Amp Simulator Plugins

Guitar/bass amp emulations with cabinet simulation. Recreate the sound of classic amplifiers and speaker cabinets.

Overview

Property	Value
Control Count	6-10
Complexity	Medium to High
Visualizer	Wave Filled, Scope Glow
Layout	Clustered

Typical Controls

Control	Widget	Range	Name
Gain	Knob	0-10	GAIN, DRIVE
Bass	Knob	0-10	BASS, LOW
Mid	Knob	0-10	MID, BODY
Treble	Knob	0-10	TREBLE, HIGH
Presence	Knob	0-10	PRESENCE
Master	Knob	0-10	MASTER, VOLUME
Channel	Toggle	Clean/Crunch/Lead	CHANNEL

Recommended Visualizer

Primary: Wave Filled or Scope Glow

• Shows amp distortion character
• Vintage scope matches amp aesthetic
• Waveform shows clipping/saturation

Layout Pattern

Recommended: Clustered

Traditional amp layout: Gain → EQ → Master

Classic Amp Layout

┌─────────────────────────────┐
│       AMPLIFIER NAME        │
│                             │
│ INPUT        EQ        OUTPUT│
│ [GAIN]   [B][M][T][P]  [MSTR]│
│                             │
│   [channel toggles]         │
│                             │
│   [waveform/scope]          │
└─────────────────────────────┘

Modern Amp Layout

┌─────────────────────────────┐
│          AMP NAME           │
│                             │
│  [scope glow visualizer]    │
│                             │
│  [GAIN]  [BASS] [MID]       │
│                             │
│  [TREB]  [PRES] [MASTER]    │
│                             │
│  [clean] [crunch] [lead]    │
└─────────────────────────────┘

Example Plugins

• Guitar Amp - Full amp head emulation
• Bass Amp - Bass-specific voicing
• Preamp - Preamp stage only
• Amp Head + Cab - Complete signal chain
• Clean Channel - Clean/jazz tones
• High Gain - Metal/modern high gain

Design Tips

Traditional Layout

• Gain on left, master on right
• EQ in the center
• Channel switching prominent
• Follows real amp layouts

EQ Section

• Bass, Mid, Treble minimum
• Presence for high-end detail
• Consider mid frequency control

Channel Switching

• Clean, crunch, lead is common
• Buttons or toggle switches
• Active channel should be clear

Control Names

Amp sims typically use traditional amp names:

Control	Standard Names
Gain	GAIN, DRIVE, INPUT
Bass	BASS, LOW
Mid	MID, MIDDLE, BODY
Treble	TREBLE, HIGH
Presence	PRESENCE, PRES
Master	MASTER, VOLUME, OUTPUT
Channel	CHANNEL, MODE

Color Suggestions

Classic/Vintage Amp

• Accent: Gold, cream, warm brown
• Background: Dark brown, tolex texture
• Vibe: Classic Fender, Marshall, Vox

Modern/High Gain

• Accent: Red, orange
• Background: Black, dark gray
• Vibe: Mesa, modern metal

Boutique

• Accent: Varied, unique
• Background: Custom
• Vibe: Handmade, unique character

Common Mistakes

❌ Wrong control order (should follow signal flow) ❌ No channel switching ❌ Missing presence control ❌ EQ doesn’t interact like real amps

✅ Gain → EQ → Master flow ✅ Channel options ✅ Full tone stack ✅ Interactive EQ behavior

Variations

Simple Preamp

Controls: Gain, tone, output
Visualizer: Small scope
Control count: 3
Size: Small (280×300)

Classic Amp

Controls: Gain, bass, mid, treble, presence, master, channel
Visualizer: Scope Glow
Control count: 7
Size: Medium (400×380)
Aesthetic: Vintage amp

High Gain Amp

Controls: Gain, bass, mid, treble, presence, master, channel (3-way)
Visualizer: Wave Filled
Control count: 7+
Size: Medium-Large (440×400)
Aesthetic: Modern, aggressive

Bass Amp

Controls: Gain, bass, low-mid, high-mid, treble, master, blend
Visualizer: Scope Glow or Meter
Control count: 7
Size: Medium (400×380)
Aesthetic: Bass-specific (Ampeg, etc.)

Full Rig (Amp + Cab)

Controls: Amp controls + cab selection + mic position
Visualizer: Wave Filled
Control count: 10+
Size: Large (480×440)
Consider: Sectioned layout