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OTHER AMPLIFIER SIMULATIONS

Not as famous, not as prolific, older or offering only a few free products out of a mainly commercial range, you will find here alternate amp sims that are worth mentioning.

Antti - BTE Audio - Fretted Synth Audio - Kuassa - Mokafix - NDZeit - Ronald Passion - Simple VST - Simulanalog - Soldano - Studio Devil

These amplifier simulators are provided as "DLL" files.
They must be used within a host software, like a D.A.W., and are therefore not usable alone..
Click here to know how to use them.

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ANTTI

(official website)

Saro - MXR EVH Phase 90

The Finnish guy Antti Huovilainen created several plugins, including the effects pedals and the amplifiers below. Graphic user interfaces were done by Requietus, as Antti didn't design any. Without those, the plugins would use the DAW's default interface design, which is pretty ugly.



Downloads

Saro - 32 bit version with user interface
(antti_saro_interface.zip - 1.27 MB)

MXR EVH Phase 90 - 32 bit version with user interface
(antti_phase90_interface.zip - 1.03 MB)

Saro

Amp simulation inspired by a simplified version of the AX84 Hi-Octane amplifier. It gives a rather fat Blues Rock sound, no suited for clean sounds. To get a clean sound, you'll have to turn the Input and Drfe knobs to the minimum. This will give a rather low maximum ouput volume, that you will have to compensate with the track/bus volume.

ANTTI - Saro

"Simon's Metal" by Simon Chenu

- Download preset for Saro -
- Simon's Metal : settings -


Guitar: SR Les Paul (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Telecaster (mp3 file)


Previous demos (will be progressively replaced with the new ones):


Saro - Sweet dreams - mp3 file


Saro - Back in black - mp3 file


Saro - Long train running - mp3 file


Saro - Vintage 1 - mp3 file


Saro - Vintage 2 - mp3 file


Saro - Moderne 1 - mp3 file


Saro - Moderne 2 - mp3 file



MXR EVH Phase 90

This phaser stomp pedal is based on the MXR Phase 90 pedal, in the EVH version (Eddie Van Halen). The original version only had one "Speed" knob, and this simulation adds the "Drive" and "Feedback" knobs.

ANTTI - MXR EVH Phase 90


Chords, no pedal - mp3 file


MXR EVH Phase 90 - Chords, Vintage cabs - mp3 file


MXR EVH Phase 90 - Chords, Modern cabs - mp3 file


Solo, no pedal - mp3 file


MXR EVH Phase 90 - Solo, Vintage cabs - mp3 file


MXR EVH Phase 90 - Solo, Modern cabs - mp3 file

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BTE AUDIO

(official website)

Juicy 77 - Tube Screamer's Secret

In the middle of a range of commercial equalizers made for professional recording studios, BTE Audio offers two free plugins. The first one is an emulation of the famous Tube Screamer overdrive pedal. The second one is an amplifier simulation called Juicy77, modelled after the purple Soldano SP77 amplifier.

Downloads

Juicy 77 - 32-bit version
(bte_audio_juicy.zip - 4.14 MB)

Tube Screamer's Secret - 32-bit version
(bte_audio_tss.zip - 3.55 MB)

Juicy 77

Emulation of the Soldano SP77.

BTE Audio - Juicy 77

"Simon's Metal" by Simon Chenu

- Download preset for Juicy 77 -
- Simon's Metal: settings -


Guitar: SR Les Paul (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Telecaster (mp3 file)


Tube Screamer's Secret

Another emulation of the Ibanez' Tube Screamer overdrive pedal.

BTE Audio - TubeScreamers Secret

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FRETTED SYNTH AUDIO

1st Bass - 2nd Bass

For bass players, here are two almost identical amp sims.

DownloadHelian 1st and 2nd Bass (helian_bass_amp.zip, 4.93 MB)




1st Bass

Helian 1st Bass


1st Bass - Clean cab 1


1st Bass - Clean cab 2


1st Bass - Drive cab 1


1st Bass - Drive cab 2


1st Bass - Clean sans cab


1st Bass - Drive sans cab




2nd Bass

Helian 2nd Bass


2nd Bass - Clean cab 1


2nd Bass - Clean cab 2


2nd Bass - Drive cab 1


2nd Bass - Drive cab 2


2nd Bass - Clean sans cab


2nd Bass - Drive sans cab

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KUASSA

(official website)

     
Kuassa makes mainly commercial plugins like those tested on this page, but it also gives away a free amplifier called Amplifikation Lite. Before founding Kuassa in 2009, its creators offered free amp sims under the name of Aradaz, and the simulators are available on this page.

