Recording clean electric guitar - amp sim?

tonyguitargoat · June 9th, 2009, 12:15 PM

I'm trying to find a simple way of going straight into my recording setup to record clean electric guitar - that doesn't sound horribly 'D.I'd'. I have a POD 2.0, a Zoom pedal with amp emulations, a Award-Session DI box, and I have Native Instruments software and the 'Pro Amp' Emulations that come with Logic. Most are fine for overdriven sounds, many sound 'nasal', boxy, or thin - often like the amps they're emulating. I just want to plug my guitar in and have the full sound, clean. I can nearly get there by EQ'ing. Anyone tried the little FX boxes that look like Fender Bassman and Deluxe (Are they Boss/Fender?). I guess I like the basic clean Fender sound... Thanks.

Daddydex · June 9th, 2009, 12:20 PM

Take a look at the Amplitube Fender demo. I have had the same concerns in the past but I think Amplitube Fender gets pretty close.

Dan

Daddydex · June 9th, 2009, 12:21 PM

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/fender/download/

Dan

woodman · June 9th, 2009, 01:44 PM

i'm with Dan ... if i could afford it, i'd jump on the Amplitube in a heartbeat. i've got a POD 2.0 also, and with laborious tweaking, i can get some pretty fair Fender sounds. when i get a good one, i save it, rather than going thru all that again. dialing back the Drive works well for me, but then i have to give it a kick in the pants from my tube preamp because the gain drops drastically when you reduce the Drive.

Astro1176 · June 9th, 2009, 02:21 PM

+1, to my ears Amplitube is leading the way with believable clean sounds.

Professorbx · June 11th, 2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodman

i'm with Dan ... if i could afford it, i'd jump on the Amplitube in a heartbeat. i've got a POD 2.0 also, and with laborious tweaking, i can get some pretty fair Fender sounds. when i get a good one, i save it, rather than going thru all that again. dialing back the Drive works well for me, but then i have to give it a kick in the pants from my tube preamp because the gain drops drastically when you reduce the Drive.

You can get AmpliTube Fender Studio for $99, and that comes with a decent recording interface. More importantly, it comes with the Twin, Supersonic and Vibratone......

Ben Harmless · June 11th, 2009, 10:09 PM

Hmmm. I've played with Amplitube as well, and it's cool and all, but I really feel like you've got the gear to get a quality tone already. The POD or the Award-Sessions box should have some great sounds in them for clean. Do they all sound crappy otherwise? Sometimes issues with preamps and gain staging can really compromise a track.

If you've got any option to try them out elsewhere, I'd give it a shot and see if maybe there's not something else going on in the recording chain.

...Or they really aren't what you're looking for. I dunno. Maybe Amplitube?

pengipete · June 12th, 2009, 09:07 AM

If your Zoom pedal has an Acoustic simulator - like the on the G2.1u - try using that setting instead of any of the electric guitar amp/cab settings. Not promising but I've found that gives a good clean sound for recording electrics.

tonyguitargoat · June 15th, 2009, 05:37 AM

Thanks, guys. I keep trying all these options for both clean and overdriven sounds, and they're good. I did a comparison recently using the 'front ends' of a couple of real amps (Crate and Session) and thought they were OK. I even tried miking the amps as a comparison. Sounded good. But like all of us I just want better! Unfortunately, I'm comparing my Tele tone with that of Brent Mason and Brad Paisley!!!

Ben Harmless · June 15th, 2009, 12:13 PM

Here's another thought:

Never listen to your guitar tracks solo'd.

Okay, that's a bit global, but keep the mindset of each track contributing to the mix. I've heard some truly horrible tones that did exactly what they were supposed to do in the mix. You may find that the stuff you're hearing that you don't like is not what makes the tone once it's in the mix.

kman900 · June 15th, 2009, 12:24 PM

Used to record with real amps, hardware simulations (POD) and Ampfarm, as a soft-solution . . worked fine each time.

Parma_TeleMon · June 15th, 2009, 01:05 PM

I took the Blackface model on my ToneLab LE and went "Magic 6" on it. Way sweet and authentic.

play_loud · June 18th, 2009, 09:13 AM

+ 1 to Fender Amplitube.. Just got it, i'm in love!

vikki · June 21st, 2009, 07:23 PM

Just downloaded the Amplitude demo, the Fender deluxe sounds sweet using a jd10 on the front end.
Vikki

Professorbx · June 21st, 2009, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikki

Just downloaded the Amplitude demo, the Fender deluxe sounds sweet using a jd10 on the front end.
Vikki

Which version? The Fender emulations in AmpliTube 2 sound good, but the ones in Amplitube Fender are mind blowing. The funny thing is that I am also a huge Vox fan, and the ProJR really sounds "Vox-y" to me. So underrated....

vikki · June 22nd, 2009, 08:21 AM

I downloaded the Amplitude Fender, its pretty expensive here in the uk though i was a bit shocked by the price.
Vikki

Professorbx · June 22nd, 2009, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vikki

I downloaded the Amplitude Fender, its pretty expensive here in the uk though i was a bit shocked by the price.
Vikki

I'm always getting coupons from them in the mail, they are pretty good about that. Sign up for their mailing list, they have a ton of promos.

