Amplitube 5 has some SERIOUS problems.... This is why it sounds bad.
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- As a long suffering customer of IK products, Amplitube has always frustrated me because it gets so much right and then has a few small issues that become pretty massive.
Not all Amplitube models suffer from this issue, but the problem is you have to guess if any particular model suffers from this, and then have to guess how to correct it.
MANY of the amps in Amplitube require a massive input boost to have the correct gain structure. If you record with a hot DI signal (just clipping), you may still need to boost over 15dB to have the amp sounding correct. I'm almost certain no one on the planet is boosting Amplitube this much (at least consciously), and it means Amplitube has a reputation for being less accurate than it really is.
In this video I explore some input levels with demonstrations from other youtube videos showing the original gear. I am not imitating the tone - I am using their videos as a way of having a rough idea of how much gain to expect from each amp and channel. Tolerances would absolutely be a factor, but not to the extent that an amp is undergained by more than 15dB.
I hope this helps others get better tones from Amplitube (many amps come alive and sound excellent when you juice the input level). But even better would be for IK to acknowledge that this seriously affects how usable Amplitube is, and it absolutely needs correcting with any new developments. In its current state its a total mess.
Please share and lets get this fixed and improved so we all can benefit.
Thanks
/ @choptonesofficial
/ @chasingtone2022
/ @lukedkramer
For your videos that helped me have a reference point for these gain levels.
I've been using the boost from the "slash collection" in front of almost all amps, easy way to add the input boost required. The Boss style EQ stomp is also useful for that, but sometimes it's not enough. The main issue is knowing how much boost is required as it's all over the place with different models, and some (like the JCM800, Silver Jubilee, Red Plexi and JTM45) doesn't need it. I've also encountered the same issue on plugins from other companies, it's a mess unfortunately.
Totally agree regarding which amps need it and which don't (or by how much). It just requires the user to be familiar with the real amp and what to expect which is very self defeating.
Frustrating because I believe the modelling is good, but the input level is so critical to have close to right.
Thanks for the tip on the slash boost, it has 20dB of clean (and flat) level. Will certainly use that!
Is your audio interface port where you plug guitar set to proper line/inst setting?
If you have pedals prior to audio interface those pedals may change the impedance so you need to be careful
Is that audio input gain set to high level (without going into red on peak level meter)?
Both of those are at the start of the computer signal chain
And address them in order
@@truthtorpedo99 everything is set up correctly. The input I am using has 11.4dBu of headroom but I can adjust it to any value. It’s 3M Ω but in my studio I have several DI’s and I measure the headroom on each so it’s always a fair comparison.
The issue is not with the input chain, but rather the various internal calibration values that IK use inside Amplitube. It’s not consistent amp to amp.
Dude. You made my setup that much better. Thanks for the tip!!!!
Thanks for this video. I thought I was going insane - getting poor sounds out of most amp modellers, particularly ToneX software, and now I realise its because I had no idea about gain structure. Made even worse of a problem because now I know they don't have it right themselves, compounding things. Thanks a lot - this video is essentially a lesson on how to dial in tone on modellers for those new to it like me.
you’re welcome! It’s a little more complicated with software that doesn’t have a consistent input level reference. Things like Line 6 Helix, Neural DSP, STL, Mercuriall etc use the same input value across all their products so there is less guesswork than with ToneX/Amplitube/NAM
@@eds4754 yeah you nailed it big man, the software is totally different gain structure, you need to add multiple IRs, side chain tube and other plugins with sizzling color like Bogren ADR whatever its called or a kozrog amp but only the cbs (the same original thing) it adds multiple demensions you hear as you would in the room around the amp.
Great video! The one thing I noticed right away was the gain and level disparity from switching from Amplitube 4 to Amplitube 5. I had some pretty great tones dialed in on GA4 and basically had to start from scratch with GA5.
Btw thank you for all that you do. You're an invaluable member of the guitar community, even if you aren't more known. I always trust your insights, and your IRs are permanently my Cab section.
Thank you! It’s nice to help out and give back, and especially cool that it leads to better tones for everyone!
Just like with any other amp modeller, I use my full pedal suite. I play both bass and guitar so here's my routing:
Guitar> Comp>EQ>Guitar Dist (On/off) > Bass Pedal (On/Off) > H90 > noise gate> Amplitube 5 Mesa MK4+ENGLXXL or a Vintage speaker > HM2 copy for guitar (yes, it's needed even with a RevvG3 if you use low input gain like you would in real life)>2nd noise gate in rack (yes, it's needed too).
Just as you stated, the gain meters are kinda broken in amplitube compared to real life, but the Fortin Zuul, Empress ParaEQ and the a generic Amplitube noise gate do the trick for me, doesn't take much tinkering to get it just right, but the gates are super iffy between barely gating and overgating lol.
The bass works a bit better, I use the SVT3-Pro with a SVT speaker in amplitube, but imo, the Plugin Allience version of the SVT3-Pro is far superior. I still double stack them both for the ultimate oompa and it's glorious. Almost no tinkering needed except Still, no issue once you get it right.normalising the Amplitube 5 gain to the PA one.
Imo, Orange speakers suck in real life too, so there's no hope of ever getting them to sound right even if the gain was accurate lol. A Mesa Mk4 or ENGL Powerball, even a classic old Peavey 5150 completely annihilate it for my purpose.
How hard is for big software companies to buy some entry-mid level interfaces (more than 10)and verify what they fucking did, to see if they did everything correctly, it's not so hard...
exactly. The testing is clearly not wide or thorough enough, especially for a company this size. The same issues are creeping up with ToneX, they are adding lots of features as they go, and its becoming a total mess. The technology is great but the user experience has so much room to improve.
How hard is it for IK also to make pots that smoothly and gradually cycle, as opposed to trying to dial in 5.6 and keep over scrolling to 5.7, having to go back to 3.2 and scroll up slowly to get it just right...etc? Weird man.
I personally care more about sound characteristic than gain stage accuracy. There are ways I can saturate my tone in my plugin list (a clean boost for example) to fix improper/inaccurate gain staging if the color and characteristic of the sound amplitube gives me feel and sound accurate, and to me they do, especially with some really good custom IR’s. I also really love the mic placement options on the stock and purchasable IR’s that amplitube comes with - the versatility is what gets me.
it doesn’t have to be one or another. If IK provide better information on levels, then everyone wins
@@eds4754 oh, I completely agree - I’m just pointing out that I still think Amplitube is really good, even with this issue. The versatility alone is worth it for me
Great video.
I found amplitude very frustrating to browse through for this reason, as every single (factory) preset needs gain adjustment, just to get loudness at remotely the same levels, and so my speakers don’t blow up or become completely inaudible when switching presets looking for a sound.
I have gone through manually adjusting input and output levels on my commonly used presets to make switching between them less jarring, but this is pretty embarrassing for IK that such a glaring and easily solved issue presents out of the box. Especially given the price of admission.
