Amplitube5 - Release Date 15-16/12/2020

[Synthient Sound]

I've been using Amplitube 5 since it was released and have a few thoughts about it.

I've been using Amplitube since version 2 and it has always been my main amp sim. I have others by Softube (really good), Mercurial, ML Soundlab, Waves, Logic Pro, Brainworx, etc. plus some real amps (TopHat, Soldano, Mesa, vintage Fender, vintage Standel). I find myself using Amplitube almost full time now for recording as it has gotten really good. I have a Origin Effects Cali76 (1176 style) compressor before my interface, plus whatever other pedals I feel like throw in there.

A few cons:
-some elements are so small, I can barely see the writing on my "16 Macbook (Fulltone SSE and EQ-81 for instance)
-finding some things buggy (switches on the GUI are backwards in some instances)
-volume levels when auditioning amps are very unequal-sometimes clips output from INIT
-I'd like to *not* see amps older than Hendrix Collection as they do not sound good, though ideally everything before Fender 2 I'd like redone with the new modeling
-GUI doesn't make good use of space, again SSE which is so hard to read could be expanded horizontally for bigger controls
-needs some old basics remodeled (AC-30, Plexi Super Lead, etc)
-browser needs refining (doesn't remember preferences)
-adjust skeuomorphic angles of gear (Fender blackface amps...can't see the top of knobs)
- it might be me, but does the CE-1 chorus sound different now? I liked the old better I think, but need to do a comparison..could be wrong about this one.

A few pros:
-the cab section is incredibly good
-the amp modeling in recent years is spectacularly accurate and inspiring to play
-A5 made some of the amps sound even better (Hi-Watt, Soldano SLO, Slash AFD)
-you can now exclude un-purchased gear from gear search/browser
-the feel of playing through it has gotten to be very good and seems to have more 'give'
-the flexibility of A5 allows much more complex routing (like W/D/W)

A few requests:
-remodel those old amps! The newer modeling is so good...I won't go back to the old ones! Unfortunately, some of the 'basics/classics' have not been updated. The difference between Fender 1 and 2 is pretty big!
-make better use of GUI space to make controls and labels bigger
-would like to see some popular/classic models like Matchless DC-30, Mesa Mark IIC+ and Triaxis, Dumble ODS type (clone is fine: Two Rock, Fuchs, etc)
-have a 'favorites' for the browser: would make finding my favorite amps easier (wouldn't have to scroll through things like 1x8 cabs and those old Amplitube 2/3 amps)
-allow the cab/mic section to have a switch between 1) phase aligned between mics (I'm finding this very convenient!), 2) phase free between mics (to simulate the phase cancelling effects of real world mic'ing)

Overall, I am very pleased with Amplitube 5. The cab section, although more complex than others, allows for a much better experience in finding your tone through mic position. I'm finding other amp sims' IR scrolling to be laborious. A5 makes it much more like the real world amp mic'ing.

A few amps that I love in the real world (Hi-Watt, Soldano) I used to find a little brittle in A4, but now sound absolutely spectacular. The Slash AFD sounds fuller and will probably get more use now. I really wish for a newly modeled Marshall JMP...it is one of the few amps I have to go to Softube for, but I really rather have an IKM version.

Currently, my most used amps are Fender '57 Custom Pro-Amp, Hiamp, Red Pig, Satch VM, Leslie 122, '65 Super Reverb, and I pretty much always use either SVX-VR or SVX-15N for bass. 10-15 years ago, I'd only use amp models when I absolutely had to, but now is completely reversed. I have incredible sounding amps, but find it so much easier to use Amplitube...and I get scary good guitar tones from it. The middle stage for me was to use A4 for rhythm guitars and track leads with a real amp for feel. Now I'm pretty much doing everything with Amplitube. Next, I'm going to be putting in some time with the Ecstasy and VH4.

[acousticglue]

Ive almost never used Fender 1 until now. These rally guys on here rally need put away typewriters and wait

[MadDogE134]

maybe already asked but i am new to the party here... does the new software update all the previously owned collections? i mean are they all new or does the software just host the old amps and cabs? i have a few collections from v4 and want to know where they stand with this new version. hopefully all the old cabs have the new VIRs and adjustments. also interested in the Leslie etc. cheers

[cprompt]

maybe already asked but i am new to the party here... does the new software update all the previously owned collections? i mean are they all new or does the software just host the old amps and cabs? i have a few collections from v4 and want to know where they stand with this new version. hopefully all the old cabs have the new VIRs and adjustments. also interested in the Leslie etc. cheers

Yes, your old collections are updated, even in AT5CS, but remember that in AT5CS you'll be using the old AT4 IRs, all 16 of them per speaker. If you want the new VIR with up to 600 IRs per speaker you'll need to upgrade to AT5SE or higher. On the basis you already have a load of collections, AT5SE might be your best bet as you'll get all the benefits of VIR with your existing collections.

[jamcat]

but remember that in AT5CS you'll be using the old AT4 IRs

This is incorrect. AT5 CS uses a subset of the new IRs. They are just limited to 16 instead of 600 per speaker, and you don’t get the benefit of the new VIR interface.

[poonna]

but remember that in AT5CS you'll be using the old AT4 IRs

This is incorrect. AT5 CS uses a subset of the new IRs. They are just limited to 16 instead of 600 per speaker, and you don’t get the benefit of the new VIR interface.

I think I've seen Peter said earlier that AT5 CS would use a subset of the new AT5 IRs, then later said that it would use IRs from AT4. I might remember it wrong, but I'm not sure anymore which one is correct. Has anyone actually tested and confirmed either way?

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

but remember that in AT5CS you'll be using the old AT4 IRs

This is incorrect. AT5 CS uses a subset of the new IRs. They are just limited to 16 instead of 600 per speaker, and you don’t get the benefit of the new VIR interface.

I think I've seen Peter said earlier that AT5 CS would use a subset of the new AT5 IRs, then later said that it would use IRs from AT4. I might remember it wrong, but I'm not sure anymore which one is correct. Has anyone actually tested and confirmed either way?

Yes. I have.

I tried AT5 CS for a few days before upgrading to AT5 SE. AT5 CS uses new IR's. The amps+cabs do not sound like AT4. Any AT5 CS presets sound exactly the same in AT5 SE.

This means AT5 CS uses a new set of cabinets, with only 16 positions like AT4, but the cabs are indeed remastered cabs. I think that's what Peter was getting at, and he probably should've said "you get 16 positions like AT4." Otherwise, you'd save a preset in AT5 CS, then you'd open it in AT5 SE after upgrading and it would sound completely different. That's not what happens.

[MadDogE134]

i think i read at gearslutz in CS5 version you DO get the newly sampled cabs but you DON'T get control of them or any added features from say SE5 so basically you get new IRs of cabs but same function as v4. that is my take on it anyways... so i may in fact consider SE5 to get all my old collections, new cabs and complete function plus additional IRs and positioning.

i think i have said this 100x ... i love IK product for the most part... but i quite despise how the company functions and how they treat their customers. everything continues to be confusing and they seem to like keeping that way sadly. it is NOT as bad as years ago. they have incrementally gotten better lately but they certainly TRY to drain every penny out of even their somewhat loyal user base. add to that most if not all of their installers are unsigned which is totally bizarre having been around this long. i find them quite lazy and cheap. but even saying this i STILL invest in the company mainly because i have so much from them over the years but i spend as little as possible these days not because of the actual quality of product but from my total experience with the company over the years and their refusal to help their customers more. so newbies beware lol


cheers

p.s. again.. nothing personal Peter... i know you are doing your best mate

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

The 16 IRs are from AT4, straight from the lead developer's mouth. Any sonic differences will be due to the other changes (including the entirely rewritten engine and update to the interaction with cabinets be they via the 16 or 600+ IR per speaker).

