Cab / IR question

[Flotsam71]

I'm sure this topic has been beaten like a dead horse making scrambled eggs. But here's my question. I am running helix 4 cable method into a jcm2000 with 2x12 cabinet. Love it love it! Love it! I also use 2 Laney IRT-x's for a wet dry wet sound. Now here's my problem. I only play for me. I'm not worried about FOH or leaving my basement. So I am looking for that elusive amp in the room sound from the Laney's scince..I use them in conjuntion with an amp in the room. I dont want to sound like a miked cab...I want the wets to sound  just like the marshall..To me cabs sound ok but muffled...i am having a little luck with the Celestian V30 IRs I just bought. I just thought I'd ask the group for any input. Thanks so much. 

[jws1982]

“Amp in the room” feel isn’t based on frequency response alone, but also has a lot to do with the dispersion of specific frequencies relative to the diameter of the speaker.  A 12” guitar speaker sends a lot of its high frequencies out straight ahead, without “dispersing” them.  Room reflections will cause you to hear them after they reflect/diffuse off the walls. So, stand in any part of a room, and the amp will sound different.  This is less so with the laney’s, which, like PA speakers, do better at dispersing all frequencies in every direction.  This difference can make it difficult to blend your sounds together.  

 

Your laney’s, even in “guitar cab” mode or with an IR, will still be dispersing the high-end of a vintage 30’s frequencies a lot wider than a vintage 30 itself does.  It’ll be hard to get them to feel in sync sonically. 

 

i think this is what the line 6 Powercab is trying to address.  It’s a flat response 12” guitar speaker, that will disperse frequencies the same way a regular guitar speaker does.  Hence, the true “amp in the room” feel.  If you use an IR with it, then it turns on the tweeter, and the amp in the room feel will change. 

[Flotsam71]

Makes sense...thank you for the reply. It's not that it doesn't sound great...I think it could be better! But that is the fun of it....typically the Laney's are 100% wet ..so they blend well in that situation. 

[waymda]

I use a pair of IRT-x for stage monitoring and they've never sounded muddy/muffled, so a few thoughts:

 

• are they running 'full range' or with one of their built in cab sims?
• is the input gain optimal? - ie hitting them it so the peak light just comes on then turn back just a smidge
• have you played with the tone controls? - I did one gig where the tops had been wound right back, not so great, another where the drummer pushed up the bass by accident on one and made it meh
• are the wet sounds/signals from the helix ones that are 'damped' or lacking top end - they certainly won't sound like an 'amp in the room' if they're 100% wet signal
• picking up on the dispersion issue - does it work better with them on the ground as wedges directing more top end at your ears, and with a better bass response through acoustic coupling?