If you had to use only one AMP sim for the rest of your life which one will you use?

 

u-he - Bazille

 

Neural DSP Archetype Gojira (with some extra IR of course)

 

Probably the Helix Native plugin right now! Flexible signal paths and can be made to work independent of the DSP limitations of the hardware units. A few good IRs and you're good to go.

 

There are so many good ones

1. Line 6 Helix would be my choice, It's so small and flexible maybe the most Processors as well


But it's a hard choice
Gutiar Rig 6 (with Komplett , some of the traktor effects are very unique)
Th-U (also very flexible and good sounding)
Postive Grid FX 2 (Best Presets for me )
Blue Cat Axiom (maybe the deepest modulations thank´s to Destructor)

are also on my DAW PC and everyone got stuff the others don't got or not so good sounding.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 22, 2021

Overloud - TH-U Premium

 

Like Polomo, I have quite a few amp sims installed. I love the modulation effects in Axiom (the tremolo is sick!) but for realistic and natural amp sounds i tend toward Softube's Marshall simulations. The Bluesbreaker is AMAZING and the Plexi Super Lead is OUTSTANDING. These sims have such natural amp sounds its a little crazy. I alsor eally like the PRS sim from Waves, especially for cleaner tones.

Here's some of the Plexi Super Lead from Softube in song I've been working on. It's on the first guitar solo.


The song Angels Upon Us at my Bandcamp site has a solo using the one of the PRS amps from Waves on the solo.
odiousblot.bandcamp.com

If I had to have one, and no others it'd be the .... ahhh I think I'd shoot myself first lol

 

Strymon Iridium is my thing, though I have auditioned the Neural DSP Plini and liked it a lot. The Strymon loves pedals driving into it and it is for me super close to playing through a real amp.

 

Ampltube and Guitar rig are the most "all purpose" imo, lots of options within those (would have added Helix but i haven't tried it so idk). The question is, what's the hipotetical purpose here?

For music production I'd pick Amplitube, not the best sounding amp sim, but it'll work just fine on everything a potential client could ask for.

As a guitar player i'd pick BIAS amp, mostly because i can get it to sound closer to my amp than with anything else (Still would prefer my amp though)

 

You need to learn how to use an amp. People had only one amp back in the day and could get so many sounds with them. It is these new spoiled digital amps that give you thousands of presets, and you are not still satisfied.

 

Last edited: Sep 21, 2021

I hate guitar amps.
Got the new Headrush MX-5 to augment my Neural DSP plugs and use for live.
It's incredibly powerful and versatile for $399 US.
The presets suck, but I'm a programmer and I've got that thing grinding, singing and screaming
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MX5--headrush-mx5-amp-modeling-guitar-effect-processor

 

Helix for me without a doubt (Native and Rack) - really simple to pick up, but deep enough to get really tweaky. Once you really get a feel for it, you can get pretty much any tone you can think of. Takes real pedals better than most others I've worked with too.

I'm not too keen on its bass amps though, much prefer the UAD Ampegs for bass, esp the B15.

 

Knowing how to dial in a real amp definitely helps, (or at least knowing how to do it in theory - it's not uncommon to work with younger artists nowadays who've never been in a room with a cranked 800/ac30/vh4/etc) as does knowing what a good tone in a band context sounds like (there's usually a massive difference between a tone that you enjoy jamming solo with, and one that will actually fit in a band/track).

And tbh an awful lot of guitarists I love from "back in the day" used multi amp rigs - there's a whole palette of tones you just simply can't get from a single amp.

I'm not sure who the "and you are still not satisfied" comment is aimed at, because it sounds like most people here are pretty happy with their chosen modellers?

Personally I use about 4 amps in the Helix about 80% of the time. I'll throw in others for different textures on overdubs etc, but I tend to approach the Helix like it's a couple of real amps. Almost every other guitarist / producer I know who uses a modeller/profiler works in a similar fashion.

Sure, it's definitely really fun to spend an afternoon now and again exploring the amps you never really touch, but most of the time when I'm working, I want to get a good sound fast, and restricting things to say 4-6 amps is one way to do that.

 

Maybe not here, but if you just go into another forum, you will find folks that is not satisfied with their amp and/or modeller. Not enough "bite", "lifeless" strange mid freq behaviour, etc.
Personally, as one's taste might change over the years, or realization of sonic goals...their preference might shift too..
I am primarily a high gain guy, and many many tones I sought after ended me choosing a Diezel VH4, sadly only a modeler. But 4 channel is more than plenty.

For now, the "GAS" is cured.

 

Two main criteria on my side :
-IR freq shape (it creates the whole balance)
-FEEL

The best feel i got was from GE LABS ios and my little GE200
Kemper is probably even better

"Profiling" is very alive compared to algos

So my vote go to THU Rig Player as plugin goes
With cab disabled and GOOD third party IR

Kemper for full price hardware
Mooer GE200 (with the RIGHT MNRS sample) for cheap Kemper like
GE LABS ios and THU for idevices

On Mooer, i use preamp MNRS only and an OwnHammer revolution MESA TRAD+ORANGE IR, with EL34 EL84 tube
Here is my short preamp MNRS list :

P-PREAMP DIEZEL DMOLL CH3 DIST : Avrusci Max
P-HAYDEN CLASSIC TS808
P-RANDALL DIAVLO RD45

P-PREAMP SOLDANO SLO DIST AV
P-SOLDANO SLO100 STL

P-Fender deluxe preamp daroteeee (crunch)
P-FENDER DELUXE CLEAN

Feel is amazing, IR response too

 

Good point! I've never been in a room with a proper amp. I started my journey with digital gear, and I'm now using an older Line 6 hardware unit mainly. My only experience with "real" amps has been when playing live through the backline amps, plugging my modeller into them.

That's such an important thing so many people don't realise. So many people chase their favourite tones from albums they love and get the gear used on the albums, while completely ignoring how it was dialled in for recording as well as all the post processing done on it.

 

@rollerball

I started my journey with analog gear in a room with a proper amp...

...and will leave the world with hearing loss and tinnitus (and don't stand next to the drumner in a tiny rehearsal space).

Keep the loud trim!

 

Well then, it would seem this question doesn’t pertain to you then does it. So why bother answering?

 

Overloud TH-U, but only using the Rig Player with a lot of vintage amps I could choose from such as those Hot-Rodded Bassman and Bluesdeville, plus now they've added Jensens speakers IR that I own and love (in my Fender Twin Reverb) weirdly enough it sounded better than my own, probably because of my shitty miking technique. It is the closest I could achieve without miking own amp. Another reason would be TH-U has the Ashdown Bass amp which is always my first choice for bass amp. I'm torn between TH-U and the Softube 1959 Plexi but the latter is not versatile enough.

Ah, exactly how I use it but now using the new included Jensen IR a lot.

Unpopular opinion here, but Softube manage to make it sound shitty like it suppose to, so the user would use it as the real amp and find the sweet spot, and when you found that it is the most glorious tone ever. Even the amp was never meant to be plug and play, knowing which input that suits you and which one to jump will take time.

 

Last edited: Sep 22, 2021