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Some of you are aware that I turned to the dark/digital side a number of years ago. When I was at NAMM a few weeks ago, I was invited to get a sneak peek at Atomic Amps' newest product, the Amplifire. I did a writeup on TGP's webzine but the bottom line was that it inspired gearlust like I hadn't experienced in years. It's a 8.5"x6.5" pedal that has terrific amp sims (courtesy of Studio Devil), impulse response based cab sims (allowing you to load your own free or commercial cab sims), a full complement of effects (wah, drive, compressor, delay, modulation, EQ, reverb) all for an introductory price of $600.
The amp sims were what really got my attention. This was the first device I'd played that made me think I could live without my AxeFx. It's not nearly as tweakable as the Fractal device but it's very usable with the dedicated amp knobs on the top panel.
They finally started shipping last week and I got mine yesterday (paid $600 + $20 S/H). I'm still in the honeymoon stage but it's everything I remembered from NAMM and more (they added a few features since then). The amp sims are great and I used an acoustic impulse response (IR) to put together an acoustic sim preset. Speaking of IRs, the ones in the Amplifire are good but not quite my cup o' tea. That's where the ability to load your own IRs is a great feature. People often don't like the cab sims in modelers. Giving folks the ability to swap in the cab sim of their choosing is a brilliant move IMO.
I'm looking to use this as the core of a new live rig. Being old and lazy, the idea of going to a rehearsal/gig with a 15lb pedalboard (Amplifire + a few pedals) and my 5lb Parker Fly in a gig bag has me positively giddy. As this little red box becomes more widely available, I suspect that there's going to be quite a bit of (well-deserved) buzz.
The amp sims were what really got my attention. This was the first device I'd played that made me think I could live without my AxeFx. It's not nearly as tweakable as the Fractal device but it's very usable with the dedicated amp knobs on the top panel.
They finally started shipping last week and I got mine yesterday (paid $600 + $20 S/H). I'm still in the honeymoon stage but it's everything I remembered from NAMM and more (they added a few features since then). The amp sims are great and I used an acoustic impulse response (IR) to put together an acoustic sim preset. Speaking of IRs, the ones in the Amplifire are good but not quite my cup o' tea. That's where the ability to load your own IRs is a great feature. People often don't like the cab sims in modelers. Giving folks the ability to swap in the cab sim of their choosing is a brilliant move IMO.
I'm looking to use this as the core of a new live rig. Being old and lazy, the idea of going to a rehearsal/gig with a 15lb pedalboard (Amplifire + a few pedals) and my 5lb Parker Fly in a gig bag has me positively giddy. As this little red box becomes more widely available, I suspect that there's going to be quite a bit of (well-deserved) buzz.
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