Finally, someone does an ABX comparison of modelling amps vs the real thing!

GuitarBizarre · 04-05-2010, 05:32 PM

Quote:

With the help of Tozzoli and Antonell, I was able to locate a number of producer-engineer-guitarists with excellent credits who agreed to be on the listening panel (see Fig. 1).

The panelists were D. James Goodwin (Thursday, Parliament-Funkadelic, Motion Picture Demise), John Holbrook (B.B. King, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, the Isley Brothers, Fountains of Wayne), Pete Moshay (Hall and Oates, Daryl Hall, Paula Abdul, B.B. King, Barbra Streisand, Fishbone), Paul Orofino (John Petrucci, Blue Oyster Cult, Anthrax), and Tozzoli (Al Di Meola, the Marsalis Family, David Bowie).

All of the panelists had lots of experience recording guitars through vintage amps in commercial-studio environments. Most also had experience with amp modelers, especially the tried-and-true Digidesign Pro Tools HD standby, Line 6 Amp Farm.

Now, you may be asking yourself 'What are these people a panel for?'

They were a panel set up to determine once and for all whether modelling amps can really sound like the real thing.

Results here: EM tests software-modeled guitar amps against the real thing

Personally, I'm of the hope this helps puts to rest any of the 'tube tone purist' arguments that come up so often. When industry pros can't tell the difference, I'm impressed with the software. I also become much LESS impressed by 'golden ears' *******s who insist on putting down modellers based on price and assumptions alone.

duga · 04-05-2010, 06:09 PM

This makes me feel a lot better about spending money on the software...I love having a great amp, but I honestly doubt I will be performing anytime soon. I just want to be able to record at a decent quality, and if a modelling amp can do it I'm all for it.

Technology. It's the freakin future.

mr dave · 04-05-2010, 06:59 PM

thanks for this GB, great read and quite interesting observations. definitely worth considering if you're looking to work in a studio environment. kind of disappointed that they weren't able to get Line6 stuff into that mix though. i would have also really liked to see a comparison between hardware emulation and the real thing, but i also understand the logistics behind such an undertaking.

either way, it's not going to make me ditch my old amps hehehe if it's got more knobs than i have fingers i get freaked out haha plus i'll always prefer busting it out loud in some dirty jam room over the sterility of a studio.

Daktari · 04-13-2010, 02:39 PM

Hi there,

I have a definate split between live and recording in this case. Recently, when recording guitar I am happy to use the sounds available in my little Boss BR600. It can even make my nylon string classical sound like a Greek bouzouki and it's all there, ready to use with just a little tweaking.

When I play out live, I'm happy with the edited sounds on my Digitech modelling pedal. I have used around thirty of the 99 available user patches. Mind you, I'm not a perfectionist and as long as it sounds pretty dam good, I'm happy. I'm not bothered about excellent or anything that brilliant.

That is except for one sound that I need my old amp for. My trusty JC 120. The amp is there to use so I use it and I love that sound, nothing else quite captures it although the effect in the Boss recorder does get pretty close to the original.

Gordon.

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 04-13-2010, 03:08 PM

This is fantastic. I've always held that modelling can be just as good.

Daktari · 04-14-2010, 09:55 AM

Thing is, the modelling option is so much easier to control. There will always be die hard fans of that warm over-driven valve sound but unless you're an absolute stickler for detail, the average listener on the receiving end would not know the difference.

The technology in recreating different amp and speaker combinations as improved so much that to me anyway,(apart from the JC 120), I stick to either my Digitech pedal or the sounds in the Boss recorder. To achieve some of the sounds needed by blasting through a big amp means the volume is gonna be pretty loud which is sometimes not convenient and especially when recording, is harder to control.

Just one opinion, Gordon.

GuitarBizarre · 10-29-2010, 09:25 AM

Bump.

Figured this thread deserved a second chance to be conversation fodder, it didn't really recieve much response last time.

04-05-2010, 06:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
duga MB quadrant's JM Vincent Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 3,762	This makes me feel a lot better about spending money on the software...I love having a great amp, but I honestly doubt I will be performing anytime soon. I just want to be able to record at a decent quality, and if a modelling amp can do it I'm all for it. Technology. It's the freakin future. __________________ Confusion will be my epitaph...

04-13-2010, 02:39 PM	#4 (permalink)
Daktari Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Originally from Lancashire, England, lived near Largs, Scotland and now live in Rocky Face, Georgia Posts: 154	Hi there, I have a definate split between live and recording in this case. Recently, when recording guitar I am happy to use the sounds available in my little Boss BR600. It can even make my nylon string classical sound like a Greek bouzouki and it's all there, ready to use with just a little tweaking. When I play out live, I'm happy with the edited sounds on my Digitech modelling pedal. I have used around thirty of the 99 available user patches. Mind you, I'm not a perfectionist and as long as it sounds pretty dam good, I'm happy. I'm not bothered about excellent or anything that brilliant. That is except for one sound that I need my old amp for. My trusty JC 120. The amp is there to use so I use it and I love that sound, nothing else quite captures it although the effect in the Boss recorder does get pretty close to the original. Gordon.

04-13-2010, 03:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 4,538	This is fantastic. I've always held that modelling can be just as good.

04-14-2010, 09:55 AM	#6 (permalink)
Daktari Music Addict Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Originally from Lancashire, England, lived near Largs, Scotland and now live in Rocky Face, Georgia Posts: 154	Thing is, the modelling option is so much easier to control. There will always be die hard fans of that warm over-driven valve sound but unless you're an absolute stickler for detail, the average listener on the receiving end would not know the difference. The technology in recreating different amp and speaker combinations as improved so much that to me anyway,(apart from the JC 120), I stick to either my Digitech pedal or the sounds in the Boss recorder. To achieve some of the sounds needed by blasting through a big amp means the volume is gonna be pretty loud which is sometimes not convenient and especially when recording, is harder to control. Just one opinion, Gordon.