Looking to add a hardware Cabinet Simulator to your Reload II rig? Read on for our connectivity suggestions relating to this.

Placement in Reload II’s Signal Chain

In routine use of a tube amplifier, it is highly recommended that the power output of the amplifier is always connected to a speaker cabinet or suitable load prior to powering on. The speaker cabinet (rated at either 4-, 8- or 16-Ohms) must always be connected to the corresponding speaker output of the amplifier. Neglecting to do so can lead to partial or complete destruction of the output stage of the tube amplifier.There are 2 points at which a hardware cabinet simulator can be added to Reload II’s analog architecture:

• The FX Loop:
  • By placing the Cabinet Simulator within Reload II’s FX Loop - either in a Stereo or Mono configuration - Cabinet emulation is added to the LINE OUT A & B outputs and the CAB OUT A & B outputs. Please note, it is inadvisable to configure your hardware Cabinet Simulator in this manner if using a traditional guitar/bass cabinet as the tonality of the physical cabinet will impact that of the Cabinet Simulator, ultimately resulting in some less than favourable results; for best results with this application scenario, it is recommended to connect passive FRFR cabinets only to the CAB OUT A & B outputs.
  • Note: In the instance where traditional guitar/bass cabinets are connected to Reload II’s CAB OUT A & B outputs - and not passive FRFR monitoring solutions - feeding a cab emulated signal into Reload II’s FX return is inadvisable and will result in an unwanted tonal response from the traditional guitar/bass cabinets. In such instances, connect Reload II’s FX Send to the input of the cabinet simulator device and feed a cab-emulated signal from the output of the cab sim device directly to a mixing desk, audio interface or other suitable terminus; in this instance, the FX return on Reload II is not used and permits sending the dry - non-cab sim affected - signal to the LINE and CAB outputs.
• Post Reload II’s LINE OUT A & B Outputs:
  • By connecting your Cabinet Simulator to Reload II’s LINE Outputs, a direct feed can be catered for without impact on any traditional guitar/bass cabinets connected to Reload II’s CAB OUT A & B outputs. This application scenario is perfect for sending a cab emulated line-level direct feed to Front of House equipment, mixing desks or interfaces whilst simultaneously providing an unaffected monitoring source via traditional cabinets connected to Reload II’s CAB OUT A & B outputs.

Recommended Hardware Cabinet Simulators

The following hardware Cabinet Simulators are recommended for use alongside Reload II; please note, for all Cabinet Simulators it is imperative to ensure the input is configured for a line level feed.

• OPUS with the input configured to the LINE option
• [Legacy] C.A.B. M+ with the input configured to the 0dB option
• [Legacy] C.A.B. M with the input configured to the 0dB option

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