Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

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roscoenyc
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Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by roscoenyc » Sat Sep 08, 2018 7:00 am

I've been intrigued by the ISO cab thing since I first saw the one that Ronnie Montrose designed for Demeter that had been used by Billy Gibbons while recording at Terry Manning's place in Memphis for most of Eliminator back in the mid 80's.

In NYC almost anybody who's got a studio is space challenged. The idea you could have an isolated speaker/mic combo in your place is pretty appealing. I first got a Demeter in 2000, then I got a Randall ISO Cab too.

Over the years I've had many different speakers in them. I've used many different microphones also.
Currently I have a Dr Z Eminence made Oxford style-12" in the Demeter and a Celestion Gold 10" in the Randall.

Quite a while ago I found that the attenuator really helped the sound in the box. I've never really sought speaker distortion so I've been using Dr Z attenuators on them.

This winter while producing the new Bottle Rockets record in St Louis I auditioned the SE Voodoo ribbon mics on the band's guitar rigs. They sounded really great to me so I got a pair.

When I got back to my place I decided to add the Voodoo Ribbons to the ISO Cabs so I could have 2 mic options (dynamic and ribbon) in there all the time ready to go.

While I was doing this I noticed that both of the cabinets had simple cotton batting in there to keep the sound from bouncing around.
That's when the "what if" popped up.

Anybody who's ever worked on room treatment for absorption knows that Owens Corning 703 is a top rated product that sounds good and has real test data to back up it's performance.

Why not replace the cotton with 2" of real OC 703?

We did it and it was the biggest change on these cabs that I or any of the guys who work at my place had ever heard. For the life of me I can't understand why these cabs wouldn't come with the 703.

If you've got an ISO cab I'd really suggest replacing that cotton with some actual OC 703.
It's been a very inexpensive upgrade with stunning results.

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by kslight » Sat Sep 08, 2018 8:03 am

I understand they work for some situations but they don’t do it for me...they don’t isolate enough for a home studio (unless you throw them in a room also), they are huge, and no matter how I tried they always sounded weird to me. They sounded a little better partially open but that defeats the purpose. I also tried loading it with different acoustic materials to see if that made it better.

I eventually got rid of it and got a Two Notes Torpedo Live, which does exactly what I need (quiet guitar recording that sounds good).

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by roscoenyc » Sat Sep 08, 2018 8:37 am

kslight wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 8:03 am
I understand they work for some situations but they don’t do it for me...they don’t isolate enough for a home studio (unless you throw them in a room also), they are huge, and no matter how I tried they always sounded weird to me. They sounded a little better partially open but that defeats the purpose. I also tried loading it with different acoustic materials to see if that made it better.

I eventually got rid of it and got a Two Notes Torpedo Live, which does exactly what I need (quiet guitar recording that sounds good).

Yeah, I'm using it in a studio.
It would be too loud for my home also.
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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by losthighway » Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:38 pm

Yeah, I always thought 703 seemed like a no-brainer for those except perhaps tube heat, building up. But it looks to me like you've got heads going outside of the ISO and speakers inside so- not an issue.

How cool are the Bottle Rockets sounding these days? Seeing that makes me want to go see the Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo play a gig with them!

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by MoreSpaceEcho » Sat Sep 08, 2018 3:38 pm

those amps all look cool as hell.

off topic: roscoe, i've mastered a bunch of stuff for karen haglof, which was all recorded at your place afaik, some of it mixed there too (by mario)...it's all sounded fantastic, especially the drums. cheers!

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by drumsound » Sat Sep 08, 2018 8:48 pm

That's really interesting Roscoe. You would think the makers of those boxes would have dome some experimenting with acoustic materials.

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by roscoenyc » Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:06 am

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 3:38 pm
those amps all look cool as hell.

off topic: roscoe, i've mastered a bunch of stuff for karen haglof, which was all recorded at your place afaik, some of it mixed there too (by mario)...it's all sounded fantastic, especially the drums. cheers!
Thanks much.
Your work on those tracks sounds great.
Our new place has 17' ceilings and we have a good old 57 up there 15' in the air above the snare.

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by roscoenyc » Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:10 am

losthighway wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:38 pm
Yeah, I always thought 703 seemed like a no-brainer for those except perhaps tube heat, building up. But it looks to me like you've got heads going outside of the ISO and speakers inside so- not an issue.

