BF sale on IRs anywhere?

[zooey]

Haven't seen one.

 

In my heart I lust after a nice Ownhammer collection, but they never have sales AFAIK. Also, their Studio Mix collection has 2,610 IR's. How are you supposed to deal with that? First world problems for sure, but still...

[rvroberts]

The Ownhammer IRs are excellent - maybe the best - I think it's hard to know because of the number of IRs out there!

And good IRs are worth having. It lifts the Helix another notch.

Regarding the number, they do give you a set that are the likely ones - I think they have an M suffix or something to say "try these first" - can't remember, but it's something like that.  The bewildering amount of choice had me totally accepting the Ms after a bit of trial and error.

There is unfortunately no easy way to try them all.  I bought a few sets that are my idea of likely IRs and it has worked well for me.

I got some Vox type IRs and some classic Marshall standards and a few Fender boxes.  Add a couple of Mesa quads and I can't see the need for more - I think you end up finding maybe 6 boxes you use all the time - and I'm talking a big range of sounds. So then it's down to mics.  I again find I only like a few mics - its probably a SM57 and maybe another dynamic like Sennheiser MD 421 - you also see Neumann U 87 in studios, but I'm not sure I'd pick it for live even if it was affordable! - I find ribbon mics don't give me the cut through I like but I admit my experience with them is limited - but anyhow, you can take a good standard 4x12 like Celestion Vintage 30s and try all the mics on that (maybe 20-30 IR's) and I think you will find you can eliminate 70% of the choices by identifying the dud mics.  These sets are really complete, but really, most of them you are never going to need.

And you'd be bloody good to pick an Orange 4x12 against a Marshall 4x12 with the same speakers - basically the same thing with a different brand on it with a mic an inch and a half off the cone.........!!!   its just crazy obsessive.

So I'm down to 22 IR's that cover it all for me. They do have some very neat configurations for open back boxes with the back mic'ed as well, but again although I was intrigued I didn't like them in the end.

Expect to get completely different stuff from other people - and I hate metal guitar sounds, so I obviously make different decisions to a metal guy.

[DunedinDragon]

Haven't seen one.

 

In my heart I lust after a nice Ownhammer collection, but they never have sales AFAIK. Also, their Studio Mix collection has 2,610 IR's. How are you supposed to deal with that? First world problems for sure, but still...

 

The sheer number of IR variations can be daunting unless you're at least a little bit familiar with mic'ing cabinets, mic differences and placements.  For me it's pretty simple.  I've never cared for the sound I get when my speakers are mic'd closer to the center, so I can automatically dismiss all of those variations.  I tend to like mixes of mic's so that's where I start.  I'll load them one by one into an unused slot and audition it with a known patch.  Generally speaking for any cabinet I will probably end up with 1 or 2 variations that work for me.  Once I find what I want, I'll rename it with the number of the slot I'll keep it in at the beginning and save it off to a separate folder where I keep my operational IR's.  Then it's easy to reload them into the right slots one by one and everything works perfectly.

[soundog]

Rosen IRs are on sale .... got this in my e-mail:

 

 

Black Friday Is Here Early!

The Savings are big this year! 

3 ways to save!

- 25% off store wide on all products! Use Code RDABF25
- Buy 6 get 1 FREE Impulses Responses!*
- Buy 4 get 1 FREE Kemper Profiles!*

 

COMBINE THESE OFFERS FOR ULTIMATE SAVINGS!

 

Sale Ends 11/30

 

Head over to www.rosendigitalaudio.com to view our vast selection of IR's and Kemper Profiles! Even our bundles are discounted (discounts on a discount... who's idea was this?!)

[Dshow]

TheAmpFactory has a sale too but the website with IRs is empty, because of a relaunch.

Code: FRIDAY16

 

I prefer Redwirez over Ownhammer btw. but no sales as far as I know.

[Rocco_Crocco]

I like 3 Sigma IRs. Not an overwhelming assortment and they sound great. IMO they would be a bargain at twice the price.

[SymphonicDischord]

I like 3 Sigma IRs. Not an overwhelming assortment and they sound great. IMO they would be a bargain at twice the price.

I've been quite happy with mine also and that was one of the reasons I purchased some of theirs and took the leap into IRs. They kept it nice and simple to 10 per cab, definitely kept you from feeling overwhelmed with choice. And although they haven't announced any Black Friday sales, they do offer a 20% discount when you by 6.

[zooey]

Thanks for the steer, thinking on it.

 

I find it really hard to pick IRs to buy. Maybe that means I should just not.

 

Many of the tones people demo them with don't remind me of me in the slightest, no idea how to know what they'd sound like closer to my neck of the woods.

