New Cab Packs 5, 6, and 7...Where to start FRFR live.

ezvictor

ezvictor

Inspired
My time to tweak is minimal. Can anyone give me some good gouge on where to start looking in these cab packs for some good live IRs. Amps are typically Plexi 100/1959slp, AC-30 TB, Friedman BE for modern stuff and Junior Blues. Just looking for a place to start in understanding what the "A" means and what the "B" and "C" will sound like in relation. I was in the process of auditioning but time ran out and the kids need the computer for homework...Damn kids always doing homework.:evil
I'm looking for some middle of the road tones. Nothing too bright but not too dark that I get lost in the mix. I started out by trying the R121 A and its a bit too bassy for what I'm looking for. The Sm57 As that I auditioned were sizzle city. I just got cablab too so I can start mixing, BUT I need a baseline to start with otherwise I'm gonna waste hours just treading water and when I finally get something started, I'm gonna have to drop it and leave.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
ezvictor said:
My time to tweak is minimal. Can anyone give me some good gouge on where to start looking in these cab packs for some good live IRs. Amps are typically Plexi 100/1959slp, AC-30 TB, Friedman BE for modern stuff and Junior Blues. Just looking for a place to start in understanding what the "A" means and what the "B" and "C" will sound like in relation. I was in the process of auditioning but time ran out and the kids need the computer for homework...Damn kids always doing homework.:evil
I'm looking for some middle of the road tones. Nothing too bright but not too dark that I get lost in the mix. I started out by trying the R121 A and its a bit too bassy for what I'm looking for. The Sm57 As that I auditioned were sizzle city. I just got cablab too so I can start mixing, BUT I need a baseline to start with otherwise I'm gonna waste hours just treading water and when I finally get something started, I'm gonna have to drop it and leave.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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I'm with you. This set of IRs is a little tougher to judge. I don't think the letters necessarily represent distance from the cap based on my auditioning. Actually, the stock UR sample of the 4x12 Pre-Rola Marshall (Factory 69) sounds great to me. I don't know how to reproduce it though because no one knows the recipe used and there are no pre-made mixes for the Fractal Audio cab packs anymore...at least the last two or three they've released. By the way, you can get close to things, I think, by starting with the R121 (without a letter) and mixing in the SM57 to add a little cut and maybe thin the bass out. I got close to the factory IR with the stock R121 and the SM57 at around -9 or -10. Still not sounding as thick as the factory mix that was included, but in the right neighborhood I believe. The other thing is I think Cliff made and supplied those using his upcoming tool to remove the power amp from the IR. Hope this helps a bit.
 
I don’t think there’s an easy solution. Tweaking IR’s is a rabbit hole and I think sort of always will be. You just can’t have 1000’s of good options available to you and say - please only show me a handful that everyone can agrees are the best. If you’re just looking at generic good tones, I don’t think you need to bother with external IR’s at all. You can good good live tones with just the IR’s that’s in the firmware and requires the minimal tweaking you desire. External IR’s to me are either if you’re looking for something very specific, or if you want to do all the tweaking and listening to different things and experiment with different tones. But to do that takes time and is a rabbit hole. Not that it isn’t fun, but it’s neither quick nor easy, and I don’t think it will ever be. The closest to me is Ownhammers Mixes in Cab Pack 3 where you could just select a Median mix for each speaker as a very good starting point. It’s too bad that these Median mixes aren't available with the other Cab Packs.
 
I created the Cab Pack 7 so that it would be easy to use also if you didn't have time to tweak. In the ACE folder you have the "scientifically best" IRs. Although I would strongly advice you to try the ALLOY IRs as they are a step forward in IR evolution. SM57-MD421 1-4 are all extremely balanced for live tones f.ex. However if you want a fat tone I'd suggest you try out SM57-R121 IRs.
 
Clark Kent said:
I created the Cab Pack 7 so that it would be easy to use also if you didn't have time to tweak. In the ACE folder you have the "scientifically best" IRs. Although I would strongly advice you to try the ALLOY IRs as they are a step forward in IR evolution. SM57-MD421 1-4 are all extremely balanced for live tones f.ex. However if you want a fat tone I'd suggest you try out SM57-R121 IRs.
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Clark, your cab pack seemed to have IRs that jumped out at me. Maybe the tones were more familiar and useable to my normal applications. I am enjoying your "cause of all evil", and "control" IRs a lot. Great job.

With cab pack 5, and 6, I found one mic/letter sounding very balanced on one IR and then incredibly dark on the next and then bright on the next. I just feel like I'm swimming and not really getting a feel for where to go. I dunno, the next guy will have a completely different experience. Perhaps I should spread out my IR purchases over time instead of buying 3 libraries all at once. [emoji83]


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