Last Updated on July 24, 2025 by IDS Team

Looking for an amp sim off the beaten track? This amp sims directory attempts to be (mostly) an exhausting list – and it’s surprising we haven’t managed to find one elsewhere. Whilst some predictable names dominate the market, there are also plenty of exciting indie developers we don’t see get their names out there as much as we would like. Just like our other directories, we’ve tried to introduce options you might not have known about. So, whether it’s blues, classic 60s sounds, or metal, there is something on here for everyone.

This list includes everything from guitar suites (containing amp sims) to impulse response packs,; although there is a focus on amps ims specifically where it felt relevant we have included adjacent plugins that work better on this list than any other. Either way, this attemps to also fit in the lesser known VSTs that don’t top other lists, so read on for a (pretty much) exaustive list of all the amps sims we could find – and a bit more too.

Guitar Rig 7 – IK Multimedia

Guitar Rig 7 from IK Multimedia is one of the best-known amp sims, and one of its standout features is its intelligent circuit modelling. It’s available in two forms, pro and player, with the main difference being price. The free version contains two amps and matched cabs, and the pro version contains no less than 26 different amps. The free version even has 26 different FX, too. It has a smart user interface that shows your signal flow in a side window and is available as part of the free Komplete Start bundle from Native Instruments. We’ve already covered it here and compared it to competitors such as AmpliTube 5 and Helix Native. Requires MacOS 13 or higher and Windows 10 or higher. Comes in VST3, AU, and AAX formats, and costs 179 GBP or 244 USD.

Amplitube 5 – IK Multimedia

Amplitube 5 from IK Multimedia is, like Guitar Rig 7, one of the most popular and diverse amp sims on the market. It contains fresh gear as well as he legacy gear from previous versions, and in total this makes it hugely varied. It contains modelling for the whole signal chain as well as TONEX, a unique AI feature, plus a community feature that allows you to share presets. Lastly, it has a recording feature with a looper and DAW, plus, the gear in AmpliTube 5 is all official emulations from brands such as Fender and Mesa Boogie. It costs 299 EUR or 351.99 USD, and OS 11 or newer and Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit only. It is available in VST3, AU, and AAX formats. Check out our comparison article here.

Line 6 – Helix Native

Helix Native is a software addition to the hardware Helix family of products, which uses intelligent helix modelling technology to mimic the sounds of mics, amps, and cabs in a true-to-life way. It stands out from others on the market with features such as behavioural and component modelling, meaning it doesn’t just emulate the amps but individual components of their circuitry, making it highly realistic. Helix Native is also heavy on IRs and gives you huge amounts of scope and creativity with these. It comes in AAX, AU, and VST3 formats for MacOS and PC, and costs 399 USD. Check out our comparison article here.

Neural DSP Soldano Slow 100x

This is a sim of one specific amp, the Soldano Slo-100, unlike other amp sims which offer a variety of cabs to choose from. This amp pioneered high-gain tone so it is perfect for metal and hard rock musicians,, but you can use it across a variety of genres. It comes with four FX pedals: two overdrive pedals, a chorus pedal, and a compressor. It comes with a built-in EQ and the amp itself has gain and crunch switches for when you want added heaviness or character. Lastly, it also contains a cabsim with 6 virtual mics that you can move around to your desire, unlocking literally hundreds of unique IRs, plus post effects, a transposer, and a doubler. It costs 119 EUR or 141 USD and comes in 64-bit VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats for MacOS and Windows, supporting the latest compatibility.

Positive Grid Bias FX2

Bias FX2 from Positive Grid is one of the most versatile and customisable amp sims, with the ability to match your tone to that of a variety of legendary guitars and basses, not just amps! The latest addition to its lineup, which contains FX, amps, cabs, and instruments, is a series of Lo-Fi pedals, making it one of the broadest-reaching amp sims that keeps pace with modern music trends. It contains an intelligent visualiser of your signal chain that allows you to shuffle the order of components around for infinite possibilities in terms of tone.

What’s more, it goes further than the actual amp and allows you to adjust front and back amp settings, preamp features, and more with tone shaping software. Bias FX 2 is available for 299 USD and comes in standard, pro and elite versions. It requires macOS 10.14 and up or Windows 10 and up and comes in VST2, VST3, and AAX formats.

Waves GTR 3

GTR3 from Waves does not have the dazzling variety of Amplitube, but still showcases a broad range that emphasises versatile, perennial, and creative favorites. One standout feature is the ability to stack two amps in sequence for ultimate creative flexibility with your tone. It contains 25 pedals and 16 guitar cabs, with an additional 6 bass cabs and 12 miking options. All pedal FX are based on the waves studio processing, and the MIDI learn feature lets you have real-time control over your pedals just as if you were playing live. Additionally, you can integrate it with other Waves products for parallel processing abilities. Requires MacOS 13 and up, Windows 10 64 bit and up, and comes in VST3, AAX, and Au formats. GTR3 costs 129 USD in total.

Audio Assault Britone

Britone is a British-voice amp from Mexican plugin manufacturer Audio Assault. It does not take after any specific real-life amp, but instead gives you a customizable Brit amp simulation experience. Furthermore, this amp allows you to adjust parameters such as character and the less commonly used term ‘spank’ to get an amp sound that is entirely unique to you. BritOne has knobs for shift low and shift high as well as gain, depth, and presence. In fact, it has a total of 14 specific parameter knobs which go into its sound mixing capabilities, as well as a high-gain feature. The one thing to note is that it requires Audio Assault’s Amp Locker software to function. Britone costs 30 USD and is available for MacOS and Windows, 64-bit only, in AU, AAX, and VST3 formats.

Kiive Audio Lunchbox Amp Sim

This amp sim from Kiive Audio takes inspiration from a legendary British amp from the ‘60s and comes complete with a built-in pedalboard section. The company doesn’t actually disclose what amp they used as inspiration, but it’s apowerful, rich, and authentic sounding plugin. Lunchbox has already showed it can work with things far beyond just guitar by some of it’s professional users, with one testimonial even adding it to an 808. Aside from gain and master it has low, mid, and high knobs and comes with the choice to control oversampling and IRs. The epdal section has stompboxes for room ambience, drive, and tape echo. Lunchbox costs 53 GBP or 73 USD and comes in AU, AAX, and VST3 formats. It requires Windows 7 or MacOS 10.7 and higher.

Kuassa Amplifikation Lancaster

The Amplifikation Lancaster takes inspiration from Vox Combo amps, which were the quintessential sound of the British invasion. As well as the regular volume and master dials it also contains an entire ‘top boost’ section if you want your top end to have more shine, as well as a tone cut feature. This is the kind of amp that will get you the specific jangly sound that you find on many ‘60s records. The Lancaster has great attention to detail in terms of micing and IRs, and allows you to load a wide variety of IRs while virtually micing up your amp. It costs 49 USD and is available for both MacOS and Windows and comes in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.

Amped VX30 – ML Sound Labs

This amp sim comes from ML sound labs and  uses their specific Vorna sound modelling, designed to sound just like a real tube amplifier. It is based off two classic Brit amps from the 60s and 90s respectively and is suitable for diverse genres from pop to rock to indie. It’s inbuilt pedalboard includes delay, chorus, drive, and reverb, and noise gate and compressor pedals. It has specific modelling for both the 60s and the 90s amp with bright, normal, and jumped versions respectively. The amped VX30 costs 59.99 EUR or 71 USD and is available in standalone, AAX, AU, and VST formats.

