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Amp sim

I know this has been discussed before but after searching there have not been any new posts in the last year or so so with this he updated bias,amplitude,tone stack, who does high gain better? Who does effects he best? I love the warmth of high gain distortion and sometimes use a mid level gained amp with crunch and put a boost pedal in front just for the sake of different tones......so.....in 2018 who does this the best?

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  • edited November 2018

    I'd check out Amp One and Bias and the new one Vstomp since you can use impulse response files I have not tried vstomp personally but can vouch for the other two. For clean tones, almost all the amp sim have something good to offer.

  • This post reminds me, what happened to our forum guitar guy that used to post here...last name Buddymeyer or something?

  • Yea I'm a high gain kinda guy though

  • @1nsomniak said:
    This post reminds me, what happened to our forum guitar guy that used to post here...last name Buddymeyer or something?

    Derek ? Long time since I last saw him here. Or in the iPad group on FB.
    He was busy with Drum Session and his tattoo works, I guess :D
    Paging @DerekBuddemeyer

  • Start with Tonebridge. It's free and created by the Ultimate Guitar Tabs folks. It has an interesting approach. You select a specific recorded guitar you want to duplicate and it selects the right rig to deliver that tone. It also lets you create your own rigs with a little more effort learning the app. They don't cram theor website into your face so it's the best deal for learning about FX and Amp sims.

    After that there are 5 strong contenders that I know of:

    1. Yonac's ToneStack and everything is 50% off right now.
    2. Bias FX and Amp (one of these is free)
    3. IK Multimedias Amplitude
    4. JamUp Pro
    5. ToneBridge free

    I have since figured out that the FX available in IOS can be assembled to make excellent "Guitar Rigs" with the usual FX stages:

    Overdrives
    Distortions
    Compressors - dynamics
    Noise Gates
    Modulators
    etc.

    A good audio interface and an AU Host like AUM or AB3 can give you a way to add/delete custom rigs fast if lieu of spending $100's for all the IAP's in ToneStack (which I have done) I have spent a similar amount on AUv3 FX.

    I do use the ToneStack FX on my synths too so it's a 2 way street. In fact I use ToneStack to test a rotary effect and then go shopping for a better one that's an AUv3.

  • Great advice above. One thing I’d bring up coming from having explored amp sim quite intensively on Mac OS - less so in iOS.

    Cab cab cab
    Cab simulation is waaaaaay more important than most consumers think. For a while, this meant there was way more money to be made with modeling everything else, and big brands treated cab sim with very little care. For PC/Mac and iOS the easiest way to get our hands on muuuuuch better cab simulations used to be the very many small brands that sell high quality cab IRs.

    Rule of thumb with big brand software modelers used to be: bypass the built in cab modeled, load quality IR into an IR loader (there are fine free ones, like Fiddlicator on iOS). If you want to go that route, I’m happy to make more specific suggestions for what IRs to explore.

    But: positive grid bias amp 2 now carries celestion’s excellent cab IRs as IAP cab packs. IMO bias is at least as good as the other iOS modelers for high gain tones. So if you want a simple solution that doesn’t involve diving into the strange world of third party cab IRs, that’s a very safe bet. (If you want to do that, you might want to get a Celestion pack before dec 2 while they are on sale.)

  • @hacked_to_pieces said:
    I'd check out Amp One and Bias and the new one Vstomp since you can use impulse response files I have not tried vstomp personally but can vouch for the other two. For clean tones, almost all the amp sim have something good to offer.

    Oh nice, Vstomp loads custom irs?

  • edited November 2018

    Tonestack runs like a dream (very cpu effecient) and sounds very good. However since it let's you adjust setting past what normal pedals and amps would you can get some very grating noises if your not careful. I enjoy being able to really make strange sounds. Also tonestack completely cleans the floor with other sims as far as veriety and number of fx pedals.

