IK Multimedia Ampeg SVX Reviews

4.9/5.0 based on 7 customer reviews

Sweetwater Advice

Carson McClain

Ampeg SVX is an excellent emulator for any DAW owner. I have been using an SVT classic amp for several years and I must say that I am impressed with how close the virtual instrument sounds compared to the actual hardware. If you need the Ampeg "bite" in your mix, then you need Ampeg SVX.

Dan VanAmerongen

Ampeg SVX is an amazing sounding software! I was pretty turned off to the idea of "bass amp modeling." I hadn't really liked the sound and the limited selection of bass amp models that seemed to be an afterthought in a variety of guitar amp modeling plug-ins. I thought I'd give this a shot, and WOW, Ampeg and IK Multimedia nailed it! I was blown away! There is no need to spend time and effort to set up a rig, place the mics, and quiet down the things that rattle in the room. All you need to get a realistic sounding bass cabinet recording is a bass, a good direct box, and Ampeg SVX. This is a wonderful tool for not only bass players, but also for mixers, producers, and studios. Being a bass player, in the past, I dreaded hearing the phrase, "Oh, you're the bass player, plug into this direct box." I'll gladly do this now, as long as Ampeg SVX is being used. If you like the amps and cabinets from Ampeg, you will love Ampeg SVX.

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Customer Reviews

Ed Moon
from Kalkaska, Mi.
November 12, 2012Music Background:
Recording engineer

REALLY improves the bass

This plug-in does, for me, what I've been trying to do for the bass sound in my studio. I, normally, took the bass in by a direct line and an amplifier (Fender bassman). This Ampeg plug-in is far and away the best sounding amplifier for the bass that I have heard. I usually send both tracks (direct and amped) through this and get so much definition that I can lower the bass track, in the mix, and not have it over bearing while still being in front, tied with the drums.

Walter
from Illinois
October 25, 2012Music Background:
Hobbist

Perfect for studio recording sessions.

After looking at spending money on a physical Ampeg amp, and a good instrument mic to record with, I decided to take a chance and spend a bit of cash on this VST plug-in first to see if it met my needs. I’m using a Fender Jazz Bass and this thing sounds GREAT! I haven’t had time to explore all the settings and features, I just picked a few of the presets and tried them out. 100% of my work is in the Studio, so this works perfect for me. I own NI’s Komplete with GR5 which is really good but it only has one Bass Amp, which sounds good, but the Ampeg SVX augments that VST amp line up very well with way more choices than I’ll ever use. In fact this is so good it makes me curious about the other VST amps in IK Multimedia’s line up. This VST plug-in saved me a lot of $$$ on physical hardware, as well as room in my small studio.

Ralph
from Bronx, New York
June 8, 2011Music Background:
Guitar,Bass-Sound Engineer

Fantasic Low End !

This IK. plug-in gave my Squier P-bass,plugged directley into my M-Box a sound anywhere from Deep Purple to Led Zeppelin. There are so many different combinations from Amps & speaker cabs to mic's & mic placement. Let's not forget the several different stomp box's that are included. My advise remember your settings, it's very easy to get carried away with so many possabilities. A First Rate Product !

Ricky Sparks
from Ridgecrest, Ca. 93555
February 25, 2011Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Musician, Songwriter, Student

A New Believer in Ampeg SVX

I had this software for a couple weeks now. I originally started off with the fully functional demo at IK's website and I just couldn't get enough of the beautifully emulated tones from this software. I am going back and redoing all the bass tracks that we laid down for our latest project.
If you want fat, in your face, dirty, or clean, this software can deliver.
Fully impressed and inspired once again. Thank goodness I can jam until all hours of the night with this setup, because I have not been able to put the bass down since I picked up this collection of powerful tones.
The presets aren't bad either. I use them as a starting point for getting the tones I desire.
The only down side I have found is that you only get 5 activations from IK. So kinda sucks because I have already used 2 on the 2 machines I have. I would hate to see a problem arise and have them be hard asses about getting new authorizations. We will have to wait and see. I know that I am going to upgrade here really soon so. I will post any new info when the time comes.
The other down side is that, there is no 64 bit version of the software. So it really sucks because my DAW is 32 and 64 bit, but I have to use the 32 bit version and I don't the the full advantage of the extended ram I have. but I hope they do up the ante, especially with so many machines going 64 bit and operating systems going 64 bit.
oh well. I'll live.
For the price i got this software, it is hands down the best out there.

who would have ever thought, Ampeg tones in a software? Just amazing.

D.J.
from Monterey, TN
July 21, 2008Music Background:
Vocalist, Live Sound Engineer, Recording Engineer

Better Than The Real Thing!

Dan from Sweetwater nailed it in the "Expert Advice" comment he posted below. I had the same hesitations as he did, and for the same reasons. After using the software for a couple of weeks now, however, all I can say is that if you cannot get a simply phenomenal studio-quality bass track using this software, then you need a new bass player! You have all the knobs that the real cabs have for adjusting gain, bass, mids, treble, output level, and on some amps even the graphic EQ to add to all that. You can choose which mic to use on the cabinet, and with some cabs you can add presence which gives the bass track a real "surroundy" feel without tracking in 5.1!
The bottom line is that before this software, I insisted on tracking the bass part as a line out of my cab so that I got all the control of the head unit on the track. Now I can simply use the old direct box without an amp at all, because all I need is the notes and phrasing to be correct to have a killer bass track. If you are waffling on this purchase, I'm telling you to go for it. I can't see any possible way that you could be disappointed for the cost of this plug. Even better if you are a ProTools user and got the Factory pack, as you can simply buy the crossgrade and save some major cash!

Scott Fritz
from Chicago
July 8, 2006Music Background:
Producer, Musician

Awesome!

This is a GREAT sounding plug in - I tested it along mic'd Ampeg cabinets, and the plug in tracks came out sounding fuller and better every time! A great investment for tracking bass.

Studio 139
from Kalamazoo, MI
May 6, 2009Music Background:
Recording Engineer

It's Great

While I could not A/B this with a vintage B15 with a vintage mic,
I could A/B it with my own bass rig and microphone, and it really
responds like an amp. Most modeling software doesn't interact
with the instrument the way an amp will, but this does. It is much
better than the Bass POD models ( sorry Line 6). While I won't be
selling my amp, this is a very acceptable, usable, great sounding
plug-in.