I just downloaded this plugin and, moving to more of a digital amp work flow. After owning several Marshalls, Peavy, Fenders, Mesa etc. I have to say the digital process has caught up with amp modeling. As another person who posted "For me the mix is the tale..... What I walk away with is I can save roughly $3800.00". Also, from a strictly financial point of view-I am not a touring musician-I have a small home studio. So I need sonically perfect (as close as I can purchase) plugins to replicate the hardware-without spending thousands of dollars. The end point is to record music. Happy with my choice.
I was excited to try this plugin last week as I too have the pleasure of the company of an SLO100. Was particularly looking forward to this one as I've never really given much thought to what the other NDSP plugins are based on, I enjoy just diving in and seeing what's what - but this time I could make a comparison with the real thing. Initially I was surprised at how different the settings need to be to get the same kind of sound - e.g. crunch mode in normal channel the gain needs to be higher on the sim to get the same level of gain as on the amp (I guess that could also be impacted by various other i/o factors/levels though). Overall they can be made to sound very comparable in isolation and I'm sure the differences in a mix get even smaller. But, 'in the room' it's night and day - as good as the NDSP stuff sounds, they don't touch the real thing. 4k worth of better? No - not if that's the only spare 4k you have. If you can afford it though, playing the SLO feels 'an experience', really is a fantastic amp which merits its status. The NDSP stuff absolutely will get the job done in a mix though, no doubt about it.
So, if you add the 7 or 8k band to bring out that action on the Neural, you’ll get the sparkle but not the organic action. The stock SLO has that 7-8k sparkle and then it closes the envelope with the bleed off naturally. The EQ boosting on the Neural to match the snarl in the that range will work for the hits, but not for the recoil. The analog SLO circuit opens and closes the high mids percussively, it was Mike Soldano’s AI
In the mix you notice it ... lot of difference but the flavour is there to work and that is I think the point. By the way your late videos are better. IMO me you have done a shity gap for a while but I am happy to see that you return to the good stuff. I liked the move to help one of my favorites utubers Stay Metal Ray who have a much smaller channel.
You can't trust knobs on amps to be accurate... so actually to be fair he should have tweak the EQ and gain to be as close to the tube amp before the A-B. The tube amp was also noticeably louder that the sim which makes it more outstanding and attractive along with the additional brightness.
I've learned the amp still sounds better. I'm not sure you can get the plug-in to sound identical with an eq move, but you might get it closer with that free Steven Slate plug-in called Revival. With that said, the plug-in sounds awesome. IF you had the budget though, but not the budget to buy the amp, getting someone to reamp through the SLO could still be on the table.
@@ronniejacobsen3000 what does feel even mean tho? I play the same things with the same feeling thru my 6505 or a neural plugin. It's all in our heads.
@@boarderking133 I almost never play tube amp, when I first play tube amp 7 years ago, it blew my mind. I still remember how good it was to this day. I never have the same feeling with plugin. There is certain quality, I don't know, it sounds more 3D ish. I never get that in plugin
@@ronniejacobsen3000 no it doesn't, that's a bunch of bullshit. Just hit the damn open strings and compare the amp sound quality to the software. You don't even to "dig in" an amp, that only works on a fretboard and strings - it's still gonna be the same amp.
"Pretty close"- Mann to me it's day and night! There is so much more "life" in the soldano real amp.. wether or not that's worth nearly 4K it's up to the individual, but if I could chose, gosh definitely the real thing! Great video btw mate! Thanks for taking the time!
it's really good! having worked with soldano amps myself a while back they have a unique bite and low end to them that is so heavy and awesome. this neural definitely captures it really well, but I think they over exaggerated that mid bite. but as you said, simple EQ move fixes that. To me the differences are night and day, but still an incredible job of modeling. i'm curious how close it would sound if you did the EQ you mentioned. i also want to note that this mid range bump ISN'T a bad thing. I think for many this is a huge net positive. i found that when i recorded a real soldano for rhythm parts the mids get a bit lost and then shine in leads really well. This plugin fixes that issue with a more exaggerated/pronounced midrange. This also kinda wants me to open up that demo recording session I did for a band with a soldano early in my career (shout out to Severed (RIP) from NYC and Justin Whang for that experience).
The real amp has some really nice hairiness going on which makes the double tracked parts carry some more weight, but you can't understate how good the plugin sounds in a full mix. Awesome comparison Fluff!
Cool video! The real amp sounds easy more aggressive, but I do believe that you could easily achieve a very similar tone with a little bit of work as you mentioned.
It sounds like there may be a duplication of power amp in the cab section of the neural which adds the brighter and deeper of the amp if you have a reactive loadbox.
That's how you do an A & B comparison. I totally agree with you on just doing some EQ adjustment will get you there. And it's only 149.00 and right now going for 99.00 too. That's a no brainier. That's for doing a great job on this review. 🤘😁
I have an SLO-30 and this plugin does get almost all the way there. Primarily, I do find that the knobs do the same things, unlike a lot of soldano plugins. If I turn the depth knob or the treble knob a certain way, this plug-in and the amp react in the same basic way. That makes it really intuitive to set up if you're familiar with the amp.
You know what I´d love to see? A comparison between the NEURAL DSP Model and the LINE6 HELIX counterpart - using the same IR of course! That would be huge!
Technically, both real and virtual amps are just processing electric signals. It's just a matter of time until the digital processing becomes as good as the analog processing.
@@kimseniorb Exactly, you can talk about how close it is to the real amp, but its never the same. Also mix situations dont say much to me, playing next to the amp is where the real thing shines.
