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(More customer reviews)A guitar/bass amp modeling software product with usable tones...? Seriously?
Yup.
I've used Line6, Studio Devil, and some other unmentionables over the past few years and I just could not accept them as serious tools. Useful for practicing quietly at home in the late night hours? Sure...but when it came to using them for recording, forget it. Everything seemed off, from overall tone to playing dynamics. It was always obvious that you were using software. So for a long time, I just steered clear of these tools, convinced that it would take some long-term research and development to solve the many issues.
But I'm pleased to say that products like Amplitube are giving me hope. I am very impressed with their version 3 and the newer Amplitube Fender release. Someone really has their act together at IK Multimedia and shows a great understanding of how guitar sound is produced overall. Plugging in and finding quite convincing tones ranging from the sweetness of a stereo chorus Roland JC120 to the onslaught of a Mesa Boogie Triple Rectifier with a distortion box out front always brings a smile. There are some less-than-inspiring presets, but these may suit some ears more than mine.
However, the real power is in Amplitube's flexibility. You can take any preset that's in the neighborhood of what you're looking for and then tweak it until you're happy. Everything from stomp boxes to the amp face dials to rack effects and microphone placement, it's all there. You can even tell it which mics (e.g., Shure SM57, etc...) to use, where to place them relative to the speaker, how far you want them from the front of the cabinet, and what type of room (e.g., small studio, hall, etc...) to use. The differences are sometimes subtle, but everything adds up to an overall sound. And once you have the whole configuration "just so", you can save the settings to your own preset folder and then call them up whenever. No need to write everything down and hope that you've accounted for each variable. The software takes care of it for you.
We're using Amplitube with our Mbox 2/Pro Tools LE 8 setup and it makes demo recording so much easier. Now the hardest part of recording is setting up the drums and vocals, as the two guitars and the bass are easy to configure and record. Not to mention that the direct in analog-to-digital recording is clean and free from ambient noise, so there's only minimal scrubbing required during mixdown.
I've read some reviewers out there speaking poorly of Amplitube and about modeling software in general. The central argument is always the same: poor tone and playing dynamics. I can understand this complaint and in the past, I'd be right there with them, chanting the Luddite opposition to digital anything. But not anymore. I'd recommend that the diehards out there demo the newest versions of these products and think again about how things are shaping up. I've been playing on and off for almost twenty years and in that time, I've owned and jammed on a lot of different amps, including a Fender Champ, Deluxe Reverb, and Twin Reverb, a Dr. Z Mazerati, Engl Powerball, two different Marshalls, and a couple Vox. I'm not a tone snob, but my ear is pretty good. To me, the new wave of modeling software is really starting to nail down the tone factor. Moreover, they're getting much better at rendering variables and dynamics such as pick placement and attack.
Is it perfect yet? Eh...maybe not. But things have come a long way and in my opinion, it's good enough for most recording efforts. Pros out there may not agree, but I'm speaking here to everyday folks like me who just enjoy writing and recording music and playing out live on occasion. Note that for live applications, you'll really want a way to access the presets more conveniently, like IK's StompIO floorboard, which is another considerable investment by itself.
Bottom line: give it a try and I really think that (unless you're a tone snob) you'll be impressed.
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IK Multimedia AmpliTube 3 Amp & FX Tone Modeling SoftwareIK Multimedia AmpliTube 3 represents a massive upgrade of the popular amp and effects tone modeling software. AmpliTube 3 provides even more sound variety, realism, and creative power than earlier versions. If your recording or playing "rig" is lacking in that rich, lush expressive analog warmth, then you need to check it out. With over 160 precisely modeled pieces of vintage and modern gear available in one package, AmpliTube 3 is an incredible tone gear collection for the player/producer/engineer suffering from tone angst.More Gear - Infinite CombinationsAmpliTube 3 contains over 160 pieces of gear, more than double the amount of most other packages, including models from the most sought-after vintage collections and modern-day workhorses. You'll get 51 individual stompboxes and effects, 31 amplifier preamp & power sections, 46 speaker cabinet models, 15 high-end stage and studio mics, and 17 post amp rack effects. Plus, with the new AmpliTube 3 open architecture, you can add more packages as you need them, like AmpliTube Fender and Ampeg SVX.More Feel - True Dynamic ResponseAmpliTube 3 gear models give you ultra-realistic playing feelnot just the tonesbut the actual dynamic response of their hardware counterparts. Plus, with IK's proprietary VRM (Volumetric Response Modeling) technology, you can add totally accurate rotating speaker effects and free dual mic placement with room ambience and response to custom craft your tone.More Power - Creative InspirationAmpliTube 3 unleashes more creative power than previous versions, helping you to easily carve new, truly unique voicings for your guitar, bass, keyboard, drum, and vocals. IK's effects let you create sounds you never heard before, and the "drag & drop" effects configuration feature lets you quickly experiment with effects in the signal chain to get that totally unique sound.More Tone - More Than You Can ImagineAmpliTube 3 is the voice for your soul. With this insanely large collection of super-realistic modele
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