Question about IR's - Noobie so be nice :-)

Japster

Japster

Inspired
Hi peeps,

I'm building up my dream rig whilst waiting for my AF2, got the Matrix GT800FX, got the Mesa Thiele's with EVM12L's, so today's topic is IR's :-

1) The AF2 comes with some built in FAS & 3rd party IR's I have read, but are they any good ?
2) Why do some of you guys choose to "buy" Ownhammer or Redwirez IR's in addition to what's included ?
3) What is the best (and most cost effect way) to buy Ownhammer or Redwirez IR's ? Bundles or individually ?
4) If I download a Patch written by a forum user that was written with a 3rd party IR that I don't have will it work at all ?

Any help appreciated :)
 
Japster said:
1) The AF2 comes with some built in FAS & 3rd party IR's I have read, but are they any good ?
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Some have stated that they are "better" than the stock cabs on the Std/Ultra, but better is a relative term. Some you may like, some you may not. In essence, the cab IR is an emulated EQ stage. IOW - YMMV.

Japster said:
2) Why do some of you guys choose to "buy" Ownhammer or Redwirez IR's in addition to what's included ?
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some folks feel the OH's are "warmer", have more "body". more "organic".. I dunno.. pick your adjective. IMHO - both do an excellent job. And there is a ton of them, so you can get some serious ear fatigue auditioning all of them.

Japster said:
3) What is the best (and most cost effect way) to buy Ownhammer or Redwirez IR's ? Bundles or individually ?
Click to expand...
Bundles.. definitely. YMMV - I don't use many of them. I suggest starting with something that one commonly hears with a standard mic'ed cab, such as an "SM57-Cone-4in" IR (mic is placed center cone 4" away) and try those for each cab model. Find what you like. If that doesn't work, try a different set - OffAxis, ConeEdge and so on.

Japster said:
4) If I download a Patch written by a forum user that was written with a 3rd party IR that I don't have will it work at all ?
Click to expand...
It will not work if you do not have a cab in that user slot. It will not sound the same if its a different IR in same slot. You can always click on the cab block and replace the selected User IR with a factory one, but then you won't get the same end result. Many folks post their presets (eg: smilefan, yek) with notes on which User IR's were used (in which slot) and which factory cabs to replace them with.
 
Thanks for an Excellent response S0c9,

You've answered all my points exactly the way I wanted them

I've also picked up a few new acronyms along the way :lol cool !
 
@s0c9

That was a very informative answer, thank you. I think I will check the OHs.

@Japster

I've asked myself the same questions. You know you can download for free one Redwirez Marshall IR set. I did and when I saw what's inside the package I thought I would never understand how to use it. Turned out to be very easy to use after I read the docs on the redwirez website.
Last night I bought the BigBox from Redwirez because I saw some cabs that are not in the Axe FX II and I wanted to see what's all the fuss about.
I transfered some IR's in the Axe FX using Axe Edit (easy job) and I edited my patches to use the new cabs. I fell in love with the Mesa rectifier V30 and I only loaded the one with the R121 mic cone edge 2 inches away. I mean when you see the list of microphones for each cab and then each microphone has 20 or more positions against the speaker you might think it's impossible to choose. Go for the recommended positions and you'll see good results. I don't know, somehow I ended up using the new IR's instead of factory ones...

One more thing: I downloaded some patches from forum, and yes some were built to use the custom IR's. Most of Smilefan's patches use custom IR's instead of Factory IR's. I did not have the BigBox set so I had to change the custom IR with factory IR. Many times I went for Basketwave cabs, sounded ok. After buying the BigBox I loaded the patches again, this time using the proper IR, the one that the patch was built for. And yes, it's a big difference. For better.

Take care, Adrian
 
yes, really well answered IMHO, sc09 :)

just in relation to ....

s0c9 said:
I suggest starting with something that one commonly hears with a standard mic'ed cab, such as an "SM57-Cone-4in" IR (mic is placed center cone 4" away) and try those for each cab model. Find what you like. If that doesn't work, try a different set - OffAxis, ConeEdge and so on.
Click to expand...

... this is a place to start for the sound of a close mic'd cab, which is commonly used in live situations to avoid bleed from other instruments on stage. But this is not a sound I like at all, and in live situations it needs an amount of tone correction to get it to sit well in the mix. This is something you'll need to add into your patch as well. Folks with the AF2 say this is less necessary and that may be so, I'm still waiting so I can't really comment.

In my Ultra days I preferred blended (multiple) cabs with different mic's in different positions including far-field IRs, it just sounds more real to my ears. IMHO a single mic in a near-field IR sounds sterile, thin and harsh. But however they work for you, I think you'll find them both frustrating and rewarding :)
 
I previously owned the Ultra and now the II.

With the Ultra I felt like the 3rd party IR's really made a big postive effect to get the tones I was after on my rig.

With the II, I have been getting a lot of mileage out of the factory delivered IR's. Not sure if this is just because I know more now or not, but I would say I *could* get by with just the factory IR's.

Richard
 
GM Arts said:
... this is a place to start for the sound of a close mic'd cab, which is commonly used in live situations to avoid bleed from other instruments on stage. But this is not a sound I like at all, and in live situations it needs an amount of tone correction to get it to sit well in the mix. This is something you'll need to add into your patch as well. Folks with the AF2 say this is less necessary and that may be so, I'm still waiting so I can't really comment.

In my Ultra days I preferred blended (multiple) cabs with different mic's in different positions including far-field IRs, it just sounds more real to my ears. IMHO a single mic in a near-field IR sounds sterile, thin and harsh. But however they work for you, I think you'll find them both frustrating and rewarding :)
Click to expand...
Agreed.. but my original recommendation (if you have no prior IR experience) was to start with something familiar - which if you've gigged some - is most likely a close-mic'ed SM57. That's not to say it's going to work for everyone, but if you start with some lesser know mics and mic placements, you will have a much larger learning curve.

Yes, I too prefer the blended IR's, but then that is the core directive isn't it. Find what works for you and go with it!
 
Hmmm... If I'm using AFII through a power amp/guitar cab config, does that mean theres no reason to get any 3rd party IR?
 
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