Andy Channelle

I have coveted a Variax guitar since playing with a 300 model a few years ago in PMT Bristol. Unfortunately, I was always skint, so made use of the cheap guitars I'd borrowed, stolen or bought over the years. And then - miracle - there was a confluence of spare cash and a happy wife and I splashed out on a black (obviously) JVT69. It is all I wished for. Beautifully made, the modelling is astonishing (especially the acoustic) and it's quite easy to find a tone that sits well in any mix. I've played one big jam (lots of people wanted to play the guitar) and recorded a few tunes and I'm very happy. As with amp modelling, I don't know whether the 'Les Paul' model sounds like a real Les Paul, but it does have the requisite grunt when thrown through a distortion pedal. Similarly, do the Chime guitars sound like actual Rickenbackers? I have no idea, but when I play a recording to the missus and said: "I was trying to sound like REM..." Her response was: "I thought it was REM." Which is good. The main worry I have with very complex machinery is that it's impossible to fix (not like just soldering a new jack socket into a cheap guitar), but so far it's all lovely. Here's a few example tracks. All the guitars are the JVT. https://soundcloud.com/andy-channelle/learn-to-fly-in-one-hour Challenge to record a cover in one hour (ignore the bad singing). https://soundcloud.com/andy-channelle/the-ground-beneath-my-feet-isnt-yours-03-02-2015-2054 There's a 2 six string acoustics, 12 string acoustic, Rickenbacker 6 string (double tracked and panned hard left and right) and one track with the guitar's own magnetic pickups.

In the past I have had various effects units, beginning with stompboxes, then moving onto physical multi-effects (I have a broken M-Audio BlackBox and a Zoom floor unit) before going entirely screen-based. Having used the gear integrated into first Garageband and then Logic/StudioOne, I am quite comfortable with the notion of virtual devices, and the modelling in Ampkit is great, so it sounds very good. Of course, I have no idea if a particular model sounds like a Fender Twin or a Peavy ValveKing, but I will say that all of the amps and cabinets have their own distinctive sounds and are almost all musical. The large array of pedals also allow you to shape your sound in almost any way. Presets give a good indication of what's possible, and are often a good starting point for customisation. For me, beginning at the beginning was the best option, so I chose the amp I liked the sound of most and had the extra features I wanted (I went for the ValveKing) and then began adding a core quartet of pedals to cover EQ, compression/sustain, distortion and reverb. After playing around a bit, I removed the reverb and distortion (the amp does both quite well) and added a delay and a chorus. These (and all the amp controls) are controlled via an Akai LPD8, which either goes on the floor or on top of the PA. The buttons and knobs makes it feel less computer-y and more real. In all, I can't fault the sound - on its own or blended into a mix, I think it sounds great, and is far easier to carry around than a big amp. It would be great to see this available as a VST or AU plugin, because at the moment the recording process is quite convoluted, and I'll often switch back to using the built amp builder in Logic, and then just use Ampkit live. I would really love to be able to build my rig, control it in real time *and* process through my DAW. Hopefully that's next on the cards for the developer.