Amplitube 2 Jimi Hendrix RELEASED this month!!!

[AndrewSimon]

IK marketing is doing just fine.
They could have called it "an upgrade" where you get a few fuzz pedals for $199, I don't think a lot of AT2 owners would have been happy with that.

But hey.. it's the "Jimi Hendrix edition" and look at the interest here and in the media, an "upgrade" alone would have never gotten that much interest or media coverage.

On top of that they might gain some new users that will buy the Jimi edition only for whatever reason.
Of course every new customer might also become a repeat customer in the future.

A++ for marketing and IK's bottom line.

As for me, you can call it whatever you want, I will download the demo and if there is at least one new pedal there that I can't live without I will buy it.

[Mokafix]

...heck, they even sold his name for freaking underwear!!!

It's not totally absurd if you consider this:
http://www.cynthiapcaster.org/casts/_di ... x_page.htm

[Squids]

Debate about the marketing of icon legends that are no longer living is always something one can have any time... from James Dean to Bogie to Marilyn Monroe to Jim Morrison, Hendrix and the list goes on. Sometimes it is done tastefully and in paying homage such as a product like AmpliTube Jimi Hendix Edition (in my opinion and to back it up, I believe that if Hendrix were alive today he'd be fascinated by what you can do and would probably love for musicians to be able to get incredible sounds like this... most 'legendary' musicians I've met have this good feeling about other musicians and like promoting their creativity... the whole "rock and roll will never die" thing). Sometimes the marketing is distasteful and gratuitious such as Bogart underwear or whatever. I realize that everyone can draw the line in a different place. In our industry a lot of guitar players are into the concept and there's a Jimi Hendrix signature amp from Marshall, there's a popular Digitech pedal and now there's a software plug-in that gets closer than anything else has before to emulating the gear in his rig. It may not appeal to everyone because each person has their opinion about such things. But, it DOES have it's broad appeal and there are plenty of people that are excited about it. Even people you might not expect like Alex Lifeson. I've talked to him about it and he loves AmpliTube 2 (really) and when I told him about the Jimi Hendrix Edition he looked like a kid in a candy store. That, for me, reminded me that even a lot of my favorite guitar players like him, Page, Gilmour etc. were all influenced by Hendrix and would LOVE to have a virtual emulation of his rig... I mean, I am still stratching my head on what guitarist wouldn't. I know I would, especially for the price it's at.


In response to anyone trying to claim that ATJH is just marketing BS I say this.

It's a development of the modeling of the vintage components of his rig. The goal is to emulate great pedals like Univibes, Fuzzboxes and various Marshall and Fender amps that Hendrix used. It's extremely expensive to procure all of that gear to model and time consuming, costly and takes the particular skill, expertise and techniques to do a great job at it. I think the developers nailed it and fully "get it" because I, for one, really want emulations of that gear myself. I just went into a store recently and was all excited to see a Univibe but when I asked the price and heard it was $1,800. my mouth dropped.

So, I have been busy and haven't read all 300+ pages of this thread but if anyone even wants to think that the Hendrix product is just marketing and nothing else I am quite happy to point out that this notion is completely off base from reality.

This is really two products depending on how you look at it (or choose to). If you are a fan of Hendrix then you might be excited about all that is Hendrix about it (presets, accurate models of his rig etc.). If you don't really care about that aspect then you can still look at it as a "Vintage-Oriented AmpliTube 2". If you don't own AT2 then it is a great price for a full featured AT2 Vintage Edition if you will. If you DO own AmpliTube 2 then you get a great deal on the crossgrade to have the additional models and presets. That all sounds really really good to me!

[AndrewSimon]

Hey Squids

For the "upgrading customers" it would be really nice to have a table showing what exactly is new in ATJH and what modules/amps are taken from AT2.
Obviously I see some new fuzz pedals and at least one new mic but it is unclear if the amps and cabs are the same as in AT2 or not.

[Squids]

Hey Squids

For the "upgrading customers" it would be really nice to have a table showing what exactly is new in ATJH and what modules/amps are taken from AT2.
Obviously I see some new fuzz pedals and at least one new mic but it is unclear if the amps and cabs are the same as in AT2 or not.

