Real amps vs modelling and plugin amps

[glokraw]

Those guys are great, but already getting old, and the challenge is to stay fresh, improve skills, turn listeners into fans, and innovate, trying to keep ahead of the AI bands that are on the horizon, and already establishing financial beachheads. Assuming a high level of skill, if your music doesn't tell a great story, fill a mass-market niche, or communicate deep passion, the battle for $$$ will be lost to vapourware AI bands and their bot followers feeding the streaming revenue back to those who fund the scam, crowding out real musicians at all levels.
When it comes to earning money in the music world, I don't see having the 'wrong gear' as being the problem, or having the 'right gear' being the solution to any problem. Gear won't fix what may take a few acts of Congress (in the USA) to get things turned around, and keep the revenue flow honest.

[Naillerz78]

It also helps sort the wheat from the chaff, and I believe there is a bit of chaff for sale out there. I'm in full agreement with you on Overloud. I've never felt the sound was good, regardless as to the settings or bells and whistles. I read someone talking about their favorite amp sim was MGuitarArchitect, which I found was one of the worst sounding modelers ever. Same with the BlueCat emulation. I thought it sounded like garbage at all settings.

That’s interesting re MGA I listened to the YT demos and it reminded me of BlueCats Axiom amp tones.

[FrettedSynth]

https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/gui ... -challenge

IMHO people blame/praise gear way too much! Use what works for you.

[tapper mike]

I'd love to go back and pull all the comments out and give kudo's to those who've replied to my post. Fair enough.

Hmm guitarists getting old seeking out new classic tones for a new generation. I thought I'd never age so long as I played rock and roll and can't understand how that happens to younger ppl. Yet my current "younger" crowd play folk rock americana and use decidedly old hardware to achieve said results. Josh Turner uses an 8 track reel to reel for goodness sake.

[zerocrossing]

I'd love to go back and pull all the comments out and give kudo's to those who've replied to my post. Fair enough.

Hmm guitarists getting old seeking out new classic tones for a new generation. I thought I'd never age so long as I played rock and roll and can't understand how that happens to younger ppl. Yet my current "younger" crowd play folk rock americana and use decidedly old hardware to achieve said results. Josh Turner uses an 8 track reel to reel for goodness sake.

One thing I think about a lot is post modernism, and how technology gives us abilities to do almost anything and yet we seem to gravitate towards a fairly constrained set of sounds. How long have humans been hitting hollow cavities covered in animal skins with sticks? Why does every culture on earth seem to have some sort of lute/guitar type of instrument? Innovation in instruments used to happen over the course of centuries, now we expect it every year. I think it doesn’t happen because art is a function of culture and culture is far more stable than technology.

When I bought my Strandberg, I thought that technology must have progressed a lot since 1992, when I bought my Steinberger GMT4, but I was disappointed. It’s a great instrument, but I wouldn’t call it 30 years more “advanced.” Better in some ways, worse in others. Same as anything else. I’ve tried the Tim Henson amp sim, Rabea X, Blue Cat and MGuitarArchetech and I either didn’t like the results or found that with EQ and compression, I could get very similar results with what I already have.

[Uncle E]

The new MXR bass synth pedal looks interesting. The classic synth tones are spot-on, which in and of itself might not be massively exciting but imagine if it gets into these guys' hands:

[zerocrossing]

The new MXR bass synth pedal looks interesting. The classic synth tones are spot-on, which in and of itself might not be massively exciting but imagine if it gets into these guys' hands:

Sounds good.

[Naillerz78]

https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/gui ... -challenge

IMHO people blame/praise gear way too much! Use what works for you.

No offence and with all due respect ..
But that is the most useless sit on-the-fence-and-keep-the-peace statement.

But anyways, this little teeny bit of physical (analogue?)gear below is possibly more inspiring playing wise than 90% of amp sims software.(for me , and prob a million others whove posted online they are having probs and frustrated w sims) If it has some kind of direct out to my interface for recording and hopefully a fender or Vox themed variant ,I’ll prob buy it. $100 AUD 2nd hand. Cheaper than a Neural DSP sim and wayyyyy less messing around.

IMG_0231.jpeg

I’m looking for inspiration from the sound of the gear that’s the goal. To get inspired to create. For the cheapest price.
May as well plug my guitar into a transistor radio and crank it that keep messing with sims tryna find than ‘great sim sound’. It seems to be elusive to many, many, many buyers. Judging by all the complaints and queries online over the years.

Plus the sales pitch is with sims is - “ it’s the sound that will work for you”. Which is annoying. and possibly fraudulent.

[Naillerz78]

Get hip to that great sim sound!

[zerocrossing]

https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/gui ... -challenge

IMHO people blame/praise gear way too much! Use what works for you.

No offence and with all due respect ..
But that is the most useless sit on-the-fence-and-keep-the-peace statement.

