Hi guys,

I already have Pod Farm 2.5 Platinum, and I have some money left (around CAD$200).

So torn among BIAS Professional, Peavy ReValver4 and TSE x50

I don't djent; my main focuses are metalcore and death metal.

I could also buy Joey Sturgis's Producer Bundle.

Since TSE x50 is only like CAD$68+, I could get it AND the Producer Bundle (CAD$120).

PS My axe is a Schecter Blackjack-ATX VBR (Duncan blackout active pickups), mostly in dropped C.

Thanks a million!

[EDIT] Previously I voted for Bias in this poll. My old post is below. However, after months of back-and-forth with Revalver and Bias, if I could, I'd change my vote to Revalver 4. The newest update for Revalver cut the CPU load significantly, the new ANGEL PBII amp is amazing, and the well-priced add-ons are a great feature. The sound difference between the two amp sims is so minimal that I really end up basing my choice on other factors like cost, workflow, and available features. Revalver 4 is a steal at $99 considering all the amps, cabs, and effects that come with it. Bias has good effects now, but it's a completely separate plugin that costs $174 and having to go back and forth between plugins is a pain.

No doubt, each sim has it's strengths and weaknesses, but Revalver 4 is a great all-in-one solution that is regularly updated with new features, has loads of variety, and has a more than reasonable pricing structure.


[Original Post] I've owned Scuffham, Amplitube, Guitar Rig 5, Pod and numerous other amp sims. Most recently I purchased Revalver 4. At the time it was the most realistic amp sim I'd tried... And then I tried Bias. I compared it side by side to Revalver 4 and I bought Bias the very next day. Bias is the most realistic, dynamic, and in depth amp emulator I've used. The basic version provides all the amps, preamps, and cabs you'll ever need for indie, punk, metal, or any other genre. From clean to distorted, I haven't found anything else this good. Once Bias fx comes out for pc later this summer, then it will be not only the best sounding, but most versatile plugin as well. I'm a huge fan of Bias, if you couldn't tell : )

Bias here to....

I actually had the opposite experience. I thought Revalver was way more realistic. Except that the realism seems to apply only to their Peavey amps. The others sound kinda wack. That being said, neither sounds like my Kemper in terms of nuances..

Haven't tried Revalver. I've tried BIAS. I have Pod Farm, TSE x50, Amplifikation Creme (Kuassa), S-Gear, and a few surprisingly good free ones.

To me, Bias is great. But to my ears, it's not any better than TSE, Creme, or S-Gear.

However it all depends on the type of tones you're looking for and what your guitar sounds best with.

One thing I rarely see in these Amp Sim discussions is how well or unwell certain guitars sound/perform depending on the amp sim. One of my 3 baritones sounds like shit through most amp sims. The pickups are just really picky. My other guitars all sound great through just about anything. So because this particular guitar and pickups are so picky, I base my opinions based on how well this particular guitar works with them or not. But....that's just my opinion.

The good news with the options listed is that they are all pretty darn good. Technology has come a long way just in the past few years. The even better news is that most of these amp sims com with the option to demo. Like was mentioned above, signal chain is a big deal - your guitar, pedal, DI-box, preamps, etc. all impact what it sounds like going into the amp sim, so it's cliche, but demoing is almost always the best way to go.

As for me, I've been leaning more towards crunch tones lately, and BIAS has tones that cut through my mixes better than I could get Revalver or Pod to ever do. That said, if your thing is hi-gain, then maybe TSE, Revalver 4, or even Recabinet 4 might sound better to you. I tend to bounce around amongst the different options depending on my projects, but I have a feeling that if I just picked one amp sim and really dug into it and learned its nuances, then I'd probably save time and money in the long run and would make more music instead of trying to find the 'magic bullet' that solves all my issues.

I've tried or own most amp sims out there, but I have not tried TSE.

For me, if you must use software, there is only one choice...

Thanks for all the replies!!

I have actually downloaded the demo versions of BIAS, ReValver and TSE x50 and they all sound great (without tweaking them in depth).

I actually found the "tweak this unit" feature in ReValver is a bit too complicated for me (I'm all about digital amps) and I am not sure if I can make the best out of it. Maybe I should learn it.

But anyways thanks so much guys!

Plugin Boutique is having a 25% off sale on Bias for a bit longer I think? Check them out if you're looking to buy it.

