Your fav Amp Sims as of 2023?

[metalifuxx]

Here's a capture I made today with Tonex, of a Critter Electronics CFR (Klon-style with mods) running into a Wampler Pedals Ecstacy. I wanted to see how it could do for me capturing more than one pedal stacked. Amp is clean, all the dirt is from the capture.

https://vocaroo.com/1drrqOFjGXAd

I'm really enjoying the idea of getting some favorite "presets" together from my pedal collection, as I often like to stack pedals. It'll be cool to have the ease of use of just loading them instantly instead of having to get pedal chains together physically if I don't have them hooked up already.

How’d you hear about Critter Electronics and end up with one? Are you local to Detroit/Waterford area? Ronnie (Critter Electronics builder) is my buddy. A lot of my friends use his drive pedals. He does a great modded Klone with a gain mod switch. I’ve told him about getting some of his pedals as profiles for NAM or Tonex.

Scuttlebutt at TheGearPage. That's the one I have, the C:FR - love it, I have profiled it extensively now and have used it as a boost for other thing I'm profiling too. Absolutely nasty in front of the right fuzz. I think it's actually becoming one of my favorite pedals, quite quickly but it just keeps nailing what I want from it.

Tell Ronnie I'd appreciate it if he could check his shop texts, been trying to get in touch with him all last week But the pedal sounds amazing and the electronics work is top quality. I got a minor enclosure issue with mine, cosmetic and internal only, nothing you'd notice from the outside, and it's nothing that'll keep me from getting more Critter pedals - can't believe the value on them, he's punching way above that $100 price point weight. Thinking next I might try his take on the TS, as his take on the Klone is my favorite of all time now and I'm wondering how his ear might agree with my tastes on his other offerings!

Just sent him a message/screenshot

[Agreed]

Thanks man, I'll reach out with the new info. Really appreciate that! The man makes exceptional sounding pedals for half (or less!) of what competitors are charging, I highly recommend his Classic: Family Recipe pedal for any guitarist needing a versatile, excellent boost and drive pedal.

Edit: Got in touch right away, he's a good dude. I'm gonna get one of those Legend pedals now

[Ploki]

finally bought Neural DSP Mesa/Boogie.
My god it's so friggin good, and it behaves exactly like my old Mesa's did. Perfection

Fuse Audio F59 is good, but i'm a Mesa freak at heart

[Agreed]

That one is really, really good. They nailed the Mk IIC+ sound, just like I would want to record it.

[guitarzan]

I’ve always wanted to try an amp profiler but they were always too expensive… now I have two to try free on my iPhone!!

ToneX wins by a mile over THU Rig Player, at least based on the 10 rigs that THU supplies for free when you register. The THU Rig Player sounds and reacts much the same as modelers, but the ToneX captures are clearly something well beyond modeling (in its current state anyway).

The ‘57 Tweed Deluxe ToneX capture set at the clean side of the breakup point is absolutely perfect for me to use with pedals to push further.

Now maybe the free THU rigs don’t show off their technology at its best… some of the free ToneX captures I downloaded to try sound just like modelers too — in fact, I would bet that many of the user supplied ToneX captures available are IK enthusiasts’ captures of their favorite Amplitube setups, because they sound that bad (Amplitube always seemed the least dynamic and most “modeler” sounding and feeling modeler out there).

Thing is, I am perfectly content with that one capture and there are a bunch more included free, so I feel no urgency to buy ToneX right now… that’s another win in my book.

If anything I may consider buying the ToneX pedal if I run across a smoking’ deal sometime because the pedal would be much more convenient than software only.

[electro]

finally bought Neural DSP Mesa/Boogie.
My god it's so friggin good, and it behaves exactly like my old Mesa's did. Perfection

This skeptic suspects UAFX and IK ToneX are ahead. ITB we have to go with AT5 ToneX and Overloud TH-U

[Agreed]

I've been doing more captures with it and it's very accurate. It can model the difference between boosting something with TS versus a Klon really well, for example. Good with chains. I can't wait until I can get a setup together for capturing my amp. May just buy the Capture unit, I mean, that'd knock it out in one step.

[Ploki]

finally bought Neural DSP Mesa/Boogie.
My god it's so friggin good, and it behaves exactly like my old Mesa's did. Perfection

This skeptic suspects UAFX and IK ToneX are ahead. ITB we have to go with AT5 ToneX and Overloud TH-U

I tried IK tonex itb. It doesnt behave like a mesa boogie, that’s the issue. Snapshots are decent, but you can’t really twist the knobs (tone, eq and drive) so it aint a boogie really, you can’t play it like a boogie.
Not sure why would the pedal be better than itb, it’s just code?

I had quad+50/50 and Mark V

I do more crunch/slightly breaking up sounds, but highgain also sounds spot on.

Haven’t tried UAFX but I didn’t know they make a boogie

[zerocrossing]

finally bought Neural DSP Mesa/Boogie.
My god it's so friggin good, and it behaves exactly like my old Mesa's did. Perfection

This skeptic suspects UAFX and IK ToneX are ahead. ITB we have to go with AT5 ToneX and Overloud TH-U

I think IK’s Mesas are as good as anything. The Transatlantic is one of my go-to models. Better than Neural DSPs? I don’t think so, but I don’t own anything from them because I don’t like their limited plugins. The inability to mix and match Neural DSP models like you can do with Amplitube is a serious hinderance. I know I can put things before and after it, but I really like a platform that lets me stretch out and try things. If you don’t mind a very basic pedals-amp-cab-effects set up, I can see the attraction.

