I have Amplitube Fender and tried GR4. Amplitube Fender is much better if you're looking for good Fender amp sounds and especially realistic spring reverb.

http://www.reverbnation.com/thedeadranchhands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEW74mHjQk

ZoukBoy

UmaFloresta
I have Amplitube Fender and tried GR4. Amplitube Fender is much better if you're looking for good Fender amp sounds and especially realistic spring reverb.

Thanks. Have you used them together? What do you think of the foot controller fr GR4?

It was a demo version of GR4, so I didn't have a foot controller.

http://www.reverbnation.com/thedeadranchhands

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEW74mHjQk

crumble
This thread doesn't seem to be going very far so i hope it's ok to go slightly off topic.
Has anyone managed to get hold of "Free Amp 3", It is or was totally free and getting rave reviews, many people saying it's better than anything you can buy. I've looked across the net but it's no longer available.

Crumble: It's close enough to the topic, I think.

No, I haven't heard of that. Sounds interesting.

<BUMP> If only to ask this question: Did it work???

Is this something you can share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!?

I use Amplitube 3 with The Fender pack and the Jimi Hendrix pack. This way I'm able to build a virtual rig that consits of a reverb tank, blonde era 100w 6L6 and a 2x15 with "real" JBL D130's in it. Isn't that what we are all after afterall? Plus there is a fuzzrite clone as well!

The sound is very convincing, I've A/B'd my showman and tank with the virtual rig and there is a distinct difference, but you can't put a real rig into my headphones. Totally 100% satisfied with it for demoing and practise

formerly SvD, bots.... member since 2006. Same game different name!

Are you using ASIO4ALL? I had to tweak the settings to remove latency, I don't have a beast of a CPU for audio purposes but I find that there is little to latency with the buffer cranked all the way up.

formerly SvD, bots.... member since 2006. Same game different name!

To all those who complain about latency and bad sound-
Surely you know some of this stuff, but it might help someone who doesn't. Kind of a guide for newbies, 'cos these questions always come up.
I'm being super-brief here, research it further on the Internetz.

1. The 1st. and most important aspect of playing guitar with VST's is Latency (delay).
   Even a little (anything above say, 20ms roundtrip) can become unplayable, introduce stuttering and noise and drive you crazy.
   a- Latency is mainly a software+driver issue (If you have a fairly modern CPU and 3-4gb RAM it should be enough, if not- upgrade)
   b- Maintain and optimize your OS- disable any unnecessary processes and services running in the background. Disable AV software. Update your BIOS, your system drivers, your audio-card drivers. Keep your system clean and mean. This is a good place to start: http://www.blackviper.com/ Always BACKUP your system before you're messing with it, and after each stable step.
   Check your latency as you progress with this tool: http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml
   Learn the ins and outs of your system, even with PRO-level hardware it still needs optimization.
   c- Use anything but your built-in sound card. If you're stuck with it- get http://www.asio4all.com.
   USB soundcards will get the job done, better are Firewire (for PC's go with TI chipset bridge), best for low-latency are PCI and PCI-e.
   d- Disable all system sounds. If you already have an Ex. soundcard, disable the built-in from the BIOS.
   e- Play with your VST and ASIO buffer settings. You'll have to find the sweet spot. Also watch the input meter, never let it clip (red zone).
   Dig into the software, it takes time to get it playing for ya. Forget the presets- they are there only for you to learn the different settings.
   

2. The 2nd. most important aspect of playing guitar with VST's is your audio signal chain.
   a- Preamp, Clock, AD/DA conversion. Modern soundcards take care of all these elements in one box. Prefer having Preamp and AD outside your computer case for lack of electromagnetic interference and fandisk noise. Having all those elements separated gives even better sound and flexibility but can be overkill if you're not cutting a record. Although an external, dedicated preamp can do wonders to your sound.
   

b- AxeFX, 11Rack etc. obviously take care the situation and are optimized for guitar use. Unless you have taken care of all the above steps- there can be no comparison with software alone!, as good as it may be. (*IMHO Ampl.Fender is wonderful)
c- Pickups, cables, DI box. experiment with this stuff. Try direct, after effects, amp's effects loop... find what works best for your situation.
Also, gain staging is crucial.

1. Monitoring. You can't expect your stereo system to bring out the guitar as good and punchy as even a moderate solid state amp, not to mention tube amp.
   a- It's a different animal. With a direct to PC system we have AD/DA conversion going on, latency (it's never ZERO, unless direct monitoring before AD), inherent system noise level etc.
   b- Not only that- your home stereo amp and speakers are designed for recreational music playback. EQ curves, voltage response, stereo field -all messed up and will never accurately represent your instrument.
   c- They just don't move enough air. Even the cheapest studio nearfield monitors will give you an astoundingly better, more authentic sound. The bigger the better, as nature goes.
   

Finally, never ever say some software sounds like s**t if you're playing through your Realtek with a 1/8" adapter and desktop speakers. It was never meant to be- don't believe the hype, it's not easy nor super cheap getting good results with VST's, but it can be done. After all that I mentioned has been taken care of, only THEN you'll have the ability to form an educated opinion on software logarithms.

mournblade
You know, in all honesty, I truly believe (based upon what I have read) that the problem is my computer/cpu. The damn thing is seven (7) years old, and although I have not had any latency problems in the past, I would guess that this is, in fact, the problem.

It's a resource hog. I've got a decent computer setup, quad cpu, 4GB of ram and some hot rod hard drives and that program can make it grind to a halt even if I strip it down with all the monitoring and latency tweaks. I can get by with two channels using the plugin separately, three sends it over board where I have to run everything on fumes and four is just asking for trouble. I would not doubt if you were running just one instance of it on an old computer with a single cpu and lower/slower RAM that you're issues might be due to the hardware.

I might pick up a Boss FRV-1 and run it as an outboard effect or run it in direct? Another plugin to check out is Softube's Spring Reverb VST. Not quite as 6G15 as the Amplitude's version but it could get you in the ball park with less the hassle?

Electro Echo Chamber, The Technical Side Of Time Based Effects. Echo, Reverb, Delay, Analog, Digial, And More...

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/electroechochamber/

mournblade
You know, in all honesty, I truly believe (based upon what I have read) that the problem is my computer/cpu. The damn thing is seven (7) years old, and although I have not had any latency problems in the past, I would guess that this is, in fact, the problem.

Spend the sub-$100 to get one of the closeout line 6 DI interfaces w/software. You will be surprised at the quality of the models. It hasn't stressed either of my systems, one of which is a 6 or 7 year old Sony Vaio bought at Costco, so it wasn't exactly cutting edge when it was fresh! The other is a refurb Imac.

Good enough for Demos. I don't own a laptop so I've never brought it out to play, but I have gone from the analog out to an amp and it sounds great. Yes you can add "for what it is" to it sounds great if you like. Think about the DL4, and all the other Line 6 products. They don't suck.

Hey, just wanted to say, THANK YOU! to everyone who responded to my original post. Man, you guys and gals are awesome!

Merry Chrismahannahkwaanzika to all, and to all. . . a reverb-saturated 2011!

Is this something you can share with the rest of us, Amazing Larry?!?