Anybody with problems that have been known for a while, please provide my your support ticket number(s) on those and I'll have someone make sure something didn't slip between the cracks as we've had some changes in support and testing and I'm sure anything that's not working properly can be chased down and resolved.

[Burillo]

The 16 IRs are from AT4, straight from the lead developer's mouth. Any sonic differences will be due to the other changes (including the entirely rewritten engine and update to the interaction with cabinets be they via the 16 or 600+ IR per speaker).

whoa, wait. so you're saying that the new cab section sounds better without new impulses? now i'm definitely curious as to what happens with the new cab impulses. is it possible to switch between the two cab sections once AT5 is purchased?

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

The 16 IRs are from AT4, straight from the lead developer's mouth. Any sonic differences will be due to the other changes (including the entirely rewritten engine and update to the interaction with cabinets be they via the 16 or 600+ IR per speaker).

So if I have AT5 CS, and I create a really rocking preset, and I'm so happy with the sound I spend the money to upgrade, as soon as I do, it will sound completely different? Well that sucks! Can I install AT5 CS and run it in parallel with AT5 SE to get double the cabinet options? That also means the AT4 cabs are in AT5 but we're locked out of using them as paying customers because we gave you too much money!!! Does that make sense?

Or are we sure something didn't get lost in translation? Might be worth double checking with the lead developer and asking some of these questions back. If the AT4 cabs are hiding in there, give them to us!

My advice to IK Multimedia: stop making everything so convoluted. And I'm not talking about IR's. Every IK upgrade is a billion questions upgrades versus crossgrades, a billion questions about the IK bucks, and Jam Dollars, the weird product limitations, etc. Just keep it simple.

[Peter - IK Multimedia]

Well, 600+ IR per speaker is likely to sound better, yes. I'd think we've established this by page 71.

Kind of an edit to the above request - please PM ticket numbers to me, easier to get sorted that way if you don't mind. Thanks.

[Burillo]

Well, 600+ IR per speaker is likely to sound better, yes. I'd think we've established this by page 71.

No, that doesn't quite follow. Having more IRs would only allow for more mic positions, but wouldn't improve sound quality. AT5 CS cab section has a very jagged movement of the mics, indicating that we're simply seeing the mics being locked to a subset of mic positions available under the hood, but I would be very surprised if the same mic position would sound different with AT5 full vs. AT5 CS.

Also, I find it very hard to believe that the AT5 CS cab section uses IRs from AT4 because AT4 didn't have off axis positions, while AT5 CS does. So, unless the off axis position is modeled and not sampled (which again, I find it very hard to believe this is true), it's at the very least a hybrid between the two. More likely though, we're actually getting AT5 cabs even in AT5 CS.

[acousticglue]

Well I got the AT5 and it sounds good and makes me want bacon. Everything (almost) sounds good. I don't hear what some others have griped about. Orange amps sound better, Fender1 sounds better, many not all old amps sound better. My opinion and to me is what matters

[MadDogE134]

a few more questions...

i see in the comparison chart... AT5 SE has 19 stomps and 14 racks while AT5 has 47 stomps and 36 racks. what about the stomps and racks i own other than what comes with the SE version? if i already own T-Racks 5 do i get access to rack units i own already within TR5 that would normally NOT come with AT5 SE? i assume my 'additional' gear from collections ARE accessible... but i am concerned will i be crippled from the additional rack units if i own them already within T-Racks 5?

p.s. per Custom Shop i own 277 AT pieces of gear and 43 pieces of T-Racks... so please tell me i will have access to what i own without being forced to buy more than the SE version of AT5. i do not want to pay for what i will not use but i want to use what belongs to me. cheers

p.s.s. the reason i ask is... the 'try' button only links to the crippled free CS version and that is anything BUT trying the software to answer my own questions.