Another Amp Sim test - I need your opinions!

[Erkan]

Hey everyone, let's tear some guitar tones up!

Alright so I've been using a guitar tone I created a while ago for my scratch tracks for my next project. Lately with all the great new amp sims, I decided to give it another "serious" go to see if I could get something better than what I had. So I made this test with a few different random riffs (not arranged in any particular way) and each riff is played 3 times. Excuse the sloppy playing, these are some DIs from scratch tracks, nothing too serious. Also please excuse the horrible Addictive Drums sound, it's just for scratch track purposes and I haven't tweaked the sound at all. There is no bass guitar in this clip. The order is as follows:


First time a riff is played: ReaEQ, TSS, WarpVST, keFIR (Sickan's impulse to bypass Warp's cab), keFIR (Ryan's s-preshigh), ReaEQ, ReaXcomp (Total of 7 plugins)

Second time: ReaEQ, TSS, DIG 2.0, keFIR (Ryan's s-preshigh), ReaEQ, ReaXcomp (Total of 6 plugins)

Third time: TSS, Onkel's upcoming amp sim, keFIR (Ryan's s-preshigh), ReaEQ (Total of 4 plugins)


An important thing to add: I dialed everything in at home on my home computer with 15$ cans and my normal desktop speakers so I HOPE there won't be any surprises when you listen to these things. I have no idea what these speakers are hiding from me but it sounds "ok" to me frequency-wise.


http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/585020/Tones.mp3


As you can see, I'm trying to move away from having many plugins in my chain so you can see the progression from step one to three where I use fewer and fewer plugins. However, I had a SERIOUSLY hard time taming the mid honk on Onkel's amp sim but I know it's my fault and not the amp sim itself so please do NOT judge this amp sim by the way I've dialed in the tone. Erik (Dandelium) has clearly demonstrated that this amp sim slays so... yeah, it's definately my fault

Anyway, since I figured I was kind of happy with the way my first chain sounds, I tried to dial my new chain as close as possible to the first and original one, using DIG 2.0. To my surprise, I ended up with something that seems to sound a little thicker and a little more up front and I think I'm slightly more happy with DIG 2.0 even though it doesn't have as "smooth" or "smeared out" high end as Warp does. As for the third and last chain, it sounds generally bad and believe me, I listened as carefully as I could to try to scoop out all the abundancies in the lower, mid, and upper mids but everytime I got rid of the honk itself, I lost a heck load of clarity in tone. Even though it didn't sound THAT scooped, the tone clarity was about the same as some old school death metal shit scooped tone. I failed miserably dialing in that amp, but hell, I'm not giving up on it because damn Erik succeeds so well with it

 

[onqel]

I think every settings sounded pretty good but you should upload TSS free settings, I would like to hear that atleast

 

[JonWormwood]

I liked how the first one was brighter but the last one had a growl to it.

 

[Erkan]

I think every settings sounded pretty good but you should upload TSS free settings, I would like to hear that atleast

Could do that too, but tomorrow! =)

I liked how the first one was brighter but the last one had a growl to it.

What about the second one? =( I personally like the second one more than the first one, and the first one more than the third one.

 

[Dom Ostarig]

In a overall analisis the first one has the better sound. But everything sounds awesome to me... i think if you take these chains as presets is better than choose one right now... the same guitar simulation in other song could have a different interpretation. By the way, guitar sim are strange.... i went o a studio last saturday and i could see someone getting a killer guitar tone from guitar rig 3..... good preamps i think.... maybe that's the Erik's case.

Sorry the english.

 

[Erik Monsonis]

Nice tones! I like the e530 more than the others, they have a really nice growl that the other ampsims don't have.

My guitar chain is really simple. Guitar > TSE X-30 > LeCab (s-preshigh) > REq 6 (3 plugins)
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/425433/Fotos/x30chain.jpg

That chain for this sound:
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/425433/WAV/test tse x30 TLE.wav

I love your songwriting Erkan! So damn cool!

 

[Sickan]

Between 1 and 2 it's a close shot, but I like 2 the most.
Damn Erik, that sounds amazing (just a bit fizzy).

 

[JonWormwood]

Nice tones! I like the e530 more than the others, they have a really nice growl that the other ampsims don't have.

My guitar chain is really simple. Guitar > TSE X-30 > LeCab (s-preshigh) > REq 6 (3 plugins)
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/425433/Fotos/x30chain.jpg

That chain for this sound:
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/425433/WAV/test tse x30 TLE.wav

I love your songwriting Erkan! So damn cool!

God yes, i haven't had an orgasm that has felt as good as this sounds besides with my last ex awhile ago who had a nice bod. kind of a butter face but whatever.

anyways.

 

[Erkan]

Nice tones! I like the e530 more than the others, they have a really nice growl that the other ampsims don't have.

My guitar chain is really simple. Guitar > TSE X-30 > LeCab (s-preshigh) > REq 6 (3 plugins)
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/425433/Fotos/x30chain.jpg

That chain for this sound:
http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/425433/WAV/test tse x30 TLE.wav

I love your songwriting Erkan! So damn cool!

You actually like the e530 tone more than the other ones? :O Well if YOU say so, I'm willing to tweak more on the e530 I just don't know how the heck to get rid of the "can" sound and get more meat and clarity in there without getting massive rumble and shit. Thanks for posting your settings, I'll see if it may help me for a starting point. I didn't use that much of the low-mid knob as you did, so that seems interesting to try. But damn Erik, your tone sounds AWESOME while being that simple! You've probably said it a dozen times but may I ask again what guitar, what pickup and what the guitar is connected to before hitting your computer?

