Guitar amp simulator software

I am not a guitarist, I only "dabble", I'm pianist by profession so keep that in mind for my comments. I think every ampsim has its own strengths. The extra Randall and Brunetti cabs and heads that you get with TH2 are quite good I would say, probably better than what's originally included. On the whole I'm more comfortable with higher gain sounds on TH2 than "bluesy overdrives". The split stereo is well done and logically implemented. My personal favorite is Scuffham S-Gear 2, although it has limited options and doesn't really try to emulate specific cabs per se. It just sounds and feels the best, to me. Guitar Rig has a bunch of useful fx/stomp boxes. I really like Amplitube Fender. Haven't done much with Waves GR3 and I only have a basic version of Revalver that I haven't looked at.

Depending on your needs I'd at least check out Scuffham S-Gear 2, you can freely demo it for two weeks at least and it's not that expensive to begin with.

Also, Cakewalk sometimes offers TH2 upgrades with a discount (which is when I jumped in) so don't go for that bundle just yet.

I use and like Guitar Rig 5, and the TH2 has some good sounds as well.  There are some decent stock sounds, but there are also a bunch that I couldn't imagine in a million years choosing to use.  Fortunately, they can all be tweaked as needed.  NI also has a Guitar Rig user forum, and that has tons of banks of sounds built and freely shared by that community.
 
Nothing beats a real amp, though my neighbors would surely disagree.
 
Bob Bone
 

I think what's emerging here is the fact that there's no clear winner. Everyone seems to have their favourites!
 
Bob I'm in the same boat - I don't have the room that I once had and I don't want to annoy the neighbours. Plus buying a decent small valve amp and effects would be pretty expensive. I'm really looking for a self-contained, compact solution. 
YC

For the past few years I've used Flying Haggis from dB Audioware
http://www.db-audioware.com/flying-haggis
 
Works well as a stand alone and in Sonar.
 
 

Scuffham for Guitar Amplitubes Ampeg svx for bass gets my vote. About £100 for both combined.(I also like softube bass amp room).
I like guitar rig 5 pro for their effects, not keen on amplitube for guitars apart from Fender. TH2 not worth the money IMO.
 
Someone somewhere coined it quite nicely by saying 'All amp sims are great, All amp sims Suck'.
 
Depends what you want. Guitar isn't my first instrument, but for me Scuffham is the only one that responds to every touch and makes me feel like I am actually playing a guitar through an amp. Its also has way way more lovers than haters compared to the others which seem to have a real divided opinion. I spent ages looking/researching for just the same thing as you are.
 
Best bet it just demo as many as possible and see which one makes you feel alive when you are playing it.
 
Happy Hunting
 
Bibs

wizard71
Someone somewhere coined it quite nicely by saying 'All amp sims are great, All amp sims Suck'.

That was me   My experience is that you have to do a lot of work with amp sims to make them sound good. They're not as plug-and-play as the hype might lead you to think. Just as it takes time in the studio to set up the amp, find the right place in the room, choose the right mic, mic position, EQ during mixing, etc. you have to work on getting a good sound with amp sims.
 
That said, my goal with amp sims isn't to re-create existing amps, but to create idealized amp sounds - in other words, the amps I hear in my head, not the ones on the floor at GC. The only way I'm able to do that is with sims.
 
I'm looking forward to checking out ReValver 4, it looked pretty promising when I saw an early version at Frankfurt Messe. Meanwhile, each sim has its own character...just like real amps. You can get free versions of POD Farm, Guitar Rig, and Amplitude that are basic, but with all three of them you have access to quite a few cool sounds. 

Anderton

wizard71
Someone somewhere coined it quite nicely by saying 'All amp sims are great, All amp sims Suck'.

That was me    

 
Thank god i didnt pretend it was mine ;)
 
To be honest, I would have no idea if they sounded like the amps/cabs/mics they were simulating or not. Im sure i am not alone here, so its easy to fall for the marketing hype, especially when its claimed you can sound just like your 'Hero'. As far as im concerned, you could have exactly the same equipment and guitar but still sound nothing like it because you are the one with the pick, not your hero. Its certainly true with a piano.
 
I'm guessing that not many have the luxury of really knowing how accurate these sims really are so it has to be based on whatever does it for you I guess.

