Hello everyone,

Just curious to know what the fuzz guitar crowd has been using in the box. Lots of posts talking about hi gain vst amps and metal oriented styles. But how about fuzz? I gotta a proco rat pedal and a big muff clone, so hardwarewise I am covered. Just curious to know what you people have been using for amp sims and fuzz effects in the box to cover grounds from Jimi Hendrix to Smashing Pumpkins, Muse and Electric Wizard tones.

I "ve been using the free amp sim Ace (shattered glass) and the also free Fuzz face/face bender by distorque.

 

Last edited: Jan 11, 2021

Kuassa's fuzz bundle is pretty good. Others are from Audiority, Fuse Audio Labs and Helix Native. There's the free Rat from TSE as well.

 

Audiority Big Goat
Audiority Blue Face
Audified - MultiDrive Pedal Pro (includes a Muff and a Fuzz Face)
Fuse Audio Labs - Big Sur
PreSonus Ampire (includes a high quality muff)
Line 6 Helix Native (a nice collection of robust fuzz pedals)

These are the best IMO

 

Neural DSP..but expensive even on sale.

 

I always had a soft spot for Mokafix, they did some great fuzz and distortions pedals, their Bat plugin was as close as I could get to my Rat back in the day. They must be 10 years old now though and no longer (widely) available.

 

Forgive my ignorance but which neural dsp suite contains a fuzz effect?

 

Check out Klanghelm's SDDR2, specifically the fuzz mode. The plugin sounds great imo, takes little to no cpu, and you have some really good control over everything (character, harmonics, dynamics, drive, 3 different stages, a mix knob..)
It also has 3 other distortion types and the plug only costs about 30$ regular price.

 

iirc they were only 32bit? I remember fondly using them too.

None. The dirt pedal choices from Neural DSP are filters, boosts and overdrives.

 

Oh, the Nembrini EK Distortion also has a fuzz mode. Haven't tried it, but it might be a tone worth looking into.

 

And recently was re-released the Steinberg Quadra Fuzz at the sister site. 32 bits only but...sounds great.

 

Yeah, they were all 32-bit, it's a shame he didn't update them. Apparently he works for NI now.

 

Good question, I love fuzz but I haven't heard any plugin that even comes close to my Fuzz Factory.

 

Just for in the box I'm happy with Ableton's Pedal in fuzz mode, Fuzz in Guitar Rig, and Bite from NI (though it's in GR as well).

Bite especially is mental for ripping fuzztones. I wish that one was also hardware.

Hardware-wise pretty standard stuff, a Muff reissue, a RAT and a SF300.

 

Fuzz seems to be the most difficult sound to model. All the plugins are improving but are behind almost every other effect including preamps. I am also a fuzz lover. I need few pedals in the studio now. Mostly a bunch of fuzz pedals

 

I feel you.

 

Thanks everyone for all the answers and suggestions!

 

Hell yeah, this is my kinda thread!
Theres tons of different fuzz sounds, tho. For Hendrix try a fuzz face (face bender + the one in helix are the best) or any of the "weirder" fuzzes in amplitube.
Fuse Audio Labs - Big Sur for Smashing Pumpkins, I wasn't really excited to try another muff until I actually tried it and realized it was an op-amp muff! Only plugin that'll get you "that" sound.
For Muse I'd try the fuzz factory in L6 Helix, or maybe play around with the feedback knob in audio damage fuzz+ 3.
I believe Electric Wizard use Boss FZ-2 fuzzes, also modeled in L6 Helix.

Other essentials
Audiority Big Goat: Great ram's head muff, but the lower you tune the worse it gets. Sh!t on bass, also try Kazrog Thermionik ram's head.
Mokafix: Can't stress this enough. The Russian muff, the v3 muff (somewhat metallic sounding, listen to Heavy Temple, probably also works for Electric Wizard) and especially the Roland BeeBaa.
Klanghelm's SDDR2, hasn't worked for me on it's own, but before/after another fuzz with the attack set to slow this nails the "fuzz face starved of voltage" sound a la Billy Gibbons.
The Octavia in Amplitube: it sounds kinda "off" as an Octavia, but is the closest i've got to that filthy Shellac fuzz sound.

Probably forgetting some more :P

 

Oh, and if you're looking for a really dense and obnoxious fuzz tone try this for size:

First a gate, then boost signal just below clipping when you give it your loudest. Then feed it to a bitcrusher, quantize to 6 bits or less (if the crusher has samplerate reduction, leave that alone), 3-4bits works for me normally. Then feed it to your amp sim of choice.

Good times.

 

I'm looking for that buzzy but clean, 60's garage/punk/psych fuzztone sound that comes in @ 16 seconds in the vid'.. once had a preset in Guitar Rig that absolutely nailed it but have since lost it. Any ideas? Thinking Electric Prunes or the amazing fuzz sound in the Barbarella soundtrack. ;)

 

Free Face Bender plugin!

You can also create your own fuzz by using any decent waveshaper / clipper with the curve set to around 90% hard 10% soft or so (basically close to hard clipping, but not fully), then eq filter the output (highpass, pronounce upper mids).