Smittefar
Axe-Master
I am still hoping, FAS will release a tone match VST plugin that will be able to export a cab file. I will buy it instantly.
I wanted to do a video showing how to do this - it is very easy and quite quick, but it will be soooo long, before I have time to do a proper video.
In the meantime, I wanted to tone match my acoustic, and while I have friends with AxeFX that have offered to help me, I really think tone matching requires time and effort to be any good. So I have been looking for a home solution.
Commercial solutions are available, but mostly as part of super expensive bundles (e.g. Ozone).
But here is a trick that works - and it is free*, if you have Reaper (<--$60).
Voxengo CurveEQ is a commercial product at a price of $89, but you can download a demo, which is fully functional except "Processing output is muted for a moment every 45 seconds." It turns out that is no problem for our needs.
Curve EQ will find the EQ curves for two different pieces of music, and then it creates splines to match the two spectras - Unfortunately, it only provides a 60 spline match (it is still a lot, but less than a FAS match. The splines gives less to no phasing compared to the FAS tone match)
Reaper has Reaverb that can actually capture an IR. It is described here - http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/reaverb-part-2
The trick is that Reaverb can capture an IR of MatchEQ. Just render the test signal with the match EQ applied to a new file (or a new take as reaper might call it). Use the new file for the deconvolution process in ReaVerb. The deconvolution process will output a .wav IR that you can import to Ax8 using CabLab Lite.
I am not done experimenting with this myself, but here is an example of my baby steps
I recorded my acoustic using a cheap stereo pair of small diaphragm condenser mics. I also made a stereo tone match. In this recording, the first 20 seconds is the DI signal, the next 20 is the DI treated with a stereo tone match, and the final 20 seconds is the microphone recording. I added a tiny bit of reverb, and a very gentle master limiter (the loudness is low, you may need to turn up your speakers), but no other FX have been added.
To my ears, the DI sounds good, but the DI with TM sounds slightly better, but it lacks some of the fullness and actually a bit of phasing that the miced recording has. I really like my acoustic with a bit of stereo perspective.
The guitar is a Martin OM42 with the B-Band AST system. The mics are T-Bone SC140 priced at €99 for a set of two.
This was my first attempt on doing this. I don't feel like, I am anywhere near done, but I think I am off to a good start. I hope some of you will find this useful. I apologize for the wall of text.
*I guess that it is a stretch to use say that a demo plugin is free. It was certainly not the intention of the plugin makers that their demo should be really useful in the free/demo version. I am fairly sure, I am not breaking any rules by doing it this way, but I am surely doing something that was not intended. I am not completely finished debating with myself, how I feel about that.
I wanted to do a video showing how to do this - it is very easy and quite quick, but it will be soooo long, before I have time to do a proper video.
In the meantime, I wanted to tone match my acoustic, and while I have friends with AxeFX that have offered to help me, I really think tone matching requires time and effort to be any good. So I have been looking for a home solution.
Commercial solutions are available, but mostly as part of super expensive bundles (e.g. Ozone).
But here is a trick that works - and it is free*, if you have Reaper (<--$60).
Voxengo CurveEQ is a commercial product at a price of $89, but you can download a demo, which is fully functional except "Processing output is muted for a moment every 45 seconds." It turns out that is no problem for our needs.
Curve EQ will find the EQ curves for two different pieces of music, and then it creates splines to match the two spectras - Unfortunately, it only provides a 60 spline match (it is still a lot, but less than a FAS match. The splines gives less to no phasing compared to the FAS tone match)
Reaper has Reaverb that can actually capture an IR. It is described here - http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/reaverb-part-2
The trick is that Reaverb can capture an IR of MatchEQ. Just render the test signal with the match EQ applied to a new file (or a new take as reaper might call it). Use the new file for the deconvolution process in ReaVerb. The deconvolution process will output a .wav IR that you can import to Ax8 using CabLab Lite.
I am not done experimenting with this myself, but here is an example of my baby steps
I recorded my acoustic using a cheap stereo pair of small diaphragm condenser mics. I also made a stereo tone match. In this recording, the first 20 seconds is the DI signal, the next 20 is the DI treated with a stereo tone match, and the final 20 seconds is the microphone recording. I added a tiny bit of reverb, and a very gentle master limiter (the loudness is low, you may need to turn up your speakers), but no other FX have been added.
To my ears, the DI sounds good, but the DI with TM sounds slightly better, but it lacks some of the fullness and actually a bit of phasing that the miced recording has. I really like my acoustic with a bit of stereo perspective.
The guitar is a Martin OM42 with the B-Band AST system. The mics are T-Bone SC140 priced at €99 for a set of two.
This was my first attempt on doing this. I don't feel like, I am anywhere near done, but I think I am off to a good start. I hope some of you will find this useful. I apologize for the wall of text.
*I guess that it is a stretch to use say that a demo plugin is free. It was certainly not the intention of the plugin makers that their demo should be really useful in the free/demo version. I am fairly sure, I am not breaking any rules by doing it this way, but I am surely doing something that was not intended. I am not completely finished debating with myself, how I feel about that.