    Bias fx is very good at high gain stuff. Amps Sound very real and definitely has more warmth in the distortions. However it does suck a lot more cpu and has way less fx than tonestack.

    Tonebridge is free and now supports making your own presets. So no reason not to try it

    Not impressed with amplitube in general except for the fender 2 collection. Those are amazing since they have a different sim algorithm. They sound spot on! The fx are kind of lacking however

  • I think you'll find that "what's best" re amp-sims is still quite subjective. People have very strong opinions with nothing like consensus. Some people have 'em all and switch between them because each sim has its own charms (again, highly subjective).

    To my ears, ToneStack has been the most versatile. But Amplitube and Bias can sound very good with certain settings (but what those are seems to vary from person to person!)

    I also have to say that none of these sound as good (to me) when connected to studio monitors as an actual amp. While I use an amp sim for recording on my iPad, I get more pleasure jamming out on my Boss Katana 50w than with any of my amp sims.

  • My pad I have an ipad4......I wanted a griffin studio connect but they have the 30 pin adapter so can I just get an adapter without losing sound quality? The m looking for the cheapest rough and right now they are only $40

  • Since Fiddlicator is free, why not try it out with some free cab IRs instead of the built in cab sim of whatever program you end up using? I don't know high gain cab IRs first hand (I mostly do lower-mid gain stuff) but these keep coming up as highly recommended on different forums: https://www.wilkinsonaudio.com/product/gods-cab/?v=7516fd43adaa

    There's also this free ML Sound Lab IR (they do high end stuff normally only for fractal audio platforms): https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/the-best-ir-in-the-world-free.137347/

    For more free options, you might want to look at the recommendations on this page in the free cab IRs section: https://appuals.com/ultimate-guide-to-free-daw-plug-ins-for-guitarists/

  • @hacked_to_pieces said:
    I'd check out Amp One and Bias and the new one Vstomp since you can use impulse response files I have not tried vstomp personally but can vouch for the other two.

    Amp One is currently free!

  • @Jdolecek48 said:
    who does high gain better? Who does effects he best? I love the warmth of high gain distortion and sometimes use a mid level gained amp with crunch and put a boost pedal in front just for the sake of different tones......so.....in 2018 who does this the best?

    4pockets overdrive/distortion wasn't mentioned.

    I don't explore high gain ( metal? ), but it might do what you need. I haven't tested it with stacking, IR cabs, or two instances of the plugin serial/parallel.


  • @frond do you know if it supports different drive algorithms? The presets make it sound like it, but it’s unclear.

  • @ohwell said:
    @frond do you know if it supports different drive algorithms? The presets make it sound like it, but it’s unclear.

    i've contacted 4pockets for additional info about algo, or algo's.

    when i hear back, i'll post their response here and the other related thread;

    https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/30038/4pockets-auv3-fx-plugins#latest

  • Complete Tonestack (NOT on sale at the moment)

    Sale Prices:
    Tonestack app - $4.99
    Motherload v.1.0 - $24.99
    Expansion v.2.0 - $9.99
    Expansion v.3.0 - $9.99

    You'll then have EVERYTHING available at this time.

  • @ohwell said:

    @hacked_to_pieces said:
    I'd check out Amp One and Bias and the new one Vstomp since you can use impulse response files I have not tried vstomp personally but can vouch for the other two. For clean tones, almost all the amp sim have something good to offer.

    Oh nice, Vstomp loads custom irs?

    There is a free app called fiddlicator that can load IRs. You can put it in the fx slot of bias fx or tonestack(or on aum for example after bias/tonestack) and turn their own cab emulation off.

  • edited December 2018

    @ToMess : is there a repository of high-quality cabinet IRS you know of?

  • @espiegel123 said:
    @ToMess : is there a repository of high-quality cabinet IRS you know of?

    I just downloaded some free ones i googled. Really high quality ones cost

  • @ToMess said:

    @espiegel123 said:
    @ToMess : is there a repository of high-quality cabinet IRS you know of?

