Poly Effects AMPLE - Stereo NAM Player

[BenIfin]

If this pedal was a straight out NAM Player and loader .. which loaded and played the "highest quality" NAM Captures [not sure of my terminology here] and it was easy to edit with a simple basic Desktop Editor ... then almost regardless of the onboard controls ... it would very likely be "the" Pedal that NAM users have been waiting on.

My guess is that the CPU juice needed to load and run the "highest quality" NAM Captures would have jacked up the price quite a bit and also the complexity of the internals etc....

Also equally important is that we know nothing of its analog i/o ...... this is just as critical for any modeler / player.

 

[Orvillain]

I get it, you don’t like it.
What is kind of weird is you attribute so much of your dislike to what amounts to 30% less visual aid, 7 vs 10, and likely equal resolution of actual adjustment since there are, I think, more than a thousand points in the ‘sweep’ of the sliding up and down the led’s.
Some men prefer knobs though, it’s cool

Well those figures seem rather arbitrary.

LOOOOLLLLL

 

[laxu]

If this pedal was a straight out NAM Player and loader .. which loaded and played the "highest quality" NAM Captures [not sure of my terminology here] and it was easy to edit with a simple basic Desktop Editor ... then almost regardless of the onboard controls ... it would very likely be "the" Pedal that NAM users have been waiting on.

My guess is that the CPU juice needed to load and run the "highest quality" NAM Captures would have jacked up the price quite a bit and also the complexity of the internals etc....

Also equally important is that we know nothing of its analog i/o ...... this is just as critical for any modeler / player.

That's a whopping ton of development time and cost for a small company like Poly.

This is "take an existing digital platform, make it run NAM models and populate it with a variety of captures". That's still a good amount of work to get out there.

 

[banned]

If this pedal was a straight out NAM Player and loader .. which loaded and played the "highest quality" NAM Captures [not sure of my terminology here] and it was easy to edit with a simple basic Desktop Editor ... then almost regardless of the onboard controls ... it would very likely be "the" Pedal that NAM users have been waiting on.

My guess is that the CPU juice needed to load and run the "highest quality" NAM Captures would have jacked up the price quite a bit and also the complexity of the internals etc....

Also equally important is that we know nothing of its analog i/o ...... this is just as critical for any modeler / player.

56 really well curated amps (I mean, check out that list) - I'm not sure what is to be gained from loading in even more amps after having to scour the interwebs for hours for some half-decent profiles?

The pedal is great as is... including the cool interface. What's puzzling is the default gain level on all the profiles.

 

[Jarick]

It's intriguing but looks annoying to use.

 

[Enchilada Jones]

It's intriguing but looks annoying to use.

I have the Poly Flat V pedal, which is the same fundamental design but more complex and find my way around it now. So to me the Ample looks comparatively simple. I wouldnt try either of them on stage, at least not until I was very confident with it but for sitting down at the desk it should be fine.

 

[deadpool_25]

thing looks pretty cool. Assuming you love enough of its amp selections, it could be really good, especially paired with something like a VP4 (especially so if VP4 gets an IR block).

I was a little skeptical on the amp selections as a bunch of them are interesting but that is likely never use. I don't love that there's no Dual Rec in there; I guess the Archon is supposed to scratch that itch but that's the one that I find most annoying. Oh and no Friedmans unless my eye skipped that. The BE and DS are desirable for me.

Anyway, It's not for me as the QC or Fractal stuff suits my needs much better, but it looks pretty cool.

 

[Enchilada Jones]

I'm thinking of justifying the purchase by putting it in the loop of my SY1000 so I can just forget about using the Boss amp sims, let SY1000 send midi PC to Ample on a preset basis and be done with it. Then of course I can quickly unplug it to use a bunch of other ways when the urge strikes.

 

[CakeEater]

Oh and no Friedmans unless my eve skipped that. The BE and DS are desirable for me.

There's a Friedman BE-50 Deluxe under the Destroy setction tbf. No Dual Rec though.

 

[Frankencat]

I really like the UI on this pedal. The main reason is that it forces you to use your ears and not your eyes so much. The demos so far sound great. For my use case I might even like this more than the Tonex.

 

[Frankencat]

But yeah, no IR's....

 

[Enchilada Jones]

I couldn’t resist, I ordered and have the VP4 ready to mate with it. I have high expectations of this becoming a really easy to use rig. With the long press on each foot switch to scroll amps and type I think I won’t even need to use the midi

 

[Hapless]

I couldn’t resist, I ordered and have the VP4 ready to mate with it. I have high expectations of this becoming a really easy to use rig. With the long press on each foot switch to scroll amps and type I think I won’t even need to use the midi

I just ordered an Ample. As with about everything else I own, I don't need it but I gots to have it. I'm going to pair it with my VP4. How's it working out for you?

 

[Enchilada Jones]

I just ordered an Ample. As with about everything else I own, I don't need it but I gots to have it. I'm going to pair it with my VP4. How's it working out for you?

It is still hooked up to VP4. I can’t find anything to not like really.
It makes me wish VP4 had an effects loop so I could use one block as a drive or compressor into front of Ample and have three post effect blocks in stereo out since I’m sending it simultaneously to a stereo power amp and to DAW most the time. Got to love having the VP4 SPDIF to DAW and 1/4” to power amp set up all the time so when the urge strikes I can move between them. Disabling cabs in ample is simple and quick, no menu dive, just remember that a few taps of the Destroy ‘button’ is what to use to switch cabs on/off.

