As a Kemper owner (for now) I'm inclined to agree somewhat with the above sentiments.  That said, I'd say they sound "different" instead of "better" than the sims.  After all, they are simply "sims" too.  They just come in their own box.  For me, the difference is so slight and so meaningless that I much prefer to use the "in the box" sims.  I'm a visual guy and I prefer to see the amps, cabs, pedals and mics even if it's nothing more than eye candy.  I like working on them better than pushing little buttons and scrolling through screens of text on the small blue screen of my Kemp.  That's just me.  
 
Also, as someone who's been recording for lo these last 30 years, the "difference" is also not meaningful enough to make me want to go back to micing up amps and cabs in the studio the old school way when I can just have what I need with a few mouse clicks.  I am one lazy ol sumbeetch.  
 
YMMV.
 

I hadn't messed with software amp sims in a while, but last week after experiencing some issue with my POD HD (which seemed to be clipping internally on lightly overdriven patches, no matter what I tried), I decided to finally do what I had long been meaning to and recycled my old MacBook Pro and Focusrite Scarlett as an amp sim.
 

 
I installed a bunch of the software amp sims I own - Amplitube 3 and 4, Guitar Rig, S-Gear, POD Farm, Bias LE, and played with each of them for a while.
 
I liked each of them for some things but hated them all for some things. And I came to the very same conclusion that I always come to. Amp sims are hit or miss. I can't seem to pick one and have it work reliably for me. More often than not, they don't work, hence, I end up wasting a lot of time going back and forth between them.
 
And so, the following day, after a few attempts at recording a track using each of those amp sims, I decided to stop wasting my time and opted for the most reliable solution that I know.
 

 
I was surprised - almost disappointed - to realize that I had all the parts recorded and overdubbed in no time at all. I was expecting to spend the afternoon playing guitar...

yorolpal
As a Kemper owner (for now) I'm inclined to agree somewhat with the above sentiments.  That said, I'd say they sound "different" instead of "better" than the sims.  After all, they are simply "sims" too.  They just come in their own box.  For me, the difference is so slight and so meaningless that I much prefer to use the "in the box" sims.  I'm a visual guy and I prefer to see the amps, cabs, pedals and mics even if it's nothing more than eye candy.  I like working on them better than pushing little buttons and scrolling through screens of text on the small blue screen of my Kemp.  That's just me.  
 

I'm not trying to sell ya on Helix, but you really should check out the UI.  
The screen is a large/color display.
 
If you assign a DSP block to a footwitch (touch the desired switch and say OK), you can navigate between those blocks by touching the switches.  They're sensitive to touch (not just normal switches).
Navigation is super quick/easy.

• 4 sends/returns if you want to incorporate specific boutique pedals with Helix
• S/PDIF and AES/EBU output (in addition to balanced analog)
• Can load IRs for Cab sim and Acoustic body resonance (amazing on piezo guitar)

Have a favorite cab you like mic'd with a specific mic/s? Create/load your own Cab IRs.
Amazing flexibility...
 
 
 

Jim Roseberry

yorolpal
As a Kemper owner (for now) I'm inclined to agree somewhat with the above sentiments.  That said, I'd say they sound "different" instead of "better" than the sims.  After all, they are simply "sims" too.  They just come in their own box.  For me, the difference is so slight and so meaningless that I much prefer to use the "in the box" sims.  I'm a visual guy and I prefer to see the amps, cabs, pedals and mics even if it's nothing more than eye candy.  I like working on them better than pushing little buttons and scrolling through screens of text on the small blue screen of my Kemp.  That's just me.  
 

I'm not trying to sell ya on Helix, but you really should check out the UI.  
The screen is a large/color display.
 
If you assign a DSP block to a footwitch (touch the desired switch and say OK), you can navigate between those blocks by touching the switches.  They're sensitive to touch (not just normal switches).
Navigation is super quick/easy.

• 4 sends/returns if you want to incorporate specific boutique pedals with Helix
• S/PDIF and AES/EBU output (in addition to balanced analog)
• Can load IRs for Cab sim and Acoustic body resonance (amazing on piezo guitar)

Have a favorite cab you like mic'd with a specific mic/s? Create/load your own Cab IRs.
Amazing flexibility...
 

^^^what he said...

In my Dreams I can have one...but ONLY in my dreams...LOL

Ol Pal, how do you like Bias Fx Pro so far?

yorolpal
I haven't bought it yet.  Still trying to find out how well it behaves in Win 10.  Latest Googling says there are some issues there.

As I mentioned before I have the Non-Pro versions of both FX and AMP in Windows 10 and they run just fine. I have not had any crashes or issues with them aside from the UI taking a long time to load up and that happened in Windows 7 as well.

I too favor the live mic on Marshall....but i am getting some interesting results with Amp 3/4 mixed together....kinda accidentally ....anyone cross (Hybridize  ?) the sims much ?  
 

