Name: DSM & Humboldt Simplifier
Brand: DSM & Humboldt
SKU: 636e12a370ab405ee9b11371
Rating: 3.1 (8 reviews)

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After two years of extensive research, the Simplifier masterminds have pushed the limits of the galaxy, with a new breakthrough in the guitar world. Attending the call of musicians who search endless boutique sound possibilities, flexibility and extreme portability, the Simplifier Deluxe offers the world's finest all analog 0 wt dual channel amp, with cab simulator, multistage reverb, and ultimate connectivity options. All, in an extremely small format.

Sweetwater

r/Guitar

r/guitarpedals

 This pedal is designed to be the main hub of your pedalboard, giving you the most flexible routing options for all kinds of situations. The best way to understand the Simplifier is to divide it into three parts. The mono preamp section with selectable amps and EQ controls, the mono power amp section with presence and resonance controls with selectable tubes, and the stereo cab sim section with three types of speaker configurations. For connectivity, we have stereo balanced XLR outputs and unbalanced quarter inch stereo outputs

 This is great for dialing in the perfect high end texture of the overall sound. Lastly, we have two toggle switches, one for each channel to select between three of the most common speaker configurations. The twin which is a 2x12, the stack a 4x12, and combo a 1x12. The DSM Humboldt Simplifier Classic offers a ton of flexibility and choices to tailor the best tone with your pedalboard

 Let's take a deeper look and listen to each section, starting with the preamp section. We've got three amp types, and we'll let you guys figure out which amps they used as inspiration. Now keep in mind that volume gain and EQ are relative to each amp type, so you'll hear a few differences. The first one is AC Brit, which is clean and chimey

 Hi, I'm Dave Geraldo and I'm so happy to be at Sweetwater in beautiful Fort Wayne, Indiana to talk to you about the Simplifier Classic from DSM Humboldt. The Simplifier Classic is DSM Humboldt's flagship product. It's the most compact and flexible solution for guitar players wanting to go direct using incorporated XLR connections without the need of a DI box. It simulates three types of iconic amps with selectable tubes and selectable cabs

 The mono preamp section with selectable amps and EQ controls, the mono power amp section with presence and resonance controls with selectable tubes, and the stereo cab sim section with three types of speaker configurations. For connectivity, we have stereo balanced XLR outputs and unbalanced quarter inch stereo outputs. The XLR outs can be used as two independent mono channels and eliminate the need of DI boxes. Two inch outs can function as through on the left channel for monitoring through an amp or powered speakers, and some to mono on the right channel

DSM & Humboldt Simplifier Classic Stereo Amplifier Demo

Aight so I feel like we’ve been getting at least a couple questions a day asking about ampless setups so I thought I should make a guide for people to help demystify the subject and help pick the ampless unit that best fits their needs.

I don’t claim to be an expert on any of this, so if there are any finer technical details that are wrong, or if there are any ampless units that I didn’t mention please let me know. Also a lot of this stuff is subjective so I’ll try to preface those parts and we can fight about who’s opinion is best in the comments. As a bit of a disclaimer, I personally Strymon Iridium that I really like so some points will be framed around that unit. I’m not going to directly discuss amp modelling via audio plugins and VSTs in comparison to hardware but I will touch on their pros/cons briefly.

***

**So firstly we need to discuss the actual guitar amp in order to understand what components go into a good ampless unit**

There are three main sections that make up tube amps. I won’t be discussing solid state amps since those aren’t usually offered by ampless units and most of the time people are after that tasty tube sound. 

**The first is the preamp section:**

This is the part that gives the amp its flavour, or tonal colour, through a combination of EQ profile, compression, and saturation. It’s the part where you listen and can say ‘oh yeah that sounds like a fender/marshall/vox amp’. Different combinations of preamp tubes and tone stack styles will produce different results, and some amps have varying controls over the output gain so you can distort the signal. There are a lot of pedals out there that mimic the gain structure and tone stacks of guitar preamps like the Benson Preamp, Catalinbread’s foundation series, etc, that are mostly just supposed to be used to get those specific flavours of distortion. These pedals definitely can be used in lieu of a ‘real’ preamp. Furthermore, if you free yourself of the idea of chasing the sound of a specific amp then anything can be a preamp. I myself used a modded Boss Metal Zone with the drive at zero into a cab sim VST plugin for some recordings and it sounded pretty good.

**The second is the power amp section:**

In a typical tube amp, the power amp really only exists to drive the speaker output. It’s usually tube based, but it’s becoming more and more common for this section to be solid state as well. The tubes here can colour the tone and the interaction between the preamp and the power amp can be a big factor in how an amp sounds, but often times ampless units won’t even include adjustable parameters for power amp sections. Common pedal power amps include the EHX Magnum 44 and the Seymour Duncan Powertrain, both of which act as actual power amps and NEED to be plugged into a speaker cabinet in order for them to work. **DO NOT PLUG EITHER OF THESE UNITS INTO CAB SIM PEDALS BECAUSE IT WILL NOT WORK AND YOU WILL PROBABLY BREAK BOTH PEDALS.** Pedals like the Two Notes Torpedo series, DSM &amp; Humbolt Simplifier, Atomic Amplifire Box, and the Mooer Radar include specific controls for power amp emulation, while the Strymon Iridium and the amp models in the Line 6 Helix do not (someone correct me on that if I’m wrong).