@@mikeanaro I think even in the recording these details matter a lot. the right kind of compression that glues the sound together, a natural sort of decay etc etc. the plugin is close enough to fool you, but its just not as pleasant sounding ultimately, I think we pick up on those detail’s subconsciously
agreed the plugin is darker, muddier almost as if there was a blanket over it but - at the same time it sounds more mix ready. What I heard in the SLO100 original in this case was frequencies in the 2-5k which I would prefer to cut slightly so that it does not sizzle as much. So with a couple eq tweaks during post processing on the neural or with slightly different EQ settings on the plugin or a slight movement of the mic I think you can get super close. :)
What I appreciate most about this video is the Brady Bunch style rounded side camera shot during the playthrough. The production efforts don't go unnoticed, bud. Oh yeah, guess the plug-in is cool... too...
Plugins will never replace real amps, but for bedroom producers like myself - these kind of plugins are a great addition. I have a Mesa Trirec, and its not always practical to record live. So mostly using plugins now. and it sounds really good.
Thanks for the comparison. The plugin seems amazingly good. I saw Tom Quayle's demo of the new plugin yesterday and was shocked by how incredible it sounds. 😎
I really like this NDSP release and it does sound excellent especially for me since I don't have a real Soldano SLO 100. Maybe in the future. Great video.
You could really hear the difference in the palm mutes. The plug in when palm muted sound way scratchy where the real amp had that good plam muted low end thump
Modellers in general seem to have that scratch issue, Axe Fx, Kemper, Plug-ins, etc. Using an IR Box though seems to also give that effect to Real amps. When I watch these demos, and the guys use something like a Two Notes Captor or Cab Clone, it really makes a tube head sound digitized, over micing a cab. Possibly more so than say a Kemper into a Tube Power Amp, into cab, with a mic.
@@ABHORRANCE831 it's like it drys out the signal if that makes any sense. Something about Tubes I just don't see being replicated. It's harder to tell in a full mix (to my ears) but in live settings you can definitely make out a difference between the tube/mic setup vs a direct signal from a digital amp
From what I’m hearing after listening to the A/B tracks, the plug-in sounds like there a blanket over the speakers in contrast to the amp which has more clarity, but they both sound great!!
I have the STL Amphub SLO100 plugin and got the Neural a couple days ago. The Neural is a little "muddier" as well. It's a bit more nasal. The STL Is more clear and open like the Actual amp here. That said, I was indeed able to eq the Neural plugin and make it identical. Bottom line...even if you have an SLO100 at your disposal, you can use either plugin and get the same sound into your DAW. Nice work, Fluff!
done. soundcloud.com/bob493/slo-vs-vst-plugin This took about ... 5 seconds to cut and splice everything, eq it out and level audio. The differences go from "eh thats pretty good!" to "I cant fucking hear a difference without direct AB comparison". The real amp is always the first sample, the vst is always the second sample. I put slight breaks between each comparison. For fun though... Tell me... whats the last one :)
@@davesacre First, very good! But... You're both right AND wrong haha. You're somehow the only one to figure out I used both! So I have them split 8 times; and spliced in. You very likely noticed my "split" when it goes into the palm mutes; this was left in intentionally. I wanted an easy to point out but potentially ignorable solution; that I could "point out" if people had doubts. If I just time correct the audio there, and synchronize it, Im not sure it would be discernible... but the fact is youre the only person to figure that much out at least lol. I think I should have lead with the plug part on the chugs... lol That said, just a fun 10 minute project. The best part is the people that apparently have super human hearing enough to tell how "shitty" this VST is, are somehow unable to figure out that its both real and plugin on the last track, despite me making it *somewhat* obvious. :D
@@JgHaverty Yep, I totally noticed at the palm muting part, but I had to click back and forth between clips to tell. :) From 2:23-2:41, I still only notice that one change, even after clicking around to check. I'm a plugin user, but it's fun and a good exercise to compare!
@@davesacre The main reason is because Im not directly "cutting" the sound, Im ducking the audio instead of cutting and pasting, and then using a dawmer multiband that gives it a "fluid" sound without changing the outputs. I was ... quite surprised what resulted, but like I said, I had to put the "cut" in to be able to point out that it was actually fucked with lol. That said, you have to keep in mind, Im using output audio from a compressed video on youtube that further compresses the sound, into my DAW, where Im digitally messing with it, then I have to compress the audio AGAIN to render it in a fashion that wont take 16 hours, then I load it up to soundcloud which then again compresses it... to your computers sound card which compresses the audio, to your headphones or speakers which again will color the sound. As long as its "close" you can play around with things and make them identical really; the power in VST's now is immense. That said, I enjoy how the VST SLO sounds, but CLEARLY the real deal is going to be superior. What actually impresses me the most about it though, is how it "feels". Its not something you can easily verbalize or explain with words, and unfortunately its not something you can quantify either; so we're stuck with a "Trust me". The SLO plugin "feels" amazing. Its far away superior to any digital solution I've played with; axe fx included. Like people are focusing wayyyyy too much on the sound quality. You can take a FREE vst amp sim, quad track it, master it with some multiband compressors and EQ's, then level everything and pan appropriately and it WILL sound good. Wont feel great to play though.
LOL! So true - I remember being blown away by the first Guitar Rig years ago and today it sounds s%$t, and now... well - I no longer own any hardware, put it that way!
So it is interesting that they were that close yet still so different at the exact same settings. So it raises questions like "Is this just a modeling thing?" "Is it an amp thing? Tubes, components, etc?" "Any plugin settings like input impedance?" There was definitely something different hearing them A-B, but if someone gave me the mix and said "Real or plugin" other than just assuming everything's digital now not sure I could have guessed it.
Well heres the thing... If you do this same exact process and test with two legitimate SLO100s.... youre gonna get the same results as this video mate.
