Is it worth paying for IRs?

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gearaddictgearaddict Frets: 894
I'm thinking about getting at least the Ownhammer Orange 4x12 IR...based on nothing more than it's a cab I've always wanted to own! Plus I downloaded the free OH IRs (Mesa 4x12) and they are the ones that seem the best to me so far.

Is it worth paying for these things? Or can you get equally good ones for free?

I've paid for patches in that past and never been that impressed...
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  • The Celestion IR’s were one of the major factors that prevented me ditching the whole digital modelling thing. I was really struggling to dial in anything I was happy with in my Atomic Amplifire days with the stock cabs, until I took a punt on the 4x12 Greenback IR then everything started to make sense. I subsequently purchased the V30 4x12, the creamback 65 4x12 and 2x12.

    I now use a Helix and continue to use the same IR’s and I’m very happy. So for me it was totally worth paying for IR’s.

    I did try other companies IR’s but for me the Celestion IR’s are more natural and behave exactly as you would expect, with the amp models on the Atomic and Helix.
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  • Yes it’s worth paying. Ownhammer and Celestion are both good in terms of quality and user friendliness. By all means pick up the free IRs anyway, but if you want a specific cab or speaker it is worth paying IMO.
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  • peteripeteri Frets: 1283
    Absolutely worth it. I’ve bought Ownhammer Fman and Basketweave sets,  makes an amazing difference to my Axe III
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  • FarleyUKFarleyUK Frets: 2377
    I never got on with the Celestion IRs.... however, I always come back to the OwnHammer GNR greenback 4x12 IRs. Sound absolutely amazing.
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  • simonksimonk Frets: 1467
    FarleyUK said:
    I never got on with the Celestion IRs.... however, I always come back to the OwnHammer GNR greenback 4x12 IRs. Sound absolutely amazing.
    My sentiments entirely.
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  • BranshenBranshen Frets: 1222
    I bought a secondhand Amplifire-box and it has sounded great from the get-go. I suspect this may have something to do with the Celestion IRs that were uploaded into the unit by the previous owner..
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    Is it worth paying for these things? Or can you get equally good ones for free?

    My experience is that Ownhammer IRs are very good value for money. I prefer them to the others I’ve tried. I stick to the ready mixed IRs for live sound, so I don’t need to spend time on all the detailed variants.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • What does ready mixed mean?
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  • FarleyUK said:
    I never got on with the Celestion IRs.... however, I always come back to the OwnHammer GNR greenback 4x12 IRs. Sound absolutely amazing.
    Is that the Basketweave GNR Libraries, 412 MRBW GNR M25? I guess you need to get the whole package?
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  • guitarfishbayguitarfishbay Frets: 7953
    edited October 2018
    What does ready mixed mean?

    In each pack there are single micp options, and dual mic options already mixed - eg sm57 and md421.

    The packs are really well recorded and the options all sound like typical examples of what you’d expect if you had the cab and mics and somewhere nice to record them.

    When I first started using IRs nobody had shot a detailed pack of my favourite cab. I was planning to shoot my own. Then Ownhammer released his first Mesa 2x12 pack and it was better and more in-depth than I could do myself, so it was a no brainer. I’ve not tried to mic a guitar for home recording in years now, I much prefer the workflow of IRs
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8590
    What does ready mixed mean?
    As @guitarfishbay says there are mixes of different mics. There are also mics at different distances from the speaker cone, which affects the eq balance and phase cancellation. It can get very complicated. I don’t meet that level of detail, so I use a middle-of-the-road mix. 
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • I've tried a few paid ones now but my fave is still the free OH Mesa 412 with V30s...the Marshall and Orange 412 ones sound a bit thin to me. But maybe I've just not tried the right mic setups with those ones.
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  • NelsonPNelsonP Frets: 3347
    simonk said:
    FarleyUK said:
    I never got on with the Celestion IRs.... however, I always come back to the OwnHammer GNR greenback 4x12 IRs. Sound absolutely amazing.
    My sentiments entirely.
    Ha me too. Ownhammer GNR ones are the best I've tried (out of several freebies, Celestion creambacks and these).
    The Celestions are good but just feel / sound very 'dry' to my ears.

    There are some decent freebies out there so try those first. Ownhammer Mesa, Line 6 Allure pack not too shabby. And the Singtall warm IR that comes bundled with the Atomic Amplifire superpacks is very good too. 

    To be honest I find the options bewildering. Which speaker, mic combinations, how far from the cone etc.
    I dunno - I'm not a bl**dy studio engineer. I just want the one that sounds best thanks. I'd like it all to be much simpler!
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  • I've tried a few paid ones now but my fave is still the free OH Mesa 412 with V30s...the Marshall and Orange 412 ones sound a bit thin to me. But maybe I've just not tried the right mic setups with those ones.

    You're comparing an oversize cab to smaller ones though. It’s more likely a physical thing relating to the cabinets rather than the value of paid IRs
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  • Yeah, fair enough.
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  • NelsonP said:
    simonk said:
    FarleyUK said:
    I never got on with the Celestion IRs.... however, I always come back to the OwnHammer GNR greenback 4x12 IRs. Sound absolutely amazing.
    My sentiments entirely.
    Ha me too. Ownhammer GNR ones are the best I've tried
    Out of interest, which of the 12 billion options you get with the package is your favourite? :)
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  • simonksimonk Frets: 1467
    edited October 2018
    NelsonP said:
    simonk said:
    FarleyUK said:
    I never got on with the Celestion IRs.... however, I always come back to the OwnHammer GNR greenback 4x12 IRs. Sound absolutely amazing.
    My sentiments entirely.
    Ha me too. Ownhammer GNR ones are the best I've tried
    Out of interest, which of the 12 billion options you get with the package is your favourite?


    Pretty much the only one I use is CUT+121 from the Core Mixes Quick Start folder. In fact my gigging LT only has that one installed in the IR folder in slot 1.
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  • FarleyUKFarleyUK Frets: 2377
    NelsonP said:
    simonk said:
    FarleyUK said:
    I never got on with the Celestion IRs.... however, I always come back to the OwnHammer GNR greenback 4x12 IRs. Sound absolutely amazing.
    My sentiments entirely.
    Ha me too. Ownhammer GNR ones are the best I've tried
    Out of interest, which of the 12 billion options you get with the package is your favourite? :)
    I tend to stick with either the GNR or MED voicings, and around SP2-5 on both. That's for live use.
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  • gearaddictgearaddict Frets: 894
    edited October 2018
    Have you tried the Mesa 412 ones? They sound much fuller and 'present' to me. No?

    [edit] although I suspect the GNR ones might work better in a live mix. The Mesa sounds great to me in isolation but I think it may lack mids for cutting through.
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  • prlgmnrprlgmnr Frets: 3964
    Ownhammer well worth the money for me.
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