 

Some of current my presets use the built-in cabs, some use various free IRs I've collected. By far my most commonly used IR is one roscoe5 made from a multi-cab Amplitube setup I had, posted up here somewhere. Don't know what anyone else would think of it, but it works for me.

 

It just seems like a good idea to have a good collection of IRs available, in the same spirit as the collections of built-in cabs, and amps, and stomps are great. Sometimes I have a sound in my head I'm going for, but lots of the time it's also partly exploring the available options. Over time I've investigated a bunch of stuff that didn't immediately strike me as cool, and found something useful in there.

 

Ah well. Anyone have any opinions about Rosen stuff? Favorite collections? I know they're well respected.

[Zzz123]

Has any tried Fat Lazy Cabs?

 

http://fatlazycabs.bigcartel.com/product/fat-lazy-cabs

[fremen]

My preset packs contains 25 exclusive IRs for all type of tones, and I'm also having BF sales, just saying ;)

 

[zooey]

I know that fremen, and lots of people love your stuff, thinking on it (:-)

[zooey]

3Sigma now has 20% of everything w code BLACKFRIDAY, 11/25 - 11/27.

[Rocco_Crocco]

3Sigma now has 20% of everything w code BLACKFRIDAY, 11/25 - 11/27.

So did you get any?

[zooey]

Still thinking.

 

I put a bunch in their cart to see the total, and saved that cart (great shop feature!), but I didn't have time to actually listen, I'll go back when I can do that.

 

Even then, it seems really hard to know what I'd think of any IRs with my guitar and playing and ear, based on somebody else's playing and amp settings. Maybe need to decide based on general ideas, and try to cover a lot of ground, hoping some of it works out. Weird biz. Sometimes I think I jus shouldn't play this form of roulette if that's how I feel about it. It's not like I I find Helix unusable with the built-in cabs and the random free IRs I have.

[Verne-Bunsen]

3Sigma now has 20% of everything w code BLACKFRIDAY, 11/25 - 11/27.

 

I have a pretty respectable collection of Ownhammer and Red Wirez IRs, but at present I don't use any of them because I've been getting such great sounds out of the stock cabs. That said, I have been very interested to try 3 Sigmas stuff. 20% off for 6 or more cabs plus 20% off for Black Friday made it very appealing. I just grabbed seven cabs (Fender Blues Deluxe 1x12, Vox AC15 1x12, Fender Twin Reverb 2x12, Mesa Oversized 412, Marshall 2551 4x12, Friedman 4x12, Engl 4x12) for just under $30. Excellent. Won't be in the same state as my Helix for another several days, but between the firmware update and a new pile of IRs to play with, I've got lots to look forward to. Thanks for the heads up on this! 

[Zzz123]

Fat Lazy Cabs also has a sale on.

 

http://fatlazycabs.bigcartel.com/product/fat-lazy-cabs

 

Not affiliated with them anyway..Have heard good things though...

[zooey]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd really prefer it if IR demos would...

- Include non-metal examples, unless they think that's all their stuff is good for

- Use the same amp and performance with the different cabs, so we can hear the difference IN THE CABS

 

Not rocket science. Sheesh.

[willjrock]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd really prefer it if IR demos would...

- Include non-metal examples, unless they think that's all their stuff is good for

- Use the same amp and performance with the different cabs, so we can hear the difference IN THE CABS

 

Not rocket science. Sheesh.

also one thing that really bugs me about ownhammer, or any of them i guess...They give you free mesa IRs, but that doesnt tell you anything about the way the Marshall IRs sound. Cant buy Bogner impulses based on Mesa demos, at least offer a refund or a trade in policy. No, its NOT rocket science.

[zooey]

Ownhammer is weird, they have samples for many but not all of their cabs, sometimes more than one in different styles.

 

3Sigma has samples of every cab, using what sounds like one of two different performances, with I assume the same amp and the same settings for it.

 

While that seems ideal, in practice it doesn't make it much easier to make a decision, for me. I know I'm going to adjust EQ and amp settings based on what I'm hearing and what I want to hear at that moment, so the big picture of any cab's frequency response is going to get evened out to some degree. The net effect of any given cab is on how hard it is to get things in the right ballpark, and I think most importantly, on the smaller scale peaks and valleys in the response once you have the approximate tonal balance you want.

 

I have no idea how to judge those things based on samples of someone else's amp, settings, playing, and music. There are a few I have actual experience with, but not many, and most of those not for years.

 

Net for me is either don't buy any, or pick a kind of at random assortment based on what I know of the source amp's reputation (which is likely more about the amp than the cab), maybe influenced a little by the samples they provide.

