What's A Good Starting Point For IR's/Cabs?

shredsquatch

shredsquatch

Inspired
So I see this term a lot and have started to research via YouTubes and the search feature here and google but is there a good beginners guide for dummies or a start from scratch, connect the dots, 1 2 3 list that has helped some of you? I'm also seeing a lot about Ownhammer, I'm sure there are others worth looking at.

~thanks
 
spend some time with the stock cabs. 3rd parties IR to me are something a person should grow into if at all. I currently use 3rd party IR because I was looking for something very specific. I wanted to have a certain cab with a certain mic mix so I bout the IR's to get the mixes I wanted.
 
Use the cabs in 8.02 they are all you need. Its more about experimenting with amp/cab combos than this cab or that cab.
If you put a 4x10 bassman with a splawn what do you expect? Might be cool...but you get my point?
 
Start with the brand new presets and listen for cabs that sound like "you" or fit well in your band mix. You will see the term "Rabbit Hole" thrown around a lot when it comes to IRs and it is an apt descriptor. There are a ton of killer sounds in the stock IRs and they have been dialed in by people who know what they're doing. You just spent a sizeable amount of money on this device and it comes loaded with a ton of cabs. Take the time to audition them, play with the parameters, especially the proximity effects as they really add the tube amp "feel", and dial in your definition of great tone. The stereo blend is wonderful tool as well, so take advantage of it. I personally love the blend of the Fractal Greenback cab (Prox 4.15) mixed with the Virbolux 3X10 (Prox 1.15). Gives me good low end chunk while maintaining the high end sizzle you get when pushing an amp into breakup territory. I have never purchased any third party IRs and at this point I don't plan to.
 
Cam Heiliger said:
Take the time to audition them, play with the parameters, especially the proximity effects as they really add the tube amp "feel", and dial in your definition of great tone. The stereo blend is wonderful tool as well, so take advantage of it. I personally love the blend of the Fractal Greenback cab (Prox 4.15) mixed with the Virbolux 3X10 (Prox 1.15). Gives me good low end chunk while maintaining the high end sizzle you get when pushing an amp into breakup territory.
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Thanks man! I saw the stereo blend and proximity section when I learned of the wonders of the Low-Cut. I'll check that out this week!

~SS
 
shredsquatch said:
Thanks man! I saw the stereo blend and proximity section when I learned of the wonders of the Low-Cut. I'll check that out this week!

~SS
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Yes, these are both game changers. If you're anything like me, you'll probably narrow it down quickly to a handful of IR's that you find immediately useful. Then start blending them to maybe add cut to a boomy cab, or add fullness to an overly bright cab mic'd with a sm57. I ultimately stepped out and grabbed a few packs that had the right amount of brightness for me. I found the stock IR's in many cases to be a bit too boomy for me. But it really is a rabbit hole as stated above. I had to spend maybe a hundred bucks before I stumbled upon an IR maker that delivered what I wanted.
 
I'm of the opposite opinion about sticking to the stock cabs. They are like a sample pack imo. There are too many wildly different flavors packed together. What you really need is a bunch of very similar IR's of the speaker and cab combo you want to use. Then it's much easier to scroll through them and find a perfect ir for your sound. Plus they are cheap. I'd buy 2 or 3 to see how it works.
 
yeah, for me 3rd party was definitely a game changer. the stock IR's just don't work for me and 3rd party was the final piece in my being totally happy with my tones. I'm not saying my way is right, but I look at them as my main EQ. If i have to tweak too much I have the wrong IR...i try to find one that lets me touch my tone controls as little as possible. Also I believe that Cliff stated somewhere he prefers dark IR's/mics and I feel that the stock IR's reflect this. I'm sure they work great for many, they just don't for me....especially for the tones I use.
 
Cam Heiliger said:
Start with the brand new presets and listen for cabs that sound like "you" or fit well in your band mix. You will see the term "Rabbit Hole" thrown around a lot when it comes to IRs and it is an apt descriptor. There are a ton of killer sounds in the stock IRs and they have been dialed in by people who know what they're doing. You just spent a sizeable amount of money on this device and it comes loaded with a ton of cabs. Take the time to audition them, play with the parameters, especially the proximity effects as they really add the tube amp "feel", and dial in your definition of great tone. The stereo blend is wonderful tool as well, so take advantage of it. I personally love the blend of the Fractal Greenback cab (Prox 4.15) mixed with the Virbolux 3X10 (Prox 1.15). Gives me good low end chunk while maintaining the high end sizzle you get when pushing an amp into breakup territory. I have never purchased any third party IRs and at this point I don't plan to.
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Good point but I do try options available too.
 
I've spent hundreds of dollars on cab packs over the years and my two main IR's that I've been using for the last year or so are two factory EVH cab IR's.
 
bishop5150 said:
I've spent hundreds of dollars on cab packs over the years and my two main IR's that I've been using for the last year or so are two factory EVH cab IR's.
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WOW out of all of them the EVH's? Thant doesn't surprise me especially for the killer stuff you guys play!
Have you tried the Ownhammers?


And thanks everybody for all of the input! I'm going to try the stock ones first and do more research on the $$$ versions.

~ss
 
Some stock IRs are 3rd party. Check them out and see if you like certain ones. It will give you an idea which company IRs you could potentially buy.
 
After you've browsed the factory cabs and get a feel for what you like (speakers, mics), then you'll probably have a better idea of where to start.

OwnHammer's Core Tones pack is a good starting point (and possibly end point) for third party IRs if you want something for every occasion.

Some people like the factory cabs and swear by them. Personally I've never heard one that blew me away. YMMV
 
I would fight for people's right to do/acquire/buy anything they need to to accomplish their goals pertaining to their guitar passion.

Still, I can't help but find some irony in the fact that our guitar heroes from yester-year all found their tone with (by comparison) only a handful of guitars, amps, and speakers to choose from. Yet they were able to combine what they had into some killer sounds that inspire us all. And here we are saying 200+ cabs at our finger tips just isn't going to cut it. :);):D
 
When you audition cabs be sure and play loud, with a real band.
EQ is underused way to make a good cab into a great one.
 
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