I guess that is the one annoyance, albeit minor, tapping the category switch repeatedly to make use of secondary function also results in the category changing if you aren’t already in that category. So in the case of switching cabs on or off, you switch, then have to resection the category you want and then the amp within the category. All together it’s only a two second tap dance though so really, not much of a ‘problem’…
I think I could just use midi to have any ‘real guitar cab’ preset also tell Ample to shut off cab sim, and vice versa for "FRFR" presets. I just haven’t bothered to find the CC number for cab toggle yet.

I’ve had a Nano Cortex sitting here for over a week. I thought I would have swapped out the Ample to try with the VP4 right away but so far I keep putting it off. Nano has a decent delay and reverb so it sits alone right now while I build up my capture collections and get them arranged how I want it. Meanwhile most time spent with Ample+VP4.

Midi command from VP4 upon preset change calls up the Ample preset of choice so building presets of the two devices controlled by VP4 is quick and painless.

 

[Hapless]

It is still hooked up to VP4. I can’t find anything to not like really.
It makes me wish VP4 had an effects loop so I could use one block as a drive or compressor into front of Ample and have three post effect blocks in stereo out since I’m sending it simultaneously to a stereo power amp and to DAW most the time. Got to love having the VP4 SPDIF to DAW and 1/4” to power amp set up all the time so when the urge strikes I can move between them. Disabling cabs in ample is simple and quick, no menu dive, just remember that a few taps of the Destroy ‘button’ is what to use to switch cabs on/off.

I guess that is the one annoyance, albeit minor, tapping the category switch repeatedly to make use of secondary function also results in the category changing if you aren’t already in that category. So in the case of switching cabs on or off, you switch, then have to resection the category you want and then the amp within the category. All together it’s only a two second tap dance though so really, not much of a ‘problem’…
I think I could just use midi to have any ‘real guitar cab’ preset also tell Ample to shut off cab sim, and vice versa for ""FRFR"" presets. I just haven’t bothered to find the CC number for cab toggle yet.

I’ve had a Nano Cortex sitting here for over a week. I thought I would have swapped out the Ample to try with the VP4 right away but so far I keep putting it off. Nano has a decent delay and reverb so it sits alone right now while I build up my capture collections and get them arranged how I want it. Meanwhile most time spent with Ample+VP4.

Midi command from VP4 upon preset change calls up the Ample preset of choice so building presets of the two devices controlled by VP4 is quick and painless.

So right now there's no way to do 4CM?

 

[Enchilada Jones]

So right now there's no way to do 4CM?

VP4 has stereo ins and outs but if you do traditional 4CM you give up stereo. Not a big deal if you are talking about guitar amps since almost all are mono.
4CM+pre and post effects=mono
4cables all in post=stereo (assuming your amp has stereo loop)
No way to send one or two blocks into the front of an amp and still get stereo out from the other three or two blocks.

Ample is stereo in and stereo out if you are using one amp capture the one capture/amp sound is sent from both outputs. Dual mono.
You can also use one capture full left and a *different* capture full right, stereo amps…two different amps.
Or choose the same amp capture for both…haven’t tried that or even sure it would sound any different if it does work.

I’m using a stereo power amp into a pair of 1x12 cabs so Ample into VP4, all 4 blocks are post Ample. When I switch to the VP4 SPDIF output I turn power amp off and Ample cab sim back on and get Ample with the same 4 post ‘amp’ effects into DAW.

 

[[Nathan]]

I get its horses for courses but VP4 + Ample is a more expensive & less featured FM3.

I get the smaller footprint and modularity benefits of it all but that's where my brain goes. I'm currently in all or nothing turf when it comes to modellers. I guess the FM3 is just a really good deal, especially used for a bit of a saving.

 

[Enchilada Jones]

I get its horses for courses but VP4 + Ample is a more expensive & less featured FM3.

I get the smaller footprint and modularity benefits of it all but that's where my brain goes. I'm currently in all or nothing turf when it comes to modellers. I guess the FM3 is just a really good deal, especially used for a bit of a saving.

I agree and totally follow that logic. However, I bought a FM3 and it led to buying an FM9 because only a little bigger but lots more convenience. And that led to lots of time setting up possible control functions, signal path options, a million amps and cabs to compare etc etc. That and I bought VP4 as a gift to my Soldano Astro, he needed it since I sold off all the Fractal gear and missed those effects.

The Ample was supposed to be a grab and go headphones, guitar and Ample. It replaced the Boss Katana Go which I never bonded with. Since they were both in the same room already it didn’t cost anything to then create the VP4-Ample rig.

I need restrictions or I go all in exploring possible sounds instead of rhythm melody and harmony.
If you compare me to any great player I’m weak. Compare me in setting up possible rigs and I kick his/her/their ass.
I want to be a better creator/player so I have to create limits to my access of the rabbit holes. Beating Alice to the Tea Party is not a win.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

I agree and totally follow that logic. However, I bought a FM3 and it led to buying an FM9 because only a little bigger but lots more convenience. And that led to lots of time setting up possible control functions, signal path options, a million amps and cabs to compare etc etc. That and I bought VP4 as a gift to my Soldano Astro, he needed it since I sold off all the Fractal gear and missed those effects.

Yeah, that's DEFINITELY a lot more expensive than just getting an FM3.

Not getting lost down the gear rabbit hole and instead creating music, for me, is a whole let less about how many restrictions I put on myself and a whole lot more about staying focused on rhythm, melody, and harmony rather than how little I've bonded with whatever perfectly adequate amp sim I'm plugged into. Apple Logic Amp Designer absolutely gets the job done for scratch pad writing/idea development.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Apple Logic Amp Designer absolutely gets the job done for scratch pad writing/idea development.

Totally OT but fwiw, IMO the difference between the quality of the Amp Designer models is staggering. As if they were programmed by totally different persons. Some are almost great (maybe not authentic but working pretty well nonetheless) whereas others deliver "WTF?!?" quality at best.