In this article, guitarist Mark M Thompson explores Waves’ new Voltage Amps Guitar and Bass Amp Suite, sharing his thoughts on the included amps and showcasing some of the factory presets.
I must admit, I wasn’t sure quite why Waves were releasing yet another amp sim in an already overcrowded market (that includes their own 15-year-old GTR3 release). I was even more surprised when I got my hands on the plugin for this review and saw how seemingly basic it was in both design and functionality.
After just half an hour of playing with it, its exact purpose was seemingly confirmed: a tool that presents you with bare-bones but suitable sounds, perfect for sketching guitar parts for your arrangement. Its near-zero latency and (very) CPU friendly performance is something other amp apps can lack, and its uniform and simplistic interface across the five models is a welcome break from the (sometimes insanely intricate and over-engineered) plugins that give you micro-control over every aspect of the gear they’re trying to emulate.
Voltage is a great sounding plugin that features very little in the way of bells and whistles, but does what it does very well. The Focus dial is your secret weapon here, as is the Room control in the cabinet section (essentially a short room reverb that gives the amps the air and life needed for realism). The ability to set and lock both your input level and your EQ settings as you scroll through the amps and presets is a great touch, too.
I would assume the bass version, albeit only two amp models within the plugin, is just as impressive especially considering the tiny percentage of system resources required.
I like this a lot, and it could well be something I choose to load up for quick and easy part recording in the near future, and especially once I’ve built a few chains in Waves’ StudioRack.
For the video below, I added just a hint of Waves’ own H-Delay and R-Verb for a more complete studio sound, but other than that you’re hearing just Voltage at work.