TerraMortim
New member
guitar rig is really good... my fave is actually not in the poll tho. Guitar Amp Pro built into Logic... it's fooled some folks that I've demoed into thinking it was a miced cab. =D I've even been fooled once or twice.
Rate amp modellers for home recording
- Thread starter aidan_m
- Start date
TerraMortim
New member
aidan_m
Budding Rock Star!
I'm liking the v-amp2 sounds I'm finding around the web. Correct me if I'm wrong but this is a floor box rather than a plugin?
I'm finding amplitube2 and GR2 sounds to be pretty harsh and noisy at the mo.
Nice amp not an option for me as i'm a drummer that dabbles in gtr for writing and will never be gigging guitar.
I'm finding amplitube2 and GR2 sounds to be pretty harsh and noisy at the mo.
Nice amp not an option for me as i'm a drummer that dabbles in gtr for writing and will never be gigging guitar.
notredamer0789
Nashville Rocker
I use guitar rig right now, BUT my favorite (if i could get my hands on it without having to sell on of them..lol) is Line 6 Ampfarm. I think it is by far the most powerful amp modulation plugin. It really gives a good feel. Has anyone tried Digidesign's Eleven yet?
pipelineaudio
Well-known member
nothing beats chinese checkers
I'll admit, I have little to no experience with amp sims.
but I find it hard to believe that any amp sim can compare to a decent mic'ed amp. I have never had trouble getting decent guitar sound when I recorded my own guitar, even back in my cassette portastudio days. Granted, I have always had at least halfway decent amps to mic up, and I know that makes a huge difference, but I never had GREAT mics (SM 57 or rough equiv) nor GREAT rooms (the room makes that much of a difference when you close mic a cranked guitar cab?!?).
Now, I pay a little more attention and i think I get even better results.
I haven't listened to the stuff pipeline threw up since I'm at work, but I am kinda curious to see if I could meet the challenge to get a better tone with a mic'ed amp!
but I find it hard to believe that any amp sim can compare to a decent mic'ed amp. I have never had trouble getting decent guitar sound when I recorded my own guitar, even back in my cassette portastudio days. Granted, I have always had at least halfway decent amps to mic up, and I know that makes a huge difference, but I never had GREAT mics (SM 57 or rough equiv) nor GREAT rooms (the room makes that much of a difference when you close mic a cranked guitar cab?!?).
Now, I pay a little more attention and i think I get even better results.
I haven't listened to the stuff pipeline threw up since I'm at work, but I am kinda curious to see if I could meet the challenge to get a better tone with a mic'ed amp!
Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
I have 13 tube amps or maybe more, I've lost count!
And to my ears I've yet to play thru a modeler that responded the same way as an amp. The responsiveness to dynamics (or rather, lack thereof) of modelers is the thing I don't like about them although that Rocktron gets really close. Close enough that I have no hesitation playing in situations where I'm gonna have to go direct into a PA and it's the first modeler I've used that doesn't make me dread doing that although it's still not the same as an amp.
But we're talking about some subtle stuff here. After all, I've been playing constantly for over 40 years. Many guitarists might not notice or if they do, not care.
And soundwise ...... I've heard quite a few recordings that people have done here and other sites where I couldn't tell from just listening whether it's a modeler or not. And I have old recordings of my own where people didn't seem to be able to tell ...... one that I specifically remember was a clean sound with the V-Amp. Everybody commented on the 'mik'd amp' sound!
As for which one ...... well, obviously I'm a fan of the Rocktron but I think if you're just wanting to see if you even want a modeler, then for $100 the V-Amp2 is a no brainer. Built lightweight so don't drop it but definitely better sound than the POD.
Or cheaper yet would be those free ones someone put a link to. That'll let you know if you even want one in the first place.
And to my ears I've yet to play thru a modeler that responded the same way as an amp. The responsiveness to dynamics (or rather, lack thereof) of modelers is the thing I don't like about them although that Rocktron gets really close. Close enough that I have no hesitation playing in situations where I'm gonna have to go direct into a PA and it's the first modeler I've used that doesn't make me dread doing that although it's still not the same as an amp.
But we're talking about some subtle stuff here. After all, I've been playing constantly for over 40 years. Many guitarists might not notice or if they do, not care.
And soundwise ...... I've heard quite a few recordings that people have done here and other sites where I couldn't tell from just listening whether it's a modeler or not. And I have old recordings of my own where people didn't seem to be able to tell ...... one that I specifically remember was a clean sound with the V-Amp. Everybody commented on the 'mik'd amp' sound!
As for which one ...... well, obviously I'm a fan of the Rocktron but I think if you're just wanting to see if you even want a modeler, then for $100 the V-Amp2 is a no brainer. Built lightweight so don't drop it but definitely better sound than the POD.
Or cheaper yet would be those free ones someone put a link to. That'll let you know if you even want one in the first place.
pipelineaudio
Well-known member
unlike the Rocktron's PRO GAP and related modelling systems, simulanalog's direct circuit modelling will give what even few (if we are going to be honest) tube amps will:
Turning down your guitar volume will actually clean up the gain, as will playing softer.
With most modelling systems (and indeed if we are to be honest, most tube amps and all transistor amps), turning down the guitar volume simply reduces the signal to noise ratio
If we want to get into a detailed discussion about why tube amps *can* behave as some do verses why transistors and most tube amps behave as they do, and a discussion about voltage verses current controlled designs, that would go a LOT further than simply making simple, blanket statements like "real amp good, model bad" and the like.
BTW, if you are listening to music made i nthe last ten years, most likely you are hearing in part or in whole, modelled sounds (current controlled modelling lets you get WAY more "loud" for the volume wars morons).
