IK Multimedia 5 STOMP effects User manual

User Manual
Guitar Amp & FX modeling plug-in

4

5
PLEASE NOTE:
AMPLITUBE™ IS A TRADEMARK OF IK MULTIMEDIA. ALL OTHER PRODUCT
NAMES AND TRADEMARKS ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS,
WHICH ARE IN NO WAY ASSOCIATED OR AFFILIATED WITH IK MULTIMEDIA.
PRODUCT NAMES ARE USED SOLEY FOR THE PURPOSE OF IDENTIFYING THE
SPECIFIC PRODUCTS THAT WERE STUDIED DURING IK MULTIMEDIA's SOUND
MODEL DEVELOPMENT AND FOR DESCRIBING CERTAIN TYPES OF TONES PRODU-
CED WITH IK MULTIMEDIA's DIGITAL MODELING TECHNOLOGY. USE OF THESE
NAMES DOES NOT IMPLY ANY CO-OPERATION OR ENDORSEMENT.

Contents pag. 6
Interface pag. 8
License and copyrights pag. 10
What is AmpliTube™? pag. 12
1.1 Description pag. 12
Using AmpliTube™ pag. 14
2.1 Connecting your Guitar to your computer pag. 14
2.2 Input Level – optimal setting pag. 14
2.3 AmpliTube™ signal path and effects chaining pag. 15
2.4 Stomp Module pag. 16
2.5 Amp Module pag. 16
2.6 Post FX Module pag. 17
2.7 Presets pag. 18
Stomp Module pag. 20
3.1 Wah-Wah pag. 20
3.2 Delay pag. 20
3.3 Chorus pag. 21
3.4 Flanger pag. 21
3.5 Overdrive pag. 21
Amp Module pag. 23
4.1 Pre Model pag. 23
4.2 EQ Model pag. 25
4.3 Amp Model pag. 25
4.4 Amp Match pag. 26
4.5 Cabinet Model pag. 26
4.6 Cabinet Match pag. 27
4.7 Microphone Modeling pag. 27
4.8 Tremolo pag. 27
4.9 Spring Reverb pag. 27
I
II
III
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
I - Contents
6

I - Contents 7
Post FX Module pag. 28
5.1 Parametric EQ pag. 28
5.2 Stereo Delay pag. 28
5.3 Stereo Reverb pag. 29
General AmpliTube™ controls/display pag. 30
6.1 Input Level pag. 30
6.2 Gate pag. 30
6.3 Output Level pag. 31
6.4 Module Bypass pag. 31
6.5 Presets pag. 31
Support pag. 32
7.1 Support pag. 32
7.2 User Area pag. 32
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

II - Interface
8
5 STOMP effects models:
- Wah-Wah
- Chorus
- Delay
- Flanger
- Overdrive
Stomp Module
3 STEREO POST effects:
- 3 band parametric
stereo EQ
- Stereo Delay
- Stereo Reverb
Post FX module
Guitar Amp and FX modeling Plug-In

II - Interface 9
7 PRE-AMP models:
- solid state clean
- vintage clean
- tube clean
- british crunch
- modern hi-gain
- solid state lead
- fuzz
5 EQ models:
- tube american
- tube american 2
- british class A
- tube british
- tube british 2
4 POWER AMP models:
- solid state 30W
- solid state 100W
- tube 100W
- tube 50W
9 CABINET models:
- small combo
- open back 1x12"
- open back 1x12"II
- vintage open 4x 10"
- modern closed 4x10"
- vintage closed 4x12"
- modern closed 4x12"
- british 2x12"
- no speaker
2 MIC models:
- condenser
- dynamic
2 AMP effects models:
- Tremolo
- Spring Reverb
Amp Module

