Guitar sims and hardware processors

Hi folks
 
I need to invest in a means of processing electric guitar and at the moment I'm torn between a software sim like Guitar Rig 5 or a hardware-based solution like the Boss GT 001. Has anyone used the latter specifically? I'd be eternally grateful for any advice/pros/cons etc.!
 
Thanks
 
YC 

Slugbaby
I like the HW gear for a performance, it's a simple setup with easy switching.  But for recording I'll take Guitar Rig anyday - If I recorded with the Boss unit, I'd be stuck/ committed to the original guitar sound.
 
Different tools for different jobs, IMHO.

This!

You don't need to spend much on this. I have/had Fractal Axe Fx2, Vox Tonelab Le, Digitech 1101, Amplitube 3, Guitar Rig5 and TH3/TH2. Eventually sold Fractal, trying to sell Digitech, will keep Vox for its wahs.  IMO TH2/TH3 is a winner, AT3 comes close. Also check Rosen IRs, that I sometimes put in place of  stock TH2 cabs. Unless you play a lot live you don't need (expensive) hardware.

yellowcake64
Hi folks
 
I need to invest in a means of processing electric guitar and at the moment I'm torn between a software sim like Guitar Rig 5 or a hardware-based solution like the Boss GT 001. Has anyone used the latter specifically? I'd be eternally grateful for any advice/pros/cons etc.!
 
Thanks
 
YC 

I have GR5 and a GT-001
 
Something to keep in mind about the GT-001.  It's a USB interface as well.  The re-amping feature requires it to be connected via USB.  This is problematic with ASIO as you can only have a single USB audio device selected.
 
So you'll end up using the audio outputs.
 
I've had several including POD, Digitech RP-7, RP-1000, GR5, Amplitube3/4, ReValver, TH2/3 and most recently picked up GTR as part of Waves Gold.
 
For now I'm quite content with GTR.  It's right there, efficient, sounds great ... for special times, I fire up my Laney IRT Studio and feed the direct out of that to GTR or one of the others for cab/mic emulation and effects.
 
IMO any of these can sound great or awful.  It's all how you tweak them and what you're mixing them with.
 
I'm NOT a Pro
 
 

I have most of the software sims and a GT-100.  (I spent a year deep diving into an HD500 and could never get just a decent plain clean amp sound - sold it - much prefer the GT-100).  Anyway the feel of hardware is always better than any sim at any latency setting IMO.  Having said that I can quickly adapt and it feels fine until I go back to the
GT-100.  The sims are easier to work with and try different sounds.  The GT-001 can re-amp but it's a few more steps.  Good sounds can be had by all.   YMMV

wow, the pete thorn vid of the helix is off the charts

I think the main difference between using an external hardware unit and a software plugin is that you're likely to be recording the guitar 'wet' with a hardware unit (unless you record dry and then use an external fx loop from the DAW, which depends rather on the capabilities of your interface), but you have more ease of flexibility when using a plugin (typically the guitar is always recorded dry then and you can post-record tweak the sound to your heart's content).
 
At the end of the day, the guitar signal is going to be sampled, then maths will be applied to the samples, whether you're talking about a hardware unit or software plugin.
 
If you want to go analog, the SansAmp PSA-1 is very good but expensive.  Too expensive for me when my original broke down, so I went for a Digitech DSP1101 which is somewhat more expensive than the Boss, but very nice indeed.  I use a Rocktron Widowmaker for *clean* sounds; its a solid state analog, pre-amp only (no effects) unit but this would not be my choice for any overdriven or distorted type sounds.
 

 
+1 for the Kemper. Incredible bit of gear.

I am a tube-amp geek. I even build my own so I can get exactly the tone I want.
 
BUT, if I could only afford one amp to do it all, I think it would be a Fender Mustang III amp. You can record direct with it, you can use the Fender Fuse software (bascically IK Amplitude) to record direct to DAW with it, you can use it for a low-volume practice amp, headphones for silent practice, powerful enough to use on-stage unmiked, run it direct to PA... and it won't break your back moving it around or your bank buying it.
 
I use a Mustang I as my practice amp and take it to gigs as my backup. Occasionally I will record with it too. They really do sound very nice.
 

Nothing beats the real thing (under ideal circumstances)
 
With the Kemper, Axe-FX, or Helix, it's not 100%... but it's so close that (to me) it just doesn't matter.
The Helix form-factor is perfect for live use, it's easy to program, sounds good, and weighs a whole lot less than a tube-head and 2x12 cab.  In my circumstance (live), I was talking out guitar amp/cab, keyboard, and vocal stuff.
It was getting to be a real drag.  Soundman was nearly beating me out of the building...  
 
