Hi !

What do you think is the best software amplifier/speaker simulation ?

Please remember that this is a very subjective topic, so if you don't agree with someone else's opinion, at least tell us what kind of music do you play/listen to.

I'm not a Rockefeller so for me the price is a big issue.

My top ten:

1 Simulanalog Guitar Suite FREE
Pros: Excellent realistic sound of MARSHALL JCM-900, #1 amp simulation for metalheads, FREE.
Cons: ?

2 Revalver 99 USD
Pros: Very good for modern rock,excellent room simulation and auto wah wah, reasonable price.
Cons: Clumsy user interface.

3 Guitifier ( Cortex ) FREE
Pros: Good for metal and rock, wide range of different sounds, FREE.
Cons: Some bugs.

4 X-Amp FREE
Pros: Very good for classic rock, very nice tube sound, FREE.
Cons: ?

5 Amplitube 399 USD
Pros: High quality tube sound, good for rock and heavy metal.
Cons: High price, it's rather hard (for me) to get it to sound right.

6 Rock Amp Legends 299 USD
Pros: Good for all kinds of rock and metal, very nice modulation effects (the Pandemonium preset)
Cons: Mud, Price a little bit too high.

7 Izotope Trash 199 USD
Pros: Extremely high "tweakability", the best for vintage guitar sounds.
Cons: Some presets can be very cpu hungry.

8 Green Machine 89.00 USD
Pros: Very good semi overdriven sound, reasonable price.
Cons: High gain sounds are very synthetic, cpu hungry.

9 Warp VST 50 USD
Pros: Simplicity, good for brutal (death,black) metal, reasonable price.
Cons: Small amount of possibilities (i only use warp/greenback)

10 Guitar Rig 499.00 USD
Pros: Good for some kinds of pop, rock and metal, high quality effects.
Cons: IIIIIIINNNNNNNSSSSSSSAAAAAAANNNNNNNEEEEEEE PRICE (i would rather buy an used Marshall amp), it doesn't work on my Duron 1600.

Note - if all of those plugins were free, i would list them in a completely different order (Simulanalog still 1st).


Other Great (and free) Plugins:
Tubebaby
Grease Tube
LittleBooster
Chimp
Tube Driver
BUZ & octBUZ
Saro
MDA Combo
Last edited by Mutant on Tue Jan 25, 2005 12:27 pm; edited 5 times in total

hmm, need to check that out myself, thanks for the link.

lates

t-willy

ditto.

Thanks for posting this. I wasn't aware of several of those plugs.

One thing I miss is the simulanalog suite

it is the one I use most.

So I cant vote for the others as I dont use payware.
I got a Boss GT-6, and don´t need other stuff.
Only good freeware I try.

I didn´t find X.amp, and guitifier satisfing the time I tested them, butb it is a while ago, maybe they improved.

And another good one IMHO is the new version of tubebaby. decent sounds and great variety of sounds is possible. This lil plug made its way to the top of freeware amp, where it meets the simulanalog.

jm2c

I guess Guitar Suite = Simulanalog.

Regards,

Tommy

Tubebaby followed by Guitifier. Niko and HE did great. HE, please fix the thing that makes Guitifier crash on the lead preset. It shows way more than 100% cpu and crashes. I think it might be the 2nd microphone, not sure. Chimp seems cool, but I haven't recorded with it yet.

Yes you're right.

I'll edit the poll to avoid future confusion

Mostly I use Revalver or Cakewalks own (Sonar user)ampsim when recording, but I tend to use Green machine (CM edition) when I just jam along.

I'm really curios on the Tubebaby though.

sometimes I really like revalver, but other times I think it just sounds dull and lifeless. my biggest gripe about most of the presets is that they seem to be more about stuffing the most modules in the rack instead of getting the best sounds.

I can get decent tremolo sounds, but the reverbs, chorus and compressor are pretty weak. I wish it had more efx types as well. I think that a 2.0 upgrade could make this as good or better than guitar rig...

I use Simulanalog, Trash and Revalver, mda combo, and the FX version of Slayer2. But then Im not after specific amp simulations, just that set of sounds.

Now I understood, Guitar Suite, yes thats my vote, I think still one of the best ever.

Hmm donkeys for courses. At the moment I be liking simunalog JCM 900 mostly for the rokk, and tubebaby for the jangle, though I use them the other way round too.

another vote for the JCM900. It's still the best overall amp sim imho. Would be cool if they'd finally come to release the vintage suite that is announced on their site since ages

Niko

Aye, I'd have to agree on pure authenticity terms, but your wee baby tube isn't far behind in my opinion sir, and it has a distinct character of it's own.