Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
What is Audiobus? — Audiobus is an award-winning music app for iPhone and iPad which lets you use your other music apps together. Chain effects on your favourite synth, run the output of apps or Audio Units into an app like GarageBand or Loopy, or select a different audio interface output for each app. Route MIDI between apps — drive a synth from a MIDI sequencer, or add an arpeggiator to your MIDI keyboard — or sync with your external MIDI gear. And control your entire setup from a MIDI controller.
Download on the App StoreAudiobus is the app that makes the rest of your setup better.
Joyo American Sound - Fender Amp Sim Pedal
Been playing some smaller 'No amps, please' venues and spent $30 on the Joyo American Sound - a Fender 57 Deluxe amp simulator pedal. Can't believe how good this sounds especially at such a low price! Has a 'Voice' control which apparently gives the tones of several classic Fender amps. Highly recommend if you need an 'amp in a box'.
Here's a few sounds I dialled in - clean, breaking up a bit, breaking up a bit more.
Strat -> Joyo -> Nembrini Reverb
Comments
@pbelgium I like this pedal a lot. I pair it with an IR cab sim and think it sounds even better. I have a British Sound as well and dig it too.
Nice tone & playing!
I owned it twice (also the Vox clone twice, and the British sound), and then I moved on. In my setup (Joyo --> Mooer Radar --> Mackie mixer --> speakers), I always thought it sounded a bit "raspy" (in my ears). And the knobs seems to interact with each other, so finding a setting I liked took some time.
I was fed up about this and went for a Palmer Eins tube head, that has a high-z output, connected to the Radar. It doesn't sound better than the Joyo, but the raspy sound character has gone. I also have a cheap Behringer Tube Amp Modeler (TM300) that has a Tweed setting, I think that one is also nice.
And I have to say, I only used the Joyo at home, maybe at stage sound level it sounds smoother than at low volume?
Thanks @Daveypoo for the listen and the IR cab sim tip - I'll give it a try on my phone. Do you use an IR cab sim pedal?
@raabje What's the Mooer Radar like? I found the Joyo fairly easy to dial in some good tones. But you are right, if you change either the Level, Voice or Drive, the other two need adjusting. And the controls are ultra sensitive, small movements make big changes - the last two tones on my recording were nearly identical settings, increased the voice from around 12 o'clock to about 12:30 (I think), which added some grit and boosted the mids enough to make it sound like a different amp.
I was using the Joyo Cab Box pedal and I loaded some OwnHammer IRs into it. I dig that combo - not that I'm encouraging you to spend more money, @pbelgium !
I use the Mooer Radar with external IR files, I have some Ownhammer and York IR´s, and this one
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/some-free-mix-irs-wav-format.2084301/
The TV mix 2 IR is pretty good.
I don´t use the internal cab and EQ settings. Also I don´t use the Power amp emulation (this is just an extra layer of EQ). I think the Radar is the same as other IR loaders, not better or worse. I just load an IR, set it and forget it, no need to tweak a lot of options.
And I don´t own the Joyo anymore, I don´t remember that well how it sounded with and without the Radar. The Radar has one advantage, the Joyo straight into my mixer gives a noisy signal. The Joyo into the Radar into the mixer gives much more volume if needed and a clean signal.
Thanks for sharing @raabje & @Daveypoo, both these pedals look good - but the wife says I don't have any money!
Yeah that is a common problem when it comes to gear...
Problem with most gear is, you get this strong feeling you really need it, and then you buy it, and the result is that piece of gear is only nice to have, but nothing special. GAS symptoms...
I still have this idea I need to buy a Fly Rig 2 Richie Kotzen, than I can get rid of a lot of bits and pieces I have laying around. But that is the crux, those bits and pieces together are the same as a Fly Rig.
What you can do, get some good IR files, and load them up on your Ipad (or desktop, for example Poulin Lecab 2) with an IR Loader app, connect the Joyo, and check for yourself the difference. I think it will sound just a bit different, not really better.
Thanks again @raabje. I’m okay with IR stuff at home on my phone/Mac, but playing live I maybe need an IR pedal. Although, I’ve done one gig straight to desk with the Joyo and it sounded good enough. I’m not sure playing live if anyone would notice the difference, except me.
In recent years I’ve been good and managed to limit my pedal collection to essentials only - keep it simple.
I am in no way encouraging you to spend money you don't have @pbelgium - just wanted to offer an alternative to the pedal straight. I don't like to bring my iPad to a gig as a giant plate of glass is a lot less bulletproof than a metal pedal. That being said, you CAN achieve the same result with the phone in the meantime, or go straight out of the pedal as you have been.
I use this one on everything in TH-U. Really great. With the Mooer Radar I use the built-in sims.
I don't like to use my phone live - it's primary use is still my phone. I might make an exception to try this out. Good idea @Daveypoo.
I generally use Ownhammer IR's, but I'll check that one out. Thanks @mistercharlie.