III License Agreement
10
License Agreement
END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR AmpliTube™ plug-in software
Please read this document carefully before breaking the seal on the media package. This agreement licenses the enclosed software to you and contains
warranty and liability disclaimers.
By breaking the seal on the media envelope, you are confirming to have taken notice of terms and conditions of this agreement and you acknowledge
your acceptance of the software as well as your acceptance of the terms of this agreement. If you do not wish to do so, do not break the seal. Instead,
promptly return the entire package, including the unopened media package, to the dealer from whom you have obtained it, for a full refund.
1) DEFINITIONS
"EULA” means this end user license agreement
"AmpliTube™ plug-in software" means the software program included in the enclosed package, and all related updates supplied by IK Multimedia.
"IK Multimedia Product" means the AmpliTube™ plug-in software and the related documentation and models and multimedia content (such as anima-
tion, sound and graphics) and all related updates supplied by IK Multimedia.
"Not for resale (NFR) Version" means a version of IK Multimedia Product, so identified, is intended for review and evaluation purposes, only.
2) LICENSE
The "IK Multimedia Product" is protected by copyright laws and international copyright treaties, as well as other intellectual property laws and treaties.
The "IK Multimedia Product" is licensed, not sold.
This EULA grants you the rights as specified here below. All other actions and means of usage are reserved to the written permission of the right holder
IK Multimedia Production srl:
Applications Software. The "IK Multimedia Product" may be used only by you. You may install and use the "IK Multimedia Product", or any prior version
thereof for the same operating system, on up to three (3) computers, provided that (a) each computer is owed by (or leased to) and under the exclusive
control of the licensee; (b) the program(s) shall NOT be used simultaneously on more than one machine, and (c) any computer(s) with IK Multimedia
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the licensed software, except as provided in Paragraph 4 (below) pertaining to “Software Transfer”.
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3) AUTHORIZATION CODE
The "IK Multimedia Product" only functions when you are in the possession of an authorization code. You will receive an authorization code upon com-
pleting the authorization code request procedure. Once your authorization code is activated, you may use the product.
You agree to follow the authorization code request procedure and will provide true, accurate and complete information about yourself. If you provide any
information that is untrue, inaccurate, not correct or incomplete, or IK Multimedia has reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue,
inaccurate, not correct or incomplete, IK Multimedia has the right to suspend or to revoke the license.
The termination of the license shall be without prejudice to any rights, whatsoever, of IK Multimedia.
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Limitations on Reverse Engineering, Decompilation, and Disassembly. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the "IK Multimedia
Product", except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation of components. The "IK
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Software Transfer. You may not transfer, license or sublicense your rights as Licensee of the software or any IK Multimedia product, as licensed to you
under this agreement without prior written consent of the rights owner. The carrier on which the IK Multimedia product has been distributed may be
transferred or otherwise made available to any third party only with the prior written consent of the rights owner and provided that (a) the original
media and license(s) accompany the carrier and (b) the party transferring the media does not retain a copy of the media.

III License Agreement 11
5) UPGRADES
If the "IK Multimedia Product" is labeled or otherwise identified by IK Multimedia as an "upgrade", you must be properly licensed to use a product iden-
tified by IK Multimedia as being eligible for the upgrade in order to use the "IK Multimedia Product".
An "IK Multimedia Product" labeled or otherwise identified by IK Multimedia as an upgrade replaces and/or supplements the product that formed the
basis for your eligibility for such upgrade. You may use the resulting upgraded product only in accordance with the terms of this EULA. If the "IK
Multimedia Product" is an upgrade of a component of a package of software programs that you licensed as a single product, the "IK Multimedia Product"
may be used and transferred only as part of that single product package and may not be separated for use on more than one computer.
6) DUAL-MEDIA SOFTWARE
You may receive the "IK Multimedia Product" in more than one medium. You may not loan, rent, lease, or otherwise transfer the other medium to another
user, except as part of the permanent transfer (as provided above) of the "IK Multimedia Product".
7) LIMITED WARRANTY
IK Multimedia warrants to the original purchaser of the computer software product, for a period of ninety (90) days following the date of original pur-
chase, that under normal use, the software program and the user documentation are free from defects that will materially interfere with the operation
of the program as described in the enclosed user documentation.
8) WARRANTY CLAIMS
To make a warranty claim under the above limited warranty, please return the product to the point of purchase, accompanied by proof of purchase, your
name, your return address and a statement of the defect, or send the CD(s) to us at the below address within ninety (90) days of purchase. Include a copy
of the dated purchase receipt, your name, your return address and a statement of the defect. IK Multimedia or its authorized dealer will use reasonable
commercial efforts to repair or replace the product and return it to you (postage prepaid) or issue to you a credit equal to the purchase price, at its option.
9) LIMITATIONS ON WARRANTY
IK Multimedia warrants only that the program will perform as described in the user documentation. No other advertising, description or representation,
whether made by a IK Multimedia dealer, distributor, agent or employee, shall be binding upon IK Multimedia or shall change the terms of this warranty.
EXCEPT AS STATED ABOVE, IK MULTIMEDIA MAKES NO OTHER WARRANTY, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THIS PRODUCT. IK MULTIMEDIA
DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY THAT THE SOFTWARE IS FIT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY SHALL
BE LIMITED TO A NINETY (90) DAY DURATION OF THIS LIMITED EXPRESS WARRANTY AND IS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMED.
IK MULTIMEDIA SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES, EVEN IF IK MULTIMEDIA IS ADVISED OF OR
AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS MEANS THAT IK MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION SRL SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR
THE LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, OR FOR DAMAGES OR COSTS AS A RESULT OF LOSS OF TIME, DATA OR USE OF THE SOFTWARE, OR FROM ANY
OTHER CAUSE EXCEPT THE ACTUAL COST OF THE PRODUCT. IN NO EVENT SHALL IK MULTIMEDIA LIABILITY EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THIS PRO-
DUCT.
10) CHOICE OF LAW
You agree that any and all claims, suits or other disputes arising from your use of the software shall be determined in accordance with the laws of Itay,
in the event IK Multimedia, is made a party thereto. You agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the court in Modena, Italy for all actions, whether in con-
tract or in tort, arising from your use or purchase of the software.
11) GENERAL
This Agreement contains the complete agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior or contempo-
raneous agreements or understandings, whether oral or written. All questions concerning this Agreement shall be directed to:
IK Multimedia Production srl
Via Dell’Industria 46
41100 Modena
Italy
e-mail: [email protected]
© 2003 IK Multimedia. All rights reserved.
AmpliTube™ is a trademark property of IK Multimedia Production.

