Would You Ever Use An Amp Simulator? Real Amp Recommendations?

[el_bastardo]

LOL

 

[DannyB]

The cheaper alternative is a good attenuator. A Rock Crusher or Aracom-DAG.

Both have silent record mode, with or without cab sim. A line out straight to your DAW and you can use a plethora of software cab sims. And you get to crank your 800 with the pluses! Or use the line outs and attenuate down to more of a room volume. I have both the RC and DAG. They are really nice!

Then again, what do I know? I’m just some 60 yr old dude who likes the real thing. When I go to hug my wife, I don’t want to hug some “blow up” representation.

 

[Dmann]

lol blow up representation haha

 

[MantraSky]

And then guess what happens when a firmware update hits? Yep, you get to start all over again. Joy.

I personally believe a big draw for the Kemper units (and like) is something you hit on earlier, which is, for a lot of guys, it's an easy solution if you have no experience, no desire or patience, no money to burn on a mic collection or just plain can't figure out how to capture good tones by way of mic'ing tube amps/cabs. With the Kempler, they just download someone else's work, jack in and bang, they have quality tones they know are already considered good, trackable sounds. Minor drawback there is of course, you're sharing that same exact base tone with tons of other dudes who also grabbed it and are plugging straight into their DAW to record it too. With amps, mics and mic pre's, you will always at least sound a little more unique due to how you set it all up in your rooms and track it (vs direct recording "patches" - which again, not saying some profiler guys don't run a pwr amp and mic a cab to record/play them, I just maintain that many buy them purely for that easier approach to recording).

“Yes” it’s a skill to set up mic’s and cabs to have an original tone, when so many want that “processed” tone from the famous player. Even the famous player isn’t content? I kind of liked a Line6 Pod Desktop HD very convenient (quick & Simple), not as high tech as some, a simple unit but I also have AxEfx III and I still prefer & Love a SM57/R-121 on a cab, old school “yes” but it’s real and a lot easier to Deal with, I also like the IR Technology, easy to run my OwnHammer or Celestion to DAW.

 

[Frodebro]

The cheaper alternative is a good attenuator. A Rock Crusher or Aracom-DAG.

Both have silent record mode, with or without cab sim. A line out straight to your DAW and you can use a plethora of software cab sims. And you get to crank your 800 with the pluses! Or use the line outs and attenuate down to more of a room volume. I have both the RC and DAG. They are really nice!

Then again, what do I know? I’m just some 60 yr old dude who likes the real thing. When I go to hug my wife, I don’t want to hug some “blow up” representation.

The sounds coming out of the speaker either work for you or they don't. The whole "real/fake" thing is more placebo than anything else.

 

[DannyB]

Ops chief complaint appears to be volume, not tone.

To handle the volume, a $500 Rock Crusher or $800 DAG is certainly cheaper than a $2500 Fractal or Kemper. An RC or DAG let’s him play his JCM anytime he wants, instead of just 4 times a year. The Fractal nor Kemper helps him with that issue.

The Op asked for opinions, and he has a wide array of them!

EDIT: There are many good attenuators available. I own the RC and DAG. I can honestly recommend them, as I use them. I can’t personally vouch for anything I don’t use.

 

[Frodebro]

I've got a Hot Plate and a Rock Crusher recording. And a Demeter iso cab. And a Radial JDX speaker-simulated DI. I have tried every option out there for low-volume playing and recording. After all of that, I've found that digital is the best tool for the job. It doesn't have to be a high-end unit, either. There are plenty of options under $500 that sound great, respond well to picking dynamics, and can cover a wide variety of sounds. In fact, it was a $300 Mustang III that changed my mind about "real" versus "better for my needs".