Amplitube or Guitar Rig?

[huggermugger]

Both of these plugins use a fair amount of HD space, especially Amplitube. I only need one. Do you prefer one over the other? Why?

[MrFigg]

I bought AmpliTube and then collected all the extra models. I don’t use it. I keep installing it and then uninstalling it almost straight away. Needs a buffer of at least 512 or it crackles. All the amps are saturated even in the cleanest settings. Don’t get me wrong, it is good and there’s lots of great effects but I’m not enjoying it in Reason. Still Kuassa for me.

[DaveyG]

Amplitube for me. I've tried 'em all and Amplitube gives me more than I need and I like the interface.
Works fine with a 128 buffer here, which is easily fast enough. I mostly record rock, metal and blues with it but occasionally some outrageous Prodigy-esqe stuff too.

Even though Amplitube would also be fine for Pop stuff I tend to revert to an ancient hardware Behringer V-Amp for that, which I realise is not everyone's thing but it gives me the stuff I want. I know how to drive it and I've used it for years (top tip: turn off the cab sims). It's been a long time since I miked up a real amp....too much faff. We really are spoiled for choice these days.

[MrFigg]

Amplitube for me. I've tried 'em all and Amplitube gives me more than I need and I like the interface.
Works fine with a 128 buffer here, which is easily fast enough. I mostly record rock, metal and blues with it but occasionally some outrageous Prodigy-esqe stuff too.

Even though Amplitube would also be fine for Pop stuff I tend to revert to an ancient hardware Behringer V-Amp for that, which I realise is not everyone's thing but it gives me the stuff I want. I know how to drive it and I've used it for years (top tip: turn off the cab sims). It's been a long time since I miked up a real amp....too much faff. We really are spoiled for choice these days.

What processor and how much RAM are you running if you don’t mind me asking?

[MarkTarlton]

I just used Amplitube as a placeholder for tracking drums last night so I could go DI without any spill in the drum room, used the JC120 on clean and it worked fine for that, don't like the overdriven tones much, but it's getting replaced with a real JC120 and AC30 once all the drums are finished.

[QVprod]

You can get some good mileage out of Guitar Rig 3. And that’s from me running virtual guitars through it. Tried the free version of amplitude in the past and never got on with it. I actually really like Presonus’ Ampire XT but I think it might be VST3 only.

[Wook]

Neither. Line 6 Native. It costs more but it's oh so worth it. I have a Boss Katana Artist amp and I prefer to use the Native.

[DaveyG]

Amplitube for me. I've tried 'em all and Amplitube gives me more than I need and I like the interface.
Works fine with a 128 buffer here, which is easily fast enough. I mostly record rock, metal and blues with it but occasionally some outrageous Prodigy-esqe stuff too.

Even though Amplitube would also be fine for Pop stuff I tend to revert to an ancient hardware Behringer V-Amp for that, which I realise is not everyone's thing but it gives me the stuff I want. I know how to drive it and I've used it for years (top tip: turn off the cab sims). It's been a long time since I miked up a real amp....too much faff. We really are spoiled for choice these days.

What processor and how much RAM are you running if you don’t mind me asking?

It's a 2 year old PC with a fairly modest i5 CPU and 32 GB of RAM. I'm running Amplitube in Studio One rather than Reason and the CPU meter is barely troubled by it. When mixing I sometimes increase the buffer, especially if I'm using much iZotope stuff but apart from that the 128 buffer is fine.

[MrFigg]

What processor and how much RAM are you running if you don’t mind me asking?

It's a 2 year old PC with a fairly modest i5 CPU and 32 GB of RAM. I'm running Amplitube in Studio One rather than Reason and the CPU meter is barely troubled by it. When mixing I sometimes increase the buffer, especially if I'm using much iZotope stuff but apart from that the 128 buffer is fine.

Hmmm. Must be the RAM. I’ve only got 8 GB.
You are recording guitar right?

[zabukowski]

Get Scuffham S-Gear for a start, it's incredible, i think the best available in terms of pure "amp" feel and dynamics. Very compact, easy to use, efficient and killer sounding. Also Mike Scuffham is a legend ... awesome guy

Additionally, I own both Amplitube 5 and Guitar Rig - if i have to choose only one, it would be AT5, no doubt. On the other hand, GR has some "modern" quality to it, so i find it extremely useful as well.

[DaveyG]

It's a 2 year old PC with a fairly modest i5 CPU and 32 GB of RAM. I'm running Amplitube in Studio One rather than Reason and the CPU meter is barely troubled by it. When mixing I sometimes increase the buffer, especially if I'm using much iZotope stuff but apart from that the 128 buffer is fine.

Hmmm. Must be the RAM. I’ve only got 8 GB.
You are recording guitar right?