Archetype Gojira from Neural DSP

We’ve covered this amp sim before, and you can read about it here. However, this is a plugin that the manufacturers made specifically with Joe Duplantier of Gojira as part of the design process. It contains three amps designed to summarize different parts of what makes the band’s tone unique. These are Clean, Hot – which is a high-gain amp that encapsulates Gojira’s clarity, and Rust, which is a crunch amp that distorts to the extremes.

Alongside the amp sim, it contains a variety of pedals, but these three amps together form the core of the plugin and have knobs such as depth, gain, and presence to help you tweak your sound. Archetype Gojira costs 145 EUR or 181 USD. Contains the latest OS and Windows compatibility and comes in AU, AAX, standalone, VST2, and VST3 formats.

MixWave SpiritBox from Mike Stringer

This Amp from Mike Stringer, the innovative guitarist from Spiritbox, is based around 3 amps – clean, rhythm, and lead. It also contains 2 cabinets and 21 microphone options as well as a huge library of impulse responses. It’s heavy on the customisation of your unique tone as a result, and to top it off it comes with 5 FX pedal including ring mod, delay, chorus, reverb, and drive. Mixwave Spiritbox is available in VST3, AU, AAX, and standalone formats for Windows 10 and up or MacOS 10.11 and up (intel and silicon native). It costs 139 USD.

SoftTube Marshall Kerry King Signature

This is a unique amplifier based of the exact EQ curve used by Kerry King of Slayer. In fact, the manufacturers developed it in line with the guitarist himself. The designers modelled it on a Marshall JCM 800 that has been a stalwart of his recording and touring lineup. In fact, Kerry King’s exact EQ curve is applicable to your sound via a single knob called ‘assault’. This plugin also has an option that allows you to bypass the cab section to get the pure, unadulterated tone of the amp.

Marshall Murder One Lemmy Signture

This is an emulation of the Super Bass 100W amp, which is popular with many artists, not just Lemmy. Nevertheless, this signature plugin has its own unique twist on it, with the exact settings the Motorhead frontman has used for both amp and cab. This is an ideal amp for both bass and guitar, it’s versatility does not compromise heaviness either. It comes with three pre amp tubes, a three-band EQ, and two channels. It also contains a room emulation of his exact cab setup as well as guitar and bass presets. Requires Windows 10 or MacOS 13 and up and comes in AAX, AU, VST3 and VST formats. This plugin costs 99 USD.

MVintageRotary by MeldaProduction

This is a plugin emulation of vintage rotary organ amps which you can also use for guitar and other instruments. It works by three algorithms and allows you to control dynamics and internal dampening to customise your sound. This amp also allows you to control parameters real time through MIDI and gain compensation keeps the sound lush and smooth, exactly like the vintage atmosphere you desire. It costs 42 GBP or 57 USD and comes in VST2, VST3, AAX, and Au compatible formats for MacOS or Windows (64 bit only)

MAmp by Melda Production

This is a great vintage amp that is designed for subtle saturation and tone/color enhancing as opposed to gain or crunch. It actually contains two separate vintage amp emulations as well as a ‘modern’ option in case you want to mix things up. Knobs such as color allows you to subtly influence the harmonics of your track whilst a built in EQ further allows you to apply soft distortion more judiciously and distinctly. A character knob, metering, and oversampling round this amp off. It costs 42 GBP or 46 USD and has VST, VST3, AU, and AAX compatibility on Windows and MacOS (64 bit only).

MCabinet by Melda Production

This is a cabinet sim that focusses directly on sculpting sound as opposed to using IR files, which means that there’s significantly more freedom with it than other options, especially if you want to approach your track from a sound design perspective. It has a diverse variety of cabinet options sorted by genre and comes with both mono and stereo processing as well as side chaining, making it not just a cab sim but a tool for smoothly blending your tone together. Lastly, it has a unique multiparameter option that lets you control multiple parameters at any one time. It costs 85 GBP or 116 USD and has VST, VST3, AU, and AAX compatibility on Windows and MacOS (64 bit only).

SoftTube Amp Room

Amp Room from SoftTube is not just one amp sim but is instead an entire platform of carefully modelled analog and vintage gear from big names including Marshall and officially liscenced studio effects from creators such as Empirical Labs. This is not actually just one amp sim but a series of 5 amp sims – each one named a different ‘suite’. These are: the ENGL Savage Mark II suite, bass suite, metal suite, vintage suite, and Marshall suite. Each suite effectively is a separate plugin and costs 99 USD except for the Marshall suite which costs 149 USD. Suites require MacOS 13 and up or Windows 10 and up and come in AU, AAX, VST3 and VST formats, and require an iLok account.

Electrum by United Plugins

Electrum is billed as a ‘single window’ guitar plugin, meaning it has everything you need in one smart interface that doesn’t require you to click in and out. This is despite it’s large amount of variety including 300 cabinets (once different feature combinations are accommodated) and huge pedalboard capabilities. One unique feature that Electrum has is EQ matching, which allow you to load a track that you want to sound similar to. Smart software then analyses and matches the EQ curve and applies it to your track, helping you pin down your favourite elusive sounds. It is available for MacOS and Windows in AU, AAX, VST, and VST3 formats and costs 128 GBP or 175 USD.

Tue Madsen Signature Kemper Pack by Bogren Digital

Tue Madsen is a legendary producer in metal who has produced for acts as diverse as Meshuggah and August Burns Red. This plugin is a signature IR pack that lets you take a deep dive into the amps, pedals and setups he uses at his studio to apply his signature sound to your own playing. All the profiles are the same as what Tue uses in the studio, no processing. There is a focus on high gain but plenty of clean and crunch options available too across multiple amp and cab combos. The signature Kemper pack costs 39 USD. It’s not an amp sim per se but fulfils similar purposes, but bear in mind you need a Kemper hardware profiler amp to use it.

AmpKnob BDHIII Bogren Digital

AmpKnob BDH carries the tagline ‘legends of high gain’ and this is a bundle that contains all you’ll need for ear-grabbing tone and powerful leads. These plugin are based off sounds designed, developed, or improved by metal producer Jens Bogren and contain options for metalcore, perfect classic high gain, as well as the super heavy 6606, designed to breathe new life into the sound of modern metal. Ach plugin is simple with a single knob and bypass switch. The bundle costs 98 USD and is available in VST3 AU, and AAX formats for MacOS 10.13 and up or Windows 10 and up.

Marshall Plexi Super Lead by SoftTube

This is modelled off a Marshall Amp from 1967, making it one of the most dedicated amp modelling plugins on the web, designed to get you a classic, legendary sound that needs no explanation. It contains FET, Live, and Dynamic mic options and also comes with an era correct cabinet For this plugin, every single amp component was modelled faithfully, too. It also is extremely faithful to your playing, making it more like a real hardware amp than other plugins. The Plexi Super Lead is 99 USD and requires MacOS 13 and up or Windows 10 and up. It comes in AU, VST, VST3 and AAX formats.

bxRockRack by Brainworx

This is a multi-amp plugin that emulates the sound of multiple famous amps from brands such as ENGL, taken and reimagined by Brainworx with their true to life tube amp emulation style. It contains 8 amp models and over 40 impulse responses, with styles ranging from clean to metal to jazz crunch. The amps themselves are not modelled or created in tandem with the official manufacturers such as Mesa Boogie or Marshall (both of which have emulations on this plugin) but Brainworx does not make any pretence about this, and they are extremely true to life. This plugin costs 75 USD and is available for OS 12 or windows 10 and up, AAX, AU, VST2, and VST3 formats.