In my experience, scuffham is a much more polished experience, despite ( or perhaps due to) coming from a much smaller operation
Definitely something to be said for the smaller companies who can be more agile over the venture/vulture capital owned ones who have a lot of products to support, staff to pay and shareholders to appease…
I've put in some of my own leg work since watching your videos to try and find the settings for amps since watching this. I've done about 7-10 amps by looking up demo videos and trying my best to match those. Something I've noticed is that so far it seems that amps from the same series share an input level. So amps from the fender 1 collection appear to all require the same boost to input. It is actually a kind of fun process as I constantly switch guitars to match demo videos and I've even learned a few new licks doing this! But now I've become really annoyed by demo videos that don't properly show the settings! There's a mesa demo video I saw where all the close ups were b-roll so I couldn't see the darn gain level! My ear for gain staging probably isn't as good as yours but I've been much happier with my sounds since doing this. This has especially helped my fenders sound more fender-y!
Very nice! I had the same experience with the Fender’s, totally improved them!
I think there are even more serious problems - in the cab section. It seems some of the mics are not phase-aligned. I sent a test signal through 3 tracks with instances of Ampltitube, just the cab activated (Mesa Trad Cab), rendering the output of 3 different mics. SM57 and U87 are phase aligned, but the MD421 is 9 samples late. That makes certain mic combinations sounding way off - e.g. SM57 + MD421!!! I used faSampleDelay to move the SM57 9 samples - then it sounded right, at least the combination SM57/MD421. (yes I know, who would ever use SM57/MD421... ;-) )
I agree there is something weird with the cab section and alignment. Personally, I would prefer that there was no alignment besides how the mics were physically positioned. The default should be as they are mic’d up for real, and then there should be an option to have them automatically aligned (or manually delayed).
I’m also not totally sure about how the mic positions sound on either side of the speaker, and whether they are simply mirrored IR’s or totally distinct ones. Something weird about how they sound, and how you can mix and match different speakers into different cabs. Some of the cabs do sound very good but there’s something funky going on IMO.
@@eds4754 Yesterday, I sent an email to IK with a 2MB Reaper-project, including a short riff routed to an Amplitube SM57 track and to another MD421 track (Mesa Trad, Amps in A5 deactivated, Tonex on the source track). On the SM57 track I inserted "JS: Time Adjustment Delay" to align this track to the MD421 track by delaying it by 9 samples and voila - sounds right! :-) IK now can simply deactivate "JS: Time Adjustment Delay" and will immediately hear their phase bug. And, yes, in my opinion it's a bug since SM57+MD421 together sound so weird and phasy. Like you described, an option would be nice. But if there isn't an option mics always should be phase-aligened since you want to have a reason to have them out of phase. If you like, I can send my Reaper-file also to you (size 2MB) - there you can hear how it sounds, if it would be implemented correctly by simply clicking a control box :-) - and yes, I already had some bugs with IK and know what they will do... nothing. Sad but true, they have good ideas, but the last 10% of the implementation aren't there in many cases. And you know how it is with audio - you often cannot trust even your ears and so it's really very important that you can at least trust your tools.
This is one of the main reasons I prefer hardware modellers to plugin amp sims.
Hardware modellers have the amps calibrated to the hardware input, so an amp sim will respond in the same way to the real amp with that guitar.
Plugin amp sims don’t have an industry standard input level target, so each sim (and even different amps in the same sim like Amplitube) is expecting a different signal level to respond ‘correctly’.
Not only that, but it basically takes different guitar output levels out of the equation since you set the gain level yourself at the interface - so a low output Strat and a high output Ibanez will hit the amp at about the same level.
No matter how good amp sims get, purely for the reason alone I wouldn’t switch from my Axe FX III.
Pretty sig price diff though lol. Amazing Im sure.
How axe fx solved that problem? Are all model gain/ volumes same throughout?
@@07dhirajAxe FX is hardware with a fixed input level, all the models are designed to that fixed input level and respond the same as the real amp would with that guitar.
Plugins have no fixed input level, and since guitars can put out drastically different signal levels (low output single coils vs high output humbuckers for example) specifying a ‘target input level’ completely negates the interaction between a specific guitar’s pickup output and the amp.
@@kebbinator so idea is to switch off the interface gain knob to zero and then hope for amp to do its job as the real amp would do .. ✅💐
@@07dhirajRight, but every interface will have a different ‘minimum’ gain setting and all amp sim plugins were designed around different input levels.
Also if the minimum input level is too low you won’t have enough signal to push high gain amps into overdrive, and the SNR will be so high the noise will be basically the same level as the guitar.
There is no way to ‘fix’ plugin amp sims without a company putting out a dedicated ‘amp sim interface’ with a fixed guitar input level and a matching plugin designed specifically for that interface.
I felt the same since the beginning of the sim software era. I think they hadn't figure out how to manage the input stage, if we take ik multimedia for example you'll notice that a lot of fender pack presets have a pedal compressor first in the chain and generally putting a compressor or a limiter in front of an amp sim is something suggested even by people like Craig Anderton. Also, and it's related in a way, if we compare the dynamic range of something like tones/nam and a regular amp sim there is a big difference, and this is something that impacts the way it "feels on your hands"... tonex/nam has something like 7db between the lightest and the hardest strum where amplitube has like 20db. The proof that they didn't figure out is that the input meter clips too soon because it's calibrated in a way that doesn't correspond to the real world experience. Also playing a fast solo out of a crunch tone when using the same input stage of the rhythm is very challenging because of this huge amount of dynamic range, you will constantly miss notes here and there...
Great video and perfectly showing how IK Multimedia spread snake oil with the "officially licensed" branded gear such as the Fender, Mesa and so on packages. Those who comment like "I don't care as long as I get good sounds" don't understand that IK are selling the thought of being able to accurately emulate specific gear and at the same time outrageously fail at doing so. Without getting the inout response and dynamics right it is IMPOSSIBLE to do that. It is also hilarious how they succeed with selling Tonex presets. Whoever buys those hasn't got a clue what PROFILING is and what sets it apart from MODELLING. Ugh. All this drove me towards modellers such as the Blackstar Dual Drive/Distortion or the wonderful UAFX Pedal amps. Amplitube and Tonex are toys compared to those, but do serve the one-click presets loving majority.
The issue I've had with amplitube is it tends to need massive amounts of EQ to get in the ballpark for a mix. Like it tends to have really really really aggressive mids, so in a mix it ends up sounding thin. You can hear it in your comparisons -- your actual amp has a ton of body to the sound but then amplitube is just scorchingly bright in comparison.
You mean they gave you more control to get more sound out of it… That’s a silly thing to complain about
Hello my friends, I have an issue when running amplitude, the (virtual pedals) overdrive and bigmuff pedals sound horrible, when I load bigmuff I not even be able to play due the distorted bad sound that mix with the pedal, and when I do not touch the strings the noise is also high and bad, I thinking that could be a problem on my guitar since sometimes I have to disconnect the cable e and connect again and also seems to have volume drop issues, maybe something not working well inside my guitar, but when I switch from amplitude to bias fx the sound on big muff on bias fx it's just perfect and I even don't need to use any gate and sound clean and without noise. I guess maybe something inside my guitar that's having some interference when I use amplitude. Any guesses what could be?
"It just requires the user to be familiar with the real amp and what to expect which is very self defeating." This is a very good and valid statement.
Personally I have no idea what all the different amps are expected to sound so I've been taking facevalue for example that "Ok Rockerverb 50 does not have more gain in it so let me slap overdrive / distortion before it then". So setup would be completely off with actual amp..
This is too bad to hear!