 

I don't think anyone would make the argument that amp sims are preferable to the real thing. But there's a reason amp sims exist - because most of us can't afford nor have the space for a huge collection of classic amps.  So if I have a choice of spending a few hundred bucks on some amp simulators or tens of thousands of dollars on real amps and their matching cabs (and a new house to keep all the stuff), sorry, I'm going with the amp sims.

MakerDP

streckfus
I don't think anyone would make the argument that amp sims are preferable to the real thing. But there's a reason amp sims exist - because most of us can't afford nor have the space for a huge collection of classic amps.  So if I have a choice of spending a few hundred bucks on some amp simulators or tens of thousands of dollars on real amps and their matching cabs (and a new house to keep all the stuff), sorry, I'm going with the amp sims.

I hear you, but I guess it depends on your goals.
 
If you are looking to define "your signature sound" then you should spend the $$$ on ONE top-quality amp and pedals if you think you need them (or do what I do and save thousands by building it yourself) that will define your signature sound.  Learn how to mic it properly (or use impulse responses and a reactive load box) and be able to quickly reproduce that setup live and in the studio.
 
If your needs are akin to a session guitarist and you need to sound like anybody at any given moment in your own home studio, then yeah, buy some quality sims.
 
Not to toot my own horn but to show what you can do if you are DIY savvy... This is my current amp collection:
Matchless DC30
Fender-ish (custom modified build - think Princeton/Deluxe Reverb on steroids)
Marshall 18-watt (1974)
Marshall JTM45 (preamp section only)
Custom self-design harp amp based on old 1954-ish Fender Tweed Super
 
If I were to buy all those original amps outright, I would spend well over $15,000.
I built them all for less than $2,000 and only the DC30 was from a kit, the rest from scratch (less $.)  A DC30 alone will cost you around $4,000 but I built my clone from a kit for less than $700 including cabinet and speaker. Still not chump-change but geez if you know your way around a soldering iron and have the willingness to learn a bit as you go, you should really go for it!
 
Hope this doesn't come off as bragging... it's really just an encouragement to engage in an extremely rewarding hobby that can save you some serious $$$ as you go and open your world up to tone you only ever dreamed about obtaining!
 

Nope, don't see that as bragging at all. Some folks are quite skilled in the DIY world, yourself obviously being one of them. Myself, however, not so much. Not at all, to be honest.
 
And yeah, you are correct: if you are a bona fide guitar player looking for your signature sound, then yes, absolutely. Spend the money and get an amp or two. But for hacks like me, I play the guitar but I'm not a guitarist, catch my drift? Most of the stuff I write is classic rock/bluesy with some folk/country thrown in. So in my case, sometimes I want my Les Paul to snarl through a TubeScreamer into a Marshall stack. Other times, I'd prefer to have my Telecaster twang through a Twin Reverb. Or maybe run the Strat through a Soldano...and so on. Different tunes call for different tones, and in that regard amp sims are more a matter of necessity than preference. Ideally, yeah, I'd love to have all those amps for real. Then again, I'd also like to have the real guitars I mentioned above as well.  My Les Paul is an Epiphone (although it is the Joe Perry Boneyard, which is pretty slick). My Telecaster is a Squire Classic Vibe. My Strat does have "Fender" on the headstock, but it was made in Mexico. 
 
Not saying this about you, but we as musicians are a competitive bunch and unfortunately there's a tendency to play the superiority card when it comes to gear. "If it don't say Gibson, it ain't a Les Paul." "If you ain't tracking through a tube pre-amp, you ain't tracking through nothin'." There are obviously advantages to having top-of-the-line stuff, but it's not as though a person can't make good music with cheap gear.  (Real life example: I played an American Telecaster then picked up the Squire...the Squire sounded better, believe it or not.)
 
I will say, though, that I don't see that so much on this particular forum. Gear snobs are rampant elsewhere on the web, but overall this particular community is refreshingly focused on helping each other out and much more "tolerant" of those who don't have all the expensive toys. :)

MakerDP
BUT just as easy though is a great sounding amp with a reactive load and impulse response cabinet sims for silent mic-less recording. I am going to start experimenting with this type of setup hopefully this summer.

I've been recording my 5150 III with mics and using a THD hot plate to get it down to a reasonable level, but wanted to have a way to record silently for late night as well. Since it will load an amp as well as attenuate, I picked up a Torpedo Cab and just started playing around with it today.  I think it will do the trick for the night time recording, plus when I record during the day I can mix in a track of a simulated 4x12 along with a mic or two on my attenuated 1x12 and it sounds really thick and juicy.  Really happy with it.  Of course they have the software Wall of Sound as well if you would rather just buy a few select cabs and do it on the cheap, but I like having the hardware version myself.