Amp Modeler or New Amp?

[grimtraveller]

No worries
And I am as uncredentialed as any one else

I personally wouldn't take the opinion of a guy at a gig, a music store or anyone else even if I know them (which is why a lot of people find me frustrating I guess) as to how I should spend my money. My favorite words are why and how.

If I'm looking at what's best for me in my recording goals then I tend to try and see rather than ask and hope and I'm not much concerned if it's what anyone else does or if it's how the pros do it. If it works and I like it I do it. If it's what everyone else is doing and I try and it doesn't work for me I'll be a stick in the mud and say nope that doesn't work for me so I don't care how good it is I'm not doing it.
Many of the threads on these foums are thought provoking and I find it of interest what others do. But unless they are using identical gear in an identical manner in a similar room set up on very similar material then ultimately it's only of academic interest. In the end I prefer to test and see how things work on my setup/gear rather than worry what someone else, doing totally different stuff on totaly different gear thinks

With you 100% on that, I'm very much the same in some ways. But with exceptions.....
My AKAI DPS12i enables you to record 8 tracks simultaneously but there's only 6 inputs. You have to use an optical cable but then I needed a AD/DA converter and they were expensive ! And I wanted to record drums and mic up 6 or 7 bits. I was looking in a shop window one day at converters and interfaces, not really knowing what I was looking for and what I was doing. This Australian guy walked by and said "what gives, buddy ?" so I explained my dilema and that I was new to digitalia and he suggested I buy a mixer, roughly explained how I could do the biz, then disappeared ! (I mean he went off down the road ). I thought for a minute or two, went into Rockstop and looked at mixers. I was familiar with mixer amps so I took a plunge, bought one and figured I could always get my money back if I didn't like it.
It was one of the best moves I've made ! Not only did it give me even more inputs than I'd originally envisaged, it forced me to get my mic placements and levels right at source and with trial and error, record fair sounds. It's also good for other things.
So the debates on equipment and methods do have their place. Advice and opinions are at least worth considering...Never seen that guy before or since. He could've been Obama's window cleaner for all I know.

 

[NYMorningstar]

One of the world's finest jazz guitarist, Al DiMeola, uses one of these live with an acoustic through an amp. There are just some sounds an amp won't give you on it's own...

So if we all go and get one will we sound like him? Ummm no. Whatever you use, you have to have the talent and know how to use it or you're wasting your hard earned dineros.

 

[Lt. Bob]

I don't think there's much reason to not have both.
You can get something like Behringer V-Amp for 100 bucks. It basically sounds about as good as a POD. I have a POD btw so I have compared the two. The POD has slightly better fx but the Behringer gets better clean sounds and comparable distorted sounds.
I'm not pimping Behringer but my point is that decent modelers are kinda cheap nowadays.
Things like the POD live have features that are set up for live gigging. They're not so necessary for recording.

 

[darrin_h2000]

I don't think there's much reason to not have both.
You can get something like Behringer V-Amp for 100 bucks. It basically sounds about as good as a POD. I have a POD btw so I have compared the two. The POD has slightly better fx but the Behringer gets better clean sounds and comparable distorted sounds.
I'm not pimping Behringer but my point is that decent modelers are kinda cheap nowadays.
Things like the POD live have features that are set up for live gigging. They're not so necessary for recording.

Id set the POD and Behringer at the low end of the spectrum of modelers...Line6 has much better stuff than the POD...the Mark III series stuff rocks...I wouldnt get anything less.

 

[miroslav]

I don't think there's much reason to not have both.

True…and sims are cheap enough these days so it’s not prohibitive to own both amp and sim.
Though while I do have some modeling available to me (hardware and software)...I don’t ever use it since I have decent amps in the room. I don't see any point or reason to.
There IS a short period of “gee whiz” fascination...but every single sim/modeler (hard or soft) after awhile sounds LIKE a sim/modeler to me.
I’ve mentioned it in other sim threads… there is a "homogenized" and rather sterile quality I always end up noticing...not always at first, but in the end, it's like the funky aftertaste you get with diet soda.
It’s drinkable…but just doesn’t taste as good as the real thing.

As I mentioned earlier...to me, those things are just "alternatives" to amps.
I'm not saying you can't get *useable* sounds from some of them...it's just that they're so totally uninspiring to play through, for me.
What can I say...I'm just not Al DiMeola!

 

[Lt. Bob]

I agree totally. For me none of the modelers I've tried are as dynamic as a good amp and that's a key thing for me.
Actually, the one that came closest that I've tried would be the Rocktron Prophesy.
I have one of their Utopias which is sorta trickled down from the Prophesy. It's pretty good.

 

[Toker41]

I'm becoming increasingly fascinated by the trust people are prepared to put into the advice of uncredentialed, annonymous strangers on the internet as to how they should spend their hard earned cash. And how they will spend hours debating and fighting the issue on forums rather than spending ten minutes actually trying something on their own setup to see how it works for them. there is some kind of weird need for validation because people think their own istincts couldn't possibly be right or something going on.

I'm trying to reflect that in my posts

I rarely buy anything without doing a little research AND reading reviews on a product that are from actual users, and not endorsed personalities. What better way to learn about an item than to interact with actual users of it? You can try something in a store for hours, but not know it's gonna fall apart, or have trouble with certain features for weeks, months, or even years after buying it. I would certainly trust the views of the consumers/users a little bit more than that of a sales person who may have a self serving interest in guiding your decision.

 

[acidrock]

I rarely buy anything without doing a little research AND reading reviews on a product that are from actual users, and not endorsed personalities. What better way to learn about an item than to interact with actual users of it? You can try something in a store for hours, but not know it's gonna fall apart, or have trouble with certain features for weeks, months, or even years after buying it. I would certainly trust the views of the consumers/users a little bit more than that of a sales person who may have a self serving interest in guiding your decision.

My problem is I don't really know if I like something until I've had it for six months.

 

[NYMorningstar]

I'm just not Al DiMeola!

Me neither but he did a small intimate show in our Swyer Theatre a few weeks back and he used the Roland but mostly for just adding energy, dazzle and climax to his pieces. It was pure genius at work.

 

[kcearl]

My problem is I don't really know if I like something until I've had it for six months.

lol good point..

if thats the case then i dont like any of the outboard modellers...as my vamp, pod, and tone works barely ever get touched....not that im an avid guitar player but i have 6 cheapos and they , nearly, always get used with software...

If i did it all over again id prolly go with a very small valve amp and a roland micro cube, that would cover pretty much what i need....and they'd prolly be left unused after 6 months too lol

 

[miroslav]

It was pure genius at work.

I guess that's where I fall short...I'm just to dumb to get sims/modelers!

 

[Toker41]

The V-amp Pro is under $150, and can be very useful on many levels. The cleans are absolutely record worthy. I would never recommend any modeler over a "real" amp, but I would also recommend having the V-amp Pro around. It's a lot nicer than the regular V-amp, and actually sounds better than the Line6 pod, with a lot more features, and uses.

Other than that......go buy a Boogie!