You can also buy just the amps you want in the custom Shop, instead of having to purchase the whole package. That and being able to try them out before you buys is the icing on the cake. You can try them out for 48 hours and then you're eligible to try it out again after 2 months, though we are debating changing that to a shorter time frame.

I saw the POD HD 500 @ guitar center today..  I understand what you are saying, "meh," its software in the box.  Than on the computer you've got, "software in the box."
Wow..  We are suffering from, "software," guitar tone.  Yikes!!   I am searching for analog gain!

Linear Phase


I saw the POD HD 500 @ guitar center today..  I understand what you are saying, "meh," its software in the box.  Than on the computer you've got, "software in the box."
Wow..  We are suffering from, "software," guitar tone.  Yikes!!   I am searching for analog gain!

 
 
Yeah, but...The HD500 with my DT50 is really a very nice rig. Digital preamp, all tube power amp. Add in the Variax and you have a very large tool box. I don't plan on parting with it anytime soon. It's not as good as Amplitube 3 for direct recording in my opinion, at least for what I'm wanting to hear.
 It's a great time to be a musician with all of these choices!

clintmartin

Linear Phase


I saw the POD HD 500 @ guitar center today..  I understand what you are saying, "meh," its software in the box.  Than on the computer you've got, "software in the box."
Wow..  We are suffering from, "software," guitar tone.  Yikes!!   I am searching for analog gain!

 
 
Yeah, but...The HD500 with my DT50 is really a very nice rig. Digital preamp, all tube power amp. Add in the Variax and you have a very large tool box. I don't plan on parting with it anytime soon. It's not as good as Amplitube 3 for direct recording in my opinion, at least for what I'm wanting to hear.
 It's a great time to be a musician with all of these choices!

 I think that sounds like a terrible rig man and I know just the guy who can take that DT50 off of your hands;)

Rain


One thing that helped w/ software is the addition of the hardware compressor in the signal chain. It helps tightening up that signal a bit.
 

I've tried this and agree that it helps.  What about using a DI box or a SansAmp type box prior to the audio interface?   I've heard that it can improve the quality of the signal prior to it hitting the interface.  Isolation to remove ground loop hums and improve impedance matching.  Maybe it works better in the DI box than relying on the "mic / inst" switch on a lot of interfaces.

Has anyone tried this that can share comments? 

Amplitube3, Guitar Rig5, Pod Farm, Revalver, Overloud TH2

Yup, got 'em all except Pod Farm but I do have a LIne 6 Bass Pod, does that count?

I am not a guitar player but I use the amp sims with Real Guitar LPC. I personally get kind of overwhelmed by all the choices with amp sims because I really am not familiar with how a guitar player would typically route signals through different pieces of gear. I have GR5, HeadCase, and TH2 full version. I just happened to get lucky with the TH2 full version and tripped over a guitar tone I really like. It is hard to say it is my favorite but I found Guitar Rig 5 just a bit overwhelming for me. The HeadCase stuff was even ten times more overwhelming. I am sure all of this is wonderful but it is hard to invest huge amounts of time in a learning curve for this stuff for me.

Hard to say if buying even another amp sim would be the way to go. Simple and great would be wonderful but I suspect there really is no such true animal. I wish I knew as much about all that stuff as I do about synths.

Any suggestions welcome!

Cept of course modern amps which have effects sends and returns on them which DOES allow verbs and delays to be run AFTER the stomps and amp just like when recording and...believe it or not...many players do just that.  No foolin.  But you're certainly right...your way is the "traditional" way.  Just not the "only" way.  So I hardly think that qualifies as a full blown epic "fail".  Or does it?

yeah, but you can mic the cabinet and run that thru a delay- what's the problem?

inaheartbeat


I am not a guitar player but I use the amp sims with Real Guitar LPC. I personally get kind of overwhelmed by all the choices with amp sims because I really am not familiar with how a guitar player would typically route signals through different pieces of gear. I have GR5, HeadCase, and TH2 full version. I just happened to get lucky with the TH2 full version and tripped over a guitar tone I really like. It is hard to say it is my favorite but I found Guitar Rig 5 just a bit overwhelming for me. The HeadCase stuff was even ten times more overwhelming. I am sure all of this is wonderful but it is hard to invest huge amounts of time in a learning curve for this stuff for me.

Hard to say if buying even another amp sim would be the way to go. Simple and great would be wonderful but I suspect there really is no such true animal. I wish I knew as much about all that stuff as I do about synths.

Any suggestions welcome!

Now that everybody is asleep, I am going to try and answer your post.  I tried earlier but, "I'm not in the mood to be trolled."  I know what I am talking about, I played in bands for years.  In bands in NYC, and Los Angeles, and I used a real Marshall, and real Stompboxes.

1.  I downloaded headcase the other day.  It wouldn't initialize in Renoise, I uninstalled it.  Tonight I stumbled on a thread @ Reaper Forums.  I downloaded headcase again.  I tried it in standalone, "I couldn't tell what I was supposed to do."   I opened Reaper, I loaded headcase..  OK.  I get it now, "headcase is reaktor," for guitar players.   Cool.  Not my thing.

I don't want to go to deep into this but here is my thing, "I prefer," Rapture to Reaktor, I just like to make some sounds, and focus on that.  I like Oxium, and Sugar-Bytes Unique more than Reaktor.  I like simple things, that make sound.  Its nothing against Reaktor..   Because Reaktor is an amazing software..  But, modular, infinite, totally complicated software is not my thing.  PD, Max, Reaktor, Vaz, Headcase, etc, etc, etc.

