Amp Sims: Best practices for not sounding like an amp sim?
Does anyone have any tips or best practices for not having an amp sim sound like an amp sim? As a guitarist, I find recording so frustrating because I can’t easily dial in the tone I want like I can with a good tube amp. In the box it just sounds flat and digital. With every other aspect of recording (bass, vocals, drums, synths), I can get pretty close to what I want, but I’m just not satisfied with my guitar tracks.
I’m not in a place where I can record a great amp in a great room with great mics, so I’m stuck with amp sims. And while I know I can never get that big, 3D sound you can get from recording a great room, I feel like I should be able to get closer than this.
I’ve get a Gibson LP R7 going through a Helix and Apollo interface. I run the signal through a hi-z splitter so I can capture the Helix wet signal, Helix DI signal, and I’ll run a third signal through a preamp in the Unison slot on the Apollo. The DI signals I get always sound great.
As for the amp sims, I’ve tried a bunch: Helix native, Guitar Rig Pro, UAD amp sims, Saturn II, Logic stock amps. They all have their specific use cases but I feel like I’m hunting for the right preset rather than crafting a sound.
As for other signal processing I’ve tried preamps, compressors, EQ, saturation. Before, after, and everywhere in between. I’ve created summing tracks with multiple takes so I can run different “mic placements” to try and simulate the space of an actual room. Nothing quite gets there.
It’s don’t know, maybe I’m overthinking it. I just want to plug in and have it sound great. Is that too much to ask?