What Cab or cabs

andyp13

andyp13

Power User
I find most of the Amps can sound the same (not all, but most with eq’ing can sound the same) the character of the sound comes from the speakers... but wow, there’s so many to choose from... does anyone have any tips on this, should I just stick to one cab (usually 1x12 for me) or 2/3/4, what’s the advantage of using more than one?
Im playing Soul, funk, Steely Dan stuff, so have a clean rhythm and a spongy overdrive type sound.
despite all the new amps coming along I can’t prize myself away from the Shiver Clean, it seems to really work well with overdrive blocks 😎.

I love my sound at the moment but typically can’t help feeling I’m missing out on even better sounds.
 
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The advantage of multiple cabs is the ability to mix them. A live cab has many different sonic elements that a single mic position just can't replicate. There are mics/positions that sound great on their own but others can sound either too boomy or too thin. Mixing these cabs allows you to create the balance you want.

I never gave much thought to multiple cabs until I saw a well known band's rig rundown and the guitar player mic'd 4 cabs, each with different mics and positions, for live shows. His tone was huge and after messing around with mixing different sounding cabs I discovered that this was a key element for a "bigger", more dynamic tone.
 
pin.pngWhat specific cab(s) are you using now?
An easier way to choose between the factory cabs (assuming you haven’t yet dipped into 3rd party
IRs for your user cab banks) is to set up your amp block how you like it, in AxeEdit put a looper block in first in chain . Record a riff/chord loop and open a Cab Picker window and click the Pin Window open icon in the upper right corner as shown and use your cursor or keyboard to listen to as many as you can stand....for your case you may want to try the Carol=Ann 1x12s , or the Bludos and of course the Shivers...
 
great advice guys, the cabs are something I haven’t really experimented with, Iv never tried any 3rd party IR’s.
 
andyp13 said:
great advice guys, the cabs are something I haven’t really experimented with, Iv never tried any 3rd party IR’s.
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3rd party IRs, for the most part, are great from the perspective of offering more options of mics and mic placements. It can be a rabbit hole but once you listen through one cab's mic and placement list, you'll get an idea of how each mic sounds and what the placement does to the tone. We all have personal preferences when it comes to tone. Some mic placement tonal differences are minor but that little bit less top end and a touch more mid-range makes all the difference.

Mixing IRs is key for me getting the tones I prefer. It can be difficult to find the right balance of bright and dark with one mic and position. Adding a room and back-of-cab ir to the mix and I'm liking the results. I'm getting the sound I'm used to when sitting next to a cab (NOT amp in the room, please let's just not go there!).

As far as an approach to IRs, I begin by pairing an amp model with an "appropriate" factory IR to get a sense of how the amp is intended to sound. From there I go to my 3rd party IRs and find a few that seem to enhance or accentuate certain aspects of the tone. A lot of times the factory IR will stay in the mix, the others just help complete the tone.

As far as IR companies, there's quite a few that seem to be popular. Ownhammer, Redwirez, York Audio, Vallhalir, Dr. Bonkers, Austin Buddy and ML Sound Lab. The one that has the "best" IRs? That's completely subjective. Personally, I'm digging the new Redwirez remastered IRs. I bought their Vintage Classics pack for $40 and they are really great sounding IRs. They have an openness and "rawness" that has really captured my ear and the pack has a lot of smaller cabs which I use more often than not. Looks like Ownhammer has introduced a (r)Evolution pack for $20 that has a wide variety of cabs and a core selection of industry standard mics.

It does take a good chunk of time to audition and mix them but for me, it's well worth it for the end result.
 
My main preset right now is built around the Shiver Clean. I found that I like it best with the 2x12 Texas Star impulse response curve vs the default 4x12 Basket weave.

For IRs, I've primarily found the that if you find good ones, you can use the same IRs everywhere. That's what I do...

About 4-5 years ago someone posted something that resonated with me: frequently changing amps and IRs during a live performance can be fatiguing to the audience (and also a pain for the sound guy).