How cool are the Bottle Rockets sounding these days? Seeing that makes me want to go see the Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo play a gig with them!
Both of ours are ISO Speaker cabinets.

Here's a track from the new Bottle Rockets record.
https://soundcloud.com/bshq/sets/the-bo ... -bit-logic

It is nuts that the guys who make these boxes aren't using a little better treatment on the inside.
The change from cotton to 703 was dramatic.

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by drumsound » Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:50 am

roscoenyc wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:10 am
losthighway wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:38 pm
Yeah, I always thought 703 seemed like a no-brainer for those except perhaps tube heat, building up. But it looks to me like you've got heads going outside of the ISO and speakers inside so- not an issue.

How cool are the Bottle Rockets sounding these days? Seeing that makes me want to go see the Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo play a gig with them!
Here's a track from the new Bottle Rockets record.
https://soundcloud.com/bshq/sets/the-bo ... -bit-logic
I love the Bottle Rockets. This sounds great.

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roscoenyc
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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by roscoenyc » Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:10 am

drumsound wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:50 am
roscoenyc wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:10 am
losthighway wrote:
Sat Sep 08, 2018 12:38 pm
Yeah, I always thought 703 seemed like a no-brainer for those except perhaps tube heat, building up. But it looks to me like you've got heads going outside of the ISO and speakers inside so- not an issue.

How cool are the Bottle Rockets sounding these days? Seeing that makes me want to go see the Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo play a gig with them!
Here's a track from the new Bottle Rockets record.
https://soundcloud.com/bshq/sets/the-bo ... -bit-logic
I love the Bottle Rockets. This sounds great.
Thanks much. Can't wait for people to hear it.
We recorded at Sawhorse in St Louis and mixed at our new spot in Greenpoint. Richard Dodd did the mastering.

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losthighway
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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by losthighway » Mon Sep 10, 2018 11:26 am

roscoenyc wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:10 am
drumsound wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:50 am
roscoenyc wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:10 am


Here's a track from the new Bottle Rockets record.
https://soundcloud.com/bshq/sets/the-bo ... -bit-logic
I love the Bottle Rockets. This sounds great.
Thanks much. Can't wait for people to hear it.
We recorded at Sawhorse in St Louis and mixed at our new spot in Greenpoint. Richard Dodd did the mastering.
That's a pretty huge snare sound. I like the Waylon sounding phaser guitar stuff too!

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by vvv » Tue Sep 11, 2018 7:56 am

roscoenyc wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 6:10 am
Here's a track from the new Bottle Rockets record.
https://soundcloud.com/bshq/sets/the-bo ... -bit-logic
Sounds great!

On my 2buy list ...
bandcamp;
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I mix with olive juice.

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by roscoenyc » Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:11 am

Thanks guys.

Here's another record I have coming out on the same day from Sarah Borges October 12.
There are only 3 guitars on here. L & R rhythm guitars and a solo.
All the guitars were recorded in the ISO Cabs with 2 mics. **Edit-before the acoustic treatment change on the inside**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cL0p9sC3tA

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by Nick Sevilla » Tue Sep 11, 2018 9:05 am

roscoenyc wrote:
Tue Sep 11, 2018 8:11 am
Thanks guys.

Here's another record I have coming out on the same day from Sarah Borges October 12.
There are only 3 guitars on here. L & R rhythm guitars and a solo.
All the guitars were recorded in the ISO Cabs with 2 mics. **Edit-before the acoustic treatment change on the inside**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cL0p9sC3tA
Sounds great. I have usually preferred some air in the guitar recordings, making those ISO boxes for me sort of a no go. But, this style is changing. If I get one, I'll be sure to end up looking at your mod. (Yes, this song is before the mod...)

Cheers
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Re: Do you have a guitar ISO cabinet?

Post by vvv » Tue Sep 11, 2018 1:20 pm

FWIW, because I'm so cheap, my ISO is an Anvil case in which I put a amp (ex., a Pro,Jr. in the case made for a Boogie 1x12"). I use the amp as a cab, and then I cover the case with a leather jacket, quilt etc.

Actually haven't done it in a few years since I got the house, but it worked a treat.

Re the Borges track, very cool - guitars are punchy.

Track reminds me some of a rockier Lydia Loveless.

BTW, do you know Nan W.?
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