**The third section is the speaker cabinet:**

This is the part that makes the boom. Up until this section if you listened to the guitar signal running through it, it’d probably sound pretty nasty. Anyone who has ever plugged a guitar straight into their computer to listen to the result knows what I’m talking about. Speaker cabinets have a huge impact on the overall tone of an amp Speaker cabs will typically have a pretty drastic EQ curve to them to compensate for this. Most cabinets will filter or heavily dampen everything below 100hz and above 10khz  [Here’s a visual example](https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/media/2020/04/white-noise-running-through-a-cabinet-IR-and-modeled-analog-EQ.jpg), note how the highest highs and lowest lows are damn near completely gone. In an ampless unit, cabinet sections will be done two ways, either by an analog filter that will mimic the curve of a specific cabinet or with an impulse response (IR) loader. I won’t get too deep into IRs (mostly because I don’t fully understand them myself) but basically it’s the sonic measurement of ‘something’, in this case a speaker cabinet and the space it inhabits in the form of a digital .wav file. An IR of this space is captured by sending the full range frequency of 20hz-20khz through the space and recording the EQ response. Filters that mimic guitar cabs can have adjustable parameters, while IRs tend to more accurately capture the sound of a cabinet. IRs are not adjustable themselves, but it’s relatively easy to have different IR files for different setups. If you’ve ever bought an IR pack from Ownhammer you know the feeling of having literally thousands of IRs that cover every conceivable combination of speaker cabinet configuration, speaker brand, microphone type, placement, angle, etc. IRs can be made at different sample rates but the higher the sample rate, the higher the fidelity of the IR, and some ampless units only support higher resolution files.

***

**“Ok so I learned something here but what gear do I buy to suit my needs?”**

The answer this will entirely depend on what you hope to get out of an ampless setup and why you are considering going ampless in the first place. 

**The two main points that you should know by now are that the preamp makes it sound like a specific amp, and the cabinet refines the signal and makes it sound, well, good. A useful soft rule to remember is that a preamp with no cabinet will sound bad, but a cabinet with no preamp will sound fine but also maybe a bit lifeless.**

***

**Ampless setups offer many benefits:**

* **Portability:** no longer have to lug around that massive tube amp, or have to worry about what amp the venue has for you.
* **Versatility:** being able to flip from a clean Fender model to a distorted Marshall amp with a single switch, being able to mix and match cabinets in any combination you’d like. Also most ampless units have the ability to easily run in stereo or have wet/dry routing instead of needing to own two amps.
* **Price:** The most common intro tube amp that gets recommended to people is the Fender Blues Junior which retails for $599 new. It’s a staple for a reason, it’s sounds good and it’s relatively small but it will only ever sound like a Blues Junior. Now take the Line 6 HX Stomp which retails for the same price has literally [68 different guitar amp models in it](https://dshowmusic.com/line-6-helix-amp-models/), as well as having a load of bass amp models and tons of drive, modulation, delay, and reverb effects. The Strymon Iridium is $399 which is considered on the higher side of prices for guitar pedals, but if you frame it as getting a deluxe reverb, an ac30, and a superlead it makes a bit more sense.
* **Volume:** Tube amps are loud, no way around it. And also they usually sound better the louder they get. But unless you have a private studio with good sound isolation you’re probably going to annoy your family and neighbours if you continually are cranking that Marshall stack. Most ampless units will have headphone outputs for silent playing, as well as the ability to adjust the gain to your ideal breakup point while still being able to control the overall volume. If you’re playing through an external speaker you can also set all this to whatever volume you want and still have it sound great.
* **Consistency:** Being able to have the exact same guitar tone at home practicing, on a recording, or coming through the PA at a venue.
* **Simplicity:** I suppose it’s a bit of a misnomer to call it simple when I’m writing a huge post about it, but I stand by it. I love my iridium because I can just sit down and play without having to fuss with the computer setup I used to use, I don’t have to worry about bothering my neighbours or my partner while she’s studying, and when I’m recording I can consistently get the exact same sound over and over again.
* **Upkeep:** Tubes will wear out eventually and need to be replaced, and typically you will need an amp tech to do that for you. There isn’t much upkeep to be done on ampless units other than a periodic software update. On the flipside, it is likely that the tech in current ampless units will eventually be outclassed as new tech is invented. However, current offerings won’t be suddenly considered bad or unusable just because something better is available.

***

**So which of these points resonated with you the most?**

Are you trying to play more guitar without bothering your family? Do you just want to make cool sounds in your free time and don’t want to have to spend a grand on a tube amp?

