Virtual guitar rig recommendations
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 117 posts since 10 Feb, 2022
I'm looking to get something like Guitar Rig, I see the new version is out, but I'm wondering what other options there are. Amplitube, Melda, NAM, something else not on my radar? Are there any particular pros and/or cons? I'm not looking to get anything too crazy. I like options, but I don't like endless tweaking and I don't feel the need to tweak every fine detail (which is why Melda's software scares me sometimes ). Also, I don't know about NAM - it is just amp, or there are cabs IRs, FX etc? Can you recommend websites where to find that stuff, regardless if its free or paid?
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- KVRist
- 101 posts since 26 Aug, 2023 from Planet Earth
I have GR7 and it's awesome. Also, I love Positive Grid - BIAS FX 2.
P.S. there are a lot of tasty deals on Positive Grid right now!
P.S. there are a lot of tasty deals on Positive Grid right now!
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- KVRian
- 938 posts since 27 Nov, 2003 from UK, Polegate
Good place to start is with the free versions, there's a free Amplitube, and I think a free Guitar Rig, and some of the other developers too.
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- KVRAF
- 11545 posts since 2 Dec, 2004 from North Wales
Line 6 Helix has been the best Amp Sim I have had in terms of both sound and the amount of 'gear' you get for your money. All the updates have been free since it was launched. https://uk.line6.com/helix/ Also if you like it and you 'play out' its identical to the helix floor pedal so you can take your sound with you.
X32 Desk, i9 PC, S49MK2, S1, BWS, Live . PUSH 3 SA, Osmose, Summit, Pro3, Prophet8, Syntakt, Digitone, Drumlogue, OP1-F, MPC Live II, Tracker Mini, Eurorack, TD27 Drums, Nord Drum3P, Guitars, Basses, Amps and of course lots of pedals!
- KVRAF
- 15553 posts since 26 Jun, 2006 from San Francisco Bay Area
At this point, almost everything is good or great. It really depends on your needs. I give Amplitude “best all rounder,” as it has a good amount of flexibility and some fantastic sounding models. Some of the cabinet emulations aren’t great, but you can bring in your own IRs. You can also run Tonex amps and stomp boxes in it. The only main complaint I have with it is that the reverbs can be overbearing.
Helix Native is similar. I wouldn’t bother unless you’re looking for a hardware counterpart. It came free with my HX Stomp XL. Maybe a bit more experimental effects.
I rely like Guitar Rig 7, especially with the new cabinet section (v6) and the new ICM stuff. If you’re looking for advanced effect laden sounds, look no further.
I found MGuitarArchitect to sound generally bad. So much aliasing! Shame, because I generally love Melda’s plugins.
NAM is good for free, but that one could benefit from some oversampling too.
I like the sound of the Neural DSP plugins, but I don’t like the simplicity of them. If they made a software version of their Quad Cortex that included all their models, I’d snap it right up.
Lots of other great options, but generally I feel like every time I compare something to what I have, I feel like it’s not better, just a variation.
Helix Native is similar. I wouldn’t bother unless you’re looking for a hardware counterpart. It came free with my HX Stomp XL. Maybe a bit more experimental effects.
I rely like Guitar Rig 7, especially with the new cabinet section (v6) and the new ICM stuff. If you’re looking for advanced effect laden sounds, look no further.
I found MGuitarArchitect to sound generally bad. So much aliasing! Shame, because I generally love Melda’s plugins.
NAM is good for free, but that one could benefit from some oversampling too.
I like the sound of the Neural DSP plugins, but I don’t like the simplicity of them. If they made a software version of their Quad Cortex that included all their models, I’d snap it right up.
Lots of other great options, but generally I feel like every time I compare something to what I have, I feel like it’s not better, just a variation.
Zerocrossing Media
4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
4th Law of Robotics: When turning evil, display a red indicator light. ~[ ●_● ]~
- KVRist
- 206 posts since 2 Mar, 2017
It's normally $399 if you don't have Line 6 hardware. I think it was on sale for $199 the week of Black Friday. That is going to keep a lot of people from picking it up any time soon.zerocrossing wrote: ↑Tue Dec 12, 2023 7:11 pm Helix Native is similar. I wouldn’t bother unless you’re looking for a hardware counterpart. It came free with my HX Stomp XL. Maybe a bit more experimental effects.
It needs more than just fixing the aliasing. It really shouldn't be that bad.I found MGuitarArchitect to sound generally bad. So much aliasing! Shame, because I generally love Melda’s plugins.
As for the others...
Amplitube is a good default choice, especially if you get it as part of a group buy/holiday sale where you get all the components cheaply. The ToneX integration is a great feature. There's something for everyone there.
S Gear is another good option. It's limited in choice in amps, but what they have are extremely good. The programmer is an electrical engineer with actual experience designing amps, and all of these amps are "idealized' versions of the general type of amp they are modeling.
Guitar Rig used to be weak for guitar sounds, but it has gotten much better. While it is not my go-to amp sim, there are a lot of sounds that have made it onto tracks I have been working on.
As for Revalver, since it used to be owned by Peavey, it shines at those amps and Buddah models. I'm not as impressed with the new Headrush amps.
BiasFX has good modeling, but I hate how it is always asking me to sign in. Also while their user library seems to be well a implemented feature, the user uploads are so wretchedly bad that it will make you doubt yourself for liking the product.
