User manual

2.6
2 - Using AmpliTube™
17
After the preamp the signal feeds into the EQ stage (fig. 12) , a “tone con-
trol” circuit that recreates the authentic response of the tone shaping sec-
tion of the best amplifiers. Actually this is not a conventional digital eq.. it
sound exactly like the typical “low”, “mid” and “treble” knobs you would
expect to find on the amplifier faceplate, and, best of all, its “sound” and
character changes very much depending on the Eq type that’s been selected.
Just after the Eq stage we find the Spring Reverb (fig. 13). This reverb real-
ly sounds very close to a spring unit, with all the warmth they have but with
that typical metallic and resonant vibe. Of course this reverb is mono.
Once the tone is carefully shaped by the Eq and reverberated by the Spring
the signal feeds into the Power Amplifier stage (fig. 14). Different types of
power amplifiers (both Tube and Solid-State) deliver different sounds. Tube
power amplifier will deliver more compression when driven close to the
maximum, while solid state ones will give a more crunchy sound.
After being amplified, the signal is fed to the Cabinet (fig. 15). Here is where
AmpliTube™ recreates, thanks to meticulous measurements with unprece-
dented precision, the magical tones of some of the best guitar speaker
system ever made. The speaker frequency response is the most important
stage of the guitar system because every subtle nuance of the cabinet fre-
quency response is responsible for a particular tonal character, and the
AmpliTube™ cabinet emulation is very precise.
Speakers cabs need to be miked to capture their magical sound both in the
studio or onstage. Some miking techniques with different microphones deli-
ver various tonal results, that’s why AmpliTube™ has its own internal
microphone type and placement section. Thanks to different Mic types and
positions (fig. 16), whose results on the sound are finely modeled,
AmpliTube™ sports a very high number of possible combinations of the
sound of the cabinet / microphone system.
This number gets huge if you think of all the combinations that are possi-
ble with all the Preamps / EQ / Power amplifiers / Cabs and microphones
positioning (actually up to 1,260 different combinations). And, best of all,
it’s almost impossible to get a bad-sounding combination!
Post FX Module
Now we have the guitar signal coming out from the microphone, placed in
front of the cabinet with stomp effects inserted.
The next, and final, part of this system is a post processing effects stage
(fig. 17) that’s equipped with a digital three band precision parametric
equalizer, a digital stereo delay and an high quality “hall” type digital
reverb.
These processors are based on a different concept from the first two modu-
fig. 12
fig. 14
fig. 15
fig. 16
fig. 13
fig. 17