Guitar amp sim suggestions/advice?

[Lunch Money]

I'm quite certain that for the same price, it'll be better than the GuitarPort.

Greg

Fair enough. Does V-amp come with an optional subscription for something like the GuitarLounge for Line6 users?

No idear what the GuitarLounge is. The only thing that V-Amp2 has for users is a user preset database for sharing patches.

Greg

[finnbio]

Hi smp,

I suppose it really depends on what you would like to do with it. If you believe that you would benefit from the online resources you can use with the guitar port, then that's a reasonable choice. However, as kovacs pointed out, taking the guitar port for a jam is near impossible. And, honestly, the best way to lear is to play with other musicians.

I have the V-amp and like it very much. Some of the amp models sound a bit "cloink"-y with some of my guitars, especially with the bridge pickup, but there are always several (and you have 32 on the V-amp 2) that work really well.

I tried the POD v2 and could't justify the extra expense - and actually felt that the V-amp sounded more "alive", which may or may not be due to the 24 bit resolution, which allows for more dynamics than the 16 bit POD (I guess the PODxt is also 24 bit now).

Should you ever upgrade to a real amp, you can always turn off the amp modeling and use the V-amp just as a multiFX processor (at least version 2 allows that)

Cheers
Alex

[epytryga]

...I recently got NI's Guitar Rig...and just love it...great sound...and extremely flexible...pops into any host as an effect...so, unlike v-amp and pod...you're not stuck having to record the guitar part if you decide you want to go with a different patch....download the demo, and have a play with it...

[Lunch Money]

Less easy, but still an option is to record a clean guitar part and re-amp using the POD, V-Amp2, or other hardware box.

Greg

[Stupid American Pig]

I am looking to get a Vox Tonelab when my ebay auctions are all settled. I keep hearing great things about it, but have not been able to get my hands on one to try yet. Anyone here try it/use it?

[Jaeson Merrill]

i have V-amp2 and PODXT, with the added sounds.

I have also demo-ed guitar rig and amplitube, as well as have green machine and simanalogs gsuite..

as far as a v-amp2 and PODXT comparison, V-amp2 gets some great sounds. As far as sound goes, they are pretty close to equal. However, what you can DO with those sounds goes much further in the PODXT.

I survived with just the v-amp2 for a long time. (the only reason i bought the podxt was cause it was 200 dollars new from a friends dad.) With the pc editor/librarian, is really easy to make sounds. THe midi connection can be a bit annoying and picky though, compared to the latest upgraded PODXT's USB connection for midi AND audio.

STOMPBOXES

v-amp2 has amp emulations with drive on or off. however, PODXt, has distortion stompboxes that are seperate from the amps, so you can mix and match sounds. included are a great fuzzface emu, a rat emu, tubescreamer, and metal zone, among others. This way you can apply a stompbox to a clean channel of an amp, something i used to do with my old fender amp.

heres one in action

EFFECTS

modulation, reverb, delay, and "room" effects are seperate, and can be turned off seperately on the PODXT. Again, unlike the V-amp2, these are all emulations of existing boxes, and some new ones...
V-amp just has some pretty good effects, but it's more focused in PODXT. Also, you can use compressors before or after the amp, you can move the order of certain effects, unlike v-amp.
also, the podxt has a "room" control, which is really just a delay + eq i think, to simulate the distance of the mic from the amp.. A.I.R. its called.. v-amp doesnt have this, and its pretty cool.

DISPLAY

if you arent using the pc editors for either, the podxt has a MUCH better Interface for editing on the box. its not just a number display, we got an LED here with words and moving knobs

MICS selection

v-amp has no mic selection.
PODXT has 4 different mics you can choose from, shure sm57, 57 off-axis, 421, and 67. The 57s are grainy-ish (like a real 57) the 421 is bassy, and the 67 is midrangy.

UPGRADES

to upgrade a v-amp, you need someone to burn an eprom for you with the upgrade file on it, and then install it. PODXT allows just upgrading over USB, which is alot easier.

REAMP

im not sure about the V-amp pro, but with the v-amp, there really isnt a way to RE-AMP (i.e. monitor dirty, record clean).

PODXT allows full reamping control, and you can record the usb signal clean while you record (or just monitor) the dirty signal thru the analog outputs.

also, the podxt usb connection functions as a seperate audio device.. so you can send any signal to it by selecting the output. Re-amping WITHOUT cables

the podxt pro is EVEN better with this, it has seperate outputs for each signal. (drool.. but wait.. 699? i think not)

OVERALL

both are a great deal for the money.

V-amp2 is 129 USD
PODXT is 399 USD (300 + 99 dollars for current upgrades)

Its just what youre willing to spend. If you have the money, i would say go for the podxt pro, which is about twice as much as the podxt..

as far as comparing guitar rig to them, it doesnt come close. I like the interface ALOT and the multiple cabs and mic positions, however it is all fluff when the original amps suck. Hi-gain is impossible with the current incarnation except with alot of noise, and then it still sounds like crap.

Amplitube comes closer with hi-gain, but theres something lacking in fullness with it..

If someone put amplitube and guitar rig together, it would be THE future of ampsims... but not the in the present.

[Jaeson Merrill]

as far as vox tonelab, i heard its the bomb, however its even more expensive than the podxt... I would like to try it someday.

[Jaeson Merrill]

Hi smp,

I suppose it really depends on what you would like to do with it. If you believe that you would benefit from the online resources you can use with the guitar port, then that's a reasonable choice. However, as kovacs pointed out, taking the guitar port for a jam is near impossible. And, honestly, the best way to lear is to play with other musicians.

