Real amps vs modelling and plugin amps

[Uncle E]

I’ll also assert that I think a lot of the amp and cabinet models in Amplitube are every bit as good as what’s available in Tonex, and I really appreciate how they tweak like a real amp, not like someone just stuck an EQ in there.

They really need to add EQ presets that behave like common amp EQ's. Also, if you change the EQ to Pre, it behaves more like a real amp.

[zerocrossing]

I’ll also assert that I think a lot of the amp and cabinet models in Amplitube are every bit as good as what’s available in Tonex, and I really appreciate how they tweak like a real amp, not like someone just stuck an EQ in there.

They really need to add EQ presets that behave like common amp EQ's. Also, if you change the EQ to Pre, it behaves more like a real amp.

I suppose so, but for me that’s fixing a problem that I don’t feel like I have. I feel like Amplitube does a great job with all the major tone types that I like, and Tonex fills in some more rare and boutique stuff. I like the room emulation of Amplitube so much, and a lot of captures have cabinets so I can’t use it. Most of the time I use it for gain pedals in front of a clean or crunchy amp model. That Dr. Z Z Wreck kicks ass.

[Uncle E]

I like the room emulation of Amplitube so much, and a lot of captures have cabinets so I can’t use it.

Use the Custom IR cabinet and leave it empty, then the room emulation works.

[stimresp]

When setup properly, and when using a good quality capture and IR, NAM comes closest to a real amp feel. It's damned impressive.

Honourable mentions to Mercurial, Bluecat and Kuassa. I am not a high-gain player and these float my boat for cleans / edge of breakup tones, not to mention the flexibility.

[Naillerz78]

My five favorites?

1) Two Notes Genome - It's own amps are pretty good. It can load NAM and Aida-X captures as well.
Combined with Two Note's DynIR, (dynamic irs), it's become a go to.

2) Tonex

3) ReValver Suite & ACT combo. (Personal bias tho as I was one of the original beta testers).

4) Scuffham S-Gear

5) Magix Vandal - tho perhaps not the best sounding of the bunch, it's uncomplicated GUI
and "feel factor" make it a go to for quick jams or as a sketchpad.

Yknow I was gonna edit my earlier post and put Vandal in also over Kuassa.I played through it again yesterday (the 1959 preset with the creme pedal) and it definitely has a more satisfying fullness and feel to it than a lot of the others
I read somewhere it was a different kind of modelling at the time (?)

Good to see ReValver getting a shout out also.
The RedHot amp was my old go-to very innovative that sim with the Vst loader etc
I must go back and check out the ACT.
It has a “no amp” preset called “nylon string “ or somesuch .. very fun and useable that one!

I’ll be keeping both of those sims installed.

[pekbro]

The Vandal guy started a new company, maybe we’ll see some new guitar stuff at some point.

[stoopicus]

I suppose so, but for me that’s fixing a problem that I don’t feel like I have. I feel like Amplitube does a great job with all the major tone types that I like, and Tonex fills in some more rare and boutique stuff. I like the room emulation of Amplitube so much, and a lot of captures have cabinets so I can’t use it. Most of the time I use it for gain pedals in front of a clean or crunchy amp model. That Dr. Z Z Wreck kicks ass.

I actually like the Amplitube 5 sims a lot for guitar. The many Marshalls and Oranges sound fine, and the Soldano is pretty good (though I prefer NeuralDSP's).

For bass they are okay but not my favorites.

I stand by Kuassa, they aren't perfect sims but IMO they all sound great, especially Cerberus, Clarent and Caliburn.

[zerocrossing]

I like the room emulation of Amplitube so much, and a lot of captures have cabinets so I can’t use it.

Use the Custom IR cabinet and leave it empty, then the room emulation works.

Ah! That's brilliant! I thought I had gotten it to work at one point but then tried it and couldn't seem to make it happen again, so I thought I'd been mistaken. Thanks for that.

I also for fun just did an a/b of a Z Wreck Tonex capture and the Amplitube model (one of my favorites), and of course it's imprecise because I have no idea what settings, mic, etc, were used to make these, but I couldn't get a better result from any factory or user library capture that I could find. Not better tone, or dynamics. I know Tonex is the new bell of the ball, but I honestly do feel like many of the models really hold up.

