Pick the real amp...

erockomania

erockomania

Experienced
Hey folks, there has been some debate in a thread or two over the past few weeks about how close the axe was to the real thing and a "sonic imprint" that seems to carry across various models. I thought I'd do my best to see just how far the AXE has come by putting up 4 of my favorite amp models up against a real tube amp (which was run into a River Rock Crusher and then into an Ownhammer IR in the CABLAB plugin).



As I have no axe to grind here (pun intended), I gave each amp mix treatment to get things to sit the way I like (this means a touch of EQ where necessary and level matched the parts by ear). All patches have different IRs, some have drive blocks/pedals and some have a little deep editing while others have very little. I wasn't trying to coax out the "sonic imprint" but rather getting tones I'm pretty happy with (although these tones would likely change in a different context). Some of these clearly work better than others in this tune but I tried my best to cover a decent amount of ground in three separate riffs. The bass is exactly the same on all 5. It is not EQ'd to each set. Each amp has been reamped with the same exact DI.

--------please don't mind the sloppy playing, lol------

I'd like to give one trust-worthy person the key to this test which will be revealed in a few days just so you know there is no trickery and the reveal is not based upon user feedback at all. I have no person in mind, but please mention who you think I should give it to.

Gear:
Skervesen Nebelung with BKP Juggs
Dingwall Combustion (into AXE patch)
Superior Drummer 2
 
Last edited:
Hell, I can't tell listening through my monitors several times. I can hear the differences but not anything that I can say is the real amp.
 
I'm going to go with #4, because it seems to be a tiny bit more saggy.

#5 just sounds like a totally different amp -- a completely different feel from the other 4 -- so I wouldn't guess you'd toss that in there with the discerning ear you have. You'd at least TRY to make it sound like the others if it was the tube amp. ;)

Loving the groove of those riffs, BTW.
 
I'm only listening on computer speakers, just to give myself more of a challenge (and partly laziness too), but while #2 sounds the best to me, I'm going to guess the amp is #3. They all sound great in their own way, the only one I don't really like is the last one. They're all just different, not really better or worse. I'm sure my guess is wrong, but it's fun to play anyways!

It'd be pretty fun if someone recorded a bunch of tests like this with different amps and genres, in solo and in a mix, and then created a page where you had to click or type in your answer before seeing the results. The clips would be in a random order each time too, to prevent cheating. It would be a fun way to get a real test going with some actual cheat-free data! :)
 
Last edited:
No idea which the "real" amp might be... all clips sound great, if I had to pick one I think it would be #2 because there is some nice presence I like in high gain sounds. That doesn't mean it is the real amp though, in my experience I always got better sounds with my digital gear then with my tube amps ... :D
 
Going with #4 only because there"s something there that seems different on the lower strings ,not at all better,but different, could be the IR too!
 
I like #1 and #2 the most. I'll even try and guess that #1 is a Mark series amp and #2 is maybe a Friedman. I'm probably way off but that's how those sounded to me on the first listen. The other three were EQ'd a bit mushy for me. Still I wouldn't have the guts to bet money on which is the real amp. :)

This is a really cool comparison Eric. Good job! :)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom