Need Advice: Cab Selection

wtfoley3

wtfoley3

Member
Learning & loving my new AXE-FX III for 2 months now (incl. Cygnus Beta!), managing “overwhelming syndrome” as best I can (hat tip to the Forum, great documentation, @yek , and @2112). Chipping away & learning every day although I confess to having only average discerning”ears” (lots of settings sound about the same to me). Know there’s HUGE potential for Awesomeness in the cab blocks (let alone 3rd party IR packs) but I’m struggling with how to approach this as I play with building my own presets. I dial up a grid and an amp block of interest and turn my attention to auditioning some cabs (using the Looper per @2112 ’s great method video). I feel I have a solid fundamental knowledge of cabinet types, know what a Sure 57 is, etc. but, scrolling through cab types, my reactions go like this: “sounds ok!”, “pretty bassy”, “nice sizzley highs!”, “yuk!”, and a lot of “that sounds pretty cool!”, “that sounds pretty cool!”, that sounds pretty cool too!”. Add to that the variables of high-cut and low-cut, 1-4 cab mixing and mic distance settings and I’m lost! I’m aware of Cliff’s apparent insistence to “use your ears”, which I guess is why I can’t tell exactly what cabinet, speaker, mic setup is represented by each factory IR. Still, I feel like I’m missing out on a whole world of awesome customization possibilities with factory and 3rd party cab packs since I DON’T KNOW WHATI’M DOING!!! Any suggestions on how to approach this? My thanks to you all... ROCK ON!
 
there are probably millions of IR files out there by now. there's no need to go through all of them to find one you like, or attempt to mix them which increases the number of things you have to try, etc.

ear fatigue is also an issue. choosing IRs for 30 minutes or more and they probably all start to sound the same.

when i choose an IR, i just listen to whatever sounds the closest to what i want, then i stop. just like with a real cabinet in a studio, if that's the only choice you have, from there you use EQ to adjust it. Low and High cut in the cab block goes a long way. i'll also change the EQ in the amp.

if i'm spending way too much time on that single IR with EQ etc, i look for something else.

consider that some people out there have all the time in the world to just choose IRs and mix them etc. that doesn't mean we all should be doing this or need to. chances are if you randomly pick 2 IRs (that aren't "effect" IRs like a 1x6 or something), adjust a bit of EQ, then stop playing for an hour and come back, you might just like what you hear.

the allure of tons of IRs to choose from can just make someone think you need to do that, which isn't true. is it possible there is a better IR than one you pick? sure. same goes for guitars, amps, cables, etc. but at some point you need to play guitar.
 
I Look at the wiki for recommended cabs that “match” the amp im using. From there I choose a cab that matches the criteria and (usually) use an sm57 IR and a 121 IR of the same cab. The 57 gives me the cut I’m looking for and the 121 the fullness.

this exact setup is pretty common at recording studios using real amps and cabs so it’s not really surprising it works with the axe fx as well

the main thing to do is just use your ears and pick one(s) that sound good with your setup.
 
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This is a huge and overwhelming task. Choose a 57 and a 121 from a speaker that you think you will like. Blending more that 2 will over complicate things. If that got you close, now you just have to tweak the mic positioning. Auditioning hundreds of different speakers just leads to ear fatigue. The 57/121 trick stopped me from putting in hours of random auditioning. I also thought I “needed” to buy IR packs, which I did do. However, I found that the stock IR's are as good or better in some cases.
 
As was mentioned, stop when you find something you like and save it.

Most people dont cycle cabs like they do IRs. Set and forget is a decent method.
 
@wtfoley3 IRs are really just filters so don't worry about the speaker type or logos, go for the top and bottom response you want. The amp block does all the work, so play with the amp block Speaker/ Cab Resonance to get the thump you want.
When you find IRs you like, right click and tag them with a color.
In the cab block under Cab More... play with smoothing, the best knob on the Axe. You probably won't need Proximity with Cygnus but it was a goto for me before, especially with a single 57 IR.
If you choose multiple mics like 57 and 121, play with the distance of the 57 under Align... on the cab block which can often smooth highs better than the hpf filter but if you use two cab blocks in stereo you might run into phase problems.
The hpf filter under Preamp defaults to 10k which may be too low for some subtle high frequencies if you chose a darker IR, but if you like the tone and want more highs, choose a preamp type and add more highs with the tone controls under that.
p.s. forgot to mention to play with Impedance Curves!
 
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To think I played with the same Mesa 4x12 for years and thought that was fine.
sometimes options aren’t a good thing. As previously stated, at some point you need to stop tone chasing and play guitar.
has anyone ever heard a great song and said “damn that song would really have been great if only they swapped out a 57 for a 609”?
 
Some many options at there that can lead you to hundreds/thousands of IRs. But in the end how many do you need...

I narrow it down to the intended purpose of the IRs: Live or Recording. For Live use I only use 3 or 4. For Recording, it can be endless but find what works and stick with it.
 
IR FOMO.
The struggle is real.

You think what you have is OK. Maybe even great.

But what if there's one more out there that's absolutely PERFECT? So you keep auditioning.....
and on, and on, and then after a while your ears are mush, you can't tell the difference between anything.

All of the factory cabs are good. All usable. Find a matching cab to the amp you're using, pin the menu and run through a few different mics and usually you can find something solid real quick.

There is no cure for the FOMO, however. That's what gets me.
 
Blind your eyes, and open your ears when auditioning. Try not to get stuck on thinking 4x12, 2x12, 1x12, etc., the name, or brand. A good start is to scroll through the IRs in the Axe Fx, just listen, and mark the ones that sound good for your application.
 
Keep it simple. I use York Audio IRs, but any company or factory will do.
99% I use a single IR/single mic and 50% its a SM57.
IF I use a low cut its like 60-90hz and I seldom use a high cut.
 
My experience has led me to use processed signature IR packs. Like Mendel's (my fav) or Bogren's. There are not so many IRs but they are perfectly ready for mix without endless EQing. Since I just want to play, this is the best way for me to reach great tone without switching IR to the death.
 
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