PG Celestion cabs vs the best 3rd party IR's
-
Hi All,
Quick note that I did a bunch of A/B's this week with the PG Celestion G12-65, G12H, and G12M vs equivalents (or near equivalents) from Ownhammer, Rosen, LRS, and 3Sigma already in my IR library (using a JTM45 model for a Hendrix tone). They sound a little different of course, but the PG Celestions definitely hold their own. I kind of wrote them off when I first got Bias 2, I thought they sounded very boxy and small. This week I muted the 2nd mic and went with a 1 mic setup - 414 dead center. This really opened up the sound vs SM57/R121 dual setup that everyone drools over these days.
I worked in a pro studio in the early 90's before the dual mic thing became standard.
I always thought 1 good close mic, well placed, was all you needed (plus room mic of course, but not a 2nd mic on the speaker). And I always hated 57's on guitar cabs - way too boxy.As soon as I dropped the boxy 57 and the bassy 121, I got a reference quality tone with the 414 that worked really well for A/Bing.
Those of you maybe struggling with the PG Celestions, hope this helps.
-
@charleswlivingston post some a/b sounds?
-
I am tossing up whether or not to upgrade from BA2 Pro to Elite, I already had a heap of Celestion IR's so went with Pro at the time. To me the Celestion IR's all sound boxy and don't really do much for me. I would like to try the Celestion Cabs inside BA2 to use the mic positioning etc, but as I am getting older it seems harder for me to part with my money ;) Don't want to blow $100 ($130 after conversion) on the upgrade if they end up being something I won't use . . . decisions decisions
-
I use the Celetsion IRs in a separate IR loader
-
Yeah I have tried them in both BA2 and with Recabinet, mixIR2, 2Notes etc, still sound boxy to me and doesn't inspire me to want to use them.
-
Well then I certainly wouldn't get the Bias version just to add them then
-
Yes, that is what I have decided, not to bother with it. I like what I have now, and to me the Celstion IR's were a step backwards, wont go there again. Thanks.
-
@charleswlivingston : the 414 has always gotten my attention. Seems pretty well-rounded.
The 57 in current version is a lot fuller, though has too much upper mids. Like a china crash cymbal
The 121, while seductive in the bass and treble, lacks mids. In essence it seems hi-fi hyped.
I have read many people saying they like a mic for the overall sound, and then a 57 to bring out the upper mids or bring shine. On and off I have tried this, only recently having success resulting in my main (Treadplate - Thrasher) patch.
-
@brian-dress Would love to, you know the old excuse, crazy busy with work but will try to post some samples asap.
-
@jay I agree the Celestion IR’s sound boxy and small - I have the G12M & G12H sets. The PG Celestions, set up as I described, sound better. But if you already have trusted IR’s that you know sound good, I’d say you won’t gain anything by dropping more money on the PG Celestions.
-
I spent a lot of time comparing over the last week or so, and what I personally found was that the Celestion IRs apart from sounding 'boxy', also sound more 'digital', may not be the right word, but others that I use, mostly Ownhammer IRs help make BIAS sound more 'amp like' if you will, and just sound better to my ears. It's like if you compare BIAS products with various other amp sims, quite a number of them have this character or quality about them that sounds more amp like, more realistic. Don't get me wrong, BIAS sounds good, it sounds great, but not necessarily amp like as other amp sims do. I find that certain cab impulses can bring me closer to this sound, but not so with the Celestions and some others I have.