Scuffham S-Gear2 Guitar Amp Simulator

[elser]

Man O Man, best guitar amp sim I've heard yet. It comes free with the Slate Everything package, which is really cool in itself. But this amp simulator not only sounds great ,but also, IMO, has that feel of a real amp that so many guitar players are looking for. No fancy graphics, or obvious emulations, just really good sounding, playable, and versatile guitar goodies.

Jon

[mojobone]

Read all about it: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug12/a ... s-gear.htm

[elser]

That's a review of the previous version, which according to the review they seem to have liked. The new version now includes a reverb unit and modulation unit and some more amps. It's a different take on the amp sim thing. Definitely not as appealing to the eyes but fairly simple as far as dialing in a tone, has some great presets, and it sounds great to my ears.

[mojobone]

I'm not sure how it'd fare against current versions of Amp Designer or Guitar Rig, or any number of current software competitors, but I thought the designers' focus on feel has been present from previous versions and is probably still well accounted-for.

I often use a Line6 X3L modeling pedalboard, and barring the feel, it's mostly indistinguishable from the amps it models, (some, more than others) coming back over studio monitors; I quit bothering to mic up guitar cabs, other than for really exposed solo electric guitar parts. Sometimes convenience, speed and repeatability trump absolute sound quality.

Fortunately, if I need the latter, I have the greatest tube amp ever made, and a selection of mics. It's telling that Scuffham has included that particular amp, when nearly no other modeler does. As I noted in my review of the 1965 Fender Super Reverb, it's not for sissies, cuz it'll pull poor technique into razor-sharp relief. By the same token, it'll also reward complete command of your instrument, and that includes more than just guitars.

[elser]

I've been a fan, and still am a fan of Amplitude. I also have Guitar Rig and Revalver. They all have different strengths. I've been going to Amplitude mostly because I know the interface really well so no searching around for what I want to do. Same reason I go to Addictive Drums. There are other great drum programs, but the difference in sound can't make up for the familiarity I have with AD. But I like this Scuffham enough that I can see myself going there more now.

I've been thinking about getting that POD you have. A lot of the gigs around here don't allow live amps on stage anymore so direct in is the only way. I've been using the first version of the POD Pro which I bought new but I think they've made great improvements since then. I'm also considering a VOX Tonelab peddle. I have a Vox modeling amp, again the first version of it, that I like a lot. Have you tried the Tonelab?

[mojobone]

I haven't, but the Korg/Tonelab stuff is well-regarded, and at one time, I pulled off a bunch of restaurant/coffeehouse gigs with nothing but their pocket-sized Pandora and a volume pedal, direct to the PA. My entire rig fit in my guitar's gigbag; you gotta love that, especially if you're taking the bus, which I didn't, but I coulda. The same technology is in their SV-1 Stage Piano, but I'll have to opine that their Fender Super Reverb doesn't quite hold a candle to the real thing, though it's still completely usable in a professional context.

I love my POD X3L, it's a Swiss Army knife, useful in nearly any situation, (for bass, for keys, for vocals even, so long as you don't need phantom power for your mic) and particularly if you want to take some processing load off your computer recording rig. For druthers, I'd get Line6's new Helix system, which compares favorably with offerings from Axe/FX and Kemper, in sonic terms, but provides more flexibility and truly intuitive, yet comprehensive control. (and all of the above feel and react just like your favorite tube amp) Then again, $1500 is a lot of scratch, for guitarists, who'll still have to pony up for a way to have all that firepower heard.

[CBOHN]

I love the Slate Everything Package! I've been subscribing to that and EastWest's Composer Cloud. It's a game changer to get access to this stuff for $20 or $30 a month.

The fact that they just added the Scuffham plug-in to the package was a nice surprise. I prefer it to Guitar Rig, it's less processor intensive and more streamlined. Oftentimes, having too many options results in me spending two hours of "mixing" just flicking components on and off in Guitar Rig. It's great to have some limitations...

[elser]

i agree on Guitar Rig, it's sooo NI, tweaker head paradise. Has lots of great special effects and big sounds but when it comes to fitting it in a mix you gotta turn some stuff off. Though I do go to the Rammfire for big distorted guitars sometimes. I'm getting the Slate package for free for 4 months, not sure if I'll re up when it runs out. I've become pretty dependent on that Relab reverb, it's going on almost everything now, but some of the other stuff is redundant for me. My go too Slate stuff is the virtual console and FG-X but I already own those.

[CBOHN]

I can't get that reverb to load work as a VST in Ableton. Not sure why-I've reinstalled it multiple times and it's activated on my iLok. Is it worth me troubleshooting to make it work?

[elser]

Yes, that reverb sounds great. I've never used the hardware version, the LX480, but it's legendary and word has it this is a spot on emulation. In any case it sounds great. It's laid out a bit different than most reverbs I've used so I find starting with a preset is best. I think it would be worth your while.