FRFR - I must be doing something wrong...

Bod

...but I cannot think what.

I just bought a used Harley Benton 2x12 FR (this https://harleybenton.com/product/g212a-fr-active-cabinet/) as a birthday present for my son.  He's got his (my!) Helix LT and has been using it to good effect with an EHX 44 Magnum power amp into my old Flextone 3 extension cab, but felt he was missing out by not being able to use the modelled cabs and IRs.

We've had it for about 24 hours and we cannot get a decent sound out of it - not one usable sound.  I've tried all sorts of things, but mainly just taking it back to an Amp+Cab block, trying different combinations and tweaking mic types/positions/distance/LC-HC filtering, EQ etc, but everything sounds completely unlike any amp I've ever used - completely lacking in definition, and a woolly-ness that I cannot seem to dial out at all.  Certain mic types are better than others, but still nothing usable.

What can I possibly be doing wrong? Right now, it's destined to be sold straight on...

Bidley

Have you tried the High/Low shelf EQ block? They're more impactful than the controls on the cab block. Difficult to say without knowing what models you're using or some kind of frame of reference.

Also, I assume you're building a whole new patch, rather than trying to make the one he was using with the amp/cab. I had to do that when trying out the power amp/cab route.

mrkb

Can you play recorded music (ie a MP3) through the FRFR and check that sounds good. A FRFR is basically a PA speaker so should sound good playing normal music tracks.

Bod

Yeah, I've used that block and there wasn't much improvement sadly.  I took an empty patch and created everything from scratch and tried various combinations of amp/cab/mic.  He likes his high gain amp models.  I guess it's the change to hearing a "recorded" tone through the speaker, rather than that of an traditional amp/speaker arrangement, but to not even get close to something usable makes me feel like I'm missing something big.

I'm not going to give up, but it's a lot harder than I expected.

Bod

mrkb said:

Can you play recorded music (ie a MP3) through the FRFR and check that sounds good. A FRFR is basically a PA speaker so should sound good playing normal music tracks.

Good idea, I'll give that a go.

Grumpyrocker

Tried it without a cab block? From what I've read the speaker is flat response, but not full range. Try without a cab and then add eq 

guitarcookie1

Check the in/out settings. 

They should be ‘line’ or ‘instrument’. I forget which way round but they might be different for the magnum into cab vs the frfr cab? 

Bod

Yeah, tried without a cab block and output set to Line as recommended. 

I'm going to sit with it again this evening and try some other things.  First thing will be to try mrkb's idea and see how it sounds with music.

paulmapp8306

the cab sims/irs and mis sims are by far the hardest thing to get right....

Unless Im recording, I use my Axe-FX into Fryette Power station and a real cab - if we normal mic th cab, I send an FEFE feed to the desk mind.   

Ive tried a lot of FRFR options - including expensive PA tops.  it sound decent through my studio monitors but I cant get others to really sound right - unless its actually in a mis (which is the point I guess).   

Cheaper FRFR option sound brittle to me, and often lacking in the midrange too.