Is it anymore than 1) touch of overdrive, 2) a bit of EQ, and 3) a smig of compression? I like them but none I've tried sound much like tubes to me. What do you think?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Tube simulation?
- Thread starter GreyBeard
- Start date
bongomania
Commercial User
Some people claim that a nice transformer in the signal path, when saturated, will have some of the pillowy and fattened qualities of a tube amp. It is a very very subtle form of distortion, not gritty at all, but "thick" or "syrupy" (again though, it's subtle). I use this method by running an active xformer DI as a preamp, and I love the tone, but I'm not enough of a tube guru to say it "really" sounds like a tube amp.
Modeling, plugins are all over recording industry. And companies like AU Audio and Digidesign can prove they're the same sound by nulling out a real signal with one from the plugin. They invert one signal sum them and leave no artifacts behind. AU Audio still makes hardware, well they can and some will never believe the software.
It's a moving target though as the infamous Carver story shows. Tubes wear and change sound, and thread after thread on this board are about different sound between tubes. If it nulls today, it won't null tomorrow.
One software package to keep an eye on when it releases is Peavey Revalver. It will let you build any amp configuration you want. Including sagging power supplies and transformers. Mom and Pop store Peavey go high tech, and in a big way.
It's a moving target though as the infamous Carver story shows. Tubes wear and change sound, and thread after thread on this board are about different sound between tubes. If it nulls today, it won't null tomorrow.
One software package to keep an eye on when it releases is Peavey Revalver. It will let you build any amp configuration you want. Including sagging power supplies and transformers. Mom and Pop store Peavey go high tech, and in a big way.
All that means is that they have a consistent algorithm; that is absolutely NO indication of emulation quality compared to the real thing. You can do that with any CD and editing software that will invert and mix. (Mp3's won't though
)Would that be the tired Carver quote you trot out every now and then where he says he doesn't like tubes? So what?
So by referencing threads about changing tubes with different emission characteristics, you somehow think that justifies your dissemination about tubes that they're somehow inherently unstable? A tube circuit is no more inherently unstable than a transistor circuit, and that includes the soundcard needed to interface an emulator program. Matter of fact, over time, a tube circuit's high voltage power supply is much LESS susceptible to variation than almost ANY computer interface.
Just thought I'd interject a little fact into your anti-tube propoganda... from someone who has and extensively uses tubes, transistors, and emulation software.