Amplifikation Lite

Amplifier with three channels: a Clean channel, a Rhythm channel and a Lead channel. You can use the integrated cab, or load an external impulse, or even deactivate the internal impulse loader and add your own after the amplifier. Very simple and quite good.

Kuassa - Amplifikation Lite

"Simon's Metal" by Simon Chenu

- Download preset for Amplifikation Lite -
- Simon's Metal : settings -


Guitar: SR Les Paul (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Telecaster (mp3 file)


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MOKAFIX

Mokafix no longer exists. The online shop was shut down and the links in the site don't lead anywhere. All that remains is a rather empty home page.

Most Mokafix plugins were commercial products, but NoAmp! is freeware. This amp sim can be used for guitars or basses and makes the sound pretty fat. As it contains its own cabinet (3 models: Californian, British or Tweed), you don't need to add any. Really nice!

Download Mokafix NoAmp! (NoAmp.rar, 2.21 MB)

NoAmp!

Mokafix NoAmp


NoAmp! - Modern 1


NoAmp! - Modern 2


NoAmp! - Vintage

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ND ZEIT

(official website)

ND Zeit Dirthead

"Simon's Metal" by Simon Chenu

- Download preset for Dirthead -
- Simon's Metal : settings -


Guitar: SR Les Paul (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Telecaster (mp3 file)


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RONALD PASSION

(official website)

Revolution Z - ReChromE - ReGolD

This Indonesian passionate guy, Ronald Akbar Irawan, developped several amp sims for guitar and bass. I introduce only RevolutionZ, ReChromE and ReGolD because the other simulators are not so great in my opinion, compared to what you can find elsewhere. But of course, you can find all his plugins in the official website.

Downloads

Ronald Passion RevolutionZ
(ronald_passion_revolutionz_v1_2.zip - 1.51 MB)

Ronald Passion ReChromE and ReGolD
(ronald_passion_rechrome_regold.zip, 3.77 MB)

Revolution Z

A very good amp sim, with many possible settings available on 2 different screens (change screen by clicking on the amp logo), and even an integrated impulse loader. So you don't need an external impulse loader, but the samples below were made using LeCab2 and Redwirez impulses.

Ronald Passion RevolutionZ
Ronald Passion RevolutionZ

"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes

- Download preset for Revolution Z -
- The White Stripes: settings -


Guitar: SR Les Paul (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Telecaster (mp3 file)



Revolution Z - Modern 1 - mp3 file


Revolution Z - Modern 2 - mp3 file


Revolution Z - Vintage - mp3 file


ReChromE

The included impulses produce a muddy sound in my opinion. I turned them off to make the samples below.

Ronald Passion ReChromE

Ronald Passion ReChromE

"Simon's Metal" by Simon Chenu

- Download preset for ReChromE -
- Simon's Metal: settings -


Guitar: SR Les Paul (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Telecaster (mp3 file)


"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes

- Download preset for ReChromE -
- The White Stripes: settings -


Guitar: SR Les Paul (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Telecaster (mp3 file)

ReGolD

The included impulses produce a muddy sound in my opinion. I turned them off to make the samples below.

Ronald Passion ReGolD

Ronald Passion ReGolD

"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes

- Download preset for ReGolD -
- The White Stripes: settings -


Guitar: SR Les Paul (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Telecaster (mp3 file)
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SIMPLE VST (site web)

Guitar amplifiers
Bruant - Class Act - Duuaal - Harmony - Ol Dogg - Purple Reign - Raaw - Reecto - Spaank - Tumult - Urrth

Effects pedals
Howwl - Muun - Praamp - Vaal - Wwaa

Bass amplifier
Thump

Several amplifiers, preamplifiers and effects pedals to extend your range of sound.

These plugins no longer work with my DAW's latest version. They won't load or crash the DAW. Since they are somewhat old and their developer has stopped working on them since 2010, I no longer use them. I leave them here, though, because if you can make them work, they remain interesting with various possible sounds. Just add good impulses after them and there you go.

