Tracktion Software

BenoA · Post by **BenoA** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 7:43 pm

Hi everyone,

Newbie question here. I've been using the free T1 version for a while now and i'm thinking upgrading to T2.

The Mackie web site says that T2 comes with Amplitube LE. So how do you use a guitar amp sim plugin with Tracktion?

I downloaded a few "free" guitar amp sims available like Guitar suite. I tried it with T1. But i needed to recorded my guitar signal clean onto a track and could only manage to hear the plug-in FX on playback of the track.

Will upgrading to T2 let me hear how the plugin sound while i'm recording it (in realtime)?

Any help welcomed.

Samb · Post by **Samb** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:13 pm

T1 will let you do this, just make sure e to e is enabled for your input and in the master section. Also make sure that if your soundcard has a monitor mixer in it, that this isn't activated. T2 is no differnet to T1 in this respect.

Lunch Money · Post by **Lunch Money** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:13 pm

It's the same as with ANY effect applied in realtime:

You need to have end-to-end enabled globally (that's the button 'e-to-e' near the transport controls) but ALSO on your input device. Click on the input device so that its settings appear in the properties panel below, and make sure that "end-to-end" is enabled for the device.

Greg

BenoA · Post by **BenoA** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 2:48 am

Thanks guys!!! Working great!

Lunch Money · Post by **Lunch Money** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 4:06 am

Heh, didn't notice til just now that samb and I cross-posted.

ruwaldo · Post by **ruwaldo** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 7:04 pm

So to kind of continue this topic... Does anyone have any amp sims that they really like, or any tricks to making them sound better? I have tried Amplitube LE as well as a few other demo and free apps. I have also had gear from Line6 (Pod 2.0 and PodXT) as well as Digitech (GNX4) and BOSS (GT-3). After all the time and money spent I don't think any of these things sound good. There is always a "fake" quality to the sound that I just can't seem to get rid of. In the end, for me at least, there is still no substitue for a real amp when recording guitar.

MarioC · Post by **MarioC** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 9:18 pm

It will take some time and tweeking to get them to sound like you want. I have been fooling around with Amplitutde using my Taylor 614ce and it suprised me sounded great. Then I pluged in my 50th anv. Fender Stratocaster (Fenders 50 year not the Strats) and played with it and it sounded great.

The next move is to try the Pod 2.0 I use at church with the line6 floorboard. I think that all of these things take time to setup and get tweaked to the persons liking.

BenoA · Post by **BenoA** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 11:49 pm

This may interest you.

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... sc&start=0

http://phpbb-host.com/phpbb/viewtopic.p ... c6fbccbf09

naturestoned · Post by **naturestoned** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 12:27 am

the ones i like most are

1) the guitar suite from http://www.simulanalog.org, especially the JCM900 in channel 2 rocks.
2) the new beta version of juice77 from BTE... http://www.kvraudio.com/get/2010.html also the simulation of a tube screamer from BTE called TSS is really great.

they are the best freebies I have found so far. Besides that I love my Line6 PODxt and especially the additional model pack upgrades (Custom and Metal)

hillbillysteve · Post by **hillbillysteve** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:00 am

Get a Fender Cyber Twin. It does much more than you can imagine, and does it LOUD. Mic it to Traction as an audiofile and you have it made.

Scoops · Post by **Scoops** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 1:13 am

ruwaldo wrote:So to kind of continue this topic... Does anyone have any amp sims that they really like, or any tricks to making them sound better? I have tried Amplitube LE as well as a few other demo and free apps. I have also had gear from Line6 (Pod 2.0 and PodXT) as well as Digitech (GNX4) and BOSS (GT-3). After all the time and money spent I don't think any of these things sound good. There is always a "fake" quality to the sound that I just can't seem to get rid of. In the end, for me at least, there is still no substitue for a real amp when recording guitar.

Ruwaldo

I have Amplitube and NI's guitar combos, )with GR2 commin as a Christmas present). I like all of them, but, they all have pros and cons. Rather than getiing into the pros and cons, here's what I do to make them sound realistic.

I'll set up the plug so that it sounds pretty good. Kinda of getting it in the ball park so to speak. After I get it sounding good, I'll render out the wave, and import it back in. To make it real full sounding I might double or triplle that wave, and eq each one a litttle diffent. One might be dry, and the other might have a very very small delay. Maybe have 2 differnt tracks eq'd slightly diffent, but one panned to the right side, and the other panned to the left. It all depends

Scoops

Lunch Money · Post by **Lunch Money** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 3:47 am

There's a simple reason it doesn't sound 'good' to most people, and it absolutely staggers me how many people overlook it:

You're listening to it through your studio monitors, probably at a 'reasonable' level. That doesn't mean that the tone sucks, it's just that you're not putting it on the same footing as your amp.

Mic your amp and then play it back through the same monitors at the same volume, and I bet it'll sound kind of "meh" by comparison, too.

ruwaldo · Post by **ruwaldo** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 4:18 am

So to hit a couple of the responses. I have a Fender Cyber Twin and I love it. It still doesn't replace a good all tube amp but it's close and the versitillity makes up for the difference.

I'm gonna download and try out the free apps mentioned above, though I don't really expect they will be much different. I understand all about running multiple tracks and using panning and eq to thicken things but why bother going through all that when you can record two good takes with a decent amp and be done with it. Right now I run my Cyber Twin through it's direct outs into a PreSonus Eureka preamp and I get better results than I did with anything else I've tried.

I also understand the difference between hearing a live amp cranked up and listening to my monitoring setup for my DAW but all of these amp sims claim to have the sound and feel of a miked up tube amp at any volume. So far for me none deliver on that promise. I would love to try out the new guitar app from Waves but there is no way I'm paying that kind of money for any thing that "simulates" a real amp. I can buy a decent used tube amp for what that package costs.

I was just interested in what people who like these apps and modelers do to get sounds they are happy with. I'm always looking to learn more about recording.

rockstar_not · Post by **rockstar_not** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 2:57 pm

Voxengo Boogex pretty much rocks for an amp simulator; but it uses impulse responses - so you have to pick out which ones sound good with your axe.

I really like it for bass guitar amp simulation using an Ampeg / sm57 impulse response I found at noisevault.

Amplitube LE that comes with T is not bad, but I actually like Boogex with the right impulse response even better. It is a chow-hound for CPU, just as a warning, since it is using impulse responses.

-Scott

zeoy · Post by **zeoy** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 3:30 pm

rockstar_not wrote:Voxengo Boogex pretty much rocks for an amp simulator; but it uses impulse responses - so you have to pick out which ones sound good with your axe.

-Scott

Yes, good impulse response files can make a huge difference. My favourite tone is made using an amp sim (simulanalog) or even better an amp sim with the cab sim deactivated (juce77, cortex) and TWO impulse responses: I 've found a set of 3 cabinets close and room miced. Split the output of the amp into 2 signals and feed 2 SIR (or 2 revolverbs for real time) one with a close mic response the other with the room sound and mix back to stereo according to taste. Things like that are very easy using racks in Tracktion

Tracktion Software

KVR Audio

Amp sim plugins and Tracktion