Originally Posted by: Jahan HonmaThanks for your input. I am using Sonar as my DAW and I can directly record guitar into it with no problem. But I thought that most albums that get released professionally use amps. Do they not?

Most often, I suppose, use amps overall

....but before going the amp sim route, I did a lot of looking around. I mean, I have a fender combo and marshall combo and both have good tone but did not net the sound I liked overall for recording without getting really loud. Even then, capturing that tone in a home recording situation proved not terribly easy and did not have a whole lot of flexibility. I need now to have more options for tone texture. My amps did not have that for me.

Back 'in the day', I had a pretty odd rig that had massive tone. I am a tone monkey. I am picky but I could care less how I got there. It didn't (and it still doesn't) matter how I got there but just that I got the sound I needed.

Here's a couple of sample directly from IK Multmedia and a youtube posted metal song to give you an idea of amp sim stuff.

I think the key is that pros can get great tone with an amp/mike combo with great equipment, in a great room with a great engineer that knows all the tricks. However, I find that in my spare room with a spare bed, extra dresser, a bench I don't know what to do with and the new bathroom vanity I should get around to installing is not the ideal recording situation. At least as it pertains to having a 'good room'.

I think the point is get there however you find is best. I would not put any limitation and how you got there.

I will always love the tone of a tube amp pushing the air through a speaker. I'm old like that. Practicality tells me that to have the depth of options I want, I enjoy amp sims.

Note, I did review the IK stuff here .