best software and guitar interface and good value?

[mcdee]

I am looking quality models not quanity. tell what you like & hate.

 

thanks mcdee

[ew_]

I use Guitar Rig 3 and Amplitube 2/AT Metal, and I've demoed Revalver 3 fairly extensively.

 

GR- I'm the most familiar with this- I've been using it since v1, and I'm one of the NI forum mods.

Pluses: probably the best effects overall of any of the modelers. Lots of models. The matched cabinets sound good, and the custom cabs give you some nice options. The low gain tube emulations sound fairly realistic. Excellent automation options. Expert modes on almost everything for fine tuning/tweaking.

Minuses: the high gain tube emulations aren't there yet, and they can be noisy. The pitch shifting's meh.

Workarounds: all the tube amps can be vastly improved by going into their expert modes and tweaking the bias, variac, sag and response controls. Gain staging by using distortion, etc. in front of a cleaner amp works well for higher gain- just like real amps and pedals do.

 

Amplitube/AT Metal/XGear

Pluses: individual preamp/EQ/power amp models, with mixing and matching. Some excellent power amp models (the 50 watt EL34's wonderful). Some nice cabinet models. Nice pitch shifting/harmony effects.

Minuses: limited effects, and the quality of them's not up to GR's for the most part. Automation's limited to host automation only without XGear. With XGear, the MIDI automation's limited to turning on and off stompboxes, and wah/volume/Whammy control.

 

Revalver 3- I used the original Revalver a long time ago for quite a bit of stuff.

Pluses: Individual preamp/EQ/power amp models. Changeable tube types, with bias, etc. user configurable. IR cabinet models. A minihost /effects loop that lets you run third party plugins in your rig.

Minuses: it's a good thing you can load third party effects, because the ones provided suck for the most part. The only really outstanding models are the Peaveys (no shock- Peavey's the distributor). And, I've yet to assign MIDI automation without Revalver crashing on me

Workarounds: play with the tube types. A 6505 preamp driving an EL84 power amp's a good thing =)

 

Interfaces: I use the original Rig Kontrol; unlike RK2 and RK3, there's no interface built in. It's just a DI box/controller pedal that goes into your interface/soundcard. I use it with either the original Kore controller, AK 1 or my Terratec EWX 24/96. I also use an ART X-15 Ultrafoot for MIDI control.

 

Any good (no Soundblasters here, folks) soundcard/interface will work as long as you use a DI box or preamp to match levels and impedance. Your specialized ones like RK2/3, Stomp:IO and the Waves GTR interfaces all use very high impedance ins (1 Mohm) and a USB connection to the PC/Mac at line level.

 

ew

[RaVenCAD]

For

For >$100, Line6 POD X3

[yuantian]

 

For For >$100, Line6 POD X3

 

 

what's the difference between Tone Port and Guitar Port?

[RaVenCAD]

The Tone Port GX is little more than 1/4" to USB adapter with a software program that has a buttload of amps, effects, mics and cabinets.. It requires a computer to do anything..

 

The Guitar Port is basically the same thing, but with different software (used to be, in the pre-Gear Box days, not sure now) and is more education oriented with the Guitarport Online subscription. The reason I didn't suggest the Guitarport is that the Tone Port GX also has the educational stuff if you want it. The Guitar Port and the Tone Port GX are both just glorified hardware dongles..

 

The X3, on the other hand, is compeltely portable and can be used without a computer. Great for going direct into a PA system or sitting around with headphones.

[Rydock]

The pod studio GX seems like a great interface because it doesn't need a power adapter like the POD x3 does. It's all powered by USB and it runs on the new pod farm plugin. I might consider getting one even though I have an X3 just for portable laptop recordings.

[RaVenCAD]

 

The pod studio GX seems like a great interface because it doesn't need a power adapter like the POD x3 does. It's all powered by USB and it runs on the new pod farm plugin. I might consider getting one even though I have an X3 just for portable laptop recordings.

 

 

It's great.. I've got one on my laptop and I love it.. X3 at my desktop.. Swapping back and forth is easy, if you avoid anything X3 specific..

[Rydock]

The X3 never leaves my Atomic. It's a bitch to take out, so I'm rarely using it for recording. I want to get me one of those Pod studios. What model do you have? I might just get the basic GX one.

[RaVenCAD]

Just the little $50 GX.. I'm running it through the POD Farm (stupid name) right now (for the first time) and I really dig this new interface.. So nice to have the tuner back on the screen.. Retarded move on Live6's part to kill the X3's tuner in Gearbox..

[warriorpoet]

The X3 never leaves my Atomic. It's a bitch to take out, so I'm rarely using it for recording. I want to get me one of those Pod studios. What model do you have? I might just get the basic GX one.

Pod + Atomic. A match made in heaven

 

For recording I just set a dynamic off-axis and let 'er rip. Great tubey sounds.