Software pedal/amp modelling

johnd · #1 08-24-2014, 08:03 AM

As mentioned http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=353639 I am totally new to electric guitars.

I do have a USB audio interface so I wondered if I could use this and some free/cheap software... Not to replace proper equipment but to at least get an idea what different effects and amps do so I can see which I like.

Any recommendations? I have Windows and Mac but previously only used Audacity to record stuff.

muscmp · #2 08-24-2014, 01:48 PM

you already have garageband with your mac. great starting point.

play music!

johnd · #3 08-24-2014, 02:09 PM

Actually I don't but I could. Isn't that more of a sequencing tool though?

muscmp · #4 08-24-2014, 09:45 PM

unless you took it off, garageband comes free on macs.
it will record audio and midi, whichever you wish to do.

play music!

johnd · #5 08-25-2014, 06:14 AM

I had it originally but upgrading the OS it is no longer there and on iTunes wasn't free last time I checked.

How is recording my guitar the same as letting me model pedals and amps? I don't want the level of realism to let me compare Delay pedal X against delay pedal Y, merely to understand what different effects (and combinations) and amps do to my guitar's sound.

I have seen really fancy ones where you can pick specific pedals and chain them together all in software but I think that was expensive as it used real-world pedals you could buy the sounds of.

Maybe GarageBand can do this but I don't really want to go the MIDI route from what little I know about it, I think.

johnd · #6 08-25-2014, 06:17 AM

e.g. this kind of thing: http://www.guitarsite.com/amplitube/

I'll give one a go but have no idea how realistic they are, if lag is an issue, etc... I have a USB interface but do they need a powerful PC? Anyone play with these and have real-world experiences they can share?

muscmp · #7 08-25-2014, 01:04 PM

perhaps you purchased your mac quite a while ago. i bought my wife's in 07 and it still has garageband, even with mavericks. i bought mine in 10 and it still has garageband, also with mavericks.

IF, i understand your question correctly, you want to record your guitar using the built in stompboxes and amp models such as those in garageband. correct?

or, are you saying that you already have a variety of stompboxes and amps and you wish to record them to see the difference?

play music!

johnd · #8 08-25-2014, 02:32 PM

I don't want to record at all, I want software which emulates stompboxes as I have no kit at all. Does GB include that?

Actually, it appears Amplitube is just what I was after, lets you lay out virtual boxes and chain them, etc. The free version is probably enough to play with for now.

MBE · #9 08-25-2014, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnd

I don't want to record at all, I want software which emulates stompboxes as I have no kit at all. Does GB include that?

Actually, it appears Amplitube is just what I was after, lets you lay out virtual boxes and chain them, etc. The free version is probably enough to play with for now.

Garageband lets you do the same things as Amplitube, though I haven't used that program much since I have the full-fledged Logic X which has tons and tons of amps/cabs/effects/mics modeled.

Amplitube and Guitar Rig are two of the oldest and best-established plugins for the type of modeling you're looking for.

Lag depends on the audio interface and computer. My mac is half a decade old and manages 4ms of lag (essentially undetectable) with my Apogee Duet but back before I switched to macs, I had some PCs that I just couldn't get the lag down below 10ms with.

Davis Webb · #10 08-25-2014, 11:25 PM

Amplitube is the way to go. Not free. Pretty good options.

CyberFerret · #11 08-26-2014, 12:08 AM

The ones I use regularly here are Amplitube and S-Gear. Neither are free, but they cost way less than a real amp.

If you seriously want only free, then check out the Le Pou plugins.

And that's the critical bit - most of the free ones come as AU (Audio Unit) plugins for the Mac, so you have to run them in a hosting app such as Garageband or Reaper. You could also use MainStage or Rax3 as the hosting tool.

It all gets a bit complicated. I'd say you might be better off spending the $ and purchasing either S-Gear or Amplitube which can run 'stand alone' (or as an AU plugin if you prefer). I think S-Gear is only around $70 and is a KILLER modeller.

johnd · #12 08-26-2014, 04:46 AM

There is a free version of amplitube which gets you about 20 virtual bits... Full,version currently $99 which includes 160 official things by fender, orange, etc.

I hadn't considered using it as a replacement for real gear though, is that a realistic option? Just guitar->PC->PA/clean amp? I was always assuming I'd just use the software to figure out what hardware to buy!

CyberFerret · #13 08-26-2014, 05:03 AM

It's hard to get a definitive side by side comparison of software modellers vs the real thing. A lot of factors to consider including volume levels etc. (Read up on Fletcher Munson curves for a better explanation of why it is so hard to compare a modeller on headphones vs a real amp in the room).

In any case, I use software and hardware modellers for all my recording nowadays.

Here is one song I did a while back with the Amplitube Orange amps for lead and rhythm work.

Here is a jam I did using Amplitube:

johnd · #14 08-26-2014, 05:09 AM

I am really only concerned about playing rather than recording - either practicing at home or playing on stage a bit down the road in the band I currently play acoustic for.

I assumed you cannot get away with turning up with a laptop to play in a band so I'd have to get some real kit anyway? In which case using a modeller to find what kit I'd like seems sensible.

It did cross my mind that with something like a Windows tablet PC you could very easily run a stage/live setup through software as long as you can control it on the fly, and avoid having to set up a noisy mic-amp setup on the stage since your amp would also be modelled and you could have line-out directly to the desk. But it doesn't sound very rock'n'roll

redir · #15 08-26-2014, 07:49 AM

I have to admit that it does make stage setup extraordinarily easy to plug your guitar into a modelling unit then directly into the PA. Sounds okay too. But if you want a Fender sound then get a Fender, if you want the Mesa sound then get a Mesa, if you want the Marshall sound then get a Marshall if you want...

Models are great but they don't sound like the real deal. Though they are probably getting a lot better then the ones I used years ago. The drunk audience probably doesn't care anyway