Nothing like getting a monster guitar sound full of low end just to have to dial half of the low end out for the mix. After doing this 50 times, you learn those huge sounds don’t always work. That being said, Friedman amps I believe are intentionally anorexic in the lows for this reason. I can run the bass at 10 on my BE100 and it won’t kill a mix. That amp always seems to need very little to get it sitting right.Ribbon + dynamic together is a studio standard. I almost always use one of the 57 IRs in conjunction with one of the 121 or 313 IRs. The 57 is just a classic sound, but the ribbon gives it some more oomph. You have to watch the lows and low mids from the ribbon though, those can muddy up a mix real quick.
Besides the parts on which I used a modeler, most of the guitars on album 2 were 57s on an old AC30 and Twin.
I found, through the blind test method of scrolling through IRs that I like the 57/160 or 57/121 combo for most any speaker, with the ribbon mixed a bit lower, until the core tone from the 57 feels solid in the lows. Agreed that it saves a lot of time to look for those IRs, and I usually load just those from IR packs. Why load the freezer with garlic ice cream if you know you like rocky road?The tip of pairing a 57 with a 121 is huge. Auditioning thousands of different IR combinations is pointless because ear fatigue sets in quickly. I did that for hours on end without success when I first got my Axe Fx. At least with the 57/121 trick, your search becomes more focused. If you are looking for someone to give you a magic pairing, that usually doesn’t work either because all of our tastes are different. Let your ears guide you. Pick a cabinet that you think you will like. Find a 57 that you like from that group. Then blend in a 121 of the same cabinet. I’ve had a ton of success leaving them at equal volumes. Also, don’t let the brand name bias you. I ended up pairing an Orange 4x12 with a Trainwreck Express.
I use the same 57 panned L and R(slots 1/2), and the same 121 panned L and R(slots 3/4). All 4 slots, stereo.
...but would have the dubious distinction of using at least 5-6% more processor with no audible difference....As a note for the OP... unless running a stereo signal into the CAB (say two different AMPs panned L/R or a stereo effect like chorus or reverb after a single AMP but before CAB), this would be sonically identical to a single centered 57/121 combo.
Only to the electric company....But doesn't using an additional 5-6% mean it must sound better??
I like everything in stereo. Lots of chorus and stereo delays.As a note for the OP... unless running a stereo signal into the CAB (say two different AMPs panned L/R or a stereo effect like chorus or reverb after a single AMP but before CAB), this would be sonically identical to a single centered 57/121 combo.
Me too, but my chain splits to stereo after the cab in the chain. I tried a stereo chorus before two amps/cabs and split to stereo briefly, but found it wasn't different enough from using it post-cab to warrant using double amps/cabs....I like everything in stereo. Lots of chorus and stereo delays.
I started that way, but it became too difficult to split for FOH, cabinet, and IEM. Can't have the cab block active going to the stage cabinet. That would sound really bad. And, putting the effects after the cab block means they will not be present thru the stage cab. Plus it makes more sense to me to put the cab last. So I end up with out1 to FOH, out3 to IEM, and I split before the cab block to out2 to the stage cab all at the end of the chain.Me too, but my chain splits to stereo after the cab in the chain. I tried a stereo chorus before two amps/cabs and split to stereo briefly, but found it wasn't different enough from using it post-cab to warrant using double amps/cabs....