I haven't found any I think sound particularly exemplary. Some of them sound cool though. TH3, Amplitube, GTR3 are some I've seen/owned. Thinking of GTR3 for 25, I don't expect much, however it sounds decent and is super cheap. Then there's the Waves PRS amp sale for 50. I don't really need variety honestly, I've never owned more than one amp at a time and never wanted more... so not too into TH3 or Amplitube.
Both clean and distorted sounds are important I guess. In real life I like Marshall tube amps lol. Having two different sounding amps on each stereo channel is nice to not have to double track. Leads are a priority too. I've even looked at shreddage for the stereo distorted riffs and such, however an amp sim is probably better. More versatile obviously, and realistic leads. Music genres unfortunately won't help narrow down options, I play everything from blues to metal. No country I guess. lol
Are there any hidden jam amp sims? Specifically I guess some tube marshall with good dynamics for cleanish to crunchy sounds, or a mesa for the heavyness. Probably no fenders, i like their clean bluesy sounds, however probably not versatile enough in the overdrive department.
Best Amp Sims
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- KVRAF
- 1550 posts since 3 Oct, 2001 from Thailand
I don’t know about GTR3, but it’s very old by today’s standard now. Many people would say S-Gear and I would support that. Also, I like Mercuriall sims a lot.
Peace, my friends. I'm not seeking arguments here. 
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GrabtharsHammer GrabtharsHammer https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=377531
- KVRian
- 503 posts since 7 Apr, 2016 from Bünde, Germany
If you like Marshall amps I can highly recommend Mercuriall‘s Spark.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 29 posts since 16 May, 2018
Cool thanks, I'll see whats up with S-Gear. The free Mercuriall marshall is actually one of the most accurate tube amps, imo.poonna wrote:I don’t know about GTR3, but it’s very old by today’s standard now. Many people would say S-Gear and I would support that. Also, I like Mercuriall sims a lot.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 29 posts since 16 May, 2018
Cool cool, since I like the free Mercuriall, sounds like a good option. Thanks!GrabtharsHammer wrote:If you like Marshall amps I can highly recommend Mercuriall‘s Spark.
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- KVRist
- 356 posts since 18 Jun, 2010
Kazrog's Thermionik and Recabinet is definitely worth checking out:
http://kazrog.com/products/thermionik/
http://kazrog.com/products/thermionik/
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 29 posts since 16 May, 2018
Thanks!andrelafosse wrote:Kazrog's Thermionik and Recabinet is definitely worth checking out:
http://kazrog.com/products/thermionik/
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- KVRist
- 415 posts since 3 Jun, 2017
You can get the Waves PRS for ~29 with a coupon code, see Bargain Center thread in Market Place forum.
Both PRS and GTR are underwhelming, at least IMO. But then I'm neither a Waves fanboy nor a cheapskate nor starved for amp sims nor have I never played a real tube amp on stage (meaning I have), so my expectations are a bit higher than the usual amp sim kiddie's. (Low gain sim fanboys triggered in 3, 2, 1...) Waves is mono only, or mono to stereo at best, so you won't be able to use a single plugin instance for L/R DI tracks, even the most basic freeware can do that. So if you want to do what I do, record L/R DI tracks and bus them, then Waves is not an option anyway. Apparently, after all those years, Dinosaurs still have a hard time adapting to a modern world.
Whatever you go for, stay away from Bias.
I'm anything but an IK cultist, however I do like Amplitube every now and then. More for the amps than the cabinets, and maybe not for high-gain stuff, but still. I wouldn't go so far as to call their amps realistic or "close to the real thing", but definitely better sounding than GTR or Bias, especially when driven. With Amplitube, you don't have to get the full shebang, you can (I think) also just download the free version and then purchase individual amps, mics, effects or cabinets. Just make sure you don't buy anything full price, unless you feel really generous, since whatever you buy is going to be on 80% discount next week.
Joey Sturgis Tones have some OK sims, the Ben Bruce one is usable and so is the Guilty Pleasure. They tend to crave attention though, meaning I find them a bit more finnicky to set up, the gain structure is a total mystery to me and they don't work too well with external IRs. Which is probably because under the hood they're Audio Assault simulations, made by the Grind Machine developer, and Grind Machine also doesn't seem to play too well with 3rd party IRs. Trouble with JST plugins is that you'll probably end up on their newsletter...
