Hi

I've been using a hardware Amp modeller - the Johnson J Station for the last few years. I have recently got a little frustrated with it in that I find it difficult to get a realistic distorted rythmn guitar effect. Screaming leads are no problem, and neither are warm clean valve sounds (kinda Mark Knophler). Play six distorted strings at once and the sound turns to a mush (technical term but you know what I mean).

So, I am trying out the demo version of Guitar Rig. Firstly, now I am used to the visual convenience of software, it is so much easier to see what you are doing than with the J Station. Secondly, the customisation possibilities are endless - it is just so much fun! Still struggling for that rythmn sound - but it must be there somewhere - just need to keep on experimenting - perhaps there are more downloadable presets somewhere.

So - what do people think - is Guitar Rig or Amplitube better. Has anyone real experience of both and can compare the pros and cons of the two? Any others worth a look? Couldn't find a demo of Amplitube to play with. At the end of the day, although its great fun, I don't really need thousands of different guitar sounds - just four or five really good ones would do me!

Any help appreciated

I have used all three and think that the J station is the most realistic of the 3.

The J station actually sounds pretty good on teh right models.

out of amplitube and guitar rig-
amplitube has a more convincing "crunch" but its not as good as the J station.
Guitar rig has a much broader sound pallette, but less convincing distortion sounds*

* I havent heard the new "fuzz" pedal emulators in guitar rig so things may be better.

I am assuming you have the 2.0 firmware in your J station?

S_A_P wrote:

I am assuming you have the 2.0 firmware in your J station?

Not sure - what is it?! I bought my J Station I think in 2000 and have certainly not modified it since.

1) J Station
2) Amplitube
3) GuitarRig

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=59469

Bill wrote:

Play six distorted strings at once and the sound turns to a mush. So, I am trying out the demo version of Guitar Rig. Still struggling for that rythmn sound - but it must be there somewhere

No amp (sim) will help you I think. Playing all six strings with a distorted sound is the general recipe for a mushy sound. Its just not a usable technique.

Try to limit the rythm part to only 2 or 3 strings. The lower three for power chords like E-B-E and G-D-G, the higher ones for filling up.

interesting that amplitube seems to attract more people at kvr than guitar rig. i tried both, and i must say that i like guitar rig way better. just an opinion.

perhaps you should try out the gsuite which is freeware and sounds pretty well i think. the only thing you have to look for is a speaker simulation (saro from smart electronix contains one).

so far.

Bill wrote:

S_A_P wrote: I am assuming you have the 2.0 firmware in your J station? Not sure - what is it?! I bought my J Station I think in 2000 and have certainly not modified it since.

It looks like you are running the older firmware on your J station then- when it starts up you should see a "20" on the display, indicating you have the 2.0 firmware. Go to http://www.johnson-amp.com/jstation.htm and get the latest firmware, you are missing out on:

Honestly the J station is a great amp sim, and its better than *any* software I have tried. Its not perfect, but if you cant get usable tone out of it, then there is something else wrong. As has been said before, most rhythm guitar is 2-3 strings once the distortion gets cranked. All 6 strings would sound like mush on even the finest real tube amps/cabs. Also try to turn down the bass when you are playing on all of the strings, which may help some.

abi wrote:

interesting that amplitube seems to attract more people at kvr than guitar rig. i tried both, and i must say that i like guitar rig way better. just an opinion. perhaps you should try out the gsuite which is freeware and sounds pretty well i think. the only thing you have to look for is a speaker simulation (saro from smart electronix contains one). so far.

I was not overly impressed by amplitube, but some of the crunchy sounds were pretty good.

Ahh the never ending question....
For me it's Amplitube all the way.
Then again I use a semi hollow guitar and I am after the cleaner tube sounds even when I use distortion.
The one thing I dont like in Amplitute is the final Stereo Reverb, it's as dirty as they come but then gain I can always use a seperate plug for reverb.



Hey, but it should be very easy to decide, just download both demos and see for yourself.

Hi Bill,

do yourself a favor and give isotope trash a try (trial version at http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/trash/). I think it will be very good for the type of sound you are looking for. The multiband distortion option is a great receipe agains mushy distorted rhythm sounds, too. And, hell, it's cheaper than amplitube or guitar rig, and there is quite a few people (including myself) who think it's a lot better than either one of these other options.

I think the reason why it is not as popular as it deserves to be is that there is no advertisement in any of the major (computer-) recording and guitar magazines, and hence no hype for it, because these magazines are not making any money off it. The GUI also may put off guitarists, because there are no pictures of tubes on it, and there is no semblance to known guitar amps (but actually a LOT more fexibility!!!)

Cheers
Alex

I like Guitar Rig more than Amplitube (I own both)....more versatile and better clean tones. The latest update has some cool distortion units too.

S_A_P wrote:

Bill wrote: S_A_P wrote: I am assuming you have the 2.0 firmware in your J station? Not sure - what is it?! I bought my J Station I think in 2000 and have certainly not modified it since. It looks like you are running the older firmware on your J station then- when it starts up you should see a "20" on the display, indicating you have the 2.0 firmware. Go to http://www.johnson-amp.com/jstation.htm and get the latest firmware, you are missing out on: Code: Version 2.0 • 6 new amps and 6 new cabinets • Faster Program Saves • Added compatibility to the Digitech Control-X Foot Controller • Change tapit to change delay time on second key press • Removed Master Level and Volume Pedal out of Deep Edit • Modified Spring Reverb Honestly the J station is a great amp sim, and its better than *any* software I have tried. Its not perfect, but if you cant get usable tone out of it, then there is something else wrong. As has been said before, most rhythm guitar is 2-3 strings once the distortion gets cranked. All 6 strings would sound like mush on even the finest real tube amps/cabs. Also try to turn down the bass when you are playing on all of the strings, which may help some.

Thanks for that. I didn't even know J-Edit existed until I started this thread - having a usable interface makes a lot of difference. I will also download some of the user presets from the site.

I agree that the J Station is indeed a splendid piece of equipment, and I was trying to achieve the impossible with a 6 string distorted sound. Use 2 or 3 and be happy!

It is a great feeling to leave the plastic firmly in the pocket for once and discover I don't need to spend money on any new toys after all.