My 5 Favorite Amp Sims (Currently)

[@anders2077]

For a dude how started playing and recording in the mid 90-s it’s literally a dream now. For like the latest 4-5 years I never tried a plugin that sounds “bad”. It’s more of what type of amps, effects etc you prefer. One thing that would be cool from a pro like you is if you revisited some older plugins and compare to later ones. Cheers!

[@OfficialFatLip]

the most dishonest kido KZbinr in the world

[@modelcitizen1977]

Same here. Started recording in 1995 live to cassette. In mono. By 1996 I was using a 4 track. By 1997 I was using a digital 12 track from Akai. By 1999 I was using Pro-Tools. Around 2001 we had Amp Farm at the studio and I never looked back. I own one tube amp. A 60W Fender 4x10 DeVille, because it's basically as perfect a pedal platform as god ever created. For anything else, I'm recording dry and using a plug in. Everything sounds bananas good now.

[@eltonjohnson]

Dude my first band paid a couple grand to record an LP at a local studio, and what we can do with just our own personal computers for $0 absolutely dunks on anything we paid to record 20+ years ago.

[@resington]

I am the inevitable guy recommending Neural Amp Modeler. Game changer, no BS it's awesome.

[@johnpacino4491]

"WE NEED TRANSPOSE ON ML SOUNDLAB PLUGINS" - BUTTON!

[@resington]

That'd be awesome.

[@MilkoOfficialChannel]

We need stereo, we need Flagship ability to load third party IR’s on its standalone, saving presets in standalone should appear when crossing into vst or au in your daw. Stereo chorus and delay…come on.

[@nielsbosmobile]

I did not know the Ampeg was that good! Finally the bass tones I was looking for. Thanks Fluffy, great video!

[@franzeek]

Its great but a cpu hog like no other

[@JoshuaMRichard]

Fluff when you made the Josh Middleton review video I was also blown away and your reaction to it was enough for me to buy it myself. Like you said it is unreal how good this amp sim sounds and feels. The custom IR makes it even 1000x better too.

[@thorshafer]

Killer video as always. All those are great. I am currently finding myself messing around a lot with the McRocklin suite from Polychrome DSP.. it's a lot of fun!

[@gh0st_itm]

+1 for Polychrome DSP, the depth and breadth of tones on offer is just nuts

[@3rett115]

Seriously, man. I have been looking for something for years to emulate my DSL50. Polychrome not only does this, but it has its own character, not to mention all the built-in amps, speakers, and effects without the clunky & dated amp cartoon UI. It's all I use now, and total a breath of fresh air.

[@JoeHasGas]

For budget friendly,but great amp sims I love Audio assault. For guitar Ir's York audio is great and priced 15-20 bucks per pack.

[@MelloState]

Audio Assault is amazing getting the amp sims no one else emulates like the pitbull or the Shiva. Though I wouldn't count out the seacow ir packs from them. They're pretty good when you know what you're looking for and maybe some eq. Though ownhammer it also amazing with their newest packs

[@buhimoth]

You get what you pay for unfortunately with audio assault. I have a few of them and hate them all equally :/

[@xDamageProducer]

@@buhimothok baby ears.

[@buhimoth]

@@xDamageProducer cor, I wish I had baby ears. Although I don’t miss being able to hear cat scarers.

[@MaximusAdonicus]

@@buhimoth Damn. I have a couple of Audio Assaults and they sound fine as any to me! The only thing that was a let down was the RVXX, not that it sounded bad, but it just sounds very average to me. I like the Hellbeast thou! 🤘 What do u prefer then? And don't say Neural DSP... 🙄

[@DayBeforeTomorrow]

I've been using Scuffham Amps S-Gear. It was one of the earliest and in my opinion, the best-sounding amp sims out there.