Great comparison! The main difference IMO is just the cab-power amp impedance curve. Put the same ir with Z applied on the plug-in, and without the Z on the real amp, and they will be a lot closer. Most IRs don’t take impedance into consideration, and they sound muddy with digital modelers. But not when used with a real tube amp and a reactive load. I have noticed this myself with my amps and a suhr reactive load. It can be approximated with a scoop at around 400Hz, anyway
soundcloud.com/bob493/slo-vs-vst-plugin This took about ... 5 seconds to cut and splice everything, eq it out and level audio. The differences go from "eh thats pretty good!" to "I cant fucking hear a difference without direct AB comparison". The real amp is always the first sample, the vst is always the second sample. I put slight breaks between each comparison. For fun though... Tell me... whats the last one :)
Почему не добил звук плагина эквалайзером до полного сходства? Может быть это невозможно? В целом отличия довольно заметны. Плагин звучит мутно и глухо так, как если бы ему не хватало верха и верхней середины.
I would bet that the extra presence and saturation from the original amp came from the A/D conversion in the Ox Box as that's the only difference really in the signal chains. But like you said, its nothing a slightly knob turning in the plugin wouldn't fix. Neural DSP is on a roll!
I have been using the Archetype Nolly Plugin from Neural DSP during my last recordings (combined with some other IRs) because I like the 5150 feel of that "amp" (could get some "buzzsaw" tones out of it as well) and planned getting the Archetype Gojira....well, THIS changes everything. Neural DSP just nailed it again and makes NI, IK and even Overloud stuff look like toys (I used them a lot in the past). Audio Assault and ML Sound Lab are great as well, by the way.
Love ML sound lab. Their easier on the cpu than the neural. I think the only downside from ML soundlab is their still improving their products. But neural is final, so there are not so complete feature like in neural. But i use ML soundlab more often now after getting the cb4 is killer
Honestly, that software one could absolutely hang with the real one with some processing. Definitely loving how software developers are making really high dollar amps available (in some sense) to players on more of a budget.
It sounds way different. The plugin is way darker than the real soldano on this comparison, which is brighter and a lot more bite/presence. But i did the trial and hands down for this plugin/neural, it sounds really sweet.
This might be a stupid question but - I read somewhere years back that the way the SLO100 is built is that even when using the overdrive channel - the clean channel is still mixed into your drive sound. Not sure if that's true whether there is a clean direct sound mixed into your drive or whether it means that the clean channel gain control affects the high gain channel sound too. If someone could confirm that - maybe that's also the reason why the original would have sounded 'cleaner'? Still minor differences, well done Neural! thanks for a great demo
Yes, its called "cascading gain". The plugin uses the same exact configuration though. The issue with this video is he REALLY should have spent the 12 seconds to dial in some EQ settings to get it closer, because if you do this exact same test with two REAL SLO100's, youre going to get the EXACT same result as this video. They each have their own voicings because of the disparity in tolerances of the parts used to make them. Some are "thicker", some are "fizzier". They all feel and sound like an SLO, but they definitely have their own sound to each of them.
Damn!, last time I watched one of Fluff’s videos his room wasn’t flanked with a legion of amplifiers 😳 I see his love for Boogie’s has not diminished one bit 🤘
@@autodidacticprofessor869 Lol, I think the cali suite is the 2nd WORST one honestly. i.imgur.com/07uPUmA.png Honestly, I think for the "average" user, Nolly is probably the "best" all arounder; it definitely covers the most ground. With the SLO100 plugin out, that utterly and totally destroys the whole entire purpose of even slightly entertaining the Cali Suite. Its better in every way, even being just one amp. The range it can do is ABSURD. Being real honest, the Granophyre is kinda shit honestly. The funny thing is I was kind of expecting the SLO100 to be a "1 trick pony", but absolutely not. I havent messed around or even thought about getting the Gojira set; not my bag honestly, and all my friends had the Nameless suite that I honestly felt was a bit over rated, so ignoring those; of the "Archetype" stuff ,the Abais suite is by far the worst.... BUT it does that "Djent"/"Progressive" thing SUPER well, definitely better than any of the other suites. Now with the SLO, Im not sure if thats going to be the case any more. The "clean" amp is garbage; its like some shitty acoustic sim, which *kinda* works, but its not very good. Then the 2nd amp is awesome, but the third amp is dialed in WAYYYYYYYYY too hot and over saturates with the gain stupid low. I dont find it a very usable amp; its like running a bass amp honestly. MAYBE awesome for something like an 8 or 9 string guitar???? For 7s and downtuned 6's, its just too much. Plini and Wong are both equally good and equally surprising at their utility. Plini has this really fantastic "Vai" thing about it; just absolutely amazing for lead playing and instrumental type stuff, and the Wong suite is crazy good for like bluesy and funk stylings. As I mentioned earlier, the Nolly suite is by far the most utilitarian. Like I think the SLO100 is the best amp sim they've done, and its frankly better than anything on the archetype stuff; and I still think itd be a fine pickup, but for a single program purchase, I'd still recommend the Nolly set the most. Its honestly amazing how these suites all have their own identity and character; nothing feels "copied over" (save the effects, and well thats ok lol). Im pretty annoyed I bought the Cali suite now that the SLO came out; its just not nearly as good. I dont really know what they were doing with the Omega suite though; its really not great, or Im perhaps just missing the point I guess. BTW, if you order multiple products you get better rewards.... I got the SLO for half off :D
I think the plug in fit better in the mix but the amp sounded better in solo. Of course, in real world application you'd adjust EQ. This plugin does the 2006 metalcore thing pretty well, I must say.
The amp sim definitely sounds more mid focused and the highs are rolled up and the real one sound scooped and have the top-end that cuts through the mix. The question now is if the knob settings are totally the same for both especially the master knob at it will definitely change the character and voicing of the amp, and for this demo I think the amp sim's overdrive master knob is cranked up versus the real one.
I have a request. Just for fun, I want to see a back-to-back comparison between the Soldano SLO, The PEAVEY 5150 (or 6505), and the EVH 5150. I am curious to see the differences IF ANY in Eddie's tone over the years.
