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th-IRs-ty Thursday IR's - Acoustic Sims SC & HB Pickups


roscoe5
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This week i am posting a couple of IR's of an Acoustic Sim designed for humbucker or single coil pickups. It seemed all of the other available acoustic IR's didn't work well with my electric mag pickups.

I set these first few up for some settings that I liked with my Les Paul (HB) and Strat (SC), but there are more settings on the sim if you guys like them. I will probably do more later with the different settings, but would like to test these live and maybe get a little feedback from you guys too first.

Link to Acoustic Sim IR's
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v0rxzmv514uzdez/AADWNQmQi55ZVt9ShDCLGeULa?dl=0

Link to main IR folder
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lstuzn05tdpin9v/AADjdknZwdrze5VqaO7whHroa?dl=0

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Can you do one for active pickups?

Sure. I can lower the levels on the IR and maybe that will help.

 

I'm assuming it's distorting with active pickups. I don't have an active guitar so I can't test it

 

Does turning the level down on the IR block help at all?

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Posted a couple at lower levels for active pickups.

  • Acoustic Sim HB_Active.wav
  • Acoustic Sim SC_Active.wav

 

Also posted a couple at just slightly lower levels for hotter passive pickups

  • Acoustic Sim HB3.wav
  • Acoustic Sim SC3.wav

 

When I was making the IR's, I was comparing the levels of some of the existing free acoustic IR's available and had to crank them up a bit to match.  There is a bit more low end on these and the hotter 1 & 2 IR's could distort with hard strumming.

 

Thanks for the feedback!  I may try to make a more complete set this weekend.

 

PS: Anyone with an Amplitube 4 Acoustic Sim preset can send it to me and I can make you an IR of the AS pedal out of it for your Helix.

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Wow, these are great!  They occupy a different tonal space than the IR's I had been using.  The ones I'm used to, you would never be able to use one with the bridge pickup, just too bright.  Yours are mellower and thus useful on all 5 positions of my Strat!  Fantastic!  

 

To replace the IRs in my presets, I need to max yours to the + 6db limit and add an additional EQ as a boost, it works okay, but I wouldn't mind a little more volume since you can always reduce.

 

These are very useful to me, thank you very much!!!

 

I'm thinking it may be time for another pizza!  Haha!  (inside joke)

 

PS  I've only tried the first four, I now see there is more.  Keep 'em coming, these are GREAT!!!!!!!!

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Wow, these are great!  They occupy a different tonal space than the IR's I had been using.  The ones I'm used to, you would never be able to use one with the bridge pickup, just too bright.  Yours are mellower and thus useful on all 5 positions of my Strat!  Fantastic!  

 

To replace the IRs in my presets, I need to max yours to the + 6db limit and add an additional EQ as a boost, it works okay, but I wouldn't mind a little more volume since you can always reduce.

 

These are very useful to me, thank you very much!!!

 

I'm thinking it may be time for another pizza!  Haha!  (inside joke)

 

PS  I've only tried the first four, I now see there is more.  Keep 'em coming, these are GREAT!!!!!!!!

 

Added two more single coil ones which are progressively louder.  My G&L Legacy Strat must have some hot pickups.  I tried to set the levels so that the IR's sounded good at a 0db Helix IR block level.  I didn't design around the default Helix -18db.

 

  • Acoustic Sim SC4.wav
  • Acoustic Sim SC5.wav

I'll try to come up with a more logical naming convention and sequence when I make more this weekend.  

 

I have two acoustic duo gigs this weekend that I will be trying these out on.  My partner in crime is gonna look at me crazy when I show up with an electric guitar.  I'll bring the acoustic too just in case of a protest ;)

 

I really want to try to leverage the looper too this weekend.  I quickly tested a mic'd djembe into Helix and it sounded great.  I'm thinking loop the djembe, loop the rhythm acoustic IR preset, then switch to an actual electric preset for the solo parts.  I'm not super comfy with the Helix looper yet.  I may have to use my Boss RC-3 until I get the training wheels off.

 

I need to come up with a good faux bass preset so I don't have to switch to bass on certain songs.  I have a 1950's Kay upright bass and K&K pickups/mic for it.  May be a future IR project.  I've done some research on how to excite acoustic instruments for IR's, I just haven't tried it yet. 

 

I have never seen IR's of upright basses (URB), only acoustic guitars.  Actually, IR'ing the upright with separate channel captures for neck Schaller magnetic, bridge Barcus piezo, bridge K&K bass max piezo, and K&K golden bullet condenser mic for mixing may give me a better live URB solution that I can just use a single piezo and/or mag with.  The K&K condenser mic gives the sweetest URB sound, but I can't use it live because of feedback.

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Thanks again!!!

 

I've only done about a dozen duo gigs with an acoustic partner, but from that limited experience I think the audience wants to see two acoustics lol, but I much prefer the sound of a clean electric with the acoustic.  Two acoustic guitars through most PAs sound too much the same/mushy to me.  I would sometimes use a Variax thinking I would use the acoustic tones, but ended up using a clean Strat tone all night.  Probably with the right PA and knowledge to adjust it that wouldn't be the case, but I like the added dimension of electric and acoustic.

 

Enjoy the gigs!  I'm gigging on bass this weekend.  

 

My last guitar gig I busted out the Helix looper on one thing.  The drummer didn't sync with it so I gave up quick.

