Interesting thread and an interesting blog post.
I'm just getting into the whole impulse response thing, and have spent the day working on a sim of my live set-up. I've used a 1974 Hiwatt DR103/1988 Ampeg SVT810E combo for bass since the late '80s (used to have a double stack, but these days it's excessive for the venues I play). I've used IR to emulate the Ampeg, whilst approximating the Hiwatt using a tweaked version of the Vintage P-Bass patch in Cerberus.
The Cerberus 8x10 sim isn't as accurate as using the IR files I got from Red Wire. I opted for six mic positions: cone/cap at 0", room at 12" and distant, ribbon mic angled at 45o 12"/24" above the cabinet. I then went for two different mic sets: Shure SM57, Earthworks TC30 and Coles 4038 or ElectroVoice RE20, Neumann U47FET and Royer R121. The combi I put together allows you to choose mic position and volume for each set, and has a DI signal which can be added to the mix. I've arranged the Hiwatt patch so the Ampeg sim can be added, and switched between either the built in Cerberus cab simulation or the additional Ampeg combi. Takes a bit of patching knowledge, but seems to function fine. There are also some backdrops for each bit of gear.
I've found it gives a decent emulation of my live set-up, but as Marco suggests, it's not the same as the real thing.
When I used to record professionally in the '80s and '90s, digital gear was in its infancy. We had the AMS RX16 and the early versions of the Lexicon, like the PCM 42 and the Prime Time, but not much else. I was lucky enough to work with a couple of producers who learned their craft in the '60s and '70s, Glyn Johns and Tom Dowd. Whilst both readily embraced technology, they still had their old methods to fall back on. This is where some of what Marco was saying comes into its own.
To do a tight ADT-style delay, we used to stick the Ampeg or a Marshall 4x12 in the studio toilet. The tight echo made for an excellent double track effect. I've done an IR of my own toilet (bare plaster walls, tiled floor, so plenty of reflective surfaces) which sounds pretty good. The problem is the IR doesn't react to increased volume the way the room does.
Cranked up, the 8x10 cones rattle. A couple are slightly damaged, and this adds to the sound at volume, which is why, in 25 years, I've never replaced them. The valves in the Hiwatt rattle happily when it's stacked on top of the cabinet, and the cistern in the toilet, the wash basin and the metal bin all rattle too. IR doesn't give you all this.
If I'm roughing out songs I'll use a sim and IR, and have even added sampled valve hum in the quiet bits, but if I'm recording properly I re-record or re-amp the DI signal of the bass through the Hiwatt in the toilet, because it's more natural, and more real.
There are pros and cons to both, especially that of not humping a massive bass rig around the house and running yards of cable between rooms, but overall, whilst I'm enjoying experimenting with IR, I think the old methods have a more pleasing final result.
If I can work out how, and if the Red Wire license permits, I'll add the IR and combinator files.
Here are the backdrops:
Hiwatt.jpg
Ampeg.jpg