


But trust me when I say working without IRs is kind of like trying to play the original Super Mario Bros. There are both free and paid IR packs, and they are all worth experimenting with. The term Impulse Response refers to the signal (impulse) picked up by the microphone (response), so as you can imagine, you can pick up a variety of sounds from different cabs and microphone positions. In addition to an IR loader, though, you will also need IRs. IGNITE AMPS has got a couple – NadIR and Libra. Which is why you need a cab sim, also known as an Impulse Response (IR) loader or convolver. It sounds much better when you put it through a cabinet that’s been tuned with guitar tones in mind (a guitar cab – wow!). But an amp head doesn’t sound that great all on its own. Now, of course, there are combo amps as well, but they are basically the same thing, just in a preconfigured bundle.Īmp sims are basically equivalent to an amp head (the preamp section). You’ve probably noticed that hardware guitar setups are generally made up of two vital pieces of equipment – an amp head, and an amp cab. Not all amp sims are designed to sound great on their own, or even come with a cab sim, and even if they do, they can sometimes benefit from better cab sims. So, amp sims are a great starting point, but they certainly aren’t everything when it comes to creating awesome guitar tones in the studio.įor instance, layering multiple guitar tracks (with different guitars and different settings), panning them let and right, and delaying them can all help to create a more full-bodied guitar sound.īut in this section, I’ll offer some tips on additional VST plugins and effects that can help you enhance the sound of your guitar tracks. What Are Some Good VST Plugins/Effects I Can Use To Enhance My Guitar Sound? Other than that, you can plug your guitar directly into your audio interface, arm the track, and start messing around with the VSTs you’ve downloaded and installed. That said, that’s the main thing to look out for. Fortunately, there are free IR loaders and IR packs as well. You’ll get better results with custom IR packs. Even if they do come with cab sims, the built-in ones sometimes suck.
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I’ll be talking more about how to enhance the sound of amp sims in just a moment, but chances are you’re going to want an IR loader, especially for amp sims that don’t come with cab sims. Plug in your guitar, load up the amp sim and go…? Well, not quite. I’ve messed around with this one in the past (I’ve even done some recording with it), and have enjoyed the results I’ve gotten.īoogex is available as an AudioUnit, AAX, and VST plugin.ĭownload: Voxengo Once I’ve Got The Amp Sims, What’s Next? But what it does, it does well, and it comes with a lot of power besides (speaker cab, input gate, and reverb). I would not say it’s the most realistic, most amazing sounding amp sim out there. You can also control the built-in cab sim/convolver (there are plenty of built-in cabs/IRs), as well as stereo reverb (pre-delay, space, time, width, and gain) from the interface as well.īoogex is perfect for rock and blues applications, and you can get some sweet and smooth clean tones with it as well. You’ve got controls for “emphasis EQ,” pre EQ (lo, mid, hi), as well as amp (drive and pre EQ mix). If anything, it looks more like an EQ effect than an amp. Its user interface is quite distinct from others you’ve already seen (which generally look like real amps). That said, it’s highly customizable and versatile, so for some players, it will probably feel perfect. Voxengo’s Boogex is a different kind of amp sim, and for the most part, it doesn’t cater to high gain styles (which isn’t to say it can’t give you some serious drive). And so, it can’t hurt to add to your VST plugin library. But it does capture the essence of its high gain badness. So, the Lecto might not do everything your Dual Rectifier does. It can be tricky finding that elusive “sweet spot.” Its tone is affected by a lot of things, including what cab you put it through and what the volume levels are set to. I can tell you that from having owned one for a few years myself. The Dual Rectifier is a bit of a nuanced amp. But it does do the second and third channels (rhythm and lead). Lecto doesn’t do clean (well, you can dial out the gain for some cleaner tones). Oh, wait… That’s exactly what we’re looking at with LePou’s Lecto. If only you could find an amp sim that emulated the Dual Rectifier, especially without having to crank up your guitar to dangerous levels your neighbors won’t under any circumstances appreciate.

When it comes to metal and heavy genre amps, the Mesa Boogie Dual (and sometimes Triple) Rectifier is a go-to.