I wish you would have done the mentioned little EQ changes to show how little it would take. Not because I don't believe you, but because I think it would have really drove your point home!
Very good demo, the neural is very close and it could easily be argued that two real slo amps would sound just as different using the same settings due to part variance.
Super late to the party, but I'm really interested in knowing if the real SLO was sent to the computer via the FX Send (only preamp sound) or if it was sent using a Loadbox (also capturing the power amp section).
Absolutely great comparison shootout dude. Either when listening through my ATH-M20x headphones, or my Kali LP8s? It's a damn near "splitting hairs" argument against modern technology at this point. I definitely hear more top frequencies cutting through with the physical amp, but again like you said, that's an easy EQ tweak away from physically dropping an additional $3,800 on some wiggly air pressure. "Not that there's anything wrong with that." After many years of personally regretful and subjectively biased "cork sniffing" snobbery when regarding amp emulation in general? Combined with a short supply of "disposable income"? I've honestly been a straight up crow eating 21st century digital boy for a few years now with little remorse. I actually just scored an old Axe-Fx Ultra unit as a gift the other day, and I genuinely couldn't be freakin' happier right now. I do predict that Neural, and their game changing Quadcore flagship hardware technology, as becoming the new top dog in the tone yard, but ever since some variance of "component emulation" tech has become market mainstream? There's really no excuse these days for shitty guitar tone other than laziness, inexperience, or the Dunning Kruger Effect IMO. Solid content amigo. Stay gold Fluff! Cheers!
The plugin sounds like the amp with a blanket on it. Even in the mix, it sounds more distant. It's not just a matter of EQ, the plugin didn't nail the saturation and harmonics in the high mids and top end. Doesn't sound bad, but it's more like a 5150, which is similar, but more compressed and less complex.
Hi thanks for the great video. Question - how do you record electric guitar in a home studio? I know one way is to use a plug in. How would you record electric guitar using an amplifier? Please explain to me. I am new at this home recording. Thank you - John
Completely NOT indiscernible in the mix, still a really obvious difference. However, I get the direction Neural is going, and I like it. I prefer Neural's version in the mix. Much like how I love your excited treblez in your stuff. Super cool that Neural and a couple of other companies are attempting to release mix-ready tones. They captured the Soldano and gave it a little boost to cut through, I'm cool with that. Also, I'm 47 years old and above 16k things get iffy :)
It could be just volume differences creating more of a feel of a presence (not referring to presence settings on amps). The real thing just sound wider and louder. The volume doesn’t mean a change in tone but the real thing just sounded real.
Hi i would like to know what you think about ik multimedia is giving soldano plugin for free at the time of the release of the N dsp, I've tried both like you did only the plugin with the same ir and I think that sound both great there are some sonic differences like with the real one.
pull a little out of 250 & 500hz and boost 8k on the included 9-band EQ and there ya go! Neural DSP rules great video as always!
I just downloaded this plugin and, moving to more of a digital amp work flow. After owning several Marshalls, Peavy, Fenders, Mesa etc. I have to say the digital process has caught up with amp modeling. As another person who posted "For me the mix is the tale..... What I walk away with is I can save roughly $3800.00".
Also, from a strictly financial point of view-I am not a touring musician-I have a small home studio. So I need sonically perfect (as close as I can purchase) plugins to replicate the hardware-without spending thousands of dollars. The end point is to record music. Happy with my choice.
Yes, the plugin sounds a bit darker but the general character is still there. Nothing that can't be adjusted with the turn of a knob.
Yeah I was thinking the real thing had more presence/air to it and that was the main thing
@@adamdevo7179 the point of the video wasn’t to show how similar they COULD be, just how similar they are without any processing
A Maag EQ can help
@@adamdevo7179 You're basically talking out of your ass mate. Theres no way you're gonna be able to tell me which of the two the last sample is.
@@adamdevo7179 Whats your answer lmao
came for the guitar tones, but found myself drooling ur drum tones
great video, miss you ole friend
I was excited to try this plugin last week as I too have the pleasure of the company of an SLO100. Was particularly looking forward to this one as I've never really given much thought to what the other NDSP plugins are based on, I enjoy just diving in and seeing what's what - but this time I could make a comparison with the real thing. Initially I was surprised at how different the settings need to be to get the same kind of sound - e.g. crunch mode in normal channel the gain needs to be higher on the sim to get the same level of gain as on the amp (I guess that could also be impacted by various other i/o factors/levels though). Overall they can be made to sound very comparable in isolation and I'm sure the differences in a mix get even smaller. But, 'in the room' it's night and day - as good as the NDSP stuff sounds, they don't touch the real thing. 4k worth of better? No - not if that's the only spare 4k you have. If you can afford it though, playing the SLO feels 'an experience', really is a fantastic amp which merits its status. The NDSP stuff absolutely will get the job done in a mix though, no doubt about it.
So, if you add the 7 or 8k band to bring out that action on the Neural, you’ll get the sparkle but not the organic action.
The stock SLO has that 7-8k sparkle and then it closes the envelope with the bleed off naturally.
The EQ boosting on the Neural to match the snarl in the that range will work for the hits, but not for the recoil.
The analog SLO circuit opens and closes the high mids percussively, it was Mike Soldano’s AI
With the discount They are offering now and my repeat customer discount for $79 bucks this is the most amazing plug in I have ever seen.
In the mix you notice it ... lot of difference but the flavour is there to work and that is I think the point. By the way your late videos are better. IMO me you have done a shity gap for a while but I am happy to see that you return to the good stuff. I liked the move to help one of my favorites utubers Stay Metal Ray who have a much smaller channel.
Kinda odd he didn't include a third run-through with the plugin tweaked with more presence to see how close it can get
You can't trust knobs on amps to be accurate... so actually to be fair he should have tweak the EQ and gain to be as close to the tube amp before the A-B. The tube amp was also noticeably louder that the sim which makes it more outstanding and attractive along with the additional brightness.
