Best VST plugin for metal guitars
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- KVRer
- 1 posts since 7 Mar, 2025
Any recommendations? I play in standard to drop C. I would ideally like for the plugin to be under or around a hundred dollars. Thanks for your 2 cents.
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- KVRAF
- 5093 posts since 30 Aug, 2012 from Sweden
Which plugin doesn’t matter so much. It is the IR’s that matter. Even a freeware vst is good enough. Buy IR’s from well known pro producers like Jens Bogren.
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- KVRian
- 1143 posts since 2 Oct, 2021
NAM: https://www.neuralampmodeler.com/
And yes, the IR does the bigger part of the game.
And yes, the IR does the bigger part of the game.
ABX is enemy to GAS
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- KVRist
- 69 posts since 15 Jul, 2013 from Tirol, Austria
Amp Locker by Audio Assault. Very affordable for what they are, kinda focused solely on metal / punk / heavy rock genres and they sound excellent. Dead easy to use too. My go-to for anything I write / record (I play a Danelectro baritone in drop G).
I'm guessing you're not a Linux user but on the off-chance that you are, try Guitarix - you can get some mean high-gain tones.
Airwindows GrindAmp (FOSS) is a brilliantly simple and unique high-gain amp/cab sim. I love it and use it extensively.
I'm guessing you're not a Linux user but on the off-chance that you are, try Guitarix - you can get some mean high-gain tones.
Airwindows GrindAmp (FOSS) is a brilliantly simple and unique high-gain amp/cab sim. I love it and use it extensively.
- KVRAF
- 2047 posts since 8 Feb, 2013 from Switzerland
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- KVRer
- 1 posts since 6 Dec, 2024
Very often you can get amplitube and Tonex for $99 for both. i like to mix those with Archetype Rabea as my lead guitar track
- KVRAF
- 18372 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
I'll pile on and also say that IRs are very important, and that almost everything is pretty good, these days. For me, it's a matter of features and variety of gear. So, I don't own any of the NeuralDSP stuff, even though I think they're very good, because you are trapped with a fairly small variety of gear per plugin. Also, you only a few effects, and a single effect/amp path. This is why I love Amplitube. Large selection of gear (hell, I found a solid state Ampeg Tonex capture that I bought in the late 80s that's excellent for metal) very flexible amp path, and cheap as hell. The only issues I have with it is the wah pedals don't smooth, so there's zipper noise if I control them via MIDI, and some of the cabinets aren't great. For instance, a lot of the Brian May stuff sounds absolutely terrible, but when I substitute the included cab with a Ownhammer AC30 ir, it wakes right up and sounds awesome. If you wait until they have a special, you can get Tonex and Amplitube MAX for $100, and there's really no better value. Budget a bit for some Yorke or Ownhammer IR packs and you're good to go.
Zerocrossing Media
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- KVRer
- 13 posts since 29 Sep, 2025
i recently found Polychrome dsp. theyre not quite as well known as the others but theyve got some good guitar plugins. particularly if you want to downtune. the "nutcracker" is suited for that. they do demos of all their plugins.. i quite like the Macrocklin suite at the minute and very tempted to buy it. currently half price at about $60..
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- KVRist
- 142 posts since 26 Apr, 2025
i really like the Bogren stuff, especially the one knob series. It's hard to go wrong with anything nowadays, Neural Dsp, Audiority, ToneHub, all great stuff.
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- KVRer
- 1 posts since 8 Nov, 2021
Ive tried or own most of them. Neural DSP sounds and feels the best for most things. Gojira and the Nolly plugin cover so much ground, even classic rock funk and blues tones can be achieved. I also like Tonehub, especially the Josh Middleton expansion. Line 6 Helix Native can be great but takes a lot of effort and i hate the user interface.