Pick attack on ampsim VSTs

[Downtime]

Hey there,

being used to reamping through real amps and cabs, I'm fairly new to the virtual-ampsim-game. I get some decent sounds which I use for demo-stuff or quick roughmixes most of the time. But there's one thing I can't achieve: some percussive pick attack.
Is there any way / trick (besides EQing the hell out of the signal) to push the pick attack a bit more? I'd be in for a Kemper and its specific control for it, if the budget would allow me to buy one. But for now it's not possible, unfortunately.

Thanks for any advice,

Downi

 

[Erik Monsonis]

Boost the hell out of 1-3khz range before the signal gets into the ampsim.
I always recommend the LePou LeXTAC ampsim, red channel, bright mode, input between 50% and 100%, gain between 30% to 70%. The attack on that ampsim is just great, but then get ready to cut some mids off after it (about 700-1.5khz)

 

[FarBeyondMetal]

Make sure you are hitting the amp sim with a fairly hot level. Apart from that, I've had varying degrees of success using a transient designer before the amp.

Never hurts to experiment with picking technique either.

 

[ashgallows]

sounds like too much drive.

 

[neptunian]

Try cutting some lows before the amp, or use a tube screamer plugin. Then bring back the lows in-amp, or post-EQ.

 

[Max Morton]

Use an instance of TSE 808? Strange, I never had problems with Lepou and TSE stuff. Attack- and character-wise

 

[Downtime]

Hey guys, thanks for all the great input,

I'm using a hardware OD 808 and tried adding the TSE 808 as well, no success. I will try the LeXTAC and a transient designer in my signal chain though, because I mainly used the LeGion amp by now.

Thanks again,
Downi

 

[sea-]

Welcome to the world of amp sims. They tend to be lacking in terms of dynamics and pick attack compared to the real thing. Your best bet is to use lots of layering of lower-gain guitars with judicious amounts of EQ. Also be sure to use new strings - amp sims are a lot more finnicky about having them than a real amp, in terms of your final tone produced.

 

[reg3n]

I don't think eq or transient shaping before the ampsim is a good idea... I'd focus on playing in such case. Just as an excercise try "removing the opposite" instead of boosting what you think it needs a boost. Do you think you're in a specific scenario where your low freq's have a lot more dynamics than your high freqs on the guitar? well.. guitars shouldn't have lows, to start... maybe you're letting too many low freq's through? maybe a guitar pickup problem? I would definitely stay away from multiband comp on guitars but... that would be the answer to that specific question, that leads to thinking... is this recording what I need?

And then destroy, erase, improve. The DI's of course. :Smokedev: