TWO NOTES AUDIO ENGINEERING, TORPEDO C.A.B. M+, Street Price: $299
This pedal size box of audio-dynamite takes every feature of the Radial JDX Direct-Drive and adds a bunch of DSP horsepower to increase your options and add excitement to your sound. The CAB M+ has features to allow it to be inserted into the amp-to-speaker connection on almost any guitar amplfier. You can also use the CAB M+ as an effect pedal to add cabinet or IR simulations to any pedal-board. This pedal comes with an external power supply to power all the hungry digital circuitry contained inside.
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| CAB M+ USED FOR DIRECT RECORDING TUBE AMP WITHOUT MICROPHONE |
CAB M+ comes with 32 speaker cabinet simulations preloaded in the pedal. You can load more impulse responses if you feel the need using a USB cable and your desktop PC.
The CAB M+ has an XLR output plus it also has a 1/4” output which is pedalboard friendly.
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| MODULATION AND REVERB EFFECTS SOUND BEST AFTER CAB M+ |
FEATURE PACKED
Not only does the Cab M+ do speaker and cabinet impulse response simulations, it also has multiple microphone and power amplifier simulations. That is a lot of tweaking through a compact screen, with limited controls. If you’ve got the patience to work through the provided interface you can unlock reverb effects, multiple microphones and add classic tube amp shaping to your sound.
INPUTS
The Cab M+ has a 1/4” input that can handle guitar-level signals or big fat speaker-level signals from the output of a guitar amplfier. That is a very wide range of signal sizes and it allows for a number of different sonic applications. A pad switch on the input reduces speaker-level signals so they can drive the Cab M+ without overloading the input.
OUTPUTS
The CAB M+ has an XLR microphone level output and a 1/4” unbalanced guitar-level output for use with other effects pedals on a pedalboard. A ground-lift pushbutton completes the professional D.I. feature complement.
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| BASIC DIRECT RECORDING SETUP USING CAB M+ TO REPLACE AMP, SPEAKER AND MIC |
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
The CAB M+ can sound great. You’ll need to work your way through the included presets and impulse response profiles to discover if the box offers what you need. Fortunately the CAB M+ works with third-party impulse response curves like the excellent samples by Celestion or you can purchase IR files directly from Two-Notes Audio Engineering. Any alternate sonic impulse response curves must be downloaded and then transfered over USB to the CAB M+. You can store hundreds of IR in the Cab M+ but you can only have 32 available at one time.
LIKES
I like this box a lot. It can help me achieve giant guitar sounds. The CAB M+ adds a lot of sonic-hugeness to pedalboard rigs plus it is capable of translating the speaker output from a tube guitar amp into an excellent sounding tone for recording.
A powerful and well constructed pedal for adding impulse response to your sound.
Very versatile pedal capable of several useful connection setups (Direct box, pedalboard or direct to amp).
Supports impulse response files up to 200ms in length.
Conforms to Boss pedal power, polarity and plug size but requires 12 VDC at 200 mA instead of 9-volts.
DISLIKES
It does not have a stompbox pushbutton on top to switch it IN and OUT of your signal path.
EPILOGUE - CAB M+
The Cab M+ is definitely not a one-trick pony, it can model guitar or bass speaker cabinet tones and impart all that hugeness on to your guitar (or bass) signal. This is NOT a box you’d want to push with a boost. The CAB M+ is not a guitar amp but it can add huge guitar amp character when used correctly. I use a Voodoo Lab switching system to bring the CAB M+ into my signal path.
If you feed the CAB M+ with high quality guitar tones it can deliver big, fat DSP-enhanced sonics.
If you’re ready to get rid of your guitar amplifier and go direct, the CAB M+ has a lot to offer.
Expensive? With a street price of $299 the CAB M+ is $100 more in cost than the Radial JDX Direct Drive Amp Simulator but the difference in sound output is much bigger than the extra cost.
The CAB M+ is $100 cheaper than a Strymon Iridium and arguably produces much more useful tone processing.
The CAB M+ set to an appropriate preset, sounds amazing! The real price difference is the time it takes to dial-in Cab M+ to enhance your sound. This is a deep pedal with lots of tweakability and tone options to explore. If you put the time in this pedal will reward you with rich tones and endless options.
You don’t need a PC to get a lot of tones from this pedal but if you take the time to connect it to a computer then your options increase dramatically. With a computer you can add more cabinet impulse response curves and adjust settings to personalize your tone.
The Cab M+ is a lot of great tone in a compact, easy to use package.
Good Music To You!
SPECIFICATIONS: TWO-NOTES AUDIO ENGINEERING - C.A.B. M+
Street Price $299.00, August 2021
Amp/Inst/Line Input: 1/4” jack balanced (TRS)
Input Level Switch: +12dB: Max Level 4 dBu
Input Impedance: 57 kOhms
Max Input Level: 40 dBu attenuation setting
Input Impedance: 47 kOhms
Aux Input: 1/8” TRS Jack downmixed to mono
Speaker Output: 1/4” Jack
DI Output: XLR balanced
DI Max Level: 10 dBu
DI Impedance: 300 ohms
Line Output: 1/4” jack balanced TRS
Line Output Max Level: 10 dBu
Line Output Impedance: 300 Ohms
Headphone Output: 1/8” jack TRS
USB Connector: USB 2.0 Micro-B
Memory Card: 256 Mb Micro-SD included, up to 32 Gb cards supported
POWER SUPPLY
Input Connector: DC connector, 2.1mm x 5.5mm, center negative (Boss standard size)
Suppplied Adaptor: 100-240v AC to 12v DC 1A
Power Consumtion: Approximately 2W
Current Consumption: 200 mA
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
W x D x H = 4.8” x 4” x 2.4”
Weight: .99 pounds
This article is ©August 2021 by Mark King, It’s not OK to copy or quote without written permission. Thanks for reading High on Technology.
