Best amp-modeling plugin?

[shanecgriffo]

From the stuff i own, the best sound/feel to my liking is Amplitube JH edition followed by overloud th1 with podfarm dragging its tail behind (plus it seems to make my system unstable)

[Frantiac]

The Drive Amp (Super Reverb) in the free-for-a-year Waves GTR Solo is very nice: http://www.wavesgtr.com/html/product_gtr_solo.html

[chj]

Personally, I feel Guitar Rig 4 was a real turning point in amp sims. It's such a vast improvement over GR 2, I'd urge you to go download the demo now and see what you think ... Anyways, yeah: GR 4 is tha shiz.

I love Guitar Rig also, never had GR2 but GR4 was a significant improvement over GR3 so I'd imagine it's quite an improvement over GR2. IMO it's the best guitar ampsim, its flexibility and options are definitely head and shoulders above the rest.

As for the sound, that probably depends on your preference. If you want something that sounds closest to a live amp, GR4 may not be the best option. As someone else mentioned it may sound too polished. For me, the other ampsims sound too messy, they may sound more like a real amp, but a real amp needs alot of work before it sounds anything like you'd hear in a well produced mix. With all the tweaking options, EQ's, reverbs, etc. GuitarRig has everything you need to get a mix ready guitar tone without any other VST's.

[Hink]

I say similar every time this question comes up, the best sounding sim will always be the one you don't choose. I think people think I'm being sarcastic but it's actually true. After you get use to any amp in any form it's easy to interpret "sounds different" as "sounds better". While with one trick ponies (like many amps) it's often more obvious when it sounds bad with sims you're far more likely to stumble on things you like. The palette gets over saturated with all the choices of tones and set ups so that after you find such a tone you work backwards and find tones no different than the sim you're use to but somehow they sound better. Call it Hink's Razor if you will, but the grass will always be greener on the other side of the fence is "razor" the right term, I dunno but it sounded cool

[zerocrossing]

I dig the major contenders like Guitar Rig, Amplitube and TH1, but my vote goes to Softube's Vintage Amp Room. I get some great clean tones, and they go dirty well with some overdrive behind them. It's also very light on the old CPU. Maybe I'm weird, but I think it doesn't get as much recognition here as I think it should. But I do understand it's a matter of taste.

I'm also a big Simulanalog fan, and the effects are very useful for things besides guitars. Kuassa also got my attention.

I too like the Softube stuff, but man is it expensive for what you get and at the end of the day they seem on par to Amplitube 2 and it's different flavors.

Guitar Rig 4... after the initial excitement I found myself going back to the tracks I used it on and replacing them with good old Amplitube. Sorry NI, with all your fancy new control room stuff, you're still off to my ears.

TH1 always seemed good to me, but not great. Inexpensive for what you get though and I like it's flexible routing. Note: all amp sims have something to learn from NI in that respect. Now if only I liked their amp sims...

But in the end I'll echo what other people have said: What weird compression? I don't hear it from any of the products you mention. I'd like to hear a bit about your guitar's signal path. What's your a/d?

[blueman]

Many to choose from at http://www.acmebargig.com/

I have had great success with some of these and they each have a strong character of their own.

No seeker-of-free-amp-sim-software should be without them!

Note: Many of the amps from ABG (most of them) require cabinet modeling so, keep that in mind. Otherwise, you might be wondering why they sound like bees in a can

[pandashake]

ReValver mkIII fanboi here. Behind that, Studio Devil VGA.

[blueman]

I too like the Softube stuff, but man is it expensive for what you get and at the end of the day they seem on par to Amplitube 2 and it's different flavors.

I agree (somewhat) but where's the Vox tone in Amplitube? GR4 has got it beat on the AC30 imo. Now, Softube VAR wipes the floor with both GR4 and Amplitube (the Vox model specifically) but I agree that the price is just not justifiable for 3 amps and no effects. WTF?!

For all of Amplitube's great modeling of Marshall, Fender and the like, it just doesn't deliver that Vox chime. I find its Vox emulation pretty flat and probably the worst among competitors. I'd love to be proven wrong though

[blueman]

TH1 always seemed good to me, but not great. Inexpensive for what you get though and I like it's flexible routing.

Interesting. I think TH1 is overall, one of the best. Very organic tones which I find more believable than most modeling software. And their effects are stellar to my ears! The reverbs and delays are especially sweet Curious...what didn't you like about it?

Personally, I am not crazy about the user interface but I find the tones excellent

[blueman]

My list of favs (for what little it's actually worth):

1. Amplitube Fender
2. Overloud TH1
3. Amplitube Metal
4. Guitar Rig 4
5. Amplitube 2
6. POD Farm

I don't own Revalver III but I know people really seem to like it. I find its user interface totally uninspiring and that's a deal breaker for me. It does have great routing capability and good tones though (but Guitar Rig 4 is better overall imo).

I've surveyed almost all of the AcmeBarGig, LePou, and Nick Crow freewares (just for fun) and I always find them incomplete. Some of them sound GREAT though and there are a few keepers in there for sure (LePou's latest Powerball emulation comes to mind). I still prefer commercial sims for the total package

[blueman]

...the best sounding sim will always be the one you don't choose. I think people think I'm being sarcastic but it's actually true. After you get use to any amp in any form it's easy to interpret "sounds different" as "sounds better".

Interesting post! Food for thought...

[Rathead]

Many to choose from at http://www.acmebargig.com/

I have had great success with some of these and they each have a strong character of their own.

No seeker-of-free-amp-sim-software should be without them!

Note: Many of the amps from ABG (most of them) require cabinet modeling so, keep that in mind. Otherwise, you might be wondering why they sound like bees in a can

You are, of course, absolutely correct.
I guess rather than focussing on the amp sim only, a combination of guitar tone (or sample set or VST instrument , whatever), amp sim and cab sim is necessary to get the overall effect required (as is EQ, reverb and a million other things). Different sims for different results. I like to keep the amp and cab sims separate so I enjoy the variety of lots of different amps. I do not dispute the possible superiority of commercial amp sims but I think you can have as much fun, and get as good results, by messing around with some excellent freeware.
Professional under pressure of time? Go with what you know for sure will give your result.
Fun loving experimenter? Get a herd of freeware and a good IR cab simulator and play with the bazillions of possibilities thereby unleashed.

My 2c. (01.33c after tax)

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

I'm an Amplitube fan. The Marshall Plexi, Fuxx boxes, and Univibe in JHE is amazing, as are the Twin, Vibrolux, Deluxe, Champ, and Bassman in AT Fender. And lets not the forget the stomp boxes in ATMetal as well. Then AT2 has a pretty sweet selection on it's own, though it's looking a little long in the tooth.

I agree with the guy who says the Amplitube Vox needs work. It's time for them to revisit some of those original AT2 amps.

[metalifuxx]

What's the best ice cream?

Often a hard choice when you go into the store strictly for that one item, and find yourself going over the various choices in your head a few times and opening the freezer doors several times and putting selections back and taking out a new one, only to decide you want something different a second later. You could probably give me any flavor, I even like Coffee falvored as a lot of people don't, but if I'm buying, it wont be the in-store's brand generic knockoff that leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

But if you're making a root beer float or Boston cooler (that is ginger ale with vanilla to the non midwest-northeast Americans), you're always going to use vanilla.

[premiumcrap]

PLAY ACOUSTIC!

so you don't need any simulation.....except a brain,finger and footstomp
simulator!

www.myspace.com/tombalcony