Since you are a keyboard player. If you download everything here you will be set for most quasi-guitar needs. And a few choice IRs.
The two preamps are both three channel so you can quickly switch from clean, some drive, to insane distortion.
I really like the NRR-1 along with that EQ.
http://www.kvraudio.com/developer/ignite-amps

 

S-Gear

 

Last edited: Sep 18, 2017

no amp sim like this!
the sims get a rough idea, but the 3d aspect of the real thing is phenomenal
!

ALL of the amp sims are flat and 2d with no depth like real amp, cab and speakers mic'ed have!

 

Last edited: Sep 18, 2017

when people say amplitube, they are not talking about the version from 2005, but the one that just got updated yesterday and posted today, ( or if they don't have the latest update maybe a month ago version)which is best one out there (straight software)

i agree with you that UAD is damn amazing, ( compared to other amp sims )but for that price i can build a 1960's tube amp from scratch
but really i remember using a SANs amp GT@ pedal in the 90's and was happy with that then! haha we been able to use all kinds of tools and do a lot for long time !
I could make any amp sim good enough for a demo, and wouldn't use any of them on a real album other than maybe industrial or some kind special effects, even a 500 dollar tube amp ,destroys any amp sim

the thing i really don't get is line6 helix it is scientifically WORSE than amp sims that came out , 2007 onward leopoulin tse acmebargig headcase SIMANALOG. i just used helix nativ yesterday and today comparing to 7 other amp sims and couple my real amps A to B , it was so bad i couldn't even save the project file to show anyone! it was like "have to shut this down right away!"
of course anyone that likes it should use it and anything that is good tool for them.for me naaaaaaaaah son.
BUT , if someone want a sound that is not at all like a regular amp it could be amazing so what do I know?>

 

Last edited: Sep 18, 2017

Whatever the song calls for... go-to seems to be Amplitube (only cause its easy on the eyes), Guitar Rig (simple to use and I like the effects) then ReVavlver. Got more of 'em... but never really play with 'em. Not a big fan of any of the emulations of the major overdrive amps... real or sim (not my style and most sound like mud).
You can dial in almost any sound if you know what you need to start from... and have a little time to tweak. I haven't mic'd up a real amp in years when doing my own un-listenable stuff!

 

Hey friend, have you tried using an attenuator? There are different technologies for this, but I believe the best one out there is the tech from London Power. You can get the tube amp sweet spot at any volume with this.

http://www.londonpower.com/power-scaling-faq

 

Based on my own and other trusted ones opinion:

All in one big size:

TH3: seems to be very complete and good with high gain
Amplitube 4: very resource hungry but it's very complete. very good cabinet emulation. good with high gain since the Marshall and Mesa boogie "official" emulations
Revalver 4: in the cr'ed version I miss a lot of effects, good specially on high gain. good cabinet emulation. the VST host feature it's a game changer for me, makes a lot easier trying free amp heads or effects
BIAS Amp/FX: very resource hungry, amp matching, good on high gain, it seems to have good dynamics emulation

Medium size "amp cabinet and a few effects":

S-Gear: very good dynamics response, hard on the CPU, doesn't have amp for [Edited. Thanks @Riot7 ] very high gain. Because of the dynamics realism most "real" guitar players love it
TSE X50v2: extremely light and fast, only two amps, good for high gain, good IR loader
Thermionik&Recabinet: very hard on the CPU, seems to be the best for very high gain, very good impulse loader (recabinet)

Free:

Ignite amps: great amp-head Emissary, the only free zero-latency IR loader NadIR, TS-999 emulation
Poulin: old but still great, high gain ones are impressive
TSE: has free versions of TSE X50v2 except the effects and cab loader: very good classic "green TS", X30, X50, a bass amp also

MixIR2: not free but in sister site. When you're used to it, the best IR loader hands down (zero-latency). Endless possibilities, you can combine 30 IRs and save the combination as a single IR. Yo can chain a reverb IR after 5 cabinet IR in parallel.

 

Last edited: Sep 19, 2017

26 replies and no one proposes MAGIX VANDAL.
nobody likes it? prove it !!!

 

Cheers safran5020, a subject for key players:
I needed a quick and uncomplicated amp sim for a Rhodes and Kuassa Vermillion did it.
Alive and breathing, dirt cheap, one klick switch mono <-> stereo (stereo is mono compatible),
can go from super clean to "rhodes crunchy", low cpu and so on.

I`d be interested in further "working" amp sim alternatives in context of key players ...

 

Yes I have and almost bought one a few weeks ago, not this one but another that was very good (cannot remember which one, having a brain fart) but lost out on the high bid.

 

OP, realism schmearism. If it sounds and feels good, it's good. I think instead of trying to accurately emulate existing hardware amps, the developers should aim to produce something better.

S-GEAR2 feels best to me while playing. And I've played pretty much all of them. It however lacks some must have features many other plugins have. Like a compressor. And IMO only few of the cab impulses are really good / useful.

