Played my AxeFX through a real cab for the first time yesterday...

I have the complete opposite end result:
I setup a preset for my Matrix GT1000FX >"2" Port City OS 12's / with Celestion Greenback's.
The Mesa Recto Vintage 2 Preset sounds phenomenal! [Quantum 6.3]
When I add a Cabinet [F058: 4x12 TV Mix C1] to the preset, it sounds like Sh*t....
The high end gets dramatically reduced and the bass gets very muddy.
Definitely not an improvement of any kind. No better high end.
Please post your preset so we can determine why your preset is reacting in the opposite manner.
Thx,
jimnov
 
I use 2 Mesa 57 4 x 12 CAB SIMS in my chain, for my headphones, but I also add the FX block under the CAB for Out 2 to run my 4 x 12 Mesa Traditional.

For me, using a CAB block with my Mesa, makes the real cab sound like shit...but some may prefer it with...
 
Hey Steve,
I agree preference is subjective.
You can setup the Preset one of two ways:
1. The the FX Loop does not see the Cab and therefore is not influenced by its sound. [How I set it up for "Stage Sound" from the Port City Cabs and "FOH Sound" from the Virtual Cab]
2. The Cab is in front of the FX Loop and is influenced by the Cab's sound. [Virtual Cab sound gets sent to real cab]
Which way do you have it setup?
 
jimnov said:
Please post your preset so we can determine why your preset is reacting in the opposite manner.
Thx,
jimnov
Click to expand...

It probably wouldn't be much help as I'm using third party IRs. For my cleans, I use the Deluxe Verb amp into an Own Hammer Deluxe Reverb IR. For my heavy rhythm and lead sounds, I use the Angle Severe 2 and Euro Red Modern into a 3 Sigma Audio Zilla Fatboy IR.
 
I used to go into a Marshall 8008 poweramp into two 4x12 cabs and it sounded best without the cabsims. With the cabsims not so good, also a lot more unwanted feedback as well. Then I exchanged the Marshall for a Matrix 1000 poweramp and my sound without cabsims suddenly sounded like shit. All the bass was gone. I knew the Matrix was optimized for modelers so I tried it with cabsims again and back was the sound I was used too. Sort off. Still a tad too much unwanted feedback though. So I'm now in the process of replacing the cabs with FRFR speakers. See how that works out.
 
Well just for the sake of being open to the idea I decided to make a new patch last night and ran a cab sim in front of the FXL into my fryette power station and carvin DCM 1540 into my Orange 4x12. I also used the latest stock Orange 4x12 IR. Tried a few other IR's as well. Sorry to say but it sounded like phasey crap. Hollow would be another word I could use. The mids seemed to disappear a lot. I could see where one might not notice with cleans as you basically get better bass response but that's just a bump in the low res on the speaker page. Once I went to the friedman be and a few others that phasey sound becomes even more obvious. I'm a believer of tone being very subjective as far as amp type, cab choice, guitar choice, tube or ss...etc. but that double filtering phasey sound I just don't get... I'd like to hear the sounds those of you are getting with running cab sims into actual cabs. Unfortunately adding another filter (a mic on your cab) surely won't represent the tone well.
 
Keg8605 said:
Well just for the sake of being open to the idea I decided to make a new patch last night and ran a cab sim in front of the FXL into my fryette power station and carvin DCM 1540 into my Orange 4x12. I also used the latest stock Orange 4x12 IR. Tried a few other IR's as well. Sorry to say but it sounded like phasey crap. Hollow would be another word I could use. The mids seemed to disappear a lot. I could see where one might not notice with cleans as you basically get better bass response but that's just a bump in the low res on the speaker page. Once I went to the friedman be and a few others that phasey sound becomes even more obvious. I'm a believer of tone being very subjective as far as amp type, cab choice, guitar choice, tube or ss...etc. but that double filtering phasey sound I just don't get... I'd like to hear the sounds those of you are getting with running cab sims into actual cabs. Unfortunately adding another filter (a mic on your cab) surely won't represent the tone well.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I tried it once just to see what it would sound like, similar experience. I'm a "keep is simple" kind of guy, and the whole cab sims through guitar cabs approach is too convoluted for me. Even if I could get a good sound with that approach, I'd be looking for simpler route (less is more...).
 
jimnov said:
Hey Steve,
I agree preference is subjective.
You can setup the Preset one of two ways:
1. The the FX Loop does not see the Cab and therefore is not influenced by its sound. [How I set it up for "Stage Sound" from the Port City Cabs and "FOH Sound" from the Virtual Cab]
2. The Cab is in front of the FX Loop and is influenced by the Cab's sound. [Virtual Cab sound gets sent to real cab]
Which way do you have it setup?
Click to expand...
So, when I refer to "UNDER" it means in Axe Edit, you would see it directly UNDER the cab in the chain below (and parallel to) the primary chain, in other words, the CAB Block has no influence on Out 2, which goes to my real Mesa 4 x 12 through my Matrix GT-1000!
I don't like the sound of a virtual cab in front of a real cab...
I can always use EQ to tweak, rather than using a CAB in front of a cab and while it has been stated that there is no right or wrong way to do this...it just seems counterproductive and sounds bad to me. Might as well just use a CAB block with an FRFR to get exactly what I have now...

I am probably just going to sell the Mesa 4 x 12 and just get a pair of passive Xitone 12" FRFR's, so I'll only need one signal chain. I would use either headphones or the FRFR's, which sound close enough to each other, that I don't have to create different tones on Out 1 and Out 2 to get a similar sounding output on both outputs.
 
Last edited:
Keg8605 said:
Well just for the sake of being open to the idea I decided to make a new patch last night and ran a cab sim in front of the FXL into my fryette power station and carvin DCM 1540 into my Orange 4x12. I also used the latest stock Orange 4x12 IR. Tried a few other IR's as well. Sorry to say but it sounded like phasey crap. Hollow would be another word I could use. The mids seemed to disappear a lot. I could see where one might not notice with cleans as you basically get better bass response but that's just a bump in the low res on the speaker page. Once I went to the friedman be and a few others that phasey sound becomes even more obvious. I'm a believer of tone being very subjective as far as amp type, cab choice, guitar choice, tube or ss...etc. but that double filtering phasey sound I just don't get... I'd like to hear the sounds those of you are getting with running cab sims into actual cabs. Unfortunately adding another filter (a mic on your cab) surely won't represent the tone well.
Click to expand...
Agreed, it's like a double EQ on the speakers....which would make them sound like shit. They go through a lot of work to create a true CAB IR...so if you're gonna go CAB SIM, the only way to get to the sound of the CAB you want, is through FRFR...

I prefer that to the actual CAB because I have the flexibility of having any CAB sound I want this way.
 
Just tried it - any cab SIM I use through my Mesa 4 x 12 cab makes the sound very dark and muddy...and would require a lot of EQ tuning to make it sound halfway decent. No point - for me anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom