Having fun and comparing "realism" of amp sims

[alteregoxxx]

Not a scientific test here...only me having fun playing the wonderful Castelorizon fromn David Gilmour and trying to make the best sound from some of the amp sims i have: LeXTAC, IK Amplitube American Vintage D, TSE X50, SimulAnalog Fender Twin.
Only the wonderful TSE X47 "rodent" pedal in front of the amps, a little of reverb (Voxengo OldSchoolVerb) and delay (Cockos Readelay), nothing more.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/41836449/Caste ... mpli_A.mp3

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/41836449/Caste ... mpli_B.mp3

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/41836449/Caste ... mpli_C.mp3

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/41836449/Caste ... mpli_D.mp3

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/41836449/Caste ... mpli_E.mp3

Which do you think sounds more "organic", "realistic", so to speak, A,B,C or D?
Which you like more? Who do you think is is who?


Edit: Added another amp sim, the "E" letter

[lfm]

I really like B the best.

I haven't used the other emulations, but Simulanalog Twin and I also guess B used that one. Something natural fatness about it.

C-pretty good, but they all sound digital to me, but B.

Thanks for this test - fun thing to do on a holiday.

[alteregoxxx]

I really like B the best.

I haven't used the other emulations, but Simulanalog Twin and I also guess B used that one. Something natural fatness about it.

C-pretty good, but they all sound digital to me, but B.

Thanks for this test - fun thing to do on a holiday.

Uhmm...we have differents tastes...to me is the "worst" of the bunch...
but....i don't think none of the four sounds "digital"; instead i think amp sims reached a really really really good level
Here the original played from David "God" Gilmour for comparison:



I think amp sims can do a really really really good job, no?

[lfm]

I guess amp sims are better than just bitcrushing.

I spent most time with Izotope Trash 1(10 years ago), but ended up using just box models(cabinet sims) and tube preamp.

Simulanalog Twin was among the best at that time as pure software. Simulanalog Marshall was pretty good too.

Now for software I'm mostly curious on Magix Vandal becoming x64 to be useful. I'm not sure if I remember wrong - but that Magix bought Simulanalog code as base for Vandal. Anyway it's fully modelled amps, down to components just about.

The Kemper and Axe Fx are too expensive. I'm not willing to spent that money anyhow on something that might not exist tomorrow. Too small boutique brands and megabucks.

I think a proper amp with speaker load is more close to my next alternative than any software really.

But as you say - taste if very different.

Hope you get some more discussion going here.

My further rating would be:
C -second
D- third
A- last

[kvaca]

I think amp sims can do a really really really good job, no?

sorry, but no /at least no this time/

here you have picked maybe the most difficult task for all ampsims - a lot of natural feedback can be heard in Gilmours tone...but in your examples there is only awfull amount of dead compression, nothing alive and nothing lovely

please - get real tube amp, learn feedback and try again - than Im sure you can play it as good as David!

[Amon1973]

Now for software I'm mostly curious on Magix Vandal becoming x64 to be useful. I'm not sure if I remember wrong - but that Magix bought Simulanalog code as base for Vandal. Anyway it's fully modelled amps, down to components just about.

The developer who coded Simulanalog is working at Overloud, so I believe you can find Simulanalog's heritage in TH2.

I like the D and C better... which one more depends on the passage, I find this to be the case with all amp sims, reason why I use more than one and mix the tone.

[Sparky77]

I've had the best experience with accuracy from Amplitude.

I continue to try out all kinds of different plug ins, but keep coming back to amplitude for realism.

[bpblog]

me likes C & D.

[cookedvulture]

C is my favourite. I like how the picking souds. D is second. But all sound good. I couldn't tell which one is which amp.

[lfm]

Now for software I'm mostly curious on Magix Vandal becoming x64 to be useful. I'm not sure if I remember wrong - but that Magix bought Simulanalog code as base for Vandal. Anyway it's fully modelled amps, down to components just about.

The developer who coded Simulanalog is working at Overloud, so I believe you can find Simulanalog's heritage in TH2.

Maybe that was it - thanks.

[alteregoxxx]

I think amp sims can do a really really really good job, no?

sorry, but no /at least no this time/

here you have picked maybe the most difficult task for all ampsims - a lot of natural feedback can be heard in Gilmours tone...but in your examples there is only awfull amount of dead compression, nothing alive and nothing lovely

please - get real tube amp, learn feedback and try again - than Im sure you can play it as good as David!

Kvaca...natural feedback is absent because I've played this with headphones (on the fly btw...)...I can assure you that playing it on studio monitors (I'll try to play it again at the studio with my Yamaha MSP7 if i'll have the time...) you can do the feedback thing with amp sims also ...for sure not so loooooooooooong but this has nothing to do with the Amp Sims modeling quality...it's a "physical" thing....even with REAL amps you simply can't do Gilmour-like feedback without play really LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUD

I have had real tube amps (various...)and I've learned the feedback thing a loooooooooooooot of time ago but I can assure you that even now that I've a Yamaha DG80, that is a modeling amp (an AWESOME sounding guitar amplifier, i think it is head and shoulder above modern "toys" and on par with the most "famous amps"...) not a tube amp, i have a beautiful feedback and beautiful soustained notes....if I play loud obviously...

[@midnight]

What is all of the crackly shit in B and D?

A and C don't have it. Like when the chords sustain out there is this crackly shit in B and D. I thought A sounded the best, and it wasn't even close. Man I hope Guitar Rig (what I use) wasn't B or D.

Not really a fan of Gilmour's solo work, or anything Pink Floyd did after Animals. You did a good job replaying the solo though.

[mellotronaut]

funny enough, i like A best, then C, then D and then B (which i totally dislike). don't know, which is which; i use Guitar Rig 4 and for my needs ist's alright, because my music isn't guitar centered.

[electro]

I guess amp sims are better than just bitcrushing.

I spent most time with Izotope Trash 1(10 years ago), but ended up using just box models(cabinet sims) and tube preamp.

Simulanalog Twin was among the best at that time as pure software. Simulanalog Marshall was pretty good too.

The current generation of Simulanalog is called TH-2
http://overloud.com/products/th2.php

[metalifuxx]

Whether it sounds organic analog or digital, I don't know or care. But A and C sound closer to the original tone, and I am going to guess A is Amplitube, and C is Simulanalog Fender Twin. Just add some EQ and tape saturation to round off the high mids and highs a bit to make it sound a bit darker.

I remember reading an article about Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree/Blackfield/producer), and fans had come up to him marveling about some of the awesome organic rich guitar tones he used on the first Blackfield album and some Porcupine Tree albums. He told them the favorite tones they were hearing were all from Line 6 POD hardware unit. He said those people were almost in disbelief. In further interviews he says all the demos/pre-recording he does at home for the guitar tracks for Porcupine Tree albums are with ampsims, like the the original Ampfarm POD plugin and SansAmp PSA plugin, and the hardware POD. He says a lot of times the tones and takes are so good, he wont even bother to re-track them with a mic'd amp when they go to do the actual recording in the studio.