TUBE AMP vs LAPTOP | 3500$ vs 59$ | Surprising Tone Insight!! 

I think one problem with musicians (myself being one) is that they listen to music too much as a musician and not as the audience. The audience doesn't give two shits about the minor differences between this VS that or that VS this in terms of the tech being used...they grade the song based on the song...and grade the performance based on the performance.

Both sound good to me. Amazing how far digital modeling has come

The tube amps sounds better just not $3441 better.

You should have switched them... let people comment about how they can hear all the pixies floating around in the tubes... and then revealed your ruse.

One key advantages of the VST, is that you can change the sound post tracking. Playing in isolation a sound may sound perfect, but not so perhaps when the rest of the band are in the mix.

You should spend more time training for your rematch with Mayweather instead of playing guitar...

I've been playing guitar for 30 years. It used to be easy to tell the difference between a real amp and a modeled sound. Not anymore. Sure, there's a difference in feel. That's why when I play live, it's a tube amp. When I record, it's always with modeled VSTs. Why? Flexibility. Record a guitar line with a VST and you can go back weeks, months, years later and tweak the sound. If you try to do that with a real tube amp, you'll need the exact amp you used the first time, with the knobs set exactly like they were, in the same room, using the same mic set in exactly the same spot. That's fine if you know you'll record all your guitar lines in a single day and won't have the desire to go back and change your tone later. Me personally, I like the flexibility that modeling offers, especially since there's no real difference in the sound. If you know what good tone is, you can achieve it with a good tube amp or VSTs.

One of the best non-famous guitarists I've ever seen (a childhood friend and band-mate) initially played a Kay guitar with 3 microphonic pickups through a Silverone amp with a bass knob that would turn forever. He then graduated to a Fender Mustang and Sunn Solaris. The only effect I ever saw him use was an EHX LPB-1 power booster. His playing was jaw-dropping (for the time) but what set him apart was that he was the absolute master of his equipment.

Nice playing Paul. I can hardly hear the difference. To me it's more the feeling than the sound. Started to play in the early 80's. I could only dream of a quality amp and a good guitar. And today, you can get stellar sound, and good quality instruments for no money. It's really fun to be an hobbymusician today. Remember in 87 is was talking with my brother about "Think, if we could have it all in the computer, that would be cool" Now, we are there.

I think that how good a guitar sounds through a laptop depends on the amp simulation and vst plugins you use how you process it. If you use a Di box to clean up and brighten the tone before it goes into the audio interface you can achieve much nicer sounds aswell. Like all tools a guitar recorded through a laptop in the right hands can rival that of a tube amp. Their is so much things to consider when recording both ways that can drastically change how good it sounds. Consider that a tube amp is only as good as the microphone and room acoustics of where you record it and how you position the microphones. It's way way more expensive for a bit of a nicer tone good for a professional studio where all that matters in sound quiltly and you have the £1000s to invest. A laptop however if used right with a Di and a good vst like guitar rig ( and a few others ) good playing and fresh strings you can achieve results so close the average listener will not notice and you could spend less than £400. On your whole set up. And take it anywhere. You can record in a room full of people talking and shouting and it doesn't matter becuase it's direct line input. In my opinion for most people laptop is the best choice if you don't wanna spend £1000 plus and acoustically treating your room and just so much more stuff that can break. I'm mean don't get me wrong in the right hands a great tube amp and great mic positioned well on a good guitar with new strings and a good recording room will have better pure tone with more depth however is it worth it for the average musician? I think both are great but the average listener who isn't a guitarist or producer or obessed with "the perfect guitar tone " won't notice a difference unless you point it out if you use the laptop vst way right. You also can consider how good your mix is in the first place

I use that RHCP riff as an exercise... goddamn thats clean playing at that tempo...and it´s so hard to play x) well done

You should do a video trolling the rig purists and switch the sounds round.

I think it really depends on the context and what you're trying to achieve. VST plug-ins are great if you want to tweak your sound and avoid the hassle of having to mic your amp when recording. Also, you don't have to be loud, which enables you to play or record stuff late at night without annoying the neighbors or your partner. And in a full mix, if you do it well, it will fit in the song and nobody will be able to really tell that you used a piece of software instead of an amp. So yes, VST plug-ins are very usable and often pretty convincing these days. But then there is the organic pleasure of playing through a high-quality tube amp. Music is more than sound. With a good amp, the stuff you play has a different vibration to it and inspires you to play different stuff and spend more time on your instrument, either practicing or creating. I've used plug-ins for a while and I've enjoyed their usefulness, reliability and flexibility. But a real tube amp will make you love your guitar a thousand times more. It's a totally different experience. You'll get the sound, and more importantly, you'll get the soul of your guitar.

