Rich Guitar tone with free VSTs

[PurpleCatfishBettie]

Employing a grab bag of free guitar amp VSTs, the idea was to employ FX channels to get a full guitar amp sound out of a single audio track.

The actual audio track was set up with the JCM900 from Simulanalog. Then 3 FX tracks were set up, each with a different guitar VST; Compact Distortion, Aradaz White, and Auraplug California Sun. Each FX track also had a compressor VST, and each with different settings from the other 2.

Then the audio track was sent to each of the 3 FX tracks, giving a 4-part sound.

As it turns out, is sounds as though there are a lot of different tones to be found by mixing and matching 3 or 4 of the free guitar amplifier/distortion box VSTs, along with varying levels of compression.

A friend was explaining that a real tube amplifier has compression in both the pre-amp, and the power amp. By employing various levels of compression on the FX sends, we can sort of mimick this behavior using VSTs.

The next experiment is going to be to EQ the various FX sends, so the compression/amplification is operating on specific frequencies, FX channel by FX channel.

The point to all of this, is that - even with a library of free VSTs and not the latest whiz-bang professional offering - there are a lot of great (perhaps as yet unexplored) tones available to the home recording artist.

The plug-ins mentioned above are all for the sake of example; there are literally dozens of suitable free plug-ins. If a person has a more high-powered machine, they can probably afford to run the more CPU-demanding of the latest free plug-ins; if the machine is a bit older on the other hand a person might have to go with some of the earlier, more cpu-friendly plug-ins.

Anyway, upon first trying this out; after setting up the FX tracks and then listening for the first time; just from playing with the overall levels and the specific plug-in parameters; these sorts of techniques sound to hold at least a certain amount of sonic promise.

[synthgeek]

I do this sort of thing all the time, and with more than just guitars & amp sims.

Try putting a short (<20ms) delay to all but one of the sends (100% wet, no feedback, not as an echo effect), mess around with the delay times a bit. You can get some interesting stuff as the phase relationships change.

[ahjteam]

Employing a grab bag of free guitar amp VSTs, the idea was to employ FX channels to get a full guitar amp sound out of a single audio track.

The actual audio track was set up with the JCM900 from Simulanalog. Then 3 FX tracks were set up, each with a different guitar VST; Compact Distortion, Aradaz White, and Auraplug California Sun. Each FX track also had a compressor VST, and each with different settings from the other 2.

Then the audio track was sent to each of the 3 FX tracks, giving a 4-part sound.

As it turns out, is sounds as though there are a lot of different tones to be found by mixing and matching 3 or 4 of the free guitar amplifier/distortion box VSTs, along with varying levels of compression.

A friend was explaining that a real tube amplifier has compression in both the pre-amp, and the power amp. By employing various levels of compression on the FX sends, we can sort of mimick this behavior using VSTs.

The next experiment is going to be to EQ the various FX sends, so the compression/amplification is operating on specific frequencies, FX channel by FX channel.

The point to all of this, is that - even with a library of free VSTs and not the latest whiz-bang professional offering - there are a lot of great (perhaps as yet unexplored) tones available to the home recording artist.

The plug-ins mentioned above are all for the sake of example; there are literally dozens of suitable free plug-ins. If a person has a more high-powered machine, they can probably afford to run the more CPU-demanding of the latest free plug-ins; if the machine is a bit older on the other hand a person might have to go with some of the earlier, more cpu-friendly plug-ins.

Anyway, upon first trying this out; after setting up the FX tracks and then listening for the first time; just from playing with the overall levels and the specific plug-in parameters; these sorts of techniques sound to hold at least a certain amount of sonic promise.

Well it all sounds cool and all, but can you give us any sound examples so we can determine ourselves does it really sound good?

[PurpleCatfishBettie]

Ok, here's a sample. It's got simulanalog JCM900 on the main channel, and the 3 FX tracks contain simulanalog SD-1, 'slim slow slider' Compact Distortion, and Auraplug's California Sun (respectively). Amongst the channels, there are a couple of instances of compression, and one instance of Vanilla Surprise.

Danube Surf

This is the practically the cheapest possible guitar (with dusty pots), recording in less-than-ideal conditions. Even so, this 'tone' gives the fancier newfangled plugs a 'run for the money!' edit: There is some unwanted 'fizz' to this one. It's probably from employing single coil pickups. It could be dust on the pots.

Dagon

This one employs:
1: Simulanalog JCM 900, 'ring modulator'
fed into:
FX: Compact Distortion, LS_Comp, Vanilla Surprise
alongside:
2: Simulanalog Rednef Twin, SD-1 Distortion

1 and 2 are copies of the same wavefile. FX is an effects track.

All of it is fed through Classic Chorus. This one is a double-coil pickup so the fizz is missing.