I can agree with this, however the "fabric of the sound" starts from the amp(sim) itself. I always tested these amp plugins by listening to them with 3rd party IRs/cab plugins after the built-in cabinet section. At least 50% of my own preset collection (NDSP, STL, ML Sound Lab, etc.) is set up with 3rd party IRs.

 

Overloud th-u whole neural dsp website in one plugin and some preset sounding real too

Neural dsp plugins act as a digital sweetener which give dopamine and the individual starts craving for it again and again! But nothing sounds real!

Ps: If you have heards real amp sounds you'll know

 

Yeah... Once again i see comments "nothing special" and "overated" about NDSP stuff.
It's the classic case of "i'm not impressed because i have to prove that i know better"
At least thats how i percieve those type of guys.
To be fair, indeed there are guys that they really don't have a taste for NDSP, thats natural cause we can't all have the same taste but the case in many guys is that they are trying to be unique snowflakes.
If someone can't make a good mix with NDSP plugins then i believe it's a skill issue.

To answer the question in the first place, NDSP ampsims are just great, very balanced and they offer a great guitar tone. For most guys it's the fastest way to achieve the sound that you "hear in your head" in the production/preproduction phase.
A great example of what an experienced producer can achieve with those plugins is the song *Circle With Me* by Spiritbox. The guitar sound was created with Nolly (if i remember correctly).
Consider also that most guys are still unaware that half of guitar sound is your bass tone. If you know how to dial a great bass tone then these ampsims just sit in the mix perfectly providing a wide stereo image in seconds cutting just right.
Also they are very versatile considering tone, feel, and beeing policed or dirtry sounding, beeing for modern music or not and all that without sounding sterile. The interface is also great and clean.

 

What's good about NDSP?

After having tested all the VST amp sims I could find for decades,
with the same Strat and Vox Tube distortion pedal..

The only VST amp that gives me the Mojo tone, and makes my Strat sound good is > Neural Nolly

So having an updated version, or more amps of that line (like the Petrucci rig) to try is a massive gift!

 

-Now I can agree with others..
There's so many factors involved on the signal chain that two users will hardly ever get the same result/tone..

The Audio Interface you're using, and the way it takes/processes the guitar signal makes a massive difference on that I'm sure..

So bottom line for plugs is > YMMV, a lot.

-The two other best Tones I ever had would be:
Real Amp + Vox Dist + Korg Ax300G + Red Box Classic D.I.

Vox Dist + Pod HD500

-I can agree there was something very real and appealing about the tone I got with the Red Box Classic D.I.

Hard to pinpoint, and the amp was literally el cheapo H&K..
but while it wouldnt do super heavy distortion, some of the mojo and realism was there!

-The Pod was and is much better at heavy distortion, literally perfect for heavy rhythm guitars.
But for Strat Mojo only one of the marshall amps works... and it's very far from perfect.

Pod HD Cabs suck big time tho, so I used Amplitube 4 cabs anyway.

-After that the best thing I found is NDSP Nolly..
Hard to describe.. but for practicing I prefer it over the POD, so there's that!

 

I prefer my Scuffham S Gear than most Neural DSP except Plini and Nolly (to my taste)

 

For VST amps I suggest you try out different ones till you find one that sounds and responds well to your needs, never mind what seems to be everyone else's favorite just be an individual and create your own sound.

 

The debate about whether Neuraldsp is good or not is completely pointless and a waste of time. What works for one person may not work for another.

 

I remember when I first tried Archetype Plini in 2019. I was blown away. I had never such heard such good tones because I only had a basic Zoom multi fx. I bought it as soon as I had enough money.

Seeing the debate here just makes me realize: things once available for free don't seem to have that 'coveted value' anymore so its easy to say whatever. But Neural has been coveted by many, for a long time. I own half their plugins now, buying one or two a year over time; now I get to use the other half too.

Either way, anyone who likes Neural is already supporting them, and will continue to do so.

 

Agree! Well.. It could be a waste of time for some and insightful for others . But seriously, now they're on the sister site... Test them out longer than the trial. You'll find that most of the answers on here will average out. For example, there was one post about how they fall apart in a mix. Well, in my experience, yes some do but some some don't. Really depends on what you're doing. I was demoing the Morgan Amp suite and got it to groove really well with a song I'm working on. I couldn't afford it at the time so I thought I could use Neural Amp Modeler, Nembrini stuff, Scuffham, Amplitube.... they all sounded good on their own but they all "fell apart" in the song I was working on. I ended up finding the Morgan amp suite for cheap on Knobcloud. But the Morgan doesn't work for everything else. Like most things in life, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

 

Last edited: Dec 18, 2025 at 2:28 PM

Happens a huge lot and specially on internet: pseudo-elitists-snobs. They're everywhere.
I used to have an... ahem... "soft spot" for them but now I just pass, too much work.

 

As a guitar player, i see Neural DSP as a nice compromise between "plug"n play" AND enough settings and options to cover most things.
It is not complete like Helix (my fav now).

If you like NDSP, check STL AmpHub too (i love this one).
You get more than "one knob" amps AND less headaches than programming a full Helix patch.

 

AmpHub can be great, I recommend everyone to try it. I mainly use it with 3rd party IRs, but their own ones are not bad either. By the way, the January update will be the "Eddy 5153 Phantom" (EVH 5150III 100 Stealth), I'll be curious about it.

 

I only use Genome by Two Notes. It's the only VST I can master to get a sound that suits me. I got it for free with an amp and cab simulation pedal. All updates are free, and you can import stereo NAM files into it. But I've never really been satisfied with guitar simulation plugins. They're getting more realistic, that's for sure, but I prefer a good SM57 and a ribbon mic in front of my cab. Of course, you can't do that in an apartment. Especially with tube amps. So you have to find a place to set up your gear and record. So I totally understand why people use guitar plugins at home, as I do myself. But for me, it's always just a demo before recording. I also know that great guitarists use simulation pedals in concert. And for playing in small clubs, that's great. It takes a long time to get back to a playing feel that matches a real setup. So I'm not really interested in these Neural DSP plugins. Mastering one is already quite a long process.