The interface for Amplitube 3 is pretty compact and simple but don’t let that deceive you, what lies beneath are some of the most realistic sounding amp models I’ve heard and with the myriad of effects both Stomp box and rack and the added tonal possibilities added by mic positioning this is a massive release.

Amps, amps lots of amps… I was floored by just how many! 27 guitar and 3 bass amps, all of the classic amps are covered and you can work them out if not by their play on words names then by the look, the graphics are really nice especially the worn look and volume meters on the vintage models. Once you have selected an amp on certain heads you can then change the preamp, EQ model and Amp model around to mix and match… sorry what?! Awesome. Let me explain. Say you choose the THD Bi-Valve you can then change the EQ model to a British Tube Lead 1 (based on a Marshall JCM800) and then alter the Amp Model from say a single ended Class A to a 100W 6L6 or maybe a 50W EL34. How cool is that? Just chop and change tubes and power output at the click of the mouse and really does change the tone and dynamics of the amp.

One of the best features for me is the signal routing configurations, you have 8 to choose from which run anything from 2 parallel rigs to running 2 sets of stomp boxes in series into a single amp head then running that out in stereo to separate cabs, both different with their own mic choice and placement which then goes into 2 sets of rack effects in series. They have covered every possible configuration which just amazing.

There are loads of Stomp boxes to choose from, anything you can think of in fact is in there plus a few you probably wouldn’t think of such as the Step Slicer and LFO Filter. Check out my demos of the Overdrive/Distortion pedals and the Modulation pedals below to see some of these pedals in action. The rack effects are also very useful, I have played around with the digital reverb and delays a lot and the Tube Compressor is great and there are enough slots to keep all you effect junkies happy.

One cool feature with Amplitube 3 is that if you have any of the other Amplitube products, for instance I have Amplitube Fender, these amp models, cabinets, mics and effects are available from within the Amplitube 3 which is a brilliant feature.

The only thing that I feel lets this software down, and it is only really a minor annoyance, is selecting amps and effects is a bit fiddly. IK Multimedia still use a drop down menu selection method which means lots of careful clicking, having said that, there is a Preset Browser which you can order by various parameters and search but again not the most user friendly solution if, like me, you are a little heavy handed with the mouse.

The coolest thing about modelling software like Amplitube 3 is that you get to fiddle with every single parameter and set up possibility very quickly and easily and for very little money. Imagine taking a few amp heads and cabs into a studio with a bunch of mics and effects and how long it would take to set it all up? Make sure you check out my video demos of Amplitube 3 and remember there are no tricks going on, just a Suhr S4 plugged directly into a Tapco Firewire interface into my Mac, then I have Amplitube 3 running as a VST plugin for Ableton Live.

Amplitube 3 Overdrive/Distortion Stomps demo:

Amplitube 3 Modulation Stomps demo: