Strobe
Well-Known Member
I'm 40 and I dig Rabea. Some of the neural stuff is great, some of it is not - but I do not fault them for releasing something for a popular guy who I also happen to think has a great (and recognizable) sound.
It was only a matter of time....Archetype Rabea. Ok then
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I'm 40 and I dig Rabea. Some of the neural stuff is great, some of it is not - but I do not fault them for releasing something for a popular guy who I also happen to think has a great (and recognizable) sound.
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Flappydoodle
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I think Neural is kinda damned if they do, damned if they don't
They released two Fortin amps, then another (Cali) and people said they were too similar.
Then they released the Archetype suites. Nolly. Gojira. And the Omega amp. Abasi. People bitched that all they do is metal. So now we've had Plini, Tim Henson, Cory Wong, and a model of a Fender amp. That's pretty diverse IMO.
Petrucci looked really good too, with lots of cool features. And this also looks cool. I just don't need any of this synth stuff.
But really - it seems like people are just going to bitch and moan about everything. They're a plugin company, and it's a one-off sale model, not a subscription model. So the way to keep functioning as a business is to have a steady stream of products. They've released sims of "interesting" amps like the Cali, Meshuggah, Omega, Fender, and the Archetype series is becoming much more fully featured.
Are they guilty of some "drip feeding"? Sure. Gojira pitch shift pedal. Then Petrucci with a proper step-wise shifter. Same with harmonisers, doublers etc. But again, that's the only way to do it with this model. If they splurged the "ultimate" plugin with 50 amp models, all the effects in the world etc, they have no more future revenue stream.
Personally, I think any one of these suites is a fantastic product for a guitar player. If you're a basic metal guy, spend $100 on the Nolly and you have all the clean, dirty, riff and lead tones you can feasibly want to have.
They released two Fortin amps, then another (Cali) and people said they were too similar.
Then they released the Archetype suites. Nolly. Gojira. And the Omega amp. Abasi. People bitched that all they do is metal. So now we've had Plini, Tim Henson, Cory Wong, and a model of a Fender amp. That's pretty diverse IMO.
Petrucci looked really good too, with lots of cool features. And this also looks cool. I just don't need any of this synth stuff.
But really - it seems like people are just going to bitch and moan about everything. They're a plugin company, and it's a one-off sale model, not a subscription model. So the way to keep functioning as a business is to have a steady stream of products. They've released sims of "interesting" amps like the Cali, Meshuggah, Omega, Fender, and the Archetype series is becoming much more fully featured.
Are they guilty of some "drip feeding"? Sure. Gojira pitch shift pedal. Then Petrucci with a proper step-wise shifter. Same with harmonisers, doublers etc. But again, that's the only way to do it with this model. If they splurged the "ultimate" plugin with 50 amp models, all the effects in the world etc, they have no more future revenue stream.
Personally, I think any one of these suites is a fantastic product for a guitar player. If you're a basic metal guy, spend $100 on the Nolly and you have all the clean, dirty, riff and lead tones you can feasibly want to have.
Hoss632
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A lot of jealously in this thread. He might not be "big" in america but Rabea is very well known across europe, and gaining popularity hear. He's the former guitarist for Dorje and Toska, and is the guitarist for Frog Leap, as well as his solo stuff. He's one of the few that has a distinct sound, at least to me that I know it's him when he plays. That said, in the grand scheme of things, if folks feel he isn't "big enough" to have his own plug in, then there are A LOT of bands/artists that frankly don't either.
PatientMental76
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I just wish they would do iconic amps instead of "signature" ones
Hoss632
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Agreed, especially given how good the Soldano plug in sounds.
IT'z Roberto
Apparent Neural DSP Advocate
I truly dig Neural DSP stuff.
I've bought both Gojira and Petrucci. I wish that they would make a plugin where you could mix and match effects, heads, and cabs.
I think they would make more profit from micro transactions in the long run.
The Gojira plugin is great for both rhythm and lead but I can't seem to find a good rhythm tone using the Petrucci because the distortion/gain is a bit too sizzly/hissy. However, I think it's great for lead tones when quad tracked.
I've bought both Gojira and Petrucci. I wish that they would make a plugin where you could mix and match effects, heads, and cabs.
I think they would make more profit from micro transactions in the long run.
The Gojira plugin is great for both rhythm and lead but I can't seem to find a good rhythm tone using the Petrucci because the distortion/gain is a bit too sizzly/hissy. However, I think it's great for lead tones when quad tracked.
GunpointMetal
Well-Known Member
Well, they did release hardware that was original advertised to load the plugins for $1800 and they're still putting newer/better special FX into their $100 a pop plugins, so as far as I'm concerned they still have their ass firmly implanted on their face, but I'm not the target market for the plugins. I would already have a Quad Cortex if they implemented all the crap they bragged about before they shipped the first five rounds of Beta devices to the pre-order suckers, and probably would have bought a few of the plugins to load on there.
Kaura
Je suis ketchup
Anyone else find this plugin awfully noisy? I mean, even noisier than the Nameless Suite? I thought it was just because I used a Strat with single-coils but I tried it with my HSS Strat and it was just as noisy. Cranking the noise gate helps but it's still there. And it's not ground noise or whatever because I only hear it when I pluck the strings. Almost like the plugin has a built-in white noise generator. 