Eden WT800 Torpedo Wall of Sound – Two Notes Audio Engineering

This is essentially a power amp simulator – it is a bit less detailed than some of the plugins on this list and focusses on the speaker. Nevertheless, it’s an industry standard plugin that still has a range of remarkable features. It consist of a creative cabinet simulation scheme that is equivalent to 160,000 IRs, meaning it is endlessly customisable. This plugin works by stacking channels, each of which has options to control features such as harmonics and compression and contains room acoustics modelling and other specifics like exciter and EQ. It costs 50 USD and is available for OSX 10.9 and later, Windows 10 or later, and comes in VST3, AU, AAX, and VST formats.

Suhr SE100 Plugin Alliance Gallien Kruger

This is another plugin that focusses on vintage and boutique gear and covers the entire signal chain including stomp boxes and outboard gear. It contains over 120 impulse responses and offers a warm and realistic tone. It’s modelled around the sound of a famous pre amp for Marshall amps – a sound which has been used in the work of artists as diverse as Van Halen and Michael Jackson, as well as the Suhr SE100 itself, a classic tube amp. The FX rack has additional features such as LoFi FX, power soak, and pre and power amp bypass for more control over your sound. It costs 75 USD and is available for AU, VST2, VST3, and AAX formats. Requires MacOS 12 and up or Windows 10 and up.

St James EL34 by Blackstar

Whilst many amp emulations focus on just American style clean tones or the rough-around the edges sound of grittier Brit amps, the EL34 from Blackstar plugins includes both. It comes in two formats – the suite format, or as a plugin on it’s own. Capable of everything from blues to punk, it contains pre and post FX as well as EQ, and Cabrig, a speaker simulator that mimics every detail of a speaker, cab, mic, and room. St. James EL34 costs 69 USD and runs native on Apple silicon, coming in AU, AAX, and VST formats.

Ampeg SVT by Plugin Alliance

This is said to be ‘the biggest, nastiest bass amplifier the world has ever seen,’ or at least based on it – the SVT bass amp, designed by Ampeg. This is a 300 watt bass amplifier that is fully endorsed by the makers of SVT. It also contains a Brainworx FX rack and otherwise faithfully emulates the pre amp, power section, bass cabinet, and rocker switches of the original. The original amp this was modelled on was a tube amp and this plugin lets you add power to the low end of your mix through six faithfully emulated 6550 tubes. It costs 75 USD and comes in VST2, VST3, AAX, and AU formats for MacOS 12 and up or Windows 10 and up.

Diezel Herbert by Plugin Alliance

The Diezel Herbert plugin is modelled off an amp that was specifically designed to suit heavy, downtuned guitar and the associated power required to amplify modern metal properly. This plugin contains three channels, the first is  clean channel, the second provides gritty crunch, and the third is for ultra high gain guitar perfect for solos, lead, riffs, and more. This is Brainworx plugin that contains over 100 IRs which were recorded with vintage gear, as well as Brainworx signature FX rack. Requires MacOS 12 and up or Windows 10 and up and comes in AAX, AU, VST2, and VST3 formats. Diesel Herbert costs 75 USD.

Fuchs Series by Plugin Alliance

The Fuchs Series is not one amp nor even a bundle, however, we’re including it here as a whole because the whole series is worth mentioning an unique, reliable and dedicated amp simulation plugins. The series contains two amps – overdrive 50 and train II. Overdrive 50 contains a brite switch, deep switch, and uniquely, a switch to toggle between rock and jazz tones. Meanwhile, the train II has accent and thrust controls which can add shimmer to the high end or depth and power to the low end. Overdrive 50 costs 75 USD whilst train II costs 125 USD. Both amps requires MacOS 12 or Windows 10 and up, coming in AAX, AU, VST2 and VST3 formats.

ENGL Series by Plugin Alliance

The ENGL series from Plugin Alliance and Brainworx consists of three amps created in tandem with legendary producer ENGL, with these geared mostly towards modern metal and other heavy genres. They consists of units geared towards ultra crisp high gain, distortion and overdrive, as well as gritter crunch. Again this is not a bundle but three separate amps that we list here together as they complement each other very well. The E765 RT is best for crunch and hard rock playing styles, whereas it’s the E 646 VS that’s best for emulating the styles of modern bands such as Gojira. Meanwhile, the Savage 120 has 4 channels including an ultra saturated lead and is a beloved studio amp by artists ranging from Brainworx Dirk Ulrich, to Evanescence.

Friedman Series by Plugin Alliance

The Friedman amp series is another where we have listed both the amps under one hearing. Amps from Friedman are available through Plugin Alliance and include the DS-40, which is more geared towards vintage tones, and the BE-100, which is a modern plexi amp focussed on the high gain sound characteristic of modern metal.

AmpKnob Trivium Rhythm

The Trivium ampknob bundles comes with three different ampknobs – small, single knob plugins that are simple but extremely powerul. Overall, it includes bassknob, leadknob, and ampknob, which is a general and multipurpose distortion tool. All three have a basic gain knob, whilst lead knob has a chorus switch and a delay switch, ampknob contains a boost and power switch, and bass knob contains a drive button. These cost 98 EUR (114 USD) for the bundle or 49 EUR (57.26 USD) individually and come in VST3, AU, AAX, and Standalone formats. Requires Windows 10 or newer or MacOS 10.13 or newer.

Amp Room ENGL Savage Mark II Suitar SoftTube

Tis is a component modelled amp modelling plugin, meaning it copies the specific circuitry of ENGL amps as opposed to merely mimicking the sound. It’s designed after the ENGL Savage Mark II amp heads and includes two amps and five cabs, pedals, and effects too. The amp versions are 120 and 60 watts depednign on how much power you desire, otherwise this is a top notch professional emulation of an amp favoured by many of the top high speed guitarists for it’s crisp and modern high gain sound. Costs 99 USD and requires MacoS 13 and up, Windows 10 and up, and comes in AU, VST, VST3, and AAX formats.

Free Amp from Blue Cat Audio

This is a free guitar amp simulator plugin that looks superficially simple but has all you will need. Blue Cat Amp Sim comes with three amp models – classic drive crunch, classic clean crunch, and a boosted modern drive lead amp. Each model comes with bass, treble, and mod knobs as well as gain and drive dials. It’s available in VST3, VST, AU, and  AAX versions for windows and MacOS

Lepou Amps

This is not just one amp sim but a series of amp sims. They cross a range of styles, but we’re including them as one entry on this list to sum up their versatility and scope. The full series includes Hybrit, a hybrid amp, and LE456, and Legio, which are pre-amps. There is also LeXTAC, which is another amp sim with a ‘contour’ feature, and Solo C, another pre-amp. Next is LeCTO, which is an amp sim with ‘vintage’, ‘modern’ and ‘raw’ options. most options in the series in general are available for both Windows and OSX in VST and AU formats, both 32-bit and 64-bit.

Neural Amp Modeller

The Neural Amp Modeller is not an amp sim per se but still deserves a place on this list because of how unique it is. This is a project in tandem with a variety of well known and lesser known names including Submission Audio, Sonicake, and Two Notes Audio Engineering. It’s essentially an open source amp modelling project that uses deep learning to allow to public o contribute to designing their own tone.

Ignite Amps Emissary

Ignite Amps bills what it does as ‘Engineering for the Moshpit’, and this is a model of a custom dual channel guitar tube amplifier developed to model a hardware amp that was built for Ryan Huthnance of Emissary Studios. This was part of Ignite Amps custom built amp service and has now been made available to the public through this plugin. It contains a clean channel and a lead channel with master knobs for each as well as depth and presence controls. This is a free plugin and comes in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.

