Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

CapoFirstFret

CapoFirstFret

New member
Hey guys, my biggest gigs lately have been high school and middle school show choirs. Laugh if you want but they're fast gigs, good money, and keep me playing.

Having said that, some of these gigs are in cramped quarters for the band or need a way to send signals to a mixer but mics aren't always easy to set up (choirs each have 20 minutes to setup and perform total). Looking into something like the cab clone for sending a signal directly to a mixer. Anyone got experience with some of these devices and have opinions on them?

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Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

I'll come out and say that I don't have any actual experience with them. That being said, the cab clone has sounded horrible in every demo I've heard, so I'd avoid that one.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

I have the built-in Cab-Clone in my Mark V amps. When I first got the V:25, I tried going directly from the CC into one of my Carvin LM-15A top boxes. It worked! Usable, but certainly different than what I was hearing out of the amp. I haven't tried it onto my mixer with the full PA, but I think the added EQ in the mixer would be a plus.

There are always devices like the Tech 21 Character boxes, or the Fly Rig.

Radial is another company that might have a suitable box. Their products are pretty good, IME.

There definitely is something to be said though, for a real speaker pushing air into a good mic. A short-base desk mic stand should be part of your kit. Or, look into getting one of the mic adaptor mounts specifically designed for a guitar amp. You should use an LO-2B adaptor (from On Stage Stands) with the mic clip, and I prefer the Shure SM-57 for micing a cab. Using the Shure windscreen for this mic isn't necessary, but it does provide some extra protection. Make sure you have high quality cables of adequate length(s). And a box or bag to keep everything together. Experiment and learn which mic placement works best for your amp and speaker. And I'd carry this, even if you find a DI.

And best of all, find a great roadie to set it up! A knowledgeable and trained friend can be a lifesaver when you have to do a fast set-up.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Bill
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

The Cab Clone is alright. It gets a bad rap because Mesa was late to the party and there's now much better products available (Two Notes, etc). Had it been released earlier it would've been competing against products like the Palmer PDI and likely would've gained more acceptance.

It's basically meant to replicate a single SM57 on a speaker cab and is EQ'd to cut through a live mix, not make good YouTube demos. IMO, it's a bit of a right tool for the job thing.

The Two Notes by comparison uses a cabinet IR and is potentially emulating a multi-mic'd studio setup... so the results are obviously different than what you'd get out of a device that's attempting to emulate a single SM57.


And FWIW, the Cab Clone works best if you have a cab hooked up and the amp driving it. The speaker provides a dynamic load on the transformer, which changes the feel of the amp. The Cab Clone will sound/feel flat if you try to run it in silent mode.
 
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Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

ArtieToo said:
Here's someone who wasn't impressed. (The 3rd video is simply a satire of his first two.)

Well, shoot. The 'Tube videos aren't working again, so here's the links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGo9d2W7N-8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mhTdXCrhx8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_bQvifIcw4
Click to expand...

They work, you just have to copy the whole string of letters and numbers at the end and put them in the right place. It's a massive PITA, but here's the format with brackets replaced with parenthesis:

(VIDEO=youtube;EGo9d2W7N-8)https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EGo9d2W7N-8(/VIDEO)

Basically you type =youtube; after VIDEO and then paste everything that follows the v=

Hope this helps.
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

There are analog devices that sound pretty cool out there.. they're typically a lot cheaper than the Two Notes/Impulse loader type devices.

I've got one of these (bought for $88)..it sounds killer.


These sound awesome as well..

GCS2%20Front[1].jpg

Also Mooer has a new one out that's an Impulse loader (Digital) for about $150 ..the "Mooer Radar". Heard nothing but great stuff about it..

And Digitech has one called the "Cab Dry Vr" for about the same price as well.. can't say what it sounds like though..the demo's seem fine. :bigthumb:
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

I once played live with a Boss Blues Driver into a Line 6 Pocket POD into a Boss GE-7 straight into a mixer...

Granted, it was a tiny gig for 20 people maybe. I used the GE-7 for sculpting the resulting tone since you can't really adjust the Pocked POD live,
and the sound guy tweaked things further from the console and it was ugly, but OK.

Now, if you want to be serious, buy one of these:

FlyRig5-large.jpg


I've never tried one but I heard a guy do a gig with one and it sounded excellent.
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

Bill, I definitely have all of those things! I don't have any control over the PA that is used for these choirs though and often they've got a pretty piss poor setup. Setting up even a desk mic stand is sometimes a little difficult. These show choir gigs are the most helter-skelter thing I've ever seen in my life. I'm just hoping to find something to put on my pedalboard or in the back of my amp to make this a little more seamless. I'm definitely spitballing ideas.

I could start carrying a microphone (God knows I've got a whole case full of various ones) to start micing it...

We'll see. Additionally, I'd like something that will give me something for direct recording purposes.