I was always confused why the fender amps felt so weak and lifeless. As soon as I tried turning the input way up, suddenly they felt 10000x better, and sounded more like the real deal. With the Orange amps, the gain taper suddenly makes way more sense. They get a nice range of tones across the whole range of the pot
@@eds4754you are lucky for trying real deal just like you said above fender ... But wht about those who haven't tried real amp..any advice for those ? RUclips video playthroughs can be relied upon ?
Thanks for the video!!! Appreciate the time you’ve put in to show accurate comparisons.
You’re welcome! Someone’s gotta do it!
I've had a lot of trouble getting a good tone. Finally starting to work my way around this issue and getting the real amp tone.... Close enough... But every amp has different settings.
Think I'll start to make my own folder with "working amps"😊
Had the same issue with Tonex. Crunch tones with DI are almost clean, and clean tones barely audible with optimal audio interface gain settings without clipping. So I started matching input gain on the interface and in the plugin to get to the level of audio demo lick player, because demo licks always sounds more right compared to DIs. And just like you said, it requires stupid amounts of input boost to even match the right gain amount and saturation. Like clipping everywhere level.
Do you use powered monitors or what are you using for the output? I had the same problem trying to go directly into a Fender speaker. Very weak output. Someone suggested a 5 watt power amp and then into the speaker which helped somewhat, but was just loud more than boosting the signal. I am using powered monitors and they are better. If I used IK's monitors, it might be even better. I do still get some clipping and pausing, but it's not horrible.
So then why do the best professionals (and me, by the way, a 30 year guitar teacher and 20 year producer) get fantastic results with Tonex?
@@jamesearl389 Refined ears.
You and I have spent years playing ‘real’ amps and know how they should sound and feel and dial in the settings in reaction to that, newer generation guitarists going straight to sims don’t have that reference and don’t know how things ‘should’ sound or how the knobs respond and react to one another.
Pulling up a ‘crunch’ preset and having it be basically clean because of low input signal, a beginner wouldn’t know if they should turn up their interface, boost the gain on the amp, use a boost pedal in front of the amp, turn up the master or adjust the EQ.
The following factors should not be ignored: the sound of the guitar (e.g. Fender vs Les Paul), how is the potentiometer set, which pickups, which miking, which cabinet is being used? The interface and its pre-amps influence the sound etc etc.
the point of setting to a specific input level is precisely so you can preserve all the differences of the guitar, rather than normalising quiet pickups to the same volume as loud ones. The goal is to remove the variables that don’t exist in the real world so the emulations behave as close as possible to the gear they are modelling.
Oh man, I am only now coming to grips with all this revised Hi-Z, 0 input AI (as in Audio Interface, not the other AI stuff) level information that is exploding on youtube. Bet even then, ... It seems that all these amp sim plugins have the potential to sound amazing, they just don't bother to give us the correct information on how to use them. You are doing an absolutely fantastic job here, but really, the amp sim companies themselves should be doing this.
Yeah, it’s a bit frustrating that users have to figure this out on their own. Hopefully this will change in the future 🙏
Hello there. These videos are wildly informative and helpful. Thank you! I am curious to know which amp sim plugin suite you believe has the most consistent input gain requirement across models? Are the major plugins (like those shown in your Interface and Amp Sim Input Level Table doc) input requirement consistent and Amplitube is just way off in left field?
It is annoyingly inefficient to forensically determine input gain required every time you want to "shop tones". Way better to set it and forget it...
All the main ones out there use consistent input levels, so anything from Line 6 Helix, STL, Neural DSP, Nembrini etc should be consistent for everything.
Fuse don’t have many sims, but their pedals use a different calibration to their amp model. I’m not 100% sure Softube use a consistent input level either but I haven’t had time to verify. Generally each company uses the same calibration throughout their entire range.
Hi! Thank you so much for all the information. I've recently bought amplitube 5 when I saw your video, now I'm kinda worried about it. This year I've recorded my first album and I spent a lot of money on renting OG amps and guitars, however one song was recorded badly and I don't have more money to rent the gear again. I bought amplitube 5 to try to record again the lead guitars of the song with hopes of getting it better this time but now I'm afraid that it might be floopy. I would appreciate if you can give me any recommendation of how to use amplitube properly so my recordings won't get completely lost. Thank you in advance and greetings from Peru 👋
it’ll depend mostly on whatever level your DI is at, but also which amplitube model you are using. The best advice I can give is to not be afraid to use extreme input level settings if it gives the right result. The plugin is designed to handle a lot of amplification (think how much an amplifier is boosting the signal by the time it leaves a speaker). So long as you aren’t clipping your converters, it’s fine, Amplitube’s internal processing has almost infinite headroom.
With that you should be fine for most models in AT, it’s really a lot of guess work to get the right input level, but as long as you’re prepared to adjust it different for each amp you’ll be good. Best of luck!
@@eds4754 Thank you so much for your advice!! I’ll be experimenting with it
Everyone on YT is now emphasising the importance of setting your interface input gain to the minimum and increasing the gain in your plugin. This approach allows you to record a DI track at the optimum level and simply adjust the gain depending on the plugin you use. It’s really disappointing to see that IK Multimedia hasn’t responded to provide proper guidance. Even in their community forums, it seems like they’re avoiding the issue. This is understandable though, considering the inconsistency across all the amp models in AT5. So, how are we supposed to tweak a model by ear without knowing how the real deal sounds like at a certain setting? I hope they will address these issues at some point, but for now, I’d recommend other plugins to anyone who wants a less stressful and more accurate experience 😉
I completely agree. The best is to vote with your wallet, and support the companies who do things right
@@eds4754 Indeed, unfortunately, I purchased AT5 a few years ago but later transitioned from plugins to hardware modelers due to my frustration with the lack of dynamics, latency, and accuracy of most plugins... I’m currently using a Fractal FM9, and it sounds fantastic with any guitar across all factory presets. That said, I will definitely revisit some NDSP plugins at some point following the latest advice out of sheer curiosity :) Thanks a lot for your videos and research on this!
Regarding your point about “supporting companies who do things right” - I wholeheartedly agree! Being transparent with your clients and assisting them in getting the most out of your products is the right approach :)
I'm quite frustrated at Amplitude 5 now. I've only had it a couple of weeks, and I'm so disappointed. The tones are so bad on almost ANYTHING with high gain, whether it be pedal or amp. The bottom end is so waffled. No "bite" when playing the heavy notes - and I'm in standard tuning. It sounds like I'm not using the bridge pickup. Then there's this gain issue. Seriously, the MESA rectifiers are embarrassing. High gain channels, gain ALL the way up. To 10. And it sounds like I'm playing through the crunch setting on an 8W practice amp.
I've been tone hunting for days now and I've actually, can't believe I'm gonna say this, GONE BACK TO WAVES GTR3. For a high gain setting I'm finding that if you set up the Green OverDrive pedal at default settings, then load up the 2cab amp and set it to PRS Scorch at default settings (2x12 closed back), you get a FAR MORE SATISFYING TONE.
And then there's IK's other issues relating to the product manager. I also bought SampleTank4 MAX and the download issues have been nightmarish!
I'm developing a serious case of buyers remorse....
