When it comes to getting incredible tone, I personally use a combo of analog pedals and tube amps. But this can be pretty costly, and for most people, it takes time to really build the sound they are looking for. For something easy and cheap, software rigs can give you relatively good tone. This digital platform is pretty ideal for practice and gets you a wide range of sounds. There are plenty of software out there, but of the ones I’ve tried, I like Amplitube the best, as it really tries to emulate tube tone.
How it works?
What you need is the Stealth Plug (price is around 100 bucks), which will help you be able to plug your guitar into your computer via the USB port. When Amplitube is running, you can now use your computer speakers to output the sound of the guitar.
Amplitube gives you many different amp models, cabinets, pedals and rack effects to choose from to get your desired sound. It even has a built in tuner. Basically its your one-stop-shop for an entire guitar rig.
Why its Easy
Turning on a pedal is as simple as a click of the mouse. Go from crazy distortion to sparkling cleans in seconds. Once you create a rig you like, you can save it as a preset and come back to it whenever you want.
Lets Talk Tone
I must say, it actually sounds quite good. Definitely not for a performance, but low volume jams at home are where it really shines. It kinda does have a tube-like quality to it. You can get many different tone textures to really get the sound in your head that you’re looking for.
All I can say is that for 100 bucks, its definitely worth having, plus it makes recording really easy. If you’re not happy with your tone, I say give it a shot. For the price, you won’t be disappointed.
Update: Check out Amplitube 3 Software and iRig (connecting your guitar to iPad/iPhone).
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