Overloud THU from Overloud Audio

With the tagline ‘Amp simulation redefined, this plugin from Overloud Audio may seem like it has pretty much everything, and it is indeed a highly comprehensive catalogue of tools all bundled into one piece of software. This includes 248 premium guitar amps, cabs, pedals and rack effects, bass amps, and more, all using fluid modelling technology. It also contains fluid impulse responses, and a Rig Player which captures whole rigs and provides you their exact sound for your signal chain as a separate feature beyond this plugin’s extensive preset selection. It costs 299 EUR or 349 USD and is available in AU, VST, AAX, and standalone formats for MacOS 10.4 and up or Windows 10 and up.

Mercuriall Audio Ampbox Platform

This is a highly versatile and feature packed piece of software that is fortunately free to download and comes in VST, AU, AAX, and standalone formats for MacOs and PC. It’s powered by Mercuriall Neural Hybrid Engine technology and allows you to use all Mercuriall products conveniently and in one place. It supports a diverse range of their products such as SUN-100, Tweed Blues, Rectofire, Euphoria, ReAxis, and U530.

Nick Crow Labs 8505

He 8505 Lead is a free download from Nick Crow Labs and is available for Windows in both 64 and 32 bit in VST format. It’s a VST simulation that contains some eat extra features compared to the basic amp set up such as an on/off switch for oversampling as well as power amp controls, as well as your typical tone stack controls. It’s got a clean and easy to use interface that does not involve any complex menu diving and it has a crisp and versatile tone that whilst marketed for lead, is easily applicable to a variety of situations.

Solidus VS8100 from Audiority

This is a solid state amplifier plugin from designers Audiority and it contains two channels (normal and boost) as well as clean and crunch modes, a noise gate, modern overdrive, a 5 band EQ, and a dual cab simulator. It’s an emulation of a Marshall amp, the Valvestate 8100, although it has had extra features added. This amp was used extensively in metal during the 90s and provides a historic sound that is still very in keeping with modern trends. VS8100 costs 65 EUR or 76 USD and requires Windows 7 (64 bit) or later or MacOS 10.13 or later. It comes in CLAP, VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.

TSE Audio Rock and Metal Suite

This is a complete tone modelling suite from TSE audio designed specifically for rock and metal. The interface focusses on a power amp and comes side by side with pre amp and FX racks, and has two separate pentode power tube models to choose from. It’s intuitive and lifelike to navigate and is packed with features, with IRs that include presets like ‘fat and lay’ to stompboxes, a filter, and a built in tuner. It even contains an IR analyser. It costs 49.99 EUR or 59 UD and comes in VST and Au formats for MacOS and Windows.

Magix Vandal Guitar and Bass Amp

This is a relatively rare combo – a state of the art guitar and bass amp combined into one from Magix Audio. The Vandal is a powerful amp model that works with it’s own signal chain as opposed to an emulation of a pre existing amp, and includes clean, crunch, hi gain, and lead sound which responds sensitively and accurately to your playing. The signal chain includes a stompbox section, too. Likewise, vandal lets you toggle between speaker sizes, so combined with 24 unique stompboxes you have ultimate power over your tone. This plugin is available for the ltest MacOS software and Windows 10 and up in VSt2 and AU formats, and costs 179 USD.

Toneforge Guilty Pleasure

Toneforge guilty pleasure from Joey Sturgis tones has a clean and intuitive interface which lso shows you the signal chain as you go along. It’s part of the Toneforge series which is dedicated to impeccable quality and is included in the Joey Sturgis Tones Toneforge starter bundle too. Oberall this plugin offers a series of amps cabs, and pedals geared mainly towards rock and metal and it’s been designed to smooth out frustrating issues such as impedence difficulties, too. To top it off, it has for unique mic options so you have more control over sonic nuance. Toneforge Guilty Pleasure requires MacOS 10.14 and up or Windows 7 and up and comes in AAX, AU, and VST3 formats. It costs 99 USD.

Guitarix Amp Simulator

Guitarix is an amp simulator that stand out on the market as it is suitable for Linux in a world where many plugins only cater for Windows and MacOS. Aside from this, it’s also an exciting feature packed amp which contains a variety of reverbs including plate reverb and stereo reverb, a guitar FX section, and allows you to work with other plugins and presets too. With an inbuilt compressor and noise gate, there is a not a lot this amp sim can’t do. It works primarily by reading the signal from your guitar in mono, and is free to download, making it one of the most popular audio plugins for Linux systems.

Scuffham S-Gear

The Scuffham S – Gear is an emulation of a boutique tube amp and brings you a warm and rich sound straight to your DAW. Mike Scuffham was the former product designer for Marshall, so you are really in safe hands with this amp simulator and it contains a full drag and drop FX rack as well as professional grade micing and a carefully crafter acoustic space. It also contains detailed and high quality delay, modulation and room reverb prcessors in order to craft not just your tone but the shape and acoustics too. 4 rack processing units allow you to shuffle around the processing order and the tube amp sound is rich and timeless. The Scuffham S-Gear costs 129 USD and is available in VST, AU, VST3, and AAX formats for MacOS and Windows.

Nembrini Audio Overdrive Special

The Overdrive Special amp from Nembrini audio is a classic two channel amp with basic clean and overdrive channels. It has a nuanced and sophisticated control over gain, which filters between the clean and overdrive channels when the overdrive channel is activated, causing a ‘cascade’ effect. It also has two controls specifically for gain, level, and ratio, that allow you to change the harmonics of the gain, blending your tone more easily. This amp sim requires Windows 7 or newer, or MacOS 10.13 or newer, and is available in VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats. It costs 137 USD.

Otto Audio – II II

Otto Audio’s tagline s ‘none heavier’, and this particular amp sim is described on their website as ‘the heaviest amp sim ever’. It definitely allows you to achieve some crushing tones with a deceptively simple interface. It lest you control features such as resonance and width, as well as choose between two power tubes, and it’s dual stack effect can make your sound much heavier and meatier. With up to 8x oversampling, this is a hugely powerful amp sim that is available for Mac and PC in AU, VST3, and AAX formats. It costs 113 GBP or 154 USD.

ML Sound Labs – Amped Roots

This is a free amp simulator that comes in with a built in amp sim of the specially developed amp ‘5043 Fluff. The amp sim contains a lifelike and intuitive 3D cab modelling section that allows you to shift and even angle mics to affect the quality of your tone. This is the first amp sim from ML Sound labs and as a result it is free, and comes with 4 microphone options and 3 speaker options too. Available in VST, VST3 AU, AAX, and Standalone formats for MacOS and Windows.

Voxengo Boogex

This is a free amp from Vozengo wich comes with several additional features to complement it include a built in EQ curve visualiser and outward gain meter. It also comes with a pre-EQ as well as stereo reverb with controls such as pre delay, width, and space. It lets you toggle between a variety of different cabinets and mic options too; this and the additional features give you highly diverse permutations to get your tone exactly how you like it. This plugin is available for MacOS and Windows in AU, AAX, VST, and VST3 formats.

Voxengo Tube Amp

This is another free amp sim plugin from Voxengo that this time focusses on tube driven warmth as it’s main feature. It is an emulation of the ore amp overdrive that normally comes in pre-amps for mics and comes with an output saturator and low pass filter. This influences the perceived sound quality as a feature that s useful for a more vintage or rough around the edges sound. It also comes with built in oversampling. Voxengo Tube amp is available for MacOS and Windows and comes in AU, AAX, VST, and VST3 plugins.