* If yes, then you want something that will just make your signal not sound crappy. Go for something that has a dedicated cab sim like the Mooer Radar or something in the Two Notes Torpedo Cab series. Desktop amps like the Yamaha THR line or the smaller Boss Katana units would also be a good choice here. If you already have an amp head that you love but can't use due to volume I would recommend the Two Notes Captor X which can act as a load box and attenuator for the head, and also has power amp/cabinet simulation, as well as a number of different output options.

Are you getting into home recording and want a lot of amp options? Do you need a something for gigs that will give you a consistent sound every night?

* If yes then you might want to grab something in the Line 6 Helix line, Kemper Profiler/Floor, Boss GT1000 (or Core model), Fractal Axe FX or FM3 Positive Grid BIAS Hardware. Things that have presets and deep editing so you can get the exact sounds that you want and also be able to easily recall them. It's also worth noting that the Kemper units and some of the Fractal Axe FX units have the ability to capture the sound of a specific preamp/power amp similar to how impulse responses are created.

Do you want something small and pedalboard friendly that will integrate well with the pedals you already have?

* If yes then I would recommend a Strymon Iridium, DSM &amp; Humboldt Simplifier, something in the Two Notes ‘Le’ series, or an Atomic Amplifire Box. You could also go an even more modular route and have a cab sim pedal like the Two Notes Cab M or a Mooer Radar at the end of your chain and a preamp of your choice somewhere in the middle. On the budget end, Mooer also has a line of preamp pedals that model specific amps with headphone outputs. Joyo has a line of amp sims pedals like the American/California/British sound which are amp sims with an analog cab filter but they do not have headphone outputs. Tech 21 has the character series which also model specific amps, have switchable analog cab filters, but do not have headphone outputs.

Are you interested in the form factor and convenience offered by ampless units but not sure if you’re ready to leave real analog tube amps behind?

* There are a number of small(ish) pedalboard friendly ampless units that incorporate tubes into the preamp stage. Victory Amps has a line of pedalboard friendly preamps called the V4 line. All of them have great connectivity options but the Duchess model specifically has the ability be plugged directly into an external cabinet. The previously mentioned Two Notes ‘Le’ series incorporate tubes in the preamp sections and has switchable cab sims and headphone outputs. Milkman Amps sells a unit just called ‘The Amp’ which is a 50w tube preamp with a headphone output and balanced direct output that incorporates a cabinet simulation, as well as a 4-8 ohm speaker output and regular preamp output so it could be used with another cabinet solution.

Now this section is meant more to be a set of guidelines than an actual hard set of rules. Ampless units mentioned in one section can definitely work in other situations. I’m mostly playing at home these days and recording a bit but I’ve had a Strymon Iridium since April and have been very happy with it, and hopefully I’ll be able to use it live at some point.

***

**FAQ:**

**What do I need to buy if I don’t just want to use headphones?**

* There are a few options. The big one people will recommend is a Full-Range, Flat-Response (FRFR) speaker which is just a speaker that will output whatever gets put into it as cleanly and neutrally as possible. PA systems would work as well, however they’re typically designed to handle anything that could be mic’d, run through the mixing console, and played out as loud as possible, while FRFR speakers are largely made specifically for use with amp modelling. [Sweetwater has a good article on this](https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/411-frfr-speakers/). So yeah, if you want to feel real air being moved by your ampless setup you need a peripheral speaker, and some of them aren’t cheap. Studio monitors are another good option as well.

**Do I need a DI for any of these?**

* Maybe? It will entirely depend on your situation and what other gear you own. If an ampless unit says it has balanced outputs then you don’t need a DI. If you’re plugging directly into an audio interface without balanced outputs you may need one to compensate for some volume loss, but again this will depend on the audio interface and the ampless unit you go with. I haven’t experienced any issues plugging my Iridium into my Zoom U-24 personally but from reading posts here on reddit as well as the owner's facebook group some people have had issues. If you’re playing gigs a lot it’s probably not a bad idea to have one, especially since they’re kind of a ‘buy once’ type of thing. With that said though, I’ve yet to play a gig where the sound guy didn’t have a milk crate full of radial DI’s available for me use if I needed.

**Do I need an effects loop?**

* Again, maybe? An effects loop allows you to insert effects between the preamp and power amp, so if your preamp has a lot of gain in it you can have time-based effects like delay and reverb in the loop so they don’t get distorted before they come out of the speaker. With ampless units it’s easy enough to place your time based effects after it, with the downside being you wouldn’t be able to use the headphone output on it. If you’re recording with an ampless unit you definitely don’t need an effects loop, you can just put all your time based effects after it, since that’s typically what would happen in a real studio situation through reamping. A lack of an effects loop definitely doesn't detract from its usability.

**Can I plug any of these into a normal guitar cab?**

* Not without some extra gear. We’ve already established that guitar cabs need to be powered by something in order to work, so you would need something to function as an actual power amp to drive a cab like the Seymour Duncan or EHX power amps mentioned in that section. From there you could plug your ampless unit into the power amp, but you would need to disable any power amp and cabinet simulation in order for it to sound normal.