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- KVRian
- 938 posts since 27 Nov, 2003 from UK, Polegate
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- KVRian
- 938 posts since 27 Nov, 2003 from UK, Polegate
Sorry I for double post I meant to hit edit. The EXE amps and the Ignite amps are worthwhile I meant to addhotmitts wrote: ↑Tue Dec 12, 2023 9:36 pm https://plugins4free.com/effects/Guitar-Amp/
has some surprisingly good free amps, those EXE ones are nice
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- KVRAF
- 2281 posts since 20 Dec, 2002 from The Benighted States of Trumpistan
If your CPU is good, NeuralAmpModeler gives astonishing results: very responsive and detailed. It's also free. If your CPU is slower (like all of mine!), the LePou and eXe amp sims are fantastic (and likewise free). Yes, I focus on what's free — with all the nonsense Native Instruments and Apple are pulling, free is the only viable long-term solution short of learning to code.
Wait... loot _then_ burn? D'oh!
- KVRAF
- 6248 posts since 16 Aug, 2017 from UK
I would try some of Tone Junkies captures if you you take that route.
https://tonejunkiestore.com/
They have some free content.
https://tonejunkiestore.com/
They have some free content.
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- KVRian
- 938 posts since 27 Nov, 2003 from UK, Polegate
The quality of those free ones is excellent I thought, you can definitely find the equal of the paid stuff for free if you lookJafo wrote: ↑Tue Dec 12, 2023 10:09 pm If your CPU is good, NeuralAmpModeler gives astonishing results: very responsive and detailed. It's also free. If your CPU is slower (like all of mine!), the LePou and eXe amp sims are fantastic (and likewise free). Yes, I focus on what's free — with all the nonsense Native Instruments and Apple are pulling, free is the only viable long-term solution short of learning to code.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 117 posts since 10 Feb, 2022
Wow! Many great responses and seems there are more options out there than I thought. I'll definitely have to do some comparison and demoing. I like the sound of Helix, but it seems a bit expensive if other plugins can do similar stuff. I had Guitar Pro 6, I did't dislike it, but I didn't like it either. It had some cool presets, but I had trouble making it sound the way I wanted. Maybe it was just the lack of experience. I see people have nothing but nice things to say about Guitar Pro 7 tho! I somebody wrote Bias requires login each time - that's a hassle.
Also, I saw people like Neural DSP. Not really sure what it's about. I looks like an amp and some fx to me, and many different models. Why have so many different models? Also, I prefer when they'rr called rock, metal, jazz... so I know what I can expect. I know nothing about Plini for example.
Anyways, thank you all for very informative replies and for your time !
Also, I saw people like Neural DSP. Not really sure what it's about. I looks like an amp and some fx to me, and many different models. Why have so many different models? Also, I prefer when they'rr called rock, metal, jazz... so I know what I can expect. I know nothing about Plini for example.
Anyways, thank you all for very informative replies and for your time !
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- KVRist
- 61 posts since 15 Jul, 2013 from Tirol, Austria
I really like the cross-platform Audio Assault plugs, especially since evolving into Amp Locker, but then again I use an old machine with a weak CPU running Linux so a lot of the other stuff isn't an option.
The cab IRs are more than bearable too but I personally load 3rd party ones into the IR loader after the pedals / amps / rack fx within Amp Locker.
The cab IRs are more than bearable too but I personally load 3rd party ones into the IR loader after the pedals / amps / rack fx within Amp Locker.
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- KVRAF
- 11545 posts since 2 Dec, 2004 from North Wales
Pity you just missed 50% off Helix in BF Sale...second hand licences come up occasionally, worth trying the 15 day demo- you get a lot for your money.samesung wrote: ↑Wed Dec 13, 2023 6:01 pm Wow! Many great responses and seems there are more options out there than I thought. I'll definitely have to do some comparison and demoing. I like the sound of Helix, but it seems a bit expensive if other plugins can do similar stuff. I had Guitar Pro 6, I did't dislike it, but I didn't like it either. It had some cool presets, but I had trouble making it sound the way I wanted. Maybe it was just the lack of experience. I see people have nothing but nice things to say about Guitar Pro 7 tho! I somebody wrote Bias requires login each time - that's a hassle.
Also, I saw people like Neural DSP. Not really sure what it's about. I looks like an amp and some fx to me, and many different models. Why have so many different models? Also, I prefer when they'rr called rock, metal, jazz... so I know what I can expect. I know nothing about Plini for example.
Anyways, thank you all for very informative replies and for your time !
Scuffam Amps S Gear is also great- possibly the best for cleaner tomes; again, try the demo- its very reasonably priced and not overwhelming https://www.scuffhamamps.com/
Revalver 5 may also be worth a try as very cheap, I wasnt so keen personally but others seem to like it.
X32 Desk, i9 PC, S49MK2, S1, BWS, Live . PUSH 3 SA, Osmose, Summit, Pro3, Prophet8, Syntakt, Digitone, Drumlogue, OP1-F, MPC Live II, Tracker Mini, Eurorack, TD27 Drums, Nord Drum3P, Guitars, Basses, Amps and of course lots of pedals!
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- KVRian
- 938 posts since 27 Nov, 2003 from UK, Polegate
It really is worth demoing them, as they all have their quirks. Amplitube is good but slow to load (at least with me) and has a 'storefront' attitude...DSP have ilok protection, which many don't like...Guitar Rig doesn't really nail the realistic sound but is kind of it's own exotic effect. I haven't tried Helix but they do seem expensive...
I found a cheap option called Amp Locker which I'm demoing at the moment...lots out there
Meanwhile, I found another nice freebie
https://www.resonantdsp.com/swankyamp/
I found a cheap option called Amp Locker which I'm demoing at the moment...lots out there
Meanwhile, I found another nice freebie
https://www.resonantdsp.com/swankyamp/