AMP MODELER- STOMP BOXS ... Is it worth paying more???

 STOMP BOX AMP MODELERS

MY RANT

A modeler to me is like an acoustic guitar you just play it. You do not have to control it with any more effort than a bicycle pedaling it as fast as you can. A real tube amp cranked is like a motorcycle at full speed if you are not controlling it like it is part of your body you will hit the wall. 

One is pedestrian the other is full adrenalin at every moment in comparison.

That said if my sound is just going to lay there like musical wall paper it better sound flawless. 

A RECORDING TOOL

If I record my Marshall using my pedals into a DAW I am likely to spend hours tweaking the sound to make up for my 3 dimensional live sound getting turned into a two dimensional experience. When I am finished it will sound like I played through a great modeler and I could saved myself the hassle as a modeler is already the perfect recorded sound. It will never be the perfect 3 dimensional sound.

COMPARISONS

The thing with digital anything is it is like old movie film which is simply hundreds of still pictures running past you eyes fast enough to seem seamless. It however is not seamless. It is the same with digital chips. The sound is made from a stream of sonic pictures so if you do not take enough of them the seams will all but show.

With budgets of about $400 or more the seams do not show. So anything else must be chosen with caution. I have had several TC Electronic pedals over the years that in the end I found lifeless and thin. They do great things with tuners, loopers and gates etc. where the sound is not an issue of your total focus if at all. Much of their al analog pedals are good too. but...