Should you buy yet another Amp Sim?  Probably not.  I'm not.  I am going to make do with Guitar Rig v5 Pro.  I'd consider an upgrade to v6 when the time comes.  Why?  Because, it is my personal opinion, from playing in bands, from using real world amps, and stompboxes, and hearing real cabinets in real rooms, on real stages, that these amp sims are close, "but no cigar."  That goes for all of them, they all have flaws.

What is guitar tone?  Its very simple.   Guitar tone = signal flow + processors.

Now, here is my big opinion that I believe I got trolled for earlier, but people did not have an open enough mind to give me a shot.


"If GuitarRig, or all other amp sims, are trying to emulate the real world, would you not get the best tone out setting them up as if it was the real world."

I can tell you, that I am getting way better tone, than the Factory Presets, and way better tone than I thought I could get, by following precisely how I used to setup my guitar rig in real life..   my guitar rig as in, "my guitar into real world stomps, into amp, into cab, etc."

Even when recording, in a studio in 1992..   There would never be a delay device, after a cabinet.  Until you hit the mixing desk.


Signal flow is key:  In real life...


Guitar signal/cord comes out of a guitar and goes into --- > stompboxes first ---> preamp 2nd --- > power amp 3rd ----> Cabinet 4th ---> microphone ---> mixing desk ----> PA system ( master track )

There's a couple of other little differences between, "real life and amp sim."  The first you can not do anything about, "the sound of the distortion."  The second, you have to take notice:  The way the EQ operates.

In the real world, on a real amplifier, "there is no real audible difference between 50% wet, and 51% wet."  In the software world, each click of each knob, can produce extreme changes.  The key to a really slick amp sim sound is attenuation.


Cheers

Woah there PL, ol pal.  Nobody's trying to "troll" you.  I was just offering you another take on how folks use emulators AND real amp/stomp setups.  And goin down the "I know what I'm talking about because I've played in real bands with real Marshalls" thingy is about as silly as it gets.  Believe me ol pal, there are many of us here who were playing with "real" Fenders and Marshalls in "real" bands...before you were even born.  So get your panties out of a wad would ya?  We're all on equal footing here...you included.  Some of us just happen to have a different opinion of your take.  No biggie.  Maybe that's not a guitar strap on your shoulder afterall.  Looks more like a chip to me:-)

<---  Before you were born


Actually, no..  That did not occur to me, but now that you mention it, "yep, I guess before I was born people did not have amp simulators, and when they played in bands they used real amps and stompboxes too."

Noted...


Edit = and yes, "we are all equals here.  and I admit, that was beyond ridiculous of me."

I am very used to using real amps with my keyboards. I have 6 of them here including two Roland KC-550's, a Fender 65 Twin Reverb Reissue, a Roland Jazz Chorus 120, a Leslie 60, and a Roland KC-100. The common characteristic of all these amps (intentionally) is that they are very clean. Well....I guess the Leslie is noisy but not in any guitar tone type of way...I also have a bunch of Strymon and Eventide stomp boxes and a Dunlop Cry Baby Wah pedal. Once again, the common characteristic of all my stomp boxes is, also, that they are for effects that are more keyboard appropriate. The point is that I understand how to hook up amps and effects to keyboards with no problems at all. When it comes to crafting signal chains for guitar VST's like Real Guitar LPC I just become clueless.

It probably is nothing more than a happy accident that I tripped over a setup in TH2 that I happened to like and the same thing never happened in Guitar Rig 5 for me. If I had a better idea of some rational type of guitar tone signal chains I might change my mind. I just have to plead ignorance on this one.

inaheartbeat


It probably is nothing more than a happy accident that I tripped over a setup in TH2 that I happened to like and the same thing never happened in Guitar Rig 5 for me. If I had a better idea of some rational type of guitar tone signal chains I might change my mind. I just have to plead ignorance on this one.

I am not a guitarist and use virtual guitars and I find Amplitube far more intuitive than Guitar Rig. So much so that I seldom use Amplitube's presets these days and set up chains from scratch while still finding GR5 confusing.

The more I play with Guitar Rig Pro, the more I am just, "loving it."  Its distortion is not, "shrill and glassy," like amplitube.  However, Guitar Rig's distortion is a little, "plastic like."  That is OK.  Not great, but ok!!

However, when compared to AcmeBar Headcase, and Peavy Revalver, I find Guitar Rig, "250% more easier to see, and work with."

Pod Farm is easy to see, but I feel like the architecture behind Pod Farm is kinda aged.

One of the things I noticed, that really benefits tone, is to treat these, "amp sims," not like amp sims, but as softwares to create tone.  Yes, "that sounds redundant," but you would be surprised just how much sense it makes.

I'm still following, "real world," signal flow, and I feel like the tones I've got coming put all the presets to shame!!!!!!!

You can get some really complex, really layered, futuristic tone that only, "a computer software," can do.  This is the wonderment of these computer softwares!!!   

Todays stuff, "Sonar, Guitar Rig, Pro Tools, Reaktor," its more powerful than any major label recording studio from the year 2,000.   And 2,000 was not that long ago.
Its mindblowing!!   But, you can not pretend that this stuff is really, "a model of the real world."  You got to think, "its inspired," by the real world, and work with the software, as software works!

My .02