How do YOU use IR's in the HELIX signal chain?

[MarkJarvis]

Hi All

Maybe an obvious answer to this question ...How do YOU use IR's in the HELIX signal chain?

 

In my setup so far I have tried:

IR (example Mesa Boogie 4x12) replacing Line 6 cab's

IR After my Line 6 Cabs

Pedals, Amps, Effects then IR's

Pedals, Amps IR's then effects.

 

Not really sure what I like best about any of them. Also, even though every says IR;s the same as Line 6 cabs with less

controls I still feel like there is no dynamic range when using an IR as a replacement for the Line 6 cabs

 

NOTE* I am talking only about using dsp blocks and no external gear.

 

I would like to know how YOU use IR's and if you have any of the same experiences

[DunedinDragon]

Generally speaking I use IR's instead of native cabs.  I typically place them after the amp, although I have tried placing a reverb after the amp, then the IR, but it didn't do anything special for me, so I've ditched that approach.

 

Basically I keep like to keep my compressor, overdrives, and modulatation effects pre-amp, and my reverbs, delays, and harmonizers after the amp and cab/IR.  If I want a more subtle compression I sometimes move that after the amp and cab/IR.

 

What seems to work best for me in most cases is compressor -> modulation -> boost/overdrive -> amp -> IR (route to second path) ->  harmonizer -> parallel reverb/delay

 

I do this in case I need the extra DSP in the path 1 for using cabs/IRs in parallel paths.  Also it isolates some of the DSP intensive effects (like reverbs) in the second path.

[Verne-Bunsen]

...Maybe an obvious answer to this question ...How do YOU use IR's in the HELIX signal chain?

 

Actually I betcha this yields some pretty interesting stuff. 

 

Lately I've been using 3rd part IRs rather than the stock cabs, but how I use them is largely the same. I tend to split my patches with pre-amp effects and the amp on path 1 and IRs and post-amp effects on path 2. I almost always use two IRs in parallel, and often treat them to different reverb and/or delay. If I'm using a spring reverb I tend to prefer how they perform in between the amp and IR. Sometimes I like tremolos there as well but it depends. I tend to like the high and low cuts to be set very differently on cleans than on dirty stuff, so I usually assign them to snapshots. In some cases I've even assigned the IR number to snapshots allowing you to change IRs from one snap to the next.

 

I've just purchased some of 3Sigma's Acoustic IRs and I've been using them first in the chain followed by a mic pre, so kind of like mic'ing an acoustic body. Seems to work pretty well.

[aleclee]

Mainly in lieu of a cab block.  I'm not a huge fan of most of the built-in cab models of the devices I've owned so I tend to go with 3rd party Its to find something more to my taste.

 

I also will use IR's for simulating acoustic instruments (or enhancing piezo tones).  I've long wanted to find IR's for other instruments such as sax but haven't looked very hard to find / synthesize one.

[rzumwalt]

All I can add is that I use them about 30% of the time and cabs the other 70%. It's completely based on what sounds best in any given setup or for any given purpose.

One other thing:  an advantage IR's have over cabs is that you can set the IR selection via snapshots and switch between different modeled cabinets, whereas you can only change cab block parameters with snapshots, not the cabinets themselves.

 

Oh, and thanks for using an apostrophe and lower case "s" for the plural of IR, I had like seven mini-heart attacks earlier this week when I kept seeing a thread someone opened using "IRS" instead of "IR's" in the title. I couldn't help thinking that I didn't remember whether I already sent in a filing extension. Let's all agree that the plural of "IR" is "IR's." 

[zooey]

The plural is actually IRs, no apostrophe, which would be belonging to an IR, like an IR's sound.

 

OTOH, I don't even have words for how little you can worry about spelling and grammar on teh internetz if you plan to want to go on living...

[hideout]

The plural is actually IRs, no apostrophe, which would be belonging to an IR, like an IR's sound.

 

This.

[aleclee]

The plural is actually IRs, no apostrophe, which would be belonging to an IR, like an IR's sound.

i tend to be pretty good about not using inappropriate apostrophes but make an exception in this case because I'm tired of fighting autocorrect.

[MarkJarvis]

Great feedback, 

 

Hey, regarding 'One other thing:  an advantage IR's have over cabs is that you can set the IR selection via snapshots and switch between different modeled cabinets, whereas you can only change cab block parameters with snapshots, not the cabinets themselves'

 

I tried doing this but did not seem to work. Guess I need to try again, happy to hear that this is supposed to work.