Yeah, tracking guitars. It could be the RAM, or it could be a difference between Studio One and Reason, or it could be the open-ended nature of the plugin - maybe you have lots more stuff in the signal path than I do.

One slightly annoying feature of AT5 is that they got rid of the gate that was always at the head of the chain in AT4 and AT3. It means you typically have to manually add one to any factory preset you try or use an outboard one. Its not a biggie but it seems like an odd design decision.

[MrFigg]

Hmmm. Must be the RAM. I’ve only got 8 GB.
You are recording guitar right?

Yeah, tracking guitars. It could be the RAM, or it could be a difference between Studio One and Reason, or it could be the open-ended nature of the plugin - maybe you have lots more stuff in the signal path than I do.

One slightly annoying feature of AT5 is that they got rid of the gate that was always at the head of the chain in AT4 and AT3. It means you typically have to manually add one to any factory preset you try or use an outboard one. Its not a biggie but it seems like an odd design decision.

Now that you mention gates. I just bought a Stone Deaf Noise Reaper noise gate. Do you use a hardware noise gate at all? Trying to work out the best place to put it in my effects chain. Straight after the guitar, straight in front of the amp, in the amp fx loop or use the built in loop just around the noisy pedals. Where would you put yours?

[DaveyG]

Yeah, tracking guitars. It could be the RAM, or it could be a difference between Studio One and Reason, or it could be the open-ended nature of the plugin - maybe you have lots more stuff in the signal path than I do.

One slightly annoying feature of AT5 is that they got rid of the gate that was always at the head of the chain in AT4 and AT3. It means you typically have to manually add one to any factory preset you try or use an outboard one. Its not a biggie but it seems like an odd design decision.

Now that you mention gates. I just bought a Stone Deaf Noise Reaper noise gate. Do you use a hardware noise gate at all? Trying to work out the best place to put it in my effects chain. Straight after the guitar, straight in front of the amp, in the amp fx loop or use the built in loop just around the noisy pedals. Where would you put yours?

Nah, don't really uses one any more. When I did it was always a Boss pedal that had a send/return pair so you fed the guitar directly into it (or from a tuner) and then had the other pedals in the FX loop. These days it's straight into software land and processed there.

But to answer your question, the pedal goes wherever you find it does the job that you need. Start with it near the end of the chain but before the reverb or delay but it depends hugely on your chain and on your style of music.

You can even use two gates in a setup: an early one to suppress the pickup/cable noise and a later one to control the noise from, say, fuzz or distortion. That has the added advantage of making your board look more impressive.

[-008']

I know that I don't visit here much anymore but i randomly slide through and see.. a guitar thread!

Not that it helps anyone, but just yesterday I went for the sale and got "Bias FX 2 - Elite." from positive grid. It came with the Bias Pedal trio (dist, Mod , Delay) . I love that i can build and skin my own pedals and even load them into that physical Pedal box later. I'm a Reason head and a tweaker so I am having a ton of fun with that right now!

I always test these sims by trying to make what i grew up playing - my Dad's Tele > into an MXR Dist + > into a Fender Twin Reverb Deluxe.
Very happy with these guys. Sounds really good. Will add the Hendrix pack soon... because.

[BRIGGS]

Guitar rig.

1. i've been using it for years (better, the devil you know)
2. it has a great toolset for recording, modulating, combining, etc.
3. it always seemed less clunky, and more like Reason

[huggermugger]

Guitar rig.

1. i've been using it for years (better, the devil you know)
2. it has a great toolset for recording, modulating, combining, etc.
3. it always seemed less clunky, and more like Reason

Definitely reminds me of Reason's Rack, and all that great modularity.

[spencer335]

I have Amplitube 5 and Guitar Rig 4, so I'm not quite comparing the latest and greatest here as I've heard GR5 has improvements:

I find Amplitube 5's amp sounds to be significantly better but GR4 to be significantly easier and more fun to use - even getting to the tuner in A5 is a hassle. When I want to bang out a riff or practice I tend to click on GR4 but I'll use A5 to record a project that I take more seriously.

In both cases, there are far too many choices for amps/speakers/cabinets ... my best advice is to pick 1-2 that you like and just stick with it rather than going down the rabbit hole of option anxiety. I'll get GR5 at some point to see if it closes the gap on tones while maintaining the experience, but even that violates my rule of not having too many amp options.

[Lizard]

I have both A5 and G6 and I run a few virtual guitar VST through them. I am not a guitarist however and that may have a huge impact on decision making on which is best suited. For what I have wanted to achieve I’ve got more mileage out of Amplitube 5. For me there is more available gear (at a cost of course). More isn’t always better but sometimes more is simply more. I find the gear way more attractive and realistic in appearance if that is a draw to you and has an inviting aesthetic. I like how it keeps a single device in focus and you can easily see the device chain below. For a guitarist I think this would make more sense because it visually shows the use on how it would lay out on the floor. It’s easily manipulated if desired and to get to them you just easily click on them. A few clicks and you can change routing options. Guitar Rig is more Reason-like for sure so fits the work flow but long term after you have made and saved your favorite patches, I don’t think it remains a key issue. Of the two I think Guitar Rig will have a lower price tag if budget is an issue. But, if guitars in the mix is a priority for you then I think Amplitube has the edge overall.