But anyways, this little teeny bit of physical (analogue?)gear below is possibly more inspiring playing wise than 90% of amp sims software.(for me , and prob a million others whove posted online they are having probs and frustrated w sims) If it has some kind of direct out to my interface for recording and hopefully a fender or Vox themed variant ,I’ll prob buy it. $100 AUD 2nd hand. Cheaper than a Neural DSP sim and wayyyyy less messing around.



IMG_0231.jpeg

I’m looking for inspiration from the sound of the gear that’s the goal. To get inspired to create. For the cheapest price.
May as well plug my guitar into a transistor radio and crank it that keep messing with sims tryna find than ‘great sim sound’. It seems to be elusive to many, many, many buyers. Judging by all the complaints and queries online over the years.

Plus the sales pitch is with sims is - “ it’s the sound that will work for you”. Which is annoying. and possibly fraudulent.

Now I know why I blocked you. A few posts ago, you declared that you had bought Suffham S-Gear and were complete. Now this… way less messing around… I guess. Unless you don’t count adjusting controls, acoustically treating a room and mic placement. You’re either trolling or have some multiple personality disorder.

[Uncle E]

UA made their amp plugins exactly for people who want a realistic amp experience with no frills or hassles. You can get all 4 of them, plus 6 other plugins of your choice, for $74.

[Naillerz78]

Now I know why I blocked you. A few posts ago, you declared that you had bought Suffham S-Gear and were complete. Now this… way less messing around… I guess. Unless you don’t count adjusting controls, acoustically treating a room and mic placement. You’re either trolling or have some multiple personality disorder.

Calm the farm bro. and re the mental health accusations also.

I said I’d settled on SGear, after recycling through/ retesting a bunch I own. It’s SGear -*for now*. It’s the smoothest/least sizzly, to my ears.
I’ll keep it for messing around / practice for convenience I meant.

Dude… re the tweaking; If that Nano amp gives a more detailed/fuller/sweeter sound and is able to go direct-in to my interface with a build in IR .. I’d play w the EQ knobs for a few minutes tops… add reverb and hit record.

Versus all the hours of messing and tweaking with a Sim.

Out of pure curiousity - how long does it take you to set up a patch in whatever modeller/plugin is your go to? How much time does it take comparing IRs to find the right one? Be honest. Is that not a pain?

The thread is ‘real amps vs sims’. That nano head is a contribution for comparison and another option that’s all.

I’m still in the OPs camp haven’t switched sides.

[Naillerz78]

Anyways , to keep the discussion going ..
I googled “underrated amp sims” and came across the below video.

This Bogren IRDX core looks interesting and promising.
As does United Plugins Electrum (?)
That has a built in auto adjustment to optimise to the signal coming in to the software Shocker! that auto doubletracking/ widening effect also is very cool



Shame he does not have sound clips of each in this video.
Anyone have experience with these sims?


PLUGINS FEATURED:
Bogren Digital AmpKnobs
Audio Assault Amp Locker
UnitedPlugins Electrum
ImpactSoundworks Shreddage XTC
AudioSingularity Neurontube Tangie
Mercuriall 1987X SG
Softube Amp Room ENGL Savage Suite
PolychromeDSP HyperRig Kiesel/Nunchuck/Nutcracker
BlueCatAudio Axiom
QuantumDSP Invader/ Carnage
Solemn Tones RuneForge Fenrir
WaveMind Amp Suite Rev F / Tone Suite Distant

[FrettedSynth]

@Naillerz78
No offense taken and respect to all of ya's.

Met the guy tapper Mike spoke of over and over for the last 50 years! New peice of gear every week, always was the shit. Nobody knew better than them what good tone is, they filled their homes, garage, trailers with gear. Never truly learning what they had just kept buying, marketing at its best told them what they needed.

[Naillerz78]

@Naillerz78
No offense taken and respect to all of ya's.

Met the guy tapper Mike spoke of over and over for the last 50 years! New peice of gear every week, always was the shit. Nobody knew better than them what good tone is, they filled their homes, garage, trailers with gear. Never truly learning what they had just kept buying, marketing at its best told them what they needed.

Haha. Yeah I been there with the GAS.
But not in that way of “this is the shit”
More “this is shit”.
endless cycling through guitars tryna find the one that had perfect tuning and intonation etc.
The most precise. Until I realised eventually tuning and intonation is a comprimise on ALL guitars even the highest level ones : dog :
I tried every solution to that one.

I have bought a LOT of digital gear over the decades tho. I bought the 1st Gen L6 Variax when it came out. And probably the earliest gen modelling combo amp. A Vox Valvetronix or line6 most likely. The it was the first Gen of sims like the Line6 GearBox sim , Amplitube Live! Etc

Never have I said “ this is shit” so many times in a row. And accelerated that repitition of phrase with Amp Sim software. Tbh it’s been claimed ‘sims sound just like the real thing’ since the first Gen sims came out . haha.

Yet I keep trying them over and over. It’s a bugbear of mine (obvs). But the common denominator is me I guess…..

It’s the commitment and consistency principle of sales in action.