I've got the POD HD Pro rackmounted unit, and I've been really happy with it. You can operate it from your computer and it doesn't bog down your system. It has quite a few mic emulations (on and off axis), and lots of amp/speaker emulations. I also like to use it as a pre for my '59 Gretsch or my Class 5 head. But I agree with you MakeShift that it takes many hours to tweak the tone to fit each situation. But it's very rewarding once you get it the way you like it!

Danny Danzi

sharke
The in built mixer in the NI Drummer libraries is ridiculous on the CPU. There's something funny going on there because if put those same effects in the chain standalone (Transient Master, Solid EQ etc), the CPU barely notices them. Turn on the same effects in the Drummer mixers and my first core is spiking into the red. It's not sharing the load across the cores (even though I believe there is a setting in Kontakt to tell it to).

+1000 to that! That's the same thing I see. I wonder if it may be host related/resource related with the host being open? I gotta try this with a few other programs and see what happens. One thing I have noticed that may or may not have anything to do with anything....in my beta plug testing/developing for guitar sims, Reaper showed a 4% difference in cpu for the better. At that time only Sonar 8.5, X1 and Reaper were used on my end. I've not done much testing or developing with guitar plugs using anything but Sonar X2. This may be worth looking into sharke. I'll let you know what I find out.
 
-Danny

When I first started out, I was using Reaper to host my VSTi's and ReWireing it to ProTools for MIDI and mixing. I didn't see anywhere near the same CPU usage with NI drums. I've heard someone else mention on a forum that they've noticed it uses way less CPU in Reaper than in Cubase too. Definitely something going on with multicore. In a thread on the NI forum, someone mentioned that they had seen an end to the CPU spiking by turning off multicore support in Kontakt, and that the only benefits they saw from having it on was in standalone mode. However I tried this on my machine and it wasn't the case. I have it set to 6 cores, maybe I should try  5, 4, 3 or 2 to see what happens. Doesn't make it easy when you have to restart your host every time. However one thing I remember about using Pro Tools was that the performance was way better across the board when you set it to use half the number of cores that you have, so maybe it's the same with Kontakt - setting it to use all of your cores causes resource conflict with the host like you suggested. 
 
I have to say I don't really understand Kontakt too well. Like when you go into the settings and bypass all of the insert effects, they're still on in the mixer? I can turn off the convolution reverb in the send effects and that makes a change in the sound though. 

Let's say you went with Komplete 9 Ultimate and really wanted to use a lot of things. What PC would you need to get to support that AND Waves Platinum AND Sonar?
 
(For example purposes naturally.  )

 
BTW - I'm still curious about this if anyone has an opinion.

From what I've read when I started trying to find a fix, its pretty common for people to experience performance issues w/ Kontakt. I guess in the end it saved me money - I refrained from buying the other Scarbee stuff which I really would have liked (the Rickenbaker in particular). Anyway, my wife bought herself a bass and I'm having much more fun playing bass than sequencing it or playing it on the keyboard.
 
I can't say that I've had issues w/ Guitar Rig - but I never used it all that much, even less as a plug-in.

FWIW I want an AxeFX II but just can't justify the price. Of course, I will spend way over that in the next several years on pedals and tubes for my amp lol
 
I still love my amp and much prefer to play it over any sim that I have played. I am not saying tube amps are better, just saying that is what I rather play. BTW I have not yet experienced an AxeFx in person nor Guitar Rig 5.
 
I have GR4, S-Gear 2, ABG, Amplitube (the free one) and the sim that came with Sonar X2. They are not bad but if I am going to play, I am more inspired by my Carvin V3 than the sims I have. Just saying. Why? I don't know.

If I were gigging or recording with a band in a studio I'd get some amps.
Home recording?....I don't have one reason other than I like them and that wasn't
enough to stop me from selling them and moving on.
 
