Bass HD IR Pack
Cabinet Impulse Pack for Bass Guitar
The Bass HD IR Pack is a collection of 20 impulses recorded from various bass cabinets.
This is an updated version of Bass IR Pack, which is our best-selling impulse pack. The new collection includes improved versions of some of the Bass IR Pack’s content as well as new impulses and extended frequency range versions for better control over the tone.
The pack includes a total of 80 impulses (20 unique cab impulses with 4 variants for each) in WAV format. The impulses are intended for bass players using IR-based impulse players, either hardware or software. The maximum impulse length is 500 ms, but we’ve also included 250, 125 and 20-millisecond versions for each impulse; this way, you can select the suitable length without having to make any changes to the impulse manually.
This is an updated version of Bass IR Pack, which is our best-selling impulse pack. The new collection includes improved versions of some of the Bass IR Pack’s content as well as new impulses and extended frequency range versions for better control over the tone.
The pack includes a total of 80 impulses (20 unique cab impulses with 4 variants for each) in WAV format. The impulses are intended for bass players using IR-based impulse players, either hardware or software. The maximum impulse length is 500 ms, but we’ve also included 250, 125 and 20-millisecond versions for each impulse; this way, you can select the suitable length without having to make any changes to the impulse manually.
Foreword
Rather than raw “cab + mic” snapshots, the impulses in the Bass HD IR Pack are instead multi-mic mixes with frequency correction applied. For this reason, we’ve opted not to elaborate which mics were used when recording individual impulses. For each cabinet, we picked a set of mics (1–4 mics and one sub mic) which captured the cab’s character the best to our ears. With this approach, detailing the mics and their balance in each case wouldn’t really make sense. With the Bass HD IR Pack, our goal was to create an impulse pack that would make bass players’ lives easier on stage and at the studio, and we hope you find it useful in your work.
In this pack, you’ll find impulses of legendary bass cabs as well as unique cabs specifically designed for studio work. Try them all out, and you’ll surely find something that suits your needs!
In this pack, you’ll find impulses of legendary bass cabs as well as unique cabs specifically designed for studio work. Try them all out, and you’ll surely find something that suits your needs!
Features
Any impulses from the Bass HD IR Pack with the same length and bitrate can be blended together with no frequency response issues (such as comb filtering or the lows disappearing). This is due to the fact that all impulses in the pack are in phase with each other.
Additionally, all impulses have been mastered to an almost identical subjective perceived volume (ITU-R BS.1770 LKFS standard). The volume of each impulse is around -36.5 LUFS (minor deviations are possible). Please avoid normalizing the impulses to 0 dB as it can lead to significant differences in their perceived volume.
The collection includes impulses of different lengths — not just because certain impulse players can only process a particular length, but also because shorter impulses have less room reverb data. “The longer, the better” doesn’t apply to cabinet impulses; instead, it boils down to personal preference: some prefer impulses with more “volume” while others go for dry-sounding ones (and blend in some early reverb reflections if needed). The only objective difference is this: short impulse lengths (such as 20 ms) are less precise in the lows. It’s up to you to decide if you prefer that or not.
Additionally, all impulses have been mastered to an almost identical subjective perceived volume (ITU-R BS.1770 LKFS standard). The volume of each impulse is around -36.5 LUFS (minor deviations are possible). Please avoid normalizing the impulses to 0 dB as it can lead to significant differences in their perceived volume.
The collection includes impulses of different lengths — not just because certain impulse players can only process a particular length, but also because shorter impulses have less room reverb data. “The longer, the better” doesn’t apply to cabinet impulses; instead, it boils down to personal preference: some prefer impulses with more “volume” while others go for dry-sounding ones (and blend in some early reverb reflections if needed). The only objective difference is this: short impulse lengths (such as 20 ms) are less precise in the lows. It’s up to you to decide if you prefer that or not.