@Der_Mantie you are a Der. Of course it's a freaking review!
The real amp sounds better, but the difference is not $3000+ to my ears. Bit of EQ and all that mucky midrange will be sorted
I've learned the amp still sounds better. I'm not sure you can get the plug-in to sound identical with an eq move, but you might get it closer with that free Steven Slate plug-in called Revival.
With that said, the plug-in sounds awesome. IF you had the budget though, but not the budget to buy the amp, getting someone to reamp through the SLO could still be on the table.
Alot of it has to do with playing feel, not just the sound. And that feel can make all the difference in the world.
@@ronniejacobsen3000 what does feel even mean tho? I play the same things with the same feeling thru my 6505 or a neural plugin. It's all in our heads.
@@boarderking133 I almost never play tube amp, when I first play tube amp 7 years ago, it blew my mind. I still remember how good it was to this day. I never have the same feeling with plugin. There is certain quality, I don't know, it sounds more 3D ish. I never get that in plugin
@@ronniejacobsen3000 no it doesn't, that's a bunch of bullshit. Just hit the damn open strings and compare the amp sound quality to the software. You don't even to "dig in" an amp, that only works on a fretboard and strings - it's still gonna be the same amp.
That intro riff was begging for the snare to be on 3 instead of 2 and 4.
"Pretty close"- Mann to me it's day and night! There is so much more "life" in the soldano real amp.. wether or not that's worth nearly 4K it's up to the individual, but if I could chose, gosh definitely the real thing! Great video btw mate! Thanks for taking the time!
pot values, master volume position, all little things adding up to the slight EQ change. it FEELS the same. the gain texture is the same. that's huge.
it's really good! having worked with soldano amps myself a while back they have a unique bite and low end to them that is so heavy and awesome. this neural definitely captures it really well, but I think they over exaggerated that mid bite. but as you said, simple EQ move fixes that. To me the differences are night and day, but still an incredible job of modeling. i'm curious how close it would sound if you did the EQ you mentioned.
i also want to note that this mid range bump ISN'T a bad thing. I think for many this is a huge net positive. i found that when i recorded a real soldano for rhythm parts the mids get a bit lost and then shine in leads really well. This plugin fixes that issue with a more exaggerated/pronounced midrange. This also kinda wants me to open up that demo recording session I did for a band with a soldano early in my career (shout out to Severed (RIP) from NYC and Justin Whang for that experience).
The real amp has some really nice hairiness going on which makes the double tracked parts carry some more weight, but you can't understate how good the plugin sounds in a full mix. Awesome comparison Fluff!
The video we've all been waiting for! 😬 Great!!!! Thank you! 🤘💪
the only video that makes sense about this plugin, thanks mate.
That's exactly the video i was looking for. Thank you very much. :) The actual amp sounds a bit brighter to me, but it's really pretty close.
Cool video! The real amp sounds easy more aggressive, but I do believe that you could easily achieve a very similar tone with a little bit of work as you mentioned.
It sounds like there may be a duplication of power amp in the cab section of the neural which adds the brighter and deeper of the amp if you have a reactive loadbox.
That's how you do an A & B comparison. I totally agree with you on just doing some EQ adjustment will get you there.
And it's only 149.00 and right now going for 99.00 too. That's a no brainier.
That's for doing a great job on this review. 🤘😁
I have an SLO-30 and this plugin does get almost all the way there. Primarily, I do find that the knobs do the same things, unlike a lot of soldano plugins. If I turn the depth knob or the treble knob a certain way, this plug-in and the amp react in the same basic way. That makes it really intuitive to set up if you're familiar with the amp.
This is what a real shootout looks like. I appreciate the video. Thanks Fluff!
You know what I´d love to see? A comparison between the NEURAL DSP Model and the LINE6 HELIX counterpart - using the same IR of course! That would be huge!
Jason Sadites did it on his channel, you can check it out. Spoiler: they sound the same
Loving the CKY vibes with the riffs!
Technically, both real and virtual amps are just processing electric signals. It's just a matter of time until the digital processing becomes as good as the analog processing.
any copy is always going to be inferior. to anyone with ears this comparison proves that there’s still a long way to go
@@kimseniorb Exactly, you can talk about how close it is to the real amp, but its never the same.
Also mix situations dont say much to me, playing next to the amp is where the real thing shines.
@@mikeanaro I think even in the recording these details matter a lot. the right kind of compression that glues the sound together, a natural sort of decay etc etc. the plugin is close enough to fool you, but its just not as pleasant sounding ultimately, I think we pick up on those detail’s subconsciously
@@kimseniorb You are justifying your real amps when you know none of this matters, just give up dude, plugins are the future, suck it up. lol
Me: "Hmm, plugin sounds a little muddier"
Fluff: "the Neural is a little muddier"
Me: *screams*
So you agree. The the plugin is the Neural, right?
I'm pointing out the fact that I thought the exact same wording Fluff used right before he said it. But go off lol
agreed the plugin is darker, muddier almost as if there was a blanket over it but - at the same time it sounds more mix ready. What I heard in the SLO100 original in this case was frequencies in the 2-5k which I would prefer to cut slightly so that it does not sizzle as much. So with a couple eq tweaks during post processing on the neural or with slightly different EQ settings on the plugin or a slight movement of the mic I think you can get super close. :)
Muddier? Darker maybe .
@@johnpinneriv9958 yes, Neural DSP is the brand that made the plugin, "plugin" means the software for the computer.
I'm new to all this stuff, so I would appreciate a video showing how to fix the hi end. Thank you!
The real amp sounds a bit brighter to me. Overall though the plugin seems to sound great! Thanks for the video 🤘
What I appreciate most about this video is the Brady Bunch style rounded side camera shot during the playthrough. The production efforts don't go unnoticed, bud.
Oh yeah, guess the plug-in is cool... too...