ShredmasterD
Calls it like it is.
i found the petrucci does the same thing. without the noise gate squashing everything crunchy its not very good. plus, artifacts galore.Anyone else find this plugin awfully noisy? I mean, even noisier than the Nameless Suite? I thought it was just because I used a Strat with single-coils but I tried it with my HSS Strat and it was just as noisy. Cranking the noise gate helps but it's still there. And it's not ground noise or whatever because I only hear it when I pluck the strings. Almost like the plugin has a built-in white noise generator.
IT'z Roberto
Apparent Neural DSP Advocate
So true, I bought the Petrucci very soon after demoing it.. but then I disliked it aside from leads
Anyone else find this plugin awfully noisy? I mean, even noisier than the Nameless Suite? I thought it was just because I used a Strat with single-coils but I tried it with my HSS Strat and it was just as noisy. Cranking the noise gate helps but it's still there. And it's not ground noise or whatever because I only hear it when I pluck the strings. Almost like the plugin has a built-in white noise generator.
Rabea explained on the livestream that it's basically as noisy as the real amp it models (the Victory Kraken), which isn't the quietest amp by any means. Also, considering he doesn't even use noise gates I suspect he doesn't give a damn
As much as I despise NDSP business strategy, I might actually get this when it gets on sale because the synth is just so damn fun.
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guitaardvark
Well-Known Member
Agreed. I have Plini and Nolly, and while I could realistically get away with even just one of those, both of them cover so much sonic territory that I'm having a hard time imagining why I would need any of the other plugins. Of course, everyone's needs are different, though.
I will say that it's frustrating that they don't add the "quality of life" features as updates to their old plugins. It took Nolly a year to get an update with a tuner, and features like the doubler, transposition, etc., would be great to have on older plugins.
MattThePenguin
Well-Known Member
Between the Soldano and the Omega plugins I can't be bothered anymore those two sound so fucking good haha. The synth is really cool. Maybe one day it'll end up on the QC
profwoot
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I recently did the trial and have some thoughts:
I get where people are coming from regarding the lead amp -- it's not really different enough from other NDSP stuff to distinguish it from those in various other plugins. I definitely didn't find it to be noisy like others have complained about, and it's pretty versatile, but not essential.
If you spend all your time on the high gain amp, that's about all you need to hear.
For me, however, the crunch amp is probably my favorite I've ever played, and I prefer the clean amp over the ones in Wong.
The effects are where the plugin really stands out, imo. The two different fuzzes, ODs, and octavers are all great. The delay is also my favorite I've tried in plugin form. The crossover knob is essential to get complex rhythms in the delay trails, and the icecicles function either adds some fun high-freq interest to the mix, or if you roll off the highs, adds a lovely organ-like drone behind your playing. Combined with the reverb, which uses an airy cathedral/cloud style without the harshness of most spring or plate algorithms, and particularly with the freeze function, I love the ambient pads you can create. Play a sparse progression on the "airy guitar pad" preset and tell me your heart rate doesn't drop by 10 bpm. I love's Bea's ambient stuff and this plugin makes it easy to get that vibe.
The synth is also a lot of fun. Putting it before the effects and then mixing it ~20/80 with a cab-free high gain tone I created a filthy patch that I named "the devil's butthole". Not sure how mixable it would be or how much I'd use the synth in general for recording, but it's fun.
I'm now doing the trial of Petrucci, and my impression is basically the opposite. The crunch and lead amps are a great alternative to the 5150-style amps I usually play, but the effects don't really do anything for me. The crystal function on the delay seems like a less-refined and harsher version of the icecicles on the Bea, and the reverb is bland. I'm not really a fan of chorus, flanger, and phaser effects, so not much to say there.
I mostly play analog gear lately so I'm not in a rush, but I'll snag Bea next time it's half off.
I get where people are coming from regarding the lead amp -- it's not really different enough from other NDSP stuff to distinguish it from those in various other plugins. I definitely didn't find it to be noisy like others have complained about, and it's pretty versatile, but not essential.
If you spend all your time on the high gain amp, that's about all you need to hear.
For me, however, the crunch amp is probably my favorite I've ever played, and I prefer the clean amp over the ones in Wong.
The effects are where the plugin really stands out, imo. The two different fuzzes, ODs, and octavers are all great. The delay is also my favorite I've tried in plugin form. The crossover knob is essential to get complex rhythms in the delay trails, and the icecicles function either adds some fun high-freq interest to the mix, or if you roll off the highs, adds a lovely organ-like drone behind your playing. Combined with the reverb, which uses an airy cathedral/cloud style without the harshness of most spring or plate algorithms, and particularly with the freeze function, I love the ambient pads you can create. Play a sparse progression on the "airy guitar pad" preset and tell me your heart rate doesn't drop by 10 bpm. I love's Bea's ambient stuff and this plugin makes it easy to get that vibe.
The synth is also a lot of fun. Putting it before the effects and then mixing it ~20/80 with a cab-free high gain tone I created a filthy patch that I named "the devil's butthole". Not sure how mixable it would be or how much I'd use the synth in general for recording, but it's fun.
I'm now doing the trial of Petrucci, and my impression is basically the opposite. The crunch and lead amps are a great alternative to the 5150-style amps I usually play, but the effects don't really do anything for me. The crystal function on the delay seems like a less-refined and harsher version of the icecicles on the Bea, and the reverb is bland. I'm not really a fan of chorus, flanger, and phaser effects, so not much to say there.
I mostly play analog gear lately so I'm not in a rush, but I'll snag Bea next time it's half off.
