Amp Simulators Are Inferior.

Consoomer cope

I just cant imagine dialing in a bad ass thrash metal tone infront of my laptop and listening to it through my monitors.

It is you who sucks with amp sims lol, no the amp sims themselves

All this guy did was prove himself wrong lol

I think you have that opinion as you have to feel better about your stack😂 some of us don't have the room or big enough gigs or a big enough car so don't be a numpty. Everyone has the right to make music. You're entitled to your opinion but there is room for everyone, including you. 😂

Alright so you mentioned that one comment that many guitar players like to talk about: you said that the modeler doesn't "feel" inspiring to play through.

Can you be more specific for what you're actually talking about? Lots of guitar players like to use that expression but the definition always seems to vary from player to player.

Also, IMO the cure for "boring" tone with a modeler is to have a better playback system, and using something with plenty of headroom that can get very loud. Louder is almost always better.

So much love for this video 😂
I totally agree. I’m an old fart of a thrasher from the 80’s and played tube/valve amps all my life. During the 90’s onwards I went down the WHOLE sim/modeller merry go round. I could’ve bought a small house with what I spent! 😂
For me, I sold the Kemper, Axe etc and went back to a 50 watt head and a few Boss pedals. I got my tone and more importantly my feels back. I gig every week.
Now, at home I’ve got a Two Notes Live I use to play my amps with. I just works.
There is no excuse to not use an amp at home if you want to.
I also agree about the PG Bias gear. It just works as well.
Great video. Stay unhinged 🤘🏼👊🏼

Look at that, a child who doesnt know any better

If you want to have the "amp in the room" feel when using amp sims you can route the amp sim to an attenuator or external power section which goes to whatever cabinet you want to use. Alternative you could use the send and return loop of an existing amp head to feed the amp sim to a cab which will use the power section of the amp. It does feel like a real amp when played through a guitar cabinet, at least in terms of feel and responsiveness. If you use a good quality amp sim or profiler then you most certainly won't be able to tell any difference in a blind test. I've conducted this test myself using different amp sims, real amp and a harley Benton 2x12 cabinet.

EDIT: Unless there's real blessed ones out there who are gifted enough to be able to feel what some of us can't. If that's the case I envy you guys a lot.

Wow, that was a 7 minute rant on nothing. Congrats, you have a place you can crank a 100w through a 4x12 and not get evicted or have a visit by the police. You sure showed those amp sims, that you readily admit sound nearly identical and the vast majority of people listening (including yourself) wouldn't be able to tell the difference in the context of a song, how inferior they truly are.

Something something BluGuitar. 😉
But seriously, I do prefer analog gear, but I prefer solid state.
I also have a Pocket GT.

The best thing one can do if you want digital ANYTHING is use dedicated hardware. Latency is the number-one killer of feel. But it will NEVER FEEL THE SAME.
SS doesn’t feel like tube, and digital feels like whatever the fuck software and and hardware are being used that second.

This is what reamping is for. Play into a real thing, split the dry into the digital thing or recording situation.
The latency is so small on dedicated devices it shouldn’t cause phase issues more than analog, but you should be using some kind of time-based effect anyway. Get big tone.

You won't get a professional tone (not what you hear in your room) until you start to hear your amp and cab mic'd through some studio monitors, to understand what your actual tone is (since in any medium/big live and studio situation, you'll mic your cab). At that point, it won't matter if that tone comes from analog or digital, since either way you won't get that punch from the cab that gives you chills when you play analog but risk to produce unusable tone (usually too harsh, since your hear are far higher than the speaker so you have to cranck highs). As long as you don't play live or studio though, analog will give that illusion of having a great tone.

So ironically I am a Line 6 Helix user, but I'm gonna mostly agree with you. I actually bought my Engl amp beginning of this year because I have played my Helix for 5 years, and I got into a band, and the other guitarrist was using an actual tube amp, and I plugged into it, and I was like: Aaaah that's what I was missing. Now... I still record 2 tracks with my Helix and 2 tracks with my actual amp, because I love the sound of a Mesa Rectifier, and as you probably know (I'm from the Netherlands) Mesa stuff is impossible to get here, I was VERY lucky with my Mesa 2x12

I agree with this.
Nothing can come close to the real deal.

im guessing you don't gig much? or tried getting your 4x12 cabinet and valve heads into the hold of a plane? or on a cruise liner? sometimes only an amp simulator will do when transporting, setting up and packing down kit is an issue

I dont agree, I get a better feel when I play on the pc. I dont like the real thing anymore. Is like going to a nokia when you have an iPhone or android now.

