Amp Emulation that doesn't suck...Acme Bar Gig Head Case

[jhale667]

So the last couple of weeks I've been working with Acme Bar Gig to get their amp emulation VST plug-in Head Case working in Pro Tools. Funny the esteemed DiamondJimi is friends with Ken, the main guy there, and had told me about it close to two years ago, so I joined their Facebook group. It basically sounded fantastic, and the emulations only got better as more beta-testers wrote more amp pre-sets.



Nice, but there was only one problem...it was only gonna be for Reaper and other DAWs. Not Pro Tools compatible. So, a few weeks back, me being me... groused about it on the FB page. What good is an amazing sounding amp sim that doesn't work on the industry standard? What if it's so good you might WANT it to...? Lo and behold, Richard of Virtual Amp Skins who's working with HC reached out to me and indicated he thought there was a way to get it to run via a 3rd party VST to RTAS converter called FXpansion. Turns out that's an add-on IMO anybody using PT should have, as it allows you to use literally hundreds if not thousands of VST plug-ins otherwise incompatible (there's over 1000 freeware VSTs alone out there, not sure you'd wanna use them all). Installed that and BINGO - HC shows up in the "Unwrapped plug-ins" folder. Once you get into it, it's actually pretty involved in how you can manipulate the amp's parameters to fine-tune the tone. At first they shot me the "Lite" version that only allowed you to install 5 heads, but then last week I got the version 1.54 pre-release that lets you load as many amps as you want and got crackin'. I checked out a couple of tutorials first...





Downloaded a bunch of amps, all is going well. But of course, being a longtime PODfarm user, I did a few A/B test using similar amp mods - like both the HC and PF "Bogner" emulation, and identical Recabinet sims on each. Head Case basically pisses all over PODfarm, no contest. HUGE sounding, really impressive. Pretty much the same with the free version of Eleven that came with PT 10. I posted a quick clip on their forum to show that it worked. Really stoked to have helped get things set up for them (future versions may include full PT functionality now, who knows?), and I have a feeling I'm going to end up re-tracking or at least augmenting all the dirty tracks on my tunes (once the data's recovered off the HD) with HC. It's that good.

http://www.acmebargig.com/product/head-case/

[Hardrock69]

Congrats on getting it to work!

[Hardrock69]

Daaaaaayum! That Metal Razor preset is bad ASS!!!!

[jhale667]

A LOT of the amps sound really good, dude. And it works in Reaper w/o the need for the conversion software, give it a shot when it comes out.

[Hardrock69]

Will check into it!

[ELVIS]

What price range ??

[jhale667]

License is $60 IIRC...

[Diamondjimi]

Acme Bar Gig is some seriously cool stuff. I gotta get Ken out to my studio and set me up..

[jhale667]

Acme Bar Gig is some seriously cool stuff. I gotta get Ken out to my studio and set me up..

I figured you'd have it already...

[Diamondjimi]

I figured you'd have it already...

I do. But it was being a bit of a cpu hog, so I went back to the old faithful PSA-1 direct then Recabinet.

The the Acme stuff is killer. Just need to get Ken over and sort out a few things for me. (Btw, Ken's a pretty good player too)

[jhale667]

Cool. Haven't noticed any CPU issues w/ 1.54 in Pro Tools, but I'm running an i7, so I'd be pissed if I did Mind you, I haven't do anything more adventurous than a two amp combo tracks (two instances of HC and Recabinet). It'll be interesting to see if once I get going on a larger orchestration deal track-wise if I notice any lag. They're doing final testing on the release now, so far it's working (for PCs as of now) with Pro Tools 10, Cubase 6, and Reaper w/ no issues.

[Hardrock69]

Wait a minnit....I just realized something.....

YOU MEAN THAT ACME IS FINALLY MAKING A PRODUCT THAT KICKS ASS?

THIS IS A HISTORICAL EVENT! THIS SHOULD BE IN THE PRESS WORLDWIDE!

THIS SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF EVERY CONVERSATION ON EARTH RIGHT NOW!!!!






Ahh....I just realized something....you know, Acme always DID make products that kicked ass! ACME Dynamite....ACME Anvils....ACME Batman costumes.....it is not ACME's fault that Wile E. Coyote (Super Genius) did not follow the instructions properly when using ACME products.

So I guess I should say...ACME is continuing it's tradition of manufacturing fine high-quality products at an affordable price!

[jhale667]

Did some more testing last night...fun stuff. From what I'm hearing the release will be any day now...

[jhale667]

Here's another riff done with Henky and Prometheus, probably my two current favorite Head Case amps. Didn't even bother replacing the cabinet sims, and that's as close as I could get with EZdrummer to the beat I'm hearing for it without spending all night on it...

You're a Loser riff by jhale667

http://soundcloud.com/jayhaleguitar/youre-a-loser-riff

[Hardrock69]

Cool.

[jhale667]

And....it's live!

http://www.acmebargig.com/

So, just over half the price of PODfarm, and KILLS it...not bad!



Just realized the "mimic" cab feature lets you load any ANY cab IR....and I still have the trusty D6 files that didn't make it from Recabinet 2 to 3...hmmm

[jhale667]

OK, absolutely stoked, to the point where I want to feign sickness and go home for the day - but won't...lol. Over the weekend I sent Richard a clean and dirty sample of my Mesa MK III which they used to make a clone in Head Case!! Can't wait to get home and try it out, but hypothetically I'll be able to nail my amp's tone 24/7 instead of only being able to record it weekends when the neighbors won't bitch!!

We only did the clean and lead channels because A) Head Case currently only does 2-channels per amp, and B) With so many actual Marshall Plexi emulations, no real need to clone my amp's second "brown" channel.

[jhale667]

[Ken McLaren]

We only did the clean and lead channels because A) Head Case currently only does 2-channels per amp, and B) With so many actual Marshall Plexi emulations, no real need to clone my amp's second "brown" channel.

Hmm..
While its true that Head Case supports a clean and a dirty channel, the dirty channel also has a boost for just such an occasion. The idea is that the dirty channel will be used to create a "Brown" channel, then the boost is added to provide a lead channel. So, it could be done still..

Jay you spoke about MIMIC before, I had actually tried to post a response a few days ago about that to you to give you a little back ground and some more info.

Mimic got its name because we attempted to write some code that would allow you to use any cab wave file and change its mic position. This never really worked for us 100% of the time, it is a very difficult task, and we doubt that we would ever get it to work 100% of the time. The reason why we left it in though, is because we noticed that some cab files we would never use before, suddenly became useable by simply moving the mic a little. So if you are like me and have 5 billion gazillion cabn files, yet only ever use 3-4 of them, suddenly your whole collection is now useable in some form.

Now, some inside info to share with the Roth Army..
The new single release of MIMIC will have a button that allows you to save your settings as a new cab file. So, you load a cabinet, make some EQ adjustments, move the mic wherever you want. Click the Make Cab button and MIMIC creates a wave file that represents the settings you have. Now you can take that file and load it into any cabinet convolution software and use it.

Or...
Say for example your band is recording a new CD (like diamondjimmi) and you are using head case. You make your own custom head for it, and now you can also make your own custom cab for it. We think it would be cool for your fans to be able to get YOUR exact sound if they want, all they have to do is download it from your website while buying your cd. There is a million and one ways that this opportunity can be used to help market your band..

[jhale667]

Hmm..
While its true that Head Case supports a clean and a dirty channel, the dirty channel also has a boost for just such an occasion. The idea is that the dirty channel will be used to create a "Brown" channel, then the boost is added to provide a lead channel. So, it could be done still..

Jay you spoke about MIMIC before, I had actually tried to post a response a few days ago about that to you to give you a little back ground and some more info.

Mimic got its name because we attempted to write some code that would allow you to use any cab wave file and change its mic position. This never really worked for us 100% of the time, it is a very difficult task, and we doubt that we would ever get it to work 100% of the time. The reason why we left it in though, is because we noticed that some cab files we would never use before, suddenly became useable by simply moving the mic a little. So if you are like me and have 5 billion gazillion cabn files, yet only ever use 3-4 of them, suddenly your whole collection is now useable in some form.

Now, some inside info to share with the Roth Army..
The new single release of MIMIC will have a button that allows you to save your settings as a new cab file. So, you load a cabinet, make some EQ adjustments, move the mic wherever you want. Click the Make Cab button and MIMIC creates a wave file that represents the settings you have. Now you can take that file and load it into any cabinet convolution software and use it.

Or...
Say for example your band is recording a new CD (like diamondjimmi) and you are using head case. You make your own custom head for it, and now you can also make your own custom cab for it. We think it would be cool for your fans to be able to get YOUR exact sound if they want, all they have to do is download it from your website while buying your cd. There is a million and one ways that this opportunity can be used to help market your band..

Awesome, thanks for the insight, Ken! The boost mode is kinda its own channel, huh? Definitely adds a distinct flavor to the tone... Finally getting a chance to play around with Vadim's Mark III mod right now, and it sounds pretty killer~ I can't wait to hear Gabriel's version! I'll try to record something with and put it up on Soundcloud over the weekend. MIMIC sounds really interesting too, the idea of being able to come up with my own custom cab preset....SCHWING!

[jhale667]

I'm still installing new amps in Head Case and I keep finding different ones I like... the "6160" (three guesses what that's based on) absolutely smokes, as does the Dimitar V8M. They sound pretty evil in stereo and combined. Here's a track I did with the two of them:

https://soundcloud.com/jayhaleguitar/foreboding-ii

[Diamondjimi]

Fuckin killer tone!
That song made me dizzy.. Lol

Nice work bro!

