This is pretty eye opening stuff for people struggling with amp sim levels & sounds- And not getting it right

 

Although the level an amp sims gets is surely important for representing intended sound, the rest is freaking bullshit. The hotter signal(without clipping of course) you get from your interface, the better. Better SNR and everything. As for the rest of gain staging, that's what the fucking Input on the amps fore. Dial it down there, not on your fucking interface.

 

Not really in my opinion, Poiuy. For instance, every tube amp that I've owned or played through reacts by how much gain I feed to the output. The higher the gain the more distortion and clipping, and so modeled amps should react the same way. If the input is really loud I can't turn up the gain to find the sweet spot!

 

17 minutes is a long time! Is it just gain staging before running the signal through the amp sim + a spreadsheet of optimal input levels per developer?

 

But that's' what the Input any amp sim has for! Too hot, turn it down. Not Gain - INPUT. Basically it's absolutely the same if you dialing the input down on the interface or on the the sim EXCEPT for SNR which will always be better the hotter the original signal is being received.

 

AI summary:

• The common advice to set the input gain high on your interface when recording guitar is incorrect for properly dialing in amp sims.
• Amp sims should be set up to mimic the real-world signal chain of just guitar -> cable -> amp, without additional gain staging from the interface.
• Diming the input gain on the interface essentially creates a pseudo-tube screamer effect that can negatively impact the accuracy and tone of the amp sim.
• To get a more accurate representation of the amp sim, the input gain on the interface should be set very low, following the manufacturer's recommended levels.
• The input gain on the amp sim plugin itself should then be adjusted to compensate for the low interface gain, based on the headroom specifications of the particular interface.
• This approach results in a cleaner, more responsive, and more authentic tone from the amp sim, without the unwanted saturation and low-end muddiness.

 

So what the eff happens exactly if you do it the other way - The input gain on the amp sim plugin itself should then be adjusted to compensate for the HIGH interface gain ? I mean, your interface is not an effing Tube screamer, it doesn't cut lows and doesn't add harmonix. The video is misleading bullshit.

 

Some seem to disagree

 

Watch it again, there's lots of info there

 

Let's agree to agree.

 

isn't it recommended to adjust the input level/gain staging most analogue modelled plugins? (including non-amps)

 

But this method seems to work like almost backwards, it's dope once you get it

 

Gain staging. Get the guitar input nominal at the interface (good healthy level) and then attenuate after (in software) just before the guitar modelling stage. Turning down your interface input level to provide the desired level at the modeller is just plain wrong.

 

I've found some very interesting sounds with my motu m4 's gain at 0, just playing with the input (not gain) of amp sim.

 

So, he's basically saying that the higher input level set by an interface makes the git amp emus sound bad, and that the higher input level set in the plugin makes it sound right? IOW, the higher digital level sounds more analogue than the higher analogue level? Er....

 

The idea there is somewhat controversial but looks like it works

 

I'm done with the watchbait threads. I need to keep some faith in humanity.

 

exactly. "we've been doing this X wrong the entire time." This is why I always mention about these kinds of statements, people who throw their "resume" around when telling you something far-fetched, contrary to conventional, generally accepted principles. "i've been doing this for X years and ", ____ insert whatever bullshit you want in that blank. It is the preface to some bullshit, like saying "with all due respect" will preface something disrespectful.

I'll watch more of it now that I bothered, to see how bad this is. But in one sentence I can tell you with nearly 100% certainty, it's wrong. Whatever it may be, it doesn't even matter what it is.

Oh my word. So he is saying they overload the input trim as soon as it hits the plugin? It took you 6 years to figure this out and you make a video about it? lol.

 

Last edited: Mar 27, 2024

Yeah, this gain stage thing just popped up in guitar recording community. It was always recommended to keep the audio interface signal as hot as you can (without clipping) and lower the input knob on whatever analog emulating plugin you had. For the sake of Signal to Noise Ratio.

This solution also seems backwards to me, what happens to the Signal to Noise ratio? You are basically lowering your signal with the noise, and then adding gain to both noise and the lowered signal then. Which I think has a little more noise in the signal, though honestly I can't really tell the StN ratios of audio interfaces are pretty good.

 

"Why your playing SUCKS"
"You've been doing it WRONG"
"The music secrets that THE PRO'S DON'T WANT YOU TO KNOW"
"Why rock 'n' roll sounds SO MUCH BETTER IF YOU TURN YOUR AMP ON"
"OMG, this Liverpool band from the sixties is UNBELIEVABLE - NEW DISCOVERY!!!!!!!"

Yawn....