Swanky Amp Pro released (1.3.0)

[garrinm]

Version 0.3.3 is out, you can find the downloads here: https://www.resonantdsp.com/swankyamppr ... l#download.

The big change here is that the preset management has been reworked. It's now based purely on file names, allows for sub-directories, and doesn't have a variety of subtle bugs that might make you accidentally overwrite a preset .

I've also added 12 factory presets (6 tailored for single coil pickups, 6 for humbuckers). There are instructions on the download page on how to grab those presets. I recommend anyone participating in the beta check these out as they give a good overview of the breadth of tone possibilities.

Overall I've done a lot of tweaking. The volume is even more consistent now, with only 2-3 dB discrepancies between extremely different settings. The default values are all tuned to give a solid tone out-of-the-box for single coil and humbucker pickups.

Hopefully people are enjoying the beta. I think this update brings it up to a new level of polish. Barring major issues in this patch, the next update (hopefully out middle of next week) will add the ability to change the right and left channel parameters separately for that "bigger than life" stereo.

Please keep the feedback coming.

Garrin

[chuckwood]

Can't wait to give the pro version a spin. Any other clues as to what pedals will be added in the future besides the 'rodent' one?

After the "rodent" will come a compressor and a chorus effect.

Over time I want to add more pedals. I'd like to do some creative things, and I'll be eager to see what the users want to use.

Any you'd like to see in particular?

Garrin

Sounds good. Well personally I love a uni-vibe as well as a fuzzier pedal than the 'rodent' like a big muff. Spring reverb would be great too, whether as a pedal or as part of the amp. How about a bass setting or are you planning a bass version?

Keep up the great work, it's so nice to have one great tweakable amp instead of dozens of models.

[jbraner]

it's so nice to have one great tweakable amp instead of dozens of models.

Amen to that!

[jbraner]

I just went to grab the installer (rather than just the vst3 file) - to see how it installs the presets - and there is already a 0.3.4 version!

I'll play with this later - and report back.

[vom]

it's so nice to have one great tweakable amp instead of dozens of models.

Amen to that!

enthusiastic +1 to this! I find this kind of virtual amp far more intuitive and usable than the "we included every kind of amp and cabinet ever" ones.

used Swanky Amp Pro for the first time on a track yesterday, sounded really good - I always replaced the cab section with IRs in the free version but I was happy with the Pro sound straight out of the box. looking forward to trying the new updates!

[garrinm]

it's so nice to have one great tweakable amp instead of dozens of models.

Amen to that!

0.3.4 is a very minor patch to address a few minor licensing issues: the text box was a bit too small and if you tried to activate immediately after the purchase you might get a cryptic error message as the server awaited payment confirmation.

The next update will hopefully be something to look forward to.

[garrinm]

Sounds good. Well personally I love a uni-vibe as well as a fuzzier pedal than the 'rodent' like a big muff. Spring reverb would be great too, whether as a pedal or as part of the amp. How about a bass setting or are you planning a bass version?

Keep up the great work, it's so nice to have one great tweakable amp instead of dozens of models.

Those all sound like good additions. I've been mulling over a spring reverb and I definitely want one. It's just a matter of time and prioritizing work because this could be not so straightforward to do properly. I could just throw a spring IR in there but I rather not as those IRs tend to be very long and could start eating into the CPU and/or won't decay correctly. I'm trying to keep Swanky Amp performant enough for live work.

Garrin

[jbraner]

Just trying the preset management.
This is excellent now!

I uninstalled my old version and reinstalled ver 0.3.4 with the installer - this installed the factory presets. Then I just copied my own presets into the root presets folder
(C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Resonant DSP\Swanky Amp Pro) and everything is good.
I deleted the number from my old preset names as these aren't necessary any more. Everything is alphabetical now - check
- One thing I noticed - there is no "save as", so you have to "add" (click +) and save with a new name. That's not a big deal - might be slicker to be able to label is "save as" if there is room. Maybe you could add something to the "save preset" dialog?
Overwrite -> yes = overwrite
Overwrite -> no = "save as"

- also, there is no "delete" button for presets - so you have to click + (counterintuitive) or go into the file system (with the square icon) and delete manually. That might annoy/confuse some people (I personally don't care that much).

I also noticed that the state of the cab sim bypass is not part of the preset - so this is a global setting. Is that intended? I guess that's a pretty good idea - I'm just not used to it
So what else is global? Just Input level and cab bypass?
Output level is stored with the preset.

The factory presets are nice. I only checked the SC ones - as I only have strats and a tele
The "pushing power" one reminds me of the aggressive sounds in the free version - they are definitely still here So does "black sheep".

I also noticed that overall volume for is quite a bit lower again in this version - is that right?
(not right or wrong - I can just kick up my presets vol to bring it back)
Enabling the cab adds a lot of volume again.

I think that's it for now - will report back if I find anything else.