The original website was shut down some time ago, but the designer of these simulators put a new blog on line in January 2012. He had given up making amp sims after noticing that many free amp sims were better than his (or so he thinks), but he googled his plugins one day and found my website, which gave him the idea to make a new blog of his own, where he would make his plugins available again.

Downloads

Bruant
(simple_bruantAMPv1.zip, 1.63 MB)

Class Act
(simple_classactPREAMPv1b.zip, 1.44 MB)

Duuaal
(simple_duuaalAMPv1.zip, 1.93 MB)

Harmony
(simple_harmonyAMPhv1.zip, 1.68 MB)

Ol Dogg
(simple_oldoggAMPv1.zip, 1.91 MB)

Purple Reign
(simple_purplereignAMPv1.zip, 2.04 MB)

Raaw
(simple_raawAMPv1.zip, 1.75 MB)

Reecto
(simple_reectoAMPv2_6.zip, 1.61 MB)

Spaank
(simple_spaankAMPv1.zip, 1.68 MB)

Tumult
(simple_tumultAMPv1.zip, 1.76 MB)

Urrth
(simple_urrthAMPv1.zip, 2.04 MB)

Howwl
(simple_howwlPEDALv1.zip, 1.36 MB)

Muun
(simple_munnPEDALv1.zip, 1.56 MB)

Praamp
(simple_praampPEDALv1.zip, 1.60 MB)

Vaal
(simple_vaalPEDAL1.zip, 1.42 MB)

Wwaa
(simple_wwaaPEDAL1.zip, 4.31 Mo)

Thump
(simple_thumpBASSv2.zip, 1.77 MB)

Bruant

Simple Bruant
Simple Bruant

Class Act

Simple Class Act

Duuaal

Simple Duuaal
Simple Duuaal

Harmony

Simple Harmony
Simple Harmony

Ol Dogg

Simple Ol Dogg
Simple Ol Dogg

Purple Reign

Simple Purple Reign
Simple Purple Reign

Raaw

Simple Raaw
Simple Raaw

Reecto

Simple Reecto
Simple Reecto

Spaank

Simple Spaank

Tumult

Simple Tumult
Simple Tumult

Urrth

Simple Urrth
Simple Urrth

Howwl

Simple Howwl

Caution: it must be used on a stereo track.

Muun

A good distorsion pedal with peculiar knobs.

Simple Muun

Praamp

Simple Praamp

Vaal

It's a mere volume pedal, which will saturate the track where it's placed. Not really indispensable...

Simple Vaal

Wwaa

Simple Wwaa

Thump

Thump is a bass amplifier simulator. It includes an impulse loader to load your impulses. So you don't have to add your own impulse loader.

Simple Thump

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SIMULANALOG GUITAR SUITE (official website)

Marshall JCM900 - Fender Twin 1969
Boss SD-1 - Ibanez Tube Screamer - Boss DS-1 - Oberheim PS-1 - Univox Univibe

You should first be aware that this guitar simulation suite is no longer developed and hasn't been in year. The maker of these simulations, Thomas Serafini, has founded the company Overloud, which now sells commercial amp simulators (including TH2 where you will find renewed versions of the Fender Twin and Marshall JCM900 simulators) as well as various high-quality effects plugins.

I don't use these old Simulanalog plugins any more because they crash my D.A.W. (both Sonar and Reaper) every time I insert them.

The JCM900 is still a pretty good simulator in my opinion, but I think there are better options out there nowadays, and the time has come to leave Simulanalog behind. Nevertheless, I'd like to pay homage to this venerable ancestor, without any doubt one of the first simulation to reach such a high level of fidelity and quality, and it certainly paved the way for the many successors that followed. Thanks for having been with us, but this is now farewell.

Downloads

Simulanalog Guitar Suite with a graphic user interface
(simulanalog_guitar_suite_gui.rar, 7.40 MB)

Simulanalog Guitar Suite without a graphic user interface
(gsuite.zip, 341 KB).

Marshall JCM900 Dual Reverb

Caution! This amplifier is a combo, so it includes the amp head and the cab. Thus, you don't need to add an impulse loader and cab impulses.

It means you cannot choose to use another cab impulse. You can add an external impulse loader with an impulse of your choice, but this means you would send the Marshall cab sound into another cab. It doesn't make much sense, but why not?