    I just downloaded some free ones i googled. Really high quality ones cost

    How do the free and for-sale IRs compare to the ToneStack and BIAS cabinet simulations?

  • @espiegel123 For what kind of cab? See the links I posted above, there are actually a lot of good free IRs.

  • edited December 2018

    @espiegel123 said:

    @ToMess said:

    @espiegel123 said:
    @ToMess : is there a repository of high-quality cabinet IRS you know of?

    I just downloaded some free ones i googled. Really high quality ones cost

    How do the free and for-sale IRs compare to the ToneStack and BIAS cabinet simulations?

    I never used paid ones(im just echoing internet), free ones range from crap to good.

  • @espiegel123 Try it for yourself with free cab sims that have a good reputation. Eg god’s Cab for a Mesa 4x12 should be a great starting point for metal tones.

    To get nice results quickly, go for impulses that are already mixed. (Lots of great impulse libraries are meant for mixing engineers who want to control the mix between different mics + mic positions.)

  • edited December 2018

    @Jdolecek48 said:
    I know this has been discussed before but after searching there have not been any new posts in the last year or so so with this he updated bias,amplitude,tone stack, who does high gain better? Who does effects he best? I love the warmth of high gain distortion and sometimes use a mid level gained amp with crunch and put a boost pedal in front just for the sake of different tones......so.....in 2018 who does this the best?

    I think you’ll be very happy with Bias Amps and Bias FX. Not cheap, but an excellent all in one (well two) solution. The Celestian cab sim packs in Bias Amps sound great. Customize the tones in the amps, send them over to Bias FX to create the rig you want. Again, not cheap, but you’ll have great high gain tones with the IAPs and can add more as you wish. Their tone cloud is also a great resource for amp and pedal combinations.

    At this point in time, Bias Amps in conjunction with Bias FX gets the most love from me. I think they do high gain better than anyone else right now.

  • I have most of the bias stuff, I just have to get some of the celestial iap's....I was just exercising the thought of using other amp sims for just different flavors of tones, at the same time I'm like you....being a metal dude> @supanorton said:

    @Jdolecek48 said:
    I know this has been discussed before but after searching there have not been any new posts in the last year or so so with this he updated bias,amplitude,tone stack, who does high gain better? Who does effects he best? I love the warmth of high gain distortion and sometimes use a mid level gained amp with crunch and put a boost pedal in front just for the sake of different tones......so.....in 2018 who does this the best?

    I think you’ll be very happy with Bias Amps and Bias FX. Not cheap, but an excellent all in one (well two) solution. The Celestian cab sim packs in Bias Amps sound great. Customize the tones in the amps, send them over to Bias FX to create the rig you want. Again, not cheap, but you’ll have great high gain tones with the IAPs and can add more as you wish. Their tone cloud is also a great resource for amp and pedal combinations.

    At this point in time, Bias Amps in conjunction with Bias FX gets the most love from me. I think they do high gain better than anyone else right now.

  • Does Bias amp or Bias FX work as an IAA effect, so that I can load my external AU effects in the chain before the amp?

  • in AUM it does (at least in IOS-9)...

  • @ohwell

    i'll post more effects info (not related to the overdrive), from the developer, on the other thread.

    Response from 4pockets about their overdrive algorithms, and the presets (patches);

    "there are multiple algorithms to create the various patches, although some share the same algorithm. for this
    reason it's good to choose one of these as the basis of any modified patch since there is no way to directly select the algorithm."

    "it's a complete invention on my part and just modelled by myself to give pleasant tones using many popular
    algorithms all brought together under one hud, not neccesarily for guitar."

  • Hmm, it’s a strange decision not to give us a way to select algorithms without the presets.

  • @ohwell said:
    Hmm, it’s a strange decision not to give us a way to select algorithms without the presets.

    i agree, but at least the algo's sound very good. it's still very flexible.

    the developer seems open, so requests won't hurt.

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