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This page: Effects, Speaker Emulation, Presets, Other Features
Effects
Every modeling amp on the market offers some variety of built in effects, including reverb, delay, chorus, and other modulating effects such as flange and phase. Some models also offer stomp-box type compression, distortion, and wah effects that can be placed in the virtual signal path before the amp's preamp stage.
If you're used to the flexibility of rack-mounted multi-effects, you may find the typical modeling amp's effects section lacking. On some units, only one or two effects (plus reverb) can be active at any time, and there's seldom much choice about how those effects are combined. Often, you can only adjust one or two important parameters for each effect (such as delay time and level). Deeper editing (say the tonal character of the delay, the regeneration of a flange, etc.) is left out. The argument that most guitarists prefer a simplified effects interface is valid to a degree, but it's worth spending some time tweaking the effects to see if you can get the sounds you want from them. This is especially important on modeling amps and preamps that don't offer an effects loop for interfacing outboard gear.
Speaker Emulation
This is a feature traditionally associated with direct recording devices and preamps, but is also found on most modeling amplifiers. You usually get a choice between using the speaker normally associated with a given model (for example, a 4 x 12 closed back cabinet with a Marshall head) or creating combinations of your own (say, mating a Tweed model to that 4 x 12). The effect of the speaker emulation depends to an extent on the capabilities of the modeling amp's physical speakers. For this reason, the speakers that come with some modeling amps can have a somewhat wider range -- and less inherent character -- than those found on a conventional amp. (In contrast, some manufacturers opt for more traditional guitar speakers.) With a modeling preamp, where there is no physical speaker to color the sound, the speaker-cabinet emulation is more vital to the overall tone.
Presets
With all those parameters to tweak, the ability to store sounds for later recall is essential. Some modeling amps and preamps let you store hundreds of sounds on board, while other restrict you to 16 or 32 stored sounds. Presets can be recalled via the front panel or footswitch. In some cases, MIDI can be used to store, recall, and edit presets.
Most of us are used to channel-switching amps of some kind, and many modeling amps lay out their presets in banks that mimic the channels of a multi-channel amp. But a modeling amp is not restricted by the physical gain-staging of a conventional amp. Instead of forcing you to group a clean sound, a crunch sound, and an overdriven lead sound in a single bank (the normal limitation of most traditional three-channel amps), a modeling amp gives you the flexibility to create a bank of clean sounds, or a bank of distortion sounds, or a bank of tones each based on a different original amp.
Other Features
Other feature you might find include:
- Stereo poweramp
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Built-in tuner
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Analog effects loop
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Digital output
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Direct line out (for recording)
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Headphones output
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Motorized controls (Yamaha)
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Built-in tube circuit (Some Johnson models)
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Bass amp models (Line 6 Bass POD and Bass POD Pro; Johnson J-Station)
Next Page: Testing Strategies; Know the Alternatives; Mix and Match....
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