Amp modeling/ guitar fx recommendations?

Native Instruments Guitar Rig. Although I have my own "real" amps and stomp boxes etc, I was very impressed with Guitar Rig. It's also great for bass, and makes a great FX rack for other stuff too. A light version is included with Sonar 8 Producer, but the full version has a lot more. It has Tweeds, and most other famous amps, cabs, mics, stomp boxes etc. One of the great things about it is that you can design your own guitar rig, and say, have a huge stack of Marshals that would otherwise fill a truck, or mix a load of amps in a stereo setup.

OK, I'm taking the plunge into the world of simulated amps and such. I have nigel, but which one really rules, and is it good for bass, too? In particular, I'd really like to get the sound of that tweedy looking blonde thing keith richards mikes up on stage.

How picky are you with guitar tone?
If you're hyper choosy about having THE perfect guitar tone, then you might not be fully satisfied with any AmpSim.
Having said that, any of the popular choices (Amplitube 2, Waves GTR, Pod Farm, Guitar Rig 3, etc) can sound "pretty good" to "very good".

Of particular importance is your DI signal chain.
Using a standard line input for the guitar will result in the dull/lifeless sound.
A proper (Hi-Z) DI goes a long way toward making sure the final AmpSim results sound good.
If you'll be doing a lot of DI guitar/bass tracks, consider getting something like the Reddi box (Tube DI) from A-designs.

Regarding Bass AmpSims; Ampeg SVX is currently the best option available.

I would not trade any of my outboard amp simulators for any of the VSTi amp sims. I love my Boss-GS-10 and my PODPro. Theres no dealing with latency and theres absolutely no CPU hit. Its a win win situation.
Cj

ORIGINAL: Michael Five



OK, I'm taking the plunge into the world of simulated amps and such. I have nigel, but which one really rules, and is it good for bass, too? In particular, I'd really like to get the sound of that tweedy looking blonde thing keith richards mikes up on stage.

All opinions, advice, pointers, and pithy maxims are welcome. Sorry I cannot donate any money.

Michael- not to undermine anything others have said here as I respect their opinions..just my two..

Really a tuff question to me and reason being...I think most sound evaluation is obtained from people that know what is used during evaluating the sound. For example (should any choose) listen to one of mine and tell me what I used. Now that would impress me. And I don't mean guessing but a true recognized sonic character.
I think maybe a better question is which software/hardware will work best for you and your setup...that is what makes it a tuff question to me. Free trial downloads is probably the best road for software.
I have tried many and purchased many of the ones mentioned.

But good luck to you.
Michael

ORIGINAL: Jim Roseberry

OK, I'm taking the plunge into the world of simulated amps and such. I have nigel, but which one really rules, and is it good for bass, too? In particular, I'd really like to get the sound of that tweedy looking blonde thing keith richards mikes up on stage.

How picky are you with guitar tone?
If you're hyper choosy about having THE perfect guitar tone, then you might not be fully satisfied with any AmpSim.
Having said that, any of the popular choices (Amplitube 2, Waves GTR, Pod Farm, Guitar Rig 3, etc) can sound "pretty good" to "very good".

Of particular importance is your DI signal chain.
Using a standard line input for the guitar will result in the dull/lifeless sound.
A proper (Hi-Z) DI goes a long way toward making sure the final AmpSim results sound good.
If you'll be doing a lot of DI guitar/bass tracks, consider getting something like the Reddi box (Tube DI) from A-designs.

Regarding Bass AmpSims; Ampeg SVX is currently the best option available.

Thanks everyone.

I probably don't have the ear to really distinguish between a well-done sim and the real one, but I have heard from others that the input signal is critical as Jim says here - if you don't get tht right, it won't sound even close to right. Would you think the instrument in on a ff400 would do the trick, or would you recommend investing in a dedicated DI for this?

ORIGINAL: space_cowboy
Pod Farm - it misses something in high end sparkle to me.

Totally agree. I thought I was alone! Love the fx and the low CPU demand, but the guitar amp models don't quite cut it for me anymore. The reason? I tried the Revalver MKIII demo the other day and was blown away! It will be my next software purchase.


