Valves / Axe-FX / Kemper / Eleven Rack for Home Use

[digitalscream]

With amplitube, what kind of "interface" does it need?

Would DI box + mixer + good sound card be sufficient? Or does it insist on a USB doohicky?

I believe the only problem with using a sound card will be latency, unless it has ASIO drivers. I haven't come across a consumer-level sound card which can come close to the quality of something like an ART Dual USB (~£75), though.

I just finished an album where the artist recorded her parts in Amplitube which I then re-amped through the Axe FX 2.
The difference is absolutely enormous.

Ah, but there we have the difference between spending £100 on a decent-quality interface (and a few models) with some downloaded software and spending £2k on some dedicated hardware. I don't think anybody's ever going to argue that Amplitube is a direct competitor to the AxeFX II, though

[octatonic]

Ah, but there we have the difference between spending £100 on a decent-quality interface (and a few models) with some downloaded software and spending £2k on some dedicated hardware. I don't think anybody's ever going to argue that Amplitube is a direct competitor to the AxeFX II, though

Neither was I but the OP put the Axe FX in the title as a possible product for consideration.

Even with high end converters (I have an Apogee Symphony rig here) Amplitube still sounds a bit shit.
There are some good plugins out there though but IMHO Amplitube isn't one of them.

Pro Tools users should check out Eleven.
It sounds great- some of the rhythm guitar tracks on the album were done with that.

[clarky]

Even with high end converters (I have an Apogee Symphony rig here) Amplitube still sounds a bit shit..

I've never tried this one, but I have Waves GTR and Guitar Rig 4..
and to be honest, they are really good fx processors for everything but guitar..
throw an analogue synth through them and they sound amazing..
but with guitar they really do fall short

from the list in the title, the Axe, KPA and Eleven make the most sense if you want tone that both sounds and feels good..
and of those, I only have experience with the Axe..
and it is utterly superb..

[ChrisJordan]

How about some used "old tech"? eg Digitech GSP1101 or digitech 2112. Not the best in the world, but not the worst, and at a starting bid of £129 and £150 respectively not bad either.

[clarky]

How about some used "old tech"? eg Digitech GSP1101 or digitech 2112. Not the best in the world, but not the worst, and at a starting bid of £129 and £150 respectively not bad either.

great call... you can pick up a used 2120 for about 200 or 300..
and a 2112 can be converted to a 2120 very cheaply and easily [done it myself.. takes about 10 minutes] by getting the 2120 chip from Sound Technology...

[ICBM]

As an aside, I've always wondered why so many smaller amps-CLEARLY designed and aimed squarely at home players- don;t have headphone jacks. One would think that that's a no-brainer...

Because without some decent, and relatively expensive to put into a cheap amp, speaker-emulation circuitry, headphone outputs from non-modeling amps sound crap. With valve amps, you also have to have a built-in dummy load or some other means of muting the power section safely.*

OK, these things don't cost a fortune, but most small amps are struggling to be kept down to a budget anyway, since people expect them to be far cheaper than larger amps, when the economies of making an amp smaller and less powerful aren't as much as you might expect... certainly not proportionately with the power output.


*There are some fairly well-known amps that do in fact have these features.

[ChrisJordan]

great call... you can pick up a used 2120 for about 200 or 300..
and a 2112 can be converted to a 2120 very cheaply and easily [done it myself.. takes about 10 minutes] by getting the 2120 chip from Sound Technology...

All the people I know who've used the 2120 have only replaced it because, IIRC:

1. It is becoming harder to source spares for.
2. Digitech are not supporting it.

These two problems can be catastrophic for the live muso, but a minor annoyance for a bedroom slinger.

Here is a link to some handy info.

If I didn't have an AF2 and a Digitech GSP1101 in reserve, I'd get one for myself.

Edit: They seem to be easy to use too.

[Pyroman]

Because without some decent, and relatively expensive to put into a cheap amp, speaker-emulation circuitry, headphone outputs from non-modeling amps sound crap. With valve amps, you also have to have a built-in dummy load or some other means of muting the power section safely.*

OK, these things don't cost a fortune, but most small amps are struggling to be kept down to a budget anyway, since people expect them to be far cheaper than larger amps, when the economies of making an amp smaller and less powerful aren't as much as you might expect... certainly not proportionately with the power output.


*There are some fairly well-known amps that do in fact have these features.

That makes sense. Keeping the price of a small valve amp attractive to the masses can't be easy, and compromises have to be made somewhere...

A non valve example would be the Vox VT 20+. The addition of a higher quality speaker would make a big improvement to the sound of these amps. It would also drive the price up. The $179 pricetag is a big selling point with all that functionality. ( it actually sounds BETTER through headphones!)

[drwiddly]

All the people I know who've used the 2120 have only replaced it because, IIRC:

1. It is becoming harder to source spares for.
2. Digitech are not supporting it.

These two problems can be catastrophic for the live muso, but a minor annoyance for a bedroom slinger.

Here is a link to some handy info.

If I didn't have an AF2 and a Digitech GSP1101 in reserve, I'd get one for myself.

Edit: They seem to be easy to use too.

I got a 2112 which had been chipped to 2120 spec + a Control One board on e-Bay last year for £127.00. I have a GSP1101, a Prophesy and an Axe Ultra but I have to say that the 2112 sounds really good. I'm not gigging it but it's handy for home use and I might take it out with a GSP for back up and see how it does. Not the easiest box in the world to edit but, once you get the hang of the interface, it's straightforward enough.

For flexibility, you can't go too far wrong with a GSP1101. They're fairly cheap on the s/hand market, they have usb audio and a very good headphone out. Very flexible routing meaning you can use your valve amp, preamps, etc. in the loop for recording. XLR outs with proper speaker emulation (with the mustbebeta firmware, you can load third party IR's and there's lots of good free ones available), very good amp models and a decent selection of FX.

[clarky]

That makes sense. Keeping the price of a small valve amp attractive to the masses can't be easy, and compromises have to be made somewhere...

A non valve example would be the Vox VT 20+. The addition of a higher quality speaker would make a big improvement to the sound of these amps. It would also drive the price up. The $179 pricetag is a big selling point with all that functionality. ( it actually sounds BETTER through headphones!)

SoundTech still repair the 2112 / 2120
maybe just to be sure, call them and ask...

I have two 2120's [toured them, done albums with them]..
they are superb...

my pair are now retired from live work because after 10+ years on the road they're getting a little unreliable..
but this is not true for all units...
my two have been thrown around by airport ground crew cavemen and taken a serious beating...
funny.. cos if they'd not been kicked about so much
I'd have never even considered replacing them [VG-99 and Axe-II]