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A Review of Digital Techniques for Modeling Vacuum-Tube Guitar Amplifiers

Discussion in 'Recording Gear and Equipment [BG]' started by seamonkey, Aug 2, 2009.

  1. Aug 2, 2009 #1
    seamonkey

    seamonkey

    Aug 6, 2004
  2. Aug 13, 2009 #2
    mrbungle

    mrbungle

    Nov 13, 2000
    tampere, finland
  3. Aug 13, 2009 #3
    seamonkey

    seamonkey

    Aug 6, 2004
    Good stuff - not the "air guitar" but the fact that you're looking to model some amps. :)

    You may have the same problem that IK, NI, etc had - they had tough time finding an "ideal" amp to model and to test against. There's too much variation in the real world. You can try 5 of the same model amps in a store and they'll all be different. Then start doing tube rolling. The pro modelers left enough room in the controls to model a range of amps. Peavey Revalver is the most amazing. It's gets down to the circuits.
    For a reference amp for your test, you may actually want to use Revalver, it's that good.

    Or pick up some of the already done spice models:
    http://www.duncanamps.com/spicevalvesgt.html
    LtSpice works good
    http://www.duncanamps.com/technical/ltspice.html
    You can't use spice in real time, but you can run .wav recordings of tracks through it to see and hear what changes to amp circuits can do.
    You can tweak the the spices models ±20% just like real tubes to get virtual tube rolling.
     
  4. Aug 14, 2009 #4
    mrbungle

    mrbungle

    Nov 13, 2000
    tampere, finland

    There's quite good model of vacuum tube in the air guitar paper, if you go down a few pages. I haven't yet tried it in action though.

    I'm not aiming for perfect accuracy, as my intention is to make real time online program for composing rock music (a very early screenshot: http://www.rinki.net/pekka/monkey.png gives you a crude idea). Just few gain stages with a tube model, Bassman tone stack model for post-eq, and a simple filter bank for cabinet modeling will do for now. I'm not a math or electrical engineering genius... I'm using Line6 JCM800 model and Sansamp VT Bass pedal as references, but I should check also Revalver to analyze the different components in the circuit.
     
  5. Aug 14, 2009 #5
    seamonkey

    seamonkey

    Aug 6, 2004
    cool idea. It might also be a cool ipod app. Post an update when you have news.

    I was just joking on the air guitar. There will be innovations in musical instruments as time goes on. In the right hands and air guitar will could be very musical.

    I did read down through the amp modeling part of the paper. It's a gem. It is now in my bookmarks. and thanks.