1 - What is AmpliTube™
12
What is AmpliTube™
Description
AmpliTube™ is an amp modelling and effects plug-in. It gives you the abi-
lity to model the complete guitar chain - including stomp boxes, amp model-
ling, mic modelling and post effects. Thanks to its separate pre, eq, amp and
cabinet models, 1,260 amp combinations can be generated to craft your
favourite guitar sound modelled on top vintage and modern gear.
AmpliTube™ is organized into 3 easy to use interfaces: Amp Module, Stomp
Module and Post FX Module.
The Amp Module (fig1) includes:
7 pre-amps models:
- solid state clean
- vintage clean
- tube clean
- british crunch
- modern hi-gain
- solid state lead
- fuzz
5 eqs models:
- tube american
- tube american 2
- british class A
- tube british
- tube british 2
4 power amps models:
- solid state 30W
- solid state 100W
- tube 100W
- tube 50W
9 cabinets models:
- small combo
- open back 1x12"
- open back 1x12"II
- vintage open 4x10"
- modern closed 4x10"
- vintage closed 4x12"
- modern closed 4x12"
- british 2x12"
- no speaker
2 Mic models:
- condenser
- dynamic
Chapter 1
1.1
fig. 1

1 - What is AmpliTube™ 13
2 Amp effects
- Tremolo
- Spring Reverb
The Stomp Module (fig2) includes:
5 Stomp effects models:
- Wah-Wah
- Chorus
- Delay
- Flanger
- Overdrive
The Post FX Module (fig3) includes:
3 Stereo Post effects:
- 3 band parametric stereo EQ
- Stereo Delay
- Stereo Reverb
It's the complete solution for your guitar-powered-studio!
fig. 2
fig. 3

2 - Using AmpliTube™
14
Using AmpliTube™
Connect your guitar to your computer
To achieve the best input signal when using AmpliTube™ be sure you have
an "instruments input" on your audio card (or a guitar dedicated input - fig.
6). The “instrument input” needs a gain control and commonly is an high
impedance input, this means that the pickups of your guitar will find an
input that matches that found in guitar amplifiers.
NOTE: Normal +4 dB low impedance line input (i.e. the ones you would
normally use for a synth or a keyboard) are not ideal for directly connec-
ting the guitar because guitar pickups are not designed to deliver such an
high level and on a low impedance load, in these conditions the guitar
sound will be poor.
If your card does not have a high impedance input you will need to use a
small mixer with a good high-Z line input to which the guitar can be con-
nected. The best quality connection is obtained using a very good micropho-
ne preamplifier with the addition of a quality D.I. box to which the guitar
will be connected. This setup will deliver the best possible sound because
the signal from the pickups will be treated with extreme care by the D.I. box,
as it is designed expressly for these needs.
Input Level optimal setting
For an optimal sound quality the signal that’s fed into AmpliTube™ from
your audio system should be within a certain level range. AmpliTube™
shows the input signal level with a very simple three LED meter (fig. 7):
- the yellow one shows that a too little signal is present
- the green one tells that the signal is OK
- the red one which should light only occasionally, shows that
the input is close to overload.
Chapter 2
2.1
2.2
fig. 7
fig. 6