Also someone said S-Gear doesn't have a hi-gain amp. Nonsense.

 

Everyone that thinks modern emulations arent like the real thing in tone. If we talk about recording the point where a vst can easily replace a real amp was reached years ago. I still got my Engl e 670 and my loved Plexi but my kemper is used in the studio more than theese two. I even use Vst amps more than the real amps. Kemper or an vst in the studio all the way.

I allways like to post this as a proof that you just need to know how to use an emu. Here is an old VS99 Preset. The VG99 is from 2006 i think ...

 

holy crap the VG99...I had this one and two guitars with GK-3s right after I had the Variax and the X3 Live...I'll admit that the overdrive and distortion sounds weren't to my liking in the end but this thing was inspiring. I know that my song 'sanity' is the result of some weird stuff I did with this beast (playing organ via guitar or something like that). The optical/laser controller was just fun. Totally useless in practical conditions (to me and in the darkened practice room at least) but funny if you set it up to do something and let your fellow musicians control it.

 

That was great, you got the tone nailed down tight, 95% spot on, a tiny bit less...warm somewhere low, maybe around 500- 600khz or something from the memory in my bones. I am listening with good ear buds (Sennheiser ie80's) so take it with a grain of salt. That's still one of my favorite rock songs of all time, a simple arrangement, a classicly great sound and players. This was Pop a bunch of years ago.

I know of people using emulation even during big gigs these days as it sounds great and the FOH dig it to make their life easier...and it sounds great. In particular, a fellow on another board I frequent uses the Two Notes Torpedo for a few years now. The same mic'd cab sound every gig using convolution cab IR's mixed into his rig has been working out well for him. He also said that at the huge Metal festivals they played at over the summer, about half the babds were using Kempers instead of real amps.

 

Yes you are correct. To me you have to know how to use it. I also have given up on amps. Nice not to disturb the neighbors.

 

pssst.. don't tell anyone but... you don't have to own it to use it...

 

As mentioned above a few times, the 'Scuffham Amps S-Gear' contains pretty well emulations of some few Amps (as well as 'FXs'). Not tons of Amp emulations (4 to be exact), but here you get rather the quality than the quantity...

Still not tested the 'Line6 Helix' Software (will be done in a few days after its purchase), but some guitar players claims that its 'hardware' counterpart is rather well done, to not say 'impressive'...

And what about using (external) 'Stompboxes' ('Overdrives', 'Distortions', 'Tube Screamer' clones,... , as well as 'Choruses', 'Delays', 'Phasers',... Pedals/Stompboxes) along with all the 'Amp/Preamp emulations' available nowadays in the market ?
I got (and get !) very nice results by using (blending/mixing) both : hardware for the 'Stompboxes', and software for the 'Amp/Preamp emulations'.
This way, you can get the sound(s), color(s), tone(s),... , of your belove(d) Stompbox(es) and use these through a lot of different 'Amp/Preamp emulations' to have a (rather) wide panel of sounds. You can blend both elements to get the best of both worlds (hardware and software).

Also the use of no 'all-in-one' Softwares, which some are 'Free' by the way, could also be a great solution to make your dreaming 'FX chains', then save these as is within your favorite DAW's.

Just to mention a few :
'Ignite Amps', 'Poulin' or 'LePou',... , for the Amp/Preamps emulations.
Lot of VST FX Plugins : 'Choruses', 'Delays', 'Phasers', 'Reverbs',... (which list is almost endless, but in my case, with a preference for such great brand names as 'Eventide', 'Lexicon', 'TC Electronic',... ).

 

@Studio 555 your post looks pretty much like what I was about to post so I won't bother. Thanks!

I'm not a guitar player, though, just a guitar FX lover.

 

Best ITB tone I've ever had is plugging my Tubescreamer clone straight into the Instrument input of my interface through a Henry Olonga Nebula amp. Of course that tone is only useful for certain styles.

Wait until Acustica Audio starts making guitar amp sims (they are working into real saturation right now, which has been one of its weaknesses since day one). Then we'll see the magic happen... And the latency!

 

I'm with @Jaymz. Any amp sim really. Been using the free Krankenstein one for more buzzy stuff, but usually the Mercuriall JCM800 Hot is my go to. Amp selection TOTALLY depends on the tone you're after.
Also, I capture the guitar DI going through a Tube Preamp. Garbage in = garbage out so be especially picky about the signal chain going in. If your pre's won't handle instrument level inputs, you'll have to get that corrected. Sometimes a DI box can be used. Sometimes you can find an old piece of rack gear that will let you use different types of inputs and outputs and will solve the impedance mismatch for you.
Stomp boxes are a great way to add more analoginess (my new word of the day!) to the signal coming in.
But the real secret sauce is in those nebula cabs. Either the Ownhammer or AE cabs sound best to me. Either one comes with MANY different mic positions sampled so there's a whole array of tonal choices there too.
And for those that wonder, if I'm serious about what I'm recording. I'll likely always mic up the real deal.