Two Notes Audio User Group

[Ross Davies]

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Hi Ross. Appreciate all your guidance here.

I've been thinking about this input level discussion and have a question or two.

One - If my interface specs (noted a few posts up) say "0 dBu mic" would that mean I should adjust the Genome calibration to 0dBu when running a DI (via XLR) into the interface preamp (combo jack) instead of using the instrument +8.4 when running in using a 1/4" instrument cable? Seems so.

Two - Does anything change if I'm passing a recorded audio clip into the Genome instance vs. playing when plugged into the interface with the audio passing through Genome in real time? Above you indicated when using the instrument input I should set the Genone calibration to +8.4 based on my interface specs. But if I recorded a dry signal input from my bass then later played that clip through Genome to virtually "re-amp" it does the 8.4 dBu from the interface stay in play or would it be best to adjust the calibration to 0 dBu (or some other amount)?

Great questions!

1. XLR mic input vs. ¼" instrument input

Yes, that's correct. The calibration should match the input you're actually using.

• If you're plugging your DI into the XLR microphone preamp, then using the 0 dBu mic calibration would be the appropriate starting point.
• If you're plugging your bass directly into the ¼" instrument input, then the +8.4 dBu instrument calibration is the correct setting based on your interface's specifications.

The idea is simply to tell GENOME what analogue level corresponds to digital full scale for the specific input path you're using.

2. Playing back a recorded DI through GENOME

This is a little different. Once the DI has been recorded, the interface is no longer involved in determining the signal level entering GENOME. At that point, GENOME is just receiving digital audio from your DAW.

So you don't need to change the calibration just because you're playing back a recorded DI instead of monitoring live. The important thing is that the DI was recorded with the correct gain structure in the first place and that you don't subsequently change its level in your DAW before it reaches GENOME.

For example, if you:

• record your bass through the instrument input with the correct gain,
• leave the clip at unity gain (no clip gain or trim adjustments),
• and then insert GENOME on that track,

...you can leave the calibration at the value that matches how the DI was originally captured (in your case, +8.4 dBu).

The only time you'd need to think about recalibration is if the source itself changes—for example, using a different interface, a different input type (mic vs. instrument), or if you're importing DIs that were recorded on another system with a different reference level.

Hopefully that helps clarify things! It's a subtle topic, but once you separate the analogue capture stage from the digital playback stage, it starts to make a lot more sense.

 

[monsterthompson]

Hopefully that helps clarify things! It's a subtle topic, but once you separate the analogue capture stage from the digital playback stage, it starts to make a lot more sense.

I appreciate the feedback. I'm not sure I quite have a gut intuition established for how this all fits but I'll follow what you've posted and experiment with a few things and listen to what changes I hear. I think I need to make a few "mistakes" to hear what "wrong" sounds like against "right."

I think the thing that's tripping me up most is that I'm interpreting the interface max spec as adding 8.4 dB to my instrument signal (or that the signal can be 8.4 dB above 0) and the Genome calibration is adding gain when set at +8.4. I'm thinking Genome's calibration should be an offset of -8.4 to net 0 when added to the interface +8.4. That obviously isn't the case.

 

[Ross Davies]

I appreciate the feedback. I'm not sure I quite have a gut intuition established for how this all fits but I'll follow what you've posted and experiment with a few things and listen to what changes I hear. I think I need to make a few "mistakes" to hear what "wrong" sounds like against "right."

I think the thing that's tripping me up most is that I'm interpreting the interface max spec as adding 8.4 dB to my instrument signal (or that the signal can be 8.4 dB above 0) and the Genome calibration is adding gain when set at +8.4. I'm thinking Genome's calibration should be an offset of -8.4 to net 0 when added to the interface +8.4. That obviously isn't the case.

You're very close—it's just one small conceptual shift that's causing the confusion.

The +8.4 dBu figure isn't gain that's being added to your instrument signal, and the calibration control in GENOME isn't applying or subtracting gain either.

