HELP! Confused & lost. Guitar amp sims.

[C Heat]

Man. I thought this was gonna be easy.

I'm looking for an amp plug.

Top 40 pop/rock style tracks. I'm running PTLE 6.4 on Mac.

I want something that will SIT REALLY WELL IN A MIX for mainly heavier, driven, rhythm chord tones. Not clean, lead or FX'y stuff.

I downloaded Guitar Rig (v1), Trash, Amplitude (v1), NI AC Box, and Sansamp PS-1 (PS-1 wouldn't let me TRY the demo?).

After playing with each for several hours I'm no closer to making a decision

Any pop/rock producers who can offer any suggestions?

[slaves666]

I have never used an amp sim on a full rhythm track on any recording I have done. I have used it on short riffs or filler parts. I have tried all the plugins and found that Amplitube and Guitar Rig are the best. Both have decent presets to start with and good tones. In conjunction with real amps, you can probably get away with them these days...but I prefer real amps.

[not like this]

Amp Simulators are the devil's work.

I know that's not what you want to hear.

There are some great uses for Amp Simulators. Makings a spankin' clean DI'd guitar sound like a Plexi isn't one of them, IMO.

Randall modular all the way!!

[RCM - Ronan]

Originally Posted by C Heat

I'm looking for an amp plug.....I want something that will SIT REALLY WELL IN A MIX for mainly heavier, driven, rhythm chord tones. Not clean, lead or FX'y stuff.

I have never heard a digital modeler that will come even close to what you are looking to do. Digital modelers are awful in general, but what you are looking to do is the thing they are the worst at. Digital modelers do not sit in the mix. They either have no presence or obliterate everything else in the mix. They do not play well with others.

If for some reason you need to go direct, get a real sansamp. It is not amazing but will blow away any of those vile digital modelers.

[aapee]

Hi!

I actually prefer this one... try it.

http://www.db-audioware.com/aurapro.htm

with respect,

AaPee

[bimbam]

Try out the new GuitarRig 2, sounds great, comes with a footswitch controler incl. interface.

For all who think, modelers are devils work. I don`t think that anybody can hear on a finished track, what was used. A real amp or a modeler...today it`s very tricky to get hide from this technologie.
I like pure tones from a real amp much more than any modeler, but for recording they can be a very good alternative.

Since Midi, triggered drums and all the other synth and electr. stuff, what is wrong when you use a good amp modeler?

[not like this]

An amazing guitarist can make a modeling amp sound pretty damn good.

An average guitarist can make a modeling amp sound pretty damn aweful.

A good tube amp can make an average guitarist sound pretty damn good.

[bimbam]

Thats right...and...

An average guitarist can also make a good tube amp sounds damn awful.

[not like this]

Which is more likely?

[bimbam]

IMO the gear/equipm. sounds as good as the artist is...

[Markus Stock]

Amp Modelers have gone a long way since the original POD. For heavy stuff the POD XT sounds darn fine and I use it alot at home with my laptop for composing new riffs. It's a great tool since it gives you already a good idea how the song will sound when it's recorded in the studio. I see all those modelers as really good pre production tools and my favs are, besides the POD XT, Guitar Suite (it's for free and the quality is AMAZING!) and Tech 21 (though Sansamp has more of an own sound going on - not really modeling). I'd never sell my tube amps and my collection of cabs though!

[octatonic]

Hi,

I've replied to threads like these in the past with something verging on an essay about the different +/-'s of each amp sim.

I'm not going to do it again now, you should be able to search a response from me on GS.

Suffice to say nothing comes close to a real amp but of all of them I prefer TDM Amp Farm the best.
Pod Pro XT is great too, for some things.
If you get a POD Pro XT, get the Metal Amp download- the Engle Powerball model is great and I use it whenever I can;t use an amp (which these days is almost never)

I use the Pod Pro these days for working out parts to tracks- this means I don't have to use one of the tube amps I own- which effectively extends the tube life.

I haven't done a session with an amp sim for about a year now- the last one I did was for "DJ Antoine, Live in Dubai"- it is a tele clean tone with a bit of chorus. I used the Pod PRO XT for that also (AESEBU into Protools, Line 6's converters are rubbish)

Hope this helps.

[nathanvacha]

I've used a pod pushing a head and cab and gotten decent results before, you can change up your sounds and you're still moving air against a mic in the end... but keep in mind i said decent. And keep in mind through all of this that you're using a model and not the real thing, but depending on what you're doing you can make it work. Everyone on here is unhesitating to trash on modelers, but a lot have access to a collection of nice amps. If you don't, see what you can do. Back to your actual question, i've also heard great things about GuitarRig and hopefully get to try it soon, so of those i can say line 6 stuff and probably that are at least useable. And, actually, as i re-read your post, pop-rock stuff may mean that line 6 is right up your alley. I've seen popular acts using them i think on several occasions and the distorted stuff is a bit more close-ish than the clean (and especially chorus as i recall...) good luck.

[Igotsoul4u]

As a guitar player, I prefer the sans amp. Amp farm has never sounded to good to me.

[crypticglobe]

Yeah... I just don't think you are gonna be able to get something really authentic out of a modeler. It's just not the same.

As the owner of a FLEET of real tube guitar amps, I will however admit to having done demo's using a POD now and then. To me nobody has equalled it yet. So... if you just can't mic a live amp (for noise restrictions reasons I guess???), then to me the Pod is the only choice.

It will STILL sound like "fake" guitar for the most part, and I would never dream of using any modeling on something beyond a song demo unless it was for the "effect". But it's the best of the bunch.

Good luck.

[six_wax]

I have gotten some usable results from the NI Combos; used the demos for a project then decided to suck it up and actually buy it. I prefer the sound over Amplitube for lighter stuff... I find Amp Farm can do some heavier tones passably if you tweak the sound while you're mixing.

All of these sort of lack the punch of a microphone coil actually moving, but if the song is good, nobody except the engineers are going to whine too much.

[mltamisin]

I've got an older Roland VS-1880 and was never happy with the converters/pre's in it. I kept it for quick idea stuff and to record wherever I want, but the thing has these really cool guitar amp simulators and a killer FX section with alot of interesting sounds not typically found in plugin bundles. I remember being dissapointed when I went to DAW b/c I had to try to emulate all the cool robot FX & stuff. Roland should put out some plugin bundles using their COSM emulators and off the wall FX. Anyways, I've got Nigel and Amplitube LE and they sound OK but not near as good as my old Roland.

[feyshay]

I like the POD XT Live. You can use USB if you want to avoid going through the converters. As far as conversion through the POD--you're already simulating--so the signal is already bastardized--no big deal.
At least check out Guitar Suite (free VST) and try out the Marshall Sim on that one. As good as any of the POD stuff--and free.

[C Heat]

All of these replies have been really helpful.

Thanks all. Appreciated. thumbsup