Are using Cab IR's at home a good way to demo Cabinets?

[DeadbeatLine]

Hi guys,

I've recently been getting into using Cab Impulse Responses at home for recording and experimentation, and have found them extremely fun to play around with and get a feel for the different sound characteristics each one has.

I usually default to the redwirez SVT 810, but I also recently acquired a Mesa Powerhouse (I'm presuming its an 810 also) and it sounds fantastic.

And it got me thinking, are Cab IR's a good way to trial and demo various cabs against each other, enough so that if you really liked the sound of one, you'd go out and buy it? Or do you feel there is something missing that you really need to experience in person?

Curious as to your opinions!

 

[xk49w]

Hi guys,

I've recently been getting into using Cab Impulse Responses at home for recording and experimentation, and have found them extremely fun to play around with and get a feel for the different sound characteristics each one has.

I usually default to the redwirez SVT 810, but I also recently acquired a Mesa Powerhouse (I'm presuming its an 810 also) and it sounds fantastic.

And it got me thinking, are Cab IR's a good way to trial and demo various cabs against each other, enough so that if you really liked the sound of one, you'd go out and buy it? Or do you feel there is something missing that you really need to experience in person?

Curious as to your opinions!

An interesting question. I use them too (Redwirez). Obviously, they won't give you what it is like to stand in front of a cabinet, if such a thing matters, and it may to some. But they do give a sense of coloration of different cabinets. The last time I checked there weren't many bass cabinets measured, and all were of a type that used all of the same driver. There were none with different sized drivers with crossover networks, which would be much more difficult to measure. Has this changed?

Rather than buy the cabinet, have you considered using these impulses through a high-fidelity cabinet and an impulse-filtering cabinet simulator like the Two-Notes Torpedo C.A.B.?

 

[DeadbeatLine]

An interesting question. I use them too (Redwirez). Obviously, they won't give you what it is like to stand in front of a cabinet, if such a thing matters, and it may to some. But they do give a sense of coloration of different cabinets. The last time I checked there weren't many bass cabinets measured, and all were of a type that used all of the same driver. There were none with different sized drivers with crossover networks, which would be much more difficult to measure. Has this changed?

Rather than buy the cabinet, have you considered using these impulses through a high-fidelity cabinet and an impulse-filtering cabinet simulator like the Two-Notes Torpedo C.A.B.?

The Mesa impulse I purchased wasn't from Redwirez, instead it was from a company called Three Sigma Audio, and they have a fairly decent range of 810's (Orange, Aguilar, MarkBass, etc) aswell as a couple 410's. However their IR's are created from a blend mics as opposed to multiple individual ones which you can choose between like Redwirez, and they're also at set distances, though you can choose the horizontal positioning relative to the speaker.

Pretty much all bass impulses I've personally seen have been cabs using 10" drivers (which are my preference usually so that's fine), but I'd love to see some 12's, 15's, hell, even an 18" for experimentation! I haven't seen any implementing crossovers or tweeter on/off settings, but for a crossover you could mimic it with a couple of seperate IR's, EQ'd to send different frequencies to each?

With regards to the Two-Notes, thats a fantastic idea which I hadn't considered (and is also pretty new to me!) but it sounds like an interesting idea for sure.

 

[EastCoastThump]

Short version: no. If you're in the market for a cabinet, audition cabs in person, ideally with your bass(es) and rig(s).

Here's why. There are some very nice sounding cab IRs, but they all have to capture other elements beyond the cabinet: mic choice, center v. edge placement, and distance. (And at increasing mic distance, the room's contributions also become more significant.) So IRs can tell you what a cab can sound like under the circumstances in which it was recorded. An IR isn't, though, a very useful way to A/B potential cabs for purchase.

Given a decent input signal, you can get a range of "cab X" sounds with very different decisions about mic choice and placement. And different cabs from the same production line can sound a bit different. And, all things equal, the hotter IRs will tends to sound better to most ears. Put that all together, and a preference for 3Sigma's IR X over IR Y won't mean I always prefer cab X over cab Y.