Plugins will never replace real amps, but for bedroom producers like myself - these kind of plugins are a great addition. I have a Mesa Trirec, and its not always practical to record live. So mostly using plugins now. and it sounds really good.
Damn that real SLO sounds 🔥
Thanks for the comparison. The plugin seems amazingly good. I saw Tom Quayle's demo of the new plugin yesterday and was shocked by how incredible it sounds. 😎
I really like this NDSP release and it does sound excellent especially for me since I don't have a real Soldano SLO 100. Maybe in the future. Great video.
You could really hear the difference in the palm mutes. The plug in when palm muted sound way scratchy where the real amp had that good plam muted low end thump
Modellers in general seem to have that scratch issue, Axe Fx, Kemper, Plug-ins, etc. Using an IR Box though seems to also give that effect to Real amps. When I watch these demos, and the guys use something like a Two Notes Captor or Cab Clone, it really makes a tube head sound digitized, over micing a cab. Possibly more so than say a Kemper into a Tube Power Amp, into cab, with a mic.
@@ABHORRANCE831 it's like it drys out the signal if that makes any sense. Something about Tubes I just don't see being replicated. It's harder to tell in a full mix (to my ears) but in live settings you can definitely make out a difference between the tube/mic setup vs a direct signal from a digital amp
@@ABHORRANCE831 100% true. I also find the IRs to be the most problematic factor compared to real cabs.
Agreed. I saw the promo with Mike Soldano and just bought it immediately.
From what I’m hearing after listening to the A/B tracks, the plug-in sounds like there a blanket over the speakers in contrast to the amp which has more clarity, but they both sound great!!
exactly what i thought lmao
I have the STL Amphub SLO100 plugin and got the Neural a couple days ago. The Neural is a little "muddier" as well. It's a bit more nasal. The STL Is more clear and open like the Actual amp here. That said, I was indeed able to eq the Neural plugin and make it identical. Bottom line...even if you have an SLO100 at your disposal, you can use either plugin and get the same sound into your DAW. Nice work, Fluff!
I think the next video should be you doing some processing to make the Neural sound closer to the real thing and then doing an A/B
done.
soundcloud.com/bob493/slo-vs-vst-plugin
This took about ... 5 seconds to cut and splice everything, eq it out and level audio.
The differences go from "eh thats pretty good!" to "I cant fucking hear a difference without direct AB comparison".
The real amp is always the first sample, the vst is always the second sample. I put slight breaks between each comparison.
For fun though... Tell me... whats the last one :)
@@JgHaverty Thanks for this. Sounds like the plugin at first, then like it switches to the real amp near the end. Happy to be wrong, though!
@@davesacre First, very good! But... You're both right AND wrong haha. You're somehow the only one to figure out I used both! So I have them split 8 times; and spliced in. You very likely noticed my "split" when it goes into the palm mutes; this was left in intentionally. I wanted an easy to point out but potentially ignorable solution; that I could "point out" if people had doubts. If I just time correct the audio there, and synchronize it, Im not sure it would be discernible... but the fact is youre the only person to figure that much out at least lol.
I think I should have lead with the plug part on the chugs... lol That said, just a fun 10 minute project. The best part is the people that apparently have super human hearing enough to tell how "shitty" this VST is, are somehow unable to figure out that its both real and plugin on the last track, despite me making it *somewhat* obvious. :D
@@JgHaverty Yep, I totally noticed at the palm muting part, but I had to click back and forth between clips to tell. :) From 2:23-2:41, I still only notice that one change, even after clicking around to check. I'm a plugin user, but it's fun and a good exercise to compare!
@@davesacre The main reason is because Im not directly "cutting" the sound, Im ducking the audio instead of cutting and pasting, and then using a dawmer multiband that gives it a "fluid" sound without changing the outputs. I was ... quite surprised what resulted, but like I said, I had to put the "cut" in to be able to point out that it was actually fucked with lol.
That said, you have to keep in mind, Im using output audio from a compressed video on youtube that further compresses the sound, into my DAW, where Im digitally messing with it, then I have to compress the audio AGAIN to render it in a fashion that wont take 16 hours, then I load it up to soundcloud which then again compresses it... to your computers sound card which compresses the audio, to your headphones or speakers which again will color the sound. As long as its "close" you can play around with things and make them identical really; the power in VST's now is immense.
That said, I enjoy how the VST SLO sounds, but CLEARLY the real deal is going to be superior. What actually impresses me the most about it though, is how it "feels". Its not something you can easily verbalize or explain with words, and unfortunately its not something you can quantify either; so we're stuck with a "Trust me". The SLO plugin "feels" amazing. Its far away superior to any digital solution I've played with; axe fx included. Like people are focusing wayyyyy too much on the sound quality. You can take a FREE vst amp sim, quad track it, master it with some multiband compressors and EQ's, then level everything and pan appropriately and it WILL sound good. Wont feel great to play though.
Wow... You nailed it with the comparison. For me the mix is the tale..... What I walk away with is I can save roughly $3800.00!
Amp sims have really come a long way.
LOL! So true - I remember being blown away by the first Guitar Rig years ago and today it sounds s%$t, and now... well - I no longer own any hardware, put it that way!
I've been impressed with Amplitube.
I open a new project and I open a audio track but It does't show up my new amplitude or ik multimedia plugs
So it is interesting that they were that close yet still so different at the exact same settings. So it raises questions like "Is this just a modeling thing?" "Is it an amp thing? Tubes, components, etc?" "Any plugin settings like input impedance?"
There was definitely something different hearing them A-B, but if someone gave me the mix and said "Real or plugin" other than just assuming everything's digital now not sure I could have guessed it.
Well heres the thing... If you do this same exact process and test with two legitimate SLO100s.... youre gonna get the same results as this video mate.
The plugin sounds compressed, but this can be resolved! I think its more than worth the money, sounds really great!