[garrinm]

I also noticed that overall volume for is quite a bit lower again in this version - is that right?
(not right or wrong - I can just kick up my presets vol to bring it back)
Enabling the cab adds a lot of volume again.

The volume should sit about 5 dB below 0 dBFS right now the way I have things setup (which is a small reduction from 0.3.2). I left a bit more head room because for very clean tones the transients can get a bit bigger and clip. If you're seeing something much different please let me know as I might have to look into that.

You're right the cab on/off toggle is causing a level change (this is actually a small reversion as I had some compensation but it needs to be updated to match the IR normalization). I should be able to bring that back inline in the next patch.

I'm glad you're liking the preset management. I've incorporated all the lessons I learned in the last attempt (thanks to your diligent testing that time xD). I will need to add some tooltips to the various buttons to help clarify, but your description is accurate.

The "save as" action is the plus icon (I will state that plainly in the tooltip). There's not really enough space to smoosh the disquette icon with the pencil over it. Plus the next generation probably will know neither what is a disquette nor that a pencil is used for "writing over" so the entire metaphor falls apart . At the very least you'll always know if you're about to save over a preset with a dialogue.

The best way to delete I think would be to use the "open" button at the end of the row of buttons. It will open the file browser with the current preset selected. So you can just delete there. The fewer actions I need to encode the less chance of introducing bugs. Hopefully the tooltip will help there again but if I do see some riotous outcry from the users over this I can always bring back the delete button.

There are two global parameters: input level and cab toggle. So those don't get saved in your presets as I would think they will change depending on your current session / guitar.

You should checkout the "HB/cookin tubes" preset if you're liking the "SC/black sheep" one. Even with a single coil pickup you'll get that raw tube sound. And you can always boost your input another 10 dB to get your single coil to behaved like a humbucker (but voiced differently).

Thanks a lot for the detailed feedback.

Garrin

[jbraner]

OK - I just mentioned the volume drop, as it's a lot less than "Swanky Amp Classic"
This level is fine - and easily fixed by adding a few db to the output on my presets.

The "save as" action is the plus icon (I will state that plainly in the tooltip).

That's absolutely cool - "+" takes no space, and if you make it clear in the tooltips - that should work fine

Deleting in the file system is OK too - I just thought I'd mention it.
This really is a preset system that works a lot better.

OK - I'll check out "cookin tubes". I didn't bother trying the HB ones

[jbraner]

You should checkout the "HB/cookin tubes" preset if you're liking the "SC/black sheep" one. Even with a single coil pickup you'll get that raw tube sound. And you can always boost your input another 10 dB to get your single coil to behaved like a humbucker (but voiced differently).

OK - that's getting a little bit into "sludge" territory

[chuckwood]

Those all sound like good additions. I've been mulling over a spring reverb and I definitely want one. It's just a matter of time and prioritizing work because this could be not so straightforward to do properly. I could just throw a spring IR in there but I rather not as those IRs tend to be very long and could start eating into the CPU and/or won't decay correctly. I'm trying to keep Swanky Amp performant enough for live work.

Garrin

Yeah sure, makes sense to keep it lightweight. Must be tough to decide what is necessary and what is bloat. I guess if it is intended for live use then a suite of simple pedals would be good.

Just had a question about the licencing. It says on the website it's a keyfile but you can use on 3 machines. Is there any call response going on or internet required to authorise?

[jbraner]

The other thing is - the dirt pedals will come before the amp, but a spring reverb would come *after* the amp wouldn't it? (I may be wrong here)
If so, that would require some restructuring...

[garrinm]

Just had a question about the licencing. It says on the website it's a keyfile but you can use on 3 machines. Is there any call response going on or internet required to authorise?

There is a call to the server only when you enter a product key (so on first launch). If you need to install it on hardware that is strictly offline, then it will be possible to do with a quick email exchange but I haven't finished configuring that yet (I need to add a settings screen first and I'm putting of that work at the moment).

After that there is no server check, not even periodically. I'm assuming this will get cracked before long, but my main goal here is a smooth experience for the user. Plus there's always the open sourced version of Swanky Amp if someone doesn't want to pay.

Garrin

EDIT: also for clarification, prior to activation there is no annoying popup that would, for example, block a DAW scanning the VST directory. The plugin just runs in "locked" mode which means none of the parameters can be changed and the UI is inaccessible until a key is entered. If anyone has had issues with the system please let me know. I do want to this to be as smooth as possible.

[garrinm]

The other thing is - the dirt pedals will come before the amp, but a spring reverb would come *after* the amp wouldn't it? (I may be wrong here)
If so, that would require some restructuring...

I'm contemplating adding just a "reverb" knob to the Power Amp section (the actual reverb will come between the power amp and cab section). But I first need to toy around with some spring reverb models and then see if I can get something satisfying out of that. So no promises.