Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

Phantasmagoria

watch where you point that sabre
My Laney 4x12 has a Cab out..meant to run into another cab (1/4" output socket) and I was wondering if that could be used as a 'direct out' to record with?

I know it's a speaker level signal so it would blow any line-level recorder attached directly to it, but say if I used a DI box like my Behringer Ultra G (GI 100) which is meant to go between a head and cab ..and then ran a (line level) line out from that into my recorder...would that work? ..or would there be any impedance issues or something? ..like needing another load or something if I plug into the cab output? Sorry if it's a dumb question.. ..but I was wondering if I could safely try something like that without blowing my stuff up :lmao:
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

A Weber MASS 100 could do it. It has a line out and an actual speaker driver without a cone to absorb the load dynamically like the amp expects.
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

ha...can't argue with that.. but I just want to know if it's possible. Truth is I've done away with mic'ing stuff already, it's just not practical for me. For one thing, my amp room is colossal & has a really high (12 ft) ceiling...no carpet no acoustic treatment ..nothing..it's nightmare to record in. Secondly, my neighbour's don't love me much. Everything I record these days is direct (with my AMT Chameleon Cab simulator) but I wondering if it was possible to get actual direct speaker/cab sound from the cab..
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

AMT came out with something like the two notes torpedo cab unit, that would eliminate the cab entirely & you could monitor the sound through something else without latency i suppose. The sound from the parallel output on the laney cab would be without speaker coloration, so you would need something for that if it were possible, the hardware speaker sims on behringer ultra gdi is okay but you can do much better with soffware these days.
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

Oh yeah..it's a parallel out not series so it bypass's the speakers ..& no speaker coloration. Did'nt think of that :(

I use their (AMT's) Chameleon Cab CN-1 cab sim pedal anyway, but I was just wondering if I could use an actual cab instead for DI output ..apparently not. Thanks for that :bigthumb:
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

If you're still putting sound into (a bad) room you could still use a 57 up close. Just gobo the cab in some way so as to keep the bad room reflections from getting back into the mic. Heavy blanket over the whole cab...sofa cushions...anything that will block those high frequency waves.
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

You need an attenuator with a load setting and a line out.
Run the line out to your interface. Add cabinet impulse response. Enjoy. :)
The best attenuators are reactive, but something like the above-mentioned Weber Mass or THD Hot Plate will work fine.
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

haha.. regarding impulses/Mesa's Cab clone etc..I'm really happy with the AMT CN-1 ..it's a great cab simulator! So not really looking for another one of those. It just struck me that the "link"/line-out from my cab might just be able to go via DI box into a mixer/recorder (did'nt realize it was parallel & bypassed the speakers). The point being I'd then be able to record my whole half-stack including cab/speakers..like with a mic..
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

I don't see how that would work. It's not the same as a cab sim from a DI box, is it?

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Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

The plan was (assuming it was a series connection ..which it is'nt) "out" from the cab into a Behringer ULTRA G DI box (can go between a head and cab/accepts speaker level signals and converts them to line) and from there into my recorder...
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

Yes, but why do you think having the speaker cab in the loop will influence the recorded sound?

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Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

well..instead of the cab sim (AMT CN-1 - taken out of the equation) ..I'd have the Cab itself producing the output..ie from -> the head into the cab -> out of the cab into the recorder. That's got to be different..
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

well..instead of the cab sim (AMT CN-1 - taken out of the equation) ..I'd have the Cab itself producing the output..ie from -> the head into the cab -> out of the cab into the recorder. That's got to be different..

I don't see how it'd be different than having the DI between the amp's speaker out and the cab. It's just another signal from the head passing through the cab's wiring. It's not being "processed" by the cab.
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

Not the same thing.

Amp straight out to recorder (without a cab sim) will sound like ass..

Amp -> Cab (which, as an actual cab .. takes the place of a 'cab sim') -> recorder should sound way better..
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

Not the same thing.

Amp straight out to recorder (without a cab sim) will sound like ass..

Amp -> Cab (which, as an actual cab .. takes the place of a 'cab sim') -> recorder should sound way better..
You are over thinking it. Amp > recorder = not good. Amp > recorder > IRs = will sound fine.
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

If that had been a serial output from the cab ..it might have been interesting to try. But yeah, just idle curiosity on my part. The Amp-> AMT Cab sim -> recorder thing works just fine :D
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

The sound of your cab is the sound of speakers moving real air. You can't DI this. The direct signal does not know if you happen to be using a quartet of pre-rola greenbacks, for example.

If you went to the trouble of taking a direct signal out with some sort of load-box/cab emulation then you will only sound as good your emulation.
 
Re: Recording direct from a 4x12 cab question...

^yeah mostly that. Even if it were series out it would add up the impedance but not provide a speaker simulation. Hardware cab sims are okay & gigable but man you've got to try some free impulse responses available online for cabs when ya get some time, its a different experience for sure. :D
 
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