Great comparison! The main difference IMO is just the cab-power amp impedance curve. Put the same ir with Z applied on the plug-in, and without the Z on the real amp, and they will be a lot closer. Most IRs don’t take impedance into consideration, and they sound muddy with digital modelers. But not when used with a real tube amp and a reactive load. I have noticed this myself with my amps and a suhr reactive load. It can be approximated with a scoop at around 400Hz, anyway
Definitely a difference but not a $3000+ difference. Easily EQ'd to get even closer. Most impressive!
Sounds great the amp sim. I think the big difference its the harmonic distortion and the response to the sound
Damn, that's a tiny bit of EQ different. Incredible.
soundcloud.com/bob493/slo-vs-vst-plugin
This took about ... 5 seconds to cut and splice everything, eq it out and level audio.
The differences go from "eh thats pretty good!" to "I cant fucking hear a difference without direct AB comparison".
The real amp is always the first sample, the vst is always the second sample. I put slight breaks between each comparison.
For fun though... Tell me... whats the last one :)
*thank you for this video, it was done extremely tasteful!*
the neural needs a little bit less of mids on the mix and then its reeeeeeeealy close. AWESOME REVIEW!
I did the same thing and I'm happy with it.
would have loved to see you try to match the plugin to the real thing to see how close you can get it. great demo and looking farward to try it!
Great video. I own neither, but good to hear the plug-in is close as that is the only one close to my budget. Thanks for the video! 🖖🏼
Yeah..them guys and gals at Neural DSP know what they’re doing. Good shit as always, Fluff👌
Please tell me where can I find tabs for this riff?? 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
"This is my clean tone"
3:10
lmao that gave me a good giggle xD
How can run my new amplitube 5 in Logic Pro x
Почему не добил звук плагина эквалайзером до полного сходства? Может быть это невозможно? В целом отличия довольно заметны. Плагин звучит мутно и глухо так, как если бы ему не хватало верха и верхней середины.
The video was so good and the plugin sounded so damn good
Love the Topo Chico cooler, I love that stuff.
Nice comparison, thank you.
I would bet that the extra presence and saturation from the original amp came from the A/D conversion in the Ox Box as that's the only difference really in the signal chains. But like you said, its nothing a slightly knob turning in the plugin wouldn't fix. Neural DSP is on a roll!
Even on a phone you can hear the difference. Will still buy the plugin :D
I am sure adding a little noise to the raw di track 'before/after' the plugin can get you closer to the sound. Perhaps I am wrong but just a thought.
Dang!!! That Neural DSP Soldano SLO-100 plugin sounds impressive!!!
I have been using the Archetype Nolly Plugin from Neural DSP during my last recordings (combined with some other IRs) because I like the 5150 feel of that "amp" (could get some "buzzsaw" tones out of it as well) and planned getting the Archetype Gojira....well, THIS changes everything. Neural DSP just nailed it again and makes NI, IK and even Overloud stuff look like toys (I used them a lot in the past). Audio Assault and ML Sound Lab are great as well, by the way.
Love ML sound lab. Their easier on the cpu than the neural.
I think the only downside from ML soundlab is their still improving their products.
But neural is final, so there are not so complete feature like in neural.
But i use ML soundlab more often now after getting the cb4 is killer
THU Overloud (rig slo100) sounds better and more accurate than Neural
Curious how do you run the output of the hardware Soldano amp into the cab sim?
Excellent!, thanks for sharing
My favorite plugin ever
Great honest review
Honestly, that software one could absolutely hang with the real one with some processing. Definitely loving how software developers are making really high dollar amps available (in some sense) to players on more of a budget.
The sim did seem a lil muddy, but like fluff said, with a lil eq you can get em sounding the same. That plug in sounds great!
It sounds way different. The plugin is way darker than the real soldano on this comparison, which is brighter and a lot more bite/presence. But i did the trial and hands down for this plugin/neural, it sounds really sweet.
Nice job man. I like it
Greeat video, Fluff - thanks for your efforts! It shows how good the products from Neural DSP are - and how good are times for being a guitarist ;-)
This might be a stupid question but - I read somewhere years back that the way the SLO100 is built is that even when using the overdrive channel - the clean channel is still mixed into your drive sound. Not sure if that's true whether there is a clean direct sound mixed into your drive or whether it means that the clean channel gain control affects the high gain channel sound too. If someone could confirm that - maybe that's also the reason why the original would have sounded 'cleaner'? Still minor differences, well done Neural! thanks for a great demo
Yes, its called "cascading gain". The plugin uses the same exact configuration though. The issue with this video is he REALLY should have spent the 12 seconds to dial in some EQ settings to get it closer, because if you do this exact same test with two REAL SLO100's, youre going to get the EXACT same result as this video. They each have their own voicings because of the disparity in tolerances of the parts used to make them. Some are "thicker", some are "fizzier". They all feel and sound like an SLO, but they definitely have their own sound to each of them.
Damn!, last time I watched one of Fluff’s videos his room wasn’t flanked with a legion of amplifiers 😳 I see his love for Boogie’s has not diminished one bit 🤘
That's a very impressive plugin, but I'd have loved to hear it with the EQ tweaks to see how it matched up to the real thing.
Great comparison !
Out of all the Neural DSP plug-ins you've tried, What would you say is your favourite & why?
Personally I like the Fortin Cali Suite because it’s versatile. Great cleans and heavy stuff.
@@autodidacticprofessor869 Lol, I think the cali suite is the 2nd WORST one honestly.
i.imgur.com/07uPUmA.png
Honestly, I think for the "average" user, Nolly is probably the "best" all arounder; it definitely covers the most ground. With the SLO100 plugin out, that utterly and totally destroys the whole entire purpose of even slightly entertaining the Cali Suite. Its better in every way, even being just one amp. The range it can do is ABSURD.
