Impulse responses for live use at loud volumes (FOH only)

[funknoodles]

Agreed. Balanced is a more appropriate word rather than dark which I've previously said. Too dark and the guitar doesn't cut through at all. Scooping the mids a ton is probably the biggest mistake, in my experience.

 

[unperfectcircle]

First of all, I wanna thank everyone who joined the thread...it’s always a good thing to share knowledge and experiences

Just to clarify, I wasn’t talking about doing someone else’s job, but the reality is that in small clubs, random gigs, free or very low-budget contexts and stuff like that, you can’t always rely on the soundguy’s work simply because sometimes a)there’s no soundguy (yes, it happened to me more than a few times), b)the guy at the console is a venue’s worker who tries his best but he’s not really a sound engineer or c)the engineer is a decent one but doesn’t really know how to handle digital equipment properly, especially when there are hybrid rigs (analog/digital) with no guitar cab on stage.
In those situations I feel that providing a more “usable” tone can make things easier for everyone.

@ML SOUND LAB got the point...I was refering more to the resonances and peaks that often make impulses a pain to tame at loud volumes.
I obviously use the Hi/Lo cut in the cab block, but a lot of times - in order to get rid of the annoying frequencies - you need to cut so much that what’s left is a dull, fake and lifeless tone.

That’s why - even if it can’t be a set solution for every scenario - I was wondering about “gig-ready” impulses, meaning specifically mixed/eq’ed to sound more balanced at loud volumes, obtained by taming the peaks and resonances especially in those areas that are more prone to create problems at gig volumes according to the Fletcher-Munson curves.

Considering that principle of balance he talked about, I’m really curious about trying the ML Audio impulses now.

 

[Dragn5150]

I know this is an old thread... I'm thinking a live engineer throws a mic in front of a cab and thats exactly what an IR is, so feeding him a brash IR should be what he's used to recieving. I haven't found a solution to my IR problem. I'm wondering if the best IR capture for live would be one with minimal room reflection...

 

[unix-guy]

I know this is an old thread... I'm thinking a live engineer throws a mic in front of a cab and thats exactly what an IR is, so feeding him a brash IR should be what he's used to recieving. I haven't found a solution to my IR problem. I'm wondering if the best IR capture for live would be one with minimal room reflection...

Usually a single mic IR made with an SM57 will get you closest to a standard "throw a mic on a cab" live approach.

Edit:
Which apparently I already said before

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...-at-loud-volumes-foh-only.146426/post-1732521

 

[Greg Ferguson]

What you want is a really good balance for the IR and honestly these types of IR's are incredible in the studio as well which is why I always aim for that neutral sound.

Exactly.

An IR is meant to be neutral, it's not supposed to be colored in any way so that we can apply our own EQ on top of it, not have to re-EQ it to undo something baked in.

 

[Greg Ferguson]

I'm wondering if the best IR capture for live would be one with minimal room reflection...

Yes, which is why they close-mic the cab. The further away from the cab the more room sound will leak in.

The manual says:

"As guitarists, we are accustomed to the sound of a speaker “in the room,” but this is not what our audiences hear. For recording and performing, the close mic’d sound is essentially a universal standard. THIS is the sound that the Cab block is designed to reproduce, and this explains why not only guitarists, but recording and front-of-house engineers have embraced its use. (Of course our Amp models can also be used with a traditional guitar speaker as demonstrated in many of the rig designs in Section 1: Setting Up). If you are new to using mics on a guitar amp, you will find the Cab block is a fantastic way to learn more. To get started, listen to single IRs, or explore the factory presets which combine several at once. For almost a century, artists, producers and engineers have honed the craft of placing or blending mics to achieve a desired tone. Many classic techniques are easy to recreate. Try a tried-and-true “recipe” blending one “bottomy” and one “bright” mic, or try something totally original."