IKMultimedia recently released AmpliTube Fender - "the only guitar amp and fx software made in collaboration and with the assistance of Fender® Musical Instruments Corporation" - as they put it. Because of its outstanding quality and its commitment to the original Fender products, AmpliTube Fender is worth a close look:
The interface is the usual AmpliTube one:
You've got the Presets drop-list, the Folder options, the Sound chain at the top and the general parameters at the bottom. There are 5 modules: Tuner, Stomp, Amp, Cab and Rack. These are all well-known to AmpliTube users and easy to use for new commers so let's get to the AmpliTube Fender features:
The Amplifiers
I plugged my old Strat to the computer and started to try the factory presets. I found the '65 Deluxe Reverb
and the '65 Twin Reverb
being very close to the original, real amps sound. There was always a problem with the soft amps: the dynamics. I must say AmpliTube Fender is more responsive than other amp emulations.
If you really are into vintage sounds, you'll use the built-in effects of these amps (Reverb and Tremolo) rather than the stomp or rack ones. The Reverb is entirely convolution based and this gives it a great deal of accuracy. The Tremolo seems to be very carefully designed, it sounds and reacts entirely like the original.
However, the most pleasant surprise for the Strat sounds is the '64 Vibroverb Custom.
The clean Blackface circuit is enriched by the "Mod" switch (as built by engineer Cesar Diaz for Stevie Ray Vaughan), a tube drive preamp that allows a subtle extra punch. The "Bright" and the Mod" switches allow a great deal of possibilities. It's an amp highly rewarding for those looking for both clean and vintage crunch sounds.
Next, I plugged in my Tele and tried to get some classic licks. It works well with Deluxe, Twin and Vibroverb but the '59 Bassman is worth mentioning.
Classic Fender amps of the '50s and the '60s don't have a Drive knob. You've got crunch pushing up the Volume and here, the Bassman is unsurpassed. The clean tone has a special personality, while the driven tone is amazingly credible.
AmpliTube Fender offers also a modern version of "Clean to Distortion" amp: the Vibro-King Custom:
Its "Fat" switch adds a good deal of drive. This amp is more powerful than the Bassman and is highly recommended if you want more power while preserving that Fender character.
You can get even more gain from the Super Sonic - a modern amp with two Gain knobs:
For shred and metal, AmpliTube Fender offers MH500 Metalhead, a very well conceived high-gain amp that delivers modern distorted sounds:
I also pulled out of the box my old Gibson ES 175 to try some jazz licks. Once again, the '64 Vibroverb was a winner but I also wanted to hear the '57 Deluxe:
This was an overwhelming experience. The amp seems very simple but it delivers an amazingly colorful sound with only two knobs: Tone and Volume. It allows you to get sweet jazz tones, crispy blues cries and rock drive.
And let's not forget our bass players: AmpliTube Fender includes the Bassman 300 Pro amplifier:
and TBP1 Bass Preamp:
For those who record on their computers all the instruments, these two little toys are a great addition to AmpliTube Ampeg SVX.
The Cabinets
Each Amp opens with its own cabinet which is comfortable and expected but you also may choose any combination you like. Like all the AmpliTube products, you've got the Ambience knob that adds a credible spaciality to the over-all tone.
A special case is the Vibratone Rotary Speaker
that emulates the old Leslie effect with great credibility.
AmpliTube Fender also offers 9 kinds of microphones, both vintage and modern. They really make a difference. Try the Ribbon 160 and the Condenser 87: the sound changes dramatically.
The Stomp Effects
AmpliTube Fender offers six stomp effects. Those familiar with the AmpliTube products know they can be used in any order, in any combination.
I found the '63 Reverb and the Phaser very clean and useful. I'd use the Phaser in all instances because it sounds better than any other phaser soft effect I own. The Volume pedal may also be of great help if you use a Stomp IO - the IKMultimedia foot Controller or the forthcoming StealthPedal. The Fuzz Wah is an interesting pedal, it controls the Fuzz amount by moving it from left to right and the Wah effect back and forth allowing you to create instantly any combination between fuzz and wah.
AmpliTube Fender comes with 400 attentively conceived presets but the real pleasure is to tick the knobs. In this case, the response is highly rewarding.
I have to say that I never was very happy with the Fender tones of the fuzz and over-drive original pedals. AmpliTube loyally emulates them. For those who prefer to use sounds outside AmpliTube Fender, there's a very simple and comfortable solution: AmpliTube Fender comes with AmpliTube X-GEAR shell-host where you have the possibility to use any combination of other "Powered by AmpliTube" gear. Due to their incredible clean sound, the Fender amps and cabinets offer an excellent platform for stomp effects outside AmpliTube Fender. For instance, you may use a combination of Fender '64 Vibroverb Custom and AmpliTube 2 OverScream or a Fender Super-Sonic with an AmpliTube Metal PRODrive.
The Rack Effects
AmpliTube Fender offers six effects in the rack:
The most useful seems to be the Compressor. It has four positions (low, medium, high, even higher) which strongly change the overall sound in a very comfortable way. Again: I'd rather use this compressor in all recordings, it sounds better than the other rack compressors I've got till now.
The Pitch Shift also deserves attention, being far more versatile than its AmpliTube Metal version. Generally speaking, there's a certain progress in the quality of the rack effects with this new release.
Other Issues
All AmpliTube products give the possibility to double the sound due to the module chain. For instance, you may use a '65 Deluxe Reverb preceded by a Phaser and a '59 Bassman with a Tape Echo in parallel while placing the cabinets to the left and the right with different microphones, different ambience and different compressor settings.
AmpliTube Fender offers full automation and MIDI control.
AmpliTube Fender works as a standalone application as well as a VST and RTAS plugin.
AmpliTube Fender comes in two versions: the full one for $229.99 / €169.99 and a reduced, "Studio" version for $139.99 / €109.99 that includes AmpliTube Fender SE (4 amps, 5 cabinets, 2 microphones, 2 stomp effects, 2 rack effects), StealthPlug and Riffworks T4 recording software. Both versions also include AmpliTube X-GEAR for complete expandibility with other “Powered by AmpliTube” titles and real-time control via IK’s StompIO and StealthPedal audio interfaces/floor controllers, or a traditional MIDI controller.
The official site : http://www.ikmultimedia.com/fender/features
Conclusion
I love guitar music from all periods and of all genres. I listen to a lot of music that was recorded, inevitably, on Fender amps. I was thrilled to try the sound of AmpliTube Fender. I used the standalone version for live playing and I recorded a few licks for the plug-in. Well, I've got results above my most optimistic expectations. The emulation of Fender amps and cabinets is so accurate that it really seems the Fender engineers worked in close cooperation with the people at IKMultimedia. This piece of software gives a great sound to your guitar whether you solo or strum chords; whether you play country, jazz, blues, rock or pop. It also may be a great tool for musical producers, of course. I'm very satisfied with the classic vintage sounds and pleasantly surprised by the versatility brought by the modern features. There's a really progress comparing to the former released guitar software and I don't mean IKMultimedia products only.
|
