Software has NEVER ACHIEVED Decent Guitar Distortion. Nope.

[Empty Uranus]

Others I've tried here in the last few hours:

"Tube Amp" - sucked.

"Free Amp" - not too bad.

Boogex - I'm shocked at all the happiness it's created in here. I just don't see it. Pretty lame to me.

Tube Baby - Now HERE was one that I've had a little fun with. Pretty simple, but I got to the "Fat Rock 2" setting, tweaked it just a tad, and that's pretty close to what Iommi was getting with his Laney around '72-'74. Has that cool low-mid "Grunt". I've always like that one.

I am using Guitar Rig 2 and some ol' cheap VST plugin called "StompnFX', with good results. I suspect that your capabilities are lacking, not the programs.

Again - I'm talking about getting the biggest, stinkiest distorted sounds without it sounding like it came from a fukkin' shoebox.

After you've done this for as long as I have, you can hear the gnads or not.

If you're looking for a sound that isn't complete balls to the wall, then I'm sure you've found your panacea. Mind you, you can muster up a good fart and get those "slightly overdriven" sounds you're probably talking about. Anybody, and I mean ANYBODY can get those sounds....

Hope that helps.

[omicrom]

I use Amplitube Live and LE in Tracktion 2. I get realtime use of its distortion , which is excellent by the way, and it's no muss no fuss gui, three amp types and three cabs seems to fit every guitar amp situation I run into. Basically, It rocks and I have used just about every distortion pedal manufactured. The only two distortion pedals I will not part with is the Boss DS-1 and the MT-2 Metal zone. There is absolutely no other pedals that can hold a candle to these two. Period!

[juha_p]

...

Wow, I'm in love with the monstrous high gain tones that thing produces! It's a beast! I've been sitting and playing with the demo for the last hour or so.

Anyways, thanks for the heads up on that. Apparently they include this with some M-audio hardware? I'm bummed it didn't come with my delta 192 audiophile. Oh well.

Just wait and see when you become more familiar w/ the Player ...

I think you still are allowed to DL/install those OEM versions of RT Player Express and GT Player Express intend for M-Audio card users.

Juha

[donkey tugger]

The only two distortion pedals I will not part with is the Boss DS-1 and the MT-2 Metal zone. There is absolutely no other pedals that can hold a candle to these two. Period!

Pfft, worship at the altar of the beast;

[TristanWilliams]

OI OI Donkey T, good to see your internets are working - now get in #sectionz so I can steal more donkey music to make bad gabber.

[3*s]

I'll swallow my pride and agree. Some software is decent but for some reason my $30 digitech grunge sounds consistently better than $200+ software.

I love that freakin' pedal.

Trouble is it's a pain in the ass to use, especially with synths.

A soft version that I could use in real time and save into projects would take the money right out of my pocket.

[juha_p]

I'll swallow my pride and agree. Some software is decent but for some reason my $30 digitech grunge sounds consistently better than $200+ software.

I love that freakin' pedal.

Trouble is it's a pain in the ass to use, especially with synths.

A soft version that I could use in real time and save into projects would take the money right out of my pocket.

Maybe someone is willing to make a SW version of that BOSS HM-2 HeavyMetal - you'll find needed electrical details for calculations @ http://www.schematicheaven.com/effects.htm


Juha

[3*s]

"Tube Amp" - sucked.

By voxengo?

if so, learn how to use your tools. You're slagging a lot of great tools in this thread.

^
Yeah.

Tube is one of those plugs you need to tweak correctly. It's not a guitar amp sim, it's intended to emulate the sound of a tube amp in an analog mixing system. You can push the impulses much much harder than any real analog amp would allow, which is why it sounds strange if you turn the knobs way up.

Try setting the tube knob to about .4 and driving the signal to ~5 db. It helps if you use an oscilloscope, you can see how you're affecting the transients. It can yield some pretty nice soft clipping.

He might of mean't that "tube amp" plugin created by some floridian amp maker a while back, which wasn't that great.

[Empty Uranus]

He might of mean't that "tube amp" plugin created by some floridian amp maker a while back, which wasn't that great.

^^^^^^That's the one I tried. And it was awful. Haven't tried the other one - will do, though. Sorry 'bout the confusion.

[Empty Uranus]

"Tube Amp" - sucked.

By voxengo?

if so, learn how to use your tools. You're slagging a lot of great tools in this thread.

^
Yeah.

Tube is one of those plugs you need to tweak correctly. It's not a guitar amp sim, it's intended to emulate the sound of a tube amp in an analog mixing system. You can push the impulses much much harder than any real analog amp would allow, which is why it sounds strange if you turn the knobs way up.

Try setting the tube knob to about .4 and driving the signal to ~5 db. It helps if you use an oscilloscope, you can see how you're affecting the transients. It can yield some pretty nice soft clipping.

He might of mean't that "tube amp" plugin created by some floridian amp maker a while back, which wasn't that great.

Okay - I tried it. For using it as a purpose of making vox thicker, etc., I can see how it would work for that. I'm still really talking more about getting a heavy, heavy distorted sound - more of an amp simulator. As far as THAT goes, it's not too good. We may be talking two different things. I tried your settings while also playing with the Bias and output level as well, and just couldn't find too much in the way of a great distorted sound.

[sonicfire]

FreeAmp SE -> decent guitar distortion. period.

[Empty Uranus]

Okay. I screwed with the Voxengo Boogex some more and finally got a few decent sounds out of it. I used the "Metal" preset (which wasn't that great), but did get it sounding better. Still - the problem I found with it was that if you pushed the gain too hard, it suddenly got a little too "9 Voltish" for me (meaning - it sounded like a clean channel when somebody kicks on a typical transistor distortion box). Not too damned bad if you back off it a little though.

My apologies to the Voxengo folks.

[metalifuxx]

use the Pod/Vox tonelab impulses with boogex and use an overdrive plugin/pedal and some compression before and after. Dont turn the gain or tone up too much on the boogex and you can coax a pretty good tone out of it. Try some cab impulse modelling in there too to shape the tone even further.

[rpc9943]

dude voxengo tubeamp made an okay sounding 17 yr old kid band sound like this from my small studio:

www.myspace.com/thekujats

check out "Lover to Lover"

Then come back and tell me tubeamp sux ;D

I use it almost every track when im recording loud bands like this.

RonC

[Lunch Money]

It's already been mentioned in the thread, but it bears repeating-- that "balls to the walls" thud you in the chest with power sound comes from an amp and is partially a physical response. You can literally feel it hit you. Also, the effect of sheer volume is not to be overlooked.

But you take that real amp, mic it, and put it in a MIX, and play back the recorded sound and you'll find that you're playing with the same kids as the amp sims.

Pretty sure it's also been mentioned that layering is important for thick massive guitars, too... some of the "legendary" metal amps (5150, I'm looking at you) don't actually sound all that great in isolation, either. It's placebo effect making you think they're better than they are.

For distorted sounds, I like that punky kind of sound like in Ron's track, so that's some pretty good work there, Ron.

Greg