I wonder if this has anything to do with my problem. Usually I can't even hear the program over other things. It's just so quiet.
probably to do with the output level rather than input
Thank you for making this video! I really WISH IK Multimedia would GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER because this "could" be an excellent product!!! It was ALWAYS hit or miss for me with previous versions of Amplitube and I just eventually DITCHED IT for Neural DSP. You pay a bit more, but you get CONSISTENTLY excellent tones. Come on LK, get it together! 😭😣😎
100% agree - I’ve moved onto other stuff but it’s so frustrating because Amplitube has massive potential and the main thing holding it back is IK themselves 🤦🏻♂️
@@eds4754Hopefully someone there will watch your videos and get the hint! : ) 🎵
hi! thanks for making of this video
i really appreciate the info you've provided in this video however i have some questions
first of all when you increase the input level to a certain level the green line gets completely full and the red lights get turned on next to it which i think means the signal is clipping
is it okay to stay like that or i better avoid clipping and use that to an extent and continue boosting with the slash booster? like i mean instead of 15 dB boost in the input i could just go 5 dB in that section and the other 10 dB with the slash pedal
is that a better option that just boost from input section or it's not necessarily better?
secondly is there any kind of list out there that suggest estimated boosting needed for each amp individualy?
what would happen if you "over boost" the input? like can you even get to that level and overdo it?
It’s perfectly fine to boost into clipping inside the plugin. Plugins have almost infinite headroom to work with, and the internal processing within the plugin is expecting much louder signals than we can record with. As long as you don’t clip going into your converters, or back out, you’re generally fine.
Whether you do it with the input slider or Slash Boost is up to you - it may depend on whether you are using pedals or anything before the amp model.
There is not a list of what to use - some users have tried doing it, but the best anyone can do is guess. Only IK can provide accurate information on what levels to use, which so far they have shown absolutely no interest in helping with unfortunately.
You can absolutely “over boost” the input and the amp models will respond accordingly, just like if you used a pedal in front of an amp. Some pedals like a Dirty Tree (or TC integrated preamp) can provide over 30dB of level. Plugins are more than capable of simulating this, but you’ll obviously want to add that gain in the plugin rather than clipping your converters.
Hopefully that all makes sense!
@@eds4754wow!
a quick and thorough response!
thank you it made some points clear for me
@@justastonedrocker5009 No worries!
Hi,
yes i made such a list but as Ed said, it's just my (and other users) best guesses and only IK can provide accurate information.
i can not link it here but you will find it if you just google "Ultimate Amplitube 5 Input Gain List" (TGP Thread)
Maybe you want to give it a try :)
So what is the fix then?
For the time being, either the user has to guess for each individual amp, or IK could include more info in the manual or app somewhere.
Going forward, hopefully in AT6 they address is so the user only has to set one input level and then it’s accurate for all models inside AT.
With this in mind. Would the goldilocks area of added db or gain before the amp or after the interface be around +15 to +18? And does this logic also apply to a cleaner amp like let's say a 65 deluxe or jazz chorus?
The amount of boost required depends on what interface/headroom you are using. It’s also hard to say because it really varies amp to amp in amplitube, so depending on which amps you tend to use the goldilocks zone could be boosting 15dB or 0dB.
I think (most of) the more recent models tend to be more suited for 12dBu headroom, and most of the older stuff is more for -3dBu but it’s a total guess in my part. IK needs to give more information to find this out because all we can do otherwise is guess :(
But yes, even on cleaner amps you may need to boost 20dB or more. It can still produce a very clean response but it’ll feel much more realistic and responsive to play.
Ho Le Smokes! After watching this I can totally understand why all the guitar players are in an uproar about this. This is pretty darn bad. Extremely surprised you have to crank the plugin input that much to really get things working. Amplitude 3 doesn't seem to like hot levels like this.
I've got a question if you're up for it. When you add level to the plugin input, and start pushing it into the red... Do you figure that extra level giving you more distortion is due to getting better accuracy from the Sim?
I guess what I'm wondering is, is all that extra distortion when you crank input coming from the Amp Sim itself, or is the distortion from clipping the digital brick wall of the plugin input?
If you take your first example using the Orange amp, and crank the plug-in input into red, to where you're getting a nice amount of distortion from the Orange amp simulator, and then you turned off all the simulation modules, monitoring the DI through the plug-in with the input cranked, would that DI signal be distorting the brick wall of the digital plugin input? If you push the input in the plugin without running any amp models, does the DI signal still sound clean? I do know a couple of guys who love clipping digital brick walls and then sending those into real amps. I'm just wondering if all the extra distortion is coming from a digital brick wall clip instead of from the Amp Sim itself. Or maybe some combination?
Also, I'm gonna make a video this weekend clarifying a few of the things you pointed out about my video regarding input levels into modeled plugins. Is there any chance you'd be willing to have a video chat or phone call in the next few days? No pressure or hard feelings if not. I realize I'm a small fish here. I mainly just wanted to make sure I understood all of your concerns or objections. And I'm very interested in quickly picking your brain about this amp sim problem.
Regardless, hoping all is well with ya and thanks again for all this work you do. It's a thankless task and we all really appreciate it 🙌🏻
regarding the Amplitube input levels….
Once a signal is in the DAW, plugins process at a much higher bit depth and headroom than can exist in the real world. Plugins actually often work at a higher internal level than we record at, they just have boosts behind the scenes to get the signal where the plugin needs it to process audio.
Also, if you imagine a DI that is a dB or so below clipping, and then imagine how much level a real amplifier is adding, it would be TONS. Each 12ax7 gain stage can be 15dB, plus poweramp models and everything else. There’s essentially thousands of dB headroom internally in plugins - all we have to do is make sure we capture a good level into the converters, and don’t clip on the way back out. The plugin can handle whatever we throw at it and it won’t be less accurate. It seems a bit odd or counter intuitive to boost like 35dB and still get an accurate response but it’s perfectly correct. The same can be true of NAM models.
Likewise, if you mix with the faders really high, you can safely use a trim plugin as the first insert on the mix bus to pull the level down and there’s no issue. DAW’s operate at a much higher dynamic range than can even exist in the real world.
happy to schedule a chat!
@@eds4754 what you're saying about the headroom of a plugin makes sense. My ProTools is older but this is how it runs. It records in 24 but processes in a 32 bit float. So technically I can push a plugin 8 bits above the initial 24 bit threshold before generating an audible digital clip. This is super handy for linear stock plugins and ones not modeled in analog. But to my point of my video, you can't really mash the CLA76 input like this and expect it to hang like a Linear Digital Compress Plugin. The output is different story. You can definitely mash that. Not sure how this all works for guys running 64bit though.
Anyway, if I understand what you're saying correctly, pushing the Aplititube 5 input into red isn't causing any digital clip distortion. The signals is totally clean even in the red. So you're saying all that added distortion is strictly coming from the Amp Sim? And therefore, pushing the input is actually creating better accuracy from the Sim? Do I have that right?
@@thahacksawyeah, it’s just moving the signal closer to Amplitubes optimal range. The software can handle it perfectly fine, it’s actually providing it a more accurate level signal to what it’s designed for.
Some plugins even use 64 bit floating point so you’d have to be thousands of dB out to cause issues. Plug-ins have operated at high internal bit rates for ages but for a long time the pro tools mixer wasn’t as high. It basically meant that plugin to plugin you’d have to be more careful with gain staging
The Triple Rec has always seemed to have this issue, to me. So little gain.
the Rectifiers are probably the most disappointing emulation they’ve done. I did a video a while back showing how you can use a poweramp impedance curve to get back some of the real rectifier tone. It’s not great but it helps a lot.