**Do I need a unit with power amp modelling?**

* Probably not. It’s really one of those minor things that you likely won’t need to touch outside of a studio situation. It is definitely not as crucial to modelling an amp's sound as the preamp and cabinet are. 

**What about software options?**

* Software is a great move if you’re doing a lot of home recording or run a recording studio. Using software would allow you to record a dry guitar signal and then be able to flips through many different amp models and finely tune each one until you get your ideal sound. With software it is also much easier to combine the sound of multiple amps and cabinets. The downside is the good software is usually as expensive as other ampless units, are harder to use in live situations without any latency, and require a lot of infrastructure such as a computer with good processing power, a good audio interface, and then headphones or monitors. IK Multimedia Amplitube, Native Instruments Guitar Rig, Line 6 Helix Native, Positive Grid BIAS, Waves GTR3, Universal Audio Guitar and Bass Amp Sims are all popular options, and also Logic Pro has a good selection of built in amps and pedals. For anyone wanting to get their feet wet with modelling software I highly recommend [STL Tones Emissary Plugin Bundle](https://www.stltones.com/products/stl-ignite-emissary-plug-in-bundle) which is free and sounds pretty great, though it is meant for higher gain style tones.

**Do digital modelling amps really sound as good as the real thing?**

* Pretty much yes, but it’s very subjective. Playing through your headphones won’t necessary ‘feel’ the same as playing through a real tube amp, but it will sound just as good if it’s being run through a venue sound system, connected to an interface for recording, or just being enjoyed quietly by you. There are plenty of comparison/blind test videos on YouTube, just search ‘line 6 helix vs’ or ‘strymon iridium vs’ or whatever and you’ll get lots of shootout style videos to comb through. I will mention that the Iridium has a Jfet-based analog input that makes it react and feel the same as playing through a real tube amp.

**How well do these ampless units take pedals?**

* Again, this part is pretty subjective and will also vary unit to unit and vary depending on the pedals. I think I'll leave this question open to the sub to answer in the comments since I don't have a wide enough range of experience to make a good statement on it. However, I will mention that the Strymon Iridium takes pedals extremely well. I think it has something to do with the aforementioned jfet based front end. I have a video of me maxing a Boss MT-2 into it and it still sounds decent. Conversely, I had a Joyo American Sound for a time and I thought it sounded quite bad when combined with other drive pedals.


***

Alright so I hope this had some useful information. Feel free to correct me on anything in the comments section if I've missed something or have gotten anything wrong. 

Are you using an ampless unit? If so, what do you have? How are you using it? How do you like it? How well does it work with your pedals?

<div class="md">Aight so I feel like we’ve been getting at least a couple questions a day asking about ampless setups so I thought I should make a guide for people to help demystify the subject and help pick the ampless unit that best fits their needs.

I don’t claim to be an expert on any of this, so if there are any finer technical details that are wrong, or if there are any ampless units that I didn’t mention please let me know. Also a lot of this stuff is subjective so I’ll try to preface those parts and we can fight about who’s opinion is best in the comments. As a bit of a disclaimer, I personally Strymon Iridium that I really like so some points will be framed around that unit. I’m not going to directly discuss amp modelling via audio plugins and VSTs in comparison to hardware but I will touch on their pros/cons briefly.

<hr/>

So firstly we need to discuss the actual guitar amp in order to understand what components go into a good ampless unit

There are three main sections that make up tube amps. I won’t be discussing solid state amps since those aren’t usually offered by ampless units and most of the time people are after that tasty tube sound. 

The first is the preamp section:

This is the part that gives the amp its flavour, or tonal colour, through a combination of EQ profile, compression, and saturation. It’s the part where you listen and can say ‘oh yeah that sounds like a fender/marshall/vox amp’. Different combinations of preamp tubes and tone stack styles will produce different results, and some amps have varying controls over the output gain so you can distort the signal. There are a lot of pedals out there that mimic the gain structure and tone stacks of guitar preamps like the Benson Preamp, Catalinbread’s foundation series, etc, that are mostly just supposed to be used to get those specific flavours of distortion. These pedals definitely can be used in lieu of a ‘real’ preamp. Furthermore, if you free yourself of the idea of chasing the sound of a specific amp then anything can be a preamp. I myself used a modded Boss Metal Zone with the drive at zero into a cab sim VST plugin for some recordings and it sounded pretty good.

