Yay!
Just because I saw this post and the one from yek about the new stock IRs I went and loaded the beta back in (I had been waiting for the non-beta FW18 just to try it out.
My first impressions of this IR are VERY positive.
We finally have an IR that comes very close to replicating the experience of playing through a real EVM-12L in an open-back cabinet, including much of the hi-end sibilance, mid range warmth and low-end girth that a real 12L has.
I've been trying to get a decent 12L sound from the Cab Block since 2008 with my Ultra, and all previous efforts (after going through hundreds of 3rd party 12L IRs as well as those I've tried to shoot myself of my own cabs) have been mostly fruitless.
Knowing me, I'll probably change my mind about the Bludotone 1 X 12 by dinner tonight, lol, but until then... Thanks!
Is there a Cab Pack available now with several other IRs of the same cabinet?
If so, which one is it?
I am allowed to tell you Fractal Audio is planning to release this Bludo 1X12 Ultra Res IR and others from the IR session it came from in a future Cab Pack, probably Cab Pack 10. The Cab Pack will feature four boutique cabs I own.
The four cabs used to make IRs for the forthcoming Cab Pack are:
1. Bogner 1X12 "Shiva" dual port with a Classic Lead 80 Celestion and a recessed back... I used this cab with a real Bogner Ecstasy 101b on 6th street in Austin; it sounds GREAT with the Bogner Shiva model and other modern boutique amps. As Bogner represents, this particular cab in real life fools mics into thinking it's a 4x12, it's a great cab design.
2. Bludotone 1X12 dual port with the WGS Blackhawk AlNiCo... the IR works great with the BludoOjai amp model and should work for lots of different Dumble-style amps or other similar boutique amps. Great cleans for Jazz as you will find in the 1x12 Bludo mix in FW 18 just released.
3. Bludotone 2x12 open oval back with G12-65H reissue Celestions... this is the same speaker cab design Robben Ford uses with his tan Dumble Overdrive Special.
4. Bludotone 2x12 open oval back with ASW (Austin Speaker Works) special-designed Bludotone speakers.
We shot about 120 different IRs (roughly 30 for each cab, including rooms and cab back) at CUE Recording studios, using a Neve 1073 preamp and a few good guitar mics: M160, R121, MD421, SM57, and a U47FET.
Counter-intuitively for some, we've found both 1X12 dual port cab IRs actually have more bottom end to them (dual bass ports!) than the 2x12 open oval backs do, but you can always add bottom end to any cab IR using a null mic and then dialing up the proximity knob in the Cab block. They will sit well in a mix "as is."
This Cab Pack IR collection will hopefully fill out some space in existing cab IR land between the 4x12 Marshall or Metal-oriented IRs and Fender-type cab IRs out there...
You'll be able to use Cab Lab to mix your own IRs from the individual mic IRs, whether Mark II or XL.
There'll be a few sample mixes for each cab too to check out. That's what Cliff used for the Bludo 1x12 new factory cab in FW 18.
Am sure these will be "coming soon" -- but there is no release date set yet...stay tuned!