Instead, think of the calibration as a reference for your interface's instrument input. By selecting +8.4 dBu, you're telling GENOME, "This is the analogue input level that corresponds to 0 dBFS on my interface's Hi-Z input." GENOME uses that reference so the virtual amp sees the same signal level a real amp would have seen when your guitar was plugged into that input.

So there's nothing to "cancel out." The +8.4 dBu value is simply describing the behaviour of your interface's instrument input, and GENOME uses that information to interpret the incoming digital signal correctly.

 

[monsterthompson]

You're very close—it's just one small conceptual shift that's causing the confusion.

Thanks for the guidance. This is one of those areas of music tech I never paid attention to and doesn't get a lot of chatter on the forums. Maybe Julian Krause has an in depth discussion of it on his YouTube channel, given the number of interface reviews he's done over the years.

 

[Ross Davies]

Thanks for the guidance. This is one of those areas of music tech I never paid attention to and doesn't get a lot of chatter on the forums. Maybe Julian Krause has an in depth discussion of it on his YouTube channel, given the number of interface reviews he's done over the years.

Thanks for getting back to me. It is definitely a bit of a hot topic at the moment and I can certainly see why a lot of players opt to go down this route - me personally, I simply gauge it by ear and dont delve into the calibration options - for me and my workflow/needs, it seems to work out perfectly fine! Let me know how you get on and if you need anything else, I am always around to assist!

 

[libekgz]

Just got a second hand Torpedo C.A.B. M+. Sto stoked about it! Looking now for some Mesa Subway and Ampeg 8x10 IRs outside of Two Notes Store to see the quality difference.

 

[John D Harris]

Just got a second hand Torpedo C.A.B. M+. Sto stoked about it! Looking now for some Mesa Subway and Ampeg 8x10 IRs outside of Two Notes Store to see the quality difference.

Congratulations!
My favorites are the Standard Powerhouse 2x12 and Standard Powerhouse 2x15.

The Standard Powerhouse 1000 is pretty good as well.

Check out the Don Bronco Evo 115 Neo and Don Bronco Evo 210 Neo (EBS clones).

For 8x10's check out "The Bass Deluxe".

 

[Ross Davies]

Just got a second hand Torpedo C.A.B. M+. Sto stoked about it! Looking now for some Mesa Subway and Ampeg 8x10 IRs outside of Two Notes Store to see the quality difference.

Nice! Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions, I'm always around to help!

 

[Ross Davies]

Congratulations!
My favorites are the Standard Powerhouse 2x12 and Standard Powerhouse 2x15.

The Standard Powerhouse 1000 is pretty good as well.

Check out the Don Bronco Evo 115 Neo and Don Bronco Evo 210 Neo (EBS clones).

For 8x10's check out "The Bass Deluxe".

Fine choices right there! Fine choices indeed!

 

[John D Harris]

Congratulations!
My favorites are the Standard Powerhouse 2x12 and Standard Powerhouse 2x15.

The Standard Powerhouse 1000 is pretty good as well.

Check out the Don Bronco Evo 115 Neo and Don Bronco Evo 210 Neo (EBS clones).

For 8x10's check out "The Bass Deluxe".

For those who don't know, here is the link to Two Notes Cab IR's.

Two Notes Dynamic IR's For Bass Cabinets

 

[monsterthompson]

I went a little off label with Genome. I have a solo project where I do some punk-meets-EDM cover songs for a laugh, and generally do everything in software (synths, loops, sampling, vocoder, effects). I got curious what a bass synth patch from Massive would sound like going through the Genome Mesa 400 and PH1000. Well, now I know, and you can too. It's right up front at the 0:10 mark.
No bass guitar here.
If you're a Misfits fan, I'm sorry

 

[Ross Davies]

I went a little off label with Genome. I have a solo project where I do some punk-meets-EDM cover songs for a laugh, and generally do everything in software (synths, loops, sampling, vocoder, effects). I got curious what a bass synth patch from Massive would sound like going through the Genome Mesa 400 and PH1000. Well, now I know, and you can too. It's right up front at the 0:10 mark.
No bass guitar here.
If you're a Misfits fan, I'm sorry

Ha! Awesome! I run quite a lot of synths through amps actually - you can get some great colour on your synth tones that way for sure! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Mojo34]

I only play live and don't really need Genome (unless it achieves pedal format), but I wanted to share the love that I have rekindled for my Cab M+... I have incorrectly tweaked it in the past, and lost confidence a bit since then. Had to switch to a different pedal at two concerts, as my sound was just not right. Entirely my fault, for sure, but no time to fix it.