 

Bass IRs would be awesome!  I've made some presets emulating a bass tone for looping purposes which are fine for at home, but when I tried them on a gig they didn't cut it.  Just Octaver stuff.  URB IRs could be great!

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Well.....the tone i get  is useful, but it doesnt sound like an acoustic. Though, nor does the sim in TH3 or amplitube , so im sure a really good one is not an easy task.

 

Im sure im missing something or other. Im just going Guitar > Helix > IR.   Ive gotten some nice tones going Guitar > Helix > redwirez IRs. Of course it also sounds nothing like an acoustic, but still some new tones.

 

Thanks for your time. Always interested to see where you are with things.

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Well.....the tone i get is useful, but it doesnt sound like an acoustic. Though, nor does the sim in TH3 or amplitube , so im sure a really good one is not an easy task.

 

Im sure im missing something or other. Im just going Guitar > Helix > IR. Ive gotten some nice tones going Guitar > Helix > redwirez IRs. Of course it also sounds nothing like an acoustic, but still some new tones.

 

Thanks for your time. Always interested to see where you are with things.

Nah, guitar straight into the IR is all I really do with some verb.

 

Yeah, the Acoustic Sim in AT doesn't sound like a real acoustic to me either, but is a good acoustic-like alternate clean tone. Better than the old Boss Acoustic Simulator pedal I think.

 

I had a request for them from an AT user months ago when I first started out, but failed miserably.

 

The resulting IRs do sound the same as the plug in, but of course are static snapshots.

 

But I thought I would at least post some examples and extend an invite to AT users that have an Acoustic Sim preset they would like in IR form for their Helix. I'll look at TH3 too.

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Well.....the tone i get  is useful, but it doesnt sound like an acoustic. Though, nor does the sim in TH3 or amplitube , so im sure a really good one is not an easy task.

 

Im sure im missing something or other. Im just going Guitar > Helix > IR.   Ive gotten some nice tones going Guitar > Helix > redwirez IRs. Of course it also sounds nothing like an acoustic, but still some new tones.

 

Thanks for your time. Always interested to see where you are with things.

 

Using an EQ to make an electric sound more acoustic in conjunction with the IRs seems to help.

 

This video shows the EQ trick  ... 

 

Cuts at 300z and 1k and boost @ 4.8k....  Here's a snapshot of the EQ....

 

Screen%20Shot%202016-04-22%20at%203.44.2

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Using an EQ to make an electric sound more acoustic in conjunction with the IRs seems to help.

 

This video shows the EQ trick  ... 

 

Cuts at 300z and 1k and boost @ 4.8k....  Here's a snapshot of the EQ....

 

Screen%20Shot%202016-04-22%20at%203.44.2

absolutely....a lil press a lil EQ and verb can go a looong way....When A4 was released, i guess i just expected it to sound MORE like an acoustic than it does. appreciate the vid.

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So reporting back in on the acoustic IRs on duo gigs this weekend. On a surreal casino gig, I started on my old Ibanez SR3006 6 string bass, inspired by the Line 6-Ibanez kid comment from "that guy" on the Helix vs AX8 thread, and stayed on that bass the whole night, never switching to guitar. Heck, I think the strings are 6+ years old and pretty dead.

 

I setup a simple acoustic IR patch (using the SC2 acoustic sim) & 10 band eq preset for bass, which surprisingly made a nice ABG sound, and was going to keep it smooth and low key all night.

 

Usually I just do some light mock lead guitar then go back to the bass lines, but the crowd was a little "enthusiastic" during our DMB version of Watchtower. A little wah...not enough. A light valve driver distortion...not enough. Adriatic delay and volume swells...screaming for more. WTF,..I switched over to my guitar bank with an Angl Meteor, wah, delay and tapped my inner Tim Reynolds (wish I was half that good though). I thought it was a near distasteful fluke that I felt almost wrong attempting. G & C bass strings were bent and some boundaries were certainly crossed. But the rest of the night it was the crowd wanting lead guitar on bass.

 

Can of worms = opened

 

My singer/songwriter/acoustic rhythm guitarist is throwing out all kinds of ideas now we need to nail down before two more gigs next weekend. I really need to pro it up more and figure out that dang looper so we don't have to lose the bass lines and groove during the "guitar" solos.

 

Anyway, if it wasn't for Helix packing killer guitar and bass resources in a single unit, Helix IR capabilities, and the colorful chap in that AX8 thread inspiring me to pull out the old IBZ sixer bass again, none of this weekend's follies would have happened.

 

Reflecting on this weekend and looking forward to next weekend, it felt like I was able to contribute to a fuller, more lively, more diverse duo sound with the 6 string bass and Helix than with the acoustic guitar. Bass lines when needed, chords when needed, leads when needed. Two acoustics...meh...a lot of acts like that around my area. May roll with the bass only for a while.

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The bass amps are kinda cool in front of the IR.

Ha, missed this little jem but came to the exact same conclusion today when trying to incorporate some lessons learned from this weekend's gigs into revised patches.

 

My new ABG patch for my electric bass now has Cali Bass Ch1 into the acoustic sim SC2 IR, along with some other effects for switching in and out.

 

I have dropped the bass cabs from all of my live patches. I ended up bypassing the cabs on the fly in the first gig. Not enough cut and punch for live use for me. I always used to go DI out of my bass amps anyway, so its a very familiar sound and feel.

 

I am really hoping to IR my Kay double bass this week. I hope the IR will be active mag pickup friendly.

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