I agree with Brandon -- the various emulators were always missing something and for me they were therefore unusable. Until I hear VAR -- close enough to perfection to be negligible! I actually like its limitations -- tells me the developers really concentrated on getting just a few critical things right, as opposed to getting a lot of things marginally acceptable.

Great review, Brandon

I know exactly what you mean, i've done that and i never liked it.
I always got stuck for hours and hours creating the right sound, it's a killer for your playing and it's a killer for your time and money, even if you have the right attitude.
Since i record myself i understand better now the time and effort it takes to do it right.

Recording music has changed alot the past decade, nowadays it is possible to make a record at home without the need for the enormous studio's and equipment that used to be there for a quality record.

Still i like working in a studio environment because your not in your average home situation and it does have it's magic if you are working with a band, or a singer for that matter.(much more fun!!!)

In my case time is the big issue and therefore i use these plugins and everything else that helps me in my workflow.

As for the record,
My own equipment is an ART SGX2000 effects and preamp and two Gallien and Krueger backline 100 amps.
Old , i know, but it works.

For the plugins i use amplitube and guitarrig and, of coarse, the ART studio preamp ( only 45 euro's here in Holland)

grtz. Girore

In a studio you don’t want to spend too much time on mic placement, cable wiring, acoustics etc.

I'm not sure how many people have attended a real "big boy" session. It's SLOW SLOW SLOW. Everyone takes their sweet ass time getting there. They take their sweet ass time setting up. Etc. I can't believe the total lack of sense of urgency. I have to force myself to calm down because I feel the need to get in their and kick butt....which you must absolutely do if you are making an album ep or even more than 2 song recording in a weekend.

So for the big boys who've got a 3 weeks to get their guitar tracks done, they can take their time with the real amps and get them really smokin'. I've heard story after story of bands taking 3 days to get their guitar sounds before going to war. That's great and all, but for those of us who don't have such time to record a band, simply plugging into an emulator and going is infinitely more practical.

I'm not saying that I always use emulators. I still prefer the real thing when I have the time and inclination, but I agree with you. The workflow side of the emulators makes them outstanding for guys who are relatively new to engineering or don't have the time to deal with all the non-creative complications that amp recording can cause.

Brandon

In a couple of years everybody is using plugins to make their tone.
It's also a matter of time,economics and reliability.
In a studio you don't want to spend too much time on mic placement, cable wiring, acoustics etc.
Plug in and record immediately that's the deal we are going for and maybe in a lot of cases this is already true.
Is this a bad thing?
I don't think so.
Technics evolve and it should be that way or else we would still be flying in double decker airplanes!

Al these plugins don't say anything about your playing skills, that's where the difference is and that's where the new guitar hero's will rise.

I like amps, i like plugins, i prefer plugins when i'm recording, i prefer amps when i'm playing with a band.
I can foresee the day that i will be playing with a "laptop" on stage, a bit weird (I've tried it)
but it works.

Girore

In a mix, guitar simulation is working

I think this angle is the name of the game. Sometimes....in certain situations, the emulators have their limitations. However, when you actually go through the whole mess of mixing, you often find that these limitations are non-existent or at least non-apparent most of the time.

For many beginners, especially those who love their guitar rigs, it's a tricky business actually getting that tone to come through without boxiness, fizziness, or weirdness on the recording. Often the emulators have a "more there" sound even with their limitations.

Brandon

Rich

It is not the best thing in the world but it defenitely does do something with these plugins, they sound like they should sound, they come to life, at least to my ears.

So maybe somebody else does have the same experience.
Write it down and let me know.