This is cool, it's a little bit "batteries not included" so you need to get some Models for the amp part: https://github.com/pelennor2170/NAM_models and some Impulse Responses (IR files) for the cabinet emulation.
When you put them together you can get some good results, maybe a little bit noisy.
The important part is trying to develop a library of models for plugins to share and when paired with libraries of impulse responses and other FX you can build up common guitar tones. It's not especially user friendly, which is what you pay for with other commercial plugins
That's very exciting. Some day a a mere mortal might be able to play a facsimile of a dozen slightly-different hand-made Dumbles.
One thing that this approach (and profiling) might not be able to do is what Ben Adrian's sound design team in Line 6 did, where they've come up with some delightful "amps" in the Helix that don't have real-world equivalents. For example, my favorite, the Ventoux, which he describes like this:
"The idea was to create a “coveted boutique amp” that had a different origin story. Most coveted boutique amps come from modified black panel fenders or modified marshall circuits. I wanted to do the same thing, but base it on the early 70s Orange circuits and the mid-wattage Fender Tweed circuits."
I'm not sure how one would to that with a NN approach.
Edit: now I'm wondering if one could make a large model trained by all the amplifiers, and have it dream up amps that don't exist.
My understanding is that this is software using neural networks that can be trained to emulate any kind of guitar amplifier.
For a few decades now it has become popular to use software or electronics to emulate classic guitar amplifiers rather than having to own all the various large and expensive (and generally tube-based) guitar amplifiers of yore.
I believe this YouTube video is showing you how to use it:
NAM lets you essentially copy the sound/tone of a guitar pedal (no time based effects like reverb) or guitar amplifier. This means I can share a copy of my $3500 amp to people for free.
Before this and a paid product called Tonex came out, it cost $1500+ to “profile”/copy digitally a guitar amp. The price floor for this stuff just became $0-400 depending on what solution you go with and what gear you have.
This will be highly disruptive to the market. People can also clone paid plugins with this software and share it on Facebook. This is like when mp3s came out, but for guitar gear.
I recently got myself a Variax guitar and have been pleasantly surprised at how good it sounds. I've also been using bias FX for years when recording for my indie doom metal. Software really is the next frontier in music performance, and I'm glad someone's doing what I can't be bothered doing and making an open source alternative
webprofusion|2 years ago
When you put them together you can get some good results, maybe a little bit noisy.
The important part is trying to develop a library of models for plugins to share and when paired with libraries of impulse responses and other FX you can build up common guitar tones. It's not especially user friendly, which is what you pay for with other commercial plugins
pohl|2 years ago
One thing that this approach (and profiling) might not be able to do is what Ben Adrian's sound design team in Line 6 did, where they've come up with some delightful "amps" in the Helix that don't have real-world equivalents. For example, my favorite, the Ventoux, which he describes like this:
"The idea was to create a “coveted boutique amp” that had a different origin story. Most coveted boutique amps come from modified black panel fenders or modified marshall circuits. I wanted to do the same thing, but base it on the early 70s Orange circuits and the mid-wattage Fender Tweed circuits."
I'm not sure how one would to that with a NN approach.
Edit: now I'm wondering if one could make a large model trained by all the amplifiers, and have it dream up amps that don't exist.
mkl|2 years ago
It's still pretty unclear to me what it can and can't do.
xchip|2 years ago
notfed|2 years ago
JKCalhoun|2 years ago
For a few decades now it has become popular to use software or electronics to emulate classic guitar amplifiers rather than having to own all the various large and expensive (and generally tube-based) guitar amplifiers of yore.
I believe this YouTube video is showing you how to use it:
https://www.youtube.com/live/KHIORngbzJE?feature=share&t=673
Another: https://youtu.be/PjgrYB-EPbE
This guy compares an actual amp with ToneX (a commercial amp modeler) and NAM:
https://youtu.be/aXSnQzF-liE?t=802
klipklop|2 years ago
Before this and a paid product called Tonex came out, it cost $1500+ to “profile”/copy digitally a guitar amp. The price floor for this stuff just became $0-400 depending on what solution you go with and what gear you have.
This will be highly disruptive to the market. People can also clone paid plugins with this software and share it on Facebook. This is like when mp3s came out, but for guitar gear.
tonfreed|2 years ago
plaguuuuuu|2 years ago