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So far I've downloaded the Amplitube2 demo, and have been quite impressed. Came up with a nice clean spacy sort of sound, along with some cool heavy pre-sets. I also just downloaded Guitar Rig3 demo. Unfortunately, the demo is only good for 30 minutes, which didn't give me quite enough time to mess with it. I did notice that it had a lot more pre-set sounds, with names that give you a pretty good idea of what the sound is about i.e. jimi's voodoo...I'm going to need to figure out a way to spend a few hours with it before I can make an informed comparison though.I'd love to hear from anyone that has either of the above and both their good/bad points about them. Harry

Check that...the GR3 Demo shuts off every 30 minutes so you can't save anything beyond that, but you can still re-start it again every 30 minutes, for 14 days...Also, I don't have any problem including the POD X3, along with any other possibilities, I'm still wide open...Harry

I've had Amplitube 2 for the last year (won it in a song contest) and absolutely love it. I came from a PODxt which has great heavy sound but doesn't have as much "feel" to it in my opinion. I've tried the demo of GR3 as well which I thought sounded nice too but I didn't see anything compelling vs. A2 to look at it deeper.I've heard great tracks using all of these, so the differences between programs may be more subtle than the capabilities of who is dialing the amp in. I'm also not an amp/tone junkie, I don't know if that makes my opinion more or less helpful! J.J.

Thanks J.J.I'm also interested in things like, simplicity, in using these programs. GR3 seems more complicated, but that might be because it has more possibilities....don't know yet....

I have the freebie version of amplitude that came with SONAR and I love it. I used to plug my BOSS overdrive straight in but don't bother any more. Amplitude gets a pretty nice range of sounds...and that's just the freebie. If I had all the other stuff I need more, I'd be saving up for that.

I think AT2 and GR3 both have different tones and can compliment each other well. Just like many guitarists have tons of real amps and pedals, it's not that unusual to have multiple software guitar sims. What kind of tones are you after?

May 2, 2008, 9:59pm, guest4254 wrote:Thanks J.J.I'm also interested in things like, simplicity, in using these programs. GR3 seems more complicated, but that might be because it has more possibilities....don't know yet....Amplitube just feels right for me from a sonic perspective, and I find it very simple to understand. I have no problem recommending it, but since you have the demos of both GR and A2, I'd mostly recommend going with what you like best!And...zircon does make a great point, one size does not have to fit all! If it did, GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) would not exist!

I have Guitar Rig, I think it's great. I think it's very simple to use, I have never once even looked at the manual.I'm not a guitar player, so I can't say how it compares to AT (or there's also Waves which is quite highly acclaimed) from a player's perspective...but it can take quality sampled guitars and turn them into something that is essentially indistinguishable from the real thing in a track...that's pretty good in my book.

I think AT2 and GR3 both have different tones and can compliment each other well. Just like many guitarists have tons of real amps and pedals, it's not that unusual to have multiple software guitar sims. What kind of tones are you after?Each and every song I work on has a totally different need, tone-wise, so I can't really tell you what tones I'm after. I suppose I'm after as many different tones as possible. I did come up with a clean/spacey sound on AT2, that I was blown away with...by luck, I made it up, just by putzing around with the effects...This is a pretty tough decision. I own several Native Instrument/ EastWest products, and am very happy with them, which makes me lean toward GR3...by the same token, I'm kind of feeling a bit more comfortable with AT2, maybe because there are fewer choices = less confusion...I still do need to spend more time with GR3 though....damn this is tough!!Maybe I could just hire Steve Hunter to play all the guitar parts for me....Harry

I have both and I prefer the Amplitube for more authentic warm sounding saturation. I find Guitar Rig3 to have some interesting sounds and very big walls of sound. For me it depends on the source material and what you looking to do. My go to sounds is still the Line 6 PodPro but I do love the flexibility of the software based amps.