<3 thanks for commenting the song writing... it's gonna be awesome to finish these songs and have your opinion on 'em man =)

Oh and Dom, you have a good point there about trying different tones in different songs. Right now, I'm too attached to having the same tone in every song but perhaps it would be cool to mix it up a bit...

 

[kaamosprod]

Erik,

In your setting example, you've get rid of your usual guitar buss req6 and kse curve eq ??

there's nothing in addition to your jpg settings (only 3 plugs) ??

i'm looking forward this amp sim, for me it burries the 8505... it sound's more realistic, warmer and less metallic... i have a caparison and the 8505 sounds too metallic with this guitar...

 

[Erkan]

OK!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/585020/BilOVE x30 v2.mp3

Check that link out everyone, it's a whole scratch track from my next solo project (without bass guitar, not mixed but it should sound "decent" atleast). The song is alternating between my old tone and my new tone all the time between riffs. The very first tone is my old tone, and then it switches to the new tone and so on and so forth. You will definately notice when it switches and a characteristic of my new tone is thickness... it's pretty thick and sort of warm-ish while still being prominent enough in the mids.

I've FINALLY managed to get a not too honky and/or hollow/thin sound out of the X30 sim. Huge thanks to Erik for providing the settings for his tone which acted as a base for my tone but I could NOT run as few plugins as Erik. I really felt the need to use an additional EQ (before the amp) and a multiband compressor to tame some dynamics. So the chain is now as follows:

ReaEQ
TSS (still can't live without TSS, my guitar seems to need it)
X30 K (Onkel's upcoming amp sim)
keFIR (s-preshigh.wav)
ReaEQ
GMulti

It would be awesome if you guys could listen to the whole song and just check the difference between my old tone and this new tone and give your feedback on it. Keep in mind that my old tone uses WarpVST which is not freeware, while the new tone is 100% freeware.

 

[GuitarHack]

Sorry, but I like the way Old tone cuts through the mix better than the new one. BUT, I don't really like the Honky mids of the old tone. I think you have to play around with the EQ in the Mids to get it to "fit" better, if that makes any sense. Or, maybe boost the high end in the New tone to make it sound less stuffy. Nice song writing.

 

[Erik Monsonis]

I'm using a Caparison Horus tuned down to Drop B (0.12-0.68 elixir baritone medium strings) with EMG 81 in the bridge. Also, I pick really hard.

I love how your new sound fits on the mix, it's a lot more natural than your old one.

 

[Erkan]

Awesome to get feedback from both of you!

Well, Addictive Drums will not be used in the final mix since I will be recording the drums myself so I'm not sure if I should aim at fitting the mids better together with Addictive Drums yet GuitarHack. But I don't know, it's not that important for me to make the guitars REALLY cut through the mix since it's not going to be an instrumental project, there will be vocals and stuff. But then again, maybe it'll be hard to hear the guitars when the vocals come in? We'll have to see... but anyway, so your only concern about this new tone is pretty much in the mids? Just trying to narrow the problem down.

Erik, thanks for the info =) Yeah I'm trying to play hard as well, it's really really important I have noticed. Yeah I have to agree on the new tone being a lot more natural. My idea with my old tone was that it would be cool to have an unusual guitar tone, but now that I've gotten pretty close to something that works for my music, and with 100% freeware stuff, I'm beginning to change my way of thinking and I think I can settle for a less "unusual" guitar tone and just go with a more natural one. So apart from the new tone being more natural, what do you think about it in general Erik? Do you agree with GuitarHack about shaping the mids more to make it cut through more?

 

[onqel]

you will recieve a new beta this weekend it might be a more positive experience than the version you have now ( i will listen to your new clip later today )

 

[GarethSE]

ongel would i be able to get in on testing this new amp sim?

 

[exzem]

I like your old tone better but you need to scoop it just a little bit imo, it feels like your new tone is scooped in the "wrong" area. But seriously stop worrying so much about the guitar tone, tweek more when you get everything recorded.

Really like your music too! When are you getting vocals done?

 

[Erkan]

you will recieve a new beta this weekend it might be a more positive experience than the version you have now ( i will listen to your new clip later today )

Coooool! =) Let me know when you have listened to the clip Onqel. I'd like your opinion on the tone.

I like your old tone better but you need to scoop it just a little bit imo, it feels like your new tone is scooped in the "wrong" area. But seriously stop worrying so much about the guitar tone, tweek more when you get everything recorded.

Really like your music too! When are you getting vocals done?

The thing is, I have this intention to ditch WarpVST for something freeware, and the X30 amp does seem to do the job pretty damn well! I haven't intentionally scooped my guitar tone, but I have removed "congested" areas, and as I said in the first post; I had a really hard time to get a balanced tone that was not "canny" or "honky" but this time it went better. I understand it sounds scooped compared to my old tone but I'm not sure how much more mids I need to make it "ok". I'll have to toy around with the mids a bit more then I guess, and perhaps the new version of the amp might prove helpful there!

Thanks for liking my music, there's more of it coming! I'm going to redo the cheesy string sections and stuff. Got my hands on some new freeware orchestral soundfonts that sound WAY better than the ones I used in that scratch track clip =) The vocals are going to be done once I've recorded guitars and drums so... I don't know, it'll be a long while.