I recently got my hands on the Amplitube 5, an amp simulation and multi effects plugin built by IK Multimedia, a renowned Italian company that specializes in developing music production software. After using it for a couple of weeks, I’ll write down my findings to answer your question: Is Amplitube 5 worth it?
By All means, Amplitube 5 is a powerful application with a huge collection of amps, effects and built-in Looper and recording software. With its super quality of modelling and an affordable price, it definitely is a great value for money for guitarists looking for a decent VST plugin.
Amplitube 5 offers so much that I have still not explored it completely, but so far, it has honestly a lot to offer. So, if you’re looking to add another VST to your collection or have recently learned about VST plugins, then read along to get an honest review about Amplitube 5 and if it’s worth it.
What is AmpliTube 5 used for?
Let’s start this article by first understanding what Amplitube is used for. If you play an electric guitar (or even an acoustic guitar with effects), you need an amplifier along with some effects to enhance and shape your tone.
For that, you can either use pedals or get a multi effects pedal that has several effect simulations in a single device. Now, you can also simply get all the effects on your computer and for that, music companies like IK Multimedia have specialized in developing specialized software applications that do just that, like the Amplitube 5. All you need to do is connect your guitar to your computer using an audio interface, run Amplitube 5 and you’re good to go.
Amplitube 5 and similar software applications are an excellent alternative to individual pedals or multi effects pedals and with the recently advancement in music technology, companies have successfully simulated the original effects and sounds of analog devices.
After using Amplitube 5 for a couple of weeks now, let me put down the goods and bads about this software when compared with actual pedals and others VSTs that I have used:
What’s Good about Amplitude 5?
- The first thing that I really liked about Amplitube 5 is that it works flawlessly as a stand-alone application and I do not need any external DAW to make it work. This doesn’t consume a lot of my computer’s ram so i dont really need a very high resolution computer to run Amplitube 5, my regular Intel i5 laptop with 8 gb ram is more than enough for Amplitube 5 to run without any issues.
- Amplitube 5 has a built-in recorder that can record up to 8 tracks at a time. It’s as good as Reaper, that I previously used to use to record guitar. And having the recording application within the Amplitube 5 itself makes it easy for me to quickly get to recording without any additional configuration.
- Amplitube 5 has such a huge collection of amps and effects that I am honestly overwhelmed with the options. Moreover, the amps and effects are actually trademarked by the actual companies such as Fender so I know that they are realistic and of the best quality. The presets too are several to choose from and all are great.
- Amplitube 5 also comes with a built-in Looper that works great with a foot switch. I use it almost all the time to create new rhythms to jam over and it works great.
- Amplitube 5 offers a 72 hours free trial of each amp or effect before you purchase it. It’s a great option as it allows you to fully test the amp or effect before spending your money.
What’s Bad About Amplitude 5?
- Amplitube 5 does take a considerable amount of time to load especially if I compare it with other applications such as Fender Fuse or Neural DSP.
- The free version offers very limited amps and effects so I found the free version to be almost useless. But the good thing is that Amplitube 5 offers 72 hours of free trial for any amp you’re interested in testing out which is enough time to fully test the amp or effect before making up your mind.
Does Amplitube 5 sound good?
Yes, provided you have a good audio interface and a decently configured computer to meet the minimum requirements, Amplitube 5 sounds great and quite realistic as the actual pedals, amps and mics. After recording a couple of audio clips using Amplitube 5 and then using the gadgets at my studio, I found Amplitube 5 to be very close to the sound of the actual studio sound.
With software like Amplitube, there’s always some risk of having latency especially if you are a user of real pedals and amps. But that has more to do with your computer power and the quality of audio interface that you use. If those meet the minimum requirements, you’re good to go.
How do I connect my guitar to AmpliTube?
Connecting your guitar with Amplitube 5 is pretty easy. All you’ll need is an Audio Interface that acts as a bridge between your guitar and your computer and then you can run the Amplitube 5 amp to use it.
I use Amplitube 5 with Line 6 UX 2 and it works great. Amplitube 5 automatically picks up its ASIO driver so it’s just a plug and play for me. I’ve also used it with Focusrite Solo and it worked great.
To make it more convenient, I’ve actually switched from a guitar cable to a wireless guitar system. I would also recommend you to switch to a wireless guitar system as it’s really a convenient little gadget to connect your guitar with the amp or Audio interface.
Can you record with AmpliTube?
Yes, recording with Amplitube 5 is pretty easy. Amplitube 5 comes with a built-in recorder that can record up to 8 tracks and each track has a dedicated equalizer. You can even upload a backing track or rhythm track on one of the tracks and record your guitar on top of it on another track.
If you prefer to use a specific DAW, like Reaper or Audacity, then Amplitube also has the option to work as a VST. At the time of installation, it’ll ask you if you’d like to install the VST as well. In this way, Amplitube 5 will also show up as a VST in your favourite DAW and you can run it from there.
I personally really liked the built-in recorder, although I’ve been using Reaper and Audacity for a long period of time. But as long as I am using Amplitube 5, I stick with the built-in recorder.
So that’s it for this article about Amplitube 5. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and have found it to be an amazing application that runs great with my Audio Interface. If you’re looking for a good VST amp simulator, do give Amplitube 5 a try and you wont be disappointed.