I love how much clearer the chords are on the laptop. They're so well defined

I´ve seen a lot of videos and discussions about solid-state vs tubes vs software, I used all of them depending the situation, but tube are, for me, the greatest, is not about the resulting sound that you can achieve, it´s about the feel, the dynamic range, when you push the amp off limits and when you play hard or soft, I think that feeling in your fingers trough the amp is what makes tubes so great.

What this video tells me is that you can get really nice guitar sounds out of either an amp or software. It really doesn't matter what you use anymore, you can sound great or rubbish through pretty much any modern gear. I have to say that I find the software route a lot more convenient, due to the confines of my playing/recording environment, but if I had enough space I'd have real amps too.

It's hard to describe to someone who doesn't play, but it's the FEEL between a tube amp (even a lesser wattage one) and any type of modeling (even the REALLY expensive ones) that makes the difference. The dynamics and responsiveness of each make the notes feel different as you play them and, consequently, you play differently... which, consequently, makes it sound different. Great comparison!

I think the main advantage of real amps is how great they sound and feel in person. Also, they are still the best way to monitor your playing with a band in rehearsal or at a show. I've done a few gigs where I had to plug direct and I hated to be at the mercy of sound guys for my guitar sound on stage, I've had unwanted changes in gain/volume levels during performance, ridiculously rolled off highs, etc... A great amp provides a constant, something you can count on and control to have a good sonic experience on stage.

You hit the nail on the head. Plug in sound "plastic" . Maybe I am spoiled because the tech was "Analogue," 95% of the time when I was a youth. I still think a small valve amp and dynamic mic will please your ears , a tape 4 track and the bung it onto your laptop recording software. We are all getting too lazy to experiment with the basis tools we already have.

The thing about getting down with a good instrument (nice tube amp) is a lot more limiting...in a good way. Dealing with the limits helps you dig in. Having many, many, many options can often make it too easy to focus on “the sound” rather than playing. I agree that getting to the sweet spot on a tube amp often can put you at odds with neighbors, band mates, pets...etc. Good enough tone is often better than “perfect” tone. I also agree, that a tone that cuts through a mix often sounds harsh on its own. The guitar has to sit in a specific range to be heard along side of drums, bass, and vocals.

Your neighbours complain? They should be paying to listen to you

I think they both sound great!!!the tube purists are never happy!! Modeling today is so advanced! I love it!!!!

At the end of the day, most people's tone sucks because they sit around watching RU-vid videos and not playing guitar. I count myself amongst them and enjoy every second Paul.

Bias FX for the WIN!!!! Sounds absolutely brilliant. The tone you're using sounds so much more sparkly and alive than the actual amp. I've been using Bias FX for the last couple years now. I mostly use a Randall Satan tone match I found on the cloud, along with the default Marshall JCM 800 for a more blues tone. Being able to do both as efficiently as Bias FX is freakin fantastic.

Everybody loves that "Rain" strumming pattern with a delay.

Love your videos, one unsexy video I'd really like you to do is, "How I go about learning a new song". Keep up the great work!

It's so cool when you hear what digital can do. You have every single sound you would ever want instead of buying every amp and pedal. Just make your main sound with real gear and the rest digital. I still own a vg88 which made that possible but when I know plug in to a laptop im blown away actually.

Oh boy. I love tube amps and own a couple of them, but I have to admit that the virtual set up sounds really, really good. In fact, considering the enormous price difference here, the virtual set up makes a lot more sense.

Tube is better but i was impressed by the laptop considering the price difference

The thing is when I play the guitar, I want to hear the sound of the guitar from a guitar speaker. Amp sims sound good, BUT they do not sound like the guitar speaker. They sound like what a microphone (often sm57) captures. They are both good, but different.

As always, I love how you jump STRAIGHT into what the video is about. No pointless blah blah blahing. Great vid!

Bias FX and Bias AMP are the real deal. I've been playing long enough to endure processors from Zoom, Digitech, and Line 6... Tech these days is insane.

BIAS is hands down the best guitar amp software out there!

Your playing is amazing. Nice demo !

