It’s currently one of the most powerful, with quad-core SHARC DSP at the heart of the unit. Quad Cortex is the latest and greatest addition to the world of hardware amp and effect modelers. At around $2500 USD it isn’t cheap, but you have access to virtually any tone and combination of effects you could ever imagine. The Axe-FX III is currently one of the most powerful and feature-rich guitar processors on the market. Fractal Audio Axe-FXįractal Audio’s Axe-FX series is the industry-leading hardware amp and effects sim. Hardware units make recording and practicing convenient as well, with seamless connection to your DAW via XLR direct outs (or even direct connection to your computer via USB), headphone outs for silent practice, and all the ease of a plugin but with an added tactile interface and the ability to play it like a real amp with a cabinet. As you can imagine, this is still a much, much cheaper option than collecting the ‘real’ stuff. The best ones will cost about as much as a great tube head, but they also model hundreds of different amps, cabinets, and effects. If you plan to jam with a band or perform live, or you just want the ability to connect to a physical speaker cabinet, you’ll need a hardware amp simulator. You can record or practice silently on headphones, or as loud as you’d like with studio monitors.

With plugins, it’s as easy and loading up your DAW and dropping it on a track. Plugins are also the less expensive option over hardware units, and you can collect a bunch of them for whatever tones you need-all for less money than a hardware amp simulator. Even stock amp modelers like Logic Pro’s Amp Designer can give you very high quality results. If you simply plan to record guitars in your home studio, you can’t go wrong with plugins.

They’re also the most convenient and practical way to record guitars in your home studio.ĭeciding between hardware, plugins, or both depends on what your needs are! Amp Simulator Plugins vs. Cost and versatility are both huge advantages over real amps, because modelers can give you access to hundreds of different heads, cabinets, and effects sims in a single package. There are a lot of benefits to going the amp simulator route as a guitarist.

Bias guitar amp simulator