It works great on the TC100, check my video there too if you haven’t seen it. I think IK used some weird ass loads when modelling some of the mesa amps so it takes some manual work to get them sounding realistic
@@eds4754 As a real life owner I was FLOORED with the Mark V emulation instead. The amount of detail that went into that sim is really impressive, and it sounds really good.
I was playing that one today, it’s fantastic
mesa boogie pack 1 isnt as good as pack2.
I felt the same when I was testing the mesa boogie
I really like the AT5 Mark series amps, but the Rectifier and Triple Crown seem like they were modelled with a resistive load and sound very bad to me. Don't sleep on the Mark models!
@@eds4754" Don't sleep on Mark models" means?
Hi, thank you for making me aware of this issue. Pretty much all of the Fender amps i have tried need +15 db to sound similar to gear demos i have watched. Was wondering why the Bassman isn't really distorting much when cranked.. However now i have the issue that i get massive background noise from putting the input gain all the way up. Noise gates wont help much cause it is still audible when playing with guitar gain rolled down for example and if i cut it with eq i also loose alot of desired frequencies.
Any ideas how to decrease the background noise without sacrificing tone?
Make sure you are using an instrument input and proper cables.
If you are using a laptop, try unplugging the PSU.
If the noise goes away when you roll your guitar volume down, the noise is from radio interference. You can shield and ground your guitar and try and point your guitar at an angle in the room that is quietest.
You should have no problem with noise when using plugins, internally they are adding tons of gain (they are modelling amplifiers which are adding way more than we would on an interface).
@@eds4754 Thanks, turns out it was my 20 year old audio interface that was causing all this noise. Seems there has been quite abit of evolution in interfaces since then :D I got an SSL 2 and it is really quiet even with the input gain turned up
I find the Fender collection to be pretty no worries with a simple -12db interface peak input. I don't even pay attention to the Amplitube input.
As usual answering the question no one knew how to ask hahaha. Great vid!
Ha reckon I’ve been using AT on and off with questionable results since version 3? Never made sense why some models seemed pretty on point and others…..weren’t
I noticed he gave an example of the sound, one dude had a podhd500x turned on with an effect. Can't compare just amps if the example has a pedal turned on, or including an AMP MODELER
What a disaster.
In your opinion, who is doing it best? (As far as emulation.. not including IRs or Captures.. and when I say "doing it best" I mean who seems to have the least discrepancies and just seems to nail it more often?)
Line 6, Fractal, Neural DSP.
Mercuriall, STL and Softube, Nembrini are also very good but maybe not as consistent (yet anyway). I’ve dealt with people from all of these companies and they are all totally awesome and worth supporting. Hopefully I’m not forgetting anyone.
The bigger companies really have an advantage with their infrastructure and support and that really counts for a lot to me. Softube have 100% the best customer support I’ve ever experienced and they are worth every penny for that alone.
The community is filled with awesome, dedicated and passionate people.
Best is really relative to one's taste. In amp sim VSTs, Neural DSP seems hard to beat. Their SLO-100 is spot on (so is the version in the Helix I must say). But for me, the amp sim that sounds and feels the most realisting is Scuffham Amps' S-Gear. But it "only" has 5 models "inspired by real ones: Custom '57 = '57 tweed, The Duke = Dumble-ish, The Stealer = Marshall, The Jackal = Sodano and the Wayfarer's clean is chimey vintage Fender (I can get close to my '89 red knobs Twin's clean) while the lead channel of the Wayfarer is the highest gain of them all and is definitely Mesa Rectifier inspired. Even has the graphic EQ.
The Jackal and Wayfarer are particularly chewy and satisfying. No gain structure issues here with any of them (my interface is an Audient iD14 MKII).
But lately, I've been very impressed with my newly purchased Helix (my regular rig is all analog). Helix Native which is the VST version sounds just as good with no gain staging issues there either. My iD14's Hi-Z input is not fully 1 meg so I appreciate the impedance control on the guitar input of the hardware Helix. It really makes a difference.
But in terms of more traditional amp sims, Neural and S-Gear stand above the rest for me.
@@StephaneBergeronPixelyzed I've got a HX Stomp 3 or 4 months ago and i am fully satisfied but i caught Helix Native for round about 80 Dollars with a discount. So i tried Native and it sounds even better to my ears. No issues with the gain structure und maybe (self biased) more saturated because i use the preamp (Hi-Z input) of my interface (M-Audio). I have a PRS MT 15 as well but never used it since my Helix is in the house.
@@StephaneBergeronPixelyzed I also have the Audient id14, but the MK1. I tend to think that that is something very strange with the DI Input of the Audients, at least mine. It has a lower SNR than the other ones, 500k ohm. Mine is actually +9dbU, playing with a very high output guitar and does not seems to have a good volume overall. Besides TONEX, which is a known problem, I tend to dislike majority of the plugins because either lack of gain, or so much gain. All of Line6 plugins sound horrible to me. It sounds like I'm playing with some horrible dead strings and no clarity at all, pure muddiness. Neural Plugins seems to work best in my case, but only the high gain ones. I'm testing a Ampero 2 Stomp right now and the difference is actually pretty huge when playing. It seems that my Audient DI is clipping on the higher peaks, even if the peak is lower than -6 dbFS. Also, the difference from the peak and the other notes is pretty substancial, as on the Ampero, it almost seems like it has a compressor on the DI. The notes are more even. Ampero max input volume is +14DbU though.
@@sevenagnbeats Yeah, I would prefer the Audient's instrument input to be the full 1meg but it still works good for me. Since I wrote the above, a few videos have come out explaining why we usally crank the interface preamp gain too much for amp sims. We should basically leave it at 0. Makes a huge difference. Everything sounds more natural and feels better to me in amp sims since I leave theiD14 DI input gain at 0. I'm surprised a high output guitar would not have enough gain for you. See this:
ruclips.net/video/u38nYg-M3B4/видео.html
And this:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bZHaapCiCg4RLIFqTS5KyUUVa4MwaqfxRCYk35Bvdrs/edit#gid=0
In my case, for some reason, even with the noise gate before the amp, there is still a bit of hiss. I can never elimnate it. This happens in every plugin I use. It is the most frustrating thing about playing the guitar for me. Do you have any recommendations for the levels on the noise gate, or even on the scarlet 2i2 (which is the interface I use).
Your findings are correct but not a real problem: there's lots of info on the Internet of the gain (or for a few, cut) needed for each amp model. Just insert an included clean boost or eq pedal immediately before the amp and dial the required gain in. Save it, and you're done forever, with no input level overloads etc.
the stuff online is information I’ve contributed to. It’s not really accurate, it’s just me and a few others making our best guess.
@@eds4754 none of using amp/cab/pedal/mic sims is ' accurate': just a tool to tweak in order to get as close to a desired sound as possible. This gain thing is just one of those tweaks, and no big deal. Arguably it's part of the fun. And just as a related aside, on a few occasions I've been able to compare two of the same real life amp and they are sometimes very different. Component tolerances, dud valves, Friday afternoon builds, Chinese transformers, design changes... who knows, but there is no such thing as a 'definitive' amp sound.
