Why Your Amp Sim Guitar Tones SUCK (and how to fix them!)

My amp sim guitar tones used to be terrible.

​I chased my tail for years, constantly comparing my guitar tone to what I heard on my favorite records and it was always demoralizing.

​I'd try every plugin and amp modeler under the sun, but nothing seemed to work. Sometimes I'd spend a ton of money and would end up with WORSE tone.

​But here's the funny thing...

​I used to only THINK that my tones were terrible. After learning the true secrets behind legit heavy music production, I realized that my amp sims and modelers weren't the problem.

​The problem was that I wasn't listening for and doing the right things when it came time to produce my music. I was hyper-focused on crap that DIDN'T ACTUALLY MATTER.

​I recently received an excellent email from a subscriber, Dominique, who's currently going through the exact same amp sim guitar tone HELL that I went through and his email struck a real chord with me.

​Dominique was kind enough to send me actual files of both his raw DI track and printed amp sim tones so I could dive deep and inspect his issues.

​Within seconds, I was able to detect his REAL Amp Sim Guitar Tone Issue and I decided to film a custom tutorial explaining what he can do to improve his results.

​Because so many of us deal with this issue (myself included), I've decided to provide you with this exact tutorial so you can avoid wasting unnecessary time fiddling with your amp sims for no reason. ​

​​In this tutorial, I explain and showcase why you're struggling with your amp sim guitar tones and how you can fix your issues once and for all.

[josephconti]

Also for double tracking. Individually record each layer. Copy and pasting won’t result well.

[slash]

Couple more things to make good amp sim sounds:
1. Run your DI through a pre-amp plugin BEFORE you hit the front end of the amp sim. I like Acoustica Gold, but the UAD 1073 or Waves Schepps 73 will also work fine. They add super-subtle harmonic saturation, and a lot of people put them at the END of their chain, where it's frankly inaudible most of the time. But if you add that color and density and THEN amp your sound, it makes a big difference. Ideally you'd be tracking through an excellent preamp, but if all you have is a focusrite or behringer this is the next best thing.
2. Good IRs. We all know this, but 99% of the difference between good amp sims and bad amp sims is IRs. Ownhammer, York Audio, Two Notes Wall of Sound are all top-flight options.
3. Low pass the fizz. Really important for heavy sounds through V30s, they sound like a can full of angry bees unless you cut everything about 10-12k. (You did this here but I want to emphasize it again).
4. At the very end of the chain, get something ORGANIC. Run it through outboard gear if you have any, through Acustica or other convolution-based processing, or a GOOD tape sim plugin if that's your only option. Make your guitar sound "touch grass" on the way into the master fader and you'll be amazed at the results.

[TinkMcGathy]

You’re forgetting to say one thing. The bass in the mix has a lot to do with guitar tone.

[tracyholder]

I think one thing that possibly wasn't covered. The person that submitted the track didn't mention what output they were using. The reason they thought it sounded bad could be because they're using bad headphones or speakers. My tone sounds drastically different depending on what I'm listening to it through.

[crowdkillproductions.]

Dude the last impulse you released a few months ago has been 100 percent my go to impulse. I'm excited to try these after work today :)

[crewdd]

Great advice, this is all true and will massively impact the perceived tone in the full mix. I will add one more VERY IMPORTANT element to improving the perceived guitar tone in a metal mix: THE BASS TONE. It took me years to realize that my guitar tone was actually really good, but I was doing too much heavy lifting in the bass/low mids with it, and not enough with the actual bass guitar. Having that bass/subby support will make your guitar tone sound FULL and meaty, while the upper "twangy" or "gritty" parts of the bass will add bite and sizzle to the audible tone.

[yungstreichholz]

Why is every video of amp sims about metal guitars. Like there are so many genres that also use amps. i dont get it.

[michaelrichardson]

Awesome video Bobby. I think all of us have obsessed (or still do) over guitar tones. There’s no such thing as perfection and you’ll never be satisfied trying to achieve it. The tools are available more than ever to get absolute great results with amp sims. Your channel has been a huge inspiration for just getting stuff done and moving on instead of staying in the same rut of tone chasing. Thanks again for these tutorials!

[didymuskvist]

I use the same Amped Roots plugin. I love it. For a while I was using your IR's but now I've been sticking with the IR's in the amp sim because they have that tone that I've always wanted.

[TheMack]

This is exactly the practical tips we need! Thank you! Subscribed!! Also, one thing I use to do for that really fatty sound is to quad-track, meaning to record not two guitar tracks, but four! Slamming!

[petealba]

Great tutorial. Love your IR's!!n I originally dismissed them because they were quieter than my other IRs. When I learned to volume match, I found them to be richer and smoother than the ones that came with my Mooer. In fact I've replaced all of the stock IR's with yours and a few others.

[rome]

I've been mixing for around three years. Mostly my own music, but also some projects for friends. In that time, the thing that I've struggled with the most is guitars.

I think my biggest issue in the past has been with having my guitars too bright and forward. I don't really do metal, but I do dense rock with distorted guitars. So a lot of the principles are the same, or at least I would think they would be. Anyway, when I've listened closely to the guitars in mixes I like, I've noticed that they're less fizzy, quieter, and farther back spatially than mine. So now I'm experimenting with mixing them a bit darker and quieter. For me, the challenging part is to not have them be too muddy, especially if I'm doing palm mutes. I do the Andy Sneap multi-band compressor trick, but I still find it's a tough balance to strike.

[kellc]

This channel has become one of the best recording instructional channels for metal!

[KABINASTUDIOS]

Yep, it was clear within three notes, that the problem is the sloopy playing. I would say another factor besides IRs and tight playing/editing are pickups. If they have to much bass it can easilly creat muddy, fuzzy tone. Tube screamer type pedal or heavy eq before amp solves this problem though.

[kolicsmate]

Another thing I’d like to add is that a lot of guitarist (myself included) like to get the chuckiest tone from the get go but in reality in a full mix bass guitar will provide the low and the guitars will often be highpassed from around 60-250hz depending on the tuning. When we try to get the “perfect” tone while your mono track is soloed, we often add too much low end which can make the playing sound sloppy and can also mess up the dynamics.. that’s why amp sims are great, you can use a tone that’s comfortable for you when tracking, then in mixing just swap it with one that suits the mix better. Also, sometimes for a quad-tracked mix I like to combine 2 or even 3 different amps. Too many is probably not a great idea but they can add different qualities and favors to the full mix

[metatronascension]

i know from my personal experience we might hear a tone on a particular album and when our own tone doesnt get close to it we automatically think its sucks. Sometimes we dont realize that sometimes they are using multiple tones to create one sound. Also, another thing is if we prefer darker tones but current tone is brighter (or vice versa) we tend to say it sucks. Not really knowing how to articulate why because not experienced to determine those differences of brighter or darker tones.

[SugarTouch]

Actual content starts at 5:00 :) But I understand why YouTube has to include this "onboarding" intro. Thank you for sharing !

[guitarlair]

That's so true... playing tight with the drums and the bass is absolutely essential when getting a good mix, specially because it will give your mix punch and frequencies won't be jumping around. I remember finding that out when I recorded some killer guitars but they sounded weird in the mix and I couldn't understand why, then I realized that one of the tracks was off tempo a little bit ahead of the other instruments, I basically just pulled it back into the grid and my mix changed completely.

[rambog]

when i was new to guitar rec i couldn't understand the difference between the amp sound I hear by own ears, in the room, and the tone that works within the mix - the sound that the mic "hears" in front of a cab.

[davirtcb]

A good raw tone right at the start and the editing process make a great difference.