I picked up Bias Pro FX a few days ago.  I'm running Windows 10 on a Studio Cat i7 Pro+.  I have a VS-100 that I'm running with an OctaCapture for the expanded I/O.
 
In stand alone mode the Device shows as Windows Audio and won't allow me to change it to ASIO.  The VS-100 ins and outs do show up in Audio Settings.  The OctaCapture does not. Unfortunately for me, I use the expanded OctaCapture ins for guitars.  Bias FX Pro will run as a VST, but changing presets is extremely slow.  I do tend to use presets as a starting point.
 
I purchased the software from Sweetwater and their support people did try to help.  The recommendation that they came back with was to try the ASIO4ALL driver to see if that would clear up the problem,  but I declined to do so because my machine is pretty stable and I have stuff semi permanently cabled to my sound cards.
 
There's two reviews of the software on the Sweetwater site and one does mention not being able to use the program on a stand alone basis because of not being able to utilize an ASIO driver.  If I remember right, that soundcard was a FocusRite.
 
Other than the stand alone issue, I have to say I like some of what I hear so far.  I need some more time playing with the settings.

As a guitar guy since '63, I've been sorted of glued to Fender amps and pedals. I do have my eye on a Vox AC10 and an Orange Dark Terror ('cause it has send and returns). I'm probably more often "clean", than scream. I find AmpliTube 3 or 4, works "well enough" ITB. Sold my POD ver2 and having listened back to some tracks, thought it worked well, too. I have Revalver but haven't really explored it much, nor TH .....
 
Over the holidays, I was really "caught" by the Blue Cat Destructor demos and have been thinking about that one... budget keeps it at "thinking" momentarily. LOL    Same for IK Fender 2. I do have the AT Fender, SVX, Jimi Anni., Slash, and ?? libraries.
 
Did anyone see the announcement that Line 6 has a $350 VST version of Helix coming out?
For me it's a matter of convenience. There are times when I mike my Princeton Reverb and there are times when I have to be more subtle and go DI. Those times are when I use the amp sims, and like some of you, I feel like they can take a while.... sometimes. I can sympathize with Yor Ol Pal regarding clients and wanting "speed". It seems like maybe it's my mind set that expedites or slows the process down, not the plug in or mic/pedals/room...
 
I thought I had something to contribute, when I started..... LOL
Michael

I like GR5, GTR and AmpliTube.  Using mostly AmpliTube these days.  I also like using a Red Box 5 (V22/HT5RH) or non-emulated DO into cab/mic sims (Laney IRT Studio).
 
A real mic/cab just aren't an option for me.
 
I've also used an RP1000 and have a BOSS GT-001 (desktop version of the 100).  Knobs, buttons, mics, cables ... not worth it to me considering the great sims available these days.

Nothing new to add, but I am a SGear and Bias lover.  SGear is simple and wonderful sounding.  Bias FX is equally great, but has just about everything you could hope for.  I really like the layout of the pedal/FX as well.  I find myself using Bias 90% these days.  There are some duds, but most of the included amps are fantastic sounding and I love all the vintage FX.  They are modeled very very well.
 
BUT, the new Fender Custom '57 in SGEAR is remarkable....

As an apartment dweller, micing up amps isn't really an option for me.  Over the years, I've learned a couple things about guitar tone and what works for me.
 
Years ago, I found the POD products were pretty neat in the context of recording.  Back then the plugs weren't up to snuff in comparison, and the Line 6 software allowed a lot of control within SONAR.
I eventually moved away from the POD's because I prefer the sound of a real amp, and wasn't recording much.  Getting good amp tone in an apartment was a different journey...
Having gotten back into recording after some years away, computers are much more powerful, and the sims have improved. 
 
I picked up Amplitube 4 and TH3 on sales in the last year at good prices.  I prefer Amplitube for a number of reasons, not the least of which is their models don't put master volumes on amps that don't have them in real life.  I do like TH3 in that they include everything as opposed to Amplitube's death of 1000 upgrades.
The two products do sound different.  I like the Marshalls in Amplitube better, but found I like the Big Muff in TH3 better.
 
In the end, I like sims because they work better with my workflow.  I'm not a professional musician, I do it for fun.  I can quickly come up with something that is very close to the sound in my head, and concentrate on the performance. 
 
The options available today are amazing compared to when I go started in the '90's.
 
I'm pretty sure that micing up a real amp would sound better.  But for my needs, the sims are fine, and solve some of the problems I face with micing. 
 
Sorry I can't help with how good Bias is.  For me Amplitube and TH3 are adequate.  I am interested in the Helix Native, and will probably get it if/when it goes on sale.

Yeah, I was going to buy their BassDude seems like it was $29, but I bought their Opto instead. Maybe next time...
       I suppose I will get IK Fender 2, the BC Destructor and some hardware with a DI/load box or reactive load at some point. Bat's Brew does a great job and likes the Palmer .... will have to look up which one.
 
Michael

This might fit right in here....
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/best-studio-gear/1135399-ten-best-guitar-amp-simulation-plug-ins.html
Michael