THE AMP SIM PLUGIN THREAD

[MirrorProfiles]

Haven't spent a great deal of time comparing things, but the STL Amphub is pretty damn spot on and feels like a similarish experience to the real thing. I can get similar tones with Fractal but the experience feels pretty different, which sort of leads me astray to different tones. Sounds cool though and can do the same sounds (just way more that the HW can't too).

Amplitube sounds similar but no poweramp controls, which I think the JMP really needs for my scooped leaning ears. At first I thought Nembrini was MILES off but it turns out its just because I blindly copied settings from the HW, ignoring the fact that they didn't put an output knob, so you have to use the channel volume to determine how hard you slam into the power amp. What I like best with Nembrini is the look, and the controls have the same ranges and increments as the HW. It can be a bastard to use, but it gives you results and an experience closer to the HW.

Out of these, for the JMP experience, I'd probably lean most towards Nembrini, although STL can do a job too.

Did a quick comparison. Could probably dial them closer by tweaking the poweramp settings a bit, but Im presuming the poweramp Nembrini modelled is different to what I'm using anyway. As I said above, I think Nembrini gives a good account of the experience of using a JMP-1

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Can equally vouch for the ADA MP-1. Sounds pretty dead nuts on to the HW, and I love having the same layout of controls. Poweramp model is also decent enough.

I don’t think it has the same kind of chorus as the HW, presumably it’s one of their own algos. So many plugin alternatives though that I think it only matters if you want the specific one in the HW.

 

[theimageofall]

Yep - sounds good to me!

 

[NightWalker]

Sounds pretty dead nuts on to the HW,


HW means Hardware?

 

[MirrorProfiles]

@NightWalker Yeah, compared to the hardware

 

[MirrorProfiles]

While I'm on this rack preamp plugin kick.

I sort of feel like the JMP-1, ADA MP-1, and Triaxis from Nembrini are all a bit overgained at 13dBu=0fBFS. It feels more like I need to get them to 18 or 19dBu=0dBFS or so to get them in line with the HW (or other emulations I have). Anyone else noticing the same?

I grabbed the Cali Axis plugin the other week and while it's cool, I think I slightly prefer Mercurialls take on it. Not a great deal between them, but Mercuriall can get a tad more aggressive. I also trust the input levels calibration better and it feels more "real" to me.

At similar settings (with power amp modelling and the dynamic voice disengaged, I have to cut about 7dB of top end from Mercuriall to sound as dark as Nembrini.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

New H&K Coreblade from Nembrini

Hughes & Kettner Coreblade Guitar Amplifier

Plugins for Digital Audio Workstation

www.nembriniaudio.com

Stuff I’m finding weird:

- Website barely explains anything about the amp, I don’t really know anything about it and the website barely mentions to amp itself. The only info I can find about the amp is

"Crushing modern tone with the clarity, punch, and depth of a high-gain tube amp"

“The Hughes & Kettner Coreblade plugin by Nembrini Audio uses hybrid modeling technology to deliver aggressive, modern tones with the precision and depth of a high-gain tube amplifier.“

and “Amplifier Section: Four versatile channels with modern high-gain tone shaping, ideal for metal and hard rock.”

- demo video sounds bad, weird half baked djent. The audio demos are even worse, some kind of weird fizz/cocked wah type tones.

- GUI has that needless bottom row again. I get that their going for a more “NDSP” approach on these newer plugins and the extra clutter and basic graphics are at odds with it.

I like Nembrini products on the whole, sometimes I don’t think they help themselves on some stuff. I swear just taking an extra month to make the presentation of the product look more slick and show the love/passion that’s gone into the product would go a long way, rather than rushing it out the door

 

[2112]

@MirrorProfiles love the Mercuriall ReAxis plugin, one of the first amp sim plugins I really liked. I really hope they update Spark at some point.

The Coreblade is a weird one to model in general. The amp can do some cool things but it doesn't have a particularly distinct voice.

 

[Dez]

@MirrorProfiles love the Mercuriall ReAxis plugin, one of the first amp sim plugins I really liked. I really hope they update Spark at some point.

The Coreblade is a weird one to model in general. The amp can do some cool things but it doesn't have a particularly distinct voice.

Your video of the ReAxis got me to buy it, and I used it for like a year! Now the real thing is on my bucket list

 

[MirrorProfiles]

@MirrorProfiles love the Mercuriall ReAxis plugin, one of the first amp sim plugins I really liked. I really hope they update Spark at some point.

The Coreblade is a weird one to model in general. The amp can do some cool things but it doesn't have a particularly distinct voice.

I keep circling around the Reaxis plugin, one of those ones I've intended to buy for ages but never did. I generally prefer Mercuriall to Nembrini by a hair sonically, seems like they did a great job of capturing the experience of the Triaxis. Ill probably grab it next sale.