Aegean Music Amp Vision

Amp Vision is a tone focussed amp and cab sim from Aegean music that has no less than 28 different amps and 14 FX pedals. It also has a smart bypass feature that allows you to bypass different bits of the signal chain for closer control over your tone, as well as extra features such as a noise gate and oversampling. It has a truly diverse range of amps which cover everything from vintage amps to high octane modern metal to smooth clean setups.  Amp Vision comes in VST and Au formats for Windows HP and up or MacOS 10.7 and up, and costs 36 USD.

Tonelib GFX Mic S Zero 100

This plugin is amp simulation software with a built in practice tool, and has a hugd range of varied guitar gear from amps to cabs to pedals to give you everything you need for an entire rig. It’s designed to offer a snapshot of the possibilities out there and substitute for the hardware versions of these so contains everything from famous and big name amps to quirkier modulation FX. It’s accurately circuit modelled meaning the sound you get is not just a copy by has been crafted organically based off the components of the real life hardware that is being emulated. ToneLib also comes with a studio practice tool that includes a rhythm machine, loop station, tuner, and metronome. It comes in VST, VST3 and AU formats as well as standalone for Windows 7 and up or MacOS 10.13 and up, and costs 35.98 USD. 

Kuassa Amplifikation Matchlock

This is a Fender specific amp simulation that comes with 3D, movable mics and a cab simulation plus style and genre based presets. It’s focussed more on classic rock and other versatile sounds than specialise genres such as jazz or extreme metal. It’s exact inspiration is a Fender combo amp and it’s designed for a natural, authentic, and organic sound. Lastly, high pass and low pass filters allow you to craft your tone more intimately. Matchlock costs 49 USD and is available in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats for MacOS and Windows.

Kuassa Amplifikation Creme

Crème is billed as the best metal guitar amp simulator or the ‘crème de la crème’ of metal guitar amp VSTs, it has a variety of tone and FX based presets such as ones focussing on overdrive and is generally designed for a full and heavy sound that is complemented with sharp, attention grabbing igh gain leads. It contains three amps and channels plus a photo realistic GUI for intuitive playing. Amp types span sharp, midtone, and heavy while channels include clean and two leads with varying levels of bottom end. Comes in VST3, VST, AAX, and Au formats and requires Windows Vista or later, or Mac OSX or later. Crème costs 39 USD.

Redwirez – BigBOX

This is an IR and cabinet simulation package from IR specialist Redwirez, and it’s a super detailed look at the world of cabs, from vintage classics to modern tones. This plugin is based around 22 different cabinets, from vintage to modern, many of which have been used on legendary recordings. They are sampled at incremental distances to create an IR ‘grid’ that allows you to subtly shift tone and space in your tracks. Meanwhile, industry standard mics mac this a dynamic, crisp, and high quality plugin. Costs 38 GBP or 51 USD and available for a diverse range of software and hardware so long as it can load a WAV file – including MacOS and Windows.

Mercuriall Spark

Spark is a plugin from Mercuriall audio that models Marshall gear. Specifically, it has 4 cabs, 4 amps, and a set of overdrive pedals and spatial FX. It’s a tube amp sim, giving it a rich and warm sound that works in combination with the classic power that you would expect from a Marshall emulation. It uses real time circuit modelling to give you an exact emulation of the specifics that make up the sound of a piece of gear – both for amps and for FX. It’s available for 120 USD for first time Mercuriall customers or 90 USD for repeat customers and comes as a VST, AU, and AAX format for MacOS and Windows.

Sly-Fi Digital KAYA

This is a pre-amp that has been modelled, changed, and manipulated by the innovative engineers at Sly-Fi digital. It was originally created with a pre-amp was hooked up to a tube tape deck, meaning it has a variety of unusual features you wouldn’t get on a regular pre-amp. This pre amp has a warm sound that nevertheless allows you to manipulate it through extreme treble, big bass boosts, and an ‘abuse’ knob that offers layers of distortion. It’s available for Windows 8 and up or MacOS 10.13 and up and comes in AU, VST, and AAX formats. KAYA costs 79 USD.

Audified AmpLion 3

This is a simple yet powerful amp sim for all kinds of tasks, set up for versatility across genres. It allows you to record, re-amp, and play live, all with a VST. AmpLion 3 also contains precise circuit modelling technology and comes in both pro and free versions. It also has ‘learn’ and bypass’ features, too. These let you choose how the amps respond to your sound, as well as which parts of the signal chain you hear. It also comes with an intelligent speed control which allows you to speed up or slow down whilst playing with the metronome. AmpLion 3 is available for macOS and Windows in AU, AAX, and VST3 formats.

Analog Obsession Myth Pre

Myth pre is a creative and dynamic low end Focus to preamp from Analog Obsession. this is a small company which Focuses mostly on analog-modeled gear, and as a result the sound is rich and warm and these VST plugins are nevertheless simple and easy to navigate. Whilst not an amp per se we’ve included it on this list because it deserves to be here as a snapshot of the rest of what Analog Obsession does. It’s a versatile plug-in so there are many ways that you could use it in traditional amplification as well. This plugin is a free download and it is available in VST, AU, and AAX formats for OS and Windows

Ignite Amps – The Anvil

This is another preamp emulation design specifically for guitar its an emulation of a real-life 3-channel tube pre amplifier, meaning it has all of the richness and warm tones of analog preamps. Its hardware counterpart comes from Andy Zeugs, and has independent channels with their own signal paths which are divided into clean rhythm and lead. It’s available both live playing and jamming as well as tracking or mixing in your DAW. It is available for Windows and Mac OS in VST, VST3 and AU formats. This plugin is a free download

Ace – Shattered Glass Audio

While there are currently plenty of amplifier simulations which focus on the high-gain sound that is popular within modern guitar playing this is a throwback to a 1950s tube amp bringing you a classic all American, nostalgic sound. It’s a faithful emulation that captures the entirety of the circuitry inside the original amp, as well as the interactions between the different parts of the circuitry, meaning it is a warm organic and versatile piece of software. The s,et dials are input, volume, feedback and output. This classic tweed amp is still very relevant and contains either two times four times or eight times over sampling national cabinet simulation. Furthermore this is a freeware plugin that is available for both Windows and MacOS in VST and AU formats

Peavey Revalver

Revalver is a Peavey electronics amp modelling plug-in that focuses on everything from amplifiers to stomp boxes. For a freeway plug-in it has an impressive amount of focus on accurately emulating all of the components of the individual circuitry of all of the different hardware which it is based on, therefore it is one of the deepest and richest amp simulation plugins. It’s current iteration is Revalver 4 and it comes with a built in gig mode which allows you to use it while playing live. It also allows you to independently control speaker configuration, mic placement, and the type of microphone that you use in its cabinet modeling section. Audio cloning technology allows you to influence the tone and shape of the sound at both the start and end of the signal chain two it is available in AAX, VST or AU format for Mac OS or windows.

TSE X 50 V2

This is an emulation of a classic American is perfect for rock and metal due to its high gain capabilities and built-in tuner, delay, EQ and reverb. It’s a tube amp containing two different pentode models, and although it’s a model of classic analog hardware, it has new smart features in its software format. These include input learn, which allows you to set your input to gain to a preferred point. It’s actually a combination of two very similar amps, meaning that while it’s an emulation, it’s also still a unique piece of software. One of the last features is that you can hook it up to your own impulse response library VST2, AU, and AAX formats for Windows 7 and up or Mac OS 10.9 and up

Cyprus TT15

Cyprus TT15 from Black Rooster Audio is an amp head emulation with clean and crunchy tones and high-octane leads. It contains a bypassable cab simulator, and this is a VST plugin that the developers modelled after a real-life amplifier and comes with circuit simulation to capture the nuances and dynamics of how the components work together in its analogue counterpart. The entire amp head contains a preamp tube as well, plus an output transformer. Its simple controls include gain, tone, volume, plus power output and cabinet switches. This is a free plugin available in AAX, AU, VST, and VST3 formats for Mac OS and Windows

LostIn70s Bass Deluxe

Lost in 70s, like its name suggests, is a company that celebrates the sounds of the 70s, filling a gap which few other VST designers specialise in. This is a base amp simulator that comes with huge low-end and even has its own inbuilt pedal board, a specific tone driver pedal designed for bass players, and four different bass cabinets, which are inspired by famous cabs, yet this piece of software is its own independent design. Comes with other features such as EQ, as well as a Looper. This is a freeware plug-in and it comes in VST3 format for Windows or AU format for Mac OS. It requires Windows 10 and up.