 

Makeshift, I demo'd it when it first came out. I will have to try it again. The V3 amp sim in Amplitube is actually the V3m (micro). It doesn't have the master EQ section, which I rely on with the bigger V3. Also the output tubes of the V3m are EL84s vs V3 uses EL34/6l6. I am not sure how much all that really makes a difference but... Well, I will try it again. I just have not been excited by using the sims. They certainly are convenient though.
 
Yorolpal, why do you like the Kemper over the AxeFx? They are about the same price. Have you played either of them? I have played neither and they both look appealing.

As a drummer, I picked up playing guitar on songs late in my career.  I have used GR4 and now GR5 since it came out.  I agree 100% that it is a huge resource hog.  So, once I get it where I want and finish the track, I freeze it.  
 
For my simple work that may only use a couple of electric guitars in a song, GR5 is terrific for me.  I love the freedom to select different chains at will and I have a few good presets I customized.  So from a songwriter and practical use, it's great.  If I were recording a group's CD, I would most likely mic an amp to get their sound.
 
Interesting thread.  
 
Rimshot

Yeah, the price of those guys cures me of wanting either.
 
While a lot of people whose opinions I really respect rave about them, the cost is just too high for me. I can already make pleasing* noises with the gear I have.
 
*Some would debate this, but I wouldn't blame the gear.

I've got a long time friend from Scotland who is one of the best blues and rock guitarists I know.  He plays a stock inexpensive Jay Turser strat which we gifted him when we were dealers in the 90s through a solid state Peavey amp (not a Bandit...but some model close to that).  He doesn't use any pedals save a possible tube screamer and chorus that I know of.  And yet he has consistently one of the best tones and sound of all my guitar buddies.  I still think it's mostly in the hands.  

MakeShift
I guess the thing I didn't really get around to saying much about is that many of these Sims have gotten really good sounding. I amp not having as many issues with the playing dynamics that I used to and, I guess what I would call the lack of sustain.

The AxFx is a little out of my price range right now, but I have been really intested in the new Pod HD's. I only wish someone had them to demo. I hate to dump that kind of money into hardware without physically playing one. If these units were good enough, I could seriously see myself leaving tubes behind.

Yeah I too have been impressed with how the Sims have gotten better. Hahaha I got news for ya Mike, that freakin' AxFx was out of my price range too! I think it's rediculously over-priced to be honest, but it does so many things, you don't realize how powerful it truly is until you sit with it. After spending time with it, I'm sure the work that went into it made it cost as much as it does. For me personally, it's worth about half of what they charge for it.
 
Then again, it very well could be the be all end all of guitar processing. There's nothing it doesn't do. I've been experimenting with it's amp modeling/resampling software. In 2 seconds, you can sound like any amp/guitar player you want if you sample from an open spot on a CD. Like if you wanted a Jeff Beck tone, you just grab a piece off his album where he plays alone and man...it's spot on.
 
This is especially good for studio clients that come to you with a specific sound in mind. I like the AxFxII over the Kemper amp due to the Ax having way more flexibility and additional options. The Kemper is killer though...we had one in the studio 2 weeks ago.
 
-Danny

I hope people can appreciate the idea that modeling a Jeff Beck record with the AxFX makes you sound like a Jeff Beck record.
 
That's a whole bunch different than enjoying the exciting sound of Jeff Beck playing his guitar rig in the same room while you are listening.
 
 
To my bar brawl ears, none of these sophisticated effects ever get any better than sounding like someone has glued their head onto some one else's wedding picture.
 
:-(
 
 

sharke
Just don't use too many of those Reflektor reverbs, they're a real CPU hog. 

That and the Control Room Pro, as it is also convolution based.

craigb

yorolpal
I still think [tone is] mostly in the hands.  

It certainly is for THIS guy!

I must have been the only one that got a chuckle out of this    !!!!

I've got a HD500 and DT50 for live stuff, but I've been using Amplitube Fender for recording.