Cab-Lab

Cab-Lab: in the owner's manual

• Axe-Fx II: 5.2.1 User Cabs
• Axe-Fx II: 16.3 Loading User Cab IRs

Cab-Lab: what is it?

• IR mixer and tools for the Axe-Fx, by Fractal Audio.
• Product information: "Cab-Lab lets you combine up to 8 individual IRs, auditioning the results in real time as you mix, and saving the result as a new User Cab IR for use in your own presets. The totally new mixer in Cab-Lab 3 also goes beyond simple combining, with mix tools to process, trim, filter, and adjust phase. You can even listen in real time while you adjust faders, whether using the Standalone version and an audio interface (including the Axe-Fx II), or the Plugin version in your DAW to process live or pre-recorded material. The Standalone version also includes tools to help you capture, convert, and batch process IRs, making it an exceptionally valuable component of a complete IR workflow. Either way, Cab-Lab gives you the tools you need to create your own signature tones—and delivers results of the high quality you have come to expect from Fractal Audio Systems."
• Available for purchase here.
• Manual.
• Visit the User Cabs and IRs forum.
• Shasha's Cab-Lab FAQ.

Cab-Lab: two versions

• There are two versions:
  1. Standalone: to be used with the Axe-Fx II and a computer through USB.
  2. Plugin: to be used in DAWs. Mac: 64-bit AU. Windows: 32-bit and 64-bit VST.
• There is a comparison chart in the manual.

Cab-Lab: Activation Code

• Cab-Lab is a commercial application and requires iLok activation before use.
• Download the iLok License Manager.

Cab-Lab: EZ Setup

• EZ Setup in the Standalone version makes it easy to audition IRs. It automatically sets the Cab block in the preset to one of the Scratchpads and sends the IR-mix to that Scratchpad. Handy alternative to Live Mode.

Cab-Lab: Live Mode

• Live Mode lets you mix IRs and listen to them in real time on your computer or through the Axe-Fx II, without using the Scratchpad.
• Select the audio input and output in Settings > Audio Settings. Make sure you have disabled the Cab block in the preset!
• To decrease latency, adjust Buffer Size in Advanced Settings.

Cab-Lab: Min Phase or Auto Trim?

• Min Phase: all IRs will be time aligned.
• Auto Trim: removes superfluous data from the beginning of the IR.

Cab-Lab: UltraRes IRs

• To mix UltraRes IRs, you need the .IR-file of an impulse response. See UltraRes IRs.

Cab-Lab: Wav2Syx and IR2Syx conversion

• Many IR manufacturers provide WAV files. These need to be converted to SYX before they can be used in the Axe-Fx II. Cab-Lab provides a conversion batch routine, which you can apply to folder structures too. It works with mono WAV files only.
• The same applies to IR files (UltraRes IRs, meant to be mixed).

Cab-Lab: renaming IRs

• Cab-Lab can rename the internal name of IRs (the name that appears on the Axe-Fx II, in Axe-Edit etc.).
• It can also rename IRs to match their filenames.

Cab-Lab: IR Capture

• See IR Capture.

Cab-Lab: using with a real amp

• Cliff: "Load your head with a load box, take the output of the load box into your computer and run the audio through Cab-Lab. I would recommend a reactive load box rather than a resistive one. Suhr and Rivera make good reactive ones." source