The second is the power amp section:

In a typical tube amp, the power amp really only exists to drive the speaker output. It’s usually tube based, but it’s becoming more and more common for this section to be solid state as well. The tubes here can colour the tone and the interaction between the preamp and the power amp can be a big factor in how an amp sounds, but often times ampless units won’t even include adjustable parameters for power amp sections. Common pedal power amps include the EHX Magnum 44 and the Seymour Duncan Powertrain, both of which act as actual power amps and NEED to be plugged into a speaker cabinet in order for them to work. DO NOT PLUG EITHER OF THESE UNITS INTO CAB SIM PEDALS BECAUSE IT WILL NOT WORK AND YOU WILL PROBABLY BREAK BOTH PEDALS. Pedals like the Two Notes Torpedo series, DSM &amp; Humbolt Simplifier, Atomic Amplifire Box, and the Mooer Radar include specific controls for power amp emulation, while the Strymon Iridium and the amp models in the Line 6 Helix do not (someone correct me on that if I’m wrong).

The third section is the speaker cabinet:

This is the part that makes the boom. Up until this section if you listened to the guitar signal running through it, it’d probably sound pretty nasty. Anyone who has ever plugged a guitar straight into their computer to listen to the result knows what I’m talking about. Speaker cabinets have a huge impact on the overall tone of an amp Speaker cabs will typically have a pretty drastic EQ curve to them to compensate for this. Most cabinets will filter or heavily dampen everything below 100hz and above 10khz <a href="https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/media/2020/04/white-noise-running-through-a-cabinet-IR-and-modeled-analog-EQ.jpg">Here’s a visual example</a>, note how the highest highs and lowest lows are damn near completely gone. In an ampless unit, cabinet sections will be done two ways, either by an analog filter that will mimic the curve of a specific cabinet or with an impulse response (IR) loader. I won’t get too deep into IRs (mostly because I don’t fully understand them myself) but basically it’s the sonic measurement of ‘something’, in this case a speaker cabinet and the space it inhabits in the form of a digital .wav file. An IR of this space is captured by sending the full range frequency of 20hz-20khz through the space and recording the EQ response. Filters that mimic guitar cabs can have adjustable parameters, while IRs tend to more accurately capture the sound of a cabinet. IRs are not adjustable themselves, but it’s relatively easy to have different IR files for different setups. If you’ve ever bought an IR pack from Ownhammer you know the feeling of having literally thousands of IRs that cover every conceivable combination of speaker cabinet configuration, speaker brand, microphone type, placement, angle, etc. IRs can be made at different sample rates but the higher the sample rate, the higher the fidelity of the IR, and some ampless units only support higher resolution files.

<hr/>

“Ok so I learned something here but what gear do I buy to suit my needs?”

The answer this will entirely depend on what you hope to get out of an ampless setup and why you are considering going ampless in the first place. 

The two main points that you should know by now are that the preamp makes it sound like a specific amp, and the cabinet refines the signal and makes it sound, well, good. A useful soft rule to remember is that a preamp with no cabinet will sound bad, but a cabinet with no preamp will sound fine but also maybe a bit lifeless.

<hr/>

Ampless setups offer many benefits:

<ul>
<li>Portability: no longer have to lug around that massive tube amp, or have to worry about what amp the venue has for you.</li>
<li>Versatility: being able to flip from a clean Fender model to a distorted Marshall amp with a single switch, being able to mix and match cabinets in any combination you’d like. Also most ampless units have the ability to easily run in stereo or have wet/dry routing instead of needing to own two amps.</li>
<li>Price: The most common intro tube amp that gets recommended to people is the Fender Blues Junior which retails for $599 new. It’s a staple for a reason, it’s sounds good and it’s relatively small but it will only ever sound like a Blues Junior. Now take the Line 6 HX Stomp which retails for the same price has literally <a href="https://dshowmusic.com/line-6-helix-amp-models/">68 different guitar amp models in it</a>, as well as having a load of bass amp models and tons of drive, modulation, delay, and reverb effects. The Strymon Iridium is $399 which is considered on the higher side of prices for guitar pedals, but if you frame it as getting a deluxe reverb, an ac30, and a superlead it makes a bit more sense.</li>
<li>Volume: Tube amps are loud, no way around it. And also they usually sound better the louder they get. But unless you have a private studio with good sound isolation you’re probably going to annoy your family and neighbours if you continually are cranking that Marshall stack. Most ampless units will have headphone outputs for silent playing, as well as the ability to adjust the gain to your ideal breakup point while still being able to control the overall volume. If you’re playing through an external speaker you can also set all this to whatever volume you want and still have it sound great.</li>
<li>Consistency: Being able to have the exact same guitar tone at home practicing, on a recording, or coming through the PA at a venue.</li>
<li>Simplicity: I suppose it’s a bit of a misnomer to call it simple when I’m writing a huge post about it, but I stand by it. I love my iridium because I can just sit down and play without having to fuss with the computer setup I used to use, I don’t have to worry about bothering my neighbours or my partner while she’s studying, and when I’m recording I can consistently get the exact same sound over and over again.</li>
<li>Upkeep: Tubes will wear out eventually and need to be replaced, and typically you will need an amp tech to do that for you. There isn’t much upkeep to be done on ampless units other than a periodic software update. On the flipside, it is likely that the tech in current ampless units will eventually be outclassed as new tech is invented. However, current offerings won’t be suddenly considered bad or unusable just because something better is available.</li>
</ul>

<hr/>

So which of these points resonated with you the most?

