I like my guitar amps and reel to reels but-

[Bookumdano2]

I never use them. I like my daw and haven't cranked up my 24, 16 or 8 track multitracks for about three years. I don't crank up the amps either since a lot of the sims seem to be pretty good for the limited guitar stuff I do.

 

I'm really interested in the IK Multimedia Fender set that just came out. I haven't heard a bad sounding set of clips yet and I'm thinking about buying it.

 

Anyone around here try this yet?

[Mudcat007]

I'm right with you. Haven't had a chance to try the new Fender Amplitube but I have a friend who really likes it.

 

My space doesn't lend itself to recording a mic'ed up amp. Frankly with the sound quality of ampsims as well as their convenience, I don't think I wold be using live amps if I had a good space to record them. Since I've gotten into using IR based speaker cabinet sims I have a lot more options than I would otherwise have.

 

I've been hooked on Boogex from Voxengo as my main ampsim lately (it's free, btw). It uses impulse response based cabinet sims and has a really flexible preamp. It took me a bit to get used to the interface because it has more parameters than your typical drive/gain/eq. You can load any IR you want in this thing (although it comes with several stock IRs included). I downloaded a bunch of other IRs from THIS website.

[Will Chen]

I've got it and it's the real deal. So much so that I'm planning on building a homebrew "modeling" amp around a PC mounted into a head style enclosure so I can gig it. You can read Jeff "Agreed" Baker's review orver at FrugalGuitarist.com. Below are direct links to a couple clips I recorded:

 

This clip features an AXL Badwater Eldorado SE through various settings of AmpliTube Fender. The lead track utilizes the Super-Sonic model, the left track is the Pro Junior with the gain and input cranked a bit, the left track is Vibro-King first with an added Triangle chorus then with the modeled tremolo, and the bass is Independence Free VST into the TBP-1 preamp model.

 

http://www.frugalguitarist.com/Sounds/Issue%2012/AT_FENDER2.mp3

 

Here

[blue2blue]

I'm with you on the latter (tape) but I have to say, for the sounds I like, I haven't found a sim that works for me.

 

I have some decent amp sim plugs and use them occasionally for reamping or distorting vocals or v-synths (nothing edges up a nice lame MIDI guitar sound like some good ol nasty digi-sim fuzz) but for playing, I just haven't got what I need from sims.

 

Worse, my Firewire based interface's round trip monitoring is slow enough at 8 ms to make it sim plugs unusable in realtime. But I've spent a couple of ~3 hour evenings with the POD XT a friend parked over here a couple years ago and, while it seems useful where the convenience of dialing up a fixed sound quickly is important -- and I liked the design of the unit, it invites tinkering the patches with all those 'direct access' knobs -- but I just don't get any feeling of responsiveness. (It gets a little better with the amp sim up over the CR monitors with a little oomph in back of them. But it's pretty marginal.)

[UstadKhanAli]

I think amp sims, at least distorted ones, seem to mimic the sound of a close-miced amp quite well. I don't know that I could tell the difference. And at the very least, sims seem to offer an alternative to an amped mic.

 

I tend to multi-mic my amps and pull at least one of the mics back rather far, and there's not a sim on the planet that can mimic that.

[Lee Knight]

 

I tend to multi-mic my amps and pull at least one of the mics back rather far, and there's not a sim on the planet that can mimic that.

 

 

Right-toe! I've been switching back and forth between the live amp and the same performance DI'ed into Amplitube. Th live amp is more real and therefore has a very satisfying quality to it.

 

But the Amplitube? Well, there is something about it too. The way I could tweak it to get some of that Jimi spank in there is nice. But as you say Ken, where's the room?

 

I'm going to reamp for the room and keep the Amplitube up front I think. I haven't tried it but I believe it will be the ticket. The reamped room will be a different amp, same performance, mixed with the DI'ed Amplitube sound. Better than convo verb. It's real.

 

I'll report back with my findings.

[blue2blue]

 

I think amp sims, at least distorted ones, seem to mimic the sound of a close-miced amp quite well. I don't know that I could tell the difference. And at the very least, sims seem to offer an alternative to an amped mic. I tend to multi-mic my amps and pull at least one of the mics back rather far, and there's not a sim on the planet that can mimic that.

 

 

I don't know that I'd know the difference in listening to someone else playing some distorted patch.

