Kinda OT - Amp Simulators

[John Egerton]

Hey guys...

I have a couple of questions regarding amp simulators...

I have heard a few sound samples of the Diezel VH-4 and I think its a very nive amp... However it is very pricey.

I was wondering I anyone has thought of making a simulator of this kind of amp... Much like Runofgroove have done in the past?

Also, I have a question about amp simulators in general...

When you buy a simulator such as a POD that they claim accuratley emulates the sound of 'Such an amp'.... Do they emulate the clean channel or just the signature drive sgnal of the amp?

Also... How do these things compensate for the fact you will be passing this into an actual amp? Surely that amp's main characteristics will pass onto the main output from the cabinet?

I was always confuse by this especially when looking at the simulators made by runnofgroove.

Thanks

John

[cd]

Keep in mind that the ROG simulations are just that - simulations.  Whether they sound close to what they are supposed to be simulating is open to debate.  I've breadboarded the Thunderchief and while it's a nice sound, IMHO it's maybe 50% of the way there.  It doesn't have the thumpy low end grind of a real cranked up Marshall, and IMHO the high end SHOULD be piercing - that's the sound of cranked EL34s.  Then again, the Thunderchief is real quiet and you won't have the cops after you.  What I'm getting at is it's impossible to capture all the nuances of a boutique amp like the Diezel (which is all about nuances - the circuit is nothing that hasn't been done before) in a JFET sim.

As for digital simulations like the POD, clean/drive depends on the simulation/patch itself.  On single channel amps, the whole amp is emulated.  On certain other dual/triple channel amps, a single channel is emulated (read manual for precise emulation.)  

Emulation products are nice for tweaking and recording, but when it comes time for performance, they lose some of their lustre.  For example with a POD, you spend days and days tweaking your settings with headphones 'til they're just right.  Then you get the floorboard and decide to gig with it, and you find your cabinet settings sound different cranked up at volume than with headphones (this is NORMAL - it's the way the ear perceives different volume levels).  So now you have to go back and tweak all your settings again for regular volume levels.  Switch venues or play in a different place and the sound changes radically again, so off to tweak you go... etc. etc. etc.   In short it's impossible to compensate for all the different amps/PAs/etc. that a simulator can be run into, so you have to do it yourself - which is a huge PITA.

[petemoore]

DIGITAL VERSUS JFET
 THAT COULD BE A CAN OF WORMS...BUT IMO JFET WINS FOR TONE BY A GOOD MARGIN, ESPECIALLY WHEN DRIVING A SEMI CRANKED DRIVEY AMP.
 DIGITAL MODELERS HAVE HUGE VERSATILITY.
 JFETS HAVE EXCELLENT TONAL CHARACTERISTICS.
 I HAD, AND HAVE SEEN DIGITAL MODELERS AND MODELING AMPS BING USED LIVE AND OTHERWISE , I DON'T HAVE ONE ANYMORE...WHEW...THERE'S PROBABLY BETTER ONES THAN WHAT I HAD...ALL OPINION OF COURSE...
 I USE THE SUPREAUX LIVE, AND ALOT FOR RECORDING. EXCELLENT AMP LIKE TONES IMO. I ALSO HAVE AN EIGHTEEN, ALSO EXCELLENT.