Working with ampsims - tips & tricks

[susiwong]

I'm fairly quick to abandon Amplitube's rack effects and go with another VST especially when I need something more experimental.

So true.
(Not only) IK tend to bundle cheap sounding "rack effects" with their ampsims, better bypass them and use external FX.
Same for stomps, nothing wrong with real ones in front of the DI.
The upcoming Focusrite sim could start a new trend, being separate modules you can freely combine with other VST FX. Hopefully without Pace unlike the other Overloud products ...
Cheers,
susiwong

[robogone]

I use Guitar Rig but sometimes just abandon it for something far simpler. Occasionally I'll use the Ableton Live's effects, especially for cleaner sounds.

One of these days though I'll get me a copy of Trash...

[Dean Aka Nekro]

I swear by any of the following Overdrive/Distortion/Fuzz pedals before hitting the DI:

Overdrive/Boost:

Boss SD1, Maxon OD9, Ibanez TS9, Maxon OD808, Ibanez TS808, Fulltone Fulldrive 2 Mosfet Edition, Guyatone OD2, Boss OD3

Distortion:

Line-6 ToneCore Uber Metal, DOD Grunge (not actually very grungish which is good), Digitech X-Series MetalMaster, Digitech DeathMetal, Digitech Grunge (Ditto as the DOD box but sounds very different), Boss MT-2 MetalZone

Fuzz/Octave Uber Doom Style:

Jim Dunlop/MXR Hendrix OctaveFuzz, Boss DS-1 (yeah its meant to be distortion but it can do fuzz better IMO), Boss ODB-3 Bass OD, Zvex Fuzz Factory, Boss Super Fuzz (discontinued now, in a white case and scratch so much i can not read the name or 'AA-1' type short name either lol)

Have yet to hear/use an ITB OD/Distoriton or Fuzz as good as any of the above and again the Boss units can be had for £30 a pop

Susi yeah i have a all alnico five's at the moment but seymour has released an alnico 8 based pickup. I think the only less than hot humbucker's i use are seymour '59 and also a Jazz (both in the neck position). I love and respect classic rock/blues tones alot and a good friend is a big Alnico 2 man in his les paul's and i have recorded him a good many times

I just don't dig cermamic's for the most part personally even if they can offer hotter outputs they are too harsh to my ears

[hibidy]

what I've really got into doing it making sure my templates have a delay bus setup 100% wet. I've found that using this method vs insert fx for delay is best for spatial delays. I also do that with verb(s) leaving at2 pretty dry this seems to clean things up a bit.

[monsterbeetle]

hey susiwong I'm glad you mentionned the waves PRS DI because I've tried to find info on this thing and could not. How good is it? is it true that its got advanced electronics in it to recreate the kind of load you get from a preamp on guitar pickups?

[susiwong]

hey susiwong I'm glad you mentionned the waves PRS DI because I've tried to find info on this thing and could not. How good is it? is it true that its got advanced electronics in it to recreate the kind of load you get from a preamp on guitar pickups?

Can't fault the Waves PRS DI from a mechanical point of view.
The audio performance is absolutely flawless, no noise whatsoever, extremely clean.
No advanced voodoo inside though, the HiZ input is simply a question of design (though not too common), not of price, but it works.
One small niggle, it's not phantom powered, only batteries or 12V DC, but that can easily be modified for a few bucks.
All in all you'll be hard pressed to find a better solution at that price (e.g. JRR carry them for 95$ -10%).

There are alternatives, Radial, BSS, Klark, Groove Tubes etc., but most of them cost considerably more.
In case your soundcard offers a HiZ input you might not need a DI at all.

Hope that helps,
susiwong

And I'm not really a big fan of Waves software ...

[bugland]

Thanks for the idea to use cabinet impulse responses!

[Chris Walton]

When you're DI-ing, a neat trick is to add just a tiny bit of reverb after the amp sim. Set up the reverb with a drum room type preset (most reverbs come with one, use it as a starting point). This simulates the actual room you have when micing an actual amp. You don't need to add much of the wet signal, but just a slight bit gets you a long way in making the sound much, much smoother.