 

But I'm pretty sure I could tell at least a significant portion of the time from playing a sim vs an amp.

[Mudcat007]

 

...I tend to multi-mic my amps and pull at least one of the mics back rather far, and there's not a sim on the planet that can mimic that.

 

 

As far as multi-micing goes, my main source for speaker cab IRs (le chatalet) supplies multi-mic IRs of the various amps they have recorded. I can assign Boogex to multiple tracks and apply different IRs (including various room placements) to each instance. When I do a mixdown I am able to do a blend of the various "mics." Pretty sweet technology for recording in a bedroom.

[UstadKhanAli]

Wild!!!

[Beck]

I like my daw and haven't cranked up my 24, 16 or 8 track multitracks for about three years.

 

What do you have? After three years you probably won't use them... so maybe you should sell them to me.

[Anderton]

Hey...you guys really need to subscribe to the HC Confidential Newsletter!! We were the first to review IK AmpliTube Fender (and Maschine, and Guitar Rig Session, and Chirp, and lots of other products). You can now find the article, with bitchin' audio examples and lots of screen shots, at:

 

http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/reviews/ik_fender/

 

Okay, now go to the home page, look under Resources, and click on Newsletter. You won't regret it.

[Bookumdano2]

Cool review Craig. Haven't tried the demo yet but I was wondering about something.

 

When I was a teen and Fender was really getting big, Bandmasters and 8 foot tall stacks based on Showmans and Dual-Showmans seemed to be really popular at concerts and as the must-save-allowance-for-these -amps type goals. This was kinda before Marshalls became a big deal back in those days.

 

I don't see Bandmasters/Showmans/Dual-Showmans represented with the IK set. Any idea why? Were those amps considered to be basically the same structure as Twins etc back in the old days?

[Anderton]

I wondered about that myself, and have used those amps myself...they also didn't do the Bassman version circa that era. I guess there are only so many hours in a day, and so many amps you can emulate, and they picked the ones they thought would have the most appeal.

 

I must say I think they did a really good job with what's there, so I'm not going to complain!

[D Charles]

I haven't tried most of the latest modeler proggys, but honestly, of the ones I've tried, they don't come close to the old Rockman X-100. It was a two trick pony, but the two tricks just worked!

 

I'm still quite happy with my old black faced Vibro Champ and my Boogs, thank you very much!

[WRGKMC]

I loose half my technique without some sound waves pushing against the guitar making it sustain on the notes I want and cutting them off as I turn and block the guitar with my body in front of the amp. Techniques gained through many years playing live that cannot be recreated in a computer program. The live sound also gets the adrenilyn going. Sitting in a chair in front of a tube isnt very exciting. Getting up and moving around at least gets the blood pumping.

[scud133]

 

I've got it and it's the real deal. So much so that I'm planning on building a homebrew "modeling" amp around a PC mounted into a head style enclosure so I can gig it. You can read Jeff "Agreed" Baker's review orver at FrugalGuitarist.com . Below are direct links to a couple clips I recorded:   This clip features an AXL Badwater Eldorado SE through various settings of AmpliTube Fender. The lead track utilizes the Super-Sonic model, the left track is the Pro Junior with the gain and input cranked a bit, the left track is Vibro-King first with an added Triangle chorus then with the modeled tremolo, and the bass is Independence Free VST into the TBP-1 preamp model.   http://www.frugalguitarist.com/Sounds/Issue%2012/AT_FENDER2.mp3   Here

[IK_Multimedia]

Hi HC'ers!

 

Thanks for the discussion here on AmpliTube Fender. With this collection, IK worked directly with Fender and the gear you see modeled in there, was their call. That said, I feel that they did a wonderful job capturing the full spectrum of available Fender amps/cabs quite well. There is such a variety of tones to be had from this collection for both guitar/bass players, engineers, and producers!

 

Who knows what the future holds and what gear may be available from IK!

 

btw - I absolutely dig the Super-Sonic amp!!

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to post up or PM me!

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

Cool review Craig. Haven't tried the demo yet but I was wondering about something. When I was a teen and Fender was really getting big, Bandmasters and 8 foot tall stacks based on Showmans and Dual-Showmans seemed to be really popular at concerts and as the must-save-allowance-for-these -amps type goals. This was kinda before Marshalls became a big deal back in those days. I don't see Bandmasters/Showmans/Dual-Showmans represented with the IK set. Any idea why? Were those amps considered to be basically the same structure as Twins etc back in the old days?

