Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with ML Sound Lab!
Just wanted to throw out my 2 cents on Mikko 2. I think it's absolutely incredible. A huge timesaver and improvement to my workflow. At first, glance, it seems pricy, but when you consider how many cabs are included and the overall possibilities with this thing, it's a bargain.
I'm a self-confessed IR junkie. I'm sure I've purchased hundreds of thousands of IRs over the past 13 years or so that I've been a Fractal (and other modeling) user, mainly because I simply enjoy chasing tone. The problem is that now I realize more and more that my workflow sucked! How many hours have I wasted auditioning IRs and/or trying to tweak my amps to contend with an IR that wasn't really right in the first place.
Now, I've realized that when I'm crafting a tone, it's so much easier and faster to just adjust the mic and/or mic placement vs tweaking the amp. I barely touch the amp settings now. 95% of the time, what I don't like about a particular tone can be corrected by doing this. For example, let's say you're finding your tone to be a bit harsh. You reach for the presence or treble controls on the amp. Better, but still not right. Chances are, just pulling the mic back from center just a bit would have been the perfect solution. Sure, this can be done with IRs that have already been created, but it takes a lot of trial and error to find the right one. And that perfect spot and/or mic mix may have never been captured in the first place.
Sure, I realize that Fractal has gone down this path as well with Dyna cabs and Cab Lab (and yes, I have purchased a couple of Dyna cab packs) but at this point, and no offense to Fractal, Mikko 2 is really at another level in terms of the interface, number of cabs available, and overall possibilities.
Now I do think there's a caveat. You need to have a decent understanding of cab miking. What do different mics sound like? What do different positions on the cab sound like? What do different speakers/cabs sound like? What is typical for the sounds you strive for? What are some typical techniques? Luckily, I already had a decent understanding of all this. But, there are literally hundreds of free videos out there that explore this subject. IMO, if you're going down the modeling/digital path, you owe it to yourself to educate yourself about it anyway.
Sorry for the long post, but I'm just blown away by how easy it is to get the tones I'm looking for now!