Some under-recommended amp sims come from Kazrog, Aegean and VTone. They're still no better than the common digital amp sim, but I feel like they should me mentioned more since they are just as worthy contenders in the amp sim race as any other. (Well, except Hornet GuitarKit.) Especially Kazrog is a dev I feel should be supported (if you like his products) since I have warm feelings about his old Recabinet offerings.
I also don't see a lot of talk about the Softube plugins, I wonder why. Maybe because of iLok, who has the time or nerves to deal with that. I recently picked up Metal Amp Room and it didn't sound any worse than (insert random amp sim name here), but also not much better.
If you're a Plugin Alliance regular, you may be able to pick up their amp sims at a decent discount with one of their coupons (of which I never got pieces, one; but hey). Just don't expect anything out of the ordinary there as well, their amp sims seem to be picky about 3rd party IRs as well, and they seem to need a lot of fine-tuning.
There is some hype around Mercuriall plugins, but I'm not too sure about that. Apart from using insensible amounts of CPU compared to most others, I don't find them to sound any better than the competition. One of their commercial plugins is supposed to model a Marshall amp that I happened to play on stage for a while, and I have found zero resemblance in the plugin's sound, or dare I say "character".
Let's not forget Guitar Rig, some of what it does (similar to Amplitube) is quite alright. I wouldn't call it "authentic" by any means, not more than anything else. But especially for low/mid gain applications it should probably serve quite well, maybe even better if combined with external IRs.
At the end of the day, I'd pick LePou or Nick Crow (plus an Ownhammer/3Sigma/Kalthallen cabinet IR) over any other. They're free, simple to use, CPU efficient, stereo/dual-mono capable, and the interfaces are straight-forward. They don't try to trick you with the manufacturer endorsed illusion of having any sort of credibility to their sound, they also don't try to suggest they're "the one and only thing you need". No built-in stores, no specially tailored built-in IRs, no credit systems, no dongles. And the sound is just as digital as with any of the others.
If your host software has EQ, volume/gain and clipping/distortion effects on board, you could also just save the money and roll your own. Clipping/distortion will create harmonic content at higher multiple frequencies of the original content. So as a first step, use an EQ to filter out all the low frequencies, since you don't want the harmonics for chugs and palm mutes to mess with the mids. Then cut out all the high frequencies, since distorting the mids will generate new high frequency content, and everything above around 1 kHz will alias back into the spectrum with more than "blues" distortion, even at CPU-killing 64x oversampling. Once all the lows and highs are out, insert another EQ that you can later use to "drive" into the distortion or to carve out over-pronounced areas. Then add a volume/gain plugin (for later drive adjustments) followed by any (soft/hard) clipper or saturation/distortion plugin. Since you cut out all the low and high frequencies earlier, you'll probably need to boost a low and high shelf after the distortion to make up for that, maybe followed by a regular EQ to further shape the sound. Finally, add a cabinet IR after everything, and there's 95% of your available amp sims right there. Just without oversampling, fancy interfaces or built-in credit systems.
https://clyp.it/jmx453j5
One final hint: which ever sim you pick, experiment with tilt EQs. Tilt the lows down and highs up, then distort, later tilt the lows back up and the highs back down. (DI, tilt, amp sim, tilt, cabinet IR) This will make higher frequencies (pick attack, "solos", etc.) distort sooner and more, plus it will keep the low-end cleaner and less distorted, which helps avoid midrange mud and that general "washed out" sound.
Both PRS and GTR are underwhelming, at least IMO. But then I'm neither a Waves fanboy nor a cheapskate nor starved for amp sims nor have I never played a real tube amp on stage (meaning I have), so my expectations are a bit higher than the usual amp sim kiddie's. (Low gain sim fanboys triggered in 3, 2, 1...) Waves is mono only, or mono to stereo at best, so you won't be able to use a single plugin instance for L/R DI tracks, even the most basic freeware can do that. So if you want to do what I do, record L/R DI tracks and bus them, then Waves is not an option anyway. Apparently, after all those years, Dinosaurs still have a hard time adapting to a modern world.