There are lots of settings, but we are not all experts in using them to optimize a desired sound. I have long been confused about Depth and Contour, and the options in the Enhancer, not to mention explicit EQ adjustments. So what did I do? I simply asked Google to suggest settings for the amp I wanted, gave it some details about my bass (brand, pickups), and removed all other pedals from the chain. I now have two presets that work great with Two Notes DynIRs (SVT and Markbass), and a third-party IR. After some back and forth with the Google AI, it frankly suggested settings that I would not have known how to do, covering all parameters including mic choice, axis, and distance. Now, I'm just going to try the Cab M+ and nothing else at rehearsal and see how that goes. Maybe give AI a try!

 

[jcburn]

I've just purchased a Two Notes Opus for the second time. First time around I was impatient and didn't have the time to put into learning but I really want to make this work this time around.
Mostly I want to use this as an amp emulator into a power amp/cab as a live rig but I also want it to double as a silent practice unit.
Can I ask one question? If I create different presets can I use some kind of MIDI switch to change presets like switching channels?

 

[Ross Davies]

I only play live and don't really need Genome (unless it achieves pedal format), but I wanted to share the love that I have rekindled for my Cab M+... I have incorrectly tweaked it in the past, and lost confidence a bit since then. Had to switch to a different pedal at two concerts, as my sound was just not right. Entirely my fault, for sure, but no time to fix it.

There are lots of settings, but we are not all experts in using them to optimize a desired sound. I have long been confused about Depth and Contour, and the options in the Enhancer, not to mention explicit EQ adjustments. So what did I do? I simply asked Google to suggest settings for the amp I wanted, gave it some details about my bass (brand, pickups), and removed all other pedals from the chain. I now have two presets that work great with Two Notes DynIRs (SVT and Markbass), and a third-party IR. After some back and forth with the Google AI, it frankly suggested settings that I would not have known how to do, covering all parameters including mic choice, axis, and distance. Now, I'm just going to try the Cab M+ and nothing else at rehearsal and see how that goes. Maybe give AI a try!

Thanks so much for sharing this — it's great to hear you've rediscovered the C.A.B. M+ and are getting the results you were looking for!

You're absolutely right that there is a lot of depth available within the Torpedo processing, and parameters such as mic choice and positioning, EQ, Enhancer, Depth and Contour can interact in ways that aren't always immediately obvious. Using AI as a starting point to help navigate those parameters is a really interesting approach, particularly if it's helped you build a few solid presets that you can then fine-tune by ear for your own bass and live setup.

Going into rehearsal with just the C.A.B. M+ sounds like a great test. Hopefully those new presets translate just as well at stage volume!

Thanks again for sharing your experience, and we'd love to hear how you get on at rehearsal.

 

[Ross Davies]

I've just purchased a Two Notes Opus for the second time. First time around I was impatient and didn't have the time to put into learning but I really want to make this work this time around.
Mostly I want to use this as an amp emulator into a power amp/cab as a live rig but I also want it to double as a silent practice unit.
Can I ask one question? If I create different presets can I use some kind of MIDI switch to change presets like switching channels?

Thanks for giving OPUS another go! It sounds like you've got a great use case for it, particularly as a compact live rig paired with a power amp and cabinet.

And yes — absolutely. OPUS supports MIDI control, so you can create and save different presets and recall them remotely using a compatible MIDI foot controller. This effectively allows you to switch between your different OPUS sounds much like changing channels on an amp.

If you're simply looking for an easy way to move between presets live, the Tech 21 MIDI Mouse is a great solution. It's compact, straightforward and ideal if you don't need more advanced MIDI control.

I'd recommend starting with a few core presets, getting those dialled in exactly how you want them, and then integrating the MIDI Mouse for live switching.