PODXT also functions as a guitar port , bTW

[Jaeson Merrill]

At the moment I'm thinking either Line6 Guitarport or Behringer V-Amp2. In other words, the cheap end of the market.

I can't speak for the V-amp but I had the Guitarport for about 18 months and sold it to get a Pod XT this summer. It is incredible value for money and I can guarantee that you will be happy with it. I absolutely loved it and it helped me bring my guitar playing into the virtual domain.

BUT - and there is a but - if you have ANY plans to take your guitar to go jamming with friends then either you need a laptop or you need an amp, since the Guitarport can only be used with a computer. So for portability I'd consider getting a Pod 2. they can be had dirt cheap on ebay now. Or if you can, consider the pod XT. It is one hell of an amp sim and it is very portable.

Whoever said that V-amps compare favorably to Pods haven't got a clue.

Vamp2 destroys the POD2 any day... sound AND control. The pod2 sounds like garbage in a tin can, dont bother with it. as far as guitarport vs. v-amp... v-amp2 all the way. I would hate to be contstricted to the pc..and you also have more control with the v-amp2.

o yes, more v-amp2 and podxt comparison:

POWER SWITCH

v-amp2 doesnt have a bloody powerswitch???

go figure... you have to unplug it from the wall, DONT unplug it from the machine or it will blow up... hehe ive done it..

PODXT has a nice power switch.

that actually meant something to me, after 2 years of the v-amp2.

VST support..

i heard someone made a vsti that can control the podxt from a host.. i would like to see it.. if this is true, then automating parameters during reamp would work like a charm, using the knobs on the podxt as midi controllers (which both the c-amp2 and podxt can do BTW)

POD2VAMP converter...

some ppl have made a pod2v-amp converter, to convert podxt or pod2 patches to v-amp2... just google for pod2vamp and youll get it.

they sound pretty good..

TUNER

the tuner is alot better in the podxt, providing a gradual display of just how close you are to the right intonation, compared to the v-amp2's little display with dots and such. believe it or not, i get things tuned faster and more accurately with the podxt.. hehe

another overall..

im glad i have both actually, with my marshall and crate amps, i feel like i have an endless supply of tones for guitar

[Jaeson Merrill]

wow, 5 posts in a row.. this is great

so, in order:, least to best imho:

V-amp (79 USD)
POD2 (199 USD)
Guitarport (100 USD?)
V-amp2 (129 USD)
V-amp2 pro (250 USD)
PODXT (399 w/ upgrades USD)
PODXT pro (699 w/ upgrades? USD)

if anyone has any more questions , or wants to hear any of the tones of either, let me know

[kovacs]

REAMP

PODXT allows full reamping control, and you can record the usb signal clean while you record (or just monitor) the dirty signal thru the analog outputs.

How on earth do you do this? I haven't figured it out yet. If I choose the XT as the audio input to record I get no sound on my other ports (I also have an Audiophile 2496 PCI and SB Audigy 2).

Any hints? What recording software/sequencer do you use for recording?

[Lunch Money]

Great posts! Nothing surprising there-- the PODXT DOES seem a whole lot better than the V-Amp2; however, there's always price to consider.

For re-amping V-Amp2, you have 2 options:

1- record clean, re-amp later
2- use a proper splitter box (ie. not just a cable), and record both signals (clean and dirty). If you later decide that the dirty tone isn't the one you want, re-amp the clean.

Greg

[Kingston]

ok I've seen enough of this. I thought I wasn't gonna bother posting but the best of all these has been completely neglected.

Vox Tonelab.

I've owned pod 1 and 2, heard the rest of them and spent plenty of time with PodXT.

It's quite simple, if you want realistic warmth and speaker ripping dynamic simulation, Tonelab pisses on the rest of them. (and it's not just because of the 12AX7E tube with the terrible backlight)

It has hands down (or hands on) best dynamics and playability. It shines especially on half distorted crunch and basic rock sounds. The hi-gain emulations retain much of the rich harmonics of the real things. The ability to actually use your guitar volume control is a plus, and just confirms the dynamic possibilities.

Like all emulations this thing is not perfect with all the models, but best 1/3 are just so damn good that you won't care.

PodXT has loads of mediocre sounding stomp boxes, but the lesser selection in this is generally better sounding.

What I like best in Tonelab is the fact that, while it can sound rather basic on their own, it cuts thru better in mixes. Compared to PodXT it has less hyped sound, more realistic in that sense.

Did already I mention the speaker cab ripping (well emulated) dynamic warmth?

One more thing. This is *the* amp modeler if you have more than one different sounding guitars. It lets the character of the pickups and guitar come thru as they are. While PodXT is pretty ok with this you will barely notice the difference with the rest of them.

[kovacs]

The ability to actually use your guitar volume control is a plus, and just confirms the dynamic possibilities.

Which of the above mentioned units do NOT offer this? Or in what way is this special with Vox? (I'm curious, no offense!).

[Kingston]

The ability to actually use your guitar volume control is a plus, and just confirms the dynamic possibilities.

Which of the above mentioned units do NOT offer this? Or in what way is this special with Vox? (I'm curious, no offense!).

I didn't quite mean it that way. Of course you're free to use your guitar volume knob anywhere.

The point was that it barely makes any difference on the rest of them, in case you haven't noticed. It's sad a fact so little of you have played in front of a tube amp.