I've come up with a variation on the amp sims, it's more like a virtual set of 500-series modules that makes a nice little "pedalboard" for guitar. However, the way these sims are set up, they're not capable of storing presets. What you can do is save the DSP block like an FX chain if you tweak the controls the way you like.
 
My original idea behind the amp sims was a simple, plug-and-play block you could bring into a project, make a few tweaks, and be on your way. The "pedalboard" can give a whole lot of different sounds, and the controls interact so it takes some tweaking to get the various sounds of which it's capable. For example there's a high-frequency boost that sounds great with dry guitar, but will rip your ears off if you engage the overdrive. The Sustainer is cool for jazz type sounds if you use the MorphTone control tilted toward bass, but you'll probably want to pull it back with overdrive sounds or goose it up all the way for leads. It's pretty versatile.
 
So here's my question. Which would you prefer:
 
1. The single pedalboard with a read me about what the controls do, and do your own tweaking.
2. The single pedalboard with patch sheets (images of the control settings) you can browse that show different suggested preset sounds.
3. A  half dozen or so of the FX Chains already preset for specific applications so you can just drag-and-drop the one you want for a point of departure, and do a few tweaks (like the amp sims).
 
Thanks for any thoughts you have on this. "Give the people what they want," and all that 
 
 
 
? For example one might be super-clean, another with rock distortion for leads, another one that's more of an overdrive, etc. They'd all look the same and have the same controls, only the control settings would be different.

Sounds like a great project to work on Craig.
 
Personally, I'd go for option 1.
 
Shame we don't have a voting system on the forum (yet)

I'm all for presets, so I have somewhere to begin. It's the way I use quite a few plugins, and almost always the way I use synths. I don't think I would use an amp sim much if I had to start from scratch. I'd probably just experiment for a while, find a couple of sounds I like, and only use those. If there were a few dozen presets I'd be more tempted to experiment with them.

The "guidance for tweakers" option gets my vote.
 

Anderton
So here's my question. Which would you prefer:
3. A  half dozen or so of the FX Chains already preset for specific applications so you can just drag-and-drop the one you want for a point of departure, and do a few tweaks (like the amp sims).

This would be my preference, but I'm pedal-spastic. I never got the hang of the real ones, either, even after nine years on-stage.
 
Maybe there's a way to rewrite this whole thing as a pedal-board plugin, something that would allow the loading/saving of settings. I know it would be a lot of work on top of what you've already done. Just saying.
 
If they're all going to look the same, would it be possible to add text somewhere--maybe as an overlay, somehow--so it's apparent which one is which visually?

I have to agree with Rebel1007 -
 
I'm all for presets, so I have somewhere to begin. It's the way I use quite a few plugins, and almost always the way I use synths. I don't think I would use an amp sim much if I had to start from scratch. I'd probably just experiment for a while, find a couple of sounds I like, and only use those. If there were a few dozen presets I'd be more tempted to experiment with them.
 

You cant go wrong with expertly set up clean, crunch, lead, ambient templates
Being able to update the template to the current tweak at the very minimum would be ideal but would prefer a save as function to make fully saved presets.
 
Essentially a simple ready to go approach easy to see with the option to delve deeper while still painless.
Be so handy and use big icons and rather than text, real or virtual knobs for editing using foot switches or pedals to change values of essential editable parameters

To me the biggest (and in many ways only) advantage to software processing as opposed to analogue is the ability to recall settings so that every time you load a project the modulation fx for example will be set the same as last time.

A menu full of presets I'm not so bothered about (I use real pedals and they don't have multiple presets). What I would regard as very useful indeed is if the plugin(s) remembered their state in saved projects. Even better if they remembered their state if loaded as part of a track or Sonar template.

Personally I'd go for the maximum flexibility rather than different plugins intended for specific applications, because the sound in your head might not be the sound in my head. Though I can see such plugins might be useful to someone.

If I can't trigger with a foot midi pedal..... I won't use it.

Craig,
 
No offense but I think if this is a new TOOL from the bakers, it is not finished cooking yet if one can't save custom presets.  I really don't understand what you are talking about, is this just FX CHAINS or is this some NEW feature from SONAR? That being said, my choice of the multiple choice question would be D, "all of the above".
 
I can imagine that all three options would be useful.
 
Jim