Impulse Responses are the number one thing that can help you find the perfect guitar tone when using amp simulator plugins to record and play guitar through a computer.

Digital amp sims have come a long way in recent years, but with some styles of music, such as heavy metal, it can be hard to find the right tone. That’s where impulse responses come in handy.

It’s absolutely amazing how good of a sound you can get out of an amp sim with the right impulse. You can achieve the same tone from your favorite song or guitarist with little effort.

Neural DSP Fortin Nameless Suite Guitar Amp VST. Find the perfect guitar tone with our Guitar Tone Explorer. Thousands of Guitar Amp Plugins tones ready to compare. Go to the product page of the plugin you want to download; Click ‘download’ the appropriate version of the plugin (most will provide separate download buttons for Windows and Mac).TIP: Most VST plugin creators will offer a free trial version. I highly recommend going with that first before purchasing. The Emissary is a digital emulation of a custom dual channel guitar tube amplifier. It has been developed to accurately model its real hardware counterpart, built for Ryan Huthnance (The Seer / Gaped / Chrome Bison / Emissary Studios) by Ignite Amps, in 2014. Download page (Windows/Mac 64 and 32-bit, VST /AU/AAX) Ignite Amps. The only company on this list that offers software and hardware, Ignite’s amp simulation lineup features a number of different styles of amplifiers designed specifically for heavier styles. We proudly present to you, the Fortin Nameless Suite. GRIND, ZUUL & HEXDRIVE PEDALS. Along with the amplifier, a model of Fortin Amplification’s GRIND pedal was added to the virtual signal chain, to create.

Most amp sims worth using allow you to import IR’s, or you can use a free program like LeCab 2 or NadIR. There are tens of thousands of impulse responses available online. Some cost money to buy, like Rosen Digital and RedWirez Impulses, but there are tons of free ones online that are really good if you know where to look.

What is an Impulse Response?

Impulse Responses are basically designed to capture the unique sounds of various cabinet and microphone combinations.

They also capture the frequency of the entire signal chain from the mic, the power amp, preamp, and even the specific sound of the room, among other things.

How to Use Impulse Responses

Most amp sims support importing Impulse Response files. I use Recabinet 4 and TSE X50. Those are both paid amp simulators, but offer free demos. Both are really good at simulating the Peavey 6505/5150.

There are free options as well. Along with the LePou Free Amp Sim Plugins, there’s the LeCab 2 that can load up to six impulse responses at once, and it’s free.

Another free standalone IR loader is NadIR by Ignite Amps. It can load two IRs at once and the plugin includes other controls like panning, filters, stereo control, and delay.

Free Impulse Response Downloads

After downloading a few IR packs here and there, I came across the 7deadlysins Impulse Pack over at Osiris Guitar.com that contains thousands of impulses, with many of the best and most popular IR’s included all in one place.

Some of the better ones to start with include the Guitar Hacks Impulses, the Engl Pro 4×12 V30 pack, the Mesa Boogie 4×12 700+ Gods Cab IR’s (or you can download it separately below), and there are a bunch for specific bands and songs.

7deadlysins Impulse Pack (230 MB)

Additional Free Impulse Response Downloads

Free Redwirez IR Library – Redwirez offers a free pack of Marshall 1960A IRs, with Celestion G12M-25s, and it includes 17 different mics to choose from, each in dozens of variations.

OwnHammer – An impulse response library based on “V3 Mix” sampling methodology with neutral tube power amps.

Catharsis Impulses – The 7deadlysins pack contains thousands of IR’s, but somehow Catharsis isn’t among them.

God’s Cab 1.4 – This is included in the 7deadlysins pack but it is an older version. This includes over 700 Mesa OS IRs and Axe-FX ready files at 44.1, 48, and 96 khz sample rates.

ToneVampIRe HD – Another popular IR pack, ToneVampIRe HD includes 44 impulses for 37 songs, from artists like Deftones, Metallica, Mudvayne, Rammstein, and Slipknot.

With the explosion of popularity with amp simulator plugins in 2019, there’s a virtual sea of choice when it comes to choosing an amp sim for your recording, practicing, and jamming needs.

For recording metal especially, amp sim plugins are as popular as ever with guitar players in the heavy genres.

Why Amp Sims Are So Popular

The reason being the convenience, tonal versatility and palette of heavy tones on offer without racks of expensive gear.

Even the die-hard tube amp purists out there are beginning to switch over to virtual rigs for their recordings.
With all this choice in the modern-day plugin and VST world, which amp simulator plugins are best for metal players?

What This Post is About

In this post, I have taken the time to round up a selection of the best amp simulators which are best for metal players, including high-gain and killer sounding modern amps and effects.

How I Choose Them

Most metal presets – which software provides enough modern tones in one package
Best sound – the most authentic and realistic guitar tones for recording and practicing
Features -depth of customization, amount of presets and effects
Most value – for the price which offers the most ‘bang for your buck’
Key features – standalone version, free demo, unique innovative features

Always Try The Free Demo

The best amp simulator plugin is the one that sounds best to your ears and tailors to your requirements the most as a recording guitarist.

So I always recommend giving the free demo version a spin before opening your wallet for a potential purchase.

So without further ado, here’s a selection of popular amp simulators in 2019 for getting a modern and selection of killer high gain metal tones.

Let’s get into it in no particular order….

#1- AmpliTube 4

Price: €299.99 (Max version)
Standalone: yes
Win/Mac (64-bit only)
Demo version: yes

Amplitube 4 has long been a heavy favorite within the amp sim community especially with metal players. It is regarded as a premium software with hyper-realistic guitar tones, bundles of features, and the ability to modify all components of your rig for ultimate tone tweaking.

Main Features

Accurately emulated amplifiers and stompbox effects
‘Cab Room’ – in-depth cab, microphone, and room ambiance customization
Rack effects
Built-in recorder and DAW
Easy to use interface
Save and modify presets
Downloadable content via the ‘IK Custom Shop’
Hardware Support for MIDI foot controllers

With all these great features, Amplitube 4 is the top option for a sweet metal amp plugin for genuine metal tones and unlimited amounts of tone sculpting customization for professional recording in any DAW.

Which Version is Best

Each version includes all the standard features mentioned above. The differences with each version are the number of amps, effects and presets that are available for dropping into your custom rig.
Amplitube 4 offers a handy free demo for road testing a few amps and effects for getting a feel for things.

If you become convinced there is the option to upgrade to the premium versions later or purchase and download additional amp packs and effects to your rig via the IK Custom Shop.

The Base Version (€49.99)

The Base version is the most affordable version out the pick. The problem is, when it comes to modern metal amps, high gain stompboxes and effects the choices are very light.

There is enough to get you started with a handful of unofficial Marshall type British amplifiers. But when it comes to metal amps, there is only one modern metal amp (although it is based on a Mesa Boogie.)

If you are new to amp sims then this is a great program to dip your toe and get you going.

Deluxe Version (€299)

The Deluxe version is the next step up offering 140 pieces of gear with a large range of amps, cabinets, microphones, stompboxes, and effects.

All this gear is Amplitubes unofficial pr

Fortin Vst Free Download