2 - Using AmpliTube™ 15
AmpliTube™ does not have an “input level” control, because it’s very impor-
tant that the level is actually correct at the analog to digital converters of
the audio system.
During normal playing the green LED should be the one that lights more
often. If the yellow one is the one that’s more often lit then increase the gain
of your preamplifier or audiocard break box; if the red one is blinking then
reduce it slightly.
AmpliTube™ signal path and effect chaining
The signal path within AmpliTube™ is the same as displayed on the interfa-
ce, from left to right.
The input signal is fed to the stomp boxes section first, then to the Amplifier
and then to the mono to stereo post FX section. The input signal is mono -
in the situation where AmpliTube™ is inserted on stereo channels or busses
it will sum the left and right input to get the mono input. The output signal
is always stereo, so it is not possible to open AmpliTube™ as a ‘mono to
mono’ plug-in, while it can be opened as a ‘mono to stereo’ or ‘stereo to ste-
reo’.
The very first module that the input signal hits is the Gate, then in order:
Wah > Delay > Chorus > Flanger > Overdrive
for the stomp boxes.
The Gate is the first so that all the Amp and effects tweaks won’t affect the
Gate response, which is very sensitive and fast.
Then there is the entire Amplifier model, from the Tremolo (at the very first
stage) from the output of the microphone model, passing by the Preamp, Eq,
Spring Reverb, Power Amp and Cabinet.
Mic Model > Tremolo > Preamp > Eq > Spring Reverb > Power Amp > Cabinet
After the Amplifier the signal (still in mono) will reach the post stereo FX
section in this order:
Equalizer > Delay > Reverb
After this last stage the signal becomes stereo because of the Reverb and
Delay processing. At the end, after all the processes, there is the Output
Level knob which determines the amount of signal that AmpliTube™ will
output, this is very useful to balance the level of different kind of sounds
and presets.
2.3

2 - Using AmpliTube™
16
Stomp Module
The first module that the signal goes into is the Stomp effects (fig. 8).
The sound of the effects is very different if they are applied before or after
the Amplifier.
In AmpliTube™ you have choice of both the options and the units are spe-
cially designed for the “pre” or “post” operation. This “pre” section recrea-
tes the sound of some of the classic pedal stomp boxes and it is patched, as
for a real guitar setup, before the amplifier.
It is equipped with 5 pedal processors:
1) Vintage wah pedal, with manual or auto wah options and, thanks to the
modeling technology, a real-wah sound!
2) Analog delay, delivers that typical warm tone of the early stomp delay
units, without the hiss!
3) Analog chorus, modeled after one of the most loved 80’s chorus stomp
boxes.
4) Analog flanger, capable of a wide range of flanging effects - from sub
tle choruses to jet-plane like extreme effects.
5) Analog solid-state overdrive stomp box, this is the perfect unit for “dri
ving” the first stage of all the AmpliTube™ preamps. A warm, rich and
ver satile overdrive pedal, that can saturate itself and overdrive the
amp as well.
All the connections between the internal stages of AmpliTube™ (and also of
course between these “pedals”) are 32 bit floating point for an unmatched
audio resolution that’s essential for a realistic emulation of what happens
in the analog domain.
Amp Module
After passing through the stomp boxes section the signal goes into the
heart of AmpliTube™: the amplifier emulation (fig. 9).
Here everything is physically modeled and the signal first hits the opto-
Tremolo (fig. 10) unit than feeds into the gain stage, the Preamp (fig. 11)
that can be either Tube or Solid State. The preamp stage is very important
for getting the guitar tone you’re after. The AmpliTube™ preamps are direc-
tly taken from some of the best preamps ever made, and the tonal spectrum
covered by all the AmpliTube™ preamps is exceptionally wide.
2.4
2.5
fig. 8
fig. 9
fig. 11
fig. 10

