amp simulators

[windowman]

Bizarre,

I used to have one of the original SansAmp models. It did a great job of heavy distortion (it can really nail that Steve Vai Carvin stack tone) but it seemed to be a one trick pony. I think that's the way it is with all Amp Sims though. Some are better for this and some for that. Now this little Zoom unit I use to practice with has lousy distortion but the clean sound is extremely good.

Hey guys, I keep hearing tracks with the POD and J-Station etc that really knock me out, however when I tried them at Mars one day through some headphones they sounded crappy. Why is that? Do they just sound terrible through their headphone outputs or do you think it was the particular headphones that Mars was using (I don't remember what kind they were but cheap I'm sure.) The POD seemed to have very little distortion at the store. I just used the presets but turned the gain knob full up and still didn't get much distortion no matter which patch I used, just a gentle overdrive for the most part. I hear plenty of distortion on other people's tracks though so I'm wondering what's the deal there? Is there something I'm missing? (Must be.)

 

[BrettB]

yes, there is . D

 

[Lopp]

Like Bizarre, I have a PSA-1. I also have the SansAmp GT2. Both are excellent.

You should definitely check out the samples in the Tech21 "Sounds" section at: http://www.tech21nyc.com/

IMHO, the best non-mic'ed amp devices out there. They actually react to your playing the way a real amp does. They do a great job of sustaining and sucking the harmonics out of your guitar.

The PSA-1 is especially tweakable for getting a perfect sound. It is very intuitive for selecting a great tone quickly. I use it live and love the crisp bright clean tones, the mildly overdriven rhythm tones, and the screaming lead tones I can achieve. However, the PSA-1 can get a bit noisy on the high gain settings. Some day I'll have to get a noise gate.

Also, the SansAmps do not have internal effects. They do one thing: amp emulation and they do it pretty well.


Of note: I also owned a 2120. Lots of nifty effects. Nasty distortion sounds. Of course, nothing compares to a Mesa/Boogie TriAxis...

 

[Lopp]

Mr. G: Oh. I like POD. I'm having POD tele strat POD cables POD Les Paul POD POD POD POD..."

Chorus: "POD POD POD POD POD POD POD POD..."

"SHUT UP!... Bloody Vikings."

 

[beaverbiscuit]

Thanks for the link, Lopp. I agree, the sounds for the GT-2 are really good. Don't you ever get frustrated, however, with the limitation of 3 basic sounds? Granted, if you had to pick 3 these 3 would be good ones to have, but it seems like several of these other options have more to choose from in terms of a sonic palette. Just wondering .

And this question coming from a guy (me) who seemingly didn't know there were other knobs on the amp other than the power switch and volume .

Cheers!

 

[jimistone]

when i was using a analog 4-track recorder I got some really good tones out of a boss me-10 multi-effects unit. I went direct into the recorder. Some of the guitar sounds i got out of that setup are really convincing...sounds like a mic on an amp cab. It takes ALOT of tweaking and listening to get it right though

 

[Lopp]

Thanks for the link, Lopp. I agree, the sounds for the GT-2 are really good. Don't you ever get frustrated, however, with the limitation of 3 basic sounds? Granted, if you had to pick 3 these 3 would be good ones to have, but it seems like several of these other options have more to choose from in terms of a sonic palette.

There are actually 27 basic sounds. Three rows of three position switches equals three cubed equals 27. For example, you can "mod" the British switch by using clean, overdrive, or hot rodded. You can then choose your mic placement according to 3 further settings. Of course, then you can further tweak the eq and drive settings. As a futher example, the overdriven british is like a Marshall, where the hot rod british is like a Soldano. The GT2 has given me a halfway decent variety of tones and I find these tones better than many amps. I would gladly sacrifice variety if I didn't get good quality.

While I'd definitely be happy if all I had was the GT2, I also picked up the PSA-1 for further variety. Make sure you check out it's sounds at the site. There are definitely infinite killer tones in it (figuratively speaking).

There's also the SansAmp Classic which has more settings than the GT2, but less than the PSA-1. I've personally never used it.

For me it came down to the SansAmps just plain sounding better to my tastes.