[zooey]

Hey, regarding 'One other thing:  an advantage IR's have over cabs is that you can set the IR selection via snapshots and switch between different modeled cabinets, whereas you can only change cab block parameters with snapshots, not the cabinets themselves'

 

I tried doing this but did not seem to work. Guess I need to try again, happy to hear that this is supposed to work.

It definitely does work. Which IR is selected is just a parameter setting, can be controlled by the snapshots controller like any other parameter.

[BlueViolince]

Since I use mine with electric violins, and I prefer acoustic tone for most of my work, I ditch the amp models for all of my clean sounds, and load the same violin IR for most of my patches.  I found the IR from an academic website, and then eq'ed it to produce the sound I wanted.  Works great with the Helix, and my Logidy EPSi. The quality of tone is just awesome.  https://soundcloud.com/timothy-huh/helix-violin-tones-demo  The overdriven bit at the end was just a throwaway patch that I slapped together on the spot.  

[HonestOpinion]

Since I use mine with electric violins, and I prefer acoustic tone for most of my work, I ditch the amp models for all of my clean sounds, and load the same violin IR for most of my patches.  I found the IR from an academic website, and then eq'ed it to produce the sound I wanted.  Works great with the Helix, and my Logidy EPSi. The quality of tone is just awesome.  https://soundcloud.com/timothy-huh/helix-violin-tones-demo  The overdriven bit at the end was just a throwaway patch that I slapped together on the spot.  

 

Extremely nice! Do you have a link where we can download that IR?

[rzumwalt]

The plural is actually IRs, no apostrophe, which would be belonging to an IR, like an IR's sound.

 

OTOH, I don't even have words for how little you can worry about spelling and grammar on teh internetz if you plan to want to go on living...

Good points. Just as long as you don't capitalize the "s."

[jpdennis]

Sounds like the OP was asking about cab IRs.  However, like others I use IRs for acoustic, mandolin, dobro, and other instrumentation.  So here is an example of the signal chain for instrument IRs;

 

IN --> other blocks based upon sound for patch (trem, or phase, or chorus) --> instrument IR --> clean style amp head --> maybe an eq --> maybe a reverb if the FOH isn't the one I want to use --> cab IR --> echo block --> gain block just because --> OUT

 

For the cab IRs basically;

 

IN --> similar to above nxt but no instrument IR --> then maybe single path with amp head block or split path with two amps in each path at this point and again I put maybe an eq then a reverb block before the cab IRs for each path --> whatever else I feel I need then --> OUT

 

Now for me this works.  Others have ears and imagination which may turn this on its head.  YMMV

 

Dennis

[MarkJarvis]

Nice Tim! violin....

[aleclee]

Here's a quick and sloppy clip of a preset I created using one of the Taylor IRs I mentioned in my free IR thread.  No piezos used here, just one of the in-between positions on my Strandberg.

 

http://www.aleclee.rocks/media/FauxcousticHX.mp3

 

link

[bsd512]

The plural is actually IRs, no apostrophe, which would be belonging to an IR, like an IR's sound.

 

OTOH, I don't even have words for how little you can worry about spelling and grammar on teh internetz if you plan to want to go on living...

 

Correct in this case. But apostrophes are appropriate for abbreviations when periods are involved - i.e., "How many M.D.'s does it take to screw in a light bulb?" :) In this case the 's denotes plural as opposed to possession.

 

And I'm sure I have some form of grammar or misspelling error in the above, otherwise the Skitt's Law would be violated. :)

 

Skitt’s Law:

Expressed as "any post correcting an error in another post will contain at least one error itself" or "the likelihood of an error in a post is directly proportional to the embarrassment it will cause the poster." :)

[BlueViolince]

Extremely nice! Do you have a link where we can download that IR?

https://soundcloud.com/timothy-huh/301-mix

 

Sorry, I kept forgetting to post it.  I don't know how useful it will be to guitarists, but there's always experimentation, right?  This can be further EQ'ed in a DAW, if you want to give it a go.  The original was created by this website: 

 

http://pcfarina.eng.unipr.it/Public/IMP-RESP/

 

I processed it a few times(EQ only) to get the end product.  Which may be tweaked further, we'll se.

[HonestOpinion]

https://soundcloud.com/timothy-huh/301-mix

 

Sorry, I kept forgetting to post it.  I don't know how useful it will be to guitarists, but there's always experimentation, right?  This can be further EQ'ed in a DAW, if you want to give it a go.  The original was created by this website: 

 

http://pcfarina.eng.unipr.it/Public/IMP-RESP/

 

I processed it a few times(EQ only) to get the end product.  Which may be tweaked further, we'll se.

 

Thx!