JimmyJam · July 9th, 2009, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by play_loud

+ 1 to Fender Amplitube.. Just got it, i'm in love!

+1. This thing is awesome. The sound is actually unbelievable.
Out of all the amp modeling I've come across, this one has been the most convincing of all of them.

StuH · July 9th, 2009, 07:11 PM

You guys are bad influences.....

Here I am trying to cut down on purchases, trying to pay the freaking bills off and now you got my software gas meter past 10 on this Amplitube Fender thing.

Can any of you guys that used other software (ie: Guitar Rig, Pod Farm, Revalver ect...) that are smitten with Amplitube Fender tell me this.

Have you run through a tube pre when using the software I mentioned instead of going through pure digital DI, and is Amplitube Fender still miles ahead of the tube pre technique?

If yes and yes, I might have to get it.

JimmyJam · July 13th, 2009, 02:54 PM

StuH,
I have used a Line 6 Flextone II amp for a few years, a Roland VS880 with some guitar modeling, and Guitar Rig.
I have not used a tube preamp when using modeling software.
I'm running an M-powered fast track pro into the PC via USB.

Amplitube Fender sounds really good to my ears.
There is something about the dynamics and response of Amplitube Fender that just sounds/feels right. It's not perfect, but it's definitely better than most of what I've used before. I like the pro-junior in there the most.

Get the demo. Test it out for yourself. Hope this helps.

Daddydex · July 13th, 2009, 06:06 PM

StuH, they have a 10 day fully working demo on the product page. Give it a go!

Dan

StuH · July 13th, 2009, 10:49 PM

I will do that. Good point about the demo.

Good to see ya around Dan. Haven't seen you post for awhile.

Hope all is well with you and your family and a long over due congrats on the newest member of your family.

Thanks folks

Daddydex · July 14th, 2009, 12:35 AM

Thanks StuH! The little guy is 8 months old now and is suddenly mobile. I am having a ball but I really should have done this 20 years ago.

After reading your post it occurred to me that I haven't committed anything to tape since July or August of 2008. One year. Que Sera Sera.

I hope you and your wife are enjoying your summer. I will swing by your soundclick page and give a listen. I am sure you have some new stuff up since I last checked in.

Dan

Professorbx · July 14th, 2009, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daddydex

StuH, they have a 10 day fully working demo on the product page. Give it a go!

Dan

They also just posted an update to Amplitube Fender-they put in a rack reverb, a trem pedal and some other new effects. So I guess now is a good time to check it out!

fendorst · July 15th, 2009, 03:53 PM

Here's a WAY low-cost solution. At least a partial solution.

Get a Vox Amplug headphone amp. There's a classic AC30 version, vintage version, metal version, etc. Choose the one you like. Plug guitar into Amplug input, plug Amplug output into your recording interface. You get an excellent Vox amp sound, volume gain and tone control. EXCELLENT for recording a basic clean or overdriven guitar sound.

It's not infinitely flexible, each Amplug is modeled on only one particular Vox AC30 style or sound, but it's an amazing way to get a guaranteed beautiful Vox amp sound -- clean or with as much gain/distortion as you like -- into your recorder.

For wide variety of amp models/basic sounds, buy several of the Amplug models. There's even a model for bass guitar.

http://www.voxamps.com/amplug/

fendorst · July 15th, 2009, 03:59 PM

I just re-read the Vox Amplug web page. Some of the Amplugs are modeled on US amps, high-gain amps, etc. So you have more choice than just buying Vox amp sounds.

I've got the classic AC30 and it nails that sound. Search for sound clips and see if that or one of the other models is what you're looking for.

In any event, it's an excellent low-cost solution to recording a guaranteed beautiful tone first time/every time you lay down a guitar part.

lasthippy · July 15th, 2009, 06:41 PM

Probably a very stupid question...but do these work with the recessed jack plug on a Fender (as opposed to Squier etc) tele? I'd read somewhere that the design of the amplug and the jack socket meant that they didn't fit together well?

