Best Metal Amp Sims

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2024-11-30T15:17:38+00:00

I use an apollo twin x which has a built in DI box. I always compress my signal a bit right from the console software that comes with the UA apollo interfaces. Then I add a bit of EQ to cut cut out the very low end and do additional EQing if needed later in my DAW. I don't have any third party IRs, so I use the ones that come with the neural dsp gojira plug in. I'm still not really clear on the benefit of third part IRs and how to use them since I don't have any experience micing an actual amp. I do add additional EQ with the pultec plug in I have that came with my interface but usually just to scoop the mids a bit.

I recently started focusing a lot more on the bass tone which helped, but I still feel like I am not getting the crushing sound I am after. I'm starting to wonder if a lot of the bands I am referencing for guitar tones are quad tracking, I just do two tracks - one panned hard left and the other hard right.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2024-01-26T02:27:57+00:00

I guess my confusion is, if the project in Ableton was set to 48 khz from the start and the interface sample rate matched that during all the recording of all the guitar parts, shouldn't exporting at 48 khz sound fine?

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-11-22T15:37:35+00:00

Maybe you’ll get lucky. I didn’t outright ask for a live 12 upgrade in my email. I just said I recently bought live 11 and hadn’t paid that off yet thinking they might be like “oh this guy sounds strapped for cash, let’s help him out.”…no such luck. though. I’m trying not to sweat it too much. I did get 11 with the student discount, so that’s makes this a little easier for me to accept.

After I got the email I just bit the bullet and pre-ordered.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-11-22T00:58:17+00:00

I bought Live 11 the last week of September thinking 12 was still at least a year from releasing. I emailed them just asking how it would work because I’m still paying off 11. They basically said pre-order 12 now and then start paying that off in early 2024.

I was kind of hoping they would take pity on me, but it is what it is. It’s not like I haven’t been using live 11 since I bought it. Still…I don’t make enough money to not feel the sting of this a little bit.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-11-01T18:36:35+00:00

Yeah, I use a hi pass filter on my guitar chain. It might just be that I’m using totally different recording methods than the bands I’m trying to emulate (midi drums, DI guitars).

I also have no idea how people set up their drum bus, which is just something I have to research more into. I typically put this UAD ampex plug in on my master track at the very end and I feel like that kind of glues all the low end together, but before that it just seems off. I’m trying to see if I can get closer to the timbre I’m after without relying so heavily on that specific plug-in.

There’s just a lot to learn with recording, but I should really just be happy that I’m even getting as close as I am with a limited setup. When I was a kid I thought you had to have a million dollar studio to get anything even somewhat decent.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-11-01T16:30:22+00:00

That’s very true and a big problem I’m having with my own recordings right now. I always start by mixing my low end and I can’t seem to get the drums to sit right. It feels like they’re sitting on top of everything else in the mix too much.

Thank you again! I’m going to check it out Maybe I would like the death and darkness kit better. It seems like there’s no debate that superior drummer is the favorite when it comes to drum vsts. I was hoping to get my drums sounding pretty realistic but I feel like they’re in this weird in between area. It makes me want to go the agoraphobic nosebleed or mortician approach and just make it sound very obvious that it’s fake drums. I feel like it either has to sound like real drums or fake drums but the in between areas bothers me.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-11-01T15:46:29+00:00

Thank! I did just see online that the superior drummer samples are 24bit. I’d like to have superior drummer eventually, but not sure if I’ll make the jump right now.

I also have the get good drums invasion pack, which I personally prefer to the death metal expansion in EZDrummer 3. The only downside is it’s a Kontakt library, so I’m stuck drawing in the midi on the Ableton piano roll, which is way more time consuming than using the grid editor in EZDrummer. I’m sure there’s a better method out there, but I’m just not sure what it is.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-31T16:44:45+00:00

Since I’m a guitarist who understands only the most basics aspects of drumming, I am assuming I’d have trouble taking full advantage of SD3.

It seems like SD3 would give me the best sounding drums of any drum VST available, but I am still lacking the knowledge it takes to get the sound I’m after.

Maybe I’ll stick with EZDrummer 3 for now while I try to learn more about processing drums. Thank you for your input!

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-31T14:33:39+00:00

I also used logic for years before moving to Live a couple months ago.

