Most complete guitar effect plugin

[uriahsky]

I am looking for a guitar effect plugin like amplitube and the others but I want all of those strange effects that are seldom used but sound cool. Stuff Hindrix used. Most of the Boss pedals, or MXR, or expecially the line 6 range of effects in their new POD live xt. Is there a VST that has this kind of stuff, to the extreme? If not any suggestions on a Hardware effect unit that has the most complete selection of most all the effects used for guitar. There are a lot of the these things out there. I just don't want to clutter my floor with a bunch of them. I am hoping for a all-in-one unit that sounds good.
Thanks
Russ

[shamann]

I'd suggest just getting individual plugins for each effect that you want and stacking them in a chainer app like brainspawn Forte rather than an all-in-one approach. Mainly because it is easier to use the effects you like best rather than stick with what you get in a multi-effect, where you may only like half of what's there.

A chainer rack interface really is a tidy way of organizing plugins, so it shouldn't get any more cumbersome than a really big app. The good thing about going for individual plugins is that you'll save a lot of money, since so many excellent single purpose plugins are free or very inexpensive. Individual effects also tend to be a bit more creative/wild, as there's only so much time to really push each node in a multi-effect.

For a good multi-effect example, Check out Scarbee's Vintage Keyboard FX, it has 8 modules, and sounds very good, but is fairly conservative in its approach.

[Lunch Money]

Amplitube 2 is going to be the most complete one-stop solution.... if it ever gets released.

[cyanogen]

I would recommend EnergyXT or Chainer for layering. Forte does not work as a VST. I used it with MIDI Yoke for a while, but then I kept getting BSODs. :/

[Lunch Money]

All the chainers, racks, and eXTs in the world won't give you the individual components, though. Sure, you can patch together some AWESOME stuff using just freeware, but AT2's list of included effects is impressive and simply cannot be touched in the freeware or cheapware world. AT2 isn't going to be cheap at all, but if you're going for the individual units and layering up like in eXT, you're going to end up spending a lot of money on a collection to rival it.

Greg

[shamann]

Maybe, but it's yet to be seen, and not talking just freeware.

But for four hundred dollars to match the effects (not talking the amp), I bet you I could come up with a list that outdid it. Just takes a bit of imagination.

That said, where I can one see a spec sheet for it? I'm looking around amplitude.com, but have found nowt.

[shamann]

Found it. Wow, that's a lot of stuff in there. 18 Pre-Amps, 16 EQs, 5 Power Amp models, 6 microphone models, 16 cabinets, 20 stomp effects, 10 rack effects.

For effects:

Stomps: Wah, Chorus, Chorus 2, Delay, Flanger, Overdrive, Phaser 1, Phaser 2, Compressor, Compressor 2, Envelope Filter, LFO Filter, Envelope Flanger, Crusher, Graphic EQ, Pitch Shifter, Octaver, Fuzz, Distortion, and Volume

Rack: Parametric EQ, Stereo Reverb, Stereo Delay, Rotary Speaker, Stereo Chorus, Stereo Phaser, Stereo Flanger, Autopan, Stereo Enhancer, and Compressor

We'll have to see how well they work/sound, but just looking at the list, I could fill it with an excellent collection of effects for less than $400. As an all-in-one package with all those amps and cabinets, though, it is pretty impressive.

[Genetic_Junk]

I have a PODxt live which can give some very weird sounds. But IMO guitar rig would probably be better for computer as it is more convenient for computer recording and is already a plugin plus is flexible in module placement.

Though the POD enables me to monitor and record without an latency, as I have a slowish CPU.

Though if you can wait amplitude 2 might be very cool, depending on how it enables you to route the audio.

[hoffy]

I second Guitar Rig.

[Lunch Money]

I could fill it with an excellent collection of effects for less than $400. As an all-in-one package with all those amps and cabinets, though, it is pretty impressive.

You could definitely make an impressive set of plugins for $400, there's no doubt. But it won't match Amplitube as a collection of guitar-specific plug-ins, and won't fit the original poster's needs even remotely. It would require a LOT of man-hours to patch stuff up, and wouldn't be an all-in-one.

On top of that, some of the FX specced for Amplitube 2 are simply not found anywhere else, like the detailed emulations of some very specific and very legendary stompboxes. You will also NOT match that amp selection or flexibility of configuring those amps anywhere.