Fortunately, there is an alternate solution. Alu, founder of Ignite Amps, designed an impulse that cancels the Simulanalog Marshall cab: download impulse.

How to use it? Take the JCM900 simulator, add a first impulse loader in which you load Alu's impulse, then add a second impulse loader after the first, in which you will load the impulse of your choice. It's as simple as that.

But let's be honest, the best sound you will get out of the JCM900 simulator is the sound from the included cab. It's pretty old, but it remains a very good simulator.

Simulanalog JCM 900
Simulanalog JCM 900

Fender Twin 1969

The name says it all, it's an emulation of the Fender Twin amplifier.
Caution! This amplifier is a combo, so it includes the amp head and the cab. Thus, you don't need to add an impulse loader and cab impulses.

Simulanalog Rednef Twin

Boss DS-1

Distorsion stomp pedal

Simulanalog Boss DS-1

Boss SD-1

Overdrive stomp pedal

Simulanalog Boss SD-1

Ibanez Tube Screamer

Overdrive stomp pedal

Simulanalog Tube Screamer

Oberheim PS-1

Phaser stomp box

Simulanalog PS-1

Univox Univibe

Modulation stomp box

Simulanalog Univibe

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SOLDANO

Emulation of a Soldano SLO-X88 amplifier. Not unforgettable, but I think it isn't a very recent plugin.

Download

Soldano
(soldano.zip - 1.91 MB)

Soldano SLO-X88

"Simon's Metal" by Simon Chenu

- Download preset for SLO-X88 -
- Simon's Metal: settings -


Guitar: SR Les Paul (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Stratocaster (mp3 file)


Guitar: Fender Telecaster (mp3 file)


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STUDIO DEVIL

(official website)
     
Studio Devil sells various retail amplifier simulators, but the British Valve Custom is free. It emulates a Marshall amp and contains its own impulse (you cannot turn it off). Thus, you don't need to add an impulse loader.

Download

This simulator is available on Studio Devil's official website, but you need to register to download it.

Studio Devil British Valve Custom

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DEMOS SETTINGS

Miscellaneous

Indications - Microphone positioning

Guitar amplifier simulations

ACDC, Chic, Depeche Mode, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Niagara, Nirvana, Oasis, Pink Floyd, Simon's Blues, Simon's Metal, The Animals, The Doobie Brothers, The White Stripes

Indications

All guitar parts were played by Simon Chenu (guitar player, pianist, drummer, singer, guitar teacher) with three different guitars:
- Les Paul-shaped guitar, the brand is SR Guitars, equipped with 3 pickups: a modern Humbucker neck pickup, a vintage P90-like middle pickup, a vintage Humbucker bridge pickup.
- Fender Stratocaster American Deluxe with stock pickups.
- Fender Telecaster American Deluxe with 2 Humbucker custom pickups : The neck pickup is a Lollar Regal, the bridge pickup is a Fender Wide Range. Simon used the Lollar for demos with distorsion, and the Fender for clear demos.

For each simulator tested:
- Each demo was recorded with all of the three guitars described above,
- Each demo includes two guitar tracks, recorded separately (no copy and paste), and panned right and left in the stereo field.
- With each demo, two different impulse responses (different microphones) were used with each guitar.
- No distorsion pedal was used, in order to show whether or not the simulations can produce the distorsion needed in some musical genres.

The settings of each demo are identical for all three guitars. Some demos will sound better with one guitar than it will on the other two. For instance, in Nirvana's demos, the sound of the Mercuriall demos recorded with a Telecaster is closer to the original sound than what I got with a Les Paul or a Stratocaster, because I made the settings for Telecaster first.

Ideally, each amp sim tested should use different impulses, in order to find the microphone and the positionning that fits the amp best, as you would do when recording real amps with real microphones. Unfortunately, this would take me a considerable amount of time to do, and I cannot afford to do that.

All the impulses I used for these demos are from Redwirez. No EQ was applied, I just added a slight compression on some demos, and a bit of reverb so that it doesn't sound too dry.

These tests help to demonstrate how important the choice of an impulse is. From my experience, I would estimate that the sound you get is: 30% from the guitar you use, 30% from the amplifier head, and 40% from the impulse. Of course, these values will vary according to the pickup settings on your guitar, the settings of the amplifier, and the use of either a clean or a highly distorted sound will greatly influence the relative importance of these elements.