[@KnapfordMaster98]

ML Sound Lab is my go-to. Got turned onto them by fluffs free plug-in and I’m hooked. So affordable and so great sounding. It was the first time I ever heard an amp sim with the deep, sharp residence that a real cranked amp has. I am particularly fond of the ML5, there’s a preset called like “rock rhythm” or some thing that is just the perfect starting point.

[@zoomzoom3950]

My current favs PolyChrome DSP McRocklin Suite, Helix Native, Blue Cat Audio Axiom, PatchWork.

[@Fret-knot]

I use Scuffham S-Gear. Great all in one package, with some of the best sounding amps I've heard.

[@Shelby8371]

Good call!!S-Gear sounds like real amps! It’s unreal. People need to hear it to believe it

[@MaximusAdonicus]

Never heard of this! 😮 I checked out the samples for their high gain amp. Sounded "okay", but not 129$ worth 😬 I was expecting more from a Marshall engineer... or maybe they just had weak samples on their site (which doesn't sound like a good business plan)...

[@bartholomeusclever]

I tested all amp sims and found that the winner was Scuffham S-gear (2nd place for ML Sound Labs) That Scuffham amp sim does you want to play guitar all day long The extra's on their download page contain some great preset packs by well known You tubers / guitar players

[@saucerfullofzepp4203]

My top 3 (classic rock) 1. Guitar rig 6 (ICM models are great) 2. Archetype Cory Wong 3. Helix Native

[@TheSpiceLord]

That’s almost exactly what I’m using, switch 1 and 3 though

[@ConstantineM]

For me it's Line 6 Helix Native, Archetype Gojira and Bogren digital bundle

[@Paganisma]

I use Emissary amp plugin the sound is so natural and real for me

[@TheSPY1997]

I love the Marshall suite by Softube, especially the JMP and the Kerry King signature models, which are great for high gain Marshally stuff. Everyone in the biz has modelled Marshalls, but noone has done it quite as well as Softube imo. Line 6's Helix Native is also incredible. Tons of options with great quality amp sims and effects. The only thing I don't love is the UI, but I focus on where it counts, the sound.

[@piptyson5512]

After seeing your review of the Kazrog AmpCraft 1992, I've found my fav 5150 amp sim. I own several other good ones, but that one just works best, and it has it's own IR section. It's only $29 right now too. Word is they are working on a Mesa version next.

[@goner.9989]

I’m a cheap fuck, I mostly use amped roots or some LePou plugin like the HiBrit or LeXtac. The only paid plugin I own is the audio assault blacksun which I got when they were doing a free download of it. The blacksun is a great amp in itself, but it also has such a good cab sim, I use it sometimes just as a cab sim for the LePou plugins, since they’re just virtual amp heads.

[@compucorder64]

Be a great time of a year for another roundup. For me atm, I think my five would be STL Josh Middleton, Otto II II II II, NDSP Nameless (or Nolly!?!), NDSP Morgan Suite, UAD Dream. Enjoying MixWave Mike Stringer, Bogren 5159, ML Sound Labs Pink Sabbath.

[@Alexilhaiho]

Please make series with videos like this, it would be fun and helpful!

[@vivalachewy]

how about an updated favorite amp sims list? Its been a year

[@martinhensley2377]

Great amp sims bro.

[@modernroyaljams]

All the Bogren plug-ins. The Aurora Mr Hector just has such a great tone!

[@kurdtjohn]

If you haven't yet, you should do a video on the Neural Amp Modeler.

[@pynnehkuparsyiemlieh]

Bro how do we us a stand alone amp sim to record music through it in a Daw ?

[@isaacrodriguez3000]

Honestly honesty, I’ve been so happy using my Line6 PODGo! I love using the REVV Red channel

[@JaredBrowning-o2f]

Hey man! Just thought I’d bring this up in case no one else has… you mentioned about not being able to use other cabs etc. for Bogren’s Rev C. You may already know this, but you can technically load a different cab in your daw by putting it as an insert AFTER the RevC and then turning off the cab on the RevC. I’ve been doing this using Amplitube’s suite of Cabs and then even patching in some of Bogren’s own Down Tuned IR’s.