Having worked in a boutique guitar shop, watching endless customers obsess over the age of the speakers in the cabs or whether an amp head was point-to-point wired or not (not to mention which brand of tubes was used), I can only agree. Again, I'm not a guitarist either, and I don't have that much experience playing live through many different amps. I just feel S-Gear most often lets me find the sound I have in my head. It's just skimpy on fx but there's so many other options there that I don't really mind.

Sanderxpander
I just feel S-Gear most often lets me find the sound I have in my head. It's just skimpy on fx but there's so many other options there that I don't really mind.

I think S-Gear is a fine example of why limiting your options sometimes produces the best results. 

For me I find there are great sounds to be had with all the softwares if they're used "well" if you have the right gear and the right room, live mic(s) on an amp is great. Using the virtuals for me is a challenge at learning to use different tools to accomplish a familiar job. The more I use them, the more I like the results I get. I do plenty of live amp mics in many situations, but not all.

The TH2 is very powerful and capable, but I find I prefer the results I'm getting with Amplitube 3 Free to which I've added a few amps, cabinets, and mics. I also own an old ART SGX 2000 Express which I use as my live rig. I've always had excellent results with direct out of this and then sometimes adding a virtual cabinet. A lot depends on the kind of sounds you're looking for as well

Even with all the sophisticated modeling, it's sometimes hard for the ear to remember that the virtualization is being played back in full range monitors, not guitar speakers, so getting it to sound as though it's coming through guitar speakers is a key. They do not have the high end that studio monitors do. So I find the virtuals are consistently too bright and rolling off the top quite a bit near 4k or so with a low pass or shelving EQ makes a world of difference...

Input... Yeah that's a tougher one. An instrument input is the best choice if you have it but what impedance value is has is still to be questioned by each user to their own personal taste... Matching a guitar to an amp is much the same thing as some guitars are hotter and some inputs are more sensitive...

In the end, we're making art... If you carve a sound you like with your choice of tool, it works! Setting an amp is as unique virtually as it is in the physical world...

Keni

Sanderxpander
Possibly, although Even if I limit myself to just amp heads and cabs in other sims I often end up with S-Gear. I agree about tweaking though - you can get an acceptable sound with most sims I think.

What I meant was more along the lines of doing a few things really well instead of trying to do everything. That said, for EDM guitar nothing beats Guitar Rig thanks to all the modulation/sync options - something you'd never find in a Vox AC30 anyway 

bz2838
I wouldn't count out Waves Guitar 3, they can be made to sound really nice!

In particular I think the Waves bass cabinets are outstanding. Also, what a lot of people don't know is they're using very similar algorithms for the fX as for their studio-oriented plug-ins.

I'm still using guitar rig 4, nothing comes even close in regards to the extra effects, which come with the amp sims.  One thing though...I would get a tube pre amp to patch your guitar into.  The amount of extra wow and sizzle not to mention sustain that a tube pre amp gives will knock your socks off.  Now I will be laughed at but I use to use the behringer ultra gain, 90 bucks.  Hell it was noisy but it sounded like a guitar amp and the extra hum and fizzle that it created gets buried in the mix (or a George Harrison once said "will bury it in the mix...see the in the joke there) once it's hidden in the mix that extra bit of noise can create a bit of extra harmonic resonance.  And even the pros will have to agree with me it's all about the harmonic resonance.
 
Ben

Well, I'll restate. Having lots of available free tutorials, samples on the Web, and professional tutorials can greatly improve the value and experience you get from any of these amp sims. In that regard, there is an ample variety of all that available for Amplitube. Others, even Guitar Rig, do not nearly have as many tips and resources easily findable.

I would suggest you look further into Amplitube (even though as a Sonar user I appreciate the included TH2).

Here's an example of a non vendor demo of someone using Amplitube Orange.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg6SaKk0mms

It helps to see / hear the tool in use on a song.

Keni
Even with all the sophisticated modeling, it's sometimes hard for the ear to remember that the virtualization is being played back in full range monitors, not guitar speakers, so getting it to sound as though it's coming through guitar speakers is a key. They do not have the high end that studio monitors do. So I find the virtuals are consistently too bright and rolling off the top quite a bit near 4k or so with a low pass or shelving EQ makes a world of difference...
Keni

 
I've thought about this too, but I guess at the end of the day these amp sims are more suited toward recording guitar, not sitting around jamming. In that respect, even if you're miking up a sweet valve amp and hearing a great sound out of it, you're eventually going to end up listening to it through monitors (or consumer speakers/cans when it's finished).