Are you trying to play more guitar without bothering your family? Do you just want to make cool sounds in your free time and don’t want to have to spend a grand on a tube amp?

<ul>
<li>If yes, then you want something that will just make your signal not sound crappy. Go for something that has a dedicated cab sim like the Mooer Radar or something in the Two Notes Torpedo Cab series. Desktop amps like the Yamaha THR line or the smaller Boss Katana units would also be a good choice here. If you already have an amp head that you love but can&#39;t use due to volume I would recommend the Two Notes Captor X which can act as a load box and attenuator for the head, and also has power amp/cabinet simulation, as well as a number of different output options.</li>
</ul>

Are you getting into home recording and want a lot of amp options? Do you need a something for gigs that will give you a consistent sound every night?

<ul>
<li>If yes then you might want to grab something in the Line 6 Helix line, Kemper Profiler/Floor, Boss GT1000 (or Core model), Fractal Axe FX or FM3 Positive Grid BIAS Hardware. Things that have presets and deep editing so you can get the exact sounds that you want and also be able to easily recall them. It&#39;s also worth noting that the Kemper units and some of the Fractal Axe FX units have the ability to capture the sound of a specific preamp/power amp similar to how impulse responses are created.</li>
</ul>

Do you want something small and pedalboard friendly that will integrate well with the pedals you already have?

<ul>
<li>If yes then I would recommend a Strymon Iridium, DSM &amp; Humboldt Simplifier, something in the Two Notes ‘Le’ series, or an Atomic Amplifire Box. You could also go an even more modular route and have a cab sim pedal like the Two Notes Cab M or a Mooer Radar at the end of your chain and a preamp of your choice somewhere in the middle. On the budget end, Mooer also has a line of preamp pedals that model specific amps with headphone outputs. Joyo has a line of amp sims pedals like the American/California/British sound which are amp sims with an analog cab filter but they do not have headphone outputs. Tech 21 has the character series which also model specific amps, have switchable analog cab filters, but do not have headphone outputs.</li>
</ul>

Are you interested in the form factor and convenience offered by ampless units but not sure if you’re ready to leave real analog tube amps behind?

<ul>
<li>There are a number of small(ish) pedalboard friendly ampless units that incorporate tubes into the preamp stage. Victory Amps has a line of pedalboard friendly preamps called the V4 line. All of them have great connectivity options but the Duchess model specifically has the ability be plugged directly into an external cabinet. The previously mentioned Two Notes ‘Le’ series incorporate tubes in the preamp sections and has switchable cab sims and headphone outputs. Milkman Amps sells a unit just called ‘The Amp’ which is a 50w tube preamp with a headphone output and balanced direct output that incorporates a cabinet simulation, as well as a 4-8 ohm speaker output and regular preamp output so it could be used with another cabinet solution.</li>
</ul>

Now this section is meant more to be a set of guidelines than an actual hard set of rules. Ampless units mentioned in one section can definitely work in other situations. I’m mostly playing at home these days and recording a bit but I’ve had a Strymon Iridium since April and have been very happy with it, and hopefully I’ll be able to use it live at some point.

<hr/>

FAQ:

What do I need to buy if I don’t just want to use headphones?

<ul>
<li>There are a few options. The big one people will recommend is a Full-Range, Flat-Response (FRFR) speaker which is just a speaker that will output whatever gets put into it as cleanly and neutrally as possible. PA systems would work as well, however they’re typically designed to handle anything that could be mic’d, run through the mixing console, and played out as loud as possible, while FRFR speakers are largely made specifically for use with amp modelling. <a href="https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/411-frfr-speakers/">Sweetwater has a good article on this</a>. So yeah, if you want to feel real air being moved by your ampless setup you need a peripheral speaker, and some of them aren’t cheap. Studio monitors are another good option as well.</li>
</ul>

Do I need a DI for any of these?

<ul>
<li>Maybe? It will entirely depend on your situation and what other gear you own. If an ampless unit says it has balanced outputs then you don’t need a DI. If you’re plugging directly into an audio interface without balanced outputs you may need one to compensate for some volume loss, but again this will depend on the audio interface and the ampless unit you go with. I haven’t experienced any issues plugging my Iridium into my Zoom U-24 personally but from reading posts here on reddit as well as the owner&#39;s facebook group some people have had issues. If you’re playing gigs a lot it’s probably not a bad idea to have one, especially since they’re kind of a ‘buy once’ type of thing. With that said though, I’ve yet to play a gig where the sound guy didn’t have a milk crate full of radial DI’s available for me use if I needed.</li>
</ul>

Do I need an effects loop?