Whether it will live up to the hype remains to be seen. I'm not an IK shill, and I think Amplitube 1 is mediocre at best. I'd rather use my collection of freeware or my Green Machine Amp II any day; however, just in the spirit of the original question, there's no way that a chainer and a selection of plug-ins will match his needs.

I'd be curious to see what plug-ins you think would do the trick for $400, but I have to warn you that if you come up with a list, I'm likely to pick at it which would probably piss you off. For example, if you said to me "For a retro fuzz stompbox, I can grab Buzz Room's OctBuz," to which I would reply, "Not very authentic-sounding, though it's neat enough for what it is. Still doesn't really sound like the real deal, which Squids claims the AT2 one does."

A lot of my argument would be based on speculation, though, which isn't ever a good thing. Better to wait for the demo to come out before I praise it.

Greg

[shamann]

I started a list of quality effects to match the stompboxes, which I won't post yet, as one or two free ones are still in beta and unreleased to gen. pop.

I went in most cases for good and simple, in keeping with classic stompbox design. I excluded a lot of good and complex, more complex then a lot of stompboxes, and in many cases my choices could easily be replaced by equal counterparts. It's all speculation, since we don't exactly know what's on offer, but the screenshots only have three parameters showing in most cases. So far, costs roughly fall in under $100.

People will complain about some of the choices, like Kjaerhus Classic Flanger, but you know, I tested it out again today and it sounds to me exactly as a flanger should.

I'm convinced a lot of people write free and cheap off just because they are free and cheap, but would you shell out money for a simple flanger when there are so many fantastic free ones? Kjaerhus GMO-1 or Audio Damage's Ronin, there just isn't a lot of freeware out there designed on that expansive a scale. But there is a lot of free/cheapware that can do one task really well, as good as anything else (this isn't about taste, but matching a degree of quality. Taste is unlimited).

The hardest one to match was the Octaver, mostly because so many people have muddied the definition to include pitch shifters, frequency shifters, subsynths (which are the closest from all the literature I can find. MDA's subsynth does dividing suboctave distortion, same thing it says in the Octaver description. But I chose another one that just sounds excellent).

Overdrive was hard, mostly because I had to narrow it down from a lot of choices.

The only one I couldn't match was an envelope flanger. At least no free one, not sure about commercial. I hope there is a good one. Anyone know of any?

I have no doubt Amplitube 2 will be high quality (can't wait to try the amps), but your kidding yourself if you think the effects will be head and shoulders above everything else. You're kidding yourself if you any classic stompbox is head and shoulders above any software alternative, too. And it wouldn't take hours and hours to connect separate plugins. That's why I suggested Forte, it's a solid, standalone, one-stop-shop with audio ins and outs, with as simple a plugin chain interface as any chained multieffect. Just map its VST location to a directory with nothing but the list of effects you want to use.

Looking through the Amplitube specs, I'm a bit dissapointed there's no mention of 3-band frequency splitter and no ring modulator (come on, challenge the allegiance to the moogerfooger.)

Cheers,
Steve

[Lunch Money]

I'm not kidding myself about anything. I'm a big fan of software. However, there are certain things that are tricky to emulate. OK, I'll give you the Flanger. I love the Kjaerhus one. I'll give you a Chorus, too: BetabugsAudio MonstaChorus, which is better than any stompbox I've heard.

Don't get yourself bogged down in a collection of effects, though, when it's the amp that's the main thing. If the original poster was talking ONLY about the effects, I'd agree with you-- but it seems to be that he was looking for amp sim, too.

I use and love GMA2, Simulanalog, and others. But they are limited and there are only "X" number of them. GMA2 gives you your Marshall and Boogie. Simulanalog gives you your Twin and Marshall. Where's the AC30? Chorus? Rectifier? Not to be had.

Greg

[shamann]

Don't get yourself bogged down in a collection of effects, though, when it's the amp that's the main thing.

I'm with you on the amp sim. I hope it turns out as good as it should be.

[Polarity Support]

I am looking for a guitar effect plugin like amplitube and the others but I want all of those strange effects that are seldom used but sound cool. Stuff Hindrix used..
Russ

Let us know and we'll have a look at adding the whacky bits to GXStack (www.polarity.com/gxstack.htm). I'd have to ask the tech guys about simming an Octavia but hey, it's just more DSP.

Don.
Polarity Ltd.

[putte]

.. i really dig amplitube, and plan to buy Amplitube 2. but if its going to be much longer i´ll go for guitar rig ..

putte