[@czyprodigy]

the diezel vh4 plugin by plugin alliance is PHENOMENAL it comes with 100 IR's and it sounds so good

[@kevinstewart8120]

I’ve mainly used the Neural DSP plugins for my work but some of these are great. I’ve been meaning to check out some STL tones and the ML sound lab that you demonstrated sounded the best out of all the 5 in my opinion, so that one too!

[@notreally-sf3df]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned the Otto Audio II II II II plugin. Considering how much you can actually tweak it’s ridiculous how plug n play it is. I strongly recommend at least checking it out. It’s one of the quickest and easiest amp sims to use for your modern downtuned hi-gain metal rhythm tone.

[@jackbootshamangaming4541]

II II II II Slaps. I got it very shortly after learning about it and I love it.

[@DiamondLifer]

Same. Love it.

[@Dan-vb7lz]

II II II II is amazing.... if you love a constant, grating fizz on every single tone

[@DiamondLifer]

@@Dan-vb7lz Have you dove into it? There are smoother tones.

[@abheceshabemuskk3531]

it sounds too processed for me, too mix ready, too modern, tendency to fizz. a lot of people will love it for this reasons.

[@IntheDAW]

Ml sound lab tripple rev g and grn are my go too plugins at the moment when i dont use my axe fx 3 or a actual amp.

[@JoshuaLTRyan]

The SVT suite from Ampeg is amazingly good. for bass, I use it more than anything else, though I also really like the two Neural bass vsts. I've also been finding some really good Tonex models for guitar and bass.

[@ayeapprove]

no free ones? Nalex and Vadim stuff is crazy good

[@resington]

Yes! 😁

[@compucorder64]

Yip, and ML Sound Lab Amped Roots too. Black Rooster, as well. And the Bogren Sub Zero Amp Knob is free atm for November.

[@michaelpasby6207]

Whats your thoughts on ToneX?

[@Durkhead]

You should try the toneforge disruptor

[@ChadSkittles]

I love Purafied Audio's Deathwestern. Perfect for tracking but I would more than happily use it as a final tone

[@JoeHasGas]

Besides Audio assault, vtar amp Sims are great. Many are free( a few you can buy ) and of course neural amp modular is the 'hot' new thing ..

[@Durkhead]

I love the berry amp

[@resington]

VTARAMPS!

[@JoeHasGas]

@@resington oh yeah,great amps

[@ggtech1548]

The driftwood on @lasses STL is unreal and his mesa cabs have this unbelievable bite and snap

[@LucanoMetalGuitar]

Recto-wise my favorite is the STL Tones Cali Dual!!

[@blendernoob64]

My favorites are the hybrit and lecto by Lepou along with STL tones Will Putney. The Lepou amp sims are still awesome especially with high quality impulse responses.

[@joeyvanostrand3655]

The LePou are still holding strong. Definitely agree! The Acme Bar Gig suite is absolutely phenomenal! I've been farting around with the modeling schtuff for about a year now. Going through n hard on it for about the past 6 months. It truly gets overwhelming

[@havenlewis5913]

Hey, Fluff. I don't know if you see all of these comments or not but I wanted to suggest you check out the other Mercuriall amps, especially their "Rectofire" amp sim. That is a WONDERFUL rectifier amp sim!

[@kenkreisel6890]

It’s ToneX Free Version and STL Will Putney for Bass for me. ToneX Free is loaded with some great amps like a Triple Rectifier a high gain Orange amp, plus a bunch of free downloads from the ToneNet cloud. Plus if I upgrade to the $99 version I get unlimited ToneNet downloads. Which honestly might give me option paralysis. The STL Will Putney has some great guitar tones but in my opinion the bass tones are the best especially for metal and rock. Unfortunately I tried using the Ampeg official plugin and it (like Neural DSP) ate too much CPU to use. Where as ToneX I can have multiple instances running at once. So I can hard pan different amps or use a captured ToneX pedal on an amp.