Microphone positioning

Microphone positioning    Microphone positioning
(pictures: copyright Redwirez)

The closest the microphone from the center of the speaker, the less proximity effect you get, and so you get less lows.
The closest the microphone from the cab, the more precision you get. By moving the microphone farther, the sound becomes less "harsh".

"Back in black" by ACDC

A good old-school Hard Rock sound from the early 80s for this famous riff by ACDC.

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of baffle Marshall 1960A (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Neumann U67 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of baffle Marshall 1960A (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Neumann U87 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of baffle Marshall 1960B (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of baffle Marshall 1960B (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Royer R-121 in Cap position, at a distance of 3 inches (7.6 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"Le Freak" by Chic

From what I've read, Nile Rogers, Chic's guitar player, doesn't use an amplifier. He plugs his guitar (a stratocaster nicknamed "The Hit Maker") directly into the studio's console preamp. As the objective here is to test amp simulations, I obviously won't do the same. In order to get this clear high sound, I used the following cab impulses:

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Dual Showman cab (loudspeaker: JBL D130) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Fender Dual Showman cab (loudspeaker: JBL D130) through a microphone Neumann U47 in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 50% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Marshall '68 Basketweave cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12H30) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Marshall '68 Basketweave cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12H30) through a microphone Neumann U47 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 50% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode

This riff was originally played on a Gretsch guitar, through a Rivera Venus 5 amp head and a Rivera 2x12 cab equipped with Celestion G12T-75 loudspeakers. I don't know how the original studio recording was made, but live, the sound is transmitted by a Shure SM57 microphone, and a Shure KSM32 microphone, both placed against the cab cloth. I don't have any KSM32 impulse, but from the actual microphone response diagram, it seems that the closest response curve is that of the Earthworks TC30 microphone, for which I have impulses from Redwirez. Also, I don't have an impulse from the Rivera cab originally used by Depeche Mode, but I do have Marshall and Bogner cabs impulses, both equipped with G12T-75 loudspeakers. I used the following cab impulses:

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Bogner Uberkab cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12T-75) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Bogner Uberkab cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12T-75) through a microphone Earthworks TC30 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12T-75) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12T-75) through a microphone Earthworks TC30 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"Stairway to Heaven" solo by Led Zeppelin

Undoubtedly one of the most famous solos ever, a true standard that I couldn't ignore here. It was played by Jimmy Page with a Fender Telecaster and a Supro amplifier, from what I could find.

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Supro Thunderbolt cab (loudspeaker: Jensen 15") through a microphone Sennheiser MD409 in Cone position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 10% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Supro Thunderbolt cab (loudspeaker: Jensen 15") through a microphone Neumann U87 in Cone position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 10% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"Enter sandman" by Metallica

Another Metal sample from a well-known song by Metallica. Here, I leave the lows in their central position, I lower the mids quite a bit and raise the highs. The saturation is also pretty heavy, depending on the amp sim tested.

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Mesa Rectifier cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Sennheiser MD421N in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Mesa Rectifier cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Beyerdynamic M160 in Cap position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 50% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Roland Jazz Chorus 120 cab (loudspeaker: Roland 12) through a microphone Royer R-121 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Roland Jazz Chorus 120 cab (loudspeaker: Roland 12) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 50% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"J'ai vu" by Niagara

Great riff in E minor for this Blues Rock song by Daniel Chenevez, guitar player from the 1984-1993 French band Niagara. The original song is played on Marshall amps with a LesPaul guitar, paired with a Stratocaster, but I don't know what amps, stomp boxes or settings were used. To try to get close to the original sound, I used the following cab impulses:

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Beyerdynamic M160 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: JBL K120) through a microphone Shure SM7 in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: JBL K120) through a microphone Neumann M8 in Cap position, at a distance of 6 inches (15 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"Smells like teen spirit" by Nirvana

This famous song starts with a crunch guitar that turns into a heavy saturated sound. The original piece was played by Kurt Cobain on a Fender Mustang left-handed guitar. The information about the amp and cab used for the recording are contradictory but apparently, he often used Marshall 1960A cabs. These are the impulses that I used:

Left guitar:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 30% left.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Beyerdynamic M160 in Cap Edge Off Axis position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 90% left.