MOST of it is new. That was my point. Even the Fuzzface was actually modeled off a different one. The one in AT2 was modeled off of my own personal one actually. But, the one in ATJH was modeled after another one they found that is a little bit different (these stomp boxes often changed components depending on availability of germanium transistors and stuff like that... plus even with the same components they can still sound different from the next... gotta love analog!). I like the Fuzzface in the JH Edition a little bit better but having both is nice.

Here's the thing that I really like. I think a company like IK could have just taken the licensing aspect of Jimi Hendrix and dressed up AmpliTube 2, put in some specialized presets and called it the Jimi Hendrix Edition. It'd be less work to do that and you might think that people wouldn't know the difference. But, the problem is that IK doesn't want to just make a novelty item. There's pride in pushing the envelope of development. What better excuse to model more vintage gear that guitarists want than to put it all in connection with one of the most legendary and influential rock guitarists of all time?

So, again, it really is BOTH a collection of vintage gear you DON'T have in AT2 as well as a Hendrix themed product with all of the related stuff from that standpoint.

Here are a couple of personal highlight models for me. The Marshall JMT, the Fender Brown Face, the Sunn cab, the Univibe, Mosrite Fuzzrite, Maestro Fuzztone, Fuzzface, Octavia, RM pedals... all of that stuff I either own in hardware or always waned to but couldn't find a reasonable price for it. I have a Rotovibe which I like but not as much as a Univibe. I just can't justify paying $1,800 for a vintage one and the remake doesn't sound the same. It's got this optical sensor that is just LIQUID and wonderful. Oh yeah, speaking of "liquid" I don't know HOW I could forget one of my favorite pedals of all time that is modeled in this. The Thomas Organ Vox Wah pedal. This was modeled off of my own personal wah pedal that I picked over a lot of other wahs such as crybabies, Morley and others. This is the best sounding one in my opinion and one of the most desirable by guitarists. The wah in AT2 is pretty good but sounds more like a traditional Crybaby. This Vox pedal I believe is the predecessor to the Crybaby but just sounds a lot more musical in my opinion. So the Hendrix Edition has a better wah... again in my opinion.

Now, why DO guitarists or producers and other musicians want to have either the hardware or at least accurate emulations of this specific gear digitally? Is it to sound just like Hendrix? Well, sometimes yeah. That could easily come up in a session "No, get a sound like Purple Haze on this one". But, it's to use the character effects that have been proven in rock music to work well and sound great, maybe nostalgic and reminiscient of music we like whether it's Zeppelin or Metallica, Radiohead, Green Day, Coldplay or whatever guitar sound in a band. That's the main reason the hardware has gone up in price is more and more people are catching on to these secret weapons in the studio... the RIGHT vintage gear to get certain sounds people are after. So, for EVERYONE'S budget now there's an option to get a lot of those sounds. I think it's a great thing. It's exciting! It's something to add to the production tool set up for me. The tool kit.

[Squids]

I was curious myself Andrew so I looked into it a little bit for you. All of the amps and stomps are NEW (not in AT2). But the rack effects are the same as in AT2. That's pretty much it and the mic models... although there's some cool new mic models in this including a Beyer Dynamic Ribbon mic that is incredible. The new cabs are fantastic too and the JBL D120 and D130 F are really amazing. Very different than a Celestion actually. I love this product (I already have it shhhh ).

[beergeek]

Hey Squids...long time no see

Personally, you know I dig it. But I can see Sascha's point because let's face it..."marketing bullshit" is redundant.

Whether a product delivers or not, marketing is meant to get people to buy something even if they don't need or want it. It's not very good marketing if it doesn't succeed at that.

That said, Sascha doesn't need or want this and is in his "happy place" with gear. It's his guitar identity that he's concentrating on. I suspect there's a bunch of people like that.

On the other hand, there's a bunch of gear heads and plug-in freaks (like you and me ) who REALLY dig this idea on a number of levels, the least of which is the "Authentic Hendrix" label as long as the gear models sound good.

So, since you already have it, you bastard , when's it coming up for pre-order or sale on eSoundz?

