Not as famous, not as prolific, older or offering only a few free products out of a mainly commercial range, you will find here alternate amp sims that are worth mentioning.
These amplifier simulators are provided as "DLL" files.
They must be used within a host software, like a D.A.W., and are therefore not usable alone..
Click here to know how to use them.
The Finnish guy Antti Huovilainen created several plugins, including the effects pedals and the amplifiers below. Graphic user interfaces were done by Requietus, as Antti didn't design any. Without those, the plugins would use the DAW's default interface design, which is pretty ugly.
Amp simulation inspired by a simplified version of the AX84 Hi-Octane amplifier. It gives a rather fat Blues Rock sound, no suited for clean sounds. To get a clean sound, you'll have to turn the Input and Drfe knobs to the minimum. This will give a rather low maximum ouput volume, that you will have to compensate with the track/bus volume.
This phaser stomp pedal is based on the MXR Phase 90 pedal, in the EVH version (Eddie Van Halen). The original version only had one "Speed" knob, and this simulation adds the "Drive" and "Feedback" knobs.
In the middle of a range of commercial equalizers made for professional recording studios, BTE Audio offers two free plugins. The first one is an emulation of the famous Tube Screamer overdrive pedal. The second one is an amplifier simulation called Juicy77, modelled after the purple Soldano SP77 amplifier.
Kuassa makes mainly commercial plugins like those tested on this page, but it also gives away a free amplifier called Amplifikation Lite. Before founding Kuassa in 2009, its creators offered free amp sims under the name of Aradaz, and the simulators are available on this page.
Amplifikation Lite
Amplifier with three channels: a Clean channel, a Rhythm channel and a Lead channel. You can use the integrated cab, or load an external impulse, or even deactivate the internal impulse loader and add your own after the amplifier. Very simple and quite good.
"Simon's Metal" by Simon Chenu
- Download preset for Amplifikation Lite -
- Simon's Metal : settings -
Mokafix no longer exists. The online shop was shut down and the links in the site don't lead anywhere. All that remains is a rather empty home page.
Most Mokafix plugins were commercial products, but NoAmp! is freeware. This amp sim can be used for guitars or basses and makes the sound pretty fat. As it contains its own cabinet (3 models: Californian, British or Tweed), you don't need to add any. Really nice!
This Indonesian passionate guy, Ronald Akbar Irawan, developped several amp sims for guitar and bass. I introduce only RevolutionZ, ReChromE and ReGolD because the other simulators are not so great in my opinion, compared to what you can find elsewhere. But of course, you can find all his plugins in the official website.
A very good amp sim, with many possible settings available on 2 different screens (change screen by clicking on the amp logo), and even an integrated impulse loader. So you don't need an external impulse loader, but the samples below were made using LeCab2 and Redwirez impulses.
"Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes
- Download preset for Revolution Z -
- The White Stripes: settings -
Several amplifiers, preamplifiers and effects pedals to extend your range of sound.
These plugins no longer work with my DAW's latest version. They won't load or crash the DAW. Since they are somewhat old and their developer has stopped working on them since 2010, I no longer use them. I leave them here, though, because if you can make them work, they remain interesting with various possible sounds. Just add good impulses after them and there you go.
The original website was shut down some time ago, but the designer of these simulators put a new blog on line in January 2012. He had given up making amp sims after noticing that many free amp sims were better than his (or so he thinks), but he googled his plugins one day and found my website, which gave him the idea to make a new blog of his own, where he would make his plugins available again.
You should first be aware that this guitar simulation suite is no longer developed and hasn't been in year. The maker of these simulations, Thomas Serafini, has founded the company Overloud, which now sells commercial amp simulators (including TH2 where you will find renewed versions of the Fender Twin and Marshall JCM900 simulators) as well as various high-quality effects plugins.
I don't use these old Simulanalog plugins any more because they crash my D.A.W. (both Sonar and Reaper) every time I insert them.
The JCM900 is still a pretty good simulator in my opinion, but I think there are better options out there nowadays, and the time has come to leave Simulanalog behind. Nevertheless, I'd like to pay homage to this venerable ancestor, without any doubt one of the first simulation to reach such a high level of fidelity and quality, and it certainly paved the way for the many successors that followed. Thanks for having been with us, but this is now farewell.