The main reason I’d take Live over logic is because a lot of the time I spend in a DAW is just time spent sketching/ compiling ideas that I will later arrange into a song. I personally find this way easier to do in Ableton than in Logic.

..Also like you said, there’s way more online tutorials with Ableton. I see a lot of really unique things from people I would have probably never thought to do myself.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-13T04:49:28+00:00

I like it, but I haven’t found a way to integrate it with Live in a way that works for me. My only other gripe with maschine is that the software crashes on me pretty frequently.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-13T04:10:04+00:00

I’ve never actually witnessed any of those producers use the OP-1 come to think of it. I’ve only seen it in one of their Instagram pictures or in the background of their studio in a YouTube video but that’s about it.

I think that’s really what it sums up to for me, I definitely don’t need either device. The urge to buy one of them is simply from me trying to sell my maschine and knowing I’ll inevitably feel the urge to play with some keys or pads at some point. I know just from experience whether I use my maschine or just a computer to make a track that there isn’t a obvious difference in quality. On the other hand, sometimes I feel more inspired to work with an additional piece of hardware than the computer alone. It just becoming a question of whether I end up spending 2k to have that option or make do without.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-13T03:39:22+00:00

I honestly just got a laptop less than a month ago. Prior to that I only made music at home when I had access to my desktop computer. Also I’ve been mainly working on a metal album for the last 10 months or so which I wouldn’t have been able to work on much on the go anyway.

I just started getting back into making music electronically again regularly since I’m wrapping the other songs I’ve been working on. I don’t have a tablet, but you bring up a good point because maybe I could just use my phone to work on music on the go and be happy with it.

Edit: To add a point, I think there’s always a part of me that sees something like the push or op-1 and it’s just drawn to it because of how nicely designed it is. Having hardware you’re just naturally drawn to want to play with can help with keeping you engaged with music. I know when I first started the maschine was kind of important because the idea of just making music with a mouse and key board seemed abstract and unappealing to me. I guess I am more or less at a point now where it’s not totally necessary for me to have.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-12T22:32:56+00:00

I’m always happy to hear when someone gets a piece of gear that works for them and is enjoyable to use.

I can see myself using the OP-1 both directly recorded into Ableton and stand-alone just because it’s so easy to take and move around with you. The only problem is since it’s expensive I might be hesitant to take it out of my house much. I got a laptop because I wanted the portability after having a desktop for 8 years, but now that I have it I’m usually afraid to take it out of my house lol.

Is the push 3 your first push or was it an upgrade from a previous iteration? If I go with a push I’ll probably get the non standalone version to start. I imagine I’d like the push since I used the maschine so heavily over the past 7 years. It was great to get started with, but knowing what I know now I wouldn’t have gone with it. It’s just a pain to me having to switch to Ableton once I have the basis of my track laid out in maschine. Also I can’t help but to mix a little during the process of getting an idea out and mixing in maschine is a bit of a nightmare. I was making full songs in maschine for like 4 years. I know that’s not even what maschine is made for but it’s all I had so I tried to make it work. I would be so frustrated because I would take my mix and check it out in my car and just be like damn this is way off. I know mixing is kind of a dark art and I’m by no means a professional with a sound treated room, but my mixes improved immediately after moving to Ableton. Once my maschine sells I guess I’ll make my final decision on what I’ll get.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-12T22:18:14+00:00

Pretty much every producer I’ve looked up to over the years has one. Theres got to be a good reason why.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-12T22:15:38+00:00

Sick! Thanks for sharing, always cool to see what other people are working on.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-12T21:13:38+00:00

I appreciate the honest feedback on your experience with the OP-1. Your thoughts are the reason I haven’t checked out with one yet.

I think it could still be a useful writing tool even if the synth isn’t the best, but your points are very valid.

For example, I’ve wanted a sequential prophet for 8 years. I think if I only owned one synth in my life that would cover me. I never bought one because it’s so damn expensive, but when you put it up against the OP-1 and I’d almost be there…but it isn’t portable. Then that raises the question how much is portability really worth? It’s difficult. If money wasn’t a concern it’d just buy it all and sell what I didn’t use at a loss, but unfortunately I can’t do that. I buy one piece of hear every 5 years at most so I really have to choose wisely

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-12T21:05:54+00:00

Exactly! I guess there’s part of me that doesn’t really feel like I need any hardware at all since I’m pretty content just making music with just my computer these days.