Simulation Analogue Guitar Suite

This plugin was designed in a research facility as opposed to by a specialist music company or developer. it is less concerned with containing plenty of fancy features and instead is designed to be a totally precise emulation of the circuit components of different stomp boxes and amps. Its representative website claims that it is more accurate in this respect than other VST claims to have accurate circuit modeling technology. It is not designed so much for musicians to play around with, but is instead focused on the technical elements, which include emulations of such as the Boss DS1, Tube Screamer, Oberheim PS1, and Univox Univibe. It is freeware and available in VST format for PC.

Epoch Amp – Guitar ML

Epoch is an amp sim that contains 4 amp modes and a mixed control for what is essentially parallel processing blending your input signal with the distorted signal that you get from the amp. The amp models range from clean to highly distorted and have impulse responses for each amp mode,,which you can bypass if you desire. This is a freeware plug-in and also has compatibility with Linux systems in VST3 and LV2 formats. It is available for Mac OS version 10.5 and up and Windows 10 or 11 and up in VST AU, and AAX formats.

ToneLib GFX

Tone Lib is both a guitar plug-in and a standalone app that contains everything you will need to play and record whatever tone you like in your DAW. Like many high-quality amp simulations, this is modelled based on the actual circuit components of many different analogue pieces of hardware. There are over 80 pieces of guitar gear which have gone into the making of this all-in-one amp simulation and effects plugin. It’s built as a complete guitar studio, given that it also has a tuner, metronome, backing track player and more.

Mercuriall AmpOne

Amp one is an amp simulation specifically designed to work with your iPad. It uses the same principles of electronic circuit modelling to give you the exact tone and dynamics of all of the analog and hardware guitar gear that you would want and comes with a cabinet set specifically intended to be more portable for iPad users who would like to be able to high high-quality and simulations away from their computer setup. It contains a large variety of different pump sounds, including single-tunnel Marshall amps, an American high-gain amp, Fender Blues Junior 3, and more. This software is free and comes specifically as an app for iPad.

Tonality – Anndy James Guitar Plugin Suite

The Andy James guitar plug-in suite from manufacturers at Tonality comes from STL tones and is an emulation of the real gear which Andy James uses every single day in his recording process. The software models his dream setup and contains three amps, including a classic modern day-to-day amp, a legendary 1960s British amp for crunch, and a high-gain lead amp that is perfect for metal. It also contains a signature preamp pedal as well as a classic overdrive pedal. This plug-in costs 75.89 US dollars, available in a standalone format as well as with a free trial version OS and Windows

Amplex Multi Amp – NaLex Plugins

The Amplex multi-amp is a free web plugin based on an emulation of a tube amp that works in a versatile manner to integrate with your own presets. Furthermore, Amplex presets include ones based on legendary amp manufacturers such as martial Orange and Mesa Mark 2. It has a simple and easy-to-navigate general user interface that includes the typical bass, middle, treble, low-end presence knobs it is available for Mac OS windows and line-ups in VST AU, VST3 formats.

MegaFuzzie Mark 4 from Vadim Taranov

MegaFuzzie Mark 4 is an amp SIM from Independent developer Vadim Taranov. It’s a modern style high-gain amp that dives right into the nitty gritty detail of shaping the tone of your gain exactly how you’d like it. It’s based on the exact tone of the Mesa Boogie Mark series; however, it’s got plenty to make it individual. This amp divides gain into low frequency gain and high frequency gain, as well as a separate general gain lob apart from this, it contains depth and presence dials, plus stereo and power switches. It’s available for both Mac OS and Windows as a free download

Blackvibe from Analog Obsession

We’ve covered Analogue Obsession previously on this list with that preamp. It is a full-fledged amplifier simulation from the small independent company that cares exactly about the very thing you would suggest from their name- pure analog tone that is rich and nuanced. This is a custom tube amplifier with tremolo, four guitars and keyboards, and contains no built-in cabinet, which means that you can use your own impulse responses. It lets you shape the subtleties of your sound, as in addition to the usual amplifier controls, it contains speed and depth dials, as well as a vibrato switch. Like with any Analog Obsession plug-in, a rich analog sound is non-negotiable. This is a freeware plug-in for both macOS and Windows that comes in VST3, AU and AAX formats.

Tonocracy Atomic Amplifiers

This is an exciting free guitar amplifier simulation from the manufacturer Atomic Amplifiers. It’s a free and effective software, which means that beyond just being a basic amplifier, it has a variety of unique signal chain presets as well as an intuitive user interface. This last bit allows you to move around different components of the signal chain to find the exact sound and workflow that works for you. It has a huge variety of different amps, from Brit amps to tweed, and even allows you to save signal chain layouts. The most exciting part is that it can analyze the gear you already have;, and turn its audio fingerprint into a playable snapshot. It is available as a standalone app and therefore works with any software.

Swanky Amp from Resonant DSP

Swanky Amp is an exciting amp simulation that breaks the signal chain up into five individual components to give you the maximum control over your tone. This includes preamp, power amp, cabinet staging, and a separate section for both tone and for levels. There is also a bypass switch for the cabinet stage, low-cut filter in the staging stage, as well as a tone stack dial and features such as tight and sag in the power amp that give this amp its own character. These unique features were created by measuring of the amp circuit and analyzing the interplay between them. It is available as a free download for MacOS and Windows in VST and AU formats.

STRX from Arboreal Audio

This is a unique amplifier simulation is billed as ‘not your grandpa’s guitar amp’. It’s designed to be a modern versatile amp which is compatible with a wide variety of different styles. Thus, it uses digital modelling to access a larger variety of freedom than would be possible if this were just an emulation of a pre-existing analogue device. It works with basic parameters such as openness, which focuses on the difference between the low and the high end, and which adds a fuzzy layer to your distorted signal. Lastly, and unique to this product, an X knob acts on the mid range to create thick and Powerful distortion. This is a free download, although the manufacturers do ask you to support them on KoFi. It’s available in VST, VST3, AU, CLAP formats for Windows and macOS.

Diode Amplifier from Viator DSP

Diode amplifier is another simple amp that is sleek and powerful, with four basic buttons for brightness, loading impulse responses, bypass, and resetting impulse responses. In addition to the typical EQ controls, input, drive, and output knobs are present on any amplifier. It is a powerful and high-quality amp that focuses on simplicity from an independent developer. As a result, it is free, although they do ask you to support them on Patreon. It is available as a download compatible with most software.

TPA1 from Ignite Amps

This is another free amp emulation which comes from Ignite Amps, who started in Italy building hardware and have since moved on to VST plugins. This is a sim which is based off a classic tube power amplifier, although it is not based on any specific machine. Instead, it aims to provide a broad emulation of different sounds that will allow you to use it across genres. It contains up to eight times oversampling, as well as mono and stereo processing, and triode modelling, plus automatable controls. It is available for both macOS and Windows as a free download.