Being real honest, the Granophyre is kinda shit honestly. The funny thing is I was kind of expecting the SLO100 to be a "1 trick pony", but absolutely not. I havent messed around or even thought about getting the Gojira set; not my bag honestly, and all my friends had the Nameless suite that I honestly felt was a bit over rated, so ignoring those; of the "Archetype" stuff ,the Abais suite is by far the worst.... BUT it does that "Djent"/"Progressive" thing SUPER well, definitely better than any of the other suites. Now with the SLO, Im not sure if thats going to be the case any more. The "clean" amp is garbage; its like some shitty acoustic sim, which *kinda* works, but its not very good. Then the 2nd amp is awesome, but the third amp is dialed in WAYYYYYYYYY too hot and over saturates with the gain stupid low. I dont find it a very usable amp; its like running a bass amp honestly. MAYBE awesome for something like an 8 or 9 string guitar???? For 7s and downtuned 6's, its just too much.
Plini and Wong are both equally good and equally surprising at their utility. Plini has this really fantastic "Vai" thing about it; just absolutely amazing for lead playing and instrumental type stuff, and the Wong suite is crazy good for like bluesy and funk stylings. As I mentioned earlier, the Nolly suite is by far the most utilitarian. Like I think the SLO100 is the best amp sim they've done, and its frankly better than anything on the archetype stuff; and I still think itd be a fine pickup, but for a single program purchase, I'd still recommend the Nolly set the most. Its honestly amazing how these suites all have their own identity and character; nothing feels "copied over" (save the effects, and well thats ok lol).
Im pretty annoyed I bought the Cali suite now that the SLO came out; its just not nearly as good. I dont really know what they were doing with the Omega suite though; its really not great, or Im perhaps just missing the point I guess. BTW, if you order multiple products you get better rewards.... I got the SLO for half off :D
I think the plug in fit better in the mix but the amp sounded better in solo. Of course, in real world application you'd adjust EQ. This plugin does the 2006 metalcore thing pretty well, I must say.
The amp sim definitely sounds more mid focused and the highs are rolled up and the real one sound scooped and have the top-end that cuts through the mix. The question now is if the knob settings are totally the same for both especially the master knob at it will definitely change the character and voicing of the amp, and for this demo I think the amp sim's overdrive master knob is cranked up versus the real one.
I have a request. Just for fun, I want to see a back-to-back comparison between the Soldano SLO, The PEAVEY 5150 (or 6505), and the EVH 5150. I am curious to see the differences IF ANY in Eddie's tone over the years.
I wish you would have done the mentioned little EQ changes to show how little it would take. Not because I don't believe you, but because I think it would have really drove your point home!
there is a difference but for the price difference for the real amp i think the plug in is damn good thanks for the video !
Very good demo, the neural is very close and it could easily be argued that two real slo amps would sound just as different using the same settings due to part variance.
Super late to the party, but I'm really interested in knowing if the real SLO was sent to the computer via the FX Send (only preamp sound) or if it was sent using a Loadbox (also capturing the power amp section).
Absolutely great comparison shootout dude. Either when listening through my ATH-M20x headphones, or my Kali LP8s? It's a damn near "splitting hairs" argument against modern technology at this point. I definitely hear more top frequencies cutting through with the physical amp, but again like you said, that's an easy EQ tweak away from physically dropping an additional $3,800 on some wiggly air pressure. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."
After many years of personally regretful and subjectively biased "cork sniffing" snobbery when regarding amp emulation in general? Combined with a short supply of "disposable income"?
I've honestly been a straight up crow eating 21st century digital boy for a few years now with little remorse.
I actually just scored an old Axe-Fx Ultra unit as a gift the other day, and I genuinely couldn't be freakin' happier right now.
I do predict that Neural, and their game changing Quadcore flagship hardware technology, as becoming the new top dog in the tone yard, but ever since some variance of "component emulation" tech has become market mainstream?
There's really no excuse these days for shitty guitar tone other than laziness, inexperience, or the Dunning Kruger Effect IMO.
Solid content amigo.
Stay gold Fluff!
Cheers!
The plugin sounds like the amp with a blanket on it. Even in the mix, it sounds more distant. It's not just a matter of EQ, the plugin didn't nail the saturation and harmonics in the high mids and top end. Doesn't sound bad, but it's more like a 5150, which is similar, but more compressed and less complex.
Hi thanks for the great video. Question - how do you record electric guitar in a home studio? I know one way is to use a plug in. How would you record electric guitar using an amplifier? Please explain to me. I am new at this home recording. Thank you - John
Completely NOT indiscernible in the mix, still a really obvious difference. However, I get the direction Neural is going, and I like it. I prefer Neural's version in the mix. Much like how I love your excited treblez in your stuff. Super cool that Neural and a couple of other companies are attempting to release mix-ready tones. They captured the Soldano and gave it a little boost to cut through, I'm cool with that. Also, I'm 47 years old and above 16k things get iffy :)
Great vid!!!
Anyone have any feedback on the IK Soldano plug-in they are giving away...close to the real thing or Neural's version?
How was the real amp signal captured in the daw? Captor X? Ox Box? Something else?
It sounds close enough that I'd feel silly as fuck to pay 4k for the real thing.
In fact, I ll dream playing with the real thing! But for recording or playing with headphones damn right!
It could be just volume differences creating more of a feel of a presence (not referring to presence settings on amps). The real thing just sound wider and louder. The volume doesn’t mean a change in tone but the real thing just sounded real.
hey fluff, did you make sure the eq on the plugin was off, usually its boosted and cut on weird areas
He always has the coolest shirts I swear. I just bought a badass rigs of doom beany
Hi i would like to know what you think about ik multimedia is giving soldano plugin for free at the time of the release of the N dsp, I've tried both like you did only the plugin with the same ir and I think that sound both great there are some sonic differences like with the real one.
Why didn't you try to match the sounds?