Is the Two Notes CAB M+ worth the invest?

[matze787]

Hi there!

Currently I'm the Helix realm but I consider switching to Fractal. Whatsoever, after dealing the Two Notes Wall of Sound-plugin I instantly fell in love with the new Engl cabs. The V30 version has been there for a longer time, but now they added 5 versions (1x12, 2x12 vertical, 2x12 horizontal, 4x12 standard and 4x12 XXL) with the Hesu Demon speaker als well as 5 versions of the Eminence DV-77 speaker. Both speakers are sooooooo good!

Now I even consider buying a CAB M+ pedal to load up their DynIRs. I even like the fact that it's not a static IR loaded up but a "real" cab with different mikes that you can position where you want - even behind the cab. In realtime. Plus you get a EQ, a noisegate and a preamp and poweramp simulation. Those two aren't necessary for modelers, I assume...

What do you think of the quality of Two Notes and are there people out there on the forum that own a CAB M or other Two Notes hardware to use with the Fractal stuff?

Thank you very much!

 

[jrx]

Hi there!

Currently I'm the Helix realm but I consider switching to Fractal. Whatsoever, after dealing the Two Notes Wall of Sound-plugin I instantly fell in love with the new Engl cabs. The V30 version has been there for a longer time, but now they added 5 versions (1x12, 2x12 vertical, 2x12 horizontal, 4x12 standard and 4x12 XXL) with the Hesu Demon speaker als well as 5 versions of the Eminence DV-77 speaker. Both speakers are sooooooo good!

Now I even consider buying a CAB M+ pedal to load up their DynIRs. I even like the fact that it's not a static IR loaded up but a "real" cab with different mikes that you can position where you want - even behind the cab. In realtime. Plus you get a EQ, a noisegate and a preamp and poweramp simulation. Those two aren't necessary for modelers, I assume...

What do you think of the quality of Two Notes and are there people out there on the forum that own a CAB M or other Two Notes hardware to use with the Fractal stuff?

Thank you very much!

I owned the cabm+ and their attenuator so i could play using my tube amps with headphones and to record without a mic. I also liked the dynir feature. Two notes offer very good products.

About a year ago i sold them to fund my purchase of an fm3. I have not looked back and am looking forward to some of fractal’s new advancements in speaker modelling trickling down from the axe iii to the fm3. Check out postings on speaker thump for example. There is more to the modelling speakers/cabs than just the irs and simulated mic placement and fractal keeps making improvements in those areas. You don’t need to use the two notes products with the fractal gear.

For me, i am getting better tones and more enjoyment from my fm3/headphones than i did using my tube amps with an attenuator/cab sim/headphones. I am also set up with frfr for live play and really enjoy the variety of amps/cabs live just like with headphones. I have found the extra cost of the fm3 over a cabm+ and attenuator to be a really good investment.

 

[matze787]

Sure about that! I just think that there is "something special" to their cabmodeling, something "more alive" that in my IRs. And I have A LOT of IRs, including York Audio, GGD (Zilla + Cali), Ownhammer etc.

 

[jrx]

Just sharing my experience. I know two notes also have an exciter feature/slider that could add a bit of something. They have some very good custom irs. Again, they offer a very good product.

Another thing i like about fractal is that they explain what problem they are solving when they make enhancements. If two notes are doing more than ir playback it would be great if they would say so and why.

I also have some Ownhammer and other irs that i like very much as well and use them on the fm3.

Cheers

 

[Brucegregori]

I use both actually in the studio. Both are good and so it kind of depends on your situation. I personally am I Victory user and so I really like the Jack head. It does everything I want. It is "my" head so to speak. I can basically make it into a "direct" modeler with a TN and still use the Fm9 as my effects. Works great if I need to record or go direct. I also have a Jack V4 that has the TN built in and that also is ALMOST a better option and maybe the same? Same set up and also works great. And I also use either an FM9 or AF3 to record or go direct or any combination of the above.

Inside the Fractal I use a HBE FAT to approximate the Victory - similar concepts of a powered up Marshall/Orange/British wall of sound and a good clean single channel amp. However, still isn't my head. Yes, there is tone match - but again I don't think I am going to get much better results than just picking something close and "earing-it" to get my sound.

In both broad situations, I always use one Fractal device for all of my effects.

There are advantages and disadvantages that I posted about earlier as it comes to "your" amp or "your" cab - the go to set up. If it is in the Fractal you are fairly go to go - however if it is not then it comes down to time to tweak. Which as working players it sometimes not always cost effective. I am usually running from session to session and I do and can spend time tweaking but it is time and that translates in to $$$.

If I could have a setup that I would not be disappointed day to day, night to night it is my Jack with a Victory 212VV - V30 loaded cab. Best cab I have ever used because it sounds like a 4x12 but it is much easier to navigate around.

So, the dilemma....TN has my cab loaded the way I would mic it in the studio/live and I have my amp that I use - Fractal does not. It could be there...it should be there lol, but it is not. So I use both because sometimes it is just easier to bring an FM9 and go direct and no one knows or cares - except me for about 3 mins in and then I get over my "artist" quirkiness.

I think ultimately modeling should (will?) go in the direction of users loading their specific amps and cabs as they like. Not tone matching, not profiling - some other technology that is either not created or in the works.

I would guess IF this ever happens, Fractal will either develop it or be in the forefront of it's implementation.

So, if you go with a Fractal device you will not be disappointed in what you get and with all their development you will also probably be good for where the tech is headed.

 

[toneseeker911]

I think ultimately modeling should (will?) go in the direction of users loading their specific amps and cabs as they like. Not tone matching, not profiling - some other technology that is either not created or in the works.

I think it’s quite the opposite. Profiling was a stop gap to get real world amps into digital and making it sound good.
More and more new players don’t ever play a high end tube amp, never mind owning one. Their sound is from a modeler, especially with the proliferation of things like the hx stomp which is an inexpensive route into digital.

One of the reasons why I didn’t care for something like a kemper. I have no tube rig anymore that I want to emulate. And I like way too many amps that it is prohibitive to own them all.