Biggest point in all this though, is I've got the itch to buy more gear and I think I'm just looking around at options ;)

Boogie Bill said:
I have the built-in Cab-Clone in my Mark V amps. When I first got the V:25, I tried going directly from the CC into one of my Carvin LM-15A top boxes. It worked! Usable, but certainly different than what I was hearing out of the amp. I haven't tried it onto my mixer with the full PA, but I think the added EQ in the mixer would be a plus.

There are always devices like the Tech 21 Character boxes, or the Fly Rig.

Radial is another company that might have a suitable box. Their products are pretty good, IME.

There definitely is something to be said though, for a real speaker pushing air into a good mic. A short-base desk mic stand should be part of your kit. Or, look into getting one of the mic adaptor mounts specifically designed for a guitar amp. You should use an LO-2B adaptor (from On Stage Stands) with the mic clip, and I prefer the Shure SM-57 for micing a cab. Using the Shure windscreen for this mic isn't necessary, but it does provide some extra protection. Make sure you have high quality cables of adequate length(s). And a box or bag to keep everything together. Experiment and learn which mic placement works best for your amp and speaker. And I'd carry this, even if you find a DI.

And best of all, find a great roadie to set it up! A knowledgeable and trained friend can be a lifesaver when you have to do a fast set-up.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Bill
Click to expand...
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

Chistopher said:
They work, you just have to copy the whole string of letters and numbers at the end and put them in the right place. It's a massive PITA, but here's the format with brackets replaced with parenthesis:

(VIDEO=youtube;EGo9d2W7N-8)https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EGo9d2W7N-8(/VIDEO)

Basically you type =youtube; after VIDEO and then paste everything that follows the v=

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris. I'll try that out next time.
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

CapoFirstFret said:
Bill, I definitely have all of those things! I don't have any control over the PA that is used for these choirs though and often they've got a pretty piss poor setup. Setting up even a desk mic stand is sometimes a little difficult. These show choir gigs are the most helter-skelter thing I've ever seen in my life. I'm just hoping to find something to put on my pedalboard or in the back of my amp to make this a little more seamless. I'm definitely spitballing ideas.

I could start carrying a microphone (God knows I've got a whole case full of various ones) to start micing it...

We'll see. Additionally, I'd like something that will give me something for direct recording purposes.

Biggest point in all this though, is I've got the itch to buy more gear and I think I'm just looking around at options ;)
Click to expand...

Got it! Nothing wrong with that! : )

I've done some gigs where you have five minutes to set up, so I know how hectic it can be. Very stressful!

Be sure to let us know what you finally choose. Good luck!

Bill
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

CaptainWhizz said:
Not sure if anyone's posted it already, but the Digitech CabDryVR looks interesting:

https://digitech.com/en/products/cabdryvr
Click to expand...

This is what I was gonna say...it gets good reviews. Anything that loads IRs is a great choice, since it is limited only by what you load into it. That being said, I own the Tech 21 Fly Rig that is posted above. It sounds wonderful direct to the PA, and I've used it for recording direct, too. The sound is sort of like a clean Fender & Marshall, so if that isn't your thing, it might not be right.
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

The Cab Dry Vr has it's own (tweakable) preset IR's which I think sound sweet ..but you can't load your own. What's cool about is you can run two Cabs at a time for a stereo rig & it also has a selection of bass cabs aswell..so you can plug in your bass :bigthumb:
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

Mincer said:
This is what I was gonna say...it gets good reviews. Anything that loads IRs is a great choice, since it is limited only by what you load into it. That being said, I own the Tech 21 Fly Rig that is posted above. It sounds wonderful direct to the PA, and I've used it for recording direct, too. The sound is sort of like a clean Fender & Marshall, so if that isn't your thing, it might not be right.
Click to expand...

Have you compared it to the Valeton Dapper, the Chinese "alternative"? Or the Mooer Red Truck? They all look like useful things to have instead of pedal boards and amps, to go straight to a mixing deck. Should make setting up much quicker.
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

Lampy H said:
I would look at the Two Notes Captor, it seems to be in the same ballpark as the Cab Clone.
Click to expand...

The Captor is nice, but it's designed for silently recording a tube amp and loading IRs in a DAW. Since it has no mic/cab emulation, it'd sound pretty awful run direct to a PA. The Cab Clone OTOH is more like a Palmer in that it's an analog speaker sim. IMO some_dude got it right and the Cab Clone would've been far better received maybe 10 or 15 years ago. These days there are just better options available.
 
Re: Mesa Boogie Cab Clone and similar devices

Lampy H said:
While the method you described is probably it's most frequent use, the Captor does indeed have an analog speaker sim built in. Albeit, without the voicing options available in the Cab Clone. Whichever one sounds better, I have no idea about. The Captor does have a fixed -20db attenuator, which I could see as being useful.

Edit: http://www.two-notes.com/en/torpedo-captor
Click to expand...

Forgot about the analog sim since none of the reviewers seem to actually use it. I've been thinking about getting one for silent recording with IRs.
 
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