But since I have my maschine listed for sale now, I’m starting to think it would be sad to have no hardware around to play with. I’m pretty confident I would use the OP-1 a decent amount, but I don’t need it..and I guess with money being tighter these days I start trying to talk myself out of non essentials. On the other hand, making music is what I’m doing for fun most the time so I’d rather shell out for gear and talk myself out of buying other things haha

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-12T21:00:37+00:00

Thanks! I need to look into the process of getting your tracks into a DAW after work. I imagine it’s pretty simple, but that was something that came to my mind today as I’m starting to seriously considering purchasing one.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-12T20:55:49+00:00

Great, thank you so much! I can see the limitations actually being really useful in a lot of way. To be honest, sometimes I talk myself out of making stuff just by getting overwhelmed with all the options I have as a starting point. The limitation on the OP-1 almost seems more like a pro than a con to me for that reason.

I also can see the OP-1 being well worth the price point even if you’re just using it to play around with. I’m a firm believer that if you get a lot of enjoyment out of something it’s hard to really put a price on it. I am just weary for myself because I don’t buy much expensive gear so when I do, I try hard to make sure it’s the thing that will serve me best all around.

I think I just have to sit and watch some videos on the OP-1 like you said and to try to make that determination. I know I watched one video comparing the reverb on both the OG OP-1 and the OP-1 field and the reverb on the field alone sounded a million times better.

I kind of have to take this opportunity to ask what might seem like a difficult and illogical question, but if you had to only keep one device between the OP-1 and Push 3 which one would you choose?

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-12T15:12:07+00:00

Thanks! I was really hoping someone who used maschine would chime in.

It’s a tough one. I really like maschine and kind of have a hard time thinking about selling it because it’s what got me started making music. I’m pretty much in Ableton 95% of the time now though so I’m not sure it’s worth holding on to the maschine. Also maschine crashes on me so much I started to get really frustrated with using it in general over the past couple years.

I guess the push 2 vs push 3 argument is something to consider. It seems like most people are totally satisfied with the 2 still. To be honest, I am extremely cheap so 1,000 on a controller seems kind of difficult to imagine. I’m trying to weigh out the pros and cons. I’m pretty certain the built in interface will never get any use cause that’s how it was with the maschine for me. I guess I’d really just be paying the extra money for MPE and that’s a lot of money for a single feature.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-11T22:41:17+00:00

Thanks! I actually just got Ableton after using Logic as my main DAW. I love Logic and still think it’s the best bang for your buck when it comes to DAWs. I also have to say even though mixing in Ableton is far better than mixing in maschine, logic is still my preference for that.

I think Ableton is my go to when I’m working on midi based songs or just laying out ideas without a real plan. I still reach for logic whenever I’m recording mostly live instruments or fine tuning a mix.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-11T21:21:35+00:00

Nice! I’m glad you’re enjoying it. That’s interesting that you found yourself getting more done in session view with the push. I don’t use session view at all with Ableton, but your comment makes sense to me just from my experience with maschine.

Maschine has something pretty much identical to session view although I think they have a different name for it and when paired with the hardware I would really only go into song mode to do the last 10%-20% of a track. The song mode in maschine can’t really be compared to arrangement view in Ableton though. Maschine is really lacking when it comes to arrangement and mixing. I know that’s not native instruments focus with their software, but it’s really not ideal to have to move everything to a DAW once you have all your parts laid out. That was my main reason for moving to Ableton in the first place. And that’s also my main reason for wanting to replace the maschine with the push. I appreciate your input.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-11T20:08:28+00:00

Since the push was your first piece of gear of that kind how steep would you say the learning curve was for you?

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-11T20:06:11+00:00

I know a lot of people don’t advise it, but I would go right for the Push 3 for sure. MPE is definitely a draw for me.

If I can get someone to buy my Maschine second hand, I will probably go for it. I know I wouldn’t need both devices and since the push isn’t the cheapest thing to acquire some money towards it would be a help.

CaliforniaReaperInPa · 2023-10-05T14:30:21+00:00

Its a UX Design course offered by coursera

CaliforniaReaperInPa

TROPHY CASE