Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am still shocked at how great sounding this thing is and how much use I get out of it. I haven't had a single issue with it, other than the fact that its kind of ugly and isn't as cool looking as a Marshall Half stack or Fender Twin.
First thing you will want to do when you buy this amp is do a google search for behringer v amp 3, find the official behringer page for this and dowload and print out the full manual for this thing. The included manual in the box is pretty bad. The full manual goes into MUCH more detail. A slight, but easily remedied annoyance.
Secondly, It's kinda ugly. I don't know why the decided it needed to be in the shape of a guitar, it kinda lends to a kitschy feel that is aided by the red plastic (I guess they were trying to make it kinda look like a Line 6 POD?)
Thirdly, the interface takes a little getting used to, and isn't super convenient if you decide you want a different sound while playing in a club with it. Hard to fault it here though, as with the number of options you have, I don't really know how it could be easy to come up with something new in a dimly lit club. There is an easy solution, just limit yourself to the presets you created at home while onstage.
Now that those relatively minor negatives are out of the way, lets get to the positives.
1) Tone for days! My best friend plays a '63 Fender Strat through a '65 Twin, a vintage Marshall Plexi, a Fender Vibroverb (actually its two numbers away in the serial number from SRV's Vibroverb) and several other super legit amps. We go back and forth writing songs and after I got this he kept remarking on how good my tone was, I told him he was in for a surprise when he actually came over. He was thinking that I bought a Fuchs or something like that with the crazy good combo of clean tones I was getting, mildly overdriven and full on overdriven lead. He was shocked and partially appalled when he saw that those great tones were coming from this humble little hunk of plastic.
2) Preset presets are great, making your own are even better! When I first got this, I kinda played around with the presets for a while and they were usually very good sounding. Then I started playing around with the different amps and found a couple I liked. I was more or less satisfied that I probably got around 4-5 tones I really liked. Then I found the full manual on the behringer website and ventured into the waters of tweaking the cabinet simulations, reverb settings and noise gates. That's when the magic came alive.
How I would recommend using this thing is going through the list of amps you want to try, setting all the tone controls to 5, gain level at the type of overdrive you want and then going into the edit mode and changing the cabinet around until you found one you like. The differences in the cabinets are HUGE. A substantially bigger difference than you'll find in real life, where most cabs sound pretty similar. Once you've gotten the best sound you can get with the particular amp and cab combo, pick the type of reverb you want. For whatever reason the thing tends to default to type 8, which to me is by far the worst of the reverb settings. I tend to favor types 2,3 and 7 for clean sounds 1,6 and 8 for overdriven (though occasionally the crazy type 5 is fun for wild overdriven tones).
Once youve set your reverb and speaker cab, exit edit mode and then start tweaking the tone controls. You will find a TON of great tones.
3) Preset making is easy and limits you in a good way on the stage. I have a Fender Strat and an Epiphone Dot with Gibson '59 Classic humbuckers installed. These two guitars lend themselves to relatively different settings. No problem, what I did was made odd page presets for the strat (or any single coiled guitar) and even page presets for the Dot (or any humbucker guitar). Honestly on stage I don't want to page through a ton of pages, so I just limit myself to the 5 tones on the given page I'm on. It kind of sounds limiting until you think "well hey, I ONLY have 5 amps to chose from at any given point in time." The footswitch (not included) lets you switch into an overdriven model for leads and back for clean rhythm. I usually will just put it direct into the PA, though I do have a 2x12 speaker cabine and a power amp that I will use sometimes as well (though if I have to lug an amp around, I will usually bring my Princeton Reverb).
4) If you can't tell, this thing has replaced my actual real amps most of the time. I bought this thing as a practice amp and to occasionally get some different tones on recordings. Then my amp crapped out on me for a week and I made do with this. And I loved it. It wasn't better sounding, but it wasn't noticeably worse either, and all the different tones I could access. Sure, you look kinda weird, as people scan the stage for your amp. But sound guys love you. Your bandmates may make fun of you, that is until they realize how much better the stage volume is and how you have to carry one less piece of equipment. When the Princeton came back I used it at most of my gigs, but would occasionally get lazy and just grab the V-3. Now I only really bring the Princeton if the place I'm playing can't really support my guitar though the monitors. The other guitarist I sometimes play with lugs around a Fender Super Reverb, which looks cooler, but I laugh during load out.
5) It can even be used for things besides guitar! Home recording one day my XLR to USB converter crapped out on me when I was trying to record some harmonica parts. Well, I thought, we will see what it sounds like if I plug a harmonica green bullet mic directly into the the V-amp's tube preamp setting. It was fantastic sounding! Much better than direct recording and then EQing through My Audio Technica AT2020 USB mic. I now even occasionally record some vocals this way, if I want that warm, occasionally breaks up when you really lean into it, Stax soul vocal sound (not to say I can sing like Otis Redding or anything). (note, to do this you will need an XLR to 1/4" TRS cable, the V-Amp 3 only accepts 1/4" TRS inputs)
In sum, this is a great product, especially if you really learn how to use it. It could be slightly easier to use and cooler looking, but with tones like these for $100, how can you really complain that it looks cheap? It is cheap, it just doesn't sound cheap at all.
Finally, I have a friend is a Line 6 Pod and this thing blows the doors off it. Sure, you won't sound like you're playing a Dumble or Egnater, but you definitely don't sound like you're playing a $100 hunk of ugly red plastic either.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Behringer V-AMP3 Next-Generation Virtual Guitar Amplifier with USB Audio Interface And Energyxt2.5 Recording Software
If a lack of money and floor space is all that's been standing between you and a home recording studio full of wicked vintage guitar amps and effects pedals, get ready to love the V-AMP 3. This red rocker comes loaded with 32 amp models, 15 speaker cabinet models and 16 classic effects. But that's only the beginning--you also get the UCA222 USB audio interface and free energyXT2.5 Compact software. In short, the V-AMP3 gives you the power to start recording a molten magnum opus in no time!