[@redrum3374]

What specs do I need to be able to run amp sims and record ?

[@jeffb5798]

How does the Helix native plugin compare to those listed in this video? Helix native offers a lot, and is more than "just" an amp sim, but the amp sim component is a big part of it.

[@nebularain3338]

Vadim Tarnov does my favourite amp sims, and they're all free. Lepou is still good, but the sims are a decade old now and could use an update.

[@wheresallthezombies]

Nueral and mixwave have my favorite amp plugins. I’ve tried all these except for the STL tones. I know Kurt Ballou and Bill Kelliher have preset packs for it. At some point I’ll try it ha. I didn’t even know about svt suite. Is there a b15 plugin?

[@rankin1289]

Fluff!! When are we getting your signature ernie ball stingray?

[@lefdoubt]

Kurt Ballou's STL Tones is great, especially for bass

[@givemeajackson]

I use helix native for absolutely everything

[@andresmendez6870]

Is 16gb of RAM enough to run these plugins?

[@Anshul1614]

Bias fx is so cool now. They added that rewind feature, now it’s worth it for me.

[@somerandomhomeboy]

Hi Fluff! Have you tried the Blackstar St. James plugin?

[@RiffsAndBeards]

Real talk had no idea there was a plugin of the St. James. The amp was fantastic!

[@somerandomhomeboy]

@@RiffsAndBeards And the best part is you get EL34 and 6L6 models in one!

[@jazu40]

No overloud?

[@bradzillarocks]

For bass I'm still in love with the Mammoth from Aurora DSP. They've got other cool stuff too but I use Mammoth all the time.

[@Tt-nt1iu]

You earn thumbs up for the Strung Out and Lagwagon sticker on the Strat.

[@pauliusmscichauskas558]

Did you select these specifically from a list of VST's, or did you consider hardware Amp Sims too, and just chose the VSTs over them?

[@davidgcrawford6695]

I have that same MM Bass in forest green!

[@TheChrispablo]

i rediscovered tse x50 recently and it has amazings IRs great 5150 tone

[@scentia_est]

Same here. Was suprised about the good IRs.

[@thmmke6926]

why do you need any more or even this many?

[@Rose-oak-cake]

I have ML sound labs 5150 and it tends to be CPU heavy on my system, anyone else?

[@ruddmedia]

Dude Fluff Amp Room Metal suite is like unmatched for pure high gain metal tone! Aurora DSP Mr Hector better then gojira in my opinion! And your right the tripple rec from ml soundlab is sick! !ve been in the amp sims since 2000 line 6 pod and amp farm i dont want to say im an expert because its a individual taste from one person to another but if your talking clean tones an pure metal rock blues and thrash as well i then would tell you what plugin does just those tones solid and if its something you really need or can pass on! Love your channel and your shows peace!

[@HornedBee]

I’ve been using vtar amps megafuzzie for at least five years

[@soundgrips]

As a bass player I am here to confirm that the Ampeg SVT is number 1

[@shauncarter924]

This may be a dumb question, but I’m old and have zero experience with this stuff, but is a ‘plug-in’ something that you have to buy and upload onto a hard drive or is it something that you just buy online and download it?

[@bradzillarocks]

Buy online and download. Lots of them have either a demo version so you can try it out yourself, or a free "lite" version with a limited selection of sounds to see if it does what you need.

[@assassin1872]

Archetype Petrucci and Plini are my go-tos

[@thesmellycatjazz]

Petrucci and Wong for me

[@MrBX5]

Do people not use BiasFX (2) anymore? It's not like I wholeheartedly stand by it and will defend it to the death, but being the only one I have I got to say that I'm satisfied and find it very versatile with the amount of stuff you can tweak and add to the chain. Related to that, as someone who has one of the most basic versions of my DAW which limits how many plug-ins I can add per track to 4, it does a whole lot while occupying only one plug-in slot, keeping the others free for whatever I might need them for.

