By recording it direct-out like I am, I can record great-sounding tracks right now...
... but I have spent a LOT of time making small tweaks on every tone that I've used. Like, hours a day for days, or even sometimes weeks.
Apart from the "noise to others" issue of playing though an amp...I don't much see the benefit of sims over amps.
OK...maybe if you have to really do it on the cheap, and a single pod will get your there for a lot less than an amp...
...but still, sims users often argue how they can get great tones without the work, yet as you pointed out, you spend sometimes weeks dialing in, or more likely digitally fixing, the tones you get from a pod.
So I don't see that as any easier than putting a mic in front of an amp.
One thing I've noticed, and maybe it's just my own limited observation...but it appears that these days, most guys that do Metal/Death Metal and all that kind of stuff...are totally about sims and digital manipulation of every note/beat.
I've often said that while some sims can do great tones...I've always noticed a very "homogenized" flavor from most sims (that digital "buzz")...and nowhere is that more apparent than when I listen to Metal type of stuff. It's almost like the whole point IS to make it/keep it "homogenized" sounding from start to finish.
Also, when the music is very loud/overdriven...it's always going to be harder (and less important) to hear subtle tone nuances. When you play more "open/sparse" kind of guitar stuff, then the quality of tones really comes to the forefront, as opposed to just doing that full-tilt, driven kind of sound where it's all a tonal blur.
I still think that for more open/sparse guitar playing, and/or where leads really have a wider area to work with in the stereo image...what you get from a real amp and mic setup will always sound more "real", more organic and not so homogonized....but like I said, I do get the feeling that these days Metal music IS all about having that "homogenized" sound throughout and from song to song. I don't say that as a put down of Metal music...just my observation on the evolution of Metal from what it use to sound like 10-20 years back.
I listened to your stuff on Reverbnation, and it's very well done, but I do hear the digital sim quality in most of the guitar tracks. It's all in that upper mid-to high end. That seems to be where for me most sims get that homogonized digital flavor when OD simulations are used. It's a kind of "buzzy", almost brittle sound.
