The ultimate IR, NEBULA, REAL DEAL test

[Skaldir]

Thanks for all the votes so far.
I will wait until tomorrow with the results, so the US guys that probably just wake up now have the chance to tell their opinion.

@full mix
I tend to disagree that its more obvious in a full mix, but its played to a click.
So feel free to make a backing track for it

 

[John_C]

I hear a slight extra brightness at some points in B, a bit more chunk in C

I'm gonna say A is the IR
B is real
C is nebula

Weirdly, the low end sounds early in A, which makes me think it might actually be nebula as i don't see how the other two could have that

EDIT: this is just for the distorted, i have no idea with the clean

 

[ForHerDeadEyes]

Thanks for the test!
On my pc speakers it was a no-go.. Couldn't hear any difference..
On a pair of expensive non-professional headphones:
1-2 A: IR
1-2 B: Nebula
1-2 C: Real
And on my AKG271studio headphones, same result..
Although I was close to changeing the second test to:
2 A: Nebula
2 B: IR
2 C: Real
But I'm sticking with what I posted first..

 

[FIXXXER]

i've got pretty good gear but it sounds all the same to me. need to buy new, uhm...ears?

 

[colonel_claypoo]

[...] but it sounds all the same to me. need to buy new, uhm...ears?

same here man!

I will venture a guess and say the following for both distorted and clean tones:

A: nebula
B: real
c: IR

 

[wishtheend]

Dist:
A - Neb
B - real
C - impulse

Clean:
A - impulse
B - Neb
C - real

 

[Fama]

On the distorted tones I got (well, guessed):

A: Nebula
B: Real
C: Impulse

Although I'm not really sure, and I'm listening with Sennheiser 595's. No idea on the cleans.

 

[JeffTD]

I'm only on laptop speakers right now, but these aren't in a full mix? That was the ENTIRE point of my argument - impulses CRUMBLE in a mix setting, and that's what ultimately matters when it comes to guitar tones.

 

[Matt-Steele]

I'm only on laptop speakers right now, but these aren't in a full mix? That was the ENTIRE point of my argument - impulses CRUMBLE in a mix setting, and that's what ultimately matters when it comes to guitar tones.

Hmmm...

Please do - post them here so it's public, or make a new thread. I'll pick out impulse vs mic'd cab clips all day long... it's really not hard once you identify the god-awful lack of speaker movement.

 

[Ascendant]

I have to agree with Jeff here, I have yet to hear a mix using impulses that sounds good compared to one with real cabs. Also a real cab takes post processing way better than an impulse, EQ on impulses can really mess things up. I gave it a quick listen earlier on some headphones and believe I decided that in the distorted examples,
A is IR
B is Real
C is Nebula

 

[Brandon E.]

EDIT: After further listening
A is the real amp
B is nebula
C is the impulse

C has this crazy unnatural sounding high end that neither of the other clips have. B sounds really narrow. A sounds just right. I think A would slay the others hands down in a mix as well.

 

[kev]

Very Close!!!! On my listen, I thought B had the most artifacts. I've found nebula to be less pleasing than impulses when i've used it, so I will stamp that as nebula lol. The other two... crikey. A seems to be a little less clinical than C so im leaning towards that being the real one. Im gonna go with the following...

A: Real
B: nebula
C: impulse

Like Ermin says, in the mix it seems is where you find the real deal will react much better.

 

[006]

I'm not even going to bother listening, if it's just solo guitars there is little point to the test.

 

[JeffTD]

Hmmm...

Quoting out of context, but nice try. I clearly stated in that thread that it adds a static midrange to the mix.

As soon as you put modelled speakers into a mix, the entire thing becomes static and stuffy in the midrange - zero movement, no 'breath' to it.

I have never found an impulse based tone that I've liked in a mix

 

[Scottxx]

A. Miked amp
B. Normal IR Convolution
C. Nebula

My ears are right? I didn't read the thread yet...

 

[AeternusEternus]

A's Nebula, B's the amp, C's the impulse.

I'm only judging the first one. Don't know or care about the second clip.

 

[Donovan S.]

I think A is definitely not the real amp. B and C sound very similar, however B has a smoother high-end and more pronounced low-end. B also sounds the most dynamic.

A: IR
B: Real
C: Nebula

This is for the distorted test. I haven't listened to the clean tracks.

 

[CAlexanderParra]

A has pretty big low end, B seems pretty balanced, and C has that top end fizz.

My 1st guess would be
A:Real
B:nebula
C:impulse

Edit: After listening more, fuck that second guess.

 

[lolzgreg]

For the distorted tones:

A is Nebula
B is the amp
C is the impulse

 

[Ermz]

I'm happy to take guesses in a solo'd situation like this, which has very little real-world relevance, but as all the guys have kept saying the whole point of this is to determine which one is most suited to full mix situations. The cornerstone of the argument on the other thread was that impulse cab'd tones don't take processing as well as mic'ed ones. I admit I've fooled myself many times with impulse tones, thinking they were initially better than ones I got back from reamping, but that notion always fell apart when I tried to work them into a mix. That's partly what makes this whole thing so deceptive. That lack of movement mostly becomes an issue when it's uncovered by processing, and forced to work in conjunction with other elements in a track.