Amp Modelling (Looking for the best option)

[ColourSurround]

Greetings guys, I'm new to the forum but I've been reading some of the posts all day and MAN, this is perhaps the most helpful forum I've come across in recent years. Absolutely bloody brilliant. I'll cut the kiss-ass now though and ask my questions:

I'm looking for the best Amp Modelling around. As much as I'd love to own all the greatest gear out there that's about as likely as Brian Eno doing a punk record. So what have you experienced that satisfies your tastes?

I've some experience with Amplitube LE and GearBox Silver, both of which I think did a great job in some regards but not so much in others. People have pointed me in the direction of GearBox Gold, Amplitube 2.1 and Guitar Rig 2. Are any of these worth the hassle or is it best to invest in a couple solid amps/preamps and learn better mic'ing techniques?

Cheers,

PiN

[thermos]

I've never heard better than gearbox (silver and gold, the same, gold has more amps). Amplitube 2, not really great. Same with NI. I think the best one is probably that one they are talking about in the new product alert, but its way too expensive (and still sounds fake to my ears). If your neighbors are cool, heck yeah buy an amp, a 57 and a pre.

[Melodioso]

ReValver Mk II or Amplitube 2. Both have demo you can download from their site. Why not try it yourself?

Amp sims have their use. If you want to practice guitar in your room with headphones for example. Or want to make a quick demo. You will need a good DI.

But honestly, as thermos said, get a real amp, a 57 and a good pre if you can. Much more fun.

[Cap'n Spanky]

You're going to get a lot of different opinions. I think all that have been mentioned so far can be very good, if used properly. I know it's a bit of a hassle, but I would get all the demos you can lay your hands on and see which works best for you. Because each has it's strengths and weaknesses.

IMO, the place where modelers fall short is in the over-drive/distortion sounds. I hear digital smearing and a muffled sound when the gain is cranked up. So I keep the amp models clean and use real analog stomp boxes for my over drive and distortion. It works amazingly well!

[taturana]

i´d say gearbox/pod xt is probably the best... guitar rig 2 is also good...

i just tried amplitube jimi hendrix and it was very good but very cpu intensive... so i´d only suggest that if you have one of these new core duo 2 computers...

[Stiff]

Amplitube 2 is pretty good.

[2012]

GearBox: More amps, more effects, & less latency.

For me, the TonePort is just a dongle for GearBox. It is never interfaced directly by a mic or guitar. However, the advantage of GearBox using a Line 6 dongle is Direct Tone monitoring. I use low-latency monitoring in PT and can route a DI track out of PT to the TonePort and back into PT with less latency than using a hardware buffer.

Once a DI track has been recorded, the GearBox plugin can be inserted on that channel, or you can record & use the TonePort's signal until you begin the mix, which will preserve precious CPU power, so tieing GearBox to Line 6 hardware does have benefits.

I use real amps, and always prefer them to plugins, but cranking the amps isn't always possible. I use GearBox/TonePort for late-night tracking and ideas. 99% of the time, I reamp the DI tracks using a real amp. But when it's 3am and inspiration strikes, it's invaluable to be able to use something that doesn't hinder that inspiration.

[djbrough]

I own GR2, Waves GTR, and Amplitube 2. They all have different uses. GR2 is used heavily for experimental stuff, GTR for acoustic and semi-driven. Amplitube 2 does an OK job on the crunch stuff with a little tweaking. All are heavy on the CPU.

[manning1]

colour.
i dont know whether this is up your street , but someone turned
me onto "freeamp". its free.
and i'm finding some interesting uses here n there for it.
there are also some interesting sims in reaper i use in conjunction with freeamp.
cockos.com for more info on the reaper amp sims.
for freeamp just google.
what ive been doing is trying miced up amp plus a freeamp trak for added color etc.

[ColourSurround]

Some solid advice guys thanks! What Capn wrote earlier really struck me; From all the physical moddlers I've tried (Boss GT-8, POD 2.0 and XT) the cleaner amp settings were always fairly good, and the effects always great, but the overdrives and distortions weren't even close compared to a JCM 800 or a cranked Orange. But with Stomp Box help it really does make a great difference. I especially like the Womanizer in front of Amp sims, I found I got some seriously cutting tones.

I did as instructed, got my hands on all the demos out there. It's cool that they let you try before you buy like that, always does well to earn my trust, and it's true, each unit has its own uses. I think I will pick up the GearBox Gold bundle and the Amplitube 2 set. Thanks again guys, as I'm slowly easing into the whole production side of things, I'm sure I'll have many more questions for you in the near future.

Cheers,

PiN

[Cap'n Spanky]

Originally Posted by ColourSurround

.... the cleaner amp settings were always fairly good, and the effects always great, but the overdrives and distortions weren't even close compared to a JCM 800 or a cranked Orange. But with Stomp Box help it really does make a great difference. I especially like the Womanizer in front of Amp sims, I found I got some seriously cutting tones.
PiN

I agree! If you're interested in reading and getting opinions on stomp boxes, this forum is very good: Effects, Pedals, Strings & Things - The Gear Page
The folks there are VERY PICKY and I have learned a ton. The amp board is also great.

By-the-way, I have a Womanizer too and it's a great guitar preamp. I also have a couple other stomp boxes that sound unbelievable going into my PodXT Pro or AT2.

1) Lovepedal Woodrow. This is not for everyone, but it definitely is for me. It mimicks a cranked Fender Tweed. Lord!... I love this thing.

2) Stephenson's Stage Hog. Very expensive ($700), but worth it IMO. It's actually a one watt amp / stomp box. Amazing cranked Plexi sounds. Read about it here. Stephenson Amplification - Stage Hog

Of course, there's a lot of great boutique stomp boxes out there. Good luck!