Anybody Using Cab IRs a Lot?

[CandidPicker]

In past months, I'd been trying another approach to obtaining a decent amp tone with my HeadRush Gigboard and FRFR108.

The majority of opinions had said that they liked employing cabinet IRs in various ways, with a variety of mics and mic positions.

A couple nights ago, I was viewing Doc McFarland's YT channel which he uses to describe various modeling devices, the HR included. Doc offered an IR pack of 127 different speaker and mic configs for a very reasonable price.

You likely think, not another pitch for modeling devices. Well, TBH, my HR could use some extra reference points, so I coughed up the modest sales price and began experimenting with the list of IRs.

Without being too longwinded, Doc's IR pack was a nice alternative that breathed new life into my HR Gigboard. It offered a variety of speaker, mic, on/off-aix and mix level percentage configs.

Here's Doc's YT pitch for the Sonic-DNA IR pack. Check out Sonic-DNA if perhaps you're looking for a wide variety of IRs at a reasonable price.

 

[Herr Squid]

I'm not familiar with the Headrush stuff personally. But if you're in the modeling world, it's definitely worth experimenting with a wide variety of IRs. In the real world, the biggest factor affecting guitar tone is speakers and cabs. Playing with IRs in the modeling realm is a great way to experiment without having to pay many thousands of dollars and forklift tons of cabinets in and out. Not to mention all the speaker and microphone swaps you get to avoid...

 

[CandidPicker]

I'm not familiar with the Headrush stuff personally. But if you're in the modeling world, it's definitely worth experimenting with a wide variety of IRs. In the real world, the biggest factor affecting guitar tone is speakers and cabs. Playing with IRs in the modeling realm is a great way to experiment without having to pay many thousands of dollars and forklift tons of cabinets in and out. Not to mention all the speaker and microphone swaps you get to avoid...

I've found that regards IRs, you don't need a lot of money to enjoy a wide variety of cabinet models at a virtual fraction of the price of what it would cost to own actual cabinets with each speaker. The variety, in Doc McFarland's case, is limited to simple Greenback and V30 speakers, each one separately, or the two together. And each IR utilizes at least one or two of at least 3 quality mics, again, used separately or together for dual speaker configs.

What fascinates me is that each IR utilizes a variety of mic mix levels, ranging from 100 to 50, to 0%. While some of the configs seem redundant, each one is slightly varied in response. Lastly, Doc includes configs that are maxed in terms of based and treble response, for beefy thick tone.

I've yet to try setting up additional HR rigs with some choice IRs, but can guarantee if they could bottle IRs like they do other drinks, more folks would be using them. I like that Doc thinks outside-the-box regards his implementation of rigs and IRs. For $15 you can't go wrong.

 

[Herr Squid]

IRs are made by putting a microphone on a speaker in a cabinet in a room, and there are there are endless variations to be explored. You're exactly right, the people who make them are doing a huge amount of work for us, and we get a bargain in terms of the tens of dollars we might pay to "own" tens of thousands of dollars worth of permutations on gear and time spent sampling it.

 

[andy474x]

I’m loving using IR’s. Like @Herr Squid said, really convenient and affordable way to “try out” speakers and cabinets.

Well, hmm, on the other hand, it has caused me to buy Celestion Cream and Ruby Alnico, and a couple of their ceramics. Maybe it isn’t as cheap as I thought! But, I was able to find speakers that are a perfect match for my amps, so it’s a win. Plus, being able to have other options for speakers and mics that you use on occasion, but not enough to drop the green on actually buying them, perfect!

 

[CandidPicker]

IRs are made by putting a microphone on a speaker in a cabinet in a room, and there are there are endless variations to be explored. You're exactly right, the people who make them are doing a huge amount of work for us, and we get a bargain in terms of the tens of dollars we might pay to "own" tens of thousands of dollars worth of permutations on gear and time spent sampling it.

That's the beauty of cab IRs. Someone else has put in the man-hours of laboriously positioning a variety of mics and speakers in different positions and levels and charging only a pittance for their work. As was said, for $15 you can't go wrong.

 

[CandidPicker]

I’m loving using IR’s. Like @Herr Squid said, really convenient and affordable way to “try out” speakers and cabinets.

Well, hmm, on the other hand, it has caused me to buy Celestion Cream and Ruby Alnico, and a couple of their ceramics. Maybe it isn’t as cheap as I thought! But, I was able to find speakers that are a perfect match for my amps, so it’s a win. Plus, being able to have other options for speakers and mics that you use on occasion, but not enough to drop the green on actually buying them, perfect!