@@digitalchris6681 I’d kind of disagree when they are making models from a reference amp. There are some differences to be expected but input level is something they can easily just provide so you can then appreciate the variables of tolerances/voltages/bias etc.
In the case of Amplitube, it’s often not a small amount but it can be 30dB in either direction - that’s the equivalent of several 12ax7’s producing maximum gain. I’ve owned several of the same amps at the same time and component differences can often be dialled out - differences of 10dB of gain simply do not happen unless something is wrong. YMMV
@@eds4754 I once asked the IK team why the pc and iOS versions used some similar models of amps/pedals/cabs etc but many different. He replied they were designed by different teams, and so there was no chance that the product spec would converge in future. Same within any AmpliTube version: the pc one is around 20 years old and the modelling algorithm has had significant tweaks numerous times. Amp models have been added over this time, again I'm sure by different folk doing their 'own thing'.
I have also asked why it keeps crashing on startup and save, and the answer is OneDrive which on some pc's needs to be removed. Why? AmpliTubes core code is so old it predates OneDrive and is incompatible with it. And they apparently can't or won't debug that bit because that design team has long since moved onto other products.
If one team started from scratch today and designed version 6 I'm sure things would be very different but it won't happen (partly because folk like me will buy any new version even if it's just a slightly tweaked version 5!)
How much value does AT5 zero has ? Just like NDSP zero = 12.2 dBU ... Thx 🎉🎉
This video literally explains what’s going on with amplitube, did you watch it?
@@eds4754 yea I watched it multiple times , initially it was difficult to understand but finally I found out that each amp is a mess and differently calibrated unlike ndsp ie all amps are at 12.2 dBU 🙂🙂 ... Anyway Ive got a list of gain setting value for each amp , let's see how much it contributes to near to original sound ...cheers !
lol at 1:17 that is basically the kind of tone or representation I get all the time with sims. Mind you, the Fender Collection in Amplitube doesn't seem that problematic.
I use the amplitube 5 demo, because I forgot my amp at school and it's the summer vac and I have a preamp, and amplitube is the best option for me now.
it’s good software! don’t be afraid to crank that input slider :)
Amplitude is still in old fashion amp sim era. Classic degital-ish sound🤣
i do not have this issue in fact the opposite imgoing in at around -18db to -12db and sounds ass it should but if i mess with the latency it messes it up so in my opinion its got something to do with your daw asio driver download asio4all maybe that will solve your problem
@@RichardDuenaz The issue is to do with levels and not latency. And more specifically, that the level required for one amplifier model to produce the same amount of gain as the real amp is different between different amp models. So if your level is correct for one amp, it won’t be for another.
It might sound good at -12dBFS, but that doesn’t mean the model is necessarily producing the same amount of gain as the real amp at equivalent settings
Another great video from the 👑 glad to see the channel is popping off!
just picking up the scraps from the success of your channel!
@@eds4754 come join me at the top
As a programmer and a n00b to all things amp modelling, wouldn't this issue be related to
A - the data sample size and quality
A1 - making sure to sample an amp's gain and other settings at every one of the smallest incremental changes, with every single possible parameter combination
B - Making sure the software model accurately represents the sounds in the data sample.
C - Adjusting the software model when and where needed?
The issue is down to the fact that different A/D converters use different definitions of what a specific Voltage relates to a dBFS level. On one converter 1V may be -13dBFS, on another it could be -3dBFS.
This is what every developer has to account for with any modelled plugin, it’s nothing new or out of the ordinary. The issue is IK doesn’t seem to use a single definition for this.
@@eds4754 I'm going to have to do some reading to further understand this. Thanks for the info!
Someone suggested that it has a different calibration level for each amp model…. With a list of suggested levels.
ruclips.net/video/Im82KE-UHTA/видео.htmlsi=Td4t59UhA8d3R6nC
Yeah we spoke a bit before and guessed a few levels. He’s a good guy.
But there is so many amps to guess with a wide range of possibilities so it’s really hard to do with any confidence. and far too much work for a company to expect users to do when they can simply share this information that they already have
I think amplitube 5 does a great job for the fraction amount we pay for it. The real amps are always going to be the best but when you live in an apartment, these plugins are the best for our comfort.
My real tube amp still feels and sounds so much more real.
For sure, this is a toy. I have it as well as the tonex pedal, they're toys. I use for tracking and messing around. When it comes time to record I reamp into my mesa mark IV and oversized mesa 4x12 v30s/k100s and yeah there will always be a difference between a real amp and a profile/capture/sim
Unfortunately it is a problem not only in amplitube! I faced the same issue in many guitar ampsims.
This is true. I’m not sure I’ve encountered any from bigger companies that have such wide discrepancies though, often one value will be correct for all their models (and usually below 10dB for most people).
@@eds4754 Yes, I always add 5db before any other ampsims, rarely 10db, for bias fx at instance, and 20db before amplitube 🤣. But I really love the amplitube sound. Especially Orange, and really love cabinets in amplitube.
@@eds4754 the same issue has Overloud TH-U, for example, but even more interesting - plugin haven't got input level knob, so you must find solutions! I add EQ block before amp inside the plugin, leave all parameters at noon and crank up the level - only after that push models like Rectifier or 5150 real starts to sing, otherwise you've got the lack of gain and sound far from reference
I don't have any problems with amplitube. After all, the only thing we can be most sure about, is that we all have the same software. I must say, initially I struggled to understand how to set it properly, included input level. It is a difficult software, especially for people with no recording experience.
Personally, I have my strat directly into the audio interface (a scarlett 2i2), input gain at 10 o'clock, and INST mode (VERY important. As a matter of fact, I personally think you have your input in a LINE/MIC mode or strip). All input and output faders on amplitube are default, I don't touch them.
Are you sure the guitar is perfect though? Did you try with different instruments? Did you try your guitar into an amp? For real, I think the problem is the input stage. If that reveals to be not, I would suggest reinstalling amplitube or update the OS of the computer
Yes, I am very sure about all this stuff. You can check my other videos about very scientific methods for calibrating PERFECT input levels for almost all amp sim plugins.
The issue is that:
- IK don’t provide accurate dBu->dBFS reference levels for the amp models
- IK don’t use the same calibration for each model, different amps expect different levels to achieve the same amount of gain that the respective amps would provide.
The issue is that everyone uses different interfaces that produce different input levels relative to the analog level going into them. The ball is in IK’s court to handle this better.
Check my other video for how to set perfect input levels for other amp sims - that’s how simple it could be with AT5 too, if IK wants to provide more information.
It is his input. Either the lack of an active pick up, or the length of his guitar cable, the height of the strings, the gauge of his strings, so many variables, but he was so quick to blame the software. Just get a decent fucking guitar.
@@stainpain77are we just going to pretend that all converters and interfaces have the same specs even though they don’t?
We would all be better off learning how to mic an amp than wasting time on these plugins i feel. As a musician its supposed to make it easier to make music yet i get weird frequencies when i play high notes and just cant seem to get a good classic rock crunch
I think other plugins can achieve it well, and Amplitube has the potential if IK want to make things easier and more accessible. Things have improved so much over the years
i use a physical ZW-44 OD in front of everything….game changer
@eds4754 thank you for good cideos but what do you think about best amp vst? Which one is most realistic?
there are so many great ones. which amp?