--Rob

[A3ntar]

I was curious myself Andrew so I looked into it a little bit for you. All of the amps and stomps are NEW (not in AT2). But the rack effects are the same as in AT2. That's pretty much it and the mic models... although there's some cool new mic models in this including a Beyer Dynamic Ribbon mic that is incredible. The new cabs are fantastic too and the JBL D120 and D130 F are really amazing. Very different than a Celestion actually. I love this product (I already have it shhhh ).

Oh, so that means that it will make it on time this time?

[redshift factor]

It's my understanding that if you have AT2, then ATJH will integrate inside of it, giving you access to mix and match components from both.

Is this correct?
How exactly would this work?

[AndrewSimon]

It's my understanding that if you have AT2, then ATJH will integrate inside of it, giving you access to mix and match components from both.

Is this correct?
How exactly would this work?

Yes, this was confirmed by Squids.

[A3ntar]

It's my understanding that if you have AT2, then ATJH will integrate inside of it, giving you access to mix and match components from both.

Is this correct?
How exactly would this work?

Yes, this was confirmed by Squids.

Oh! I missed that!

That might be bad news though since AT 2.1 standalone doesn't support midi control.

I was hoping that AT2JHE will be a newer build with Midi control support.

[redshift factor]

Is AT2 going to need an update to load the new ATJH modules?

I believe AT2 is still a VST2.3 plugin, while several IK products have already been updated to VST2.4. Maybe AT2 will be getting an update at the same time as the ATJH release which brings it up to VST2.4, adds MIDI control, ATJH compatibility, and hopefully something really cool like models of the MXR M-117 Flanger and M-135 SmartGate (unless we have to wait for AmpliTube 2 Eddie Van Halen Edition for those...)

Of course in reality I'd be happy if IK Multimedia could just avoid missing yet another release date.

[Squids]

Hey Squids...long time no see

Personally, you know I dig it. But I can see Sascha's point because let's face it..."marketing bullshit" is redundant.

Whether a product delivers or not, marketing is meant to get people to buy something even if they don't need or want it. It's not very good marketing if it doesn't succeed at that.

That said, Sascha doesn't need or want this and is in his "happy place" with gear. It's his guitar identity that he's concentrating on. I suspect there's a bunch of people like that.

On the other hand, there's a bunch of gear heads and plug-in freaks (like you and me ) who REALLY dig this idea on a number of levels, the least of which is the "Authentic Hendrix" label as long as the gear models sound good.

So, since you already have it, you bastard , when's it coming up for pre-order or sale on eSoundz?

--Rob

I think that to some people you could look at this as simply a less expensive AmpliTube 2 (if you don't have it). If you DO have AT2 AND you're a gearhead then yes this is going to be a NICE collection of virtual gear to add to your set up. No doubt. Some people don't care so much about all of these great pieces of gear it's emulating. Fair enough. It's not for everyone. But, all you have to do is pick up any guitar magazine to see how much mention there is of vintage stomp boxes and amps (not to mention legends like Jimi Hendrix and "how to get the tone" etc.). Also the fact that stores CAN sell a Univibe for $1,800. tells you that there are plenty of guitarists that crave this stuff. Hopefully they are hip to making music on the computer by now (or can pick up a Stealthplug at least).

As for pre-order on www.esoundz.com we will have it for pre-order at the beginning of this coming week! Also, I heard that the crossgrade discount is only going to be a limited time thing. Maybe just a couple of months or the launch and then no more crossgrade discount anymore. So, a little heads up on that. The product should be shipping some time early next month (no later than the end of next month). If you're thinking about getting it guys then I'd plan for it. Oh, one other thing we're doing on esoundz that is exclusive is giving away a special rock loop collection with it for free. So, some extra benefit to buying it there (also free international shipping is nice as well).

[Squids]

It's my understanding that if you have AT2, then ATJH will integrate inside of it, giving you access to mix and match components from both.

Is this correct?
How exactly would this work?

Yes, this was confirmed by Squids.

Actually, I am not sure if it works right away but something that has been planned as far as I know. The Stomp IO stand alone AT2 works this way (when it's out... almost here). But, the plug-in version I think will have an update later that will open JH. We'll see. I think so.

[Kriminal]

How about trying to get the sounds of a decent guitarist???