Due to the pressing need to reduce the weight and size of gear I need to fit in my car I've decided to try going digital again. My Katana tribulations are well documented on here so I've stepped up in quality amp-sim wise to an Atomic pedal.
Verdict? Well it seems sort of ok. It's hard to tell until my neighbours go out and needless to say it sounded like arse straight out of the box, but I've managed to get a fair approximation side-by-side with my real amps.
I do need a chance to turn it up to gig volume (through a pair of JBL Eon Ones) to fine tune it properly, but it sounds amp-like enough for gigging I think.
It still has that weird kind of digital "hollowness" when you back off the guitar volume though - something I've had with every digital simulator I've ever tried and have never heard in any analogue bit of kit ever.
These Atomic sims are widely held to be right up there with the best so I'm glad I didn't spend big money. Ultimately, though we have moved on a bit it's still a box of fizzy fuzzes with optimistic vintage amp labels, just like these things always have been.
It works, but only after detailed computer editing and possibly some extra IR downloads, and has the inevitable TINY sweet spot on the EQ controls.
Watch his space. I'll give it a good go for a few gigs and will doubtless either fall in love with its portability and passable sound, or flog it off cheap and buy a bigger car.
Comments
I seem to have got to a point on the Dumble model where it responds very much like a real amp, and I just got lost in the music there for a while.
If it responds the same way at gig volume I'm going to be very happy indeed.
Like with filmmaking - Basically it wasn't until digital stopped trying to pretend it was film that the art and craft of digital image acquisition developed into something special. Once we stop chasing the sounds of the 50s and 60s modelling will have a much easier time of it.
Been uploading old tracks I recorded ages ago and hopefully some new noodles here.
I've read that they take drive and fuzz pedals well, too.
Have you tried IRs yet? I find they always improve the sound of a modeller over the stock cabs.
Some good stuff here too...
https://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/patch-settings-for-amplifire-box.1870600/
Band Stuff: https://navigationofficial.bandcamp.com/album/silhouette-ep
BTW, have you ever tried an AMP1? I'm a fan (and owner), as some here will know. It might suit your needs in a live amp, and (reverb apart) is 100% analogue. I think the clean and vintage channels sound great with single coils and riding the volume knob should work well. The classic and modern channels sound fizzy at domestic volumes but much better at band practice levels (although I don't use them because I don't like those sounds in my playing).
A few months ago, I loaded a few favourite IR's onto the AA3 and tried swapping them onto a few of the MBritt Plexi patches just to see the differences. I found a couple of Ownhammer Bogner cab IR's sounded amazing with the Plexi patches.
I have backed up the MBritt patches so could revert to the originals but I don't think I will!
I've downloaded the celestion ones too. But the factory IRs are pretty good. I stopped spending money on IRs and presets pretty quickly.
All I really need is a good clean (deluxe), crunch (watt mcco's clean to dirty cornford from the atomic forum) and dirty (modified hot brit) plus a lead boost. And I'm very happy with the tones I'm getting, even compared to my mesa and jcm800 4 x 12.
I always prefer to make my own presets and having owned a couple of Rocktron processors, a GSP1101, Axe Ultra, Axe II and a Kemper as well as the AA3, I'm fairly comfortable with getting the sounds I want out of digital gear.
I raised the issue on the Atomic forum and another guy had had a similar experience. He suggested trying switch cleaner on the defective switch. I tried it and it fixed the issue with the 2nd board. So it might be worth a try?
You've probably done this already, but you should send a mail to support@atomicamps.com
I was demonstrating it to a friend yesterday, which is the only reason I plugged it in at all. If I hadn't then it would've died onstage this weekend.
The courier is picking it up this afternoon.