You get all of the tweeds amps from the '57 Custom Series including: the '57 Deluxe, '57 Champ, '57 Pro, '57 Twin and the '57 Bandmaster. And just to sweeten the deal, there is a good model of an original 1953 Bassman and a 1965 Blackface Super Reverb amp. All the details of the actual model amps for the Fender Collection 2 are at: www.ikmultimedia.com/products/fender2/.

AmpliTube 4.1 runs standalone and also as a plug-in for Mac/PC. The standalone version has an 8-track recorder, 4-track looper and you can have two fully configurable rigs running with up to 32 simultaneous effects! Both versions have a noise gate for dealing with overdriven, super saturated sounds, a tuner, and a set of controls for any selected stomp pedal you may have in your setup/preset.

The Fender Collection 2 uses Dynamic Interaction Modeling™ technology that models the behavior of every component in the circuit and then models the interactions and non-linear influences plus all of the variables that affect the guitar amp sound and tone.

Let's Go Let's Go!

I launched the AmpliTube 4 plug-in version in my Pro Tools 12HDX rig and started going through these remarkable models of amps and cabinets--sounds I've not heard since my days as a surfer rock drummer dude back in my So Cal high school days.

--AmpliTube 4 Fender Colection 2 Screens--  Mouse Over To Pause--iPad and Smart Phone Users Refresh--

I went straight to Collections/Fender 2 and selected the '65 Super Reverb. Each of the amp models has anywhere from 15 to 20 presets evocatively named and will serve as starting presets that you can modify to taste and save. Besides the particular knob settings on the amp itself (in the case of the Super Reverb-Amp there are volume, treble, middle, bass, reverb, speed, and intensity), the Cab Room allows for the configuration and choice of a speaker cabinet and the room it is placed in.

All the Fender Collection 2 models each start with their original speaker/cab--the 45-watt Super Reverb is a combo amp with 4 X 10-inch speakers. But you can change to any of a dizzying array of closed and open-back cabinets (96 in my collection) including great sounding Leslie speakers, 4X12 stacks and small studio/club combo amps' speaker cabs.

After setting the amp up and going with a cabinet choice, I liked dialing in the final sound and tone by choosing the type and exact positioning of the two close-in microphones provided. There are ten choices for close Mic 1 and Mic 2. There are both dynamic and condenser mics and different choices of pairs of room mics you can set the stereo width and mix into the final sound.

Microphones are positioned by click/dragging them anywhere from the center of the dust cover towards the outer edge of the cones. The change in sound is exactly the same as what happens in the studio when I move microphones around the front of the amp's speaker. You can back the microphone away from the front of the amp with the expected change in sound.

Once positioned, I used the small onboard mixer to mix the level of the two mics, set their stereo panned position (if you're into stereo guitar sounds), adjust the level of room mics, and then tweak the level and rotate the phase angle of the direct signal coming into AmpliTube. This small mixer's capabilities make it a powerful tone-sculpting tool. For further customization for cab models with 12-inch speakers you may mix and match different speakers within the same cab from a large collection of speakers. Awesome!

In The Studio

I've been using AmpliTube and Fender Collection 2 more and more in my mixes since I got it installed and I am most impressed with it! Without owning all these amps and cabinets, it is fascinating to use and hear (seemingly) impossible amp/cab combinations. This is a whole other layer of flexibility especially useful when searching for unique guitar sounds in a mix.

Not a new idea, but AmpliTube is a very useful plug-in "trick"--it works excellently on keyboards and even vocal parts--especially with the ability to turn mono instruments into realistic stereo presentations. Almost anyway you set it works better than many distortion plug-ins because it uses controls and parameters that musicians are acquainted with and produces the expected and desirable results quickly.

I always record a separate direct track (DI) when recording guitars and bass and it has become a good production tool and, in a way, an "insurance policy." Many times guitar recordings that, at the time, sounded great but don't work out later on within the mix. I find AmpliTube 4, and now with the Fender Collection 2, can come to the rescue using that DI signal to add to, or even replace existing guitar tracks. It is also a way to get an alternate amp sound--way after the musicians have left the building.

So I am happy to recommend the Fender Collection 2 running in the latest version 4.1 of AmpliTube. This system is running solid in a maxed-out CPU/DSP session in Pro Tools 12.7HDX and I love using the standalone version on a laptop!