[@80s_kid]

I understand all of them except one, which is surprisingly the Neural DSP. It isn't bad but there are some JCM800 plugins that I like better. Other than that, I like Neural plugins. I also recommend ML Sound Lab, it's really good. For Marshall sound Softube but ML Sound Lab also has several good Marshall sounds.

[@80s_kid]

@@DerSilvano You're right, it's a matter of taste. I liked that Neural released a dedicated JCM800 plugin (they obviously had a Marshall-type sound before, see Nolly) but I wasn't convinced after trying the demo. Among the newer ones, the Mark IIC+ met my expectations better.

[@themightymcb7310]

I've basically not used anything else besides the Gojira, Granophyre, and Corey Wong since getting them. There's not really a tone you can't do between those three.

[@MikeYeary]

Amp sims are cool and all, and some sound incredible, but to me, it's kinda like saying, "Hey buddy, you wanna play Gran Turismo, or go out and drive a real '67 GT500 for a few hours?" That's just my personal opinion. I think sims are a great tool for anyone that likes them for whatever reason, I don't feel like there's any invalid reasons (convenience, affordability, etc.) I don't want anyone to think that I think down on amp sim users, because I don't at all. I'd just rather set up a mic and tweak a physical amp. I have fun doing that. Luckily, I have a neighbor (in my duplex) that used to sing in bar bands for years and years, and she doesn't care when I'm jamming or recording, as long as it's not late.

[@psychicer5022]

Im practically using all the Audio Assault stuff

[@buhimoth]

RevC is sick. I wasn't impressed with Tom morello for the amp itself, the effects are cool though! I prefer ML800 from ML sound lab for that amp tone! STL Josh Middleton is very very cool, it's my favourite 5150 sim on the market YESS REVG is also sick! I need to try that ampeg one!

[@cfh13]

I need a better newer computer to record with. My laptop is older and unable to increase ram or cpu. I get ugly artifacts so often it made me think my speakers were blown. If I have 2 plugins running or move a screen around its the worse sounding scratchy noise. I'm using all free stuff except for ez drummer 3. Using ignite emissary, fluff something & 2 others.

[@darrell-m3k]

tried them all. th-u wins hands down. mlc subzero is also good. i like mercuriall for cleans.

[@3rett115]

Polychrome DSP by Thomas Mcrocklin and team is amazing!

[@Starch1b2c3d4a]

U play bass?

[@davidjoel111]

STL makes sales often, I got Josh Middleton’s plugin for $60 on sale

[@Miss_Pixie]

tonocracy, you have to try!

[@thethings4708]

Audio Assault quality price are hard to beat ... and the new MGuitarArchitect by Melda Production : the BEST Ir system...

[@RetroGameBench]

you should definitely try AugustRose Audio the howler & the growler. they are free, they are great & i love them with all my heart! :)

[@compucorder64]

They're really good. The MixWave Overdrive is free at the moment too. And I think Audiority have some good free ones, and some great cheap ones.

[@prodhurryk8263]

STL Tonehub is amazing

[@chriscalvert4625]

Mesa from Neural DSP all I need for Metallica/thrash tone!

[@mattcallaway7164]

No love for ReValver? It's pretty inexpensive. Peavey-centric for sure, but those are the amps I'd be using IRL anyway.

[@sylfan1]

I’ve been using the free version of Amplitube for the longest time, along with a few add ons I got as freebies (a Mesa rectifier, and the stomp x distortion) but been thinking about giving the STL plugin a try.

[@ThroughFallenEyes]

Interesting. We didnt have a single overlap. Honestly surprising to see zero crossover.

[@8KilgoreTrout4]

So not metal, but in the Mark II C+ plug-in from Neural, there’s a preset called Spaghetti Western and it just KILLS classic rock, especially with a volume knob at 5 ish. It just sounds soooooo good!

[@charlesrocks]

ML Sound Lab have the best IRs.

