I have never used one but I think a better solution would be to have just a speaker/extension cabinet in your isolation box...no amp to overheat and easier to adjust the controls. That way you could really seal it up tight to keep the hippy sounds in. There are mixed reviews on how it may effect your sound but there are companies making these for sale.

Last edited: Jan 04, 2021 13:02:56

Hi Art, Given your budget, maybe you should rethink your approach. A much more affordable option would be a decent audio interface into your computer and some moderate recording software. I use Garageband which is free on Apple computers. You'll be amazed at the controls available - hundreds of simulated rooms, tens of compressors, lots of mic choices including placement, speaker cabinets etc... Is it comparable to a real studio - no, but I've found mediocre result with an iso-box, speakers need space to move air.

If you don't have the option of using the computer in the garage, get a standalone digital recorder (they're quite cheap these days) then transfer your tracks into the computer.

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

Makes sense. Maybe you can park your car in the carage and stick the speaker in the trunk?

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac'

Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party

Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF

What about an attenuator? I have a Jettenuator that works just fine. I think it was under $100 and the only other thing I needed was a speaker extension cable for my Fender combos.

I think commercial iso cabs are around $400 but most are aimed at the chugga chugga crowd so the included speaker may or may not be to your liking.

Neptune Trojans

Car interiors are excellent “dead” spaces. I’ve recorded many actors doing wild lines in them, Danny Glover and Kevin S****y were a couple. It will be super isolated and have almost no “air” but that may be what you’re after. This is a great suggestion! An isolation box would have that air, and depending on the shape you can adjust the amount of it.

I’ve had many fantasies about having an isolation box for practice, and being able to mic the amp from a distance without mic bleed.

I was gonna suggest an attenuator. I’m getting the awesome tone of the Twin at around 11 o’clock but don’t need earplugs with the SPL Power Soak. That one’s kinda expensive tho.

Daniel Deathtide

Last edited: Jan 04, 2021 19:13:01

If you have the budget, I have heard amazing things about this from several friends who use this. https://www.uaudio.com/hardware/ox.html

Rev

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

I have two Randall ISO cabs. They come with Celestion Vintage 30 12" speakers, which I really need to swap for a better kind. But they work.

SSIV

I have recorded all of the black valley moon and down by law guitars with iso cabs. But they don't house whole amps. They are just speaker cabs designed for isolated sound in room separate from the heads and control room. They are the ones randall used to make that aren't too pricey. I just switched out the v30's in them to something more suitable for the fender sound. They are cool, and I personally like the vibe of them rather than attenuators and cab sims. But they are definitely not super quiet. A couple rooms over isn't too bad. But standing in the same room with them at gigging (and in my case, recording) volume... they are still pretty ear splitting. My understanding is they are built to keep external sound (drums, etc) out of the cab even more so than keeping the sound inside the cab. Anyway, point of all this is that if you are wanting quiet, the other solutions may work better.

Guitarist for Black Valley Moon & Down By Law

Hi Agent Octopus,
I could recommend you three solutions:

• The TAD Silencer
  It's a power attenuator that can be turned down very low to a reasonable room volume. It also has a recording output that works OK ( non adjustable) but the sound is good.

• The Grossman Box
  if you use a small amp (Deluxe, Princeton), it's ok volume wise. To hear a well miked sound you need a DAW and headphones/studio monitors. If you hear the sound from the iso cab it sounds very dull, like a blanket over a speaker.

• the UAD OX Box
  very great recording tool with a headphone output that you can use for silent practicing with a bunch of cab, mike and room simulations.
  The last record of THE RAZORBLADES was recorded with my amps and the OX Box. For the one before I used the Grossman Box...

Last edited: Jan 22, 2021 03:48:28

Beside the UA Ox I've heard good things about this unit as well.
It's a bit more simple and affordable.

https://www.suhr.com/electronics/tone-tools/reactive-load-ir/

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