Help Me Go Ampless : Amp Sim Pedals Discussion

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Telliot
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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by Telliot » Wed Jan 25, 2023 6:04 pm

I watched that today. Pretty good review of of the Dream.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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Embenny
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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by Embenny » Wed Jan 25, 2023 6:10 pm

Telliot wrote:
Wed Jan 25, 2023 5:23 pm
Hopefully I'm not coming off as combative. I feel like I've been down this road so many times only to come up short. It feels like this could be an actual solution, but I was hoping someone here had experience with these.
No, you're not coming off as combative at all.

Sometimes, you just have a vision for the way you want something to go. If this pedal has the user experience you're looking for, that's all that really matters.

I like cost efficiency and having more options rather than less. It's not for me.

You have a use case where you value simplicity, sound quality, and a particular user experience (plug in, spin physical knobs, treat it exactly as you would an amp and have it respond like an amp). Makes total sense that this would be the right thing for you.

There are multiple other pedals that aim to do that at a lower price point (like the Fender-branded BOSS pedals), but I don't think they sound as good.
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marqueemoon
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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by marqueemoon » Wed Jan 25, 2023 6:15 pm

Telliot wrote:
Wed Jan 25, 2023 5:23 pm
Hopefully I'm not coming off as combative. I feel like I've been down this road so many times only to come up short. It feels like this could be an actual solution, but I was hoping someone here had experience with these.
You’re not.

I don’t have experience with this particular pedal but I have been using a Tech 21 Blonde in conjunction with the Iconoclast for years now, and from a creativity standpoint it has been a real game changer.

It’s permanently patched into my recording setup and I can be tracking in seconds.

To me being able to record when inspiration strikes/when I have time (usually late at night) ultimately is more important than the finer points of toanz.

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sal paradise
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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by sal paradise » Wed Jan 25, 2023 10:03 pm

I really like having knobs to play with. I went from pedalboard to Line 6, then to boss MS-3, before going back to pedalboard for exactly this reason.

If I wanted one of those amp sounds, it would be a no-brainer for me. Just for the straightforward nature of it. You’ve got VSTs in case you want to Mesa Dual Red for the odd lead part or whatever. If the pedal hits 90% of your everyday recording sound, makes sense to me.

A few studios I know run their software through a desk still, and it all feels natural to me. I’m by no means an early adopter with tech, though. Was slow to the iPod & iPhone. ChatGPT doesn’t really interest me, even though I’m a knowledge worker and it’s immediately relevant/probably useful. I enjoy things straightforward. Like an amp sim as a pedal with knobs.
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by redchapterjubilee » Thu Jan 26, 2023 3:51 am

I thought the 55 Woodrow was going to be my recording solution and it turned out to be really really fussy on the preamp side and sounded nothing like my tweed deluxe. The front end did not like my pedals and while it does the Neil young collapsed deluxe thing it doesn’t do all the other things a good deluxe does. I have a friend that swears by the Ruby though. But he’s an AC30 into Blues guy.

That said, simple for me was certainly better. I went from a Pod to an Atomic Firebox in 2018. The AFB sounded amazing but it had way too many things to tweak and rather than play it I was always moving things around with it plugged into the laptop. When strymon released the iridium I went in that direction and sold the AFB. It does three amps reasonably well. I’m never wowed by the emulation just playing it but on recordings the tones sit nice and I don’t feel like I’m hearing a direct recording. Sounds like an amp. The Fender and Vox emulations sound really good to me but the Marshall…I dunno. The walrus amp pedal is good too and I will likely get one at some point.

But I’m also going to recommend the load box/IR setup, like a Suhr RLIR, which completely revolutionized my ability to record guitar at home. Some amps work better with it than others. I took on a beater ‘70 Bandmaster a couple of years ago and that amp and the RLIR together is perfect. When I record now I don’t listen to it and think I’m missing that extra 4% or whatever.

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by ryland » Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:33 am

I don't have direct experience with these UA boxes, but I have been using a Strymon Iridium for what you're talking about for the last few years. I'm using it for 'Fender Clean' and running a lot of pedals and loopers into it for both headphone practice and straight to the PA live performance. It works perfectly for me. I did load different cabinet IRs almost immediately, which made it sound much better.