 

Did some digging around, turns out I have a crap-ton of free IRs, most from this huge thing called 'Great Impulses Set', 324 MB, almost 6,000 files, all supposedly free, and they are from what I can tell. Don't remember where I got it, apparently back in 2012. I've tried a few, but not most of them. From one point of view I shouldn't buy anything until I've looked through all of that. From another, I should just pick a reputable manufacturer, an amount I'm willing to spend, and make my best guesses. Or maybe I should shut up and play my guitar.

[SymphonicDischord]

I should just pick a reputable manufacturer, an amount I'm willing to spend, and make my best guesses. Or maybe I should shut up and play my guitar.

This is what I ended up doing. I listened to the clips on 3 Sigma's website but realized ultimately it's all pretty subjective. So I i picked a couple cabs to compare to the Helix cabs (Mesa and Orange) and then filled out the rest with cabs that weren't in the Helix (Soldano 212, Bad Cat 212, Friedman 412, etc.).

 

Even though it was some what a "leap of faith" I am quite happy with my purchase and definitely found great value in my purchase and choices. With their Black Friday discount and the the fact that they'll still give 20% off a bundle of 7, I'm going to be picking up some of their Acoustic IRs and some bass cabs today.

[zooey]

In the end, what did you think about the IRs vs built-in cabs where you had both?

[SymphonicDischord]

In the end, what did you think about the IRs vs built-in cabs where you had both?

I would say that doing direct comparisons between the Mesa and the Orange, the edge definitely went to 3 Sigma, but that's now saying that I think the Helix cabs are crap or unusable. I just found it was a little quicker to dial in their IRs.

 

Now that being said, one thing I've become a fan of was running a 3 Sigma IR in parallel with the same HX cab. Running dual IRs can be DSP intensive so I found this to be a great processor "hack" plus, the tonal variations of choosing different mics and distances could blend really well and give you a bit more of a unique tone.

[Rocco_Crocco]

The stock cabs have a buzzy (I can't really think of another word to use) quality in comparison to most 3rd party IRs I have tried. The Fremen, OH and 3 Sigma are all smoother. When I say buzzy, I do not mean that in a negative way... I prefer the stock cabs to IRs in some instances.

[zooey]

I spent a while today picking a bunch of 3Sigma IRs. I started by listening to cab samples, but quickly (again) felt like I couldn't tell squat from that, so I mostly picked "interesting" cabs, plus some standards. I also checked reviews of some of the real cabs. I want to pretty much settle this question, get some (or not), and stop thinking about it, so I was shooting for a wide assortment. $100 was my very upper limit, and also about the same as the Ownhammer Studio Mix collection I've lusted after.

 

That came to 24 cabs, which as I understand it each have 5 mic position variations, each with tube and solid state amps, all of which are some mix of multiple mics, like the US Custom freebie from a bit ago.

 

Not that the numbers really matter, but in comparison it looks like the OH Studio Mix collection has only 3 different cabs. I wouldn't have thought one 2x12 cab would be that different from another with the same speakers, but to hear random internet players say it, the cab itself makes a huge difference, which would be points for the 3Sigmas. OTOH, the Studio Mix collection includes a total of 70 different speaker combinations, with between 5 and 8 mics for each, plus 6 mic mixes. Their free Mesa sample has 34 separate IRs, including 6 predone mixes, vs 10 mixes for 3S, but that's all you get.

 

Then I listened to the main demo video on the 3Sigma site, and the Studio Mix demo, just as music, not comparing specific cabs. On a gut level I liked the Ownhammer one a lot more than 3Sigma, though the 3S cleans were very nice. Not really fair, because the OH one is Pete Thorn, who's just really great, and it's music I like more, but it seemed punchier and more immediate in general.

 

So now what? Today's the last day of the 3Sigma sale, so I have to actually make up my mind if that's what I want. The OH stuff isn't on sale, and never is as I understand it.

 

Any thoughts?

[SymphonicDischord]

You could take that $100 and split it between OH and 3 Sigma.

[Zzz123]

I like the cleans with 3Sigma as well.

 

Particularly the Vox AC15.

 

Ownhammer's free sample seems to be good enough for High Gain stuff.

 

Crunch - still unsure...:)

[spikey]

MBritt makes some real nice Kemper Profiles, too bad he doesn't do Helix. There should be tons of free stuff out there.

[zooey]

In the unlikely event that anyone cares, I didn't end up buying anything.

 

I spent a while with the Ownhammer and 3 Sigma freebies, and clearly liked the Ownhammers better. They're not on sale, so no hurry, and I think they never are, so foo on me.

 

All the 3 Sigmas had a high-end thing going on that I didn't care for, even the ones furthest off axis. It's quite possible they'd work well in a mix, I don't trust my perspective on that, but for now I just liked the sound of the OH ones better, and they sound more like me. They were also more varied -- except for the tube (read bass-heavy) vs solid state variations, the 3Sigmas all sounded very similar, just less bright as you move away from the center of the cone.