They do sound different, but both sound good in their own way. Some of the better digital amp models today are surprisingly good. I have access to a late 60's JMP Super Lead and I recently bought the Universal Audio model of the same kind of amp. The model sounds and behaves in a manner recognizably similar enough to the real amp that I would be comfortable to let it stand in for the real thing in some situations when recording. Playing through the real amp is quite a different experience, though, and that could have an effect on a player's performance.

I could hear a difference. The tube amp, in my opinion, certainly had a warmer tone and overall better sound. However, the digital surprised me. It sound much better than I thought it would. The biggest difference I noticed was the overdriven tone. The digital seemed a little thin compared to the tube. Nice video!

One thing that bothers me is the time tweaking the amp sim to get a similar sound of a tube amp. It's hard to find the right compression curve that really feels like a tube amp, although it's possible.

He's using a very expensive RME interface though, that helps. Personally I think direct sound is maybe not equal to a live amp but can be really good too as long as you have a good preamp in the chain before your interface. For about the same price as just this guys RME Fireface ($1300-1500 new) I would recommend a preamp like the BAE DMP (or the cheaper Heritage or Warm 1073 clones) into something like an Audient id14 / id22, or a Focusrite Clarette. That would be pretty comparable to pro studio quality. If you direct in on a $100 interface and throw on some BIAS FX meh ... that's crap, that's demo quality.

When comes to delay, I think the pedal sounded way better than the VST. In my experience, I lose A LOT of time with all the settings in VST, time I won't waste with an analog amp + pedalboard. And, as you said, the feel is completely different. I'm lucky though, 'cause I have neighbors that let me play at reasonable volumes during the day with my amp, but for people who live in big blocks with strict rules about volume, going digital is the best way; also, if you're a student, you can bring just the audio interface, the guitar and the laptop and still be able to rehearse! I remember i went to a Scott Henderson's clinic and he was playing through a MacBook with a VST, and it was fine, there were no needs for a big amp in such a situation.

They're just different. At first I thought the software was worse, but then I enjoyed the tonal quality of the laptop software during the RHCP riff and afterwards.

I actually preferred the laptop in SOME of those clips. :)

Is the part at 0:32 improv or a song? I need to know it's amazing.

they're definitely both not bad sounds but 2:35 is a tough comparison because everything on the tube amp is being recorded and running in mono while the laptop version can easily have delays and reverbs running in stereo which is a great tool but also can easily trick someone into thinking its a much fuller sound

The best way to describe a tube amp(for me). Soulful sound that resonates and gives life to your playing with superior tone. A laptop is good for mixing but i want to feel the sound

the question, at least for me- is how does it "feel" ...?? Stiff ..?? pick hard, get compression ?? set guitar volume low, pick hard get p'up "chirp" ?

Tube amps Live, for feel and power and tone, Modeling Sims in the bedroom for recording for flexibility and great tone.

The tube amp sound insanely more clear to me... But it's also hard to tell if it's just the way the tone is dialed in for each.

What you show is the recorded tone. A separate question is what you hear when you're in the room -- and that is dependent on the type of speaker / earphones or whatever you use. IMO that will be the real difference.

3:24 Rain-Rob Scallon

What do you think about Morgan Amps Paul?

Both are amazing. It's all depends on what kind of tone and emotion you're after

This is an old video, but I wanted to put my 2 cents in. For a really accurate comparison, you should have the tube amp speaker in another room. The way you will adjust the sound when you can physically feel the speaker response will make a difference.

Laptop sounds too sharp, but considering the down sides of tube amps like weight, price, maintenance and that it's actually useless if you don't have a special room for such powerful amp (who wants to play with headphones the whole time?!), a simulator is the better choice. Rather spend the money on a decent guitar n stuff. If you're in a band, that's a whole different story though.

Both have good tone but the amp sims sounded much thinner, that's the main difference.

Why, oh why, are all of the really great musicians on RU-vid?? Great playing! Thank you.

El sonido proveniente del Pc, si se conecta al "return" del lazo de EBX del amplificador, pues mejora muchisimo. De lo contrario, no deja de ser un sonido estéril, frío y sin cuerpo....en comparación con el amplificador a válvulas, esto que digo es importante, siempre comparándolo con el amplificador

I would compare without pedals.Also, not all tube amps sound alike.

The tube sounds warmer just in general but I wouldn't pay that much when I can have something that similar for much much cheaper. Especially since I'm just a hobby player

They both sound pretty good on a recording. It's music - do what makes you happy and use what inspires you.