@@eds4754 Look I know maybe this is too much but can you tell best marshall, orange, mesa, and 5150 vst's? and which one is most dynamic?
@@SuperMetalbird which Marshall? NDSP Nolly has an excellent 5150 and 2203. Amplitube also has a great 5150 (the satriani one), good marshalls and good oranges (when you adjust input).
Mesa is the hardest to get right. Amplitube and neural DSP do my favourite mark models. Line 6 and STL do my favourite rectifiers
I think I may be in the minority here, but for hi gain I’ve been using the McRocklin plug-in for the past few months and it’s replaced everything I was using before that. I used bias, ml sound labs stuff, a few neural dsp, and a bunch of free ones. Absolutely LOVE the McRocklin for hi gain. It’s a lot cheaper than neural’s stuff.
@@eds4754 tnx bro🙏🙏🙏🙏
is there a forum or something that has a list on what plug-in companies are expecting as input dbfs? i think mikko said ml soundlab expect 18db
someone tried posting Amplitube values on some forums, but unfortunately it’s all guesswork unless IK can give any assistance. They won’t but presumably AT6 will improve this.
No idea regarding ML Soundlab, can ask Mikko though.
Ml sound lab expect 18dbfs means? What should be interface input gain value ?
Overloud thu has get way closer to gain of amps. They also sound more realistic.
Apart from this problem with the input gain, in your opinion, do you think amplitube 5 is a good plugin compared to others on the market?
Absolutely, there’s some good amp models, good IR’s, tons of FX and Max can be bought quite cheap
Try a good DI before you hit your interface. A lot of Hi-Z inputs are so-so and dropping it down to mic level with a nice DI might help!
it’s good advice, but whatever interface you use afterwards will give a different level into the DAW and THIS is why the video exists. For instance, using a DI into a Behringer interface at minimum gain will give a much louder signal than the same DI going into a Prism interface.
I’m using an Avalon U5 into RME converters, the point is that Amplitube doesn’t know what the input chain is and doesn’t give any specific values on what will make it accurate. Check my other videos, I show how to gain stage for almost all other amp sim software for any interface :)
There is nothing like the real things...
should I use different settings for Active pickups?
Ideally you’d set the input level once, and then it would be accurate for ANY pickups or guitars. The most accurate input level would make the amp respond just as a real one would with any input signal
Tbh, I don't really get it. Like, can you not just turn that gain up on the amp?
not if you care about accuracy. The problem is the amp gain control should behave similarly to the real thing. That means the amount of gain with the knob at 10 should be roughly the same as the real amp, likewise the taper down to 0 should be approximately the same as the specific amplifier they’ve modelled.
Many amps have bright caps and gain stages that interact so if you turn the gain on the amp up or down you change these behaviours too.
There is ALWAYS a specific input headroom that will make any given amp respond the most accurately. Whether we know or not what it is, it always has to exist by definition.
I love amplitube 5 max.
My Amplitube 5 sounds great.In tune too.
@@StratsRUs The video isn’t about Amplitube sounding great or not though, I think you missed the whole point of the video.
Try going into audio settings on your PC then recording tab, then recording input, some sims require this to be significantly higher than others, try 90%, it doesnt matter how high your Guitar interface is its the recording input that will boost the gain, now this doesnt work with all sims, some sims especially the clean ones will need a quieter input say 40-50%.
This is the video I needed...
Works fine for me…might be user error
one recorded is with phone audio and the other with interface? no good compartive method i think
my clips were with the interface, but either way this video is about comparing the amount of gain, not matching the tone or cab IR or EQ.
The poor sound here sounds like either poor gain staging in the conversion or bad initial preamps in a cheap audio interface. I use a RME BabyFace Pro @96k and it sounds outstanding. Of course it sounds even better @ 192k.
I’m literally demonstrating in the video how Amplitubes internal input levels are all over the place. Btw I’m using RME ADI-2 PRO FS R BE and an Avalon U5
@@eds4754 Interesting it really sounds like a weak input signal to me I can get that sound by turning down I do admit its not as impressive at low sample rates. Things smooth outa lot when you raise the sample rate. I am sure that the actual amps might sound more live but I would still use Amplitude a lot just for the easy of use.
To my ears your sound is much more saturated than the actual amp, at least in the 333 latest sample. It sounds different, but it is not the distorsion I think. The general volume, the eq and the room. You can notice that the latest sound of 333 is like a simple overdrive and your 333 sound is much more saturated than a simple overdrive.
In these examples, i’m just comparing against random youtube videos so the cab and micing etc will absolutely sound different. I wasn’t trying to match tones - just the general amount of gain at comparable settings.
The overall point is that to roughly match the same gain as the original amps, different amp models inside amplitube need different input gain levels to one another.
For me, Fender plugins have these gain problems.
100% agree, I need to boost a good 15dB or so to get the "correct" response from the Fender amps. At which point they sound pretty good.
@@eds4754 Do you think it's a software problem? Or something related to Amplitube regulation?
Thanks finally a fine it👍
I just recently started using Amplitube 5 after buying a Tonex pedal this week. Both sounds horrible. I mean, just awful. I'm truly shocked that the Tonex sounds as bad as it does, though, and I can't find a reason for it.
are you using the stock sounds? I think 3rd party ones or ones you make yourself are MUCH better
@@eds4754 what are some good third party ones you would recommend?
i have the fu***** problem, that the output on close to evry single preset is overload (to loud) and there is no setting to set the output over all down... you load new preset, the output loudness jump back to, to loud.... the input on the interface and the program is low.... where the f*** is the the problem.? xD
Those Videos with the real amps are most likely recordet with some sort of boost in front. Thats why it sound diffrent.
Unfortunately, not the case. Every amp modelling plugin needs its input calibrated because everyone is using totally different input levels and the software has no way of knowing.
The issue is, Amplitube doesn’t seem to use one consistent value, every model is totally different. This is why it’s very hard to know what to set it to for an accurate gain response.
You are really giving IK Multimedia a bad name by not being too smart with your own gear. Mine sounds just like the youtube video...BUT>>>>it sounds like your input gain on your interface is set too low or you have a really cheapo interface. I am using an Audient iD14 MKII and it sounds perfect.
The issue is that if I raise the input level then some amps in Amplitube become way too gainy - each amp in there is different. Not knowing what level is correct is part of the issue, but the fact it’s not consistent makes it impossible to know.
The other issue is that it’s IK giving themselves a bad name - all they have to do is provide more information (that they already have) in their manual. It would cost nothing to do and take very little time.
I’m not the only person to have noticed this issue, it’s been mentioned for years
Omg this is all greek to me. I've been wondering why everything sounds like doodoo compared to the awesome youtube videos. I am using a cheap as hell M-Audio M-Track Solo but all the reviewers said it was a perfectly fine interface despite being cheap so I assume thats not the problem. All the presets sound like they're underwater, or they're great grandpa's amp with holes in the speaker. I don't even know where to begin with figuring out what exactly to do. What video/guide/resource would you refer me to to learn about gain structure/input levels/signal chain/all this stuff so I can at least know wtf is going on. I'm just a humble guitarist who used to plug and play with a simple amp and maybe some pedals. Amplitube has been such a disappointment.
I recommend a little bit of compression before Amplitube so the notes are even to get a more optimized signal.