I have Pod Farm and an older version of Revalver. The Pod farm wins, for me, over Revalver. I don't use overdrive/distortion and Revalver without much tweaking is useless for me.

I wasn't impressed by Bias at all.

In this order, best ampsims out there are (IMHO): Recabinet 4, Scuffham S-Gear, TSE X50 v2, Kuassa.

Oh wow, Recabinet 4 overtook your other favorites, EvilDragon! I was following another thread here about "best guitar amp sim" and I noted your list in it, albeit being a year old. Good to know!

It's because it's simply that good. Can't wait for the first expansion pack, due this month, there'll be a bunch of amps added!

Revalver 4 sounds massively better than Revalver 3.

nyandres, unless they come up with a Peavey Nashville 112 amp sim or at least a Preamp with the Parametric EQ like their Steel Guitar amps, I won't be upgrading. Everything I do is "clean", no distortion/overdrive. Actually for a Pedal Steel Guitar a bass amp or bass amp sim works better than a "guitar" sim.

I recently auditioned pretty much every amp sim I could get my hands on, also interested in the same sounds as the OP.

Recabinet was the winner for me. Largely because it was easy to get sounds I was happy with. I did achieve some slightly better sounds in Bias, but after spending quite literally 20x the amount of time messing with it.

Scuffham was the worst by a large margin, and the UI/UX was painful. The sound was awful for metacore-type sounds, or any heavy sounds in general. I don't think I've ever disliked a plugin as much as s-gear. Seriously, ugh. I'm feeling annoyed just thinking about it.

Bias was ok, but I spent way too much time tweaking to get sounds I was happy with. I would not doubt that, given enough time invested, it might be the best amp sim out there, but I am not interested in spending 75% of my time messing with an amp sim.

Not really any other 'honorable mentions'. Everything else seemed fairly mediocre.

p.s. Be careful with a lot of these replies. A few of these people aren't after the same style of sounds as you are, yet they're making recommendations anyway.

Wow, that harsh on S-Gear, eh? It is brilliant, soundwise, and the new Wayfarer model works quite well for a decent gamut of metal genres, since you can get very "Mesa" with it (but sure, if metalcore's your thing, TSE X50 v2 is probably a better call, or Recabinet 4 indeed). IMHO S-Gear excels at cleans, expressive jazz and blues tones, serious crunchers, Marshall Plexi type of sounds (hell, Mike is ex-Marshall, so that's a given!). Oh and Custom 57 is a dead ringer for Tweed sounds - I love overdriving that one with TSE 808 (here is a great example of it in use, IMHO)!

Anyways sorry for digression

BIAS

I could barely get past the awful UI/UX of S-Gear.

To me, if you can't actually get the sound you want with minimum hassle, then it's nothing like a real amp. If I sit down in front of 'the right amp' for the sound I want, I can get the sound out of it I want in seconds usually (micing withstanding). Any amp simp that does not match that experience is a failure I feel.

I get that. I don't find UI/UX of S-Gear awful, at all. I can get results pretty fast.

Preset management could be a lot better, that I admit. But otherwise, it's a very solid product, with a lot of great sounds with little to no effort involved.

Only bummer about S-Gear is the IR loader. Other than that I'll second EvilDragon's comments.

I have POD Farm 2.5 Platinum, Guitar Rig 5, Revalver 4 and Bias. Bias wins for me. I use it a lot in combination with Two Notes Wall of SoundIII.

Hey EvilDragon - I bought Recabinet 4, so far so good. I haven't had a whole lot of time to play with it yet. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing one or two of the amp/cab combinations you use which are your favorites, along with settings? I think the sound I'm going for is probably quite similar to your go-to sound, based on many posts of yours I've read here and on the KVR forum.

Thanks!

Agreed. I'm using it more than Revalver 4, Bias, Recabinet 4, and others. It really depends on what I'm doing (rehearsing, recording) and the sounds I'm trying to get.

Am I the only one that thinks the Peavey amps in Revalver 3.5 sounded better and punchier than Revalver 4?

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I agree with EvilDragon, I think;
Clean sounds; Guitar Rig 5/Scuffham
Metalcore & Djent; TSE X50

but i believe you can get any sound with scuffham, just needs the right tweaking.
I definitely prefer scuffham over BIAS