Modelers Losing Their Luster

[James Freeman]

Inspired by Laxu's post.

Are you tired of 1000s of models?
Downsizing to something smaller/simpler?
Going back to amps?
Purging all modelers?
Was it just GAS that passed?
You've grown to hate modelers?
Ain't nobody got time for that?
How's your back?

Discuss

 

[PLX]

That'll buff right out.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

No. I love them, and have no room in my current living situation for real amps, sadly. Were it not for modelers, I wouldn’t be playing electric guitar anymore, just acoustic.

I also don’t get overwhelmed by all the options. I love having them; the more the merrier, as long as all of those options are high-quality.

The only time options become a problem to me is if you’re forced to look through options to find models that aren’t crappy. (I.e., modeling flaws that don’t sound & feel realistic.)

 

[Rock Chalk]

Nope.....went modeler twelve years ago......no plans to go back.

 

[unix-guy]

Never... I'm all in with Fractal for 10+ years and get everything I need in a much more flexible, consistent, smaller, lighter, less noisy format.

 

[holoholo]

LOL if JF fixes Line 6 and Fractal and then dumps modeling

 

[dk_ace]

There are often times where I want to get a couple of big amps again to see if I’m missing anything. Maybe a Friedman or go crazy with a 100 watt super lead and a fryette power station. If I did that, a recto, vox, and some silver face fender will be right behind it.

And then I think about the impracticality of the rig and how often I’d really want to take one of those to a gig instead of a helix or FM9. And so I decide to stick with a modeler. Still want to get another big amp just to see if I’m missing out on anything.

Lots of models don’t mean anything to me. I’ve got a few sounds in my head that I’m always looking for. My idea of a good clean which is largely a blackface thing, occasionally a voxy cleanish thing, a plexi on 3-5, and the high gain tone I like.

I can cover most everything I do with a plexi footswitching between a barely crunching sound and a pretty crunchy sound with a comp available to boost it and one good gain pedal. I try lots of things when the mood strikes me, but I always end up back there…. It’s nice to have some other stuff to try though, occasionally I stumble across something cool I really like. I’ve got quite a list of models I want to try extensively, but it never happens I fire up the rig and start playing and never get around to trying half the models I mean to.

D

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Was it just GAS that passed?

 

[norminal]

I’ll probably own another amp or two down the line, but for the time being, it’s all modeling for me.

 

[HotRats]

I'm a simple man, sort of.

All I need is a good basic sound, preferably coming from a marshall amp,
a good amount of effects to play with
a nice guitar cab.
I hate tap dancing
and love flexibility/programmability.

I'm currently playing in a cover band and chasing the original tones when playing covers has never been my thing.
Within a band I much prefer using effects to give variety according to my tastes.
My philosophy is: I play, I choose my sound.

Since playing a tube amp at home is no more a problem and space isn't either, my helix floor - that used to be my full digital rig -, has become the perfect brain of my tube amp based setup.

It gives me all the effects I need and all the control I love.

I load/unload in my car a 2x12, a Marshall studio head, the helix backpack with the Floor, all the cables and 2 additional expression pedals two times every week and I'm still alive.

One last great thing a modeler gives my is that I can easily take my 4cm presets and swap the FX loop block in the signal chain with an amp & cab model and go direct to the PA if I need to.

 

[the-trooper]

Are you tired of 1000s of models?

No, I never got why this bothers people, just use what you like, you don't have to have option paralysis.

Downsizing to something smaller/simpler?

Feels like I wouldn't mind. It's like once a wish is fulfilled, I'm over it. Instead of nice tube amp I could probably do with a Katana. Instead of Helix I could probably do with a Nux.

Going back to amps?

Never went away.

Purging all modelers?

No.

Was it just GAS that passed?

Pretty much.

You've grown to hate modelers?

Never.

Ain't nobody got time for that?

It do.

How's your back?

Once a year an old injury from younger days kicks in and I can barely walk, and I have to be a little careful when I lift heavy things.

 

[Orvillain]

#RealAmpsForLife

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Inspired by Laxu's post.

Are you tired of 1000s of models?

seemingly not because I keep buying more and more plugins. I'd say quite the opposite, the more unique stuff out there is most interesting. My favourite platforms seem to have the highest choices of gear.

Downsizing to something smaller/simpler?

