Helix HX Cab + 10 Band EQ to approximate IR's

[roscoe5]

Messing around with Line 6 HX Cabs and the 10 band EQ trying to get them into IR territory to maybe start getting away from IR's. I started with my favorite Studiocat Friedman 2x12 IR.

 

I posted a basic Line 6 2204 Mod preset with Snapshots 1/2 to A/B the StudioCat Friedman 2x12 - RE20_2 IR and the Line 6 2x12 Interstate HX cab with 20 Dynamic (EV RE 20) mic at 2".

 

Both are 2x12 cabs with vintage 30 speakers. This is my favorite StudioCat Friedman IR and favorite Helix cab. They both sound great with all Helix amps to me.

 

I think I could have gotten the HX cab closer with a 31-band eq, but I actually really like the HX cab with some post eq tweaks. A Dual HX Cab with both 2x12 Interstate cabs with different mics and the mono 10-band eq block to sum the stereo is killer! But I tried to keep the HX cab as close to the Studiocat IR as possible for the comparison.

 

Snap 1: Single HX Cab + 10 band EQ

Snap 2: IR

Snap 3: Dual HX Cab + (mono) 10 Band EQ

 

I posted both the preset and the IR for convenience since the IR was free on this forum from Studiocat (thanks again...very generous!). I left the looper block in front so you can loop a riff, change snaps, and change amps easily to experiment and compare.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1s6l7rkd5m4hmux/AADvo8ILTRUxG_gF2SECh0EJa?dl=0

[Verne-Bunsen]

I've started getting re-acquainted with the stock cabs after stumbling across this video, so your post is pretty timely for me. I'm intrigued by what you've got here and look forward to checking it out tomorrow. Thanks for posting it!

 

 

[roscoe5]

Just having a little fun with ye olde Helix, bending it to my will ;)

 

I think this is like a lo-res manual attempt at eq/amp match. Im not sure if maybe I could do better with a parametric block.

 

You can actually nail it running the Helix patch through a DAW with eq match capable plug+ins. Too bad you can't just import that eq curve straight into Helix. You can manually transfer similar settings to the current Helix eq blocks though.

 

Of course, you can make an impulse response of the DAW eq curve (amp match, imprinting, etc.), but that defeats the purpose not using IR's.

 

To be honest, it helped me understand some of the frequencies that i didnt care for in the Helix cabs and adjust them to be similar to the IR's that I did like. Cutting 500Hz was the biggest impact for me.

 

In the end, i think I actually got a tone with a Helix Dual Cab block and eq I liked better than the original IR that I previously Ioved.

[vmoncebaiz]

I was getting over using IRs.  Not the sound of them, just the infinite number of options they presented.  I was spending more time comparing them all than I was playing guitar.  So at some point I just stuck with the 3-4 IRs, and the 2-3 HX cabs that I liked. (I use Global high and Low cuts and then some additional EQ depending on the IR or cab)  

 

Then I was lucky/dammed to be in the room with Pete Thorn while he was demoing some of his sounds on Helix.  My god!  The sound he got with some IRs and small EQ cuts on them were incredible. It wasn't even my style of tone, but just some of the healthiest guitar tones I've ever heard, amp or processor.

 

Anyway the hunt is back on and I'm dropping some more money to check out the Ownhammer 2x12 Bogner cab IR he was using.  Nice to have options, but I'm going to miss playing my guitars for the next month.

[Verne-Bunsen]

I've said before that Pete Thorn could plug into a jar of mayonaise and make it sound phenomenal, that guy is amazing. I've got the Ownhammer Bogner Shiva 2x12 library, but they also have an "Oversized" Bogner 2x12 library. About 600 files each. Which one was Pete using if you can recall?