Amplitube 4 - Any Good ?

Teetonetal

I thought the logic amps were awful. Really fizzy. Of all the amp Sims sgear is the only one I enjoyed playing through.

PolarityMan

Amplitube 4 is my main demo tool. Pisses all over bias which i  bought over xmas in thr sales.
Only thing ive had cone close is the le pou stuff through some decent impulses but they are way less flexible.

-NFM-

Wazmeister said:

It's time to make music, like I used to... back into Garageband and Logic for me

 I've got the deluxe version of Amplitude 4 - free with an Irig HD purchase a while back! - and whilst its fairly good, it is a little finicky in setting up (someone earlier mentioned how it tries to 'buy you in'  on extra equipment with certain presets) and did have a bit of a learning curve for me, which I'm still trying to find.... but the 'impulse response' part of it just isn't as good which IMO may be why S-Gear sounds better (tried it too, but already had Amplitude free anyway so stuck with it). FWIW though, it could also be that I'm not 100% on using the software too and not really experienced with the nuances of mic'ing amps so I'm making a mess of it!

If you are using Logic/Garageband though, @Jeremiah makes a good point - literally two nights ago I was messing about in Garageband and it seems they have added a ton of guitar and bass amps and effects in the recent revisions to it! It used to be quite sparse, but with a little digging there is a lot to try out, and it really impressed me (although its not the most user friendly to work through and select cabs, etc). Can't honestly say how good I think it is overall as I've only just scratched the surface on it really and again, I'm probably not aware of some features/functions, but I would give it a try too before you buy another full program/suite!

-NFM-

digitalscream said:

It sounds good, IMO, but not great. A decent pedalboard direct into the interface with good impulses will likely sound better; I know mine does.

Just curious, but what impulse software/impulse collections have you used @digitalscream?

I've got a decent pedalboard setup so have been looking at this sort of option to potentially have an ampless setup - might even try Digitech's CabDryVR sim stuff when it comes out. I rarely play live anymore so when its just me playing at home, I'm looking for something that sounds good but doesn't annoy everyone around me!!

digitalscream

-NFM- said:

digitalscream said:

It sounds good, IMO, but not great. A decent pedalboard direct into the interface with good impulses will likely sound better; I know mine does.

Just curious, but what impulse software/impulse collections have you used @digitalscream?

I've got a decent pedalboard setup so have been looking at this sort of option to potentially have an ampless setup - might even try Digitech's CabDryVR sim stuff when it comes out. I rarely play live anymore so when its just me playing at home, I'm looking for something that sounds good but doesn't annoy everyone around me!!

I've used RedWirez (free, Mesa and Soldano - they're okay, but a bit "meh" and can be "lifeless"), Wall of Sound III (good, but a bit CPU-heavy and the mic options for each cab aren't consistent), and - my current favourites - OwnHammer's free pack.

The OwnHammer stuff sounds every bit as good as Wall of Sound III, without the CPU overhead or the cost (although I'll probably donate to the cause at some point, because they're that good). It also means that I can run them with Harrison Mixbus natively in Linux as well as Reaper under WINE; Linux Mixbus doesn't support Windows VSTs (only LV2 plugins), so there's no way I could run Wall of Sound III.

As for the impulse loader software, I use NadIR when I need a VST, and some open source thing I forget the name of when I need LV2.

mrleon83

I like it, I've used this t in most of my YouTube videos (dragon heart studio) though I've recently been switching the cab sims off and using two notes wall of sound which has made a massive difference ... there's still something missing though (compared to a micd up cab) ... just less open I guess .. .. line 6 helixnativeisround yye corner so I'm looking forward to trying that! 

equalsql

Just picked up Amplitube 4 cos it's on offer at the mo. I've got version 3 and have to admit this new version is superior across the board. I prefer it to S-Gear.  I'm trying out their Fender tweed deluxe and it is really excellent. My only dislike is IK's pricing model. They really are trying to squeeze the last drop of blood out of their customers with amp + cab pricing. It also is annoying that the prices shown are excluding VAT.

BRISTOL86

I'm new to this amp sim stuff - anyone have any tips for balancing the myriad volume controls?

Im struggling to get sounds I like - most are quite muddy - but I'm a bit perplexed by how all the various volume sources interact and I suspect this is why I'm not thrilled with the sounds I'm getting. 

Theres the input level on the Scarlett interface I'm using (as well as the gain) then there's the volume on my monitors in addition to an input level within amplitude itself, as well as master/output volume on amplitude as well as volume and gain controls on individual amps!

stonevibe

I would recommend getting into using IRs (Impulse Responses) as it makes a MASSIVE difference to all these virtual amps you guys are using.


You could even check out the article I wrote last year on gearnews.com about it. I think if you have a spare 15 minutes in your week, the IRs can make a big difference to all these amp simulation packages.

Article link below

https://www.gearnews.com/using-impulse-responses-to-achieve-great-recorded-guitars-tones-in-your-daw/


If you need some tips, I did a whole series of these articles and listed a load of freeware and basic recording tips that might be useful for some of you.

equalsql

Thanks for the link @stonevibe, I did use some 3rd party IRs in S-Gear and was pretty impressed. I think I'll grab a coffee and settle down for a good read 

Fez

I've been using Amplitube for a long time  but I just recently got version 4 with the Jimi Hendrix pack on the offer. What I am finding is that I could really do with something to drive the wah wah and other expression functions. So what are people using to control these functions?

Cabicular

Here is a collection of free IRs one of the Helix Facebook guys put together if that helps anyone
FWIW I used AmpliTube on an album I did a few years ago and it sounded great
but you need to know what combinations work. It's really easy to set up a terrible sounding rig
it really helps if you know what works in real life and then copy that
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/102316/psa-for-helix-owners-lots-of-free-irs#latest

guitarfishbay

Yes it's usually a good idea to start with a matching cab.

If you want to go commercial, this pack covers pretty much all standard bases and sounds great. There are lots of options but there is also a quick start folder if you just want the best overview options.

http://www.ownhammer.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=180&products_id=403

The other commercial company that does easy to use stuff is Celestion Plus, who name the IRs descriptively.