Right guitar:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Royer R121 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 30% right.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone AKG C414 in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 90% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"Wonderwall" by Oasis

One of the most famous songs from Oasis, and probably one of the most covered songs around campfires. The original version is played with an acoustic guitar, so having it played here with an electric guitar might sound a bit strange, but this shows the ability of amp sims to offer a clean, and if possible a warm sound.

Left guitar:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 6 inches (15 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.

Right guitar:
1 impulse of Vox AC30 cab (loudspeaker: Silvers) through a microphone Electrovoice RE20 in Cap position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Vox AC30 cab (loudspeaker: Silvers) through a microphone Neumann U47 in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"Time" solo by Pink Floyd

The purpose here is to reproduce David Gilmour's great solo and see what simulators are capable of when you have to put your guitar sound up front. The original song uses the distorsion from a fuzz pedal (FuzzFace) but in these demos, I don't use any pedal. I used the following cab impulses:

1 impulse of Hiwatt SE4123 cab (loudspeaker: Fane) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Stereo panning: dead center.
1 impulse of Hiwatt SE4123 cab (loudspeaker: Fane) through a microphone Royer R-121 in Cap position, at a distance of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Stereo panning: dead center.

Impulses from Redwirez.

Simon's Blues

Simon Chenu created this short Blues demo especially for the Grebz website. The demo helps judging the ability of amp sims to generate a good old Blues sound. Please note that I added a spring reverb simulator (SpringAge from Overloud) to stick to the ambiance.

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K5-6) through a microphone Neumann U87 in Cap Edge position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 40% left.
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K5-6) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap Edge Off Axis position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 20% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Vox AC30 Blues cab (loudspeaker: Blues) through a microphone M8 in position Cap Edge position, at a distance of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Stereo panning: 40% right.
1 impulse of Vox AC30 Blues cab (loudspeaker: Blues) through a microphone Audix i5 in position Cap Edge Off Axis, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 20% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

Simon's Metal

Simon Chenu created this short Metal demo especially for the Grebz website. The demo helps judging the ability of amp sims to generate a Modern Rock sound.

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Engl Pro 4x12 cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Engl Pro 4x12 cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 50% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap Edge Off Axis position, at a distance of 1 inch (2,5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Sennheiser MD421N in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 3 inches (7,5 cm). Stereo panning: 50% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"House of the rising sun" by The Animals

This very famous arpeggio was recorded in 1964 by Hilton Valentine, guitarist of The Animals, with a Grtesch Tenessean guitar and a 30-watt Selmer Twin Selectortone amplifier. I don't have any impulses from this amp, so I picked other cabinets that are good for clean sounds: the Fender Deluxe Reverb and the Vox AC30, which became the amplifier of choice for The Animals after the Selmer.

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K56) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K56) through a microphone Neumann U47 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Vox AC30 Blues cab (loudspeaker: Blues) through a microphone Neumann U87 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Vox AC30 Blues cab (loudspeaker: Blues) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"Long Train Running" by The Doobie Brothers

This demo allows to see how well amp sims can produce crystal-clear sounds.

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K56) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K56) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 50% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Mesa Rectifier cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Mesa Rectifier cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 50% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.

"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes

The purpose here is to get a vintage, raw sound. The impulses I chose are made after cabs equipped with Jensen loudspeakers, that Jack White seems to be very fond of. The original guitar sound is difficult to reproduce with amp sims alone, as Jack White used a Digitech Whammy stomp box, set down an octave, whereas I only use the amp in the demos.

Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Twin cab (loudspeaker: Jensen C12N) through a microphone Beyerdynamic M160 in Cap Edge position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 75% left.
1 impulse of Fender Twin cab (loudspeaker: Jensen C12N) through a microphone Neumann KM84 in Cap Edge position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 25% left.

Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Fender Tweed Bassman cab (loudspeaker: Jensen P10Q) through a microphone Sennheiser MD441 in Cap Edge Off Axis position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 75% right.
1 impulse of Fender Tweed Bassman cab (loudspeaker: Jensen P10Q) through a microphone Earthworks TC30 in Cone position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 25% right.