Cheers

 

[windowman]

Aaron,

I like the sounds you're getting with the CW unit. I've used that one in the past a little to. I think you might like the Revalver plug-in even better if you got the chance to work with it. Unfotrunately I only have a SB Live here at the house and it can't run a plug-in from the soundcard so it's difficult to play clean and then add the distortion later. If I could though then I'd for sure blow off the Zoom unit. Don't go by the sample I put up because Revalver really sounds much better on it's own rather than trying to punch up an already recorded track. I've tested it some by playing dry and then adding Revalver to it and it's the best amp sim sound I've ever heard, though I'll have to admit some of these guys get great tones with their POD's too.

 

[bongolation]

> J-Station etc that really knock me out, however when I tried
> them at Mars one day through some headphones they
> sounded crappy. Why is that?

I've explained this one about three dozen times over the past year, I think! With J-Station, the answer is simple: The factory presets are a total joke and the device only really shines when the settings are edited in the supplied J-Edit software. Most of the settings are in "deep edit" and virtually impossible to access otherwise.

Tweak to you heart's content onscreen, then save the new profile to the unit. Works great!

 

[bongolation]

> $.02 = consider the Boss GT-6, as well = Digital outs

S/PDIF outs? Great! Now there's another option besides J-Station for recording. What are the specs?

 

[windowman]

Here's the direct link to the "competetion" page in the site that Subtones left a link for. Some of these units might surprise you:

http://www.dthraco.com/competition.htm

and also:

http://www.dthraco.com/others.htm

 

[j]

I wonder how many of you are gonna have GuitarPort two weeks from now?

 

[windowman]

I wonder how many of you are gonna have GuitarPort two weeks from now?

I've been wondering about those. Have you got one? The price is finally right on a Line 6 unit for a change so that's one I'd deffinately like to look at. What are the differences between it and the POD?

 

[j]

yeah, i have one....unlike pod this thing is a pc device...you have to have usb and it isn't totally XP compatible yet...it's got amp models and effects like pod...it is very similar to AMP FARM as well...it is kind of like POD meets AMP FARM for PC...the software interface is excellent.....however, it isn't a plug in, and doesn't work like one...in fact, the guitarport hardware can work as the primary audio device on your pc, or your 'soundcard'....i disabled all the soundcards on my system and was able to record and playback audio with different software using only the guitarport.....line6 is marketing this thing as a jamming toy, but you can use it to record guitar and get excellent results.....recording totally digitally isn't that straighforward, however, there are line outputs on the gp so that you can run it into your soundcard and use it like the POD or other hardware simulator with line outs (of course, you will still control it with the software which runs independently of your recording software). .... if you are just looking for an easy way to do guitar tracks on a pc, this thing is the shit.

 

[Leeking]

I'm appalled no one mentioned DG STomp!

anyway, DG STomp rules!!!!!
cos I hav'em....

 

[darrin_h2000]

I have a DGstomp and its the best of the digital modelers by far, but I also have a tech 21 GT2 and it is my favorite(it is analog emulation), I liked it so much I bought the trademark 10 so I could mic up an amp with that tone. I also find my 5 watt tubed crate harp amp handy for putting the DGstomp thru.

 

[beaverbiscuit]

While I'd definitely be happy if all I had was the GT2, I also picked up the PSA-1 for further variety. Make sure you check out it's sounds at the site. There are definitely infinite killer tones in it (figuratively speaking

Wow, very nice. I listened to all the sound samples they had, and I was impressed. Thanks for the eye-opener, Lopp; now I'm off to check prices .

 

[NobleSavage]

I was just reading in the new Guitar World and Rivers from Weezer said they don't use amps on tour. They use POD pros. He still uses marshalls in the studio, but thinks the POD Pro is the best way to go live. Less gear. Less change in tone from venue to venue. In arenas, most people can't hear the difference between a real amp and a emulator anyhow, and how many care. Good article.

 

[gjb3]

Just purchased a J-Station...I'm really impressed, and I think a few of the presets are even pretty good, with minor tweaking. I'm sure as I explore I'll find that major tweaking only improves the situation. It's got my vote, especially since it has bass settings too.

-J

 

[JR#97]

I have the Original Sansamp and like it for anything but lead work. I can get a good SRV and it nails that balls to the wall Marshall sound. But for lead work, it's a bit too transistory sounding for me.

I have the Cakwalk sim and it's not too bad. Software based, I'd have to reccomend using Sonic Foundry's Acoustic Mirror. Slick as snot and sound great. Rounding up good impulses isn't easy, but you can find 'em out there on the web. I've never made my known impulses but I don't really have anything worth modeling.