x
Colin 28 January 2018

Not sure at all if I'm in the right place for this post. I'm looking for guitar amp effects for audio tracks in Ableton Live intro. I have Logic Pro X and it has a pretty extensive array of amps and cabinets for guitar but I like using Ableton live now. Guitar rig?

Comments

DogsoverLava Sun, 01/28/2018 - 14:34

I use Guitar Rig - it's been pretty good for me -- but with no clear update or development commitment from Native Instruments I consider it past its sell by date (unless that changes). There is newer and better out there with ongoing development and support. Look at things like Amplitube and even something like Line 6 Helix Native.

Colin Sun, 01/28/2018 - 14:40

DogsoverLava, post: 455500, member: 48175 wrote: I use Guitar Rig - it's been pretty good for me -- but with no clear update or development commitment from Native Instruments I consider it past its sell by date (unless that changes). There is newer and better out there with ongoing development and support. Look at things like Amplitube and even something like Line 6 Helix Native.

Alright!

DonnyThompson Mon, 01/29/2018 - 03:47

I think you'll find that amp sims and other ITB guitar processing are all really subjective, not only to the user, but in regard to the songs, too. I've had the opportunity to use Amplitube, Guitar Rig, Scuffham S Gear, Vandal, Waves GTR, and others, and in my own experience I would say that each one can either work - or not work at all - in terms of what is "right" for a song. One particular amp sim that sounds very good for one project can fall short tonally for another, and vice versa.
Full disclosure here... Whenever possible I like using real amps; while ITB amp sims have come a long way, they're still not fully there yet - not to my ears, anyway. There's something about a mic ( or multiple mics) on a nice tube amp ( or solid state amp) and real speakers pushing actual air, that provides a more "instant" and natural tone, be it sparkling clean, slightly edgy, crunchy, or full-on hot.
But - I do get that there are times and locations where mic'ing up a real amp isn't always feasible. Apartment living, late night recording, etc, do make the ITB sims valuable tools.
I guess my advice would be to search for the tones you want on a song by song basis, as opposed to looking for just a few that you could use on "anything" or "everything". That may require having a few different amp sim programs, though. In my experience with ITB sims, I've not yet found one program that will work well for everything. Finally, I would advise that you not get stuck in the "preset ditch", where pre programmed settings are relied upon to get you the sounds you want. Build your own from square one, and don't get used to leaning on presets that someone else has programmed. Doing this will also help to keep your sound from becoming "generic", and hopefully, allow you to remain objective.
FWIW and IMHO :)
-donny

pcrecord Mon, 01/29/2018 - 07:58

I use samplitube from time to time with good results.
Althought I should add that good results with ampsims only occured to me when I started to use a good recording signal chain.
The Di, preamp and gain staging used, plays a big role in how the end results will be.
It's easy to understand that if your preamp records a faint signal or thin sounding, the ampsim won't sound like expected.

DonnyThompson Mon, 01/29/2018 - 14:51

Colin, post: 455524, member: 47940 wrote: Donny thank you for your in depth response. I'm by no means a professional and I was actually just looking for something to give my Ukulele some grunge or blues or some twang if you know what i mean. But it's good to know all of that, thanks.

Glad to help.
I think it all comes down to what your expectations are; if you're just doing it for fun - and there's not a thing wrong with that - then any of the current amp sim packages will give you decent enough results.
Although I do think it's important to note again what Marco (pcrecord ) mentioned above regarding the quality of the signal going in to your DAW/Amp Sim...
He's speaking from experience - as am I - when he mentions that having a really good front end on your DI or Mic signal is really important. He and I both have a Focusrite ISA Series preamp, and along with being a high quality mic pre, it's DI section is also exceptional. I think he would agree with me fairly quickly that there is quite a bit of difference between those preamp/DI's and the typical budget level Preamps that the majority of home recordists tend to use.
If you get to a point of wanting "more", or your expectations rise in your overall guitar or vocal sound, something like the ISA One would be a nice step up...not only as a DI for guitars or bass, but also as a great sounding microphone preamp, too. And if you are mic'ing instruments ( like your Uke) having a good mic and pre will get a higher quality signal into the sim, and that will make a difference.
In the meantime, just for fun and to play around and record with your ukelele, maybe look at an amp sim like S-Gear from Scuffham. IMO, it's the best sounding sim library I've heard yet. But again - LOL - that's subjective to personal taste, and I'm basing that opinion on using it with an electric guitar. ;)
-d.

x

User login