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Has anyone tried one of these


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Here is the link

http://www.isobooth.com/products/ampboxes.html

 

I am seriously considering amplifier enclosure for guitar cabs. My main guitar setup includes

Marshall DSL, one of the speaker output going to a 4x12 speaker cab, a SM57s, Focusrite, to a DAW.

The other speaker output goes through a Marshall speaker simulator/attenuator to the DAW.

 

I would love to hear from anyone who has used the amp enclosure, before finalizing my decision.

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I'm sorry, I've never tried one. :(

 

Is it isolation you need, or just "cranked amp tone at lower volume"? If it's isolation you need, that may indeed be a solution. Unfortunately, some of the links at their site didn't work for me, so I have no idea about the specs (attenuation) or price. Do you know how much those run?

 

If it's cranked amp tone at more ear friendly volumes, you might want to check out one of these. :)

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I'm firmly against iso boxes for amps/cabs. It might just be a superstition, or I might just be an idiot...but iso boxes are usually used for live use, so they can get a dry speaker signal into the board, and then have a better stage mix, i.e. no cabs on stage, engineer has better control.

 

The key to a good recorded guitar tone, IMO, is having at least one good mic up close, and a room mic, even if its just barely in the mix. With the iso box, you're limited to one mic, and thats really it.

 

If you're looking to isolate, then I guess the box is really your only option. But if you're looking to crank your amp up and keep the volume tamed, go with an attenuator, a la THD HotPlate, or Weber MASS.

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We have several styles of speaker cabs isolated in custom booths here, and all the guitarists love it. They can sit in the comfort of the control room, using the CR monitors instead of headphones, and we can pick and choose amp and cabinet choices to dial in the perfect sound for any style.

 

The cabs are premic'd, and we spent alot of time critically positioning and choosing mics for every situation. We've got a couple different 1x12's, 2x12, and 4x12 cabinets, all in custom iso booths of various sizes.

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Where, just out of curiousity, about how big are the spaces where you have your cabinets isolated? Big enough to do any distant mic stuff, or are they close mic'ed exclusively?

 

I think Sty1es brings up a significant disadvantage of the really small iso boxes - you can't use distant mics with them. Of course, if you just need isolation more than anything else, then such a box may still be a worthwhile investment. And I wouldn't go quite so far as to say that you can't get a good recording with just a close mic... but I do like having the option of using a distant mic.

 

To me though, the bigger disadvantage is that most of the small iso boxes I've heard sound colored and a bit un-natural. All the foam inside sucks highs and upper mids, leaving a rather boxy and bassy tone... you can EQ it, but IMO, things generally sound better in a slightly larger space... the size of a small "walk in" closet or bigger usually works for me. Of course, YMMV. :)

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They vary in size but there are some that can have distant mics. However I've never been a fan of them, and had very limited success, so I rarely use distant mics with them. If I want a really roomy sound on an amp I put it in the big room.

 

All the iso cabs are set up for close micing only. Some of them are double or triple mic'd to add additional flavor to the choices.

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I have a friend who built one for himself. He records in an apartment and has no tolerance for PODs and the like. He gets great results. I was thinking of making one too. I have a good room (walk in closet size) for guitar but if I have two guitar players who want to play loud at the same time and I don't want bleed...

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Thanks all for the feedback.

 

I have a hot plate, but I noticed a significant improvement of recroded tone when its cranked (the Hot Plate), at low volumes it seems to have a very fuzzy sound.

 

The unit I am looking into has 40"H x 40"W x 32"D dimensions, and allows for up to 16 inches of mic space, which should theoretically allow for a two mics configuration.

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Originally posted by AlKindi

Here is the link

http://www.isobooth.com/products/ampboxes.html


I am seriously considering amplifier enclosure for guitar cabs. My main guitar setup includes

Marshall DSL, one of the speaker output going to a 4x12 speaker cab, a SM57s, Focusrite, to a DAW.

The other speaker output goes through a Marshall speaker simulator/attenuator to the DAW.


I would love to hear from anyone who has used the amp enclosure, before finalizing my decision.

 

I have one. It works great!!

 

studiosmall.jpg

 

The only thing is that I had to put the enclosure on top of some cardboard boxes to reduce the amount of bass that is generated. If there is contact with the floor, you get a lot of rumble.

 

I've cranked my Herbert through it and you can talk over it. The only problem is that the frequencies do bleed a bit. The bass frequencies do anyway even though it's off the floor. I live in an apartment building and no one's ever complained.

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Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe

You know what might be a good product to use with one of those prefab iso boxes? A couple of
Auralex GRAMMA's.
I have not tried one, but I bet it would be a better product for isolating the iso enclosure from the floor than cardboard boxes.
:)

Just a suggestion - if you do try one out, please let us know what you think.
:)

 

Phil,

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I basically pulled a MacGyver on this one and just used what was in my apartment at the time. I do want to use something else or in addition to this to do an even better job.

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Originally posted by fuzzball

Man, am I the only person left that only uses 1 computer monitor to record with?

 

 

I only wish that I got higher resolution monitors. Mine is maxed at 1280x1024. I wish they would go up to 1600x1280.

 

At work, as a software developer, I work on two monitors which is why I got them for home. At $250 a pop, it's not bad!

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Originally posted by fuzzball

Man, am I the only person left that only uses 1 computer monitor to record with?

 

 

no I still only have one and its a giant CRT. this is only because its just not in the budget for two lcd's at 150-250 ea. I'd really like a couple though to be able to view my project window and mixer window at the same time without minimizing, etc. Also, I've been doing scoring and sound effects for a friend in film school as well as any other video projects i can get involved with, so it'd be nice to be able to have a full screen video (or close to it) along with my project window. plus the extra desk space!

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