Whatever you go for, stay away from Bias.
I'm anything but an IK cultist, however I do like Amplitube every now and then. More for the amps than the cabinets, and maybe not for high-gain stuff, but still. I wouldn't go so far as to call their amps realistic or "close to the real thing", but definitely better sounding than GTR or Bias, especially when driven. With Amplitube, you don't have to get the full shebang, you can (I think) also just download the free version and then purchase individual amps, mics, effects or cabinets. Just make sure you don't buy anything full price, unless you feel really generous, since whatever you buy is going to be on 80% discount next week.
Joey Sturgis Tones have some OK sims, the Ben Bruce one is usable and so is the Guilty Pleasure. They tend to crave attention though, meaning I find them a bit more finnicky to set up, the gain structure is a total mystery to me and they don't work too well with external IRs. Which is probably because under the hood they're Audio Assault simulations, made by the Grind Machine developer, and Grind Machine also doesn't seem to play too well with 3rd party IRs. Trouble with JST plugins is that you'll probably end up on their newsletter...
Some under-recommended amp sims come from Kazrog, Aegean and VTone. They're still no better than the common digital amp sim, but I feel like they should me mentioned more since they are just as worthy contenders in the amp sim race as any other. (Well, except Hornet GuitarKit.) Especially Kazrog is a dev I feel should be supported (if you like his products) since I have warm feelings about his old Recabinet offerings.
I also don't see a lot of talk about the Softube plugins, I wonder why. Maybe because of iLok, who has the time or nerves to deal with that. I recently picked up Metal Amp Room and it didn't sound any worse than (insert random amp sim name here), but also not much better.
If you're a Plugin Alliance regular, you may be able to pick up their amp sims at a decent discount with one of their coupons (of which I never got pieces, one; but hey). Just don't expect anything out of the ordinary there as well, their amp sims seem to be picky about 3rd party IRs as well, and they seem to need a lot of fine-tuning.
There is some hype around Mercuriall plugins, but I'm not too sure about that. Apart from using insensible amounts of CPU compared to most others, I don't find them to sound any better than the competition. One of their commercial plugins is supposed to model a Marshall amp that I happened to play on stage for a while, and I have found zero resemblance in the plugin's sound, or dare I say "character".
Let's not forget Guitar Rig, some of what it does (similar to Amplitube) is quite alright. I wouldn't call it "authentic" by any means, not more than anything else. But especially for low/mid gain applications it should probably serve quite well, maybe even better if combined with external IRs.
At the end of the day, I'd pick LePou or Nick Crow (plus an Ownhammer/3Sigma/Kalthallen cabinet IR) over any other. They're free, simple to use, CPU efficient, stereo/dual-mono capable, and the interfaces are straight-forward. They don't try to trick you with the manufacturer endorsed illusion of having any sort of credibility to their sound, they also don't try to suggest they're "the one and only thing you need". No built-in stores, no specially tailored built-in IRs, no credit systems, no dongles. And the sound is just as digital as with any of the others.
If your host software has EQ, volume/gain and clipping/distortion effects on board, you could also just save the money and roll your own. Clipping/distortion will create harmonic content at higher multiple frequencies of the original content. So as a first step, use an EQ to filter out all the low frequencies, since you don't want the harmonics for chugs and palm mutes to mess with the mids. Then cut out all the high frequencies, since distorting the mids will generate new high frequency content, and everything above around 1 kHz will alias back into the spectrum with more than "blues" distortion, even at CPU-killing 64x oversampling. Once all the lows and highs are out, insert another EQ that you can later use to "drive" into the distortion or to carve out over-pronounced areas. Then add a volume/gain plugin (for later drive adjustments) followed by any (soft/hard) clipper or saturation/distortion plugin. Since you cut out all the low and high frequencies earlier, you'll probably need to boost a low and high shelf after the distortion to make up for that, maybe followed by a regular EQ to further shape the sound. Finally, add a cabinet IR after everything, and there's 95% of your available amp sims right there. Just without oversampling, fancy interfaces or built-in credit systems.
https://clyp.it/jmx453j5
One final hint: which ever sim you pick, experiment with tilt EQs. Tilt the lows down and highs up, then distort, later tilt the lows back up and the highs back down. (DI, tilt, amp sim, tilt, cabinet IR) This will make higher frequencies (pick attack, "solos", etc.) distort sooner and more, plus it will keep the low-end cleaner and less distorted, which helps avoid midrange mud and that general "washed out" sound.
