GUITAR
REAL AMPS VS DIGITAL AMPS | Chris Rocha
I remember about 10-15 years ago I wouldn ’ t be caught dead without a real tube amp . Everywhere I went I either took mine or requested one . That was vital to my tone . The rest of the band members also gave me a hard time about it , but I don ’ t think they understood how much of a guitar player ’ s tone comes from the amp . Amp simulators have come a long way since then and I believe that things are very different now . In this article I want to talk about my personal experience with real tube amps and amp simulation . I hope that this article will bring you clarity if you ’ re on the fence with making that decision yourself .
I ’ ve been touring Latin America for over 15 years now and getting tube amps out there is a lot more complicated then getting them in the States . While I was on tour I always requested Fender Twin Reverb amps because they are the most common and easy to find . Most places had them but there were some places that just had solid state amps and that ’ s when my tone suffered . I remember getting Crate amps and solid state Fender amps and I would get a little bothered by it . My band mates would give me a hard time about it making me out to be a little diva . There ’ s just something about the way a tube amp reacts that is essential for me .
Back then I didn ’ t like digital amp simulation but about 8 years ago I was forced to give it a try . I had the opportunity to tour with a band that was super busy on the road and it was a big opportunity for me , so I jumped on it . The challenge for me at that time was going to be on the producing side of things . I was already an established producer and had a great base of clientele . I had to find a way to record while I was on tour and mostly had to record in hotel rooms .
At that time I heard a whole lot of hype about the Line 6 Helix so I went ahead and got one and made the commitment . I first started with a hybrid setup . I was comfortable using all of my analog drives and my Strymon BigSky . Everything else I got from the Helix . I was pleasantly surprised by the way it reacted . I first tried that hybrid rig in the studio because that ’ s where I try anything new I add to my setup , and to me it sounded surprisingly pretty good . I remember sending songs off to clients , crossing my fingers hoping that they wouldn ’ t say anything displeasing of my tracks because I wasn ’ t using real tube amps … but they never did . They loved my tones and kept requesting for me to do more songs .
After I felt comfortable using my hybrid rig in the studio , I went ahead and took it for a spin on the road . It was trial and error for the first five concerts but surprisingly my sound man was super happy with me . After I got comfortable with my sound I started reaping the benefits ; night after night I consistently got the same tone . No more dealing with bad tubes , crazy loud stage volume or getting a different type of amp every night . I hit a sweet spot with this digital amp simulation setup . Since then I haven ’ t looked back . I ’ ve committed to using digital amp simulation and am still bettering my tone .
I realize that there are guitar players reading this article that will never get away from tube amps and that ’ s totally fine ; I support that as well . In the music industry it ’ s about what works best for the musician , whether it ’ s digital or analog we will find our tone and what sounds best for us . If you ’ re on the fence there are tons of options . My personal recommendation is to still use your analog tube amp but get something like a Universal Audio Ox Box , which is just cab simulation , that way you ’ re still using everything from your tube amp .
The beautiful thing about all this is that we have so many different ways to get the tone we want . There isn ’ t just one right way . The debate for which is better , real amps or digital amps will be around for quite some time … but finding what works best for you is what ’ s important .
Chris Rocha Lives in Houston , TX , and is the guitarist and producer for Miel San Marcos