Structure
The pack includes 20 bass cab impulses, each with 4 character options. Additionally, different lengths are available for each impulse.
The available formats are split into folders as follows:
The available formats are split into folders as follows:
- The 96k folder includes 96k@24bit WAV mono files. These are the max resolution versions which cover the 20–48000 Hz range.
- The 48k folder includes 48k@24bit WAV mono files (the current industry standard). The frequency range in these impulses is 20–24000 Hz, which is sufficient for all frequencies perceived by humans.
- The 44k folder includes 44.1k@16bit WAV mono files. This is the classic CD quality format. We recommend using those if your impulse player doesn’t support the 48k or 96k formats.
- The 500 folder includes impulses with the length of 500 ms. Those are the most precise and “spacious” versions.
- The 250 folder includes impulses with the length of 250 ms. Such impulses have high precision and medium “space”.
- The 125 folder includes impulses with the length of 125 ms. Those are highly precise but have the minimum amount of “space”.
- The 20 folder includes impulses with the length of 20 ms. Such impulses lack precision but offer the “driest” sound possible.
Each of the length-based folders contains 80 impulses, where each of the 20 cabs has 4 versions marked as follows:
- The A version has a brighter, more “open“ sound.
- The B version has a tighter and more focused tone.
- The C version is the sum of A and B, offering a balanced sound.
- The X version covers an extended range of the cab’s frequencies. It’s a highly precise in-phase mix of the C version and the DI signal, where only the lows and highs from the DI signal are used. The X versions are intended for bass players who prefer blending their DI signal with the cab output. This studio trick is essentially baked into these versions. Additionally, you can use low-pass and high-pass filters in combination with the X versions to shape the frequency range even further.
Impulse Details
2x10 Cabinets
- Mark_210MarkBass Traveler 102P impulses. The cab was placed vertically, and the signal was captured not only from the cone and piezo driver but also from the port. This allowed us to get the maximum value from the smallest cab in the collection.
- Mesa_210Mesa Road Ready 210 impulses. This large and heavy cab with Electro-Voice speakers has a peculiar character and a rather flat frequency response in the mids. If you play bass in heavy genres and/or like having lots of high end in your bass tone, this cab is a great choice.
1x15 Cabinets
- Ampeg_115Impulses recorded from an Ampeg Heritage B-15 cab with a ceramic Eminence driver designed for it specifically. This is a classic 1x15 cab with a prominent peak at 100 Hz which adds girth to the sound. The original Bass IR Pack had an impulse of this cab, but the new versions are significantly different and more detailed.
- Eden_115Impulses recorded from an Eden D115 XLT cab. Despite also having a custom-designed Eminence speaker, this cab is radically different from the Ampeg B-15 in both design and tone. These impulses have a strong low-mids focus as well as pronounced ultra-low frequencies captured by the sub mic from the port.
- CMC_115Impulses recorded from a custom-made 1x15 studio cab with an Eminence KappaLITE 3015 speaker (neodymium magnet) and a compression driver (titanium dome). The cab has a cross-over at the 5 kHz mark (akin to Gallien-Krueger cabs). These impulses have a mild scoop around 1 kHz as well as pronounced lows and highs.
4x10 Cabinets
- Ampeg_410Ampeg SVT-410 HLF impulses. This modern classic of a bass cab has a universally usable tone which fits in any genre. The mild mid scoop and the flat response in the lows facilitate a great response to your playing dynamics.
- EBS_410Impulses recorded from an EBS ProLine 410 cab with a 2-inch tweeter. The cab has accentuated high mids with a characterful boost at the 2-3 kHz mark, which allows it to sit really well in the mix (particularly when playing on the clean sound). The new versions are more detailed and overall improved in comparison with the original Bass IR Pack.
- Fender_410Impulses recorded from a Fender ‘59 Bassman guitar cab with Celestion G10 Gold speakers. Believe it or not, this cab works great with bass, particularly when a sub mic is placed at the back (as that’s an open-back cab). The impulses have a very tasteful vintage tone which works particularly well with light overdrive.