Last edited by Rockatansky on Sat May 19, 2018 6:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Confucamus.
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- KVRAF
- 2008 posts since 11 Aug, 2012 from omfr morf form romf frmo
Line 6 Helix, Blue Cat Axiom is new, Audio Assault has some nice amps for metal, see if you like it. They all have downloadable demos.
IRs are unbeatable for cabs though.
IRs are unbeatable for cabs though.
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- KVRist
- 415 posts since 3 Jun, 2017
The $399 amp sim that can't be used on a stereo bus with L/R DIs? (last I checked)yellowmix wrote:Line 6 Helix
Confucamus.
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- KVRAF
- 1550 posts since 3 Oct, 2001 from Thailand
I believe one thing to keep in mind when comparing amp sims to real amps, though, is that amp sims are not supposed to sound like a real live amp. They are supposed to sound like an amp recorded through a microphone in a studio setting. So, comparing them to an amp on stage might not give a completely accurate impression.
Peace, my friends. I'm not seeking arguments here.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 29 posts since 16 May, 2018
I guess I'll mention the free amp sims I've tried are Nick Crow, LePou, Ignite, TH3, Amplitube, Mercuriall, TSE and some others I don't remember. The amps I kept were the TSE X50 and the Nick Crow 8505, and the cabs are the Mercurial Hiwatt 4x12 and Nadir for IRs. DI is mono, however I'll use combos of those amps/cabs to create multitracked stereo. Plus I still have TH3 and Amplitube. Though even though those are my favorite free amp sims, I really never use them in actual recordings. I wouldn't say any of them are super accurate sounding and definitely don't feel like actual amps. My nicest setup was a Les Paul through a Marshall tube 50 watt head with a 4x12 cab. My expectations are high for sure, however I'm excited to try the suggestions! Technology is advancing, we'll probably have real sounding/feeling virtual amps eventually, maybe even now. Thanks!
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 29 posts since 16 May, 2018
It's a good point. It's the reason I thought the free Mercuriall marshall had something I recognized from my actual marshall. It wasn't that it sounded like my amp. It was that it sounded like how i'd imagine my amp might sound recorded through a microphone sort of. Regardless, quality of microphones, positioning etc is a big deal so I agree it's something to think about when listening to amp sims. To me it isn't just about how it sounds though, it's the feeling too, the responsiveness and dynamics. Tube amps are alive, they breath. lolpoonna wrote: They are supposed to sound like an amp recorded through a microphone in a studio setting.
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- KVRAF
- 1550 posts since 3 Oct, 2001 from Thailand
S-Gear is often quoted as one of the most responsive/dynamic among all the sims, but not the best at high gains. Probably worth a try, though.philsynth wrote:To me it isn't just about how it sounds though, it's the feeling too, the responsiveness and dynamics. Tube amps are alive, they breath. lol
Peace, my friends. I'm not seeking arguments here.
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- KVRAF
- 11153 posts since 2 Dec, 2004 from North Wales
In my experience the preamp has more effect on the sound and dynamics than the software. Use a valve pre ideay made for guitar, loads of options with pedals, i use this laney iornheart, but any tube pre works. 100 quid or so on a guitar valve pre (pedal) to get the tone and dynamics in at the right level (and even some real tube break up) then software for air/cab IRs etc, for FX you realy can’t be soundtoys etc, doesn’t have to be in guitar amp software!
X32 Desk, i9 PC, S49MK2, Studio One, BWS, Live 12. PUSH 3 SA, Osmose, Summit, Pro 3, Prophet8, Syntakt, Digitone, Drumlogue, OP1-F, Eurorack, TD27 Drums, Nord Drum3P, Guitars, Basses, Amps and of course lots of pedals!