Impulses from Redwirez.
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MESSAGES

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marco
le 08/01/2012 à 23h31

Super site, merci pour tout ce travail, j'y vois enfin plus clair dans le monde de la MAO, et merci pour tous les sons des amplis. J'ai un son de guitare qui tue !!!



grohl
le 03/01/2012 à 22h22

Salut grebz,

Tout d'abord bravo pour ton site.
Je te contacte en fait parce que j'ai plusieurs questions à te poser.
Je suis une quiche en info mais pourtant j'aimerais bien m'amuser à enregistrer mes compos via un simulateur d'ampli.
J'ai téléchargé Kuassa amplifikation lite et le souci c'est que je n'ai aucun son qui sort quand je branche ma guitare sur le PC.
En matos, je n'ai pas grand chose, j'ai testé comme ça avec mon PC portable et sa carte son avec ma gratte branché en direct et mon casque audio basique mais qui fait le boulot.
Première question:
mon matos et mes branchements correspondent-ils ?
Si non, que me conseilles-tu comme matos à pas cher pour que je puisse me faire plaisir ?

Je t'en remercie d'avance

A+
Grohl

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<em>Je manque un peu de détails mais a priori, tu n'as pas vraiment l'équipement pour jouer convenablement de la guitare sur PC via un simulateur d'ampli.

Premier point :
Kuassa est un VST, c'est à dire un plugin. Les VST ne peuvent pas être utilisés indépendamment, ils viennent se greffer sur un logiciel hôte, en général un séquenceur.
Il existe des logiciels qui ne sont pas des séquenceurs mais des "hôtes VST" qui permettent d'utiliser des VST sans séquenceur. J'en connais un gratuit, mais je ne l'ai jamais testé, donc je ne sais pas s'il fonctionne bien ou pas. Il s'appelle tout simplement VST Host : <a href="/Downloads/tutorial_homestudio/vsthost.zip">Télécharger</a> (vshost.zip, 194 Ko).
S'il marche, très bien, cela épargne l'achat et l'utilisation des séquenceurs, qui sont quand même un peu complexes pour ceux qui n'ont pas envie de se prendre la tête et qui veulent simplement pouvoir jouer. En revanche pour s'enregistrer, l'utilisation d'un séquenceur devient indispensable.
Voir ma <a href="musique_homestudio_tutorial_required_3.php" target="_blanck">page sur les séquenceurs</a> pour se faire une idée.
Comme dit sur la question précédente, je conseille d'essayer Reaper pour diverses raisons. Fiable et peu cher, tout en gardant en tête qu'un séquenceur n'est pas évident du tout à prendre en main quand on débute totalement. Mais c'est comme tout, si on veut vraiment, on peut et il suffit d'apprendre. Pas toujours évident, mais loin d'être insurmontable.

Deuxième point :
La carte son intégrée à l'ordinateur portable... Elle a deux défauts pour ce que tu veux en faire.

- D'abord elle n'est pas conçue pour le volume sonore très faible qu'une guitare électrique lui envoie quand tu la branches en direct. Les guitares électriques (ou électro-acoustiques... toutes celles qui se branchent, quoi) ont besoin d'une amplification, ce que la carte son intégrée à l'ordinateur n'offre pas.
Pour remédier à cela, il faut donc soit passer par un préampli (<a href="musique_homestudio_tutorial_required_2.php#preamp" target="_blanck">exemple ici</a>), soit, ce qui est bien mieux, par une véritable interface audio (<a href="musique_homestudio_tutorial_required_2.php#interface" target="_blanck">ici</a>).

- Ensuite, les cartes audio basiques provoquent de la latence, c'est à dire un délai entre le moment où l'on joue sur l'instrument et le moment où on entend le son dans le casque ou les enceintes. Et cette latence est souvent trop grande pour permettre de jouer dans de bonnes conditions (une bonne demi-seconde, ce qui est énorme).
On peut y remédier grâce à Asio4All (<a href="http://www.asio4all.com/" target="_blank">site officiel</a>), un petit logiciel qui permet de réduire fortement la latence des cartes audio de base, mais ce n'est pas l'idéal malgré tout.

La meilleure solution reste vraiment l'interface audio. Pour du matériel correct, il faut quand même compter aux alentours de 150 euros en entrée de gamme, et il ne faut pas être surpris de tomber sur des prix d'interfaces entre 300 et 1000 euros ! Oui, la MAO a malheureusement un coût.