Caution! This amplifier is a combo, so it includes the amp head and the cab. Thus, you don't need to add an impulse loader and cab impulses.
It means you cannot choose to use another cab impulse. You can add an external impulse loader with an impulse of your choice, but this means you would send the Marshall cab sound into another cab. It doesn't make much sense, but why not?
Fortunately, there is an alternate solution. Alu, founder of Ignite Amps, designed an impulse that cancels the Simulanalog Marshall cab: download impulse.
How to use it? Take the JCM900 simulator, add a first impulse loader in which you load Alu's impulse, then add a second impulse loader after the first, in which you will load the impulse of your choice. It's as simple as that.
But let's be honest, the best sound you will get out of the JCM900 simulator is the sound from the included cab. It's pretty old, but it remains a very good simulator.
Fender Twin 1969
The name says it all, it's an emulation of the Fender Twin amplifier.
Caution! This amplifier is a combo, so it includes the amp head and the cab. Thus, you don't need to add an impulse loader and cab impulses.
Boss DS-1
Distorsion stomp pedal
Boss SD-1
Overdrive stomp pedal
Ibanez Tube Screamer
Overdrive stomp pedal
Oberheim PS-1
Phaser stomp box
Univox Univibe
Modulation stomp box
SOLDANO
Emulation of a Soldano SLO-X88 amplifier. Not unforgettable, but I think it isn't a very recent plugin.
Studio Devil sells various retail amplifier simulators, but the British Valve Custom is free. It emulates a Marshall amp and contains its own impulse (you cannot turn it off). Thus, you don't need to add an impulse loader.
Download
This simulator is available on Studio Devil's official website, but you need to register to download it.
All guitar parts were played by Simon Chenu (guitar player, pianist, drummer, singer, guitar teacher) with three different guitars:
- Les Paul-shaped guitar, the brand is SR Guitars, equipped with 3 pickups: a modern Humbucker neck pickup, a vintage P90-like middle pickup, a vintage Humbucker bridge pickup.
- Fender Stratocaster American Deluxe with stock pickups.
- Fender Telecaster American Deluxe with 2 Humbucker custom pickups : The neck pickup is a Lollar Regal, the bridge pickup is a Fender Wide Range. Simon used the Lollar for demos with distorsion, and the Fender for clear demos.
For each simulator tested:
- Each demo was recorded with all of the three guitars described above,
- Each demo includes two guitar tracks, recorded separately (no copy and paste), and panned right and left in the stereo field.
- With each demo, two different impulse responses (different microphones) were used with each guitar.
- No distorsion pedal was used, in order to show whether or not the simulations can produce the distorsion needed in some musical genres.
The settings of each demo are identical for all three guitars. Some demos will sound better with one guitar than it will on the other two. For instance, in Nirvana's demos, the sound of the Mercuriall demos recorded with a Telecaster is closer to the original sound than what I got with a Les Paul or a Stratocaster, because I made the settings for Telecaster first.
Ideally, each amp sim tested should use different impulses, in order to find the microphone and the positionning that fits the amp best, as you would do when recording real amps with real microphones. Unfortunately, this would take me a considerable amount of time to do, and I cannot afford to do that.
All the impulses I used for these demos are from Redwirez. No EQ was applied, I just added a slight compression on some demos, and a bit of reverb so that it doesn't sound too dry.
These tests help to demonstrate how important the choice of an impulse is. From my experience, I would estimate that the sound you get is: 30% from the guitar you use, 30% from the amplifier head, and 40% from the impulse. Of course, these values will vary according to the pickup settings on your guitar, the settings of the amplifier, and the use of either a clean or a highly distorted sound will greatly influence the relative importance of these elements.
Microphone positioning
(pictures: copyright Redwirez)
The closest the microphone from the center of the speaker, the less proximity effect you get, and so you get less lows.
The closest the microphone from the cab, the more precision you get. By moving the microphone farther, the sound becomes less "harsh".
