Finally, someone does an ABX comparison of modelling amps vs the real thing!

[GuitarBizarre]

With the help of Tozzoli and Antonell, I was able to locate a number of producer-engineer-guitarists with excellent credits who agreed to be on the listening panel (see Fig. 1).

The panelists were D. James Goodwin (Thursday, Parliament-Funkadelic, Motion Picture Demise), John Holbrook (B.B. King, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, the Isley Brothers, Fountains of Wayne), Pete Moshay (Hall and Oates, Daryl Hall, Paula Abdul, B.B. King, Barbra Streisand, Fishbone), Paul Orofino (John Petrucci, Blue Oyster Cult, Anthrax), and Tozzoli (Al Di Meola, the Marsalis Family, David Bowie).

All of the panelists had lots of experience recording guitars through vintage amps in commercial-studio environments. Most also had experience with amp modelers, especially the tried-and-true Digidesign Pro Tools HD standby, Line 6 Amp Farm.

Now, you may be asking yourself 'What are these people a panel for?'

They were a panel set up to determine once and for all whether modelling amps can really sound like the real thing.

Results here: EM tests software-modeled guitar amps against the real thing




Personally, I'm of the hope this helps puts to rest any of the 'tube tone purist' arguments that come up so often. When industry pros can't tell the difference, I'm impressed with the software. I also become much LESS impressed by 'golden ears' *******s who insist on putting down modellers based on price and assumptions alone.