- Hartke_410Hartke XL410 impulses. This cab has aluminum cones and seems to be a “love/hate” object for many bass players. Make sure to try out its impulses — perhaps you’ll love this cab’s fast and ultra-flat response which nevertheless has a strong peak around 4 kHz!
- Mark_410Impulses recorded from a MarkBass Standard 104HR cab with four B&C neodymium magnet speakers. The cab has a very tight and focused sound with a mild scoop around 650 Hz, which works great for both clean and distorted tones.
- TC_410Impulses recorded from a TC Electronic BC 410 cab with custom-designed Eminence speakers. That’s a simple but brilliant cab with a rather flat frequency response and a mild boost at the 100 Hz mark.
1x15 + 4x10 Cabinet Combination
- Ampeg_115-410Summed impulses of the Ampeg Heritage B-15 and HLF 410. This classic combination was obtained by combining the individual impulses from this pack rather than live-capturing. This allowed us to create a perfect mix (to our ears at least) which highlights both cabinets’ strengths. These impulses have a rather flat frequency response and a thunderous tone. As a reminder, you can blend any of the same-format impulses from this pack yourself.
6x10 and 8x10 Cabinets
- Ampeg_610Ampeg SVT-610 HLF impulses. This cab has been our go-to for Shift Line R&D for years. The Classic series has Eminence speakers and a 1-inch compression driver with volume control. This cab can be considered THE bass sound, and its impulses combine the strengths of 4x10 and 8x10 cabinets.
- Ampeg_810EImpulses recorded from the Ampeg SVT-810E cab with custom-designed Eminence speakers. That’s the Classic series “fridge” which is well-loved worldwide. Compared with SVT-610, this cab’s impulses have more lows and slightly rolled-off highs.
- Ampeg_810AVImpulses recorded from a modified Ampeg SVT-810AV studio cab. By default, this cab only differs from the SVT-810E in appearance; however, in our case we had 4 Celestion speakers installed in place of the classic Eminence ones (resulting in a 4 Celestion + 4 Eminence setup). This not only affected the overall tone but also allowed us to capture two different sonic characters: the A versions are biased towards Eminence while the B versions are more Celestion-heavy.
2x15 Cabinets
- Sunn_215Sunn 200s 215 impulses. This one-of-a-kind cabinet has a very fat sound which works great with distortion and fuzz. The high-resolution versions in this collection are different from the impulses you can find in the original Bass IR Pack and the SUNN 200s IR Pack.
- Mesa_215Mesa Road Ready 215 impulses. This is a more modern-sounding 2x15 cab with a bright tweeter and a crushing tone. The high-resolution versions in this collection are different from this cab’s impulse found in the original Bass IR Pack.
1x12 and 2x12 Guitar Cabinets
(Now Intended for Bass)
(Now Intended for Bass)
- Orange_212BEImpulses recorded from the Orange PPC212 guitar cab adapted for bass work. Make sure to try these impulses if you use heavy distortion: the cab’s guitar-centric character can really help with fitting the bass into a busy mix.
- V30_112BEImpulses recorded from a Celestion V30 guitar cab speaker installed in an isolation cabinet. The sub mic’s signal was blended in for a better low-frequency response.
- EVM_112BEImpulses recorded from an Electro-Voice EVM12L speaker which works equally well with guitar and bass. The A versions have a “drier” sound while the B versions are more saturated and “spacious” (due to having more early reflections).
Free Pack
To get a taste of the Bass HD IR Pack, you can download a free version containing 10 125-millisecond impulses and 10 20-millisecond ones. You can easily use them with our CabZone X / CabZone Bass impulse players or with the Olympic MkIIIS tube preamp. The files in the free pack have the WAV 24bit 48kHz format.
If you enjoy the free pack, you can always get the full version afterwards.