Amp Emulators

  • Thread starter Thread starter bdam123
  • Start date Start date
IK Obi said:
AmpliTube 3 FREE is a great guitar amp sim we offer. I personally like them and how easy it is to switch between gear for different tones.
Click to expand...

mosquito.jpg
bumble%20bee.jpeg
hornet.jpg
wasp.jpg
 
I've used lots of amp sims. Amplitube, Johnson J-station, multiple pods--and I've gotten good results out of all of them. Even other seasoned musicians/recorders didn't suspect it was a sim. So yeah, they have they're place. It's just that their place isn't in my set up anymore.

It doesn't matter how much they sound like the real thing in a mix. For me, it's become about I play with them. I have more fun playing through a good tube amp. The response, the dynamics, they push me. When I'm pushed, and when I'm having more fun playing, I play better.

Again, I'm not being a tone snob. I'm sure I couldn't even tell the difference when recorded and mixed well. But I sure as hell can tell the difference when I'm playing! Even if I use a sim to write and practice a part (like I usually do late at night), I'll wait until I have the freedom to crank up the amp and record the final that way every time.
 
BigRed360 said:
I've used lots of amp sims. Amplitube, Johnson J-station, multiple pods--and I've gotten good results out of all of them. Even other seasoned musicians/recorders didn't suspect it was a sim. So yeah, they have they're place. It's just that their place isn't in my set up anymore.

It doesn't matter how much they sound like the real thing in a mix. For me, it's become about I play with them. I have more fun playing through a good tube amp. The response, the dynamics, they push me. When I'm pushed, and when I'm having more fun playing, I play better.

Again, I'm not being a tone snob. I'm sure I couldn't even tell the difference when recorded and mixed well. But I sure as hell can tell the difference when I'm playing! Even if I use a sim to write and practice a part (like I usually do late at night), I'll wait until I have the freedom to crank up the amp and record the final that way every time.
Click to expand...

Dude you nailed it right there. The feel of the rig is extremely important and you just don't get that with simulators.
 
I think the biggest thing missing are the actual vibrations you get from a real amp. The sound moving past you. I've cranked AmpliTube on my computer through my speakers and loved it, live I run them through a powered monitor speaker for myself as well. I haven't missed real amps much, especially maintaining them.
 
I've been meaning to do a direct comparison of how close IK modeled the 2 amps I owned. I was gonna run them same settings same cabinet impulse.

Haven't gotten around to it though.
 
monadomino.gif
mona-lisa.jpg




Here is a simulation of the Mona Lisa. You can clearly tell who's face it portrays. Are these 2 pictures interchangeable? Obviously not. Is there a difference in sound quality between an MP3 and a wave file? People peddling amp simulation would lead you to believe that the difference between software and a real rig is negligible because you can tell what it's supposed to be emulating. There are nuances that software can't capture because it it would require billions of calculations to be programmed into it. Amp simulation has come a long way but it still has quite a distance to cover until it can replace a real guitar rig.
 
ocnor said:
Here is a simulation of the Mona Lisa. You can clearly tell who's face it portrays. Are these 2 pictures interchangeable? Obviously not. Is there a difference in sound quality between an MP3 and a wave file? People peddling amp simulation would lead you to believe that the difference between software and a real rig is negligible because you can tell what it's supposed to be emulating. There are nuances that software can't capture because it it would require billions of calculations to be programmed into it. Amp simulation has come a long way but it still has quite a distance to cover until it can replace a real guitar rig.
Click to expand...
nice example.

And that's also a reason why us vinyl guys prefer vinyl over CD's.

If they had ever made CD's 24/96 it would have changed that issue but now that downloading has replaced physical media that'll never happen so vinyl it is for me.
 
Last edited:
IK Obi said:
I haven't missed real amps much, especially maintaining them.
Click to expand...

Huh...???

What's to maintain?
Do you mean the occasional tube swap and some dusting?

Nothing lasts forever...especially not computer gear.
When that stuff breaks down...or becomes obsolete...you can pretty much just throw it out. :)
 
miroslav said:
Huh...???

What's to maintain?
Do you mean the occasional tube swap and some dusting?

Nothing lasts forever...especially not computer gear.
When that stuff breaks down...or becomes obsolete...you can pretty much just throw it out. :)
Click to expand...
ditto ...... I have 40 year old amps that have barely been maintained and they all work fine.

But have something go wrong with a Spider and they're gonna just have to toss it out and replace it.
 
Heck...that fact that you CAN revive/rebuild a tube amp even when it does go down (not often)...makes them that much MORE valuable for the long-haul.

I have 3 computers and a couple of digital Sat receivers/players sitting in my shed right now waiting for recycling. They all power up and work "standalone"...but they are still obsolete because nothing works with them anymore.

One of the simplest marriages ever, was the mating of the electric guitar and the tube amp...truley plug-n-play, and the marriage is still going strong after some 60+ years. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top