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IOS Amp Sim comparison

Rip Topaz

Rip Topaz

Aug 12, 2005
8,664
918
Willow Street, PA
#1
I'm sure I'm not the only one who fell for the hype surrounding amp sims for the IOS (iPhone).

I have two at the moment, Amplitube Irig, and Pocket GK.

Both seem to have their uses, but I'm leaning more towards the Amplitube Ampeg B15R sim. It sounded like crap when I first plugged in, but after a few weeks of tweaking, I've got a really convincing Ampeg sound. Adding an overdrive in the effects section really helped.

The Pocket GK is cool, and in some ways seems better than Amplitube, but the high end has a hiss to it that I can't get rid of.

Is anyone else toying with these? I know they'll never replace my amp, but for lower volume stuff, they really sound pretty good.
 
#2
I've been using amp sims on pro tools on my computer for a while,generally when my amps are stuck at our practice shed.Whilst they can give a rough impression of the sonic differences between different amps,they definitely don't compare to the real deal.I think if you paired something like this with a clean power amp and a speaker cabinet,they would sound much better.
 
#3
I run a combination.

I split my signal with a chorus pedal (turned off), one side goes to my amp, the other thru the sim into the PA. Once I get it loud enough to kick in the subwoofers, it sounds great. At low volumes, I use a DI from my amp to feed the subs.

I'm still trying to get a good enough sound with just the sim so I can skip the amp completely, but I haven't been impressed enough yet to not turn the amp on.

The Ampeg sim is actually quite good, but kinda lacking low end. The mids are highs are gorgeous.
 
#5
ALOT of limitations. Plus, the IOS version is geared mainly at guitarists. There's one bass amp, the B15R. I added the Fender pack and it gives a Bassman and a 410.

I prefer the Ampeg. The tone is very good, just lacks the deep lows. With some creative EQing, I can get a great sound for lower volume stuff, but when you crank it, it sounds pretty bad.
 
#6
I find myself using Amp Kit+ more than Amplitube or pocket GK on my ipad.
Amp Kit+ has some bass settings for the Peavey Valve King100 that work really well, and have a Fender Bassman clone and now a Trace Elliot head available. I havent dialed in a good sound with the B15R in Amplitube, and the Pocket GK is really noisy. (this is all using an iRig passive interface)
 
#10
It's a good alternative and a very fast growing popular market.
Guitars are leading it, but keyboards, mini DAWs and others are growing fast also.

When you get it to sound good with headphones, it also sounds good live. A regular bass amp is not going to be as accurate as headphones. You will need to adjust settings if you want to use a regular bass amp and switch back to headphones, but you can just save these as presets.

iPod/iPad are also great control surfaces for other apps and hardware. The Mackie DL1608 is a great example. The audio doesn't run through the iPad. The iPad controls everything. I have control apps on my iPod that control PC apps that work similar.
 
#11
I've Amplitube, Ampkit and the GK app. All are payed versions with all the in app additions. I like the Amplitube best due to the Ampeg sim and the Marshall sim as well. I also find many of the pedals to work very nice, the green OD, the Fender phaser, the black distortion, the fender distortion, the Fender Blender...
In Ampkit I like the new Trace Eliot head and the Solando. The GK app is nice, and the GK tone is there. I like it but, it is a bit too cold for my taste. Nice note definition though.
The Amplitube is for me the clear winner, also due to the nice 8 track recorder
 
#13
Maybe I can't separate myself from being used to having my amp. It just seems to give it more oomph if I split the signal and run my amp, too. Without the amp, it just sounds "boxy".

I'll give it a shot at next band practice. I've got all the extras for Amplitube, too. I really like the green OD, the Fender phaser, and the Fender OD. The delays are nice too.

I haven't played with the Amp Kit very much. After spending so much getting all the extras for Amplitube, I'm not really excited about dumping a bunch of money into Amp Kit to get a decent bass model.
 
#14
I have no amp, so I use to either my silver case with my Sansamp PBDDI, my Sansamp Oxford. The I get from my PBDDI with the EBS multicomp in front on tube sim is good, and with the Bad Monkey in between I get more OD. But on the Amplitube I usually only need the Ampeg sim to run, so quite easier setup. In Ampkit there are MUCH more options regarding amps, cabs and pedals, but none come close to the Ampeg on Amplitube. Btw I usually use the 4x12B cab, not the 1x15.
 
#18
I do also like the Marshall amp in Amplitube, I use it with the 4x12B cab. Usually with the following setup:
Master volume 100%
Gain 50-60%
Presence 75%
Bass 55%
Mid 70%
High 55%
Reverb 0-20%

On the Ampeg sim I use
Master volume 100%
Gain 50-75%
Para EQ mids 60-75%
Bass 55%
Mid 60-75%
High 55-60%
4x12B cab.

Shame one can not run two amps together, but sometimes I'll do one take, then copy it to the second track, the apply Ampeg on one, Marshall on the other and balance the volumes, maybe a bit more bass on the Ampeg and a bit less gain. Squire tone?? :)
 
#19
Well, there's the answer to my lack of low end problem.

I've been running the gain on the Ampeg sim at around 25%, to keep it as clean as possible. It appears that isn't the answer. Thanks for the tip!!

I'll give that Marshall setting a try today, too. I'm having lots of fun experimenting with Irig. It didn't work so well on the 3GS, but with my new iPhone 4S, it runs flawlessly.

When I split my signal and use Irig in combination with my amps DI, I add a touch of the green overdrive to the Irig signal and blend the two. Gets a pretty convincing Sheehan tone.

The Ampeg sim, with no effects added, coupled with my SCPB, is pure old-school goodness. I just wish I could get it to a usable volume.
 
#20
IK multimedia come out with the iRig Mix which is a small active mixer which will give us much more headroom and several splitting signal options. It will also allow us to control the volume level much better, well I hope so! They also release now the iRig Stomp which will give you easy way to put the Amplitube signal in you pedal board.
I'm quite excited about these 2 products. I use iPad which gives me very stable performance.
 

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