I do find that fuzz pedals can sometimes have a bit of digital hash to the sound, but I don't know that anyone but me notices in a live setting...that said, it's the least offensive occurrence of this problem I've heard when running fuzz into a hardware interface. I've read that the UA boxes suffer from the same problem, but I don't know to what extent.

I have no doubt that the UA boxes, the Boss version of the Iridium, or any of the similar interfaces will do what you want. It's really just a matter of how much flexibility you want and which layout works best for you.

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by sal paradise » Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:13 am

ryland wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:33 am
I don't have direct experience with these UA boxes, but I have been using a Strymon Iridium for what you're talking about for the last few years.
When the Strymon is off, is it still sending a powered signal?

Also, can you only plug it into a powered cab?
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by ryland » Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:22 am

sal paradise wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:13 am
ryland wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:33 am
I don't have direct experience with these UA boxes, but I have been using a Strymon Iridium for what you're talking about for the last few years.
When the Strymon is off, is it still sending a powered signal?

Also, can you only plug it into a powered cab?
I'll have to double check the first question, since I leave it on all the time. From what I remember, the 'off' setting is just a passthrough of whatever sound is running into it. So, for example, if you just had your guitar going into the Iridium then to a PA, if the Iridium is off, it will just be the guitar running into the PA.

The Iridium doesn't have a power amp, so it couldn't push a cab like a real amp, if that answers your question. It would need a PA or external power amp to drive a non-powered cab.

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by sal paradise » Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:36 am

ryland wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:22 am
sal paradise wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:13 am
ryland wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 5:33 am
I don't have direct experience with these UA boxes, but I have been using a Strymon Iridium for what you're talking about for the last few years.
When the Strymon is off, is it still sending a powered signal?

Also, can you only plug it into a powered cab?
I'll have to double check the first question, since I leave it on all the time. From what I remember, the 'off' setting is just a passthrough of whatever sound is running into it. So, for example, if you just had your guitar going into the Iridium then to a PA, if the Iridium is off, it will just be the guitar running into the PA.

The Iridium doesn't have a power amp, so it couldn't push a cab like a real amp, if that answers your question. It would need a PA or external power amp to drive a non-powered cab.
Ah, cheers. For a moment I thought it might do it all.

I guess I could add an ehx magnum 44 for going into a cab. But then things start getting overcomplicated for my dreams.
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by ryland » Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:38 am

There are some Quilter modeling amps that have an integrated power amp. I have had mixed experiences with these, though.

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by sal paradise » Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:56 am

ryland wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 6:38 am
There are some Quilter modeling amps that have an integrated power amp. I have had mixed experiences with these, though.
I was really into the BluGuitar Amp 1 Mercury as it is everything I need. Just way too many features & double what I’d want to pay.

Will stop derailing this thread now :ph34r:
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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by Telliot » Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:07 am

No, please continue! This is a great conversation and I was hoping it would go this way so I could learn from people with experience in this area.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by Larry Mal » Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:25 am

Telliot wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:07 am
No, please continue! This is a great conversation and I was hoping it would go this way so I could learn from people with experience in this area.
Me too and I'm hoping you buy one so I don't have to come off four hundred bucks.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by sal paradise » Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:33 am

I’ve just been floored by the Orange Micro Stamp. Tube preamp with 20w solid state power amp. £125.

1x 8/16 ohm Speaker out & emulated recording/headphone out. Oh, and effects loop.
I have nothing to offer anybody, except my own confusion?

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Re: Can we talk about amp sim pedals?

Post by Telliot » Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:50 am

sal paradise wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 7:33 am
I’ve just been floored by the Orange Micro Stamp. Tube preamp with 20w solid state power amp. £125.

1x 8/16 ohm Speaker out & emulated recording/headphone out. Oh, and effects loop.
How’ve I never heard of these before?? It seems like an affordable solution for sure, and with an FX loop for my pedals plus a cab sim for recording straight into my DAW this kinda seems like a no-brainer.
The cool thing about fretless is you can hit a note...and then renegotiate.

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