Great demonstration! I think both have advantages and drawbacks. For me, I am a one man show using a Taylor acoustic through IK Multimedia's Amplitube Acoustic stacked with the original Amplitube app running through an iPad live on stage. I get compliments on the sound of my guitar all the time and my whole rig goes in a backpack. I love it.

What a BRILLIANT analysis and always so fantastic with the playing. You have highlighted to me why I have always hated the processed sounds. I call them "photographic" sounds. Like a photograph they seem very real to the person looking at the picture but it will always be 2 dimensional - but its nothing like being really "there" (which you could argue is 3 dimensional). When the player holds the guitar, they KNOW the World of difference between the digital and analog sound - they are worlds apart. To the average listener they sound "the same" but to the player - a world apart both in terms of sound but also how it feels when you play. I think you demonstrated this perfectly.

What is it that costs $59? Cus' that interface sure doesn't.. and it's kinda a key component for the setup. Misleading title.

Great work! I find the tube real deal setup has a more complex attack responding to the variations (dynamics) of the notes played and overall a more full bodied tone. But the laptop rig certainly sounds far from shabby. What you cannot feel or hear effectively here on a clip is the "in your face" difference being in the room -Guitar interacting with the cab and amp. Still as a studio owner with a sound proof room and vintage amps, I appreciate not everybody has the space for that!

I can only speak for what I'm hearing through my headphones captured in the way that you did it here but I feel that the digital recreations in this example provided much more clear musical note tonal information than the tube amp that seemed to include a lot of pick related extra noise. This is undoubtedly subject to change but that's my opinion if anyone cares.

I'd love to see more about combining guitar FXs on this channel. Everytime I mix them, the sound gets mushy.

"TUBE AMP" gives more crisp/readable articulation and "LAPTOP" is a bit blury.

There's a lot to consider here, but mainly we have to think about how a guitar sits in a mix with other instruments, vocals, etc. Then when you factor in space, cost, loudness, and the fact that a lot of people are listening to music on smartphones or Bluetooth speakers.... amp sims seem to have an advantage.

0:32 - 0:43 is savage man haha, fucking awesome riff, can't stop playing it on repeat. Good job!

Once your sublime playing is sitting in a track, I'm pretty sure the average listener (and most musos if they're honest) wouldn't know how you achieved your sound - the difference between an amp and vst!

Laptop ok for clean sound. But in orverdrive, it still shows the old digital harshness. Tube much smoother when distorting.

To me the most obvious difference is the nature of breakup. On tube amp it is more contained and rounded. On VST it is pervasive - spilling into places where you would not expect it or want it.

Sounds great both but: Laptop:2000$ (or more)+Bias FX 70$+Ableton 615$+RME 1.600$= 4.285. And with the amp is more easy to play on stage. Great review as usual.

Tube Amp is warmer and clearer Especially better with distortion People praise all the old rock band tones but then are babies enough to say I need 30 different sounds when on stage, and can't make one super versatile? And literal TUBES cranked up really hot sounds literally at perfection, you can't change that hot sauce, it tastes too perfect Especially the feeling of the amp in the room is unbeatable

The laptop signal is not clean. I dont know if im right but it sounds driven and cracks a little. But the tube is so subtle and dynamic.

Plugins 2:43 vs Tube Amp 3:16

Tube sounds a bit better. The things you can do on laptop are amazing. I started playing guitar 2 yrs ago to get away from technology However, I just bought a cheap jnteface and Mic. I'm learning to use reaper and am learning what vsts are . Paul thanks for your videos. I can't afford a tube amp so I have to learn this technology

Awesome playing and tones! That guitar is similar to my Japanese Fender Stratocaster FSR 60's fiesta red! ROCK ON \m/

One thing I found was that using a midi controller with knobs made the VST amps etc a far more tactile & real experience. Adjusting the controls with a mouse, while workable, just didn't make me feel "Connected" to the gear if that makes sense lol

1:01 YAA BOIIIIII UNLEASH THE BEAST OF RHCP!!!

I recorded a full blues album using only plugins and I think it sounds pretty authentic.

