JDOD: Cool stuff man, & lowering the gain makes a huge difference, it just gives it so much more clarity. Again, cool stuff dude....
Bob: I'm in agreement with ya dude on the improvising thing, although I don't quite fit in to that side as much as I used to. Back in the day I thought I was pretty decent at improvising, as most of the time what I'd play was on the spot (I used to sit in with a lot of bands back then...)...Nowdays, I suppose I fit into the technician category as most of my stuff is improvised at first, but I always go back & try to get it "right", if that makes any sense (rhythm guitars usually are about 90% the same as I came up with to begin with, but the leads I'll work out a part at a time until I've got it down, then go back & re-track the whole thing, after "learning" whatever it is I'm working on)....That said, again, I suppose I fit into the technician category...
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And I sprung for the new Amplitube 4 sim.....I know, I know, it's software....But I have to admit this sim sounds pretty fuckin' good to me, much better than the older Amplitube 3. They've updated the cab section, so there are 29 different speaker choices (lots of Celestions, plus some Jensen & others)...The new cab section has it's own mixer with faders for each mic, plus the room mics, & a master fader for 'em all (if you're not careful, you'll have clipping that's beyond nasty, but the mixer/faders really help, & there's more control over the blend of the mics...)...Another thing they've added is an insert (fx loop) between the amp & cab, so the effects actually sound like they're in an fx loop instead of added after the cab...
The big upgrade (to me) are the new british amps (Red Pig = Marshall Major, Brit 8000 = JCM800, Brit 9000 = JCM900, Brit Silver = Jubilee, Brit Vale Pre =
JMD1 pre-amp)...While
the JCM900 & JMD1 aren't really my cup of tea (they don't sound all that great to me), the other 3 amp models sound pretty realistic (to me anyway), with the Jubilee being the best, followed by the Major, then
the JCM800 sim...
So, all in all, it's a pretty decent upgrade, but there are a few things I'd done differently (like adding a vst loader like ReValver where you can use any vst in AT4's chain), more than 2 mics with the ability to put any mic on any speaker (currently there are 2 close mics, but they're on different speakers...), but that's just me...
Overall, I'm impressed with it's sounds, & all the different speakers/mic choices do make a big difference in it's sound. I've actually gotten pretty close to some of the clips I made with my DSL100 & Ceriatone amps, although they're not there 100%, they are very useable, to me anyway.....YMMV...
Like I've said before, it's not gonna replace my amp, cab, & mics, but it is a pretty good alternative, & the ability to record/play silently is a big plus too....