Hi there!
What are your favorite/go-to nam A2 profiles or developers for...
High-gain?
Crunch/middle and low gain?
Cleans?
Pedals?

With the launch of A2 and the lower resource consumption, I have just installed Gateway a couple of weeks ago, and while this tech is really a game changer, I fell the rabbit hole of testing profiles at tone3000 too extreme lol. Maybe a thread about favorites by this community could be helpful (I have already seen it at other places, but not here yet).

 

Last edited: Jul 25, 2026 at 10:32 AM

Posting here so I can be notified as well. I dislike NAM, but I'm picking up my guitar for the first time in years, so I want to give it another chance now that there's a new one.

I'm also interested in trying general mixing/mastering A2 profiles, if there are any available.

 

High-gain - I don't do.
Crunch/middle and low gain - Amalgam Captures
Cleans - Amalgam Captures
Pedals - Sultans of Stomp

 

The free ones from Amalgam are also the ones I have been playing the most, as most come with the cabs already baked in (I quickly get lost in an endless ir swapping mode if I have to use cabinet irs).

 

Interested in hearing why you dislike NAM. From my part, while I think it can sound really awesome, I quickly get lost in an endless profile swapping/testing process instead of playing (the same when I have to use irs).

 

the thing about A2 is, up until this moment, whenever I pick up random profiles from Tone3000, it becomes a hit right away (to me at least) so I dont bother to look out for any good dev anymore. I have 3 4 fav profiles that I love and that's it. It's that good. Haven't tried the renewed A2 updates for old packs.

 

btw, try this https://pwc-profiles.com/plugins
and download PWC NAM amp+cab .. thank me later

 

For mostly high gain stuff check deathblossomaudio on tone3000, also mirrorprofiles (paid).

 

I'm almost high gain only

Some A2 here :
https://www.tone3000.com/markswarbrick
https://www.tone3000.com/helgab
https://www.tone3000.com/obijuan
https://www.tone3000.com/pipppriss
https://www.tone3000.com/2dor
https://www.tone3000.com/vicaudio
https://www.tone3000.com/ripper

Some of my fav with A2 :
https://www.tone3000.com/ampspedalspickups
https://www.tone3000.com/deathblossomaudio
https://www.tone3000.com/eugenelivada

 

The reason why I dislike NAM is not for the reason most people use it (simulating pedals, amps, etc), I don't like it because people started using the technology to make really shitty and lazy plugins that will emulate the sound of the legendary XYZ preamp, just for it to sound like shit. I haven't found any analog gear that NAM models well except for the gear that it was made for.

 

agree with this, tired of ai slop, but it happens to me recently that PPA audio throws some neve strip and sound really good. its at sister site.
i REQ, from Tokyostudiocapture their plugin TSC Rack, which they claim can be True Stereo AND they themselves samples some iconic pre/eq/comp etc, so we will see if thats the real plugin we need and beign useful so far with all this NAM A2 fever. i discover at TONE3000 some neve captures and sound good but the producer bring them in L and R individually which its beatiful but thats where i realize we dont have any plugin which can emulate real true stereo with the nam thing xd, i have to deal with studio one and their splitter but its not the same...

 

Thank you ! This one surprised me. I didn't know but it's way cooler than the standard NAM player.
Worthy checking the thread I thought it will be lame.

 

Also try "Soundshed Guitar" NAM loader. Its feature-rich with a great selection of effects, supports Mac, Windows, linux, Standalone version, plug-in versions (AU, VST, CLAP). FREE!!

https://guitar.soundshed.com/

 

Is there a good nam plugin with a librarian built in? That was my main gripe with the original. You just had that left right button navigation and only one folder at a time. With so many profiles out there an explorer style librarian with subfolders and keyboard navigation is basically the only thing that would make sense.

 

NAM Rig, launched yesterday. Standalone and plugin, you can browse, play and download all tone3000 inside it.

Youtube video

 

I'm completely lost with all these NAM plugin versions Is there really a difference between them all ? Which ones are truly useful ?

 

Soundwise, no difference as far as A2 loading.
BUT functions are totally different.
Some are one NAM instance, some mono, some stereo, some you can chain or not, some add their own effects ...

For now, i would start with soundshed.

 

amazing, just hope there comes a point where you could browse folders in the local tab so you can have your own categorization

 

You can! Just look for the tab that say local on the browser section.
Also, Wavemind is coming out with Nam Universal II https://wavemind.net/product/nam-universal-ii.

 

Getting spoiled in choices for NAM A2 Players now. What a time to be a guitar aficionado. If I had those stuff when I was 13 and couldn't afford the shitiest amp from a pawn shop.