Isolation Cab

[SPLAWN2187]

Hey guys. I'm currently looking for an isolation cab for recording guitars. My current setup is a Splawn Pro Stock through a 4x12 mic'd up with a SM57, and the levels that I have to turn the amp up to to get proper tone/response is just too loud for home use. As for the iso cabs, I was looking at the Randall ISO12C 1x12 and the Rivera Silent Sister 1x12. Does anyone have any experience with these two cabs or any other recommendations? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[MaxOfMetal]

You'd be much better off running the amp through a load box and using cab impulses.

Isolation cabs sound nothing like real cabs in use. They don't sound bad exactly, but impulses have come far enough that you'll probably get better results more easily.

 

[SPLAWN2187]

Thanks that would be so simple, I've got a ton of impulses from when I record DI. Any recommendations for the load box. I am looking at something between $300 and $800. Something like the Mesa/Boogie Cabclone or the Rivera RockCrusher. The only thing I am worried about is how transparent the load box will be. Any recommendations?

 

[GoldDragon]

Hey guys. I'm currently looking for an isolation cab for recording guitars. My current setup is a Splawn Pro Stock through a 4x12 mic'd up with a SM57, and the levels that I have to turn the amp up to to get proper tone/response is just too loud for home use. As for the iso cabs, I was looking at the Randall ISO12C 1x12 and the Rivera Silent Sister 1x12. Does anyone have any experience with these two cabs or any other recommendations? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I have had great experience with Randall Iso Cab. Its the only ported iso that I know, and it gets a huge cab sound. It is generally bass heavy so I need to EQ it, but it does get the speaker and tube saturation sound. You can crank your amp to get as much saturation as you want, can keep it cold or get really fat and warm.

You will need to work with it, try different speakers, mics and placement, but it still sounds better than any amp sims or cab impulses I have tried. It just sounds bigger, more detailed, more alive. One of these days I will run a spectral analysis against a 4x12 cab to see which frequencies need attenuation, I have been doing it by ear with an MXR 10band eq.

I also built a MDF box around mine so its really quiet. Without an outer shell, it can still get pretty loud, about 1/4th volume of amp. I'd say with the shell its about 1/40th volume (tv level).

The only problem with it is that its a one trick pony. Once you find your sound, your speaker, your mic position, your eq, it does that sound really well, but is not versatile like a sim.

I use the iso cab to mic and listen through monitors. When you are recording you hear exactly what you are getting in the mix.

The iso cab also serves as a load so you can tap it for a direct signal to run through IRs. The randall cab is not much more expensive than a good load box and sounds better.

 

[Enselmis]

I've only ever read great things about the Rivera Rockcrusher, especially when compared to THD or Weber boxes. Worth looking into for sure.

 

[OrsusMetal]

You could always look into the TwoNotes Reload. That way you could run it with impulses, or you can use the attenuator feature to still run your cab/mics without the insane volume. The TwoNotes stuff is great. It would be at the higher end of the budget, but worth it, imo.