"Back in black" by ACDC
A good old-school Hard Rock sound from the early 80s for this famous riff by ACDC.
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of baffle Marshall 1960A (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Neumann U67 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of baffle Marshall 1960A (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Neumann U87 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of baffle Marshall 1960B (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of baffle Marshall 1960B (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Royer R-121 in Cap position, at a distance of 3 inches (7.6 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
From what I've read, Nile Rogers, Chic's guitar player, doesn't use an amplifier. He plugs his guitar (a stratocaster nicknamed "The Hit Maker") directly into the studio's console preamp. As the objective here is to test amp simulations, I obviously won't do the same. In order to get this clear high sound, I used the following cab impulses:
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Dual Showman cab (loudspeaker: JBL D130) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Fender Dual Showman cab (loudspeaker: JBL D130) through a microphone Neumann U47 in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 50% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Marshall '68 Basketweave cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12H30) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Marshall '68 Basketweave cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12H30) through a microphone Neumann U47 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 50% right.
This riff was originally played on a Gretsch guitar, through a Rivera Venus 5 amp head and a Rivera 2x12 cab equipped with Celestion G12T-75 loudspeakers. I don't know how the original studio recording was made, but live, the sound is transmitted by a Shure SM57 microphone, and a Shure KSM32 microphone, both placed against the cab cloth. I don't have any KSM32 impulse, but from the actual microphone response diagram, it seems that the closest response curve is that of the Earthworks TC30 microphone, for which I have impulses from Redwirez. Also, I don't have an impulse from the Rivera cab originally used by Depeche Mode, but I do have Marshall and Bogner cabs impulses, both equipped with G12T-75 loudspeakers. I used the following cab impulses:
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Bogner Uberkab cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12T-75) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Bogner Uberkab cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12T-75) through a microphone Earthworks TC30 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12T-75) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: Celestion G12T-75) through a microphone Earthworks TC30 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.
Undoubtedly one of the most famous solos ever, a true standard that I couldn't ignore here. It was played by Jimmy Page with a Fender Telecaster and a Supro amplifier, from what I could find.
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Supro Thunderbolt cab (loudspeaker: Jensen 15") through a microphone Sennheiser MD409 in Cone position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 10% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Supro Thunderbolt cab (loudspeaker: Jensen 15") through a microphone Neumann U87 in Cone position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 10% right.
Another Metal sample from a well-known song by Metallica. Here, I leave the lows in their central position, I lower the mids quite a bit and raise the highs. The saturation is also pretty heavy, depending on the amp sim tested.
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Mesa Rectifier cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Sennheiser MD421N in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Mesa Rectifier cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Beyerdynamic M160 in Cap position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 50% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Roland Jazz Chorus 120 cab (loudspeaker: Roland 12) through a microphone Royer R-121 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Roland Jazz Chorus 120 cab (loudspeaker: Roland 12) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 50% right.
Great riff in E minor for this Blues Rock song by Daniel Chenevez, guitar player from the 1984-1993 French band Niagara. The original song is played on Marshall amps with a LesPaul guitar, paired with a Stratocaster, but I don't know what amps, stomp boxes or settings were used. To try to get close to the original sound, I used the following cab impulses:
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Beyerdynamic M160 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: JBL K120) through a microphone Shure SM7 in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: JBL K120) through a microphone Neumann M8 in Cap position, at a distance of 6 inches (15 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
This famous song starts with a crunch guitar that turns into a heavy saturated sound. The original piece was played by Kurt Cobain on a Fender Mustang left-handed guitar. The information about the amp and cab used for the recording are contradictory but apparently, he often used Marshall 1960A cabs. These are the impulses that I used:
Left guitar:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 30% left.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Beyerdynamic M160 in Cap Edge Off Axis position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 90% left.
Right guitar:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone Royer R121 in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 30% right.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960A cab (loudspeaker: G12M) through a microphone AKG C414 in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 90% right.
One of the most famous songs from Oasis, and probably one of the most covered songs around campfires. The original version is played with an acoustic guitar, so having it played here with an electric guitar might sound a bit strange, but this shows the ability of amp sims to offer a clean, and if possible a warm sound.