You can do soooo much more with a good amp sims.

I don't think you understand that no one is debating this. It's just that not everyone has the means, space, or capacity to push a full head through a 4x12. There's also the fact that these are meant to sonorise stadiums. Your point is a bit like saying "the subway is inferior, you can't emulate the feeling of racing in your car" The answer is threefold : money, urban life and purpose.

for me amp sims are wayyyy more affordable than a 2800 dollar EVH amp head excluding the cab aswell, I think it comes down to personally preference

The amps behind you are probably the best reason most people are switching over to amp sims. They’re huge, heavy and loud. Once you’re on stage and mic’d, you’re essentially hearing the AO through the PA and IEMs. So, you’re not really playing to hear the amp anymore. The modelers simply make it easier to port the exact setup from place to place.

Let be honest, all this "difference" thing is clear when you see or know when you A/B test digital vs tube gear. But if they won't tell you when they switch gear while you're playing (and the gear has the same settings) a very handful of People will hear the difference. It's a high time "tube connosuers" should be called out, evaluated and officialy certified to be able to "hear the difference"!
Tubes are an obsolete technology that is taken advantage of by marketing, aimed for older users that don't want to try new things.

P. S. All this love for tube amps falls apart when you have travel frequently and have to mind the weight you carry on your own back. Try carrying around 20kg tube amp in an airport, that would be interesting.

I think both have their place, no? I love my JVM410 and 2555X, but passed a certain time they may aswell bricks gathering dust in the corner of a room. There's room for both.

I have a helix, cab, and no money

A thing I think alotta people don't understand is that art isn't meant to be efficient. If making it efficient is fulfilling for you, that's perfectly fine, but it's not necessary, or persay, fulfilling for most people. I love synths, and sound design, but except for VCV rack, I just hate using most VSTs. VCV obviously isn't a perfect 1:1 with a full eurorack system, but it's similar enough to get past my aversions to fully digital music making. I like using my hands for more then just a mouse and keyboard, ya know?

I will have to eventually build a Moog or just slowly amass Korg Volcas, tho. One day...

100% true. My Dual Rect shits on every ampsimp out there, period.

The best blend of both words are the Victory V4 Pedal Amps. Analog amps with a tube preamp and can plug into any cab, but has an XLR out with built in Two Notes cab sims.

so why you dont go back to analoque recording ? is it digital recording inferior to analoque ? dont be stupid , technology always be an answer.

That's a very articulate analogy that you lead with. Pretty much sums it up. For my particular situation, Amp sims/modelers are the best option for multiple reasons, but I have to do so while acknowledging that point as bulletproof.

“Don’t do heroin.”

LOL!!

Amen brother!!! Thank you for saying what EVERONE already knows, even those who swear by the new tech...but just won't admit it's not as good as the real thing!

With my brand, Nolatone Ampworks, I build hand wired all tube guitar amps for a market which I'm certain has been shrinking due to all the advancements in modeling and simulations. At times I've tried to incorporate the new technology into my presentation of my products, but I always find it lacking in some way, even over my crappy micing/recording of my amps.

I've recently been studying the latest in the modeling/sim technology in the interest of having some silent practice interface because I've been trying to pull myself out of a rut after years of playing only to voice amps. Often I'm not in a situation where I can plug into the plethora of REAL amps I have around the shop, but every time I try one of these modern marvels it just feels WRONG. One of my amps with the master volume circuit I use is MUCH more satisfying, even at levels you can talk quietly over.

You're helping me to not waste any more money on stuff thats just not like the real thing. Thank you!

I don’t want to carry around a 100lb head. I don’t claim a quad cortex with a jcm patch is going to match the tone of a legit jcm. I don’t care if it does, and neither do people who are listening to your music. It sounds fine, and people who tone chase to the end of the earth tend to have the shittiest music, or none at all.

This was an extremely long-winded way of saying "I don't feel like liking them"

I agree in terms of the sensation when you use real amps.

In my case, let me tell you my case

I play guitar at churches, lots of different churces in a certain city in Asia, so imagine at one day, I can play at 4 different churches a day, and often the churches where I am playing at, only have passive speakers and a mixer.

So in my case, it will be funny and annoying if you have to bring your amps to every church I play in.

So amp simulators really helps me and I find them really useful.

This technology, I think, it answers the real problem for people like me.