[jhale667]

Thanks, bro! The amps they're coming up with are sick!

[Diamondjimi]

Thanks, bro! The amps they're coming up with are sick!

True, they definitely have it together. Ken gets talking about the deep technical stuff and my head starts spinning. Lol!
The man knows his stuff.
I'll most likely be using Headcase on my next album.

[jhale667]

True, they definitely have it together. Ken gets talking about the deep technical stuff and my head starts spinning. Lol!
The man knows his stuff.
I'll most likely be using Headcase on my next album.

Yeah, sometimes I have to go "..lost me, bro" when he or Richard goes too technical, but some of the stuff they're talking about for future releases is amazing. I'll definitely be using it on my stuff.

[jhale667]

[jhale667]

I've used Head Case for 100% of the guitar tracks for the last few Duncan articles in recent weeks, well over a dozen clips and am still loving the sounds I'm getting. Still feel like I'm just scratching the surface!

[Nitro Express]

Wait a minnit....I just realized something.....

YOU MEAN THAT ACME IS FINALLY MAKING A PRODUCT THAT KICKS ASS?

THIS IS A HISTORICAL EVENT! THIS SHOULD BE IN THE PRESS WORLDWIDE!

THIS SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF EVERY CONVERSATION ON EARTH RIGHT NOW!!!!






Ahh....I just realized something....you know, Acme always DID make products that kicked ass! ACME Dynamite....ACME Anvils....ACME Batman costumes.....it is not ACME's fault that Wile E. Coyote (Super Genius) did not follow the instructions properly when using ACME products.

So I guess I should say...ACME is continuing it's tradition of manufacturing fine high-quality products at an affordable price!

I want the earthquake pills and the instant girl.

[Hardrock69]

Yes! Instant Girl! Woot!

[ELVIS]

Just add a job...

[jhale667]

Partial view of the HC amp stash I've downloaded thus far...

[Coyote]

Laneys too, huh?

[jhale667]

Yep, anything any user's sampled and shared...

[Hardrock69]

Heh....Marshall MegaQuack.....is that somethng GOAT would use?

[jhale667]

GOAT's nowhere near cool enough to use Head Case.

[jhale667]

@jhale667 Sounding awesome Jay!— AcmeBarGig (@AcmeBarGig) February 4, 2013

[Hardrock69]

I decided today I need to downsize. I have 3 combo amps I never use. I have a 4th one, a Park 15-watt combo amp I got for 5 bucks a few years ago, and that is fine for casual household use.

So I am going to unload the three I don't use.

I also am thinking about unloading my ART SGX2000. Live, I only use a TS-9, a noise suppressor, and a tuner pedal plugged direct. And studio wise, with the software available like this fine ACME product, there is no need for the ART unit. I also have an ART Nightbass I might unload as well.

I could easily get 100 bucks each. And for the combo amps I could get about 100 bucks for all three.

With today's plugins, for recording purposes it is no longer necessary to have tons of outboard gear.

[jhale667]

I decided today I need to downsize. I have 3 combo amps I never use. I have a 4th one, a Park 15-watt combo amp I got for 5 bucks a few years ago, and that is fine for casual household use.

So I am going to unload the three I don't use.

I also am thinking about unloading my ART SGX2000. Live, I only use a TS-9, a noise suppressor, and a tuner pedal plugged direct. And studio wise, with the software available like this fine ACME product, there is no need for the ART unit. I also have an ART Nightbass I might unload as well.

I could easily get 100 bucks each. And for the combo amps I could get about 100 bucks for all three.

With today's plugins, for recording purposes it is no longer necessary to have tons of outboard gear.

Nope. Dunno if you have any FX presets saved in the ART you couldn't easily duplicate, but if not... It's still cool to have, but not necessary. Especially considering how good amp and cabinet simulations are becoming. I mean, I'm never gonna part with my Mesa Boogie or 4x12s, but it's beyond cool to have a fairly accurate representation of it (not "one", IT) in Head Case when I feel like tracking something in the middle of the night..

Here's a link to a Duncan article that was published and posted to FB today that was all Head Case sims... http://bit.ly/XVcDHV

I don't think I've opened PODfarm since the direct recording article... there's still a few clean sounds I've saved in it I'll probably use again at some point... but that's about it...

[jhale667]

They're still coming up with new heads, and a lot of them sound really cool! I did most of the dirty tracks for this with one I downloaded last week called "the Crow"...not bad!


Voyager PGn Total Neckdom! by jhale667

[jhale667]

Here's the first one I've done that's almost 100% Head Case "Mimic" cabinets... sounds pretty cool... add that to Recabinet, and we're talking tons of tonal options... ME GUSTA!!!

Bubble Rhythm guitar tracks by jhale667