2.6
2 - Using AmpliTube™ 17
After the preamp the signal feeds into the EQ stage (fig. 12) , a “tone con-
trol” circuit that recreates the authentic response of the tone shaping sec-
tion of the best amplifiers. Actually this is not a conventional digital eq.. it
sound exactly like the typical “low”, “mid” and “treble” knobs you would
expect to find on the amplifier faceplate, and, best of all, its “sound” and
character changes very much depending on the Eq type that’s been selected.
Just after the Eq stage we find the Spring Reverb (fig. 13). This reverb real-
ly sounds very close to a spring unit, with all the warmth they have but with
that typical metallic and resonant vibe. Of course this reverb is mono.
Once the tone is carefully shaped by the Eq and reverberated by the Spring
the signal feeds into the Power Amplifier stage (fig. 14). Different types of
power amplifiers (both Tube and Solid-State) deliver different sounds. Tube
power amplifier will deliver more compression when driven close to the
maximum, while solid state ones will give a more crunchy sound.
After being amplified, the signal is fed to the Cabinet (fig. 15). Here is where
AmpliTube™ recreates, thanks to meticulous measurements with unprece-
dented precision, the magical tones of some of the best guitar speaker
system ever made. The speaker frequency response is the most important
stage of the guitar system because every subtle nuance of the cabinet fre-
quency response is responsible for a particular tonal character, and the
AmpliTube™ cabinet emulation is very precise.
Speakers cabs need to be miked to capture their magical sound both in the
studio or onstage. Some miking techniques with different microphones deli-
ver various tonal results, that’s why AmpliTube™ has its own internal
microphone type and placement section. Thanks to different Mic types and
positions (fig. 16), whose results on the sound are finely modeled,
AmpliTube™ sports a very high number of possible combinations of the
sound of the cabinet / microphone system.
This number gets huge if you think of all the combinations that are possi-
ble with all the Preamps / EQ / Power amplifiers / Cabs and microphones
positioning (actually up to 1,260 different combinations). And, best of all,
it’s almost impossible to get a bad-sounding combination!
Post FX Module
Now we have the guitar signal coming out from the microphone, placed in
front of the cabinet with stomp effects inserted.
The next, and final, part of this system is a post processing effects stage
(fig. 17) that’s equipped with a digital three band precision parametric
equalizer, a digital stereo delay and an high quality “hall” type digital
reverb.
These processors are based on a different concept from the first two modu-
fig. 12
fig. 14
fig. 15
fig. 16
fig. 13
fig. 17

2 - Using AmpliTube™
18
les of AmpliTube™, as these are high precision digital processors used to
create exactly the sound the user is searching for, and sometimes this goes
beyond the stomps > amp > cabinet system.
While the first two sections are entirely modeled after real gear which
sound is magical and has to be respected, this last section is extremely pre-
cise and you can think of it as a set of studio units, that are usually used on
the sound recorded from the amp, to add a little Eq or a bit of clarity and ste-
reo reverb ‘shine’.
Presets
AmpliTube™ comes with a very large set of factory presets.
These are divided into two main categories: one is dedicated to the sounds
and the presets are named with a “type of sound” scheme, the other is dedi-
cated to famous guitarists and it’s filled with presets that aims to recreate
their typical tones, whenever this is possible, of course!
AmpliTube™ is able to emulate the amplification/recording chain but not
the guitarist! The two sections are named “Amp” and “VIP”. The first one
also contains some bass-oriented presets.
2.7

19

3 - Stomp Module
20
Stomp Module
The Stomp boxes module is accessed by clicking on the “STOMP” button on
the lower right side of the interface (fig. 18). Once the Stomp section is
displayed the “STOMP” buttons turns red and, in this case, the “BYPASS”
button disengages the entire Stomp section. If, for instance, the Delay and
the Chorus are active both of them will be turned off by selecting “BYPASS”.
This is useful for instantaneously check the sound without all the Stomp
boxes in the signal path.
Wah-Wah
The first stomp box in AmpliTube™ is the wah pedal (fig. 19).
It carefully recreates that typical mid-rangey funky sweep of the best vinta-
ge units.
Click on the “Wah-Wah” big button to engage the effect. The red led shows
that the unit is active.
Mode: used to select the wah type.
On: manual wah mode. The Wah knob determines the cutoff fre
quency of the wah.
Auto: envelope follower mode: the cutoff frequency is controlled by
both the Wah knob and the envelope of the input signal.
Wah: sets the cutoff frequency. Then in On mode this is the static cutoff
freq, when in auto mode this is the base frequency, that will be
modulated by the input signal envelope.
Delay
This is a physical model of a high quality analog delay stomp box. Very fine
filters in the delay line and feedback networks provides that warm “full”
sound of old analog delays (fig. 20).
Click on the “Delay” big button to engage the effect. The red led shows that
the unit is active.
Level: determines the amount of the delay. Fully counterclockwise is
dry, no effect, fully clockwise is only delay.
Delay: sets the delay time. From 2 mS to one second.
Feedback: determines the number of repetitions. Being an analog delay the
sound bandwidth will decrease on each repetition.
Full clockwise gives a sustaining effect.
Chapter 3
3.1
3.2
fig. 18
fig. 19
fig. 20