[stoopicus]

If for nothing else, the ToneX is valuable simply because it forced a price check on NeuralDSP

[zerocrossing]

I suppose so, but for me that’s fixing a problem that I don’t feel like I have. I feel like Amplitube does a great job with all the major tone types that I like, and Tonex fills in some more rare and boutique stuff. I like the room emulation of Amplitube so much, and a lot of captures have cabinets so I can’t use it. Most of the time I use it for gain pedals in front of a clean or crunchy amp model. That Dr. Z Z Wreck kicks ass.

I actually like the Amplitube 5 sims a lot for guitar. The many Marshalls and Oranges sound fine, and the Soldano is pretty good (though I prefer NeuralDSP's).

For bass they are okay but not my favorites.

I stand by Kuassa, they aren't perfect sims but IMO they all sound great, especially Cerberus, Clarent and Caliburn.

FYI, on the SLD 100, I set my input at -6 or all the way down as low as it can go, depending on what I'm going for. I find this is generally the way to go for almost all the amp models, but I make sure I'm almost clipping my audio interface when I'm bashing the strings. Also, try different cabs. I found the default to be pretty bad. I'm a fan of Orange cabs, so I use the 4x12 PPC 412, or an Ownhammer Orange IR. I learned this from a Youtuber who did a a/b comparison of the NeuralDSP and the Amplitube, and the Amplitube sounded pretty bad. He then did a follow up where he ran them though the same cabinet IR and all of the sudden the Amplitube model was on par with the NeuralDSP. As good? Hard to say, but the IR really helped in this case.

[Naillerz78]

To the OP, YnJ have you tried this ??

Yeah, I've tried it a few times. It didn't do anything for me, I rather use proper amp plugins

You may like this video ..just came across on a google. I liked his ‘glass’ analogy and he’s a good player too.



I guess it comes down to (a) primarily a guitar player or (b) guitarist/producer engineer.
I’m off to give NAM another spin

[zerocrossing]

If for nothing else, the ToneX is valuable simply because it forced a price check on NeuralDSP

I ordered a Quad Cortex when I first started hearing demos. I thought it sounded really good, but they kept pushing the date. That made me worried, so I cut bait and got an AxeFX 3 instead. Tomatoes, tamahtoes.

What I want from them as a kind of Quad Cortex plugin, that's all their models and a capture playback in one place. I'd buy that in a second, as I think they're plugins sound great, but I don't want that kind of limited set. Also, one set costs more than Amplitube Max, so what the hell's up with that?

[Naillerz78]

When setup properly, and when using a good quality capture and IR, NAM comes closest to a real amp feel. It's damned impressive.

Honourable mentions to Mercurial, Bluecat and Kuassa. I am not a high-gain player and these float my boat for cleans / edge of breakup tones, not to mention the flexibility.

What mercurial sims do u use for cleans and EOB tones..?

[Uncle E]

FYI, on the SLD 100, I set my input at -6 or all the way down as low as it can go, depending on what I'm going for. I find this is generally the way to go for almost all the amp models, but I make sure I'm almost clipping my audio interface when I'm bashing the strings. Also, try different cabs. I found the default to be pretty bad. I'm a fan of Orange cabs, so I use the 4x12 PPC 412, or an Ownhammer Orange IR. I learned this from a Youtuber who did a a/b comparison of the NeuralDSP and the Amplitube, and the Amplitube sounded pretty bad. He then did a follow up where he ran them though the same cabinet IR and all of the sudden the Amplitube model was on par with the NeuralDSP. As good? Hard to say, but the IR really helped in this case.

FWIW, I'm pretty sure no one uses AmpliTube the way I use it. I made captures (not IR's) of my power amp and speaker, so that it closely resembles how I use Tonex live. That way I can make settings in either rig and they sound pretty much the same.

[stimresp]

When setup properly, and when using a good quality capture and IR, NAM comes closest to a real amp feel. It's damned impressive.

Honourable mentions to Mercurial, Bluecat and Kuassa. I am not a high-gain player and these float my boat for cleans / edge of breakup tones, not to mention the flexibility.

What mercurial sims do u use for cleans and EOB tones..?

I really like the SS-11X, usually as a pre-amp in front of a clean NAM capture.

I also like Reaxis on light settings and using the (very good) SD-1 pedal in front with a smidgen of gain.

The only other one I have is Euphoria but, TBH I haven't spent much time with it.

Mercurial amps might be more associated high gain, but they do great cleans and light crunch tones IMO.

YMMV