Is it me or are others in the same boat?

Try my IR's. Pan Big 5 and Big four 20% right and left and then put the Marshall straight up in the middle and back it down to -10db. Works for Metal and everything else I do.
The moment I went FRFR is when I was using four KRANK cabs and a VHT poweramp live and listened to the mic'd sound thru the P.A. and then the direct sound with Ir's and then I knew I had to switch.
 

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I've only been with Fractal since the waitlist days of the Axe II, but I'm extremely happy with my tone through my CLR's. My first FRFR was a RCF which was a compromise in tone, so I sold it and moved on to the CLR and haven't felt a need to move on from there.
I much prefer the tone when the CLR is pole mounted just above ear height. You mention that you are low and high cutting...what settings are you using? Some IR's sound great at low volume, but (for me) sounded too shrill, etc. at louder volumes even when dialing them in at 90dB. As was mentioned earlier, find a different IR.
The clrs are incredibly good. Ive yet to hear something beat them. Closest Ive seen so far are redsounds, but I still prefer how non-directional the CLRs are, and how clear the high mids are at volume.
 
I get not vibing with FRFR compared to cabs, as many others feel this way, but studio monitors is a new one for me. My philosophy is if you can make your tone sound great though monitors (which are typically flat, perhaps boring for good reason) then it will sound great on anything. The only difference between my preset going from my A7X monitors to my Mf.10’s or Matrix FR212 is my high and low cuts are more narrow (100 hz and 6500 hz with the steepest reduction curves), and two -2db notches in the annoying high mids. Just like Leon’s. It has plenty of chunk and detail. High and low cut is probably enough, but playing really loud the notches smooth it out nicely. I feel like it reduces ear fatigue.
 
I have a friend who has two for his FOH system. They are insanely good. I’d love to have some for my FRFRs.
I know theres zero chance Ill ever go back to tube amps/cabs, so might as well have the very best possible monitors. Cant wait to hear them. I cant imagine things sounding better...

I believe these are the ones Cliff uses for demos too. @FractalAudio do you use the mjf210 or the older mjf212a?
 
Spoiler alert: they are.

(Okay, maybe not 5x, but the law of diminishing returns applies to everything, right. Let's say 3x? That's still a lot 😂)
Well if Cooper says, it must be so 🤷‍♂️ Now Im really excited. Wish they didnt build them all to order, wont be done till February...
 
Well if Cooper says, it must be so 🤷‍♂️ Now Im really excited. Wish they didnt build them all to order, wont be done till February...
Don't take my word for it; just run down the Fractal artist list - the majority of the "big guys" have Meyers down front for a reason. If you have a pair coming, you'll be very happy! Though I can't promise the same for your neighbors 😂
 
IIRC there were Meyer wedges at Axe-Fest back in 2019 and that was far and away the most detailed and punchy I'd ever heard a guitar through a wedge.
 
Dual CLRs here. Competes with any 4x12. I ordered some Meyers to see if theyre even better, Ill let you know in February.
Same here for me - the CLRs sound amazing rehearsing/live to me and pretty much give the same tonal results as the Adam A7Xs I use at home to dial in my presets. I bought a Matrix GT1000 and so far I have not managed to get anything like as good a sound with the Matrix and a 4x12 - to me it sounds fizzy and flat.
 
@PacoCasanovas always tell us people in the German forum: Traditional speakers have a „beam“. They sound always (in my ears too) 3-dimensional. There is a kind of interaction between the frequencies in the middle (beam) and the edge of the speaker and the wood of the cabs, even when you use a deflexx or something else. You can get a little closer to that sound with using different IR‘s in stereo, but it will always be true: There is so much physical difference between FRFR and real speakers. There is no solution until now:
1. The beam in the middle of traditional cabs.
2. IR´s are miked guitar sounds.
3. Much wider range of FRFR.
4. FRFR behave different to trad. caps at different volume levels.
The list must be much longer, but it´s too complex for my knowledge and english.
Some people like the sound of FRFR. It‘s not better or worse. It‘s just different. And for many guitarists and even pros it‘s just much more easier on stage with FRFR.

