felix_flemons's forum posts 1

For me, it's all about the feel.

I started playing guitar back in 1986 at the age of 15. Between that time and 1998 / 99 when the Line 6 POD came out, most digital effects sounded very processed. That's not to say they sounded terrible. In those days, there was a lot of experimentation with sound effects going on. From 1998 to the present time, digital emulation and modeling technology have come a long way in terms of quality of sound and accuracy of modeling.

One of the benefits of digital audio is making and storing an exact representation of your tone. Tube amplifiers are a great example of the opposite. While you will find amazing sounding tube amps, not all tube amps sound the same, even within the same brand, model, and run. There are always little (albeit minute) variations in tone. With the current digital effects processors and amp modelers (i.e. HELIX, AxeFX, etc.) once you dial in your sound, you can lock it in by merely pressing or tapping the save button. You can take that file and upload it to any DAW, effects workstation, or floor equipment, and it will sound the same.