Cab-Lab

The information on this page supplements the official manuals.

What is Cab-Lab?

It's Fractal Audio's software mixer and toolkit for Impulse Responses.

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."

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

• Get Cab-Lab
• More information in the Cab-Lab Manual
• Visit the "User Cabs and IRs" forum
• Shasha's Cab-Lab FAQ

Cab-Lab: standalone and plugin versions

There are two versions:

• Standalone: to be used with the Axe-Fx II/AX8 and a computer through USB.
• 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 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 Cab block's 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/AX8, 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: the IRs will be time-aligned.
• Auto Trim: removes superfluous data from the beginning of the IR.

When neither Min Phase or Trim has been applied, the IR is still "raw", containing the original phase details.

Cab-Lab and Ultra-Res IRs

To mix Ultra-Res IRs in Cab-Lab, you need the .IR-version of an impulse response.

Wav2Syx and IR2Syx conversion with Cab-Lab

Many IR manufacturers provide WAV files. These need to be converted to SYX before they can be used in the Axe-Fx II and AX8. 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 (Ultra-Res IRs, meant to be mixed).

Use Cab-Lab to rename IRs

Cab-Lab can rename the internal name of IRs (the name that appears on the Axe-Fx II, AX8, in Axe-Edit etc.). It can also rename IRs to match their filenames.

Use Cab-Lab to capture IRs with the Axe-Fx II

Read this: IR Capture

Use Cab-Lab with a real amp

Fractal Audio:
"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