High Cut - Yes or No

Polluxx

Polluxx

Member
Hello Mates,

I would like to know how you deal with this topic:
Justin (York Audio) recommends not setting a high cut on his IRs and rather playing with the treble and presence controls to make the sound more open.
I try to do the same, but I don't get it as clean as when I set a high cut.
I then try to counteract this with the presence control, but the sound is already different when I compare it with a b, I just can't find a sweet spot. How do you deal with this? I'm always out to get the maximum sound quality, it's not enough for me that it only sounds good to my ears, I also want to bring in science and work sensibly in theory, because good is the enemy of better.

I usually use the SLO 100 with the York 65m Cream IR from York Audio.
So far, I have usually set the high cut at 8000.

I am very curious about your approaches.
 
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It depends on your amp, your guitar, your ir, the tone you wanna have, the band that you’re in etc.

Use the tool you prefer to get where you want.

It doesn’t matter if it’s presence or high cut or eq block. There’s no right way to do it but multiple ways to achieve what you want.
 
Polluxx said:
So far, I have usually set the high cut at 8000.
Click to expand...
Alternatively, you can use Global EQ to tune the final output to a room or a band.
This will allow you to have the full tone when you need it, but lower 8K and frequencies above it if particular venue asks for it.
 
To start I use my ears and look at how the real world counterpart would work. You also have to take in to account where you fit sonically in the mix! I would also second what @Joshua_L has posted. I'm going to start with different cut values if I'm using a Marshall amp with a V30 speaker vers a Vox using a Blue or Fender etc.

How much of the harmonic distortions you want to hear is directly related to how much you cut the high end! Which is probably why Justin at York audio is saying that he doesn't like to use a cut but use the treble and presents knob to tame the high end but that's just a guess.
 
Polluxx said:
Hello Mates,

I would like to know how you deal with this topic:
Justin (York Audio) recommends not setting a high cut on his IRs and rather playing with the treble and presence controls to make the sound more open.
I try to do the same, but I don't get it as clean as when I set a high cut.
Click to expand...

tremble is before the poweramp, presence is in the poweramp; they both affect the overdrive/saturation/compression/feel/etc... of the amp. The cut in the cab block does not change the dynamic and harmonic response of the amp. Hence different result!
 
I use @York Audio and @ownhammer IR's mostly.
I play live and use a single sm57 IR for rock, metal, pop, country, punk, 80's hair, etc. I could probably get away with using the Factory 2 #757 Lynch 57 IR. Sorcery, you say? LOL.
My cuts in the Preamp tab of the cab block are 130hz @ 18dB to 12k @ 6dB. One would think that I'm ripping everyone's earhole, but no complaints yet. Maybe they can't hear now, I don't know... LOL. I feel you need the top end sizzle. I'm also in the camp of "there is musical content up above that 6k to 8k cut".
I've tried the 6k to 8k high cut for years and it's has always seem dark and dull even with the FM effect in play. At gig volumes, I seemed to always sound muddy until I raised the high cut. With the high cut up at 12k, I can tweak the global EQ if necessary or the FOH can fix it. If we run our own mixer for smaller gigs, I can tweak my channel strip. Lots of options.

You just need to find what works for you in your situation and band mix. There's no right or wrong.
 
I've migrated away from high cuts. Occasionally will use gentle low cuts if needed. My first option is to adjust the amp controls and if I that doesn't work, it's probably not the right IR and/or SIC.
So much of the results are affected by what you're monitoring through. Studio monitors are different than an FR cab which is different than a PA cab. For me Output 1 runs FOH with no cuts. Output 2 to FR cab utilizing the Output 2 global eq dialed in for that cab-generally just low cuts and a small mid bump. There is no one size fits all.
 
Polluxx said:
Hello Mates,

I would like to know how you deal with this topic:
Justin (York Audio) recommends not setting a high cut on his IRs and rather playing with the treble and presence controls to make the sound more open.
I try to do the same, but I don't get it as clean as when I set a high cut.
I then try to counteract this with the presence control, but the sound is already different when I compare it with a b, I just can't find a sweet spot. How do you deal with this? I'm always out to get the maximum sound quality, it's not enough for me that it only sounds good to my ears, I also want to bring in science and work sensibly in theory, because good is the enemy of better.

I usually use the SLO 100 with the York 65m Cream IR from York Audio.
So far, I have usually set the high cut at 8000.

I am very curious about your approaches.
Click to expand...
It depends on the guitar, but I leave the high cut off, keep the SLO's B, M, T, at 5, and set presence for the top end response that sounds good with that guitar.

If the top end doesn't feel right, try a different IR Mix or maybe one of the single mic "CN" captures for a smoother natural top end.
 
Unfortunately in the end, you have to use your own judgement on this, and it varies from amp to amp. At low volumes some of the high gain amps are far too fizzy fully open so I generally cut just to the point where I'm still getting a nice aggressive bite still, and that helps to thicken the tone but retain the distortion we all want. Now that might be anything between 7k up to 13k, it's amp dependent.

The reason guys are cutting the highs playing at gigging levels, is the sheer volume. You won't hear that top end fizz it will just make the tone thin. It's a different set of problems in both scenarios which is further complicated when you hear the pros tell all different things about what they do and don't do.

I tend to think of it as a live tone is a less detailed slightly blunted tone with the purpose of just being heard whereas low volume playing and recording is a more detailed tone where you can hear all of the nuances therefore it's usually more open on the cuts
 
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