I just bought ampeg SVT Classic amp- head in December plus just drove home with a 8x10 Ampeg cab. I don't take the easy- cheating way with computers

nobody is stopping you to amplify and monitor simulated signal if you prefer to hear yourself louder, difference is that real amp will not sound good until it hits certain level, but simulated sound is fine at any loudness level, it has more to do with habits, for example I never owned tube amp, and I'm sorta find it hard to dial in right sound, so I don't even bother, just cheap multi-effect pedal into anything from PA to Bluetooth speakers, I've compared some of my favorite guitar tones, to me it sounds good enough and in some cases better to my liking than the original sound, it's cheap, portable, and it can plug into anything.

Real amp with a cabinet is simply a lot difrent then an amp simulator and they will always sound difrent no matter what lies AS will serve. Since 90's x brands were saying 0''it sounds like a real amp'' but it ain't. For sure Amp Sim are great for home recording or when you wish to save your back and play a local gig with amp sim but real amp is a difrent beast. It doesn't have to be a tube amp , SS are superb as well.

I understand where you're coming from, but I'd have to disagree. I own way too many amps and I've played live and in studios since the 90's. Hearing my Marshall 70's Super Lead on 10 is a wonderful experience, but I will never be able to get that tone at home unless I want my neighbours to call the police. Besides, in 90% of the scenarios in which I use my amps with a bit of volume, I have an SM57 in front of them.

Now I do think playing through a loud amp with a 4x12 is a great feeling, but it's never ever the way my amp sounds to anyone but me unless I'm at rehearsal or dialing in a sound in the live room in the studio with the engineer or producer there. I'd much rather hear what everyone else is hearing, because that is how you get a good guitar sound. Your amp will never sound like what you're hearing when you're standing in front of it and have it cranked. It will sound like what the SM57 is picking up. And since live playing and studio stuff is what I have my amps for, I want to hear what it sounds like with a mic in front of it.

I've recently bought a Quad Cortex for smaller shows and stuff and it sounds just like what my amps sound like when I record them or through a PA. It's so close that no-one will be able to hear the difference and since almost everyone uses in-ears live nowadays, my amps are more of a burden than anything else. So when I play at home I'd much rather practice with the sound that the audience is going to hear than my Marshall through a 4x12 on 10, because I will never use it that way unless I'm in a small club, but then I'd rather use a smaller amp anyway. And my amps don't sound good if they're not loud, but the Quad Cortex does.

Why is because scummy digital companies pay and influence influences to champion this crap. Real amps are so much better.

I love real amps, the feeling of playing an amp through a cab is really incredible but it's simply not as practical. Not even close. Amp sims are much cheaper, sound pretty much the same, requires much less space, and won't make your neighbours hate you. If I'm playing live or rehearsing I'll use my real amps for sure but at home amp sims win by a landslide.

Good video but you're wrong about the Fleshlights, maybe you haven't tried the right one.

I captured my afd100 on my quad cortex. It’s lighter at gigs lol

I use real amps through a loadbox. It is the cab that makes the amp come alive, and using an amp and cab today, at home is a nightmare. I don't find it unsatisfactory to use an ampsim. To me, it is just another sound in my arsenal. When listening to your arguments, I can't help but think that the issue is knowing that you play through an amp rather than what you feel.

How do you feel about those mini Mooer preamps? You can plug those into a real power amp and get some great tones from those I feel, but I also don’t have one so I don’t know how they feel in a room. I would think if you’re playing them through real power tubes it should feel roughly the same even though they’re technically not a ‘real’ amp. Could be wrong though

Omg we get it, toob amp gud 👍 👌

I use both. Tube at home. digital on gigs, nowadays most of venues doesn't allow loud bands, my last gig with tube amp I played a Fender Hot Rod on 1.5 of volume. Yes, digital is a pain in the ass to get a satisfactory tone but on the and of the day worth it

I think that sims truly shine in a home recording setup; especially for putting together demos.
It becomes insanely easy to record bits and pieces due to the whole 'what settings did I use? oh yeah it's all pre-saved for me' thing. With that being said, I couldn't agree more with the 'feel' argument. Still to this day, nothing beats the response and spongy feel that a tube amp delivers.

The real amp boost your creativity because you have only one amp and limited controls. You just plug-n-play and don’t mess with infinite options all day long.

I don’t really agree with the feel thing anymore after playing tube amps for over a decade and then getting a Quad Cortex. Sold all of the old shit.

Agree with all points made.

I love my FM3 and Kemper Stage. I have had Marshalls, Mesa Boogies, and my favorite amp ever EVH 5150 III. However Modelers and Profiliers are so much easier and the tones are just as amazing, especially since I use them with an Friedman ASC 10.