IR.

On another note, what would you say is the main difference sound wise between this and your previous bass cab pack? More upper-mids? Or anything else?
 
Huge thank you to everyone! :)

B:ASSMASTER said:
This is one my go-to amps for blending in with my DI and bass amp tracks for some grit. I like using it with a 4x12 Marshall IR.

On another note, what would you say is the main difference sound wise between this and your previous bass cab pack? More upper-mids? Or anything else?
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Main difference is variety and versatility. The 15 inch speaker is incredible and sounds really good even with guitars. The 10 inch speakers are closer to the Ampeg cab I made but with more of a Mesa sound = modern. Focused low end, aggressive middles and sparkly high end. With the subkick and tweeter IR's you can create a full range mix. :)
 
Purchased and they sound great! Im now down to toting the axe to run bass and guitar simultaneously. The re121 sound balanced and the sub cab brings the hop to the hip. Love how they sound like a meaty sub being over pushed but at LOW VOLUME in the studio. Who knew you could mix bass guitars with headphones and a litte axe. Thanks for the pack, sadly I wont need much more for a looong time.
 
ShanesPlanet said:
Purchased and they sound great! Im now down to toting the axe to run bass and guitar simultaneously. The re121 sound balanced and the sub cab brings the hop to the hip. Love how they sound like a meaty sub being over pushed but at LOW VOLUME in the studio. Who knew you could mix bass guitars with headphones and a litte axe. Thanks for the pack, sadly I wont need much more for a looong time.
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Well thank you again for the review. :) The IR's definitely beef up even a Precision bass which is what I use most of the time. I'm making a preview video so everyone gets an idea of what the IR's are capable of. Words are sometimes not enough. :)
 
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