How much tube amp subtlety gets preserved anyway when bozos run a 24 db swinging amp signal thru a distreesor to end up with a 3db swing?
Turning down your guitar volume will actually clean up the gain, as will playing softer.
With most modelling systems (and indeed if we are to be honest, most tube amps and all transistor amps), turning down the guitar volume simply reduces the signal to noise ratio
If we want to get into a detailed discussion about why tube amps *can* behave as some do verses why transistors and most tube amps behave as they do, and a discussion about voltage verses current controlled designs, that would go a LOT further than simply making simple, blanket statements like "real amp good, model bad" and the like.
BTW, if you are listening to music made i nthe last ten years, most likely you are hearing in part or in whole, modelled sounds (current controlled modelling lets you get WAY more "loud" for the volume wars morons).
How much tube amp subtlety gets preserved anyway when bozos run a 24 db swinging amp signal thru a distreesor to end up with a 3db swing?
Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
Absolutely!
But let's not forget that I'm a gigging player first so to be honest, about the only thing I care deeply about is how it does live. For recording I often use a modeler since you can tweak it for that particlular track 'till it's right and I totally agree that they can be made to sound just like an amp if you know what you're doing.
I also agree that many amps today are just crap. That's why most of my amps are old ....... ummmm 70's Ampegs mostly. I do have a Mesa Blue Angel I like quite a bit and of all things, a Fender Hot Rod deVille (4-10s) that I love except it doesn't hold up to constant gigging. I've had it strand me 4 or 5 times and while I fix it myself, I don't trust it anymore.
So for me, things like amplitube or any plug in really, are out of the question 'cause if I can't gig with it, it's useless to me.
And though I could get a laptop and interface and pedal board and use them live .... why bother?
But for recording purposes they make good sense.
I'm not a anti modeler crusader!
mikemorgan
panned out
I grew up playing those '70's Ampegs and Fender Twins and NOTHING sounds like that. Stick a $20,000 mic in front of it, still ain't the same as being there. So for those people who say modelers don't sound as good as mic'd amps, I say" mic'd amps don't sound as good as live amps".
NYMorningstar
Recording Modus Operandi
Not sure why the Roland's VG-8 Guitar system isn't an option here, maybe the cost? The COSM amp emul technology emulates guitars, pickups, amps, speakers, and mics.
What I like about this is when you play live you can use a real amp and run the Roland through the PA. Awesome stuff when you learn the dynamics of the dual setup.
What I like about this is when you play live you can use a real amp and run the Roland through the PA. Awesome stuff when you learn the dynamics of the dual setup.
Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
Ya' know ..... I hadn't thought about that one.
I have a friend back in BR that's a badass player and he uses one. It freakin' sounds AWESOME! when he uses it.
TerraMortim
New member
Absolutely!
But let's not forget that I'm a gigging player first so to be honest, about the only thing I care deeply about is how it does live. For recording I often use a modeler since you can tweak it for that particlular track 'till it's right and I totally agree that they can be made to sound just like an amp if you know what you're doing.
I also agree that many amps today are just crap. That's why most of my amps are old ....... ummmm 70's Ampegs mostly. I do have a Mesa Blue Angel I like quite a bit and of all things, a Fender Hot Rod deVille (4-10s) that I love except it doesn't hold up to constant gigging. I've had it strand me 4 or 5 times and while I fix it myself, I don't trust it anymore.
So for me, things like amplitube or any plug in really, are out of the question 'cause if I can't gig with it, it's useless to me.
And though I could get a laptop and interface and pedal board and use them live .... why bother?
But for recording purposes they make good sense.
I'm not a anti modeler crusader!
I totally agree... for live applications modelers are only a last resort to me. I use one on a track of my band live, just because I don't have a suitable amp, and I only play guitar on one song, so it just makes sense, since I have synths running in logic allready just to plug the guitar into it and play through that. However, in the studio, you CAN get plugin amps to sound as good as miced amps if you tweak it enough.
TerraMortim
New member
also agreed, to a certain degree.
aidan_m
Budding Rock Star!
Thank you kindly and thank you all for all the input!! Lots of food for thought here.
Quick question.
The rocktron and v-amp are not plugins but standalone modellers? (line in from gtr, line out to studio/amp?)
Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
correctomundo
KingDiamond
New member
I use Amplitube2 and I like it a lot, except that it takes a while to dial in a good tone. I don't think the stock presets that come with it are that great, except for some of the cleans and the Steve Vai presets. I have used Guitar Rig before (I'm not sure which version but it was about a year ago) and I didn't like it at all, sometime about the sound just sounded too digital to me. I also know a guy who uses Waves GTR and he gets some good sounds out of that.
I think nothing compares to a real properly mic'd amp. With an amp turned up you get feedback and resonance between the guitar and amplifier and it just has that "live" sound. I can't record my 120W tube half stack at home so I bought a 30W tube amp and it is still really loud, but at least you can't hear it two blocks away. I use that for recording and I'm happy with it. I still use Amplitube2 for clean recordings though because it has no hissing or other tube amp noises.
I think nothing compares to a real properly mic'd amp. With an amp turned up you get feedback and resonance between the guitar and amplifier and it just has that "live" sound. I can't record my 120W tube half stack at home so I bought a 30W tube amp and it is still really loud, but at least you can't hear it two blocks away. I use that for recording and I'm happy with it. I still use Amplitube2 for clean recordings though because it has no hissing or other tube amp noises.
pipelineaudio
Well-known member
err, any feedback and resonance you get sitting in front of your NS-10's and playing while the guitar is miced up in the other room you will get from the sim playing thru the NS-10's