Help with cabs

andyp13

andyp13

Power User
I have been trying out some new (to me) amp blocks and have discovered some amazing new tones..
however I tend to stick with one cab block the 4x12 Basketweave. lastnight I plodded through lots of cabs from 1x12, 2x12 and 4x12 and found virtually everyone of them sounded naisely.. I’m playing through 2x RCF TT08‘s at ‘house’ volume. but each cab seemed to be scooped in the mids with flabby bass and fizzy trebles - smiley face and one or two Opposite to that... ☹
im really struggling to find a cab that does not sound naisely other than the Basketweave and also the 1x12 Shiver R121.
I haven’t spent much time with the Cab blocks as I tended to find one I liked and stuck with it..
it has been suggested that I experiment with Cabs as this is where the sound really comes from, as basically all amps are virtually the same... but I can’t get rid of than naisely tone with cabs.... what (if anything) am I doing wrong and what’s the best way to tweak the cabs sound.

I did come across a PDF a while ago (need to find it again) that matched Cab blocks with Amp blocks but the majority of the suggested cabs I didn’t have..

this post is not a criticism (so please no abuse).
 
Update,read that the C90 cab is used with the USA amps (boogie) but i don’t have a C90 cab in my Axe III, whats the equivalent please.
 
The trick is finding the right couple of IRs to blend, using the right levels, and the right eq. Problem is, while I know what mic combinations and eqs ought to work, I don't seem to be very good at it. It's never as simple as "pick a 57 and a 121 and add some low cut and high cuts." So I mostly stick to premixed IRs. There aren't a whole lot of those in the stock cabs, but there are a few good ones.

I bought some York and OH IRs, all Marshall vintage stuff. The OH rEvolution 412 MRBW cab sounds great for the EJ/brown sound stuff I like. It's particularly good in that there are lots of blends, and they're categorized with descriptive names such as "full", "cut", "scooped", "mid boost", "dark", etc. This makes it much easier to narrow down a cab to match the characteristics of a particular amp.

The Yorks are very good too, but they come with a much smaller selection of blends. I got the 412 M25 greenback and 412 blackjack cabs. I like the blackjack cab a little better, it's nice and smooth and dark.
 
I’m in a similar boat. I have my standby (a Marshall 1960A with celestion g12M 25-watt Greenbacks recorded through a royer r121) that I use for almost everything. I haven’t been able to find much that’s close. I wish there was a tool that could analyze all the thousands of IRs I have and then group them to similar curves.
 
andyp13 said:
I have been trying out some new (to me) amp blocks and have discovered some amazing new tones..
however I tend to stick with one cab block the 4x12 Basketweave. lastnight I plodded through lots of cabs from 1x12, 2x12 and 4x12 and found virtually everyone of them sounded naisely.. I’m playing through 2x RCF TT08‘s at ‘house’ volume. but each cab seemed to be scooped in the mids with flabby bass and fizzy trebles - smiley face and one or two Opposite to that... ☹
im really struggling to find a cab that does not sound naisely other than the Basketweave and also the 1x12 Shiver R121.
I haven’t spent much time with the Cab blocks as I tended to find one I liked and stuck with it..
it has been suggested that I experiment with Cabs as this is where the sound really comes from, as basically all amps are virtually the same... but I can’t get rid of than naisely tone with cabs.... what (if anything) am I doing wrong and what’s the best way to tweak the cabs sound.

I did come across a PDF a while ago (need to find it again) that matched Cab blocks with Amp blocks but the majority of the suggested cabs I didn’t have..

this post is not a criticism (so please no abuse).
Click to expand...
This may be a silly question, but do you have the unused IR slots muted in the cab block? If not, you’ll be hearing the Pignose 1x4 with everything you try. That would definitely make your tone more nasally. So make sure slots 2, 3, and 4 are muted and see if your problem goes away.

It could also be the amp model. Some of the Marshalls can get a little nasally with the mids cranked, so maybe try some other amps and see if it helps.
 
York Audio said:
This may be a silly question, but do you have the unused IR slots muted in the cab block? If not, you’ll be hearing the Pignose 1x4 with everything you try. That would definitely make your tone more nasally. So make sure slots 2, 3, and 4 are muted and see if your problem goes away.

It could also be the amp model. Some of the Marshalls can get a little nasally with the mids cranked, so maybe try some other amps and see if it helps.
Click to expand...

Hi yes all muted but the one I use :)
 
andyp13 said:
Update,read that the C90 cab is used with the USA amps (boogie) but i don’t have a C90 cab in my Axe III, whats the equivalent please.
Click to expand...

It's interesting that you're looking for a C90 cab. I was looking for the same cab recently when I had the FM3 for a short while. I couldn't find it. After reviewing the attachment that "yek" posted, https://wiki.fractalaudio.com/wiki/index.php?title=Cabinet_models_list#Axe-Fx_III_and_FM3, I can't find it again. It is present on the cab listing for the Axe-fx II and AX8. It's the 1x12 Shadow Mix (TAF), #F150 on that list. It's from The Amp Factory. That used to be my favorite cab used with Mesa amps. Maybe that's because I played a Mesa Mark V combo for years and enjoyed the C90 in that combo. I don't know what cab is similar on the Axe-fx III or FM3.
 
The C90 is in the Legacy bank, 1X12 Shadow Mix.

Since the difference the speaker and mic combination can make tonally can be drastic, I try to stick with the same mic of the IR that I'm most familiar with. This eliminates one part of the equation and gives me a better feel for what the different speaker 'should' sound like. Then I'll quickly go through the selected IRs and look for ones that have the overall feel I prefer; good balance, not harsh or overly bright, and tight bottom end.

After I select a few to try, I'll spend some time with each IR, getting acquainted with the new tone. I used to compare the tone to the IR I know but that was counter-productive - the differences were glaring. It takes some for my ears get accustomed to the new speaker. When I started using this approach, I discovered a lot of great new tones and started using amps that I couldn't 'get along with' before.

Matching an amp model with the 'appropriate' cab and leaving everything at default values is also a good way to learn how the amp is 'supposed' to sound. There are still tweaks I make, some advanced parameters I like to use, but not until I feel a comfort level with the amp's core tone. This approach had completely changed how I dial in amps and drastically improved my live tone.
 
if you're finding flabby bass and fizzy treble across multiple IR's there's something wrong somewhere.
 
jlynnb1 said:
if you're finding flabby bass and fizzy treble across multiple IR's there's something wrong somewhere.
Click to expand...

clean sounds are generally OK it’s the overdrive sounds that mainly tend to suffer for me... With too much bottom and top... I don’t think there’s anything wrong.
 
andyp13 said:
clean sounds are generally OK it’s the overdrive sounds that mainly tend to suffer for me... With too much bottom and top... I don’t think there’s anything wrong.
Click to expand...
i would disagree...as this shouldn't be the case. What amps/OD's are you trying and what are your typical settings. The common denominator is what you're putting through those IR's, not the IR's, as they are all different.
 
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