Rezamatix":3j8ckahk said:
I'm not sure which IR's to buy/download, in fact I'm having a hard time figuring out how to load them in.
How to use a 3rd-party Impulse Reponse (IR or user cab)
Speaker cabinets are emulated in the Axe-Fx using IRs: Impulse Responses. An IR is the recorded output of a device (speaker cabinet, effect, etc.) when an impulse (short sound) is played into the input of the device. The Axe-Fx comes with a lot of stock cabs.
If you are looking for something different, take a look at 3rd-party IRs. The Axe-Fx has 10 slots for user cabs (IRs). You need a sysex librarian or the Axe-Fx editor to upload user cabs to the Axe-Fx. The process is described on this Wiki page. There’s no visual confirmation, except for a small MIDI IN light blink at the end of the process. You can also listen to a change in the tone for confirmation of a successful load. This thread contains a tutorial on auditioning user cabs. The Axe-Fx doesn’t display any information about loaded user cabs alas, so you need to write it down. If you want to clear an user slot, you can download an “empty” user cab here.
The IRs from Red Wirez (
www.redwirez.com) get good reviews. They offer sets of close-mic’d IRs for several speakers and cabinet/microphone combinations. You can upload these to the user cab slots of the Axe-Fx. The Red Wirez website contains detailed information on using the IRs, the speakers and the mics. Note that since the microphone is already part of the IR, you shouldn't select a microphone sim in the cabinet’s properties when using a Red Wirez IR. More Red Wirez information
Info from Red Wirez concerning their IR packages and the Axe-Fx: "If you're loading them directly in the Axe-Fx, then use the files in the Axe-Fx folder. If you're auditioning in a DAW then use the sample rate that matches your recording session. People like to mix, but you can get great tones without mixing, for sure. The SM57, Royer R121, and Sennhesier 421 are 3 different tones that a lot of folks swear by. The 409 is always pretty good, and the U47 and U67 shine on many sources. I've always loved the M160 even though it doesn't get much attention. None of the mics are useless, but some are more versatile than others. Towards the bottom of the tutorial (linked above) there's a section called "Dialing in your tone". It has some good starting points for the mics and a process for dialing in the sound you want from there. To load them in the Axe-Fx, here's the instructions I have: For the Axe-Fx you load the .SYX files from the Axe-Fx folde into a User Cab slot using the Axe-Fx Editor. Here are the basic steps: In the Axe-fx Editor: 1: Click on settings (upper left hand corner and select preset manager). 2: Select the cabs tab in the left column and hit the source button. 3: In the new window navigate to the folder that your cabinet Impulse responses are in using the arrow up button in the upper left corner, and select the choose button. 4: In the right column select the axe fx tab. 5: Then select the cabs button. 6: Now drag and drop the Impulse response in the left column to the cab user slot in the right column. 7: Now hit the save button in the upper right column."
You can also mix several Red Wirez IRs into one mono Hires IR. Their IRs are time-aligned to prevent phase issues. More information. This “dB-Percentage”-calculator may be of use. You can find popular "mix recipes" on the Fractal forums.
Free user cabs/IRs are here.
If your just hooking it up to a real amp/cab then I think it loses most of it's appeal - portability. Much rather have about other 20 tube preamps at that point.
