Killer Acoustic IR’s!

I just went to the company's website and listened to all of their demos. They were exactly what I expected. While the IRs impart a degree of acoustic characteristics to a pickup, they also produce unpleasant and artificial-sounding resonances. The result, to me, sounds like a heavily processed electronic pickup.

Ok, somebody tell me what I'm doing wrong (or maybe what I'm realizing is I agree with @steadystate here)

I purchased the Taylor 614 IRs. Loaded them to my AX8....put one of into a preset with nothing else other than Eq.
They sound 'phasey' and/or 'hollow'. Every acoustic IR i've ever tried in the past has had this same result (was hoping these would be different).
Is there a way to get rid of that phase/hollow tone that gets added? I find that I like the sound of the direct acoustic better...it's not amazing, but it sounds a lot less fake than when I use the IR.

I also tried adding the cab/IR in a different row, so I could keep partial direct signal, and mix in some of the IR....that is even worse. Super phasey tone.

Tell me what I'm missing?
 
Tell me what I'm missing?
IMO, you are missing the technology required to convincingly synthesize an acoustic tone from a pickup. This technology does not yet exist. Modeling is the closest I've yet heard, but it still sounds fake.

For me, an IR is never going to do the job well. It simply can't due to what it is and what it isn't. It isn't the right tool. But when it's the only tool available, I understand why people would attempt to use it in this application.
 
I'm hesitant. I have yet to hear any acoustic impulse responses that make a piezo pickup sound like anything other than a pickup through an IR. I'd need to hear clips that blew me away.

You never saw Rush's farewell tour then... Alex and the FOH tech said that the sound of his Les Paul through the Axe-Fx with a custom IR was actually BETTER than the sound of the real acoustic.
 
You never saw Rush's farewell tour then... Alex and the FOH tech said that the sound of his Les Paul through the Axe-Fx with a custom IR was actually BETTER than the sound of the real acoustic.
What other people think generally has little correlation with my own perception, regardless of their stature. Everyone has to follow their own preferences.

If I had the means and inclination to create a custom IR designed to use my specific electric as the source, I might get a usable result. But every IR I've ever tried sounds like shit, as do all of the demos on this company's site.

If and when I encounter an IR that makes my electric sound anywhere close to my Martin D-35, I'll happily reconsider. In the meantime, I'll use modeling or mic a great-sounding acoustic guitar. The processing in the Axe makes my miced D-35 sound glorious.
 
If and when I encounter an IR that makes my electric sound anywhere close to my Martin D-35, I'll happily reconsider. In the meantime, I'll use modeling or mic a great-sounding acoustic guitar. The processing in the Axe makes my miced D-35 sound glorious.
How does that work live?
 
I have 3sigma Taylor and Martin IRs and love them! I'm hoping to sit down with my Radar soon ...and EQ it to sound closer to Ian's awesome J45 example using a fishman/Wilkinson powerbridge in a thinline spruce tele.

it already sounds much better than raw piezos, but still not quite a mic'd acoustic
 
So am I the only one that hears a phasey fake sound when using acoustic IRs?
I'm using with a piezo (Godin A6 ultra).

Tell me what I'm doing wrong. Single chain....just a cab block.
 
So am I the only one that hears a phasey fake sound when using acoustic IRs?
I'm using with a piezo (Godin A6 ultra).

Tell me what I'm doing wrong. Single chain....just a cab block.
I think you have a valid point. My custom acoustic with DTAR piezo and pre installed sounds wonky when using the same IR settings for the powerbridge. Maybe high and low cut or even moving the phase of the IR would help a little.
 
I think you have a valid point. My custom acoustic with DTAR piezo and pre installed sounds wonky when using the same IR settings for the powerbridge. Maybe high and low cut or even moving the phase of the IR would help a little.
Ok, maybe I'll try that in my AxeIII. I've been using these IRs in my AX8 (as that's my gig rig), which does not have the same IR controls as the Axe III.
I may have to tweak them in the AxeIII and export an edited IR. (if the AxeIII exports the edited IR and not the original IR?)
 
I think you have a valid point. My custom acoustic with DTAR piezo and pre installed sounds wonky when using the same IR settings for the powerbridge. Maybe high and low cut or even moving the phase of the IR would help a little.
They sound not great on my guitar with a PowerBridge. They sound great with the one that has a Ghost bridge. Not all piezos are created equal. Graphtech is the best in the business IMO.
 
Custom may be the key: I'm working with an artist now who does their own IRs to match the piezo output of an acoustic to its mic'd sound. It's impressive!
Considering it's the same guitar, and that the input source is always the same one that was used when the IR was captured, that would seem to me to be an ideal case. I can imagine the IR improving the signal if captured with care.

Also, I think that sounding great and sounding real are two different things. If a custom IR sounds great, then it's a useful tool for sure. Sounding like a real acoustic guitar is a different matter. To my knowledge, it can't currently be achieved even though it might not be necessary for live use.
 
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it already sounds much better than raw piezos, but still not quite a mic'd acoustic
That’s all I’m after here: better than the piezo. And they are better than the piezo system on my J45. I should post the piezo re-amp signal for comparison.
 
I do hear the phasing with these IR's using my Acoustic that has piezo direct in, better than direct without. I haven't tried tweaking to remove the phase
 
So am I the only one that hears a phasey fake sound when using acoustic IRs?
I'm using with a piezo (Godin A6 ultra).

Tell me what I'm doing wrong. Single chain....just a cab block.
3sigma has a custom IR for the Godin’s A6’s unique electronics. Try that out
 
I think you have a valid point. My custom acoustic with DTAR piezo and pre installed sounds wonky when using the same IR settings for the powerbridge. Maybe high and low cut or even moving the phase of the IR would help a little.
The bridge and piezo ir’s have to be completely different ir’s. There’s folders for piezo, magnetic, body etc
 
3sigma has a custom IR for the Godin’s A6’s unique electronics. Try that out
Is that in the 'package' when you buy it? I'm not seeing anything specific in the folders for the Taylor 614 that note the Godin A6?

*edit - I checked all the folders...nothing. Went to 3sigma's site....nothing. Did some google searches on 3sigma IRs for Godin A6....nothing.

If these exist, can you point me to them??
 
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It's a whole different thing trying to make piezos in an electric grocery getter guitar sound like a mic'd acoustic ... than making an acoustic sound like a mic'd acoustic with stock pickups.
If anyone has some tips. I'm all ears
.... besides graphtec saddles . I've done those in 4 guitars.
 
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