Comments on: Effects Pedal Emulation Software?

Question: Effects Pedal Emulation Software?

heylight — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:45:37 -0800

Effects Pedal Emulation Software?

I'm trying to find a music-program that essentially emulates the way an effects pedal for a guitar would work. Essentially, I want to be able to plug a microphone into my computer, play sounds into it, and then effect it in real-time with the program, so that the effected-sounds come out of my speakers as I play the notes on my guitar (and if that same program could also record the results at the same time, that'd be even better)

If this doesn't exist, it should. If it does exist, then I'd prefer it if it was free, or at least very cheap (as in, cheaper than an actual effects pedal!)

Any help would be fantastic!

Thanks

By: poppo

poppo — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:55:19 -0800

Nearly any multitracking software will do this for you. I use Cakewalk Sonar , but just start researching multitracking software. It's nearly universal now that there are also folks producing plugins for each vendor's product. Basically these plugins are what folks usually use to effect their audio. With the right options checked you should be able to hear the sound effected while you're playing it.

By: daveyt

daveyt — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:22:51 -0800

Amplitude 2.0 live comes with Stealthplug. I just got one and its superb. Cost me around £51 ($100).

By: daveyt

daveyt — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:23:35 -0800

I should add - its not via microphone, its USB.

By: SageLeVoid

SageLeVoid — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:28:04 -0800

I haven't tried it but i think Jesusonic fit the bill :

"Jesusonic Software turns your PC or Mac into a fully programmable realtime effects processor. If you are going to run on a Windows PC, we recommend you just install REAPER, since it includes the most recent version of Jesusonic, and offers a LOT of routing flexibility with very little downside."

Here's the Reaper thing he's talking about.
It's not free, it's about 40$ for non-commercial use.

By: fake

fake — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:37:05 -0800

Native Instruments Guitar Rig is exactly what you are looking for, except that it is not free. It also has a hardware component.

By: sydnius

sydnius — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:42:25 -0800

Garageband.

By: marionnette en chaussette

marionnette en chaussette — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:47:17 -0800

This is exactly what Guitar Rig is for, but like fake said above, it definitely is not free.

By: xmutex

xmutex — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:50:19 -0800

Probably too esoteric, but you can effect any input signal any possible way you can imagine with max/msp.

By: Artifice_Eternity

Artifice_Eternity — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:58:27 -0800

FYI, you can get a decent digital multi-FX pedal for about $100. I just ordered myself a Zoom G2 (haven't received it yet, but I hear very good things about it).

By: IvyMike

IvyMike — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:28:39 -0800

Line 6 makes a few products that do what you want. Unfortunately, their product line has a lot of overlap, but I think you might want to look at the Toneport products first.

By: wheat

wheat — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:38:33 -0800

I use GearBox for this. It comes as a stand-alone application with the TonePort audio interfaces (I have the UX2). You can also get it as a plug-in for your DAW. GearBox also contains quite a few good amp/cab emulations.

The difference is this: the version that comes with the TonePort line runs alongside your DAW and you record the effected signal (read: no changes in post). The plug-in allows you to record clean and add effects in the mix.

The only drawback is there's no cheap add on if you need a foot controller for it. You can use any MIDI foot controller, but you have to use sysex to change parameters. Line 6 doens't make an add-on foot controller specifically for it.

The UX2 will set you back about $199 (the price of one decent effects pedal). But it doesn't provide a way to record. Line 6 sells something called RiffTracker, but I use Ableton Live. You can use any DAW you like with the stand alone version. The plug-in works as a VST (AU for Macs). You could even use soemthing as simple as Audacity (free, open source, mac/windows/linux).

By: fishfucker

fishfucker — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 10:45:35 -0800

Most VST plugins will allow you to affect a signal in real-time. Guitar Rig (which also has a standalone component) is definitely most well known solution for guitar, and it sounds pretty friggin awesome (i have some pretty crappy guitars, and guitar rig makes them sound awesome). The output is not going to be ideal if you are miking a guitar, and the monitoring is definitely going to be wonky (feedback city, if you're playing out of speakers) so you're going to want to spend some cash on an audio interface that will let you record one channel in and stereo out (although it's tempting, you probably do not need an 8x8 interface -- i had one of these, and even with two mixers hooked up, i rarely used more than 4-6 inputs). You can get one cheap -- I actually bought a 2 in, 1-out USB audio interface off of someone here for about $50 (thanks, forgotten fellow mefite).

I'm not 100% sure what the cutting edge is for DAWs these days, as I haven't done any recording for a couple years, at least, but i think this (probably somewhat outdated) list of 'free or cheap VST hosts' would be a good start for you. After that, you'd want free/cheap VST plugs, which are virtually everywhere. Here's a list found via googling. Guitar Rig might provide you with convenience, but I think you can put together the software for free, and possibly get a hardware audio input for under $100.

By: svenx

svenx — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:57:42 -0800

Just bear in mind that many effects are just never going to sound the same when added after the fact, particularly things like distortion. That's because when you're playing through an amp in real-time, your strings vibrate in sympathy with the sound coming out of the amp. So the loud distorted 'E' from the amp reinforces the vibration of the 'E' on your guitar, drastically increasing its sustain (sometime forever...). When you record your guitar directly, you just get its normal amplitude envelope -- quick loud attack, immediate decay to a much lower volume, then a slower decay to silence. Trying to add to distortion to that recording is... disappointing ... and very different from the envelope you'd get playing directly through a distorted amp -- very little immediate decay in volume, and much, much longer sustain. Other kinds of effects can work out better post-recording, though -- chorus, phasing, etc.

By: ikkyu2

ikkyu2 — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:28:48 -0800

Amplitube Live, not amplitude; and GarageBand are the two apps I've used for this. Basically the more you pay for this kind of software, the more flexible it becomes. If you're interested in really expending zero dollars, check out the Amplitube Live demo.