Turn Your Home Into a Hit Factory--In Seconds! Hook the V-AMP3 up to your computer using the included 1/4" TRS-to-RCA cable and UCA222 USB interface. Connect V-AMP3 Phones output with the stereo line inputs of UCA222, and switch its direct monitoring function on. Then connect the UCA222 USB cable to your computer. You can monitor the signal with the UCA222's headphone jack. (This is also a great way to jam along with the MP3's on your computer). From there, the amazing energyXT2.5 DAW (digital audio workstation) makes it easy to manipulate your audio and MIDI files, turning song ideas into stunning CD or web-ready recordings. energyXT2.5 includes its own multi-FX processor, built-in synthesizers and a drum machine, both of which can be accessed by any controller keyboard, such as the UMA25S or UMX series, or programmed in step-write mode.
Any Classic You Like The V-AMP 3's 32 amp models are organized into four groups: CLEAN, BLUES, METAL and ROCK. Just twist the dedicated dial to plug into unbelievably authentic simulations of the greatest British and American tube amps from the 1950s to today. You even get models of uncommon--yet renowned--boutique tube amps! When you select an amp model, a speaker cabinet model is automatically selected. But if you'd prefer a different model, just go to EDIT>CABINETS, then use the BANK UP/DOWN buttons to navigate through all 15 options.
Just like on an actual guitar amp, you've got a three-band EQ, GAIN, REVERB, VOLUME and MASTER VOLUME dials. By holding the TAP button, the TREBLE dial becomes a PRESENCE control. This enables the adjustment of a high-frequency filter that can add or remove a "shimmer" from the V-AMP 3's tone.
Top Tone--In Full Effect The V-AMP 3 gives you flanger, chorus, compression, delay and 12 other beautiful digital effects to apply to your sound. Adjust the effect's level in the mix via the EFFECTS dial. To adjust effect parameters, you can rhythmically press the TAP button to alter delay times or LFO speeds, or hold down the TAP button and twist the EFFECTS knob to access e.g. feedback or depth. By using a MIDI pedal, such as the BEHRINGER FCB1010, you can access an additional Wah Wah effect. You can adjust the filter characteristic by entering EDIT mode, selecting the DRIVE menu and turning the EFFECTS knob while holding the TAP button.
Presenting the Presets All of these elements have been combined into 125 different presets divided into 25 banks, accessible through the BANK UP/ BANK DOWN buttons. Within each bank, you can press buttons A through E to explore its different presets. You can also create and save your own presets. Start by selecting a preset, then making any changes you wish: amp, EQ, effect, etc. The preset LED will begin to flash, indicating that the V-AMP 3 is ready to save your settings. To do this, hold the preset button down for about two seconds. Once the LED stops flashing, you have saved the modified preset. On top of all this, the V-AMP 3 also features a built-in tuner and noise gate. In essence, it's a Swiss Army Knife for the home recording enthusiast or gigging guitarist who can't seem to settle on one amp.
Stunning in the Studio The V-AMP 3 features several configurations that make it an invaluable asset in the studio. Access the configuration menu by pressing the B and D buttons at the same time. Then use BANK UP and BANK DOWN to select a configuration.
When using headphones, the V-AMP 3 will switch into Studio Mode 1 (S1). This stereo mode works well for both monitoring and recording with effects, amp and speaker modeling. It doesn't apply the additional three-band EQ to the signal, but most recording programs--like energyXT2.5--have their own EQ. In Studio Mode 2 (S2), the V-AMP 3 sends a signal with amp and speaker simulation, but only the right output has effects. You can either record both left and right outputs to separate tracks, or record the "dry" left output while monitoring the right output.
Stellar on Stage The V-AMP 3 has three live configurations. When performing live with this device, you can either run it to an amp on stage, run directly to the mixing board, or both. Live Mode 1 is the best choice for running the outputs directly to the mixer, because it applies amp and speaker simulation, effects and an additional 3-band EQ.
Use Live Mode 2 to run the V-AMP 3 into the effects return inputs of 2 different guitar amps. This configuration does not feature speaker simulation, allowing the amplifier's natural speaker sound to go unaltered. In this scenario, the amps would be mic'd on stage to get the sound to the house speakers, and having a dedicated monitor would be less important. In Live Mode 3, you can send the left output to an amp's effects return for onstage volume, while the right output sends signal to the main mixer for inclusion in the main house mix. Also note that you can press the TAP key while turning the GAIN knob to adjust the input sensitivity to match the output of your guitar's pickups. If the CLIP LED lights, the input's sensitivity should be reduced.
Veni, MIDI, Vici The V-AMP 3 comes fully equipped to fit right into a MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) setup. It can be controlled in real time from a computer, or via a MIDI foot controller during a live performance. Its MIDI connectors are international-standard 5-pin DIN connectors. You will need dedicated MIDI cables (not included).
The MIDI IN jack receives MIDI controller data. It can be adjusted in EDIT mode by pressing the A button and then using the arrow keys. MIDI OUT/THRU sends data to a computer. You can transmit both preset data and parameter changes. Some people even use the V-AMP as a remote control for parameters of their DAW or VST instruments, which is more handy than using the mouse alone. If set to MIDI THRU, the V-AMP 3 does not send its own MIDI information, but passes on the signal received at the MIDI IN connector.
What's in the Box Behringer V-AMP3, Power Cable, User's Manual
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