Third Party IR Cabs

  • Celestion has Kemper cabs, and I use a couple of the Blues in my favorite rigs, particularly a 57 Deluxe and the Morgan AC20.

    Go for it now. The future is promised to no one. - Wayne Dyer

  • Do any of you use these or just use the cabs that come with the profiles you buy? Not interested in getting the Kemper Kabinet yet since I only have the stage and it's not powered.

    I usually find that I like a lot of cabs that come with profiles but almost always want to find a better cab sound that works for me.


    I use a plugin called Mikko by ML Sound Labs to create my own IRs. You get to use a bunch of different mics and can blend up 9 mics for an IR and depending on the pack you buy, you have access to a bunch of different speakers in great cabs to make your IRs. You virtually move the mics around on the speaker to get the IR you want. So basically, you're virtually shooting your own IRs using the cabs that have been captured and using the mics provided in the plugin (there's 6 different mics and you can blend a combination of 9 mics in a mix).


    For me, it changed my workflow and has eliminated the need to buy and go through thousands of IRs lol. It's given ne the ability to make IRs tailored for each profile if I'm not loving the cab section. Being able to fine tune IRs virtually and the UI being so easy to use, has been awesome.


    There's a free version but you can't export IRs unless you buy one of the Cabs in the plugin. I personally got the Essentials pack because it seemed like the best value (there's like 9 cabs in it)


    If you're not happy with the cab sections in profiles and want an alternative to trying out ridiculous amounts of IRs, I'd highly recommend it. I recommend it every time I see someone ask about IRs. Being able to make your own seems better than buying a pack and hoping you find some good ones.


    Or if you're looking for free IR packs, check out SeaCow Cab Impulses. Their IR packs are all free and they're very extensive and include a lot so if you don't wanna make your own, that's a good option too.


    I hope this helps!

  • The cool thing about the cabs that get used in pre-made kemper amp profiles, is that often they are cabs or speakers I have no idea about. Which is cool. I feel like instead of going down the IR rabbit hole, it'd be better to just change a profile if I dont like it lol

  • The cool thing about the cabs that get used in pre-made kemper amp profiles, is that often they are cabs or speakers I have no idea about. Which is cool. I feel like instead of going down the IR rabbit hole, it'd be better to just change a profile if I dont like it lol

    Yeah I typically like most of the cab sections in profiles.


    And yeah, going down the IR rabbit hole is time consuming and expensive lol. Instead of auditioning a bunch of IRs to find the right one, I just dial one in and it's like virtually mic'ing the cab up yourself and then shooting IR that way. So it's easier than going through hundreds of IR wav files for me personally lol and its easier than finding another profile. Because I usually dial in an IR for profiles that I really like the feel and response and gain structure of, and I only go through the trouble if I find myself wishing I could tweak the way the cab was mic'd up in the Profile. So I don't need to for every profile I use.


    For me, it's an easier process and eliminated my constant looking for IRs and that rabbit hole. But it might not be for everyone.


    I just making the suggestion based on the threads title and your original post. I personally usually like most stock cabs, and when I don't I use the Mikko plugin to make IRs just for the profiles I really like, instead of going down an IR rabbit hole lol.


    Edit: I've also saved the cab sections I really loved from certain profiles, as presets. So that way I could try them with other profiles and I've gotten some really great results that way too ^^ I'd definitely recommend trying that out too if you haven't yet. Having access to really cool cabs and being able to save them as presets and then use them with the profile of your choice is an awesome thing! The Kemper is so powerful, it's ridiculous and awesome lol :D

  • The issue for me is that they are not predictable, so for me its another variable to play with and get bogged down with.


    In other words, you find a profile you quite like, you start changing IR's ( fairly randomly as you don't know the effect they will have) to get more different ( not necessarily better) sounds. I then look back and think I've just lost 2 hours and not got any further.


    So I agree with the above, try a profile and if you can;t get it how you want via e.q. etc. within 5 mins, move on...personally I avoid IR's now..

  • The Celestion Creambacks IR's are my go to cabs for instant gratification....8)

    But often, instead of reaching for an IR, I'll simply dial in/out Low and High shift in the cab section.

    You can make some magic happen right there.

  • The issue for me is that they are not predictable, so for me its another variable to play with and get bogged down with.


    In other words, you find a profile you quite like, you start changing IR's ( fairly randomly as you don't know the effect they will have) to get more different ( not necessarily better) sounds. I then look back and think I've just lost 2 hours and not got any further.


    So I agree with the above, try a profile and if you can;t get it how you want via e.q. etc. within 5 mins, move on...personally I avoid IR's now..

    Yeah that's my gripe with using traditional IRs as well.


    The solution that works for me, that I've been talking about, isn't the same as using traditional IRs. So it isn't like trying out countless files lol.


    If I'm not happy with the cab in a profile but really like the gain structure and response of the profiles amp, I'll pull up a plugin called Mikko and I'll basically dial in and make an IR for the profile. Because of how the UI is, it saves me tons of time. And having control over the way the cab is mic'd up has gotten me better results than I've ever gotten when using IRs and is way faster than auditioning hundreds of IRs lol.


    And honestly, for me there have been times when trying to find a new profile has been just as daunting and time consuming as going through a bunch of IRs. I guess it depends on your methods and workflow though. To each his own, right? Haha