Nadir from Ignite Amps

This is a cabinet simulator that you can use with any amp of your choice for both guitar and bass, regardless of whether they are software emulations or hardware. It is a high-tech piece of kit that comes with zero-latency live-ready sound, meaning that you can use it while jamming or while recording as well as playing live due to the fact that it comes with built-in filters that will allow you to shape your sound enough that you can do without a mix engineer at a pinch. It is available in mono, dual mono, and stereo recording modes. Load from Mac OS and Windows, and is available in VST, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.

Marshall Silver Jubilee from SoftTube

This is an exciting Marshall amp emulation from Softtube which comes with all of the classic controls, including two dials for differentiating the output master and the lead master, as well as a feedback knob. One feature allows you to independently mix the different mics, including different room mics with their own individual sliders can knobs, and buttons to bypass these, as well as an input gate, making this an app which gives you unprecedented levels of control over your tone. It costs 99 US dollars and is available for Windows 10 and up or Mac OS Ventura 13 and up in AU, VST, VST3, and AAX formats.

MMS Seismic Bass Suite

This is a comprehensive bass suite based around a classic bass amp with a few extra features, such as an enhancer knob as well as a visual EQ. Its intuitive user interface allows you to see the signal chain with a bird’s eye view and includes features such as pre-FX and stomp boxes for post-effects, as well as your cabinet. In itself, it is everything you need for a mix-ready tone and is available in a free trial format. Overall, this plugin contains three amps and 6 FX pedals, the Mac OS and Windows in Intel and Silicon formats, and costs 98 GBP or 131 US dollars

Bass Dude by Brainworx

This is a bass amp simulator which is based around tube amp emulation, specifically the classic bass amp designed by Leo Fender. It offers you 35 separate recording channels, which apply both pre and post-FX, as well as allowing you to choose between different microphones and guitar caps. This amp is actually primarily a guitar amp, but it works very well to give your bass a fat tone as well. It is specifically a retro-sounding amp and is not for modern high-gain sounds. Specifically, it’s in a 1960s blonde piggyback guitar amp and base with modern features such as a lo-fi delay effect. It is available for 75 US dollars OS and Windows.

Parallax X from Neural DSP

From developers Neural DSP Parallax X is a bass-specific amp that allows you to craft your tone with features such as mid distortion, high distortion, and low compression contains a six-band equalizer and a visualiser for the EQ spectrum. An added feature is this amp has the capacity to transpose whatever you play and comes with low and high-pass filters in addition to the ability to save things for future reference. It costs 119 euros or 138.63 US dollars and comes with a 14-day free trial, and comes in Standalone, VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats for the latest Mac OS compatibility and Windows.

Black Ice Beta Gamma Bass Amplifier – Nembrini Audio

This is a specific bass amplifier from Nembrini that allows you to choose between different cabs and impulse responses. In addition to a six-band EQ and the typical drive and level dials, it contains specific features that allow you to control edge, punch, distortion, and so on. It’s possible to hook it up to your bass, play it with a hardware instrument, and choose between different mics, plus sculpt your sound in a rudimentary mix section. It’s aimed at modern bass guitarists for a clean and classic sound, with options to view impulse responses in a handy visualizer. This plugin comes in AU, AAX, VST3, and VST formats for Apple Silicon macOS 10.13 and up, all Windows 7 and newer, and it costs 137 US dollars.

Bass Grinder Free – Audio Assault

This best amp from Audio Assault, specifically to make your bass as fat and distorted as you possibly can want it to. Bass Grinder focuses more on power as opposed to tone sculpting; nevertheless, depth and crush dials allow you to control the intensity of your sound. It gives you the options of two amplifiers and three cabinets pass and a low pass filter. It’s ideal for hard rock and metal guitarists, and is available for Windows and macOS in VST and AU formats as a free download.

Modified GC – Amplification 3 Pro

This is a plug-in based on legendary Galleon Kruger base amplifiers, and with only three amps, it allows you to do a lot. Up to nine different microphones and three matching cabinets share a large variety of combinations and features such as EQ and a crossover dial, allowing you to blend parts of the frequency spectrum across the signal chain. Furthermore, it mixes in modern technology with a smart learning feature threshold for your track. It’s a sleek and powerful amp that is not specialized to any particular genre but otherwise has the capacity to cover everything from Jazz to classic rock. It requires Windows 7 and you are or macOS 10.13 and up and comes in VST3, AAX, and AU formats plug & costs 99 US dollars..

Overloud Mark Studio 2

Mark Studio 2 is a bass amp sim that is specifically designed to emulate Mark bass amplifiers and cabinets. It gives you a choice of six Mark bass heads and nine Mark bass cabinets as well as a pedalboard, making it a full bass amp suite, including an octave pedal, envelope filter-based chorus distortion and compressor pedals, six different microphones and more. This is a high-quality plugin with no latency and an advanced ultra-based feature for frequency control on the low end. This plugin costs 129 euros or 150.28 US dollars, and it is available in AU, VST, and AAX formats as well as a standalone application, macOS 10.13 High Sierra and up or Windows 7 and up.

The Amp Vault by Austin Beveridge

Amp Vault simulation pack is a VST plugin from independent developer Austin Beveridge, which is available from his own Gumroad platform. Simple pricing at 20 US dollars and above makes it an exciting and affordable plugin. This pack emulates vintage amp sounds, including those used on old Motown Abbey Road records, bringing you the sounds of legendary amps like the Ampeg SP12 and the basement amp used at Abbey Road Studio with a vintage condenser mic and built-in tape saturation feature. This is available across multiple platforms and requires you to get in contact with the developer through the platform mentioned above.

York Audio – Impulse Response Packs

On the list is not a single plug-in, instead it is a set of impulse response packs from developer, York Audio, designed to simulate these subtle tones and reverberations which come from a properly miked up cabinet. It ranges from Fender-specific impulse responses to those emulating a martial 412 MV30. There is a huge range with others specialising in inbox apps or Orange Amps as well as Reverb. The packs average around $19 and are available from the York Audio website. all of the packs are compatible with any software that can work with a WAV file.

Amp Hub – STL Tones

Amp hub from STL tones is a guitar plug-in suite that gives you access to over 51 amps, 39 pedals, and 31 cabinets. It also allows you to record and play live and works on a subscription basis with a 10-day free trial. Each cabinet comes with over options, meaning there is a dizzying range of possibilities in terms of tone. It doesn’t have just tried and tested favourites such as Marshall and Orange amps, it also has Ampeg, Peavey, and other classic sounds that have played more of a behind-the-scenes role in recording history. It is available for a lump sum of 129 US dollars for a year-long subscription or for $12.99 per month. Sweet has the latest OS compatibility for Windows and Mac and comes in VST, AU, and AAX formats.

Termless by Vadim Taranov

This is an amp based on an undisclosed nameless amp that is ideal for all kinds of metal guitar playing. This anthem is one of the few metal guitar amps that is especially for work with detuned and downtuned guitars. It has an emphasis on the low end as a result, but it does not skimp on the top end, as it is an ultra-high gain amp in VST. It is available for PC only as a 32 and 64-bit VST plugin and costs 26.5 US dollars from the developer’s website.

