Getting started with amp sims without frustration

Intro

Using amp sims is a great alternative to plugging into a real amp. For practicing and recording at home a real amp is often just too loud. With amp sims you can practise in your bedroom with the tone of a cranked Plexi – without waking the kids who are sleeping in the room next door or annoying your significant other. Buying a couple of vintage tube amp heads, then some speaker cabinets and at last 2-3 microphones to record those cabinets will cost a small fortune. With amp sims you get access to lots of gear for a lower cost.

Using amp sim also has the advantage that your guitar tone is already in your computer making it extremely easy to record, loop, add multiple tracks or just play aling to a backing track. The quality of amp sims is now on a level that they are often used for commercial recordings, so if you want to use them for your new masterpiece you’re all set.

Getting started with amp sims can be a fun but frustrating experience. In this post we’ll try to minimize the frustration – we’ll go through what you need one step at the time and try to give some hands-on advise.

1. An interface

To get your guitar tone into your computer first thing you need is an interface. There are many available for all budgets. The main differences are in the number of in- and outputs, the quality of the preamps, and how they are connected to your computer (usb being the most common way). For most users just wanting to plugin their guitar 2 inputs will be enough. Several of the well-known brands have good budget interfaces to get you started.

Focusrite, Presonus, Audient, Behringer and Steinberg all make good budget interfaces that will cover your needs. For more info use Google to find and read some reviews on budget audio interfaces (like this from MusicRadar).

NOTE: the inputs of an audio interface have something called impedance. In order to not make your guitar signal dull you should make sure your audio interface have inputs with an impedance of at least 1 MOhm.

2. A DAW or plugin host

Some plugins have standalone versions so you can run them by themselves, but if you want to get started with amp sims you’ll really want to use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). A DAW is a program that is made to capture, record and edit audio files. They also allow you to host audio plugins. With a DAW you can also chain several plugins, for example inserting an overdrive pedal before your amp.

There’s a lot of DAW’s to choose from. Reaper by Cockos is popular by many because of its low price and flexibility. If you want to find a free full-featured DAW test Cakewalk by Bandlab. But many other are available and each DAW has it’s own merits.

If you don’t need to record there are other plugin hosts that are more performance oriented. Cantabile (which has a good free version) , Gig Performer and MainStage (if your on macOS) are examples in this category.

3. PLUGINS

Now that you have your DAW or plugin host all set up you need some audio plugins to load in it. Don’t go crazy and buy all the premium software out there on the first day. Get a small selection and take your time learning how things work and fit together. Get a few amp sims, pedals, impulses and whatever you feel is fun.

Start playing around while keeping your signal chain in mind. Learn the basics of your DAW like how to add FX to a track and then you can start building your signal chain. You would basically set up the plugin chain in your DAW just like you would setup your pedals if using physical amps and effect boxes. Some suggestions on how to order your pedals can be found in this article by Strymon.

A basic plugin chain in your DAW could look something like this:

Gate -> Overdrive/Distortion pedal plugin -> Amp Sim -> Reverb/Delay plugins -> EQ plugin

To get started, try some freeware plugins to get a taste of things. A few suggestions for you to try are the STL Tones/Ignite Emissary bundle (which also includes the excellent Nadir IR loader) or the Audiority L12X. For the bass players out there try the Ignite SHB-1 bass amp.

For more suggestions on good freeware have a look at our freeware page.

IR LOADERS

It won’t be long before you hear about IRs/impulse responses and IR loaders so it’s worth mentioning them right away. IRs can be used for multiple purposes (reverb IRs are pretty common for example). But when used with amp sims an impulse response is a small file that simulates the tonal characteristics of a miked-up speaker in a guitar cabinet.

An IR loader is an audio plugin that is used for loading IR files so you can use them in your DAW. An good freeware IR loader is the STL Tones/Ignite Nadir 3.0 which is included in the pack with the Emissary amp.

As in real life the cabinet, speaker, microphone and microphone position have a huge impact on your guitar tone. Many freeware amp sims don’t include the cabinet emulation so you will have to include that by yourself. This is done by placing an IR loader directly after your amp sim in the signal chain in your DAW. In this case the signal chain in your DAW would look something like this:

Gate -> Overdrive/Distortion pedal plugin -> Amp Sim -> IR loader -> Reverb/Delay plugins -> EQ plugin

To get some IR files to try head over to our freeware page where we list a number of good free IR:s.

4. Studio Monitors

To be able to get any sound out of your computer you need some speakers. Studio monitors are speakers specifically designed for audio production. They are (almost) always active speakers, ie they have the amplifier built-in, and they are made to make an accurate and linear representation of your audio. Many people start with a entry level set and quickly outgrow them. So the suggestion would be to go directly for a decent middle level set.

Don’t listen to your $5000 dollar guitar, your awesome aftermarket pickups and your top-of-the-line amp sims through $200 dollar monitors.

Additionally, ensure that the monitors are set up with precise and proper placement or they won’t sound right. Check this piece over at ehomerecording.com for some good advice on speaker positioning.

Spend some time doing research for the best monitors for your needs. And remember that the best plugins won’t sound like the best plugins on bad monitors.

5. Experiment and learn

Continue experimenting with your plugins and signal chain. See what tones you get and what you like. Take the time to really learn what every knob and switch on every plugin does and how it affects the sound. Take the time to learn the basics of EQ, compression, saturation and other basic recording / mixing techniques, it will make it easier to get the tones you want.

Gain-staging is another important concept. If you want a deep-dive into that check Ted Onyzsczaks tutorial on the site.

We hope to provide more guides and tips for beginners and intermediate users soon!