I don‘t get too why I love the headphone sound and don‘t like FRFR the same at higher levels.
 
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One more thought: You can‘t sample a church-organ properly. The pipes interact with overtones etc. You will even hear it if you mike a real organ and compare it to really good samples.
 
your never going to get a FRFR to sound like a guitar cab. When you mic the guitar cab, your audience hears the same FRFR sound you hear anyway. The guitar cab is strictly for you and monitoring. If it matters to you, do what you like best. For me, I can dig whatever I hear out of a wedge and go with that. The mission is for the audience to like everything. As long as what I hear is somewhat acceptable, Im good. It doesn’t have to be “the best” solution.
This is ok, but for some player it‘s like: I don‘t use my 59 Les Paul live and play a cheap Les Paul copy. The audience will not hear it. For the most expressive sound, tone and music it matters (Don‘t know if this is true for techno, punk, some country and wedding bands at higher alcohol level).
 
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I’ve had a brush with this situation so I figured I’d add my bit.

Shortly after switching over to the AXE-FX III from a traditional rig I had a moment where I really missed some of the character of a real cab. Headphones and monitors weren’t really cutting it.

What scratched the itch for me was a couple of Zilla custom 1x12 ported cabs with Celestion F12-200’s and a Matrix GT1000FX.

Essentially close to FRFR in a cab.

Let you use all the features of the AXE-FX III but brings in a bit of ‘real cab’ vibe.

That said I don’t really use them much anymore, probably haven’t fired them up since August but run the AXE-FX III though studio monitors most days.
 
It should sound good everywhere on whatever system, otherwise your preset is still not right.

The trick is to add enough mids to your presets. They don't sound glorious like booming lows or crystal highs, so you might think you don't need them.
Add a large mid boost to start, maybe so much that you already think it's a bit too much. But let your ears get used to that sound and notice how your can play that same preset at different volumes or on different systems.

A preset that needs a certain FRFR to sound good also wouldn't work good in a band. The sound of a band is permanently changing, you need something robust there to rely on.
That's with enough mids.
 
This is ok, but for some player it‘s like: I don‘t use my 59 Les Paul live and play a cheap Les Paul copy. The audience will not hear it. For the most expressive sound, tone and music it matters (Don‘t know if this is true for techno, punk, some country and wedding bands at higher alcohol level).
It’s all about philosophy. There’s no right or wrong really. My philosophy on the issue is playing live isnt for my enjoyment, ultimately. If I really wanted to sacrifice bringing out more gear for a “better” stage sound I could do that, too. Im happy enough with what comes out of a wedge, so less gear being the same money at the end of the night for me is a win, especially when it impacts the audience zero.
 
I get that but even when I am at a higher volume with FRFR's and IRs I still cannot seem to get it to sound right. Always sounds either too harsh or too boxy or stiff. I try to mix multiple IR's so one will add in or take away from another to get the sound to be full.

What confuses me is why does a traditional guitar cabinet sound good at whisper volumes on a patch and then when turned up to band volume it sounds even better with nothing but the overall volume changed? One would think the FRFR/IR solution would react the same way.

WIth headphones, I can get a great sound but I also have my cans at a low volume. With IR's I tend to always block the high end down to 7500 or even 6500 to take away the harshness and block off some on the bass side if needed.
Does your FRFR sound like your trad cab? I suspect they are different sounds and turning one up works but turning the other up doesn't.

The FRFR sound is a mic'd cab with speaker at ear level. Your trad cab is below your knees. And then, what about your direct signal to FOH?

I bet if your FRFR sounded more like your trad cab, you could turn it up. But, I wouldn't send that signal to FOH.
 
Stick with the traditional setup for the band if that's what you like. Whatever keeps you practicing. I've had a tough time with FRFR, but I sure love my studio monitors for low volume playing.
 
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