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Amp/effect modeling rigs - live or memorex?


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@santellavision's post on his recording equipment thoughts, plus @mathman's remarks on whether amp/effects modelers output a "live" sound - presumably what you should hear right off the speaker cone of a guitar amp - or a "recorded" sound - presumably off the speaker cone of a studio monitor or headphone - have sent me spiraling.

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I am shopping for a modeler for use at home.  IF (big if) I ever wanted to inflict my musical stylings on an unprepared world, I'd expect I would use it there, too, but that's not the main purpose.

What difference would it make to me, in either case, if it was modeled to be "live" sounding, or "recorded" sounding?  And which particular brands/products produce which sounds?

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Leaving effects aside for now, I see that some of them allow you to build modeled signal chains that take your guitar input and run it through an amp sim and a cabinet sim on the way out to something that will make the noise.  To that point, it should be a "live" sound, to my reading.  Some of them allow a further application of a microphone sim, which I suppose would tend toward the "recorded" sound, although by the time I hear something recorded it has been committed to tape or run through A/D, processed through a recording board and later through a mixing board, and committed to the playback medium and pumped through whatever playback system I am using, each element of which presumably has a signal response bandwidth of its own which has the potential to affect the sound that reaches my ears.  Hearing AC/DC in my car is not the same as standing next to Malcolm's amp cabinet, got it, but which should I be after in my home?  Or does it matter?

I'm lost in the sauce.  What I know is that I don't care for the sounds of my 12+ year old Line6 Floor Pod and I hear that the intervening years have produced great strides in modeling quality.  I want to divorce the loudness in my subdivision home from the knob settings on the virtual amps in the modeler.  I can decide for myself whether I want to commit to this or that proprietary software format for adding new sounds according to the value the developer offers with additional package, the vigor of the user community, etc.  I suspect I am like most people in that even if there are several dozen modeled amp choices available in a given system, I will settle down on a couple or three that I like and never touch the others again, so it only matters if a product has those two or three that I can enjoy.  Demoing candidates before purchase is another matter, of course, which I why I want to try to figure out what is worth my attention and what isn't.

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Posted

Modelers are designed to sound like recorded guitar tones, in my opinion.  To get more of that standing away from the cab thing, you can either have a small room sound and mix some of that in, or if you can have 2 mics, make one back from the cab and blend them to taste.  And as always, roll off highs on the cab block, at least to 8k on the cleans and 6k on drive sounds.  More if needed. 

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Posted (edited)

I've used a few different sims over time but I mainly use Amplitube.  I've used it "live" but basically running through a PA style speaker.   Their new TONEX seems to be more of a live sound version.   Their stuff is constantly on sale so you can get it fairly cheap and there is a "Free" version to try out.

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/news/?id=TonexCollectionsFlash2026

 

Edited by mathman
speling
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Posted

One thing I just thought about is you can turn off the cabinet part of Amplitube and use a different type of speaker system.  Never done it myself.  I've always used a quality speaker.

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Posted
7 hours ago, scottcald said:

And as always, roll off highs on the cab block, at least to 8k on the cleans and 6k on drive sounds.  More if needed. 

Interesting.  I guess I have been believing that whatever other coloration happened to sound as it was being recorded, at the least some highs were being attenuated.  Whether it's described as sounding "warm" or "under a blanket", I figured that with a live source you had highs that didn't make it onto recordings.

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Posted (edited)

I've been using an OX Box for several years. Recording experience has been limited, but for direct to FOH and back to monitors it's been great! There's a Lotta stuff in that little box!! 

For acoustic I've been using the NUX Optima Air pedal. Work and sounds very well!

Edited by Dutchman
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Posted (edited)

I think it depends on what your priorities are. Every time I've found the best sound ever with a modeler, in the box etc. I plug into my Zinky MoFo tube amp and tell myself what was I thinking, THIS is the best sound ever! But, it's getting so damn close nowadays and truth be told I mainly play guitar through my DAW with software stuff. Lately it's IK Multimedia Tonex, especially the series of 3 EVH eras, each from the 2 albums of the first 6. They are available as pedals as well. I also use NAM which is free and just updated. 

The digital stuff has been easier for me to get a good quick sound recorded, and it's fun to so easily change everything about it after the fact; amp, cab, mic, position, and everything after that too. 

Here's some info to check out for the new free version of NAM. You can use that technology to make your own captures of tube amps, pedals, studio gear etc! But, there are already so many available that are awesome! 

Introducing Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) Architecture 2 (A2)

 

Edited by ZR
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