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Hatsubai « Waves' amp sim software »
Published on 06/14/11 at 01:50I should preface this entire review by saying that I'm mostly a heavy metal guitarist. Because of that, my opinion on what a good modeler should sound like might be a bit different than yours. Waves GTR3 is modeling software that Waves has released in order to help break into the modeling market. The software is meant to model various amps such as Vox, Mesa/Boogie, Fender, Marshall and more. The biggest issue I found is that it really doesn't sound that great compared to other, less expensive modelers out there. In fact, my favorite modeling plugins are free, so these are quite expensive in my eyes. The overall interface is easy to get used to, and it's pretty logical how everything works. Setting up effects is simple enough, selecting different mics and cabs is a piece of cake, and laying down riffs is no problem at all. The issue occurs in the actual tone of these modelers. They sound very fake and plastic-like. Because of that, it makes playing with them a bit of a challenge. When you're constantly fighting to get a good tone and feel, playing can be a real challenge. Granted, I've only used this plugin at a friend's recording studio, I just couldn't get used to it for heavy metal and lead work. I generally find it's more geared towards those who are playing on the softer side, so it could simply be that it's not suited towards my style of music.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
The plugin looks pretty decent, so there's no issue there. There's an issue with it working only in 32 bit in Logic, but Logic has a built-in converter that'll automatically launch it in 32 bit so you don't have to convert the entire program to run it. It's basically acting like a wrapper to run it in 32 bit instead of 64 bit. It's easy to get everything configured in the DAW as you can just enable it in an empty bus and go from there. I never noticed it being a huge memory hog, so no issues there, either. Granted, I haven't used it for a very long time, but I tried to get used to it for a few days and couldn't get anything useful out of it.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a good modeler out there, look for the free VSTs. There are lots of guys who emulate 5150s, Engls, Rectos and other amps that are much better and more lifelike than these. You'll need some sort of impulse application and impulses, but those things can be had for free. I'm talking about the legal free, not the illegal piracy free, too. It might be worth checking out if you're more of a classic rock guy, but I just couldn't get it to work out for me.
SUITABILITY/PERFORMANCE
The plugin looks pretty decent, so there's no issue there. There's an issue with it working only in 32 bit in Logic, but Logic has a built-in converter that'll automatically launch it in 32 bit so you don't have to convert the entire program to run it. It's basically acting like a wrapper to run it in 32 bit instead of 64 bit. It's easy to get everything configured in the DAW as you can just enable it in an empty bus and go from there. I never noticed it being a huge memory hog, so no issues there, either. Granted, I haven't used it for a very long time, but I tried to get used to it for a few days and couldn't get anything useful out of it.
OVERALL OPINION
If you're looking for a good modeler out there, look for the free VSTs. There are lots of guys who emulate 5150s, Engls, Rectos and other amps that are much better and more lifelike than these. You'll need some sort of impulse application and impulses, but those things can be had for free. I'm talking about the legal free, not the illegal piracy free, too. It might be worth checking out if you're more of a classic rock guy, but I just couldn't get it to work out for me.