June 9th, 2009, 12:15 PM	#1 (permalink)
tonyguitargoat TDPRI Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 87	Recording clean electric guitar - amp sim? I'm trying to find a simple way of going straight into my recording setup to record clean electric guitar - that doesn't sound horribly 'D.I'd'. I have a POD 2.0, a Zoom pedal with amp emulations, a Award-Session DI box, and I have Native Instruments software and the 'Pro Amp' Emulations that come with Logic. Most are fine for overdriven sounds, many sound 'nasal', boxy, or thin - often like the amps they're emulating. I just want to plug my guitar in and have the full sound, clean. I can nearly get there by EQ'ing. Anyone tried the little FX boxes that look like Fender Bassman and Deluxe (Are they Boss/Fender?). I guess I like the basic clean Fender sound... Thanks.

June 9th, 2009, 12:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
Daddydex Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 2,445	Take a look at the Amplitube Fender demo. I have had the same concerns in the past but I think Amplitube Fender gets pretty close. Dan __________________ My Music Page

June 9th, 2009, 12:21 PM	#3 (permalink)
Daddydex Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 2,445	http://www.ikmultimedia.com/fender/download/ Dan __________________ My Music Page

June 9th, 2009, 01:44 PM	#4 (permalink)
woodman Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mint Hill, NC Age: 63 Posts: 8,022	i'm with Dan ... if i could afford it, i'd jump on the Amplitube in a heartbeat. i've got a POD 2.0 also, and with laborious tweaking, i can get some pretty fair Fender sounds. when i get a good one, i save it, rather than going thru all that again. dialing back the Drive works well for me, but then i have to give it a kick in the pants from my tube preamp because the gain drops drastically when you reduce the Drive. __________________ Truth is stranger than fact ... www.myspace.com/stragglerswing (Woody & the Stragglers - Western Swing/Roots-rock)

June 11th, 2009, 10:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
Ben Harmless Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albany, NY US of A Posts: 4,265 13 Photos	Hmmm. I've played with Amplitube as well, and it's cool and all, but I really feel like you've got the gear to get a quality tone already. The POD or the Award-Sessions box should have some great sounds in them for clean. Do they all sound crappy otherwise? Sometimes issues with preamps and gain staging can really compromise a track. If you've got any option to try them out elsewhere, I'd give it a shot and see if maybe there's not something else going on in the recording chain. ...Or they really aren't what you're looking for. I dunno. Maybe Amplitube? __________________ "I think I'll go for the life of sin, followed by the last-minute, presto-change-o, deathbed repentance." - B. Simpson "...Because we all expect the truth, we must be the best of fools." - Stiff Little Fingers

June 9th, 2009, 02:21 PM	#5 (permalink)
Astro1176 Tele-Holic Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: UK Posts: 730 17 Photos	+1, to my ears Amplitube is leading the way with believable clean sounds.

June 12th, 2009, 09:07 AM	#8 (permalink)
pengipete Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: UK Posts: 3,557	If your Zoom pedal has an Acoustic simulator - like the on the G2.1u - try using that setting instead of any of the electric guitar amp/cab settings. Not promising but I've found that gives a good clean sound for recording electrics.

June 15th, 2009, 05:37 AM	#9 (permalink)
tonyguitargoat TDPRI Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Posts: 87	Thanks, guys. I keep trying all these options for both clean and overdriven sounds, and they're good. I did a comparison recently using the 'front ends' of a couple of real amps (Crate and Session) and thought they were OK. I even tried miking the amps as a comparison. Sounded good. But like all of us I just want better! Unfortunately, I'm comparing my Tele tone with that of Brent Mason and Brad Paisley!!!

June 15th, 2009, 12:13 PM	#10 (permalink)
Ben Harmless Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Albany, NY US of A Posts: 4,265 13 Photos	Here's another thought: Never listen to your guitar tracks solo'd. Okay, that's a bit global, but keep the mindset of each track contributing to the mix. I've heard some truly horrible tones that did exactly what they were supposed to do in the mix. You may find that the stuff you're hearing that you don't like is not what makes the tone once it's in the mix. __________________ "I think I'll go for the life of sin, followed by the last-minute, presto-change-o, deathbed repentance." - B. Simpson "...Because we all expect the truth, we must be the best of fools." - Stiff Little Fingers

June 15th, 2009, 12:24 PM	#11 (permalink)
kman900 Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Trier, Germany Age: 50 Posts: 309 1 Photos	Used to record with real amps, hardware simulations (POD) and Ampfarm, as a soft-solution . . worked fine each time. __________________ Using an apostrophe for plural sucks

June 15th, 2009, 01:05 PM	#12 (permalink)
Parma_TeleMon Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: parma, oh Age: 49 Posts: 914	I took the Blackface model on my ToneLab LE and went "Magic 6" on it. Way sweet and authentic. __________________ ================================ Packin' a Tele, lookin' fer trouble.... ================================

June 18th, 2009, 09:13 AM	#13 (permalink)
play_loud Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sydney Age: 20 Posts: 334	+ 1 to Fender Amplitube.. Just got it, i'm in love!

