It is a bit of a challenge for any software amplifier that isn't being fed by a known and preferably dedicated hardware interface to precisely replicate the behaviour of a passive guitar plugged directly into a tube amp. That's not altogether surprising as the physics of the two scenarios are quite different. The real amp at this level would still clean up nicely with the guitar volume control backed off, even with humbuckers - a trick that the plug-in doesn't seem to manage to quite the same extent. Just like the real thing, the I channel alone is almost unbearably bright until you get the volume control up above 4, where it begins to mitigate the effect of the 'bright' capacitor strapped across it. The extreme brightness of the I (lead) channel made input jumping a popular option on a Super Lead, allowing you to blend in the deeper tones of the number II channel, and this is faithfully reproduced in the plug-in. Personally, I preferred a subtle contribution from the room, rather than any setting where it became a significant part of the sound, but there is enough variety in the different mic voicings to find a good balance between focus and warmth.Ĭlicking on a jack socket chooses which input you'll be using, and clicking again cycles you through the available input-combining options. There's also an Off setting which actually disables the cabinet as well as the miking, so you could widen your options by using the amp alone, teamed with the speaker impulse response of your choice.Ī simple two-band EQ acts on the combined output of the miking, and each channel has a Pan control, so you can open out the two close mics, or separate the close mics from the room when operating in stereo. There are three mic setups: Dynamic, offering a Shure 57 and a Sennheiser 609 as close mics, with a Neumann U87 for the room 'FET', using a Josephson E22 and U87 combo, with a Coles 4038 ribbon for the room mic and Valve, with a pair of U67s up close and a C12 for the room. More significant adjustments take place in the Channel Strip pop-out window, where you can set the choice and relative volumes of two close mics and a room mic. A real Super Lead's tone controls are not especially nuanced - it was not uncommon for Marshall amps of this era to be used in such a way that only Volume and Presence were anywhere other than 10. The scale-accurate graphic rendering of the amp in the plug-in does mean that the box is rather big and the actual controls rather small, but there is a parameter read-out at the bottom of the window if you feel the need to be precise. The modelled signal chain includes a period-correct Marshall 4x12 and miking courtesy of UK engineer Tony Platt - a man renowned for getting the best out of the Marshalls of, among others, AC/DC and Iron Maiden. Softube's plug-in version, painstakingly modelled using a definitive example from Marshall's own historic collection, was originally developed for the UAD platform but has been made available now in native format, compatible with all major DAW hosts. Marshall's model 1959 Super Lead is one of a select group of iconic guitar amps that, arguably, helped to define the sound of an era.
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