Do I take it we're hearing the sound recorded directly into your DAW? I'd like to hear what it sounds like on both studio monitors, as well as a PA. Why does no one ever do this, in order to show what it will sound like playing live or even just amplified in your bedroom? Why does it always seem to be assumed that the only reason one might be interested in VST amp simulation is for strictly recording, rather than playing the darn thing out LOUD -- AMPLIFIED? I mean, what would the point be of having an AMP SIMulator if it not to do everything an AMPLIFIER actually does? And can anyone tell me, if using it for that purpose -- and not even necessarily to play live gigs, but just to have the sound amplified, even in your bedroom (and NOT so much for recording), would it be better to use studio monitors, or use a PA like a regular amp? I can't seem to really find any answers to this.

The tube amp has a more earthy tone which I love

Love the warm tone on the Tube. Lap is brighter. But that's what's in my head phones.

For home and small gig use: Monoprice 15w all-tube. I got one with Celestion A for $199 (Now maybe $250). 5w is less (no reverb or effects loop). Sounds really good.

This isn't sound of tube amp, this is the sound of effects-in-chain plugged in amp.

The real amp sounded better literally every time

You really know how to put heart into your playing! So many others get wrapped up in the technical, me included.

Video quality is really good! Keep it up Paul!

ampsim sounder kind of muffled but not bad, it definitely has its pros btw what interface did you use?

They both sound really good, but the tube just has more feeling to it

I only have one year of guitar but I decided to pursue music through college. Your channel has definitely been an inspiration to keep going as I'm introduced to a broader view of how to utilize music and sound. Also some sick songs to learn :D

i use vst regularly, but to see the results of this comparison surprised me. close your eyes when you listen. the digital vs analog sounds are finally coming to equilibrium! 🙌

What are the 4 shapes you played @ : 32- : 37

Yeah right, using a $1,599.00 audio interface. More realistic would be 500$ for an aaverage laptop. 150$ for a focusrite audio interface, 400$ for two studio monitors and 60$ for BIAS X.

I switched out amps for sims 15 years ago and haven't looked back. The convenience of not having to lug around a heavy rig to gigs and the variety in tones it offered was well worth the minor drawbacks. Plus, the sound guys just loves it. :D That said, there is certainly still a difference between sims and a real amp. Especially in the way they react to dynamics. The only plugin that I've heard react like a real tube amp is the UAD Fender Tweed 55. The way you can really crank it up to a point to where it starts choking. My favorite plugins right now though are the Brainworx Fuchs recreations, especially the ODS. The cleans and leads you get out of that one is just untouched in the amp sim world IMO. The Kemper is obviously also amazing sounding. As far as this comparison goes the real amp sounds amazing and the sim was kind of "meh" to me.

Okay, I listen thru my JVC Surround sound system and I heat this: The Mic Tube Amp wins for a smooth "air Filled Sound". it has a natural space. But, then again it could use a touch more of the top end that the software gave for a bit more "chime" in the mix. Yes, I think the software by itself is a bit overkill on the high end, but the amp kind of needs a little more. This opinion could be based on how my JVC 1200w surround sound is coloring the sound. I personally love the "breakup" and natural saturation of natural tube amplification, personally I think we have done a great job of digitally recreating that. Tube amps are for the most part way too expensive to buy and can be very expensive to maintain depending how often they are used. I am about to start playing again after about a 20 year hiatus. I have been doing a lot of research on cheap enough(for the working class me) amplifiers . I have come across a video of Jeff Diamond talking about tube amps and how most of the voice(tone as well as other coloring like warm tube fuzziness) comes from the preamp section of an amp, and a lot of speaker reaction(speaker Breakup)comes from the output transformer and how having the correct one to react to the speakers is probably more important to than the tubes? I think This is the Video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TjMWZssKDtQ.html

Nice video as always ! What's the song at 2:41 ?

What song is at 1:29 ??

Analog is always better but for an average guy like me? Amplitube 5 all the way. I’ve had physical gear and slowly collected physical gear but now that I realized how expensive my virtual gear would be in real life I could care less of the difference between analog and digital. I love running 1176 and LA2A compressors, equalizers, splitting my signal to two different amps like mixing an orange and a Marshall into two separate 4 x 12 cabinets. I also love just being able to plug and play different amps like mesa boogie or ENGLs which are amps I absolutely love but never would have tried or buyed IRL. When I get discovered then I can get the real shit but let’s be real it’s all for the love of the music and I’m loving it!

I was amazed as to how well the software was doing. that being said the tube AMP just sounds better, warmer, fuller and much less robotic. I want to listen to solid state amp against software now. I wonder if in 10 or 20 years emulators will replace guitar amps entirely.