Sound on Sound's executive editor, Paul White, has been a user and admirer of AmpliTube since it was launched way back in 2002. As soon as he heard that AmpliTube 5 had been released he was very keen to check it out.  Here are some of the top comments from his extensive review:

"All the legacy gear benefits not only from refreshed graphics but also a newly optimised gain structure and, very importantly, a more sophisticated approach to power amp/speaker interaction - so even 'old friends' should sound better."

"The new looper is designed to be intuitive in operation - and lK have succeeded in that."

"I also applaud the wide range of amplifiers covering not only all the obvious suspects but also some lesser-known and boutique offerings, plus' lunchbox' models such as the Orange Tiny Terror."

"The range of presets, which are arranged by genre, is huge and varied, and there are plenty of tools there to roll your own."

"Overall operation is very intuitive,there's definitely a sonic improvement relative to previous versions, and that must surely be down to the new multi-lR VIR speaker miking system, which both sounds better and offers more flexibility than in previous versions."

"The way the amps interact with the speakers is also much improved, with the whole experience feeling more natural."

"The rotary speaker emulation is extremely good and also worthy of note are the stepped filters and formant filters - they should appeal to those who want to move beyond the traditional rock sounds."

Paul's final verdict is:

"It does represent good value for money - not only does it enable you to recreate a wide repertoire of guitar and bass sounds, but if you bypass the amp and speaker elements of the chain, you can use its vast suite of effects and processors in other mixing roles too. The improvements over the previous version are genuinely worthwhile; the overall look and feel is significantly better than before, the VIR technology is a real step up and the whole workflow is more intuitive."

Key Pros

+ Highly realistic amp and FX modelling
+ Sophisticated approach to microphone positioning
+ Available in four versions to meet any budget

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For the full review, grab the March 2021 issue, available now!