 

Just my $0.00002, but there you have it.

[MusicLaw]

Maybe it's just me, but I'd really prefer it if IR demos would...

- Include non-metal examples, unless they think that's all their stuff is good for

- Use the same amp and performance with the different cabs, so we can hear the difference IN THE CABS

 

Not rocket science. Sheesh.

+1

 

Before I spend a dime on IRs (or explore the rabbit hole of free IRs), I need to experience and learn HELIX's own capabilities and limitations as it sounds through my playback and monitoring systems.

 

I have listened to lots of impressive Presets (many with custom IRs) out there on the market. These are through a web browser, YouTube, etc., and listened to on a tablet, earbuds, IEMs, headsets, or computer speakers. I yet to do so through my HELIX.

 

Glenn DeLaune, Marco DeFranco, and others have some great sounds. Once fw 2.10's new amps become more well embraced and subsequent fw releases revamp IR management tasks and introduce more amps and improved FX, I hope to be ready to better evaluate if IRs are for me or if I prefer my own home cook'in.

[HonestOpinion]

+1

 

Before I spend a dime on IRs (or explore the rabbit hole of free IRs), I need to experience and learn HELIX's own capabilities and limitations as it sounds through my playback and monitoring systems.

 

I have listened to lots of impressive Presets (many with custom IRs) out there on the market. These are through a web browser, YouTube, etc., and listened to on a tablet, earbuds, IEMs, headsets, or computer speakers. I yet to do so through my HELIX.

 

Glenn DeLaune, Marco DeFranco, and others have some great sounds. Once fw 2.10's new amps become more well embraced and subsequent fw releases revamp IR management tasks and introduce more amps and improved FX, I hope to be ready to better evaluate if IRs are for me or if I prefer my own home cook'in.

 

A totally legitimate approach, it is well worth getting acquainted with the Helix cabs. Although I have purchased third party IRs I also think the cabs on the Helix are excellent and have the added advantage of being able to easily switch mics, mic distance, and the amount of early reflection, which can be employed in snapshots such that different snapshots use different mics/distances/reflections (awesome snapshot feature). Of course, snapshots can also be used to swap IRs so that much of the same result can be achieved with a bit more effort with IRs (it requires loading and sorting/previewing the IRs).

[HonestOpinion]

The easiest method I have found for auditioning many IRs at once is to use the 'Pedal Edit' mode. This method is nice because it does not require any hands and you can just play while you audition the IRs. I find the looper to be very handy for auditioning IRs (and presets) as well.  Other methods work well too if you prefer spinning the knob by hand, using the Editor, or only have a couple of IRs to preview. 

 

1. Load up the IRs you would like to audition in some 'temporary' slots in the Helix Editor. You can delete the ones you don't intend to use when you finish with the preview process.
2. Press and hold the 'Mode' footswitch.
3. Select the footswitch with your IR or hit the 'MORE...' footswitch if you don't see it on the first screen and then select it.
4. All the parameters for an IR block should be showing now. Press the 'IR SELECT' footswitch.
5. Use the 'VALUE-' and 'VALUE+' footswitches to cycle through your IRs and audition them.
6. Don't forget to save if you find an IR you like. You can do it with your foot if you press and hold the 'EXIT' footswitch.

[MusicLaw]

The easiest method I have found for auditioning many IRs at once is to use the 'Pedal Edit' mode. This method is nice because it does not require any hands and you can just play while you audition the IRs. I find the looper to be very handy for auditioning IRs (and presets) as well.  Other methods work well too if you prefer spinning the knob by hand, using the Editor, or only have a couple of IRs to preview. 

 

 

• Load up the IRs you would like to audition in some 'temporary' slots in the Helix Editor. You can delete the ones you don't intend to use when you finish with the preview process.
• Press and hold the 'Mode' footswitch.
• Select the footswitch with your IR or hit the 'MORE...' footswitch if you don't see it on the first screen and then select it.
• All the parameters for an IR block should be showing now. Press the 'IR SELECT' footswitch.
• Use the 'VALUE-' and 'VALUE+' footswitches to cycle through your IRs and audition them.
• Don't forget to save if you find an IR you like. You can do it with your foot if you press and hold the 'EXIT' footswitch.

Excellent! Thanks for these tips!

 

The Foot Edit Mode and Looper were two more compelling features and reasons why I chose the HELIX. I plan to use these precisely as you describe.

[zooey]

Agree, Pedal Edit mode is great for checking out IRs, wish you could have more than 128 of them loaded at once.

 

One HUGE plus of IRs vs cabs is that you can change which one is active per snapshot. Each different cab is a different block type, can't change which one it is with snapshots or any other controller, where with IRs, which one is active is just a parameter change.