I hope this helps, and if you have any questions while getting everything configured, don't hesitate to reach out!

 

[John D Harris]

I only play live and don't really need Genome (unless it achieves pedal format), but I wanted to share the love that I have rekindled for my Cab M+... I have incorrectly tweaked it in the past, and lost confidence a bit since then. Had to switch to a different pedal at two concerts, as my sound was just not right. Entirely my fault, for sure, but no time to fix it.

There are lots of settings, but we are not all experts in using them to optimize a desired sound. I have long been confused about Depth and Contour, and the options in the Enhancer, not to mention explicit EQ adjustments. So what did I do? I simply asked Google to suggest settings for the amp I wanted, gave it some details about my bass (brand, pickups), and removed all other pedals from the chain. I now have two presets that work great with Two Notes DynIRs (SVT and Markbass), and a third-party IR. After some back and forth with the Google AI, it frankly suggested settings that I would not have known how to do, covering all parameters including mic choice, axis, and distance. Now, I'm just going to try the Cab M+ and nothing else at rehearsal and see how that goes. Maybe give AI a try!

I've been tweaking my Opus since January, 2025 and have a boatload of Presets that are very usable.
I exclusively use the Custom 5-band semi-parametric EQ; I do not use the Enhancer; on the Power Amp sections the Triode mode adds some low end and low-mid beef and for Depth and Contour, you just have experiment tweaking as you go - I start with both at 12 o'clock and generally, I tend to subtract a little of the Contour and add a little Depth, but it depends on the tubes you're using.
I favor Showman and Bassman type preamps, but I use a few of the others as well, but I don't think the Cab M+ has preamps.
I just takes some time to get to know how everything interacts, just start with small changes.

Good luck!

 

[John D Harris]

I've just purchased a Two Notes Opus for the second time. First time around I was impatient and didn't have the time to put into learning but I really want to make this work this time around.
Mostly I want to use this as an amp emulator into a power amp/cab as a live rig but I also want it to double as a silent practice unit.
Can I ask one question? If I create different presets can I use some kind of MIDI switch to change presets like switching channels?

The Opus User Guide has a couple of sections on MIDI operation - here is a link to the main MIDI section, which has also has another link in it to the tables for MIDI operations:

Opus MIDI operation

 

[jcburn]

Thank you Ross and John - really appreciate the help here. Im looking forward to getting this unit again.

 

[Mojo34]

I'm increasingly convinced that the amp editing (and not just modeling of a real amp) is one of Two Note's strongest features. As far as I know, nobody else lets you do it like this.

I told the AI that I wanted the best possible amp settings to go with a Mayones Patriot with a Musashi preamp and Delano stacked humbuckers, using just the CAB M+ with the Fat Mama (SVT 4x10) DynIR. I play in a cover band that does soul, rock, pop, jazzy, blues from the 60s to today.

Here's what it told me, and it sounds pretty darn good with my Tech 21 Deuce Deluxe FRFR. I know it's a lot to look at, but would anyone make any adjustments?

Input level switch: OdB

Preamp:
- Gain 40%
- Bass: 55%
- Treble: 45%

Power amp:
- Tubes: KT88 (or 6L6, but I went with KT88)
- Push/Pull Pentode
- Volume: 70%
- Depth: Set to 65% - 70%
- Contour: Set to 45% - 50%

Mics:
- Microphone 1: Dyn 906, Distance: 8% | Center: 25%
- Microphone 2: Cnd BLX414, Distance: 28% | Center: 0%
- Mix: Set Mic 1 (Dyn 906) to 100% volume and blend in Mic 2 (Cnd BLX414) at around 55%

Enhancer:
- Wet/Dry: Adjusted to preference
- Body: 30%
- Thickness: 20%
- Brilliance: 0%

EQ Mode:
- Set to Bass (5-band graphic mode)
- 50 Hz: +2 dB
- 120 Hz: +1 dB
- 360 Hz: -2 dB
- 800 Hz: +2 dB
- 4000 Hz: -3 dB

Thanks, in case anyone has any ideas!