<ul>
<li>Again, maybe? An effects loop allows you to insert effects between the preamp and power amp, so if your preamp has a lot of gain in it you can have time-based effects like delay and reverb in the loop so they don’t get distorted before they come out of the speaker. With ampless units it’s easy enough to place your time based effects after it, with the downside being you wouldn’t be able to use the headphone output on it. If you’re recording with an ampless unit you definitely don’t need an effects loop, you can just put all your time based effects after it, since that’s typically what would happen in a real studio situation through reamping. A lack of an effects loop definitely doesn&#39;t detract from its usability.</li>
</ul>

Can I plug any of these into a normal guitar cab?

<ul>
<li>Not without some extra gear. We’ve already established that guitar cabs need to be powered by something in order to work, so you would need something to function as an actual power amp to drive a cab like the Seymour Duncan or EHX power amps mentioned in that section. From there you could plug your ampless unit into the power amp, but you would need to disable any power amp and cabinet simulation in order for it to sound normal.</li>
</ul>

Do I need a unit with power amp modelling?

<ul>
<li>Probably not. It’s really one of those minor things that you likely won’t need to touch outside of a studio situation. It is definitely not as crucial to modelling an amp&#39;s sound as the preamp and cabinet are. </li>
</ul>

What about software options?

<ul>
<li>Software is a great move if you’re doing a lot of home recording or run a recording studio. Using software would allow you to record a dry guitar signal and then be able to flips through many different amp models and finely tune each one until you get your ideal sound. With software it is also much easier to combine the sound of multiple amps and cabinets. The downside is the good software is usually as expensive as other ampless units, are harder to use in live situations without any latency, and require a lot of infrastructure such as a computer with good processing power, a good audio interface, and then headphones or monitors. IK Multimedia Amplitube, Native Instruments Guitar Rig, Line 6 Helix Native, Positive Grid BIAS, Waves GTR3, Universal Audio Guitar and Bass Amp Sims are all popular options, and also Logic Pro has a good selection of built in amps and pedals. For anyone wanting to get their feet wet with modelling software I highly recommend <a href="https://www.stltones.com/products/stl-ignite-emissary-plug-in-bundle">STL Tones Emissary Plugin Bundle</a> which is free and sounds pretty great, though it is meant for higher gain style tones.</li>
</ul>

Do digital modelling amps really sound as good as the real thing?

<ul>
<li>Pretty much yes, but it’s very subjective. Playing through your headphones won’t necessary ‘feel’ the same as playing through a real tube amp, but it will sound just as good if it’s being run through a venue sound system, connected to an interface for recording, or just being enjoyed quietly by you. There are plenty of comparison/blind test videos on YouTube, just search ‘line 6 helix vs’ or ‘strymon iridium vs’ or whatever and you’ll get lots of shootout style videos to comb through. I will mention that the Iridium has a Jfet-based analog input that makes it react and feel the same as playing through a real tube amp.</li>
</ul>

How well do these ampless units take pedals?

<ul>
<li>Again, this part is pretty subjective and will also vary unit to unit and vary depending on the pedals. I think I&#39;ll leave this question open to the sub to answer in the comments since I don&#39;t have a wide enough range of experience to make a good statement on it. However, I will mention that the Strymon Iridium takes pedals extremely well. I think it has something to do with the aforementioned jfet based front end. I have a video of me maxing a Boss MT-2 into it and it still sounds decent. Conversely, I had a Joyo American Sound for a time and I thought it sounded quite bad when combined with other drive pedals.</li>
</ul>

<hr/>

Alright so I hope this had some useful information. Feel free to correct me on anything in the comments section if I&#39;ve missed something or have gotten anything wrong. 

Are you using an ampless unit? If so, what do you have? How are you using it? How do you like it? How well does it work with your pedals?

Also big thanks to <a href="/u/sandalwoodgrips">/u/sandalwoodgrips</a>, <a href="/u/tuhhahmiss">/u/tuhhahmiss</a>, <a href="/u/funkmasterJo__D">/u/funkmasterJo__D</a>, and <a href="/u/HopefulUtopian">/u/HopefulUtopian</a> for helping me edit and refine this post.
</div>

An Introduction to Ampless Setups

Amps are taking up too much space in my little apartment and I play through headphones 100% of the time anyway.

I’d like to go ampless without involving a laptop — ideally a really simple setup that is just guitar &gt; pedal board &gt; headphones.

After some Googling it seems like I’ll need something at the end of my chain to make the headphones sound good but for the life of me can’t figure out if I need an amp sim, cab sim, headphone amp, power amp pedal or... something else! Or all of the above?

Can anyone recommend something? Or at least help me with the terminology so I know what to research?

Does something with an FX loop exist so I can put reverb/delay/loopers last?

<div class="md">Amps are taking up too much space in my little apartment and I play through headphones 100% of the time anyway.

I’d like to go ampless without involving a laptop — ideally a really simple setup that is just guitar &gt; pedal board &gt; headphones.

After some Googling it seems like I’ll need something at the end of my chain to make the headphones sound good but for the life of me can’t figure out if I need an amp sim, cab sim, headphone amp, power amp pedal or... something else! Or all of the above?