I currently use a blend of 2 IRs: both are the G12H30 55Hz from the ML Legends cab pack. One with the M160 and a bit of low cut and one with the SM57.
 
unix-guy said:
For IRs, I've primarily found the that if you find good ones, you can use the same IRs everywhere. That's what I do...
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Sorry I'm getting long-winded here....I actually edited this down.

There are speakers like Vintage 30s that are versatile and used with many amps so in that light, this is very true. I'm also a proponent of using one amp live (two if running stereo). Sorry, but this idea of having a Fender for verses, Marshall for chorus and Mesa for solos just doesn't make sense. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. But I digress.... :p

My go-to IR is the WGS Retro 30 mix because I've used the actual speaker for years and am very familiar with it. However, it wasn't until I started exploring IRs and trying the actual cabs/speakers that are typically used with certain amps that I discovered how different and tonally gratifying they really are. It also exposed how similar the presets that used the WGS IR sounded, regardless of the amp.

It does take more time and effort to "match" an IR (or mix of IRs) to an amp but to me, it's well worth it. If you are pleased with the tones you get with just a couple of IRs that's great, go for it. Everyone's different and should should do whatever gives them the results they want. I do believe though that everyone could benefit from exploring IRs. To me they're more important than most parameters in the amp block since they have such a huge impact on both the feel and the tone.

Bottom line, you've said you like the tones you get. If you want to explore, by all means chase the rabbit- just make sure to draw a line somewhere first. Sit down and determine what your goal is. I've had to put the mouse down and back away from the computer several times, resisting the urge to buy "just one more".
 
JoKeR III said:
Sorry I'm getting long-winded here....I actually edited this down.

There are speakers like Vintage 30s that are versatile and used with many amps so in that light, this is very true. I'm also a proponent of using one amp live (two if running stereo). Sorry, but this idea of having a Fender for verses, Marshall for chorus and Mesa for solos just doesn't make sense. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. But I digress.... :p

My go-to IR is the WGS Retro 30 mix because I've used the actual speaker for years and am very familiar with it. However, it wasn't until I started exploring IRs and trying the actual cabs/speakers that are typically used with certain amps that I discovered how different and tonally gratifying they really are. It also exposed how similar the presets that used the WGS IR sounded, regardless of the amp.

It does take more time and effort to "match" an IR (or mix of IRs) to an amp but to me, it's well worth it. If you are pleased with the tones you get with just a couple of IRs that's great, go for it. Everyone's different and should should do whatever gives them the results they want. I do believe though that everyone could benefit from exploring IRs. To me they're more important than most parameters in the amp block since they have such a huge impact on both the feel and the tone.

Bottom line, you've said you like the tones you get. If you want to explore, by all means chase the rabbit- just make sure to draw a line somewhere first. Sit down and determine what your goal is. I've had to put the mouse down and back away from the computer several times, resisting the urge to buy "just one more".
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And I literally just picked up Cab Lab 3 on the Black November sale, so I'll be further down the hole again soon ;)

I agree with your thoughts, too. I've found that exploring the Austin Buddy pack that there are IRs that really work with specific Amp models.

For me, however, I'm writing and playing my own tunes and not chasing a tone other than the one in my own head...

Definitely people should do what works for them... But that rabbit hole is deep and vast, and it's intimidating to many. ;)
 
andyp13 said:
I find most of the Amps can sound the same (not all, but most with eq’ing can sound the same) the character of the sound comes from the speakers... but wow, there’s so many to choose from... does anyone have any tips on this, should I just stick to one cab (usually 1x12 for me) or 2/3/4, what’s the advantage of using more than one?
Im playing Soul, funk, Steely Dan stuff, so have a clean rhythm and a spongy overdrive type sound.
despite all the new amps coming along I can’t prize myself away from the Shiver Clean, it seems to really work well with overdrive blocks 😎.

I love my sound at the moment but typically can’t help feeling I’m missing out on even better sounds.
Click to expand...
I start with cabs that I like in real world. 4x12 Marshall with green backs or some other cab that was used in a recording that I like.
 
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