[zerocrossing]

finally bought Neural DSP Mesa/Boogie.
My god it's so friggin good, and it behaves exactly like my old Mesa's did. Perfection

This skeptic suspects UAFX and IK ToneX are ahead. ITB we have to go with AT5 ToneX and Overloud TH-U

I tried IK tonex itb. It doesnt behave like a mesa boogie, that’s the issue. Snapshots are decent, but you can’t really twist the knobs (tone, eq and drive) so it aint a boogie really, you can’t play it like a boogie.

You absolutely can “twist the knobs (tone, eq and drive),” in Tonex. While those changes don’t match up to what happens on an actual amp, they’re just as useful.

Not sure why would the pedal be better than itb, it’s just code?

I’m sure the Tonex pedal sounds identical to the software version, but one thing I notice is that a lot of people just plug their guitars into their audio interface and are then unhappy with the results. Even if your interface has a Hi-Z input, you should always put some sort of buffering pedal between your guitar and amp. I definitely notice this on my UAD Apollo. I use an old, but great sounding, Blackstar HT-5 Dual. Even bypassed, it makes a big difference. I believe this is how a lot of “the hardware version sounds better” rumors get started.

[Ploki]

You absolutely can “twist the knobs (tone, eq and drive),” in Tonex. While those changes don’t match up to what happens on an actual amp, they’re just as useful.

//
I’m sure the Tonex pedal sounds identical to the software version, but one thing I notice is that a lot of people just plug their guitars into their audio interface and are then unhappy with the results. Even if your interface has a Hi-Z input, you should always put some sort of buffering pedal between your guitar and amp. I definitely notice this on my UAD Apollo. I use an old, but great sounding, Blackstar HT-5 Dual. Even bypassed, it makes a big difference. I believe this is how a lot of “the hardware version sounds better” rumors get started.

your formatting went haywire somewhere.
The thing is i didn't want something useful - i wanted something that behaves like my mic'd up Mark V
And NeuralDSP so far is the only thing that does.

as far as HiZ inputs go i have RME which generally works well + i recently switched to EMG's in my Tele

I think IK’s Mesas are as good as anything. The Transatlantic is one of my go-to models. Better than Neural DSPs? I don’t think so, but I don’t own anything from them because I don’t like their limited plugins. The inability to mix and match Neural DSP models like you can do with Amplitube is a serious hinderance. I know I can put things before and after it, but I really like a platform that lets me stretch out and try things. If you don’t mind a very basic pedals-amp-cab-effects set up, I can see the attraction.

I actually just wanted a mesa mark
I have Softube amp thingie with everything and it sounds great and all, but it's not a Mesa mark.
While i can see the appeal of "mix and match gajilion of gear" i generally go for a single amp and just slap whatever drive i like before it.

[Uncle E]

I tried IK tonex itb. It doesnt behave like a mesa boogie, that’s the issue. Snapshots are decent, but you can’t really twist the knobs (tone, eq and drive) so it aint a boogie really, you can’t play it like a boogie.
Not sure why would the pedal be better than itb, it’s just code?

Now that Kemper has Liquid Profiling, which lets you turn the knobs, I’m hoping IK will follow up with that next. TONEX is likely their most successful product so they’ll probably keep developing it.

I captured my Mark One and am capturing a Mark III now. They sound and respond like the real amps.

[Agreed]

I am so excited to see where Tonex goes next. I've always got along very well with IK software, been an Amplitube fan since the late 2000s. It's great now, what dreams may come though...! I'd love to be able to make accurate captures that are not a "preset" or slice of it, but let you turn the knobs realistically. Be more like bespoke models than a snapshot. I get great results from my snapshots and if you take several of them you can get a range of useful behavior, but that next step will be far out for the Tonex ecosystem if it comes and I wouldn't wait a minute to upgrade. I really feel dumb waiting as long as I did, I wish I had been using this for the last year.

I do like Neural DSP's work very much also, their SLO-100 and Mesa packs are killer - huge fan of the Mark IIC+ sound, IMO they really nailed it on that plugin across the range of operation, and the SLO-100 is similarly very very close to how playing a real one sounds and a lot of how it feels if your monitors are pushing air.

[Daimonicon]

Bought a kemper 12 years ago. Don’t need anything else. Sure, I’ve tried a few amp sims thru the years. Sure they’ve become better but still lack the depth and 3d. Still can’t compete with a kemper. Hybrid stuff like tonex, kemper, helix etc are the best solution

[Ploki]

Bought a kemper 12 years ago. Don’t need anything else. Sure, I’ve tried a few amp sims thru the years. Sure they’ve become better but still lack the depth and 3d. Still can’t compete with a kemper. Hybrid stuff like tonex, kemper, helix etc are the best solution

How are those "hybrid"?
You know that kemper is just software right?
Great software, but it's not magical with magical 3D quantum circuits