Best Amp Sims

[EvilDragon]

Line 6 Helix

The $399 amp sim that can't be used on a stereo bus with L/R DIs? (last I checked)

It does support stereo input AFAIK, and stereo processing too.

[imrae]

I can't vouch for it personally, but feature/style-wise it sounds like you want Spark.

I use Thermionik, which has a bunch of interesting Marshalls and boutique amps as well as good mesa stuff. The new $50 bundle with recabinet is a great deal. The workflow/gui is a bit less "glam" than a lot of the alternatives, but I do find it gets me better tones.

Kuassa's amps are fun and easier to work with.

I use GTR3 a little bit. It's very different from a modern amp sim; the models each have quite a narrow gain range and a strong character. They are more like caricatures of amps. For making a backing part or overdub fit in the mix that can be a good thing. I wouldn't want to use it for jamming and writing.

[philsynth]

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

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.

Cool cool, thanks!

In my experience the preamp has more effect on the sound and dynamics than the software.

Exactly what I was thinking. However I was trying to imagine how much effect the preamp has when converted to a digital signal. I'm glad you've shared your experience, much appreciated!

[philsynth]

It does support stereo input AFAIK, and stereo processing too.

Cool, thanks!

They are more like caricatures of amps.

Haha!

Thanks everyone, many amps to try. Much appreciated!

[SLiC]

The laney pre-amp is a little different as it is specifically designed for this purpose, it has valve pre and 'speaker emulation' etc as well as USB (direct recording to DAW), analog re-amping, headphone out etc...a versatile beast for the money (sub 150 if you shop around) and also a great pedal before a real amp! Given its the same cost as a lot of 'virtual' valve amps, it really is worth considering first- put a reverb behind it and it may be all you need!

https://www.laney.co.uk/products/irt-pulse/

[philsynth]

The laney pre-amp is a little different as it is specifically designed for this purpose, it has valve pre and 'speaker emulation' etc as well as USB (direct recording to DAW), analog re-amping, headphone out etc...a versatile beast for the money (sub 150 if you shop around) and also a great pedal before a real amp! Given its the same cost as a lot of 'virtual' valve amps, it really is worth considering first- put a reverb behind it and it may be all you need!

https://www.laney.co.uk/products/irt-pulse/

Very cool, thanks!

[jens]

Disclaimer: I'm (usually) so not into high gain stuff.

There's loads of excellent amp-sims out there...

the new PRS Supermodels are fantastic and so are Destructor / Axiom, which imo can be better than the real thing in regards to dynamics.

Oh, and another favorite of mine is the PA Chandler.


I have a few amps (both tube and transistor) but these days I can't usually be bothered to mike them up because to me it just isn't worth the effort.

[Burillo]

Oh, and another favorite of mine is the PA Chandler.

+1, once you get your head around how it works (it's mostly power-amp distortion as opposed to preamp distortion), you're in for a treat.

[simon.a.billington]

I can't vouch for it personally, but feature/style-wise it sounds like you want Spark.

I use Thermionik, which has a bunch of interesting Marshalls and boutique amps as well as good mesa stuff. The new $50 bundle with recabinet is a great deal. The workflow/gui is a bit less "glam" than a lot of the alternatives, but I do find it gets me better tones.

Kuassa's amps are fun and easier to work with.

I use GTR3 a little bit. It's very different from a modern amp sim; the models each have quite a narrow gain range and a strong character. They are more like caricatures of amps. For making a backing part or overdub fit in the mix that can be a good thing. I wouldn't want to use it for jamming and writing.

I still like GTR 3, although I’m living the new PRS Superamps. Got a new guitar a few days ago, plugged it in, set it on the Bassman. It sounds good, it feels good. It works for me. Finally it’s quite comparable to the bx_bassdude.

As I said elsewhere earlier, people doing comparisons with the real thing aren’t getting the full picture. For one, there is always a mic in the circuit, so you aren’t hearing the amp straight. You’re hearing an amp through a mic, and about device, placed in their treated acoustic space. That alone is guaranteed to make an amp sound different.

On top of that, though, amps are largely made from analogue components, especially the older ones. They all sound and fatigue differently.

I recently heard 3 Bassman comparisons, all from the late 50s. Each one, while stillsounding like a Bassman, sounded quite different. Unless an individual had the same amp and signal path that a developer has, they really can’t do an accurate comparison.

It simply doesn’t sound like “their” amp. That’s all they are really qualified to say about it.

That said, I also like the Brainworx emulations, IK’s are great too, but I really don’t need that many amps. Only a few favourites is all I really need.

[bharris22]

+1 on the Laney IRT Pulse. It is incredibly versatile, and one of the things I like best about it is that it records two tracks via USB to the DAW - one with your full distortion settings, and another one clean. Pan the distorted track to the left, the clean track to the right with an amp sim on it, and add an automatic double tracker to vary the two tracks slightly. Instant bliss!

I also want to put in a good word for the Amplitube Mesa Boogie collection. I have three physical Mesa amps, and the IK models are amazingly accurate. Good for anything from clean to high gain (assuming you like the Mesa sound).

[Silaris]

My favorite amp sims include the following:

* IK Multimedia Amplitude 4
* Overloud TH3
* Positive Grid Bias (Amp Pro, FX Pro, & Pedal Bundle)

I can use either of the aforementioned options in the studio and achieve my desired end-result. However, as an R&B guy, please note that I do not use high gain very often on my guitar tracks and, when I do, it is mostly for the occasional solo. Overall, at this time, TH3 is the one I find myself using most often for guitar and Amplitude 4 for bass, but usage between the three amp sims tend to fluctuate.

A few other guitar amp sims I own, but do not use as frequently include the following:

* Magix Vandal
* Plugin Alliance Chandler GAV19T
* Studio Devil Amp Modeler Pro
* Scuffham Amps S-Gear 2

All of the above are solid products. I am particularly pleased with Vandal and Amp Modeler Pro, but both products could greatly benefit from a GUI update. S-Gear gets a lot of praise on the internet, but it is probably my least used amp sim. Plugin Alliance has several single amp sims and I find them all to be very good products. However, I have only purchased the Chandler GAV19T. They are definitely worth consideration if a lot of features and effects are not needed.

[acousticglue]

One is really not any better than another it just depends on how you dress it up. Some devs have decent amp but woeful cabs or not very good fx. I mix and match

[Klinke1]

Line 6 Helix

The $399 amp sim that can't be used on a stereo bus with L/R DIs? (last I checked)

It does support stereo input AFAIK, and stereo processing too.

It has 2 Stereo paths.
Not long ago they have redone many fx and updated the rest + added some more.
All can go mono or stereo. (some only stereo)

[philsynth]

Atm my top choices are - destructor (awesome! sounds/feels real - wish i could afford it lol), prs (2 amps i really like, the archon im not sold on) i'd purchase the prs for 30, however its 50 i think. I might save up for destructor though.

[generaldiomedes]

+1 to whomever mentioned getting some decent IRs. There are so many variations of sound you can get with just the freeware amps and some pro IRs.