[Iapetus 9]

I don't record the usual metal guitar tones, and so my needs have always been a bit different. I'm always looking for good sounding spring verbs, and well, digital just ain't there yet, and so I broke down and am now running through an actual verb tank before the computer. Guitar Rig lost me after 4. IMHO, they've dumbed it down and moved stuff that I liked around or into its own module that doesn't sound the same. Amplitube has always had the better Fender amps IMHO, but they don't get quite as dirty when pushed as the old GR4 amp, and it includes a bunch of stuff, pedals and the like, that I'll never use. So, both try to be the greatest at everything, and for that reason, just come off as good enough as long as you're notching the hell out of the usual singing digital frequency in post. There's better stuff than both out there now, like Neural DSP, and yes, Kuassa.

At the end of the day, it's up to you on what you like.

[jonnyretina]

Both of these plugins use a fair amount of HD space, especially Amplitube. I only need one. Do you prefer one over the other? Why?

Neither, prefer the sound of Softube Amp Room:

[stratatonic]

It's a 2 year old PC with a fairly modest i5 CPU and 32 GB of RAM. I'm running Amplitube in Studio One rather than Reason and the CPU meter is barely troubled by it. When mixing I sometimes increase the buffer, especially if I'm using much iZotope stuff but apart from that the 128 buffer is fine.

Hmmm. Must be the RAM. I’ve only got 8 GB.
You are recording guitar right?

I'm currently recording guitar with Amplitube 5 at 64 buffer. It's a decade old mac mini. It does have 16 gB RAM, though. So maybe that's the reason.
That said, Reason does use way more CPU than Logic or Reaper. Not just with A5, but all round.

[stratatonic]

@huggermugger I don't own GRig, but I have demoed several versions. I always thought that amps weren't that good, but the included FX were excellent. I have not demoed the latest v6, but I heard that there are some better sounding amps in there.
I have A5. I like it. But like mentioned above, just to open the tuning is a pain, and you can't dial in a good reverb on the amps themselves, but there are other post amp/cab options for that as well. I'm not sure what's included in the main app, but the X-gear pedals are really nice (even though I suspect most of the algorithms are from existing Amplitube pedals). It's just nice having them all in one pedal to try out new stuff with just a knob turn.
But A5 layout is more for a guitarist POV - with pedals on the ground. If you like the Rack-like layout of GRig, I'd go for that.

[jlgrimes]

Both of these plugins use a fair amount of HD space, especially Amplitube. I only need one. Do you prefer one over the other? Why?

Both are nice programs but I think in general, I like the Amplitube sound better, but I like the Guitar Rig GUI better.

Amplitube seems to update their software a bit more, but it is a more confusing program to navigate.

Guitar Rigs newest amps sound great, but Amplitube seems to have more/better models whos I think clean/mildly distorted sounds, sound better than Guitar Rig (but Guitar Rigs newest amp models are good here too, but they seemed to introduce Guitar Rig 6, promise newer amp models and we never heard back after almost two years).

Guitar Rig seems to be much easier to know what you are doing.

[MrFigg]

Put 16GB RAM into my pc an hour ago and AmpliTube is running pop and crackle free at 128. Guess it must have been that. 64 works fine too I think .

[PRCBK251]

I have both A5 and G6 and I run a few virtual guitar VST through them. I am not a guitarist however and that may have a huge impact on decision making on which is best suited. For what I have wanted to achieve I’ve got more mileage out of Amplitube 5. For me there is more available gear (at a cost of course). More isn’t always better but sometimes more is simply more. I find the gear way more attractive and realistic in appearance if that is a draw to you and has an inviting aesthetic. I like how it keeps a single device in focus and you can easily see the device chain below. For a guitarist I think this would make more sense because it visually shows the use on how it would lay out on the floor. It’s easily manipulated if desired and to get to them you just easily click on them. A few clicks and you can change routing options. Guitar Rig is more Reason-like for sure so fits the work flow but long term after you have made and saved your favorite patches, I don’t think it remains a key issue. Of the two I think Guitar Rig will have a lower price tag if budget is an issue. But, if guitars in the mix is a priority for you then I think Amplitube has the edge overall.

Lizard! Hey man, let me ask, have you had any crash problems on Amplitube 5 and the newest Reason, 12.5?

Myself, they both load fine, and open fine, but some patches (and it seems only some), crash Reason entirely after about 2 minutes of playing. Thanks for any input!