Can anyone recommend something? Or at least help me with the terminology so I know what to research?

Does something with an FX loop exist so I can put reverb/delay/loopers last?
</div>

Going ampless and need help (noob questions!)

Thinking about getting the SD Powerstage and then running a Iridum or preamp pedal into it (like the Victory V4 line). Anyone currently running a similar rig and have loved it, or even replaced tube amp with it?

<div class="md">Thinking about getting the SD Powerstage and then running a Iridum or preamp pedal into it (like the Victory V4 line). Anyone currently running a similar rig and have loved it, or even replaced tube amp with it?
</div>

Anyone using a Strymon Iridium or preamp pedal as a amp replacement and love it?

Hi all - I’m looking for suggestions on a amp that is good to use in a dorm room. I already have a Vox plugin for headphones but I want something that I can just jam w/o headphones.

Not interested in those tiny 3W amps that Orange or Marshall have, just looking for something that has good sound/controls &amp; is an appropriate size for a dorm room. 

Budget is $200 max, however will consider a little higher

<div class="md">Hi all - I’m looking for suggestions on a amp that is good to use in a dorm room. I already have a Vox plugin for headphones but I want something that I can just jam w/o headphones.

Not interested in those tiny 3W amps that Orange or Marshall have, just looking for something that has good sound/controls &amp; is an appropriate size for a dorm room. 

Budget is $200 max, however will consider a little higher
</div>

[GEAR] Suggestions for a practice amp for a college dorm room

My Board

Looking into new amp options.  I currently have a Vox AC4tv which I like the sound of, but it has basically no clean headroom. It’s also a little too loud, even on the 1/4 watt.  I’m interested in finding something that can get cleans and be a good pedal platform.  I really liked the demos of the Walrus ACS1, but am a little unsure about going ampless and just plugging into a interface. 

So for me, pros of iridium/acs1 are size and amp options, cons are that it isn’t a real amp

JC: great cleans, but is an amp and may be too loud for home use

<div class="md">Looking into new amp options. I currently have a Vox AC4tv which I like the sound of, but it has basically no clean headroom. It’s also a little too loud, even on the 1/4 watt. I’m interested in finding something that can get cleans and be a good pedal platform. I really liked the demos of the Walrus ACS1, but am a little unsure about going ampless and just plugging into a interface. 

So for me, pros of iridium/acs1 are size and amp options, cons are that it isn’t a real amp

JC: great cleans, but is an amp and may be too loud for home use

And if I decided that I really hated having money, how would a ACS1 into a JC sound?
</div>

Iridium/ACS1 vs JC22/40 as bedroom pedal platform

 Even the sounds I don't use are top shelf. * It's low-draw on my power supply and works on a 100mA output.

I'm seconding the DSM & Humboldt Simplifier. I got one recently and the sounds I get out of it are exactly what I want. Even the sounds I don't use are top shelf. * It's low-draw on my power supply and works on a 100mA output

Like many, i'm in a situation that prevents me to play loudly inside my home.

I have a stereo rig (Deluxe Reverb Reissue 68 and a small Laney Cub8) and a normal-ish sized pedalboard.

Last 5 years i've been playing with a band with a monthly gig and only rarely would play at home using the Laney. 

But now i'm a father of a 2 year old and the band... Well, the future is uncertain.

&amp;#x200B;

A year ago i got a Two Note Torpedo CAB borrowed from a friend, hoping that i could play more often during night time, but hated the experience. The sounds sounded half-fake and the headphone playing itself sounded deeply underwhelming.  So, i abandoned that possibility.

But another year went by and i crave to play freely with no restrictions, which leads me to you guys.

I have zero patience to dial in a bunch of different parameters. I like my tone clean and simple (hence, the DRRI). Iridium seems to gather the most consensus, but i would really love to hear your thoughts.

&amp;#x200B;

TLDR: OP wants to play and record silently, what would be your suggestion?

<div class="md">Like many, i&#39;m in a situation that prevents me to play loudly inside my home.

I have a stereo rig (Deluxe Reverb Reissue 68 and a small Laney Cub8) and a normal-ish sized pedalboard.

Last 5 years i&#39;ve been playing with a band with a monthly gig and only rarely would play at home using the Laney. 

But now i&#39;m a father of a 2 year old and the band... Well, the future is uncertain.

&#x200B;

A year ago i got a Two Note Torpedo CAB borrowed from a friend, hoping that i could play more often during night time, but hated the experience. The sounds sounded half-fake and the headphone playing itself sounded deeply underwhelming. So, i abandoned that possibility.

But another year went by and i crave to play freely with no restrictions, which leads me to you guys.

I have zero patience to dial in a bunch of different parameters. I like my tone clean and simple (hence, the DRRI). Iridium seems to gather the most consensus, but i would really love to hear your thoughts.

&#x200B;

TLDR: OP wants to play and record silently, what would be your suggestion?
</div>

Strymon Iridium users, guitarpedals comunity, please help!

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