Showdown at the Clubhouse | Amp Software Vs. Amps

Feb 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Mike Levine

AMP-MODELING SOFTWARE AND VINTAGE AMPS GO HEAD-TO-HEAD

BONUS MATERIAL
Take the Listening Test

The Big Day

On the day of the testing, I arrived at the studio around noon. I'd asked the panel to show up at 2 p.m., figuring that two hours of setup time before they arrived would be sufficient to tweak the sounds on the amps and get the audio files and Pro Tools sessions transferred to the studio's computer. I brought session files for the six examples, which contained the audio files bounced from each of the modelers and the unprocessed DI files to be sent through the Reamp (from manufacturer John Cuniberti) to the actual amplifiers.

One thing that took a lot of time was changing my Pro Tools session files to match the output scheme of the studio's Pro Tools interface. Then it was a matter of getting sounds dialed in on the real amplifiers for each of the examples, writing down settings, and making sure that the volume levels of the actual amps matched those of the files from the modelers. I also had to pay attention to the input trim level on the Reamp, because that governed how hard we'd be hitting the amp, which would impact the sound.

We set up the amps in a room called the Library, which sits next to the main live room. The reason we did this was that we didn't want the panelists in the control room to hear even the faintest bit of amp sound bleeding into the control room when the actual amp was being fed from the Reamp.

Despite the able efforts of Clubhouse assistant engineer Eli Walker, the process of setting up took longer than expected (see Fig. 3), which meant that the panelists ended up sitting around for an hour waiting. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem. It was a nice day, and they were sitting in the studio's backyard, geeking out with tech talk. Unfortunately, one of the panelists, John Holbrook, had a limited time window, and the delay meant that he couldn't stay for all the tests, which was a shame.

Let the Testing Begin

We were finally ready to start the listening session at about 3 p.m. The panelists sat in the control room, and I handed out scoring sheets to each of them. They would listen to the various versions that were routed through the studio's Neve console and an EMT Plate reverb. The monitors were Genelec 1031s. For each of the six examples, the panelists would listen to the various versions consecutively. They would have no prior knowledge of which was the real amp and which was a modeler. I asked them to write down which version from each group was the amp and which was their favorite.

Amp: 1964 Blackface Fender Twin Reverb

Modelers: Amp Farm 3.0, AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix, Eleven, and Guitar Rig 3

Twin, example 1, was a clean, rootsy, country-influenced example that was played on the ESP Strat and featured both chords and lead work (see Web Clip 1). As the five versions were played, the panelists scribbled down notes (see Fig. 4). So which was the real amp? “To me, it's obvious,” said Goodwin. “I have a couple of ideas,” added Tozzoli. When I revealed the answer, sure enough, Goodwin, Tozzoli, and two of the other three panelists had guessed which was the real Twin. The fifth vote was for the Amp Farm version. “If it's this easy to pick out the amp in all the tests, it's not going to be a very interesting day,” I remember thinking.

But as it turned out, I needn't have worried. On Twin, example 2 (see Web Clip 2), which was more of a rocking rhythm part (although still fairly clean), only two of the five panelists picked out the version with the real amp. Interestingly, the Amp Farm version got the other three votes. Although Goodwin had guessed the real amp, he said that he also liked the AmpliTube Jimi Hendrix version. So did Orofino: “Nice, very tight sound,” he commented. Moshay, the other panelist who had voted for the real amp, liked the Guitar Rig version. “It was good,” he said, “although a little flat sounding.”

Because of the extra time spent during setup, Holbrook had to leave after the Twin examples. Now the panel was down to four.

Amp: 1963 Vox AC30 Top Boost

Modelers: Amp Farm 3.0, AmpliTube 2, Eleven, GTR3, Guitar Rig 3, and ReValver MK III

For AC30, example 1 (see Web Clip 3) — a crunchy, British-style, '70s-like rhythm part that I had recorded with the ESP Strat — only Goodwin guessed the actual amp. The other three panelists each chose different models, which indicates to me that either the AC30 is an easier amp to emulate than the Twin or a crunchy amp sound is easier to simulate than a clean one. Tozzoli commented that the Guitar Rig version sounded “damn good.” Orofino's favorite was ReValver, which he said had more-focused mids. Moshay also liked the ReValver version, as well as the one run through AmpliTube.