devices · FM3 · reference · cabs and user IRs
cabs and user IRs
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What a User Cab is
An impulse response is a recording of what a mic'd speaker cabinet does to a sound. A frequency sweep is played through a real cab and recorded, then the sweep is removed mathematically. What remains is the cabinet's fingerprint, and it can be applied to any signal. Fractal call these User Cabs when they are yours and Factory Cabs when they shipped with the modeler. They are the same kind of thing.
how much room you have
Factory cabs covering everything the Axe-Fx III has, and 1,024 memory locations for your own, held in a single bank.
FM3 Owner's Manualtwo file extensions, and only the .syx file loads
An IR you send to the modeler is a MIDI System Exclusive file: .syx. The newer .IR extension is only for re-mixing inside Cab-Lab, and the hardware does not take it. Fractal flag this: a download page often offers both side by side, and the .IR file does nothing once sent.
Getting them on there
Loading a User Cab
Two routes: the editor for more than one file, or Fractal-Bot for one at a time.
- step 01
the editor: Manage Cabs
Drag and drop user cab files into memory slots, and manage what is already there. Press Save when you are done.
- step 02
or Fractal-Bot, one at a time
Set the Cab block to the slot you want to fill, then send the .syx to the modeler and it stores it there.
- step 03
then point the Cab block at it
Select the Cab block and change it to the bank and number you transmitted to.
Notes
note the bank and slot as you send
A cab lives at a Bank and a Number ("User 1, #215"), and the Cab block selects it by that address, not by name. Afterwards, select the number you transmitted to. A preset someone shared expects their slot numbering, not yours. Write the number down while you send.
user cabs back up as their own bank of 1,024
One more file in the backup set, separate from your presets and from SYSTEM. A restore without it leaves presets pointing at cabs that are not there.
where to get them
Fractal's shop sells professionally produced Cab Packs, including ones from third-party producers. Axe-Change, Fractal's file-sharing site, is a large free library. To capture your own cabinet, use the modeler's IR Capture utility. It needs a mic and a preamp, plus either a flat full-range power amp or a speaker-level DI box.
what Cab-Lab is for
Cab-Lab is an IR mixer. It blends several IRs into one, the way an engineer blends several mics on a real cab. Fractal also recommend it for capturing, because its interface is easier than the built-in utility. You do not need it to load an IR someone else made.
the Erase All User Cabs option
It clears every user cab, leaving them all EMPTY, and asks you to confirm first. Have the bank backup before you use it.