Troisième point :
Le casque... je ne sais pas ce que c'est comme modèle, mais comme je le dis dans mon didacticiel, mixer au casque n'est pas très recommandé, sauf (et encore...) avec de très bons casques spécifiques. Bon, n'exagérons pas, on peut très bien débuter et se faire plaisir avec du matériel de base. Si vraiment ça devient une passion et qu'on veut absolument faire "aussi bien que les pros", il faudra investir dans du matériel plus complet et plus haut de gamme. Mais chaque chose en son temps et à moins d'avoir de l'argent à claquer, il est raisonnable d'être prudent (et prudent d'être raisonnable). Commence donc avec ce que tu as comme casque, l'investissement dans des enceintes de monitoring viendra plus tard.

En résumé :
<strong>Guitare -> (préampli) interface audio -> ordinateur -> séquenceur -> simulateur d'ampli -> simulateur de baffle -> casque</strong>

Grebz</em>



Gulibert
le 03/01/2012 à 21h19

Bonjour Grebz,
Très intéressant ton site, je m'en inspire pour certains achats... :-)

J'ai, en fait, une question ou "un service" à te demander. Puisque tu as de l'avance sur moi en terme de MAO.
Chansonnier et guitariste de la vieille école, si je désire être "accompagné" d'un ordinateur pour ajouter 3-4 instruments de plus à mes représentations. Est-ce que tu me suggères quand même Sonar ? Car je me suis amusé avec la version démo et bien qu'il soit puissant, je ne veux que "préparer le montage" de mes chansons, ajouter une playlist ou une banque et lancer l'accompagnement avec mon interface midi...

Merci de tes lumières sur ce sujet...

Gulibert

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

<em>Je ne suggère pas Sonar plus qu'un autre séquenceur. Si je parle de Sonar dans mes descriptions, c'est tout simplement parce que c'est le séquenceur que j'utilise. Si j'étais utilisateur de Cubase ou ProTools, c'est d'eux que je parlerais.

Mon conseil pour ne pas dépenser trop d'argent serait d'essayer Reaper. C'est un séquenceur comparable à Sonar ou Cubase, avec ses qualités et ses défauts, mais qui permet de faire tout ce que ces deux autres séquenceurs permettent. Les fonctions ne sont pas forcément toutes identiques, l'interface est un peu différente, le nom des paramètres ne sera pas toujours le même, mais c'est grosso modo la même manière de procéder.

L'avantage de Reaper ? Son prix. On peut le télécharger et l'utiliser gratuitement sans limitation, en version 32 ou 64 bits. Comme il n'est pas bridé, et contrairement à une version démo, on a accès à toutes ses fonctions. Mais attention ! Ce n'est pas un logiciel gratuit pour autant. Si vous le téléchargez et que vous l'utilisez vraiment, pas seulement à titre d'essai, vous devez l'acheter.

Contrairement à ses concurrents, Reaper ne coûte que 60 dollars (45 euros), là où les versions complètes de sonar ou Cubase avoisinent plutôt les 400 euros ! Il existe aussi des versions light de ces derniers, aux alentours de 100 euros et ils peuvent aussi constituer une excellente solution. La différence, c'est que Reaper n'existe qu'en une seule version, complète. mais en contrepartie, Sonar et Cubase proposent plus de logiciels annexes (des synthés, des effets, etc.) fournis au moment de l'achat que Reaper. Mais comme tous ces outils complémentaires se trouvent facilement et gratuitement sur Internet, l'avantage n'est pas forcément déterminant.

Je t'encourage donc à au moins essayer Reaper, et puisque tu as déjà essayé la démo de Sonar, cela te fera un point de comparaison pour faire ton choix ensuite. Si tu as le courage, tu peux aussi essayer les démos d'autres séquenceurs comme Cubase.

Grebz</em>



Jvne
le 06/12/2011 à 12h40

Merci beaucoup Grebz, pour cette mine d'infos - sur les impulsions notamment.
Au plaisir.

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<em>De rien !

Grebz</em>



mudy2151
le 02/12/2011 à 12h52

Un grand merci pour cette sélection VST et descriptions ainsi que les exemples audio.
Formidable.

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<em>De rien, content que ça serve à tout le monde !

Grebz</em>

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