I mic my amp these days (because I have such a bitchin' amp now ), but back when I was going through a DI I typically used the Kjaerhus Classic Reverb for this.

EDIT: Or use a cabinet impulse response

[Dean Aka Nekro]

I mic my amp these days (because I have such a bitchin' amp now )

quality line Chris lol

bugland if you are stuck for any particular IR's of cab/mic setup's for free then let us know and i think i have a good few links to some really good free ones and im thinking of doing a set myself and uploading it when i get a free afternoon

Dean

[Download SOphist]

bookmarked!

[ShawnG]

one of the great advantages of ampsims is that you can record a guitar at normal or low volumes.

Throw this advantage out the window and crank your monitors to the freakin roof, or better yet route the output of the sound card to a wedge monitor or PA and bring the noise. this will allow your strings to flap in the breeze and give you some great natural(ish) feedback to the track. screw the neighbors.

[jkleban]

I really appreciated reading some of these tips. The one from HIBIDY (sp?) was most intriguing. I actually use a MIDI guitar to play my guitar parts (no, I don't do METAL) and play was a plain guitar sample (usually LES PAUL direct). After I finish creating the track, I then go into the "sound" mode of creating the right AMP/CABINET/FX sound for the guitar part. The beauty of this approach is that if I don't like a LES PAUL, I can replace it was a STRAT sample, etc.

This may sound backward and remember (I don't do METAL guitar parts) but I find it quite flexible during the mixdown stage. Why not just record a LIVE guitar part in audio? Ah, like I said, in this fashion I just worry about the performance and can completely change the sound of the track (including the guitar) using this approach.

I will admit that most of my guitar parts aren't FORE FRONT in the mix but it works for me and HIBIDY advice on just recording a dry signal guitar track reminded me of the method that I have learned to use.

I find the hardest part of getting the guitar track to sound "REAL GOOD" is to "RECREATE the AIR" of the room and have it fit within the MIX.

You real guitarist out there may be cringing but it works for me. (BTW, guitar is my main instrument and tracking live is probably the hardest thing to get right in a home studio). Mic selection, mic placement, ambient sound, etc.

The only recordings that I know of with HOME STUDIO recorded, great sounding guitar tracks were the early BOSTON records, which were completely amazing for a garage studio recording. no doubt there are more but my point being it is tricky getting a real good sounding guitar track in a home studio.

I am sure you guys have some good examples and I would love to hear them and learn from your experience.

Jim

[bugland]

bugland if you are stuck for any particular IR's of cab/mic setup's for free then let us know and i think i have a good few links to some really good free ones and im thinking of doing a set myself and uploading it when i get a free afternoon

Dean

Hi Dean, thanks, that would be a great! I use Amplitube2/JHE and replaced the cabinet with some IRs from this thread over at guitar amp modeling and I'm quite impressed by the sounds. I have to experiment more, but I guess replacing the cab is the way to go.

I have to admit, I did not know that I want this.

[Dean Aka Nekro]

Yeah bugland IMHO you are definately at a good place on the guitar amp modeling site/forum as its full of helpful advice and links to good IR's.

Well now that you have tried the Cab/Speaker/Mic IR's method there is no turning back now i reckon; as when i have tried to go back just to see if things have improved out of curiousity i am always disappointed and left with the thoughts that all the digitally modelled cabs feel so lifeless, one dimensional and without any 'feel' to them when compared to some good IR's and the difference is massive between to two of approaches with the Convolution winning hands down by mile's every time

Dean

I will work on the impulse response's when i get some free time btw

[blueman]

A real, actual guitar speaker doesn't produce much below 70Hz and above 8Khz so, it often (usually) improves the tone to attenuate these frequencies (i.e. high pass, low pass filters). This EQ adjustment helps remove digital harshness, "fizziness" and that blanket-over-the-amp effect that amp sims create. It doesn't cure these problems per say but you might be surprised at how much it can help make things sound less digital. Try it!

Rich