IR's - anyone else overwhelmed? (tips?)

[larryman]

Get Michael Britts IR's

[Heavyville]

IR's are simply snapshots of mic positions /distances / angles / of different speakers using different mics, etc.   You purchased OH, which is a thoroughly professional company that provides all the  snapshots or  choices one would need for  finding a "mic'd speaker cab" for the particular application you are doing right now. 

For those that know, carry on.   

For those that are overwhelmed, stick to the folders that are pre-mixed etc, until you gain an understanding of WHY there are a million choices. 

I prefer companies that offer the gamete of positions / mics / mixes etc.     TO me, they understand the IR business the best.  It seems the majority of users talk about what IR to use live, but I think the studio environment is where all of the options are required and geared towards initially.   

this rabbit hole is a big one,  its a good one though, make sure you pack a lunch too.    

[litesnsirens]

I tried a bunch of IRs from various different companies. My solution to get away from being overwhelmed was to stop using them and go back to the stock cabs.  There's a ton of flexibility, mic choice and distance, low and hi cuts, etc.  It's just easier to work with.  The reality is that between the amp settings and the cab settings there is so much to deal with, you're going back and forth and making adjustments to so many parameters that it makes the most sense to pick something and stick with it until you figure out what works.  As you have by now figured out, the IR thing is not a magic potion.

[guitarboy_02451]

Keep it simple....

 

OH gives you a doc and a folder called Quick Start which correlates to the doc. Grab a few, maybe like 6 (3 of one mic combo / 3 of another). Realistically when I record with mic's its usually a small diaphragm condenser mixed with a 57, or a 57 mixed with a ribbon, off center of cap. So applying the same logic, I only grab the IR's that have some kind of 57/121 or 421/121 and those come 4" off, or FAT or Mid-Fat.  So that's about 3 of each. 

 

I also got the Celestion pack from the Market Place, G12H and G30, I believe the G12H is an open back cab. I like the OH pack I got 412 CB Recto Neo, despite of not being a Mesa fan. The G12H & G30 combination are in my existing DrZ Z-Best, and the Vintage 30 is in my Dr Z Carmen Ghia 1x12.

 

So I when I'm in the digital world, I try to treat it the same as I would with non-virtual/digital rigs. (I hate to use the word "real amps...").  IMO, the amp models sound great either with IR's or with the native cabs by L6, but I always try to go with what is used with s specific amp. For us Stomp users we have to be mindful of the 6 blocks as well, so again I don't go crazy with IR's.

 

I find the Friedman amp and Litigator take nicely to IR's...

I've also found out on the Fender Twin, if you select the Twin Cab as a separate module, it's stereo! I was trying to figure out why the amp+cab and amp with separate but same cab sounded different. That kind of blew my mind. I had to go back and forth between what sounded better and what was more practical (giving up a block). Then I went back to simplicity and realized if I were recording one of my Z's, it would be two mics, two tracks (but summed as mono)... Meaning, when working with two mic's/two tracks, they're working together as one track. Again, if you apply what you would use or do in the real world (sort of speak), that should keep you out of analysis paralysis.

Keep it simple

 

 

[Smj7]

Stupid question I’m sure... some of the ir’s mentioned have a combo of two mics.... are they summed to mono.... or do I have to run dual cabs or two amps?

 

I haven’t gotten into amp ir’s just yet because they use a block and dsp which I don’t always have room for. Blocks and dsp are precious w/the Stomp!

 

Sean Meredith-Jones 

www.seanmeredithjones.com 

[SaschaFranck]

Usually, mic combinations are merged into one mono IR.