The Complexity of Guitar and Amp Interaction

The interplay between an electric guitar, the guitarist, and the amplifier is intricate. The delightful sounds that both the player and audience appreciate are not simply produced by connecting any amplifier to the guitar. The choice of amplifier, combined with the guitarist's personal preferences, has sparked the ongoing tube simulator wars.

Purists argue that the authentic tube sound can only be achieved through real tube amplifiers driven hard during recording. Conversely, some guitarists believe they can achieve their desired tone through emulation. Ultimately, the sound a guitarist is aiming for often hinges on the genre they are playing. For instance, a versatile plug-in pedal can provide a tube-like sound for rhythm guitarists, while options abound for integrating it with an app, a real amp, or a simulator.

This might hold true for genres like country or jazz, but blues or rock players often find the need for a genuine tube amp or high-quality emulator.

The Current Amp Emulator Wars

The current battles center on amp emulators: can they accurately replicate slight overdrives, heavy overdrives, or high-gain tube amplifier tones? While the best software amp simulators can be resource-intensive, it does not guarantee they are the ideal choice for every musician.

Key factors include how effectively a tube amp simulator emulates harmonic distortion, compression, and frequency response. Additionally, its performance is evaluated based on how well it mimics the speakers that deliver the sound.

A vital aspect of a tube emulator is its ability to mirror speakers using Impulse Responses (IRs).

Amp and Pedal Simulator Rivalries

Much of the ongoing discourse about guitar amp simulations on YouTube revolves around two key questions: Who produces the best amp sims? Are they comparable to real tube amplifiers? And when it comes to pedal simulations, which of the 300+ plug-in pedals stands out?

While my solid-state amp failed to satisfy my yearning for that distinct tube overdrive, I recognized that purchasing another Marshall or similar amp for home use was impractical. This realization fueled my quest for the ultimate tube amp emulator to recapture my desired sound.

Would a purist consider using a simulator? Perhaps, but only if the emulators can convincingly replicate a quality tube amp. True tube amp enthusiasts are typically averse to using anything other than real tube amps.

Understanding Amp Simulators

Guitar amplifier simulators are applications designed for PCs or Macs, utilizing digital signal processing to make it seem as though a guitar is connected to an amplifier, even when it isn't. The early versions of these simulators, developed five to six years ago, could recreate clean amp sounds, but none successfully captured the rich sound of cranked tubes.

A significant shift occurred around three years ago, when companies like Neural DSP began to innovate with advanced modeling techniques based on digital signal processors (DSPs). They explored the intricacies that make tube amps distinctive, including the effects of cranking the volume, voltage, and input levels, as well as the saturation of sound from tubes and transformers.

Modeling the Tube Experience

Developers of sim applications harnessed the insights gained from their studies of tube amps and created code to replicate that signature sound. I have invested in several simulators over the past few years, with Neural DSP being around 90% as effective as a real tube amp, costing me about $150. Unfortunately, it consumed 25% of my CPU, making it challenging to run alongside my other software and hardware.

Currently, I utilize the McRocklin Suite Guitar Amp and FX Modeling Plugin by PolyChrome DSP.

Hardware vs. Software Modelers

Unlike PC and Mac applications that rely solely on software, hardware modelers utilize DSPs. New products, such as the Suhr PT15, combine real tubes with Impulse Responses, allowing guitarists to record directly from the amp. Similarly, Laney has developed a solid-state amplifier that integrates DSP emulation technology, offering a sound reminiscent of actual tube amps at a more affordable price.

I am still on the lookout for a purely software-based modeler for my PC, though resource consumption remains a hurdle. This has led me to reconsider the merits of a hardware solution, even as I grapple with audio capture challenges.

The Search for the Perfect Pedal Sim

In addition to finding the best guitar amp simulator, I sought a pedal that could deliver a genuine tube sound. I spent countless hours watching YouTube demos of various pedals that might meet my needs. Ultimately, I settled on the Soldano SLO pedal, convinced I had discovered the ultimate overdrive pedal with a tube-like quality.

After scouring multiple sellers for the best price, I found it on Amazon. However, upon its arrival, I was disheartened. While it exhibited good tube emulation, it altered the tone to a degree that rendered it unusable for my purposes. Consequently, I returned it and resumed my quest for the ideal pedal amplifier.

Evaluating Products Through YouTube

Numerous YouTube videos showcase product demos, but only a small fraction compare different products side by side. However, many of these demos can be biased due to sponsorships, and often fail to address how a pedal emulator performs across different music genres. A pedal might excel in country music but fall short in rock, or shine in blues but not in pop.

This experience led me to a crucial realization: the only way to truly understand how a pedal sounds is to test it live with my guitar in a music store.

The Quest for the Ultimate Tube Amp Simulator

Many musicians, like myself, share the same ambition: to produce the highest-quality music possible, whether they are singers, songwriters, guitar players, or those involved in mixing and mastering. Achieving excellence involves leveraging knowledge and selecting the right components to create their final product.

While I currently utilize the McRocklin app and plugin, my journey is far from over. I am determined to discover the closest alternative to a real tube amp, whether it be hardware, software, or a hybrid solution. After evaluating over twenty software app sims and pedal emulators, none have yet met my expectations.

What have I learned from this pursuit? I refuse to be misled by deceptive advertising or sponsored YouTube videos. It is my responsibility to evaluate and test everything in real-time with my guitar, as this is the only way to find the tube emulators that will help me achieve my dream sound and conclude my guitar app simulator saga.