Sven

this may surprise a few folks...

mostly I do prefer to stick a microphone in front of a speaker cabinet... BUT, when I need a amplifier simulator I find I turn to the Adrenalinn about 90% of the time, and on the rare occasions when that doesn't quite cut it I'm real pleased with Aura from DBAudioware (yeah, I know, they revised and renamed it, but I haven't gotten around to upgrading yet!)

ORIGINAL: Guitarhacker

I probably don't have the ear to really distinguish between a well-done sim and the real one

If most admitted it.... they can't either.

Not to try to tell people what they can or can not do, but I'd be surprised if the majority of guitar players really can't tell the difference. The models are good, don't get me wrong, but they have a certain "sameness" for lack of a better word, or maybe it is better to say that recording a real rig provides some additional animation or variation that distinguishes it from a model.

I love where we are in terms of technology... for a few hundred bucks I have a nearly infinite (for my present purposes anyway) rack of Urei and Neve equalizers and compressors, and a plate - all living on a PCI card in my PC. Of the bunch the plate is probably the most idealized model, and still, it sounds great. If I could afford a rack of the real deals would I use it? I don't know. If I had the space for a real plate I probably would cave and get it, but that's a slightly different animal.

And just telling the difference is not the entire question!!

I have a couple recordings where the model worked better than the real thing... it's always a matter of application.

ORIGINAL: Slugbaby



FYI, Keith Richard's tweedy looking thing is a Vox AC30. What you're not seeing is that it's combined with a Marshall JCM800 to give it a bit of grit. He mixes the two together for his main sound.

Ah- no. Keith's tweedy looking thing is a very old Fender Twin.

ew

I probably don't have the ear to really distinguish between a well-done sim and the real one, but I have heard from others that the input signal is critical as Jim says here - if you don't get tht right, it won't sound even close to right.

Hello,

I use Amplitube exclusively now as my amplifier for recording. I'm not big on tests and experiments but I did do one test that is relevant. On one side is my studio monitors (which are approximately 5 feet apart and I sit 5 feet away). To my right, approximately 5 feet away, is my beloved reissue black face ‘62 Twin Reverb guitar amp (and I do mean beloved, purchased at Carmine Street Guitars, NYC and formerly owned by the late Robert Quine of "Richard Hell and the Voidoids" fame).

I took my 1970 Arbiter Fuzz Face (also beloved, the one with the bakelite hand-wired board and huge metal can transistors) and plugged it into the Twin and into the Fuzz Face I plugged (of course) a Strat. I dialed up a nice "Jimmy"-like tone (and played a little "Manic Depression" just to make sure. That is as authentic as I can get with what I own.

Then I plugged the same Strat into my 30 year-old Sescom passive direct box and into a mic pre on my Mackie mixer. The signal was routed to a Sonar track, upon which I had inserted Amplitube. I set up Amplitube with a 100W American vintage tube amp and a 2 x 12" American speaker cab. The virtual mic I selected was the 421 (which I liked better than the 57). I then inserted the Amplitube "Fuzz Ace" (their software version of the Fuzz Face) into the first pedal slot and tried to match the sound of the real amp and fuzz.

I was able to substantially duplicate the sound of the live amp and fuzz box. It was close enough to make me smile. But you can't duplicate the actual "feel" of a guitar plugged into analog gear and a real guitar amp. To get the feeling of being plugged into Amplitube (or a POD, for that matter) get a 10 foot cable and stand at the end of it and play. That slightly "spongy" feeling can't be completely eliminated from amp sims. Even at 128 samples an outboard or software amp sim is not as "immediate" as being plugged directly into a guitar amp. While the player can feel the ever-so-light "disconnect" in amp sims it is not apparent in playback or to a listening to the amp sim being played live.

For me, at 128 samples Amplitube has no lag but it still doesn't have the "connected" feel of a guitar amp. There are times where I will boot up Sonar and load Amplitube and then wank away for 2 or 3 ours trying every different s preset and tweaks. But I still require "quality" time with one of my guitars plugged directly into the Twin.

GK