Left guitar:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 6 inches (15 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
Right guitar:
1 impulse of Vox AC30 cab (loudspeaker: Silvers) through a microphone Electrovoice RE20 in Cap position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Vox AC30 cab (loudspeaker: Silvers) through a microphone Neumann U47 in Cap position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
The purpose here is to reproduce David Gilmour's great solo and see what simulators are capable of when you have to put your guitar sound up front. The original song uses the distorsion from a fuzz pedal (FuzzFace) but in these demos, I don't use any pedal. I used the following cab impulses:
1 impulse of Hiwatt SE4123 cab (loudspeaker: Fane) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Stereo panning: dead center.
1 impulse of Hiwatt SE4123 cab (loudspeaker: Fane) through a microphone Royer R-121 in Cap position, at a distance of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Stereo panning: dead center.
Simon Chenu created this short Blues demo especially for the Grebz website. The demo helps judging the ability of amp sims to generate a good old Blues sound. Please note that I added a spring reverb simulator (SpringAge from Overloud) to stick to the ambiance.
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K5-6) through a microphone Neumann U87 in Cap Edge position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 40% left.
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K5-6) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap Edge Off Axis position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 20% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Vox AC30 Blues cab (loudspeaker: Blues) through a microphone M8 in position Cap Edge position, at a distance of 0.5 inches (1.3 cm). Stereo panning: 40% right.
1 impulse of Vox AC30 Blues cab (loudspeaker: Blues) through a microphone Audix i5 in position Cap Edge Off Axis, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 20% right.
Simon Chenu created this short Metal demo especially for the Grebz website. The demo helps judging the ability of amp sims to generate a Modern Rock sound.
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Engl Pro 4x12 cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Engl Pro 4x12 cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Stereo panning: 50% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap Edge Off Axis position, at a distance of 1 inch (2,5 cm). Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Marshall 1960B cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Sennheiser MD421N in Cap Edge position, at a distance of 3 inches (7,5 cm). Stereo panning: 50% right.
This very famous arpeggio was recorded in 1964 by Hilton Valentine, guitarist of The Animals, with a Grtesch Tenessean guitar and a 30-watt Selmer Twin Selectortone amplifier. I don't have any impulses from this amp, so I picked other cabinets that are good for clean sounds: the Fender Deluxe Reverb and the Vox AC30, which became the amplifier of choice for The Animals after the Selmer.
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K56) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K56) through a microphone Neumann U47 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Vox AC30 Blues cab (loudspeaker: Blues) through a microphone Neumann U87 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Vox AC30 Blues cab (loudspeaker: Blues) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.
This demo allows to see how well amp sims can produce crystal-clear sounds.
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K56) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% left.
1 impulse of Fender Deluxe Reverb cab (loudspeaker: Oxford 12K56) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 50% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Mesa Rectifier cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone Shure SM57 in Cap position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 100% right.
1 impulse of Mesa Rectifier cab (loudspeaker: V30) through a microphone AKG C414B-ULS in Cap position, at a distance of 4 inches (10 cm). Stereo panning: 50% right.
The purpose here is to get a vintage, raw sound. The impulses I chose are made after cabs equipped with Jensen loudspeakers, that Jack White seems to be very fond of. The original guitar sound is difficult to reproduce with amp sims alone, as Jack White used a Digitech Whammy stomp box, set down an octave, whereas I only use the amp in the demos.
Guitar on the left:
1 impulse of Fender Twin cab (loudspeaker: Jensen C12N) through a microphone Beyerdynamic M160 in Cap Edge position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 75% left.
1 impulse of Fender Twin cab (loudspeaker: Jensen C12N) through a microphone Neumann KM84 in Cap Edge position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 25% left.
Guitar on the right:
1 impulse of Fender Tweed Bassman cab (loudspeaker: Jensen P10Q) through a microphone Sennheiser MD441 in Cap Edge Off Axis position, at a distance of 2 inches (5 cm). Stereo panning: 75% right.
1 impulse of Fender Tweed Bassman cab (loudspeaker: Jensen P10Q) through a microphone Earthworks TC30 in Cone position against the cloth. Stereo panning: 25% right.
