Amps vs comps

[JacksonRR]

Also and FWIW, miking an amp is not that difficult - it's nowhere near the pain of correctly miking a drumset or piano, and doesn't necessarily require hi-end static microphones.

Agreed. Also it's weird to me that an SM57, probably the most used guitar mic, is ignored and then at least several multiples of it's cost are spent attempting to mimic it. Even if you wanted to record at home without a speaker/mic combo, there's tons of free cab impulses and VSTs that can do a better job for no money and are more flexible than the majority of hardware units. You'd need an effects loop, a preamp out or an attenuator with that feature for that.
To each their own though. Sometimes a light unit that does an OK job at most sounds is 100% the best choice.

[Telerocker]

For recording I understand the use of modelers. Live though I need tubeamps.

[MDV]

This should tell you pretty much everything I think about this topic. This is what my home studio looks like at this instant, mid-recording.






Clearly the Bandit is the star of the show. (The blackstar belongs to the chap I'm tracking. We're using the VHT though: it usually wins).

This was done with a similar setup (and absolutely none of the gear in the vid :lol:). I think I even used the same mics, actually. Different speaker combo and placement though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5b0XUmzah0

I find VSTs quite viable for scratch tracks and they work for some people rather well for final sounds. I'm quite find of Nick Crow for that (in fact it bamboozles me as to why his stuffs free; its very good). It would be rank foolishness to say that good/usefull/viable tones cant be had with them, but I like amps, cabs, mics, speakers and use that whenever practicable or being serious about getting good sound to hard drive. I think it sounds better (or I wouldnt go to all this $%&#ing hassle! :lol:)

[Madsakre]

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=manhattan+transfer

[MDV]

What does a 'manhatten transfer' have to do with amps and vsts?

[Keven]

I for one think MDV likes amps!

I like 'my' amp, but i wish i liked plural amps XD

[Crunch]

You will never need a modeler, again.

http://postyourrig.blogspot.com/2011/02/mountain-witch.html

[nfe]

Great if you've got a room you can record those in loud enough to sound their best...

[Crunch]

Great if you've got a room you can record those in loud enough to sound their best...

Switchable from 3-50W.
http://matamp.co.uk/amplification/1224-mkii.aspx

This is the older one, the 1224GT. This bloke doesn't really seem to know how to show off its tone capabilities, but check out the footswitch bit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0xYq_Ig3Bo

Full-bore power amp tone with all the variations you would want from an Orange-ish amp for use in your apartment, studio, practice, pub, or big club.

[asianaxeman]

the harmonic richness coming from that matamp (the vid u posted) can never be replicated by '8-bit' toys! wonderful tone! modelers are good practice tools but why record with them when valve tone will always be the best?

[Transcend]

The only time i used a modeller really was when i was unemployed and couldnt afford a real amp.

Now i still have a few different ones but none of them get any use other than the line6 as a recording interface

[AndyR]

I don't play live anymore, but if I did, I'm fairly certain I'd want valve amps on stage. I'm a combo kind of guy, preferably 1X12 mic'd up, I've never got on with heads & cabs.

Recently, for several years, I was using modelling exclusively at home. Standalone units from Line6 and Vox. As I record with Boss standalone recorders, I also have all of Boss's guitar effects/modelling if I want it.

In the last year or so I've acquired two valve combos - Vox AC4TV and Laney CUB12. The Vox sounds well cool cranked, but I'll never be able to use it like that where I live (it also sounds somewhat boxy compared to the Laney). The Laney is extremely versatile and does good tones even at what I'd call low volumes (but the neighbours might not :lol:).

Basically, I'll use whatever it takes, none of it's wrong:

- For general practicing/noodling during sociable hours it's the Laney everytime now.

- For general practicing/noodling during unsociable hours it's a Vox Tonelab LE or a Line6 XT, whichever's plugged in at the time, through headphones. If I started at 8am, and 9am arrives and I liked what I was doing I'll switch the studio monitors on and take the headphones off (and not bother with the Laney).

- For bass practicing/noodling it's the Line6 XT with bass expansion through monitors or headphones (or the Laney's ok if I can't be bothered to plug the XT in).

- If I'm working something out songwriting/recording, and I'm plugged into a Boss recorder, I'll use the modelling on there.

- If I'm trying to record guitar "seriously" I'll use any of the above - whichever one gets the performance I think I want. Obviously, if it's unsociable hours, the valve amps are not available to me as an option. Modelling does add various artifacts to the sound. Sometimes this is distracting to me as a guitar player, but it's neither right nor wrong to most listeners. Sometimes the modellor does a far better job for the part than the valve amp.


Overall, I most enjoy playing the Laney cranked up to a reasonable volume. But that's only possible, on average, about one or two hours a week for me - not enough!!!

Otherwise, with any of the methods (except the Boss models maybe, which I don't like too much), I can always get the job done to a "good enough for rock and roll" level. Sometimes I can get something cooking on the Tonelab or XT that I much prefer to the Laney... next day I might not like it at all :lol:.

[nfe]

Great if you've got a room you can record those in loud enough to sound their best...

Switchable from 3-50W.
http://matamp.co.uk/amplification/1224-mkii.aspx

That's not what's in the photo? Those are 50/100w amps without even master volumes.

Furthermore, again: The majority of people will get better results from a modeler than from amping a mic and cab at home, even if they have all the tools to do it well. Simply because of laziness and a lack of knowledge. That's why they're so popular. It's also why the quality of home recordings rockets year on year.

[gwEm]

i'm unimpressed with these huge rigs being posted.

in an ideal world, we'd all have 120w full stacks weighing less than a kilo, with our favourite speakers, the size of a large stomp box, and for all £200. naturally it comes already mic'd up with fancy mics, and nice cables in to some good preamps.

this is not the world i live in.  i defy any 'normal punter' to tell me they can tell the difference between a half decent modern modeler and a big valve rig at loud club volumes. and if they can hear the difference, they wouldn't give a sh!t.

of course i enjoy my marshall into my mesa boogie cabs at home. but i don't enjoy carrying it to gigs just to play for 45 mins. since i'm not iron maiden its completely unrealistic to bring this rig on an aeroplane too.

if it wasn't for modelers theres no way i could do what i do as a musician. up to date modelers are the best innovation for guitarists in the last decade.

[Ratrod]

There are a couple of things in between amp modelers and full stacks.

There are tube combos out there that rival full stacks in 'bigness' of tone.

I've seen too many live bands with guitarists playing 4-digit guitars through digital amps. They might as well could have been playing a plywood slab.