Effects Processor Articles
Using a Guitar Effects Processors Amplifier and Cabinet Simulation |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Jan 28 2008 |
This article is part of a series on reproducing your favorite guitarists sound. Read part 1 here...
Guitarists can spend years developing their tone. An elusive combination of guitar choice, effects, amplifier and cabinet, tone defines the specific sound of a guitarist and becomes as much a part of their artistry as the songs they write.
Of all the aspects of tone construction, one of the most difficult to experiment with is amplifier and cabinet selection. This is primarily due to the fact that - not only are amplifiers generally expensive - they can also be elusive. Certain models may have seen limited production in a bygone era and are now collector’s items, or impossible to locate. Others may simply be too large and impractical to take to a gig just to capture a specific sound for one or two songs in your set. Finally, many older amplifiers have become quite unreliable with age, and their older technology makes them difficult and costly to repair.
Fortunately, newer technology has found a way to neatly solve each of these issues. Guitar effects processor manufacturers have developed simple to use, sophisticated devices that can emulate some of the most sought after amplifiers and effects ever created. Using software they have been able to model the sound of scores of vintage amplifiers, cabinets and effects units and place it mere mouse clicks away on your personal computer. Similarly, recording software publishers have literally opened the doors to allow programmers to write software plug-ins that mimic some of the best effects processors on the market.
One program that has managed to achieve this feat is Guitar Rig 3 from Native Instruments. Guitar Rig is laid out on your screen somewhat like a ‘tone construction’ factory. Essentially divided into effects, amps, and cabinets, these basic units can be combined and fine tuned in a myriad of ways. Amplifiers and cabinets are modeled after real-life gear with dozens of examples ranging from the famous (Fender Tweed) to the more obscure (Orange). You can take a Mesa/Boogie head and put it on top of a Marshall stack, and then play with intricacies such as how far away the microphone is from the cabinet, what type of microphone is used, and even the reverb characteristics of the room the amplifier is located in.
If you are feel a little overwhelmed by all of the possibilities, Guitar Rig also offers hundreds of presets, many of which are designed to mimic the sound of famous guitarists or specific eras. Organized roughly by genre, you can scroll through sounds ranging from twangy bluegrass to late 80’s shred metal, all of which can be edited and then saved to your personal preferences. These presets form an excellent jumping off point for sculpting your own tone – it’s a little bit like having your favorite guitarist right there beside you walking you through his rack of gear.
A similar amplifier modeling program is offered by IK Multimedia. Amplitube 2 is focused on the Mesa, Vox and Boogie lines of amps, in addition to the Fender and Marshall Standards. A unique visual interface that actually displays the amplifiers stacked on the cabinets and effects pedals side by side on a pedal board gives Amplitube 2 a hands-on feel that will be appreciated by musicians familiar with the real gear being simulated. In terms of capturing the tone of famous musicians, IK Multimedia also sells an add-on to the Amplitube 2 software that models every single aspect of Jimi Hendrix’s rig, complete with Hendrix-specific presets.
The benefits of using software to model guitar amps is clearly not limited to lowering the amount of gear you have to pay for and lug around – the opportunities presented by this technology to create sound combinations that might not be possible with hardware are impressive and difficult to ignore. What would a modern digital delay pedal sound like plugged into an amplifier from the British Invasion? How would Hendrix’s fuzzed out wah sound if it were mic’d to crystal clarity? Software amp modeling offers a journey through music technology’s past that can help you to define your own sound of the future.
Last changed: Jan 28 2008 at 9:24 AM
Back