I'd be curious what a V2 of Spark would be like - I always liked it, but never LOVED it but I think with some small tweaks I'd be a big fan. There's other 2203 emulations I like a little better, and the AFD isn't my favourite modded Marshall except for that one particular thing.... Rad that they did a Super Bass as they get so overlooked in modellers, but I think their poweramp modelling and overall approach has come on a bit since it was released.

Lacking a distinct voice is how I feel about H&K generally. I'd love to know what they do that would draw me in. I think at some point, everyone wanted the backlit Hughes and Kettner amps because they looked cool but I have no idea how I'd describe the tone of one.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

So many sansamp emulations out there and i don’t think any of them are bad. Cool to see Sansamp officially on board though.

SansAmp™ Rack - Audiopunks

The SansAmp™ Rack plugin is the ultimate recreation of Tech21’s iconic PSA-1 and Classic dipswitch pedal, now enhanced with powerful L/R and M/S processing.

audiopunks.com

I still use the PT PSA plugin religiously even though it’s ancient. Nembrini has a model of it too. There’s tons of BDDI models out there, and Arturia and Black Rooster (and i’m sure many others) have done the GT stuff.

For someone who doesn’t have any yet, it’s always great to have the option of officially licenced models.

 

[Los-D]

Nembrini has their iOS plugins at US$9.99 (Summer sale). Bought Rockdude X1000 for iOS, which sounds and feels pretty damn good.

 

[paisleywookiee]

Question for Helix Native, but I'd think it really applies to any of them, really:

What do you guys shoot for, for output from the plug-in, in terms of dB? -12? -6? I've got the input adjusted for my interface, which is +1.5dB, and that's helped tremendously! But now I want to optimize the output, as well as balance my presets.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Question for Helix Native, but I'd think it really applies to any of them, really:

What do you guys shoot for, for output from the plug-in, in terms of dB? -12? -6? I've got the input adjusted for my interface, which is +1.5dB, and that's helped tremendously! But now I want to optimize the output, as well as balance my presets.

Doesn’t really matter like it does for the input, it’s just personal preference and a bit dependent on how you run things afterwards.

 

[paisleywookiee]

Doesn’t really matter like it does for the input, it’s just personal preference and a bit dependent on how you run things afterwards.

So I’m thinking -6dB would work well, hopefully. We’ll see this weekend!

 

[Sascha Franck]

But now I want to optimize the output, as well as balance my presets.

For what purpose exactly? I would try to get roughly the same level as you're feeding it with (maybe somewhat higher) and do any further leveling with the output slider (which isn't part of the internal patch), your DAW tools or by using the hardware's output (if transfering your patches to the hardware is the idea behind it).

 

[paisleywookiee]

For what purpose exactly? I would try to get roughly the same level as you're feeding it with (maybe somewhat higher) and do any further leveling with the output slider (which isn't part of the internal patch), your DAW tools or by using the hardware's output (if transfering your patches to the hardware is the idea behind it).

So it’s not wildly different when I switch patches.

 

[Sascha Franck]

So it’s not wildly different when I switch patches.

Oh sure - but that's entirely up to your taste, no?
And fwiw, I rather prefer to save my patches within Logic, as it's way easier to scroll through them and also level them (just use the channel fader). Whenever I want to get a patch into the hardware, I may save it as an internal patch (or just drag'n'drop it straight into HX Edit).

 

[paisleywookiee]

Oh sure - but that's entirely up to your taste, no?
And fwiw, I rather prefer to save my patches within Logic, as it's way easier to scroll through them and also level them (just use the channel fader). Whenever I want to get a patch into the hardware, I may save it as an internal patch (or just drag'n'drop it straight into HX Edit).

I guess it’s up to taste.

 

[bencuri]

There is a sound I am trying to replicate. It is a guitar sound from the 60's. With some help from others I managed to trace back this sound and it revealed it originated from the setup consisting of an 1963 Fender Jaguar, an Echolette S40 amp head, an Echolette ET1 or ET100 cabinet, and very likely an Echolette tape delay.

It will be some time until I will manage to collect all that stuff, so it would be great if I could somehow create a similar sound until then. I would like to know if it would be possible to create it with plugins, and in case yes, which ones?

There is a clean and overdriven version of this sound, here are both:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jYLv8F ... ZFVhI/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17wg6Fy ... K5lO9/view

It was a common reply when I asked this from others in the past that to just plug the guitar into a good amp, and that's it. But it is not that simple. I had a Peavey Express 112 in the past, it did not sound like that with the guitar and a delay. Recently I play through Line-in, I have a multieffect processor, after trial and error the setting I use at the moment can sound a little bit similar, but it is still far from being that great as the original. I am aiming for something closer.

Someone told me about IR boxes recently, I wonder if there is a preset that is similar to the samples? I am still very new to this thing.