Generally yes, I prefer plugins over HW. I prefer to spec my own I/O etc

Going back to amps?

I think modellers got me more into amps again, weirdly. It was never about one replacing the other for me though.

Purging all modelers?

when there is a 1:1 software equivalent, absolutely without hesitation

Was it just GAS that passed?

quite often.... but I dont think I regret buying anything.

You've grown to hate modelers?

in a lot of ways, real amps just do everything better without having to think about anything. you just plug in and go (untill they're too loud, need servicing, too limited feature wise...)

Ain't nobody got time for that?

real amps are less distracting for sure.

How's your back?

dreadful. my posture when using a computer is probably as bad as lugging amps and cabs around.

 

[Stone]

No, I love Modeling, it is the only solution for what i want to do and within my budget
so my Fractal is my most prized piece of gear.

 

[Orvillain]

 

[Foxmeister]

Love modelling, love modellers, yet I've bought more amps in the past two years than at any other time in my life, simply because they are nice to have!

I can say much the same for most of the guitars I own.

Yet, when I play, it is mostly through a modeller and usually using one of just 3 of the 15+ guitars I own.

When it comes to modellers though, I'm very much leaning towards the "less is more" camp - I currently own a Helix, an HX Stomp and a Stomp XL, and a TMP, but it is the smallest HX Stomp that I'm tending to use over the others.

My needs are relatively simple when it comes to presets, and the DSP in the Stomp is usually more than up to the task, so I'm actually considering selling my Helix - the TMP I will reserve judgement on until the next substantive firmware update before deciding whether or not to part with it.

Whilst I did buy an HX One, that's mostly for use with my real amps, although I will occasionally augment the DSP of the Stomp with one.

I could potentially see myself picking up an FM3 again though, for use with the HX one.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Are you tired of 1000s of models?

Yes and no. I basically don't need anything new since quite a while already - but I'm not gonna lie, that new 2203 in the HX verse is a damn great amp, so it's not as if I wouldn't like the occasional surprise.

Downsizing to something smaller/simpler?

Not exactly smaller or simpler but easier to use in the end, but I went for a hybrid board, which is likely there to stay (unless whomever comes up with a modeler that could compete in terms of usability, which seems unlikely to happen).

Going back to amps?

Never. Last time I played a gig with one (a pretty decent modified Laney LC50 that I still own), I instantly knew why I will stick with modeling and especially FR solutions for live.

Was it just GAS that passed?

Defenitely a part of the entire thing, but I've never been a big equipment flip flopper.

You've grown to hate modelers?

No. Still the opposite. I've grown to hate that nobody really seems to care about usability, though.

How's your back?

Great. Traintraveling compatibility is even better.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

There are two things I don't like about modelers:

1. Option paralysis. There usually are so many amp modes to choose from that I often end up just endlessly trying and dialing different models over and over again.
2. Lack of individuality. Despite the large number of models, I often miss exactly what I'm looking for. For example, after a long search and trial and error, I ended up with the perfect amp for me - the Engl Powerball II. Unfortunately, no modeler has exactly this amp. The same presumably applies to all the other components of the rig. I keep hearing "If you can't find what you're looking for with this selection, you're the problem, not the modeler", but I feel differently. Is it sometimes about nuances, and would it be possible to create a good sound with any modeler? Of course! But sometimes it's the nuances that make the difference and give you the feeling that you've put together just the right selection of equipment to create a coherent whole.

 

[fiftyshadesofslay]

I much prefer a decent amp live nowadays, really dislike using modellers live especially direct.

At home though plug-ins are great for writing, dead easy to get a tone up and running and get things done.

I still do go direct a lot though. Despite really disliking it there’s something to be said for throwing your Helix into a backpack and getting home asap after a function gig.

I’d rather let my tone drastically suffer if it means getting to bed early, that’s how lazy and old I am.

 

[northern_fox]

Modelers taught people that amps don't matter as much as we think they do. Modelers taught people to think about writing and recording in a totally different light. Now we're picking overall sounds/chains rather than amps, for example. You want a sound? You can just get it, for the most part. That's both cool and also underwhelming at the same time. I'd say it tends to push people away from caring about gear, and more towards just going for the sounds in their head and modelers are a tool for that. I don't think there's anything wrong with that either. They've lost some sheen, but still a critical tool in the chain of modern music - and in the case of live shows and touring probably even more critical than tube amps.