June 21st, 2009, 07:23 PM	#14 (permalink)
vikki Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 396	Just downloaded the Amplitude demo, the Fender deluxe sounds sweet using a jd10 on the front end. Vikki

June 22nd, 2009, 08:21 AM	#16 (permalink)
vikki Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 396	I downloaded the Amplitude Fender, its pretty expensive here in the uk though i was a bit shocked by the price. Vikki

July 9th, 2009, 07:11 PM	#19 (permalink)
StuH Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yukon, Canada Age: 39 Posts: 2,079 22 Photos	You guys are bad influences..... Here I am trying to cut down on purchases, trying to pay the freaking bills off and now you got my software gas meter past 10 on this Amplitube Fender thing. Can any of you guys that used other software (ie: Guitar Rig, Pod Farm, Revalver ect...) that are smitten with Amplitube Fender tell me this. Have you run through a tube pre when using the software I mentioned instead of going through pure digital DI, and is Amplitube Fender still miles ahead of the tube pre technique? If yes and yes, I might have to get it. __________________ My music page http://www.soundclick.com/thrucoloredglass

July 13th, 2009, 02:54 PM	#20 (permalink)
JimmyJam Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Loo-ah-vull, Kentucky Posts: 1,123	StuH, I have used a Line 6 Flextone II amp for a few years, a Roland VS880 with some guitar modeling, and Guitar Rig. I have not used a tube preamp when using modeling software. I'm running an M-powered fast track pro into the PC via USB. Amplitube Fender sounds really good to my ears. There is something about the dynamics and response of Amplitube Fender that just sounds/feels right. It's not perfect, but it's definitely better than most of what I've used before. I like the pro-junior in there the most. Get the demo. Test it out for yourself. Hope this helps.

July 13th, 2009, 06:06 PM	#21 (permalink)
Daddydex Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 2,445	StuH, they have a 10 day fully working demo on the product page. Give it a go! Dan __________________ My Music Page

July 13th, 2009, 10:49 PM	#22 (permalink)
StuH Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yukon, Canada Age: 39 Posts: 2,079 22 Photos	I will do that. Good point about the demo. Good to see ya around Dan. Haven't seen you post for awhile. Hope all is well with you and your family and a long over due congrats on the newest member of your family. Thanks folks __________________ My music page http://www.soundclick.com/thrucoloredglass

July 14th, 2009, 12:35 AM	#23 (permalink)
Daddydex Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 2,445	Thanks StuH! The little guy is 8 months old now and is suddenly mobile. I am having a ball but I really should have done this 20 years ago. After reading your post it occurred to me that I haven't committed anything to tape since July or August of 2008. One year. Que Sera Sera. I hope you and your wife are enjoying your summer. I will swing by your soundclick page and give a listen. I am sure you have some new stuff up since I last checked in. Dan __________________ My Music Page

July 15th, 2009, 03:53 PM	#25 (permalink)
fendorst TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: usa Posts: 66	Here's a WAY low-cost solution. At least a partial solution. Get a Vox Amplug headphone amp. There's a classic AC30 version, vintage version, metal version, etc. Choose the one you like. Plug guitar into Amplug input, plug Amplug output into your recording interface. You get an excellent Vox amp sound, volume gain and tone control. EXCELLENT for recording a basic clean or overdriven guitar sound. It's not infinitely flexible, each Amplug is modeled on only one particular Vox AC30 style or sound, but it's an amazing way to get a guaranteed beautiful Vox amp sound -- clean or with as much gain/distortion as you like -- into your recorder. For wide variety of amp models/basic sounds, buy several of the Amplug models. There's even a model for bass guitar. http://www.voxamps.com/amplug/

July 15th, 2009, 03:59 PM	#26 (permalink)
fendorst TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: usa Posts: 66	I just re-read the Vox Amplug web page. Some of the Amplugs are modeled on US amps, high-gain amps, etc. So you have more choice than just buying Vox amp sounds. I've got the classic AC30 and it nails that sound. Search for sound clips and see if that or one of the other models is what you're looking for. In any event, it's an excellent low-cost solution to recording a guaranteed beautiful tone first time/every time you lay down a guitar part.

July 15th, 2009, 06:41 PM	#27 (permalink)
lasthippy TDPRI Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 45 1 Photos	Probably a very stupid question...but do these work with the recessed jack plug on a Fender (as opposed to Squier etc) tele? I'd read somewhere that the design of the amplug and the jack socket meant that they didn't fit together well? __________________ Three chords? Can't I just move 'E' around the neck? Having some fun. I’m the tele player (natch) http://www.flickr.com/photos/lasthip...7614625083654/

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