Benson Chimera Collection – Mixwave

This is a component model emulation of the Benson Chimera amp. Overall, the plugin includes amp, Tallbird Reverb, and Chimera cabinet. This is a boutique amp that musicians have coveted throughout recording history, and now this emulation is designed to focus specifically on this classic sound. With over 20 virtual microphones, it allows you to place in real time to control your tone. Apart from this, it allows you to shuffle around the individual components of the signal chain with a quick and intuitive interface. There are additional features such as stomp boxes and an equaliser undercompressor. It is available in standalone formats or VST3, AU, and AAX formats for Mac OS 13 and up all Windows 10 and up. This plug-in costs 179 US dollars and comes with a free trial.

Genome – Two Notes Audio

Genome is a unique amp suite that allows you to build your dream rig. It’s billed as a software ecosystem, which allows you to mix and match the amplifiers, pedals, cabinets impulse responses that you want. It’s also appropriate both for playing alone and for recording tracks at home. It comes in a basic format but then there are multiple upgrades so if you decide that you need something bigger options to expand. Gnome comes from Two Notes Audio Engineering, with a built in engine, Codex that uses AI to adapt your sound based on what you need. Genome is also integrable with Neural Amp Modeler. It is available in VST aU comma and AAX formats for both Mac OS and Windows, and it costs 79.99 euros or 92.94 US dollars for the basic pack.

Archetype: Cory Wong – Neural DSP

This is part of the Archetype Series from Neural DSP and is an amp simulator with a gate and transpose feature, as well as a double-up. It covers tones ranging from completely clean to incredibly distorted. It’s a very versatile amp, which is not modelled off any one particular genre as it is modeled off the playing style of Cory Wong from Vulfpeck, giving you the characteristic versatility of this band. Additional options such as pre-effects and a pedal are available too. It comes in VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats as well as a standalone app and has the latest oS compatibility for Windows and Mac. It costs 139 euros or 161 US dollars.

Amped Oracle from ML Soundlab

Oracle is an amp and cabinet simulator based specifically on the versatile sound of Orange Amps. It’s ideal if you want high levels of gain and sustain or crunchy punk. The original amps it is based on are tube amps, meaning there is a richness and warmth to its sound, and it uses Vorna amp modeling technology from ML SoundLab, the developers. Oracle comes with an inbuilt tuner and pedalboard as well, so it is ideal for recording or playing live. Do umpsims are Oracle Rock 100 dirty and Oracle Rock 100 clean as well as a cab sim modeller. It is available for Windows or Mac and standalone VST3, AU, or AAX formats.

Brain 2 by AcmeGotBarGig

This is a guitar amp simulation that mainly focuses on classic British crunch sounds, classic rock, and other vintage tones. This is not a big modern high-gain amp suitable for metal, hard rock; instead, its main focus is on clean and classic sounds. This does not come with a cabinet; this does allow you to upload and integrate your own cabinet or impulse responses. Other ways this is a simple yet effective amp SIM by AcmeGotBargig for Windows, which comes in VST format, is a free download.

Brackenbury Tube Amplifier

Brackenbury Tube amplifier is a tube and simulator designed as a model of 90s tube amps by Florida Music Company. As well as the regular controls of trouble mid presence and so on, which you get on the average amp sim, it has a unique sweepable EQ as well as delay and feedback dials. It comes with variety of presets which cover genres from the 70s to present day and timeless sounds such as jazz guitar, proving that this amp works with both clean and distorted sounds. Available as a free download for Windows and comes in VST format.

Aridaz Amp Crunch

This is a basic crunch-focused and simulator from Aridaz Music Company. It contains the regular controls that you get on any good amp, and also has a cabinet switch that allows you to bypass the cabinet if needed. This is a really crunch-focused amp which does one thing well, it does not have a lot in terms of high gain or clean suitable features, instead it’s a raw, distorted punk oriented sound full stop. It is available as a free download for Windows in VST format.

Helian Bass Amp – Fretted Synth Audio

This is a classic bass app that is appropriate for a variety of genres in five different varieties available as a freeware plug-in and comes with gate, threshold, and decay features, as well as compression and EQ features. In addition, it has ‘learn’ and ‘reset’ features to pick up your sound, making it a semi-smart amp. It actually comes in two different varieties, Bass 1 and Bass 2, but we’re integrating them here due to similarity. The main difference is tone, with Bass 1 focusing more on clean tones, while Bass 2 has more harmonics. It’s available for Windows 32-bit in VST format from plugins for free.

Redcurrent – Cornflower Audio

Redcurrent is an amp and cab emulator designed specifically for metal. It contains one guitar amp named fury, as well as a screamer and cabinet emulator, which allows you to upload your custom impulse responses and toggle between mono and stereo outputs. Some sample settings have names including noise guard, evil, and most evil evil. It is available for windows in 32 bit and 64-bit vST plugin and is free to download.

Dusty Tube – NAM Based Modelling

This is a guitar amp simulator built by an independent developer, r.jorj, on Neural Amp Modeller, an open-source project that we also wrote about on this list and which uses deep learning to create accurate models of amps and pedals down to the circuitry. This is an exciting product of the project, and it is a nostalgic vintage-style amp with an intuitive pedal board board section. This sits to the left of the GUI and a separate impulse response mix section. It is available in VST3 format from KVR Audio.

Soft Amp PSA

Soft Amp is a virtual guitar preamp with multiple distortion stages. These include three with Zener diodes and two with overdrive and saturation.. Metric and soft clip gain allow you to control over your tone, and there is a smart learn function that allows the noise gate to figure out your noise level when your guitar is plugged in listen to the input signal it also has a built-in compressor this overall a diverse and varied preamp it buzz punch crunch and drive pictures as well. It’s available for Windows 32-bit and 64-bit in VST format as a freeware download.

Audio TWD DLX – Helmut Keller Audio

This is a tweed amp simulation which other ways focuses on the basic gain bass, mid, and treble features Thunder Tweed Deluxe amp and has its own IR loader and additional guitar effects. It’s a vintage-inspired amp with inspiration from real tube circuits from an original Fender amp that have been simplified somewhat. TWD DLX is available for Windows Mac OS, and Linux in AU or VST3 formats. It is also available in Standalone format for Reaper DAW. 

Extreme Vintage Amp – Audio Assault

This is an amp simulation from Audio Assault, which is deliberately designed to sound vintage. Focus mainly on the British box sound or on a low-key, grainy, fuzzy sound, prioritising the warmth and imperfections which come from vintage Gear. Gain and tone knobs are the main way to control this amp, and it’s even capable of hard rock style distortion with high volume and high tone. As a pay-what-you-want plug-in Audio Assault’s amp locker

Evo Amp Suite Lite – Revolt DSP

Evio amp suite light is the free version of the Evo amp suite which comes where the signal chain visualiser and 4 amps four cabinets and nine pedals include one inspired by classic League channel as well as a more aggressive high Gain amp design for when you are playing at full Throttle, as well as a middle ground amp which Focus is on crunch and heavy distortion plus another high gain amp. It’s mysterious as to the exact amps that this amp suite is designed based on, but it covers plenty of different genres and contains effects neatly into the preamp and post signal chain, making it an efficient tool. It’s available for Windows 10 and up or macOS 14 and up in VST3 and standalone formats.

Final Thoughts

This is an attempt to be a pretty exhaustive look at the current market on amp sims – with a focus on independent developers, too. Whilst we may not have scoped out every plugin – new ones are being released all the time – hopefully this can show you that the world of amp sims goes much further than just the high gain amps that are currently popular, or the guitar rigs that emphasise having a diverse array of amp options.

What’s more, we’re pretty excited about the Neural Amp Modeller project, which allows people to develop their own amps – including at least one of the ones on this list. So, watch this space for more exciting vsts – because the field is constantly evolving, and we’re always on the lookout for exciting news.

And, if you like software emulations of hardware products, check out our entire software section here.