[@harshtruth9148]

my go to....depends on music im playin.... Josh Middleton STL Tones Rectifier/6505 and also the Neural DSP Soldano SLO-100. My honoralble mention is the Lasse Lammert from STL tones the Diezel herbert and Purple Nightmare

[@Tone-Quest]

Blackstar Saint James 😮

[@Raijin-RyuX24]

I wish your plugins came as AU and not just VST format.

[@mikedamisch]

What a coincidence the top 5 amp Sims are from 5 different companies...

[@linko994]

I keep coming back to NeuralDSP's Nameless Suite. Theres just nothing like that Fortin Nameless & Grind. It's just savage. That's the best description that I can come up with. Other than that I've been using the Otto Audio II II II II for really down tuned stuff, as it just works and sounds great, even though it is a bit confusing and complicated to me. NeuralDSP Gojira is still something I use a lot. And I have been meaning to try out the Bogren Amp Knobs for a while now, but still haven't. For bass it's just Parallax man.

[@wavewithus4081]

Just got into the DSP's, the Gojira DSP does sound amazing! The Nolly one is a great allrounder too imo. I'm curious about the nameless as I keep seeing it mentioned as a standout dsp but isn't it a lot older than most other dsp's by now? What is so special about that one?

[@linko994]

@@wavewithus4081 Yes actually it is their oldest (guitar) amp sim. It's very basic, just an amp with 2 different overdrives and a gate that's it. It's just, that the sound is very unique. It's very agressive and bright and filthy. Honestly just try it. The NeuralDSP plugins all have 14-day free trials availalbe, so trying it out doesn't hurt. You might fall in love with the sound of the Nameless amp. Or you might not, of course.

[@compucorder64]

I'm with you on NDSP Nameless and Otto II II II II. For both higher-gain and down tuned, they both have serious weight and teeth. The Bogren block letter 5159 is amazing, and Rev C is really good too, and both are around 20 this month. But you can try a Bogren AmpKnob for free with the SubZero being offered free during November.

[@Durkhead]

Audio assault berry amp is the best!

[@resistorstudios]

Man. I really dont have much pf a preference. It really seems to depend on the IR. Ive used really expensive plugins with a bad IR and they didnt sound great or convincing and ive used free plugins with a decent IR and they sounded fine. Ive been liking the assault audio amp pack. Also have used the Amped fluff one and the Nalex Ninja. For scratch tracks and rough drafting ideas/laying down quick tracks. That being said for final recording micing up a cab is my preferred method.

[@JoeHasGas]

Great point,u need a good IR. Raw,mix ready etc u need a good IR. I recommend York audio,very fair price. I like the Dv-77 pack

[@resistorstudios]

@@JoeHasGas I wanna get the DV77 speakers lol

[@musick777]

Is it just me or do all of these sound really thin?

[@michaelmichaelson6766]

Doesn't matter which ampsim I try the palm mutes always sound very bad.

[@michaelmichaelson6766]

@@DerSilvano Not a problem if a play on a real amp so no.

[@AvengerTT]

i can't see getting morello over nolly, still get a jcm800 but also 3 other amps and 4 total cabs. IMO it has the best 5150 too, other than maybe middleton, but its close.

[@JeremyLeech]

The ML Sound Labs ML800 is my current favorite

[@DadRockAndGuitars]

The ML800 is really good! I like the ML Plexi as well.

[@SenfSenferson]

Got AmplitubeMax and am verry happy with it over Guitar Rig. Not Perfect but man guitar rig sucks compared to it. Fuck me i don't wanna pay over 100€ for a Sim of a single amp 😅

[@mmfs1919]

650 bucks 😱 dang

[@Tinyrick90]

Here Im still waiting for a stl tonehub ryan fluff bruce pack hahaha 😂

[@j3tth3di3ty8]

ngl i find it funny his own VST isnt on his top 5 favs but thatd seem a bit egotistical. Id wouldve did a whole ad for mine and like a 30 sec demo for the others.