Granted, not all variations are going to suit your tastes or work for your application. There will be many additional ones that will work. The chance one takes is using his own ears and discerning what one will like.

Where did you find the Creamback IRs? (I found a couple from Celestion's site bcuz the freebies were offered with the HR Gigboard purchase.)

I think Doc McFarland describes in one of his vids where to locate free IRs online (not sure which video...) Ownhammer and Redwirez offers some; there are others from individual guitarists who've uploaded on the HR Community Forum, or from online guitarists trying to fund their work with IR sales...

 

[Herr Squid]

That's the beauty of cab IRs. Someone else has put in the man-hours of laboriously positioning a variety of mics and speakers in different positions and levels and charging only a pittance for their work. As was said, for $15 you can't go wrong.

Exactly! The biggest problem with IR packs is the data management issue they create... I have bought a few packs over the year, and a quick and dirty count tells me I have... almost 7500 IR files infesting my Mac.

 

[CandidPicker]

Exactly! The biggest problem with IR packs is the data management issue they create... I have bought a few packs over the year, and a quick and dirty count tells me I have... almost 7500 IR files infesting my Mac.

Sheesh! I've nowhere near that many I've kept as a backup folder besides what's stored within the Gigboard...I suppose that it would make sense to sort through some of the unusable files and delete them. Yet that task in itself would be time-consuming because it would require testing each IR with a set rig (or 2) then determining of what value it might be. The likely scenario regards HD space would be checking each folder and evaluating the folder size. If the folder size is comparatively small, it stays; if it's too large, it gets reduced.

I'd need to check the file properties window for each folder to know this. FTR, I don't think you have a problem collecting IR files, you've just done a lot of research and found many files you thought were useful for you.

I likely don't need a ton of IR files, but some that will work well with my current rigs, which are currently limited. I'd really prefer you tell me where you found most of your IR files, so I can check them out for myself. Thanks in advance.

It was said in a previous post that Doc McFarland provided a sponsored website that describes where to locate no-cost IR files online, yet for the life of me, I don't remember which video it was since my YT history retains only videos that are of value and/or importance. Will need to revisit his channel again and see if I can locate what video listed the sponsored page...

 

[andy474x]

Where did you find the Creamback IRs? (I found a couple from Celestion's site bcuz the freebies were offered with the HR Gigboard purchase.)

I think Doc McFarland describes in one of his vids where to locate free IRs online (not sure which video...) Ownhammer and Redwirez offers some; there are others from individual guitarists who've uploaded on the HR Community Forum, or from online guitarists trying to fund their work with IR sales...

The Alnico Celestions I just got from the Celestion online store. They have a “Pick’n’Mix” feature that’s a nice deal, you can get 3 or 5 speakers. They might not be the most high-brow captures, but they are good, and quite accurate to the tone of the real deal on those I’ve tried both ways. Blending the Cream and Ruby in an open 2x12 IR was just awesome, so I did that in my pine open-back PRS cab, and it absolutely smokes.

I have a Two Notes loader, so many of my other IR’s are their format. They’ve recently started to broaden their inventory with lots of officially licensed offerings from Celestion as well as cab manufacturers.

 

[CandidPicker]

The Alnico Celestions I just got from the Celestion online store. They have a “Pick’n’Mix” feature that’s a nice deal, you can get 3 or 5 speakers. They might not be the most high-brow captures, but they are good, and quite accurate to the tone of the real deal on those I’ve tried both ways. Blending the Cream and Ruby in an open 2x12 IR was just awesome, so I did that in my pine open-back PRS cab, and it absolutely smokes.

I have a Two Notes loader, so many of my other IR’s are their format. They’ve recently started to broaden their inventory with lots of officially licensed offerings from Celestion as well as cab manufacturers.

Thanks! It took some doing trying to locate their celestionplus site, but that was the one. Chose the 3 pick'n-mix package and spent the last hour or so organizing my HR computer backup folder...seems the folder was just individual files...needed to put them into their respective file name folders...

Although I didn't see HeadRush among the recommended manufacturer IR list, the IRs downloaded OK onto my Gigboard @44.1 kHz...hoping this won't mess things up (my Gigboard is currently set towards 44.1 kHz). There were numerous other manufacturers (Helix, Fractal, etc.) but am hoping that Celestion's IRs will work with my HeadRush...

EDIT: Just checked the Celestion FAQs page...the IRs that were downloaded are comparatively generic and will work for most all modeling devices...some devices require conversion into other formats from the .wav files, but that is usually accomplished within your modeling device or device app. Will see if these check out OK in a couple simple rigs, or may opt to build separate rigs and see what they will do ala Doc McFarlands rig build suggestions.