Haha I just tried Amplitube 5 and uninstalled it after a few hours. For me it was the lack of harmonic content in most models.
Strange….what interface are you using?
this is with any interface. I showed it with an Avalon U5 into RME ADI 2 PRO FS R BE, but I have UAD Apollo’s and Volts and it’s no different. It’s an issue with how IK handle dBu->dBFS
Idk I use amplitube for a metalcore style and have no problem
The video is about accurate gain levels to the real amps, rather than dialling in tones that work. They’re 2 separate topics
It does NOT chug!
You can take my tubes from my cold, dead hands, haha!
I’m definitely an “amp guy” with far too many. Given the price of valves atm i’m clutching extra hard!
Been playing sims all week, yesterday I brought my JCM 800 in the garage and wow, worth every penny
same issue with all of neural's plugins
Neural use 12.2dBu as their level for all plugins
mine is incredibly noisy
WOW
So let me get this straight. If you went into a music store with all these different amps you would have to alter your input levels to suit each make and type but in Amplitude which has modelled these amps exactly you want them all to have the same optimum input gain?
It’s basically like this:
- Imagine Amplitube was a music store and that every amp and model from Amplitube was in there.
- Rather than plugging directly in to any of the gear, IK insists you have to go through their “mystery box”. That mystery box is a volume pedal and you have no idea how it’s set. It can adjust your signal by 40dB in either direction.
- to get back to the original level of plugging straight into the amp, you need to either boost or cut by a certain amount (so it removes the influence of this mystery box).
- if IK told you more information you could easily remove this interference. Without any knowledge, all you can do is guess.
- now imagine, it’s not just one box, but different amps and pedals have their own boxes. So what’s correct for one, isn’t for another
- the goal of this video is so the user can have the same experience as plugging directly into the gear, just like in a regular situation.
..just sounds like static to me, with a vaguely similarly sounding amp tone underneath it
Yeah, same shit. I deleted amplitube due to this. Now using uad (softube, brainworks) and nembrini plugins, they are so great and realistic!
Should get an Axe FX and never waste money on any of these plugins
the real champions get both
@@eds4754 I had Amplitube on my last computer actually! Unfortunately my last computer was obliterated by a lightning strike
@@colelewis9940y goto is Helix but I agree with u, Axe FX is great.
Well for one idk what daw software your using but can tell you right off the bat you don't have your settings setup correctly in the daw and why your getting a mix of the guitar saturation mixed in with mix
When the setup is correct there shouldn't even have any saturation and the fuller sound good luck tho
Amplitube 5 Is the best plugin in the world
it’s a great plugin but it has some glaring issues. It’s also very buggy for me :(
This is the worst example of amplitude I’ve seen. I’ve had it for about a year and literally play through it five times a week you’ve got something else wrong that’s all there is to it. Put this out like it’s something wrong with amplitude is insanely ding
Is what you are saying “because I don’t see an issue, it doesn’t exist”? Check my other videos for basically every amp sim (including Amplitube) that’s available compared to real amps. I am very well versed in dialling in modellers to match the tone of real amps, so I’m very confident Amplitubes gain staging is all over the place. I’m not claiming it’s an issue for everyone, but it’s quite obvious the Fender amps need a totally different input level to (say) the Marshall JCM800.
there are many other users who have mentioned this and proven it with several amps. If it’s not an issue for you, great, but if Amplitube improve this behaviour everyone wins.
Or learn how to play in tune and ignore knobs and numbers and just set it until it sounds good. Who cares if there are red lights. Just play and make it sound good. Every physical amp ever made requires wildly different knob settings to sound good. Follow the same principle here and you'll be fine.
playing guitar with one hand and a mouse in the other to demonstrate a point. How many physical amps have you used that have an input gain before the preamp?
That control is there SPECIFICALLY so you can adjust it so the amp behaves like the real world counterpart. It’s there to balance out the fact that everyone is using different input chains. If it’s maxed out and still undergained, then it’s a problem of the software not me.
Is this video not showing about dialling by ear and going by how it sounds? Did you misunderstand the video?
@@eds4754 The entire point of this video is saying that since he has to adjust the input gain, Amplitude therefore sucks. You seem to agree with me that input gain is something that is expected to be adjusted...do we even disagree?
@@musick777 The point of the video is that the built in input slider doesn’t even have enough range to get the plugin operating in a realistic way. It’s demonstrating that several amps will sound massively undergained compared to how they should sound without the user making some massive boosts. It needs lots of work and prior knowledge from the user to get it anywhere close to sounding like how it’s supposed to
well said
Who cares if there are red lights???? They are literally to tell you your shit is ain’t right. You can max out guitar amp knobs all you want with mixed mixed results but digital distortion caused by clipping the input sounds like trash every time. But go ahead and twist the knobs. And btw the guitar sounded plenty in tune to demonstrate his point. Damn bro, he is just trying to help people out and I think it is useful information.
it is also has extreme aliasing issues
One problem at a time 😂
I also believe some of the Mesa’s have been modelled with resistive loads and sound really off compared to how they should. Addressing the input gain alone makes a lot more of the collection way more useable to me.
Higher sample rates can help with the aliasing but some of the amps sound a bit different too!
also NAM and ToneX and even Neural DSP to an extent have quite bad aliasing. It doesn’t bother me too much honestly though, unless i’m stacking lots of gain
@@eds4754 I agree, Neural has the less aliasing, but for me aliasing is somethings that bothers me.
Honestly, you're using far too many technical terms, which makes it difficult to understand the issues, the reasons and the attempted remedy.
Explain yourself better, SIMPLER and show CLEAR examples of what you're doing.
Not everyone speaks in whatever technical language you're using.
Which part is difficult to understand?
The goal is to set a SINGLE input level that gives a similar amount of gain from the amplifiers as you'd get from the real thing.
@@eds4754
Firstly, if that was your objective, it absolutely WASN'T clear.
Secondly, I already explained the issues.
Which part is difficult for YOU to understand?
@@guitarizt68 I’d say on the whole the vast majority of people who’ve watched/commented on the video have had no issues understanding it. Sorry if it’s beyond your grasp, but you can embrace the opportunity to learn something if you want. I’m not going to make an even more dumbed down video just for you.
Honestly it’s very simple stuff for anyone using an interface and plugins so there’s nothing to lose.
Tell me a specific thing you don’t understand and i’ll explain here
@@eds4754
I didn't ask you to "dumb it down".
I explained that you're using terms that not everyone is familiar with, and your presentation is based upon an assumptive standpoint that everyone understands the rudiments, so you skip over them.
Let me further explain that just because the "vast majority of those who have watched/left a comment" may comprehend what you're saying, it doesn't mean that EVERYONE who has watched has felt that they've grasped the loose-at-best instructions of your video, nor do they feel comfortable enough to leave a comment (typically because people like me are treated with ridicule for speaking up).
Can you wrap your head around that concept?
Some of us have learning disabilities and have certain requirements for learning.
Our comprehension is based literally upon explanations that are complete and detailed, without a single thing skipped (often needing visual examples), so to assume that your interpretation of an explanation is thorough/sufficient enough for everyone to grasp, isn't even remotely accurate.
Given your ignorant response, thanks, but no thanks on your "offer".
I certainly don't need to be insulted further.