[Anderton]

Welcome to the forum, Paul. This forum encourages manufacturers to participate as long as they (as you have) clearly identify themselves as manufacturers. As a result we've gotten a lot of insights and cool tips we probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

 

Oh, and any time you want to "leak" any news here, consider yourself invited

 

And if you'd like to divulge any info on how you modeled the amps, that would be cool too....

[scud133]

Welcome to the forum, Paul. This forum encourages manufacturers to participate as long as they (as you have) clearly identify themselves as manufacturers. As a result we've gotten a lot of insights and cool tips we probably wouldn't have gotten otherwise. Oh, and any time you want to "leak" any news here, consider yourself invited And if you'd like to divulge any info on how you modeled the amps, that would be cool too....

 

This is true.

 

Anytime a manufacturer shows interest in the consumers (*us*) and bothers to take the time to make comments here, they always get major brownie points.

[Anderton]

I really don't believe there's an "us" and a "them." When you get to know the people at these companies, they're just as nuts as the rest of us...and some of them are incredible players. For example, Jerry Kovarsky at Korg is an amazing keyboard player, shockingly so. But I think he was more interested in his family than becoming a "big star." More power to him. But man, if I had 1/20th of his keyboard chops, I'd play a lot less guitar!

[scud133]

I really don't believe there's an "us" and a "them." When you get to know the people at these companies, they're just as nuts as the rest of us...and some of them are incredible players. For example, Jerry Kovarsky at Korg is an amazing keyboard player, shockingly so. But I think he was more interested in his family than becoming a "big star." More power to him. But man, if I had 1/20th of his keyboard chops, I'd play a lot less guitar!

 

i just meant more that i like the attention here at HC.

 

not an 'us vs them' thing. we're all friends

[cooterbrown]

I loose half my technique without some sound waves pushing against the guitar making it sustain on the notes I want and cutting them off as I turn and block the guitar with my body in front of the amp. Techniques gained through many years playing live that cannot be recreated in a computer program. The live sound also gets the adrenilyn going. Sitting in a chair in front of a tube isnt very exciting. Getting up and moving around at least gets the blood pumping.

 

This post is FTW.

 

I used to play quite a bit of guitar, onstage, with my old rock band.

Me and the lead guitarist would often pay attention to each other's swirly, EL34 -based psycho-acoustic phenomenae, and would attempt to create something transcendent out of that musical aether.

A well-placed Uni-vibe, Phase 90, or analog echo often pushed those trippy-swirlies into sonic nirvana.

I've never gotten that feeling from a modeler, no matter how well-executed, or well-intentioned.

If I ever get around to finishing my home studio, I'm going to run a channel strip, transport footswitch, and headphone jack out into the garage, set up my guitar rig out there, and wail away to my heart's content.

[Anderton]

i just meant more that i like the attention here at HC. not an 'us vs them' thing. we're all friends

 

Yup, you get it completely. My response was more general, not to any specific post.

[Anderton]

 

I've never gotten that feeling from a modeler, no matter how well-executed, or well-intentioned.

 

 

Few people seem to use my favorite trick of using the modeling for the preamp/FX stuff, but bypassing the cab and going through a clean power amp through real speakers. You get the physical element, but you also get the huge sonic range of all those effects and preamp models.

[cooterbrown]

 

Few people seem to use my favorite trick of using the modeling for the preamp/FX stuff, but bypassing the cab and going through a clean power amp through real speakers. You get the physical element, but you also get the huge sonic range of all those effects and preamp models.

 

 

I've honestly tried that out, Craig... run a POD XT through a Crown Microtech and a couple of JBL cabs.

 

It was still missing that electro-mechanical mojo.

 

Becuase one thing a modeler won't do, is physically degrade, over time.

 

I purposely avoided changing out the power tubes in my Rivera, just because I liked the ringing and roaring it was making, when I cranked it up.

I've got an old yellow Ibanez 9-series flanger that doesn't quite work the way it was intended to, but it makes a cool effect.

Before it finally died, I had a DOD echo that would waver in pitch and distort, as it repeated.

 

Stuff like that is inspring to me...dinosaur, I am.

I really miss my old rock band, sometimes...we sounded huge.