mattbarden Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 So I recently upgraded to the Helix and I'm going down the rabbit hole of IRs. Can anyone help me save some time and recommend a few particular IR models to help a guy out? There are SO many. If they're paid IRs it is what it is I don't really care. I'm after stuff that works good for hi gain sounds. I'm kind of partial to the Archetype Lead and Cali IV Lead sims if that helps at all. I've found a couple of decent packs but sifting through all the options is a bit daunting...Which particular IRs do you folks like, your go-to's so to speak? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanecgriffo Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 try the free mesa boogie pack from ownhammer to give you a taste.. also someone here made some very nice friedman 2x12" cab impulses but someone else may have to direct you to where they are found Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbarden Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Those free Ownhammer ones are definitely nice, I've been toying with those. The Kalthallens also seem to be pretty good. But there are so many options just between those two even. Do you have any particular ones you really like? You've been super cool btw, I appreciate all your feedback! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dshow Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 So I recently upgraded to the Helix and I'm going down the rabbit hole of IRs. Can anyone help me save some time and recommend a few particular IR models to help a guy out? There are SO many. If they're paid IRs it is what it is I don't really care. I'm after stuff that works good for hi gain sounds. I'm kind of partial to the Archetype Lead and Cali IV Lead sims if that helps at all. I've found a couple of decent packs but sifting through all the options is a bit daunting...Which particular IRs do you folks like, your go-to's so to speak? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks all! If you're into High gain stuff, I'd suggest to try out some 3Sigma. They are a good start for sure. Other than that I like Redwirez stuff. They have a free one to try too. You have to put some time in though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbarden Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 I'm working on a little something I'm going to upload here that's the free Ownhammer IRs with the cab and mic type specifically labeled in the file names. That's one of the things I'm having trouble with is the convoluted names some of these IRs are given. I want to know what cabinet and particular type of mic they are and most of them don't seem to do that. The free Ownhammers are pretty excellent sounding though, maybe this will help you guys out so you can see a more specific description of what they are when you load them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbarden Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Ok here it is, the free Ownhammer mic files (I haven't done the mixes or quickstart files yet) with proper cabinet and mic file names. Enjoy! Â https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zy1ppb9in1lpqmi/AABcf9nsn3BNrKI57vkKYkiea?dl=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbarden Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Edited link, I had one of the file names mislabeled before, sorry about that! Â https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zy1ppb9in1lpqmi/AABcf9nsn3BNrKI57vkKYkiea?dl=0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willjrock Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 If you read the instructions it tells you exactly what they are. The thing about IRs is that they are like a snapshot of a set up so you have to know what you like. "sifting" thru them all is pointless. For instance, i know i like a G12 speaker with a 421 on it, so im not going to waste a bunch of time wading thru the V30 files with a 57. When you buy an amp you dont try every one on the market. You have a pretty good idea of the sound you like and start there. Think of IRs the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunedinDragon Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 It's almost impossible to get a recommendation regarding IRs simply because everyone listens for different things. Â Ultimately you have to come to your own conclusion about what sounds right to you. Â Here's the process I went through with the free OwnHammer IRs to determine what worked best for me. Â The files contained in the free download contain variations in mics, mic placements, and mic mixes. Â The one thing I knew from having set up mics on my own amps over the years is I prefer the placement to be roughly mid point between the cone center and the edge of the speaker, so those are the ones I started with. Â I took at typical patch that had the type of sound I wanted and chose an IR for the cabinet. Â I then worked my way through the variations of mics and mic mixes loading the ones that had the right placement to get a feel for what they did and what I liked. Â I would simply load a new variation into the same IR slot and try it out. Â That allowed me to work through the variations until I found the one or two that I really liked and then load that into a permanent slot. Â Once an IR would be placed in it's permanent slot I'd rename that IR using the editor using a three digit number designating it's slot postion and save it into a separate directory reserved for my IRs. Â That way when I go through a firmware update the IRs can easily be loaded into the right slots and all my patches that use them won't be affected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbarden Posted January 8, 2017 Author Share Posted January 8, 2017 Yeah see I have no experience with live action mics or placement, only the stuff Line 6 has given us in the past and we all know they are not the greatest on cab/mic emulation. I know a lot of people stand behind the 421 for example, but I hated that mic on the 500X and now its polluting my judgement on IR mic selections. I see those numbers and I'm like, yep moving on but I know I shouldn't be. Hopefully that makes sense, I've been having a few beers while sorting through a bunch of IRs lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbuhajla Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Try the freebie from Redwirez. It is a Marshall 1960 412 IR and the Mesa freebie from OH. I have only bought a few others besides using those two. Some of the built in cabs I prefer over IRs for some tones. I use both IR and built in cabs, just depends on what sounds good to you. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zzz123 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 Ownhammer - quality stuff. Not a very distinct character (for me), but fit well in a mix or playing on your own.  3Sigma - avoid (for me). Dull and Boring.  Fat Lazy Cabs - Interesting, lots of character. Few options so easy to work with.  Cabir.Eu - Very natural sounding. Orange IR.  If you have the $, I would recommend Ownhammer, FLC and Cabir.EU. If you can or want to try just the one for now, I've heard nothing but good things about the Ownhammer Cailfornia Duo.  Gods Cab is free and also highly recommended by some.  Also, do watch John Browne (monuments) video - if you like that kind of tone, he shows how it can be done without any IRs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hideout Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Man, you guys are making me feel glad that the only IRs I use are for my acoustic sounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted January 9, 2017 Share Posted January 9, 2017 Rabbit hole indeed... Â I had avoided external IRs altogether until very recently, not wanting to add yet another layer of tweaking to what is already a fairly exhausting number of options. Tried Ownhammer and Redwirze free ones...didn't find anything that knocked my socks off. None of them sounded "bad", just nothing to write home about. None too excited about paying for a bunch of them either, only to reach the same conclusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbarden Posted January 9, 2017 Author Share Posted January 9, 2017 Yeah I'm having about the same experience so far. Haven't found any that have impressed me enough to go and spend more money. I'll probably just stick with the HX cabs and use the free Ownhammer stuff if I run out of built-in options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hideout Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I wonder if this is a high gain thing. I hardly ever use high gain and have never had any issues with the Helix's cab sims. I don't know what's different between them and IRs but I do know that IRs are static and speakers are absolutely not. If I'm going spend money on anything to improve the speaker emulation, it'll be on something dynamic. Something that takes into account the myriad of things happening to the speaker and its interaction with the cab. To me, that is when cab sims will really make a difference. It might be a while though so for now, I'm not going to waste any time futzing with IRs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbuhajla Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I never use high gain, but really like the free OH Mesa 412 IR with the MKiV Rythm channel 2 for my "single coily" sound. It "feels" much better to me as well in terms of articulation. I really like the Redwirez 1960 412 freebie with the JTM45 and Plexi models.  I don't think it is a high gain thing, just a personal taste thing. You should give it a try considering they are free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hideout Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 I don't think it is a high gain thing, just a personal taste thing. You should give it a try considering they are free. Well, I would but I just don't feel enough dissatisfaction with the sounds I'm getting. And this is the first time I've ever said that about any modeler I've owned. Sure, there are things I want to experiment with but I've put all those ideas ins IdeaScale. I'm pretty happy with the cab sims and don't feel the need to go looking for issues. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbarden Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 Yeah for me it's only ever been with hi gain. However the HX cabs are starting to grow on me. Initially I was pretty pumped about IRs, but now I'm wondering if I really need them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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