Amp Simulators vs. Micing an Amp

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ChickenStomp

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So what characteristic is it that is so easily noticeable about amp simulators. 2 people now have told me that they could tell I was using PodFarm. The reason I use it is because I can't get my recording to sound good from micing it so I just use PodFarm.

Maybe if I figure out what is so noticeable about amp simulators, I can fix it by tweaking the settings or EQ'ing or something
 
the bass, and low mids are usually off for me. sometimes people use them with miked drums and the drums sound "home recorded" and the guitars sound too good. A lot of times people use too many effects with simulators too. those are just my observations from hearing what sounds to be like sims.
 
A properly miked tube (or decent ss) amp playing at volume pushes a lot of air from the speakers whilst making all that noise - to my ears this gives "real" guitar recording a dynamic sense that a lot of sims lack..

I have, and would continue to use, sims in various situations if I had to, but if it's the feature of the music, I'd be getting the gear to create the sound and record it properly, and learn how to do it.

This obviously costs quite some $, so that's a big consideration...

And, as we're so fond of saying round here.... YMMV - what I want to do and consider good, and what you want to do and consider good may be two different things entirely.

One of the most important skills you can learn in recording is the ability to listen well, and from that listening, learn what to do to get the sound you want. That skill, to a greater extent than you'd think, is often what separates the men from the boys round here, and in the big bad world of recording generally...

If you can't hear the difference, that doesn't mean there isn't one... good luck..
 
I can always hear a homogenized mid-high "buzz" underneath the actual tone. It's on just about every sim/pod crunch/OD tone I've ever heard. Thing is, you don't notice it right off, and you have to listen past the actual tone to notice it's there.
Yeah...you can probably mask it in a typical mix...but when just playing/recording, it's hard for me not to notice it.
I dunno...maybe my hearing is just wired a bit differently.... :)

On clean sounds...the sims/pods can pass by OK.
 
I'm like miro. I hear a high mid "fizzy buzzy" sound. Like a "is that a guitar or a bee hive?" sound.

That's with bad amp sim sounds. I've heard amp sims that I would have bet a million bucks were mic'd amps. And I was wrong. So great sounds can be had from them. But I don't know a thing specifically about PodFarm and how good/bad it is. I had a Line6 amp that was teh suck. That's my only experience.
 
TripleM said:
I'm like miro. I hear a high mid "fizzy buzzy" sound. Like a "is that a guitar or a bee hive?" sound.

That's with bad amp sim sounds. I've heard amp sims that I would have bet a million bucks were mic'd amps. And I was wrong. So great sounds can be had from them. But I don't know a thing specifically about PodFarm and how good/bad it is. I had a Line6 amp that was teh suck. That's my only experience.
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Ya I agree with Line 6 amps, they blow chunks. I used to use one, but now I have a Mesa Boogie Amp and Avatar cab, which apparently is controversial as well. Oh well, what ISN'T controversial these days?
 
none of you could spot an amp sim in a professional mix...maybe in a the majority homerecorders mixes but generally you can spot fake drums, bass etc etc..but in a professional recording or even some of the good mixes here I bet none of you could...

its like groundhog forum :)
 
I'll bet that's true. I recorded an album a studio back in the day, and the guy ran the bass through a POD, and replaced a lot of the drums using triggers, and I couldn't tell and nobody ever said anything about it to me. In home recording I don't know if we just don't know how to maximize those tools, or if we just punch in some presets, or if we don't spend the time to get the best sounds, but it is usually very obvious.

Although, there are a couple of songs i've heard in the mp3 clinic that used sims well.
 
kcearl said:
none of you could spot an amp sim in a professional mix...maybe in a the majority homerecorders mixes but generally you can spot fake drums, bass etc etc..but in a professional recording or even some of the good mixes here I bet none of you could...
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I think you need to first identify your intent...are you trying to fool just the audience who will be listening to your finished mixes...or also yourself while recording the tracks for those mixes? :)

I said earlier that in a typical mix most of the homogenized "buzz" that I hear from sims could/would probably be masked by the mix...and therefore not all that relevant.
My problem is that while playing/tracking, I'm focused on the track I'm recording, and when I hear (most always) that homogenized "buzz" when trying to use a sim...it's a turn-off for me.
At that point I'm not thinking - "Well, it's OK, no one will notice it in the final mix."
(Which is not much different than - "It's OK, I can fix it in the mix.")

YMMV..........if it works for you, use it. ;)
 
I'm with kcearl. Sure there are tons of bad sims and dumb people out there.

But I'd bet that 100% of you can't tell the difference when a good sim is used in good hands with a good player.
 
Greg_L said:
I'm with kcearl. Sure there are tons of bad sims and dumb people out there.

But I'd bet that 100% of you can't tell the difference when a good sim is used in good hands with a good player.
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I'm listening to ELO right now, and on a couple of songs "ma-ma-ma belle", and "strange magic" it sounds like what we think of sims sounding like, but those songs were way before sims. I think sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking the guitars don't sound real when that is pretty much what a real guitar sounds like.
 
aaronmcoleman said:
I'm listening to ELO right now, and on a couple of songs "ma-ma-ma belle", and "strange magic" it sounds like what we think of sims sounding like, but those songs were way before sims. I think sometimes we fool ourselves into thinking the guitars don't sound real when that is pretty much what a real guitar sounds like.
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If that shit was recorded today, you'd probably swear they were sims, which just reinforces my assertion that unless it's just really bad, no one can tell the difference.
 
And as far as home recording goes, which we're all doing here, most sims sound better than most of the real crap that gets recorded with budget gear using budget mics in bad rooms.

Sim > Squire Strat through a SS practice amp with a chinese mic out front.
 
Greg_L said:
I'm with kcearl. Sure there are tons of bad sims and dumb people out there.

But I'd bet that 100% of you can't tell the difference when a good sim is used in good hands with a good player.
Click to expand...

^^^^^This, emphatically.
 
Not to get into a tennis match over it (we've been there ;))...
...but in the room, listening and playing a sim VS a real amp...I can tell the difference.
In a mix or in a MP3 file that's been converted and being played over the Interent...things get "blurry". :)

I'm mainly objecting to the sound of it in the room --- live --- when I'm playing it.

I'm not 100% against sims. Some analog-based sim boxes (like my Sans Amp and others) I've used and liked overall...it's just my own personal preference to use an amp if I have the amp.

Oh, on a related note...for anyone interested (shows I'm not totally against using manufactured/pre-fab sounds :D), Sony is selling off all their packaged CD loops/beats, since they will only be doing down-loadable from now on.
So...you can get the packaged CDs for 75% off the regular price.
I just purchased some drum and sound library samples/loops that I know I couldn't recreate in my own studio.
Got 6 CDs for less than $60..shipped.
Lasts only until March 23.

Here is the link: Sony Creative Software - Online Store - Packaged Loop Promotion
 
you cant tell in a professional mix period..I didnt say rooms, I said in poor home recordings you can...as with just about any fake instrument, but not in a commercial mix or in a "good" home recorders mix

and thats what really counts...
 
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