So what do you think of the plugin ? I loved the tones, but the pricing was a tough one for me I'll add I've seen they do crazy bundles/sales from time to time, might be worth picking it up when they do 🙌 **apologies otherwise for my facecam, I only realised after filming that my face wasn't quite in the right spot 🤦♂
@@abzee733 that's really good to know, thanks, that's definitely a much better price , i imagine they'll do sales at some point too, it just makes you wonder what the real price/value of the plugin actually is? is this like waves/perma sale, or plugin alliance style stuff, the tones are stellar in any case
ah nice =) sure thing, it's nothing special, but those are external plugins: the Replika XT plugin is in it's initial default loading preset, dotted eigth delay, and i think i increased the feedback slightly reverb is Seventh heaven professional , essentially a hall preset, with low cut (600) both of these are running in parallel /bus tracks for maximum clarity and width
I tried the Dream 65. It sounds great, but, like you say, very limited and pricey. I see these plugins as something for people who want a quality, nicely dialed in -ish amp without any risk of option paralysis.
@@jeremyroberthickey yeah, that's sort of been my takeaway as well, sort of like a quick studio tool, with not much tweaking to do, load a preset and you're good to go
Does anyone spend full price for a plug-in? I see others have mentioned the various bundles currently offered by UA which include the Ruby. Those prices seem very reasonable. A comparison to other AC30 modelers could be more interesting as there are so many options available now.
that's a good point, i'll keep that in mind for a future video the bundles/reductions from UA are indeed very reasonable, it just looks like it's going the Plugin Alliance or even Waves route, where either constant sales or you should wait for sales and not buy outside of that, (ie. you'd be silly to spend full money on this plugin) which makes you question what the real value of the plugin actually is if that makes sense
@ yes, that type of advertised pricing feels so misleading. It does make you wonder if you’re getting the best price and if the value is there. To me, the $49 bundle was a reasonable price and felt the value was there. It’s just marketing…
i've only owned an AC15hw with Greenbacks and I really like an AC10 that i use, so i can't really make that comparison but it does sound and feel fantastic
@@pangloss9 it looks that way , i spoke about this with a friend of mine, kinda like a plugin alliance or even waves sort of pricing in terms of marketing, which however makes you question what is the actual value of the plugin, when you have revolving sales that come around a few times a year putting that plugin consistently at -40 to - 85% off depending on the time of year, ie. anyone buying at the 'full price' are making a mistake if that makes sense
@@brooklynboy1000 thanks for the feedback, I'll take that on board, i tend to prefer more raw isolated tones in general as there's usually a lot going on in full mix, ie. you can make pretty much anything work in the context of a mix by tweaking, the UAD presets in any case are very good
It is still not there sadly. I have the Ruby on demo now and have been comparing the plugin to ac30 and ac15 and it is not close. Especially the top end falls short, has very artificial buzzing, etc. "iT iS SuPpOsEd tO SiMuLaTe tHe rEcOrDeD SoUnD" does not hold up either, because I've recorded plenty of amps and still do. That being said it is probably the best digital version so far and it at least has SOME dynamics unlike other plugins. Yet it is still just away too expensive capture with couple of baked in IR's and very limited controls (again, because it is not an actual amp sim, it is a capture that you can somewhat customize, but not really).
@@silvestrslusis i know what you mean, there's always going to be compromise for ease of use and flexibility, which one is more important to you will depend on the person, things are certainly a lot better in the digital domain than 10 years ago fortunately
@@paulbradshawguitar Yes, no question about that, this is leaps forward from something I was using couple of years ago that was supposed to be the best out there at the time. Thanks for the video!
@@hamrecordings Have you played them? They sound just like captures albeit with good visuals. Which is why in the software you only get two knobs to tweak per setting, apart from the room reverb and so on, because in essence it is a basic capture. Even when scrolling the different sound profiles, they have to switch to a different capture (aka different amp as is the case with the Ruby), because you can only do so much with a capture. Once you start to mess with it and go too far from the original, it messes the sound up and sounds very artificial. Can you still make it work? Yes. Can it sound good? Yes. Is it a replacement for a real amp? Not really. But they will market it as such so that you buy it and register in their software so that next time they can market to you directly, force you to buy the upgrade and discontinue the plugin that "you have". Because it is not a stand-alone plugin. You have to be logged in their software to use it.
@ The UA pedals are not a capture. If you read or watch any interviews with designer James Santiago he goes into great detail especially regarding the Lion of how it was coded based on Plexis that he owns. He discusses how they would make component changes digitally while tweaking the circuit. I’m admittedly a curmudgeon when it comes to digital modellers. I have tried many emulators and plugins since the original Line 6 POD and IMPO the Lion (pedal) is the best amp sim I’ve ever used. I assumed I would be returning it but I’ve actually ended up keeping it. It won’t replace my valve amps live (though I know some people who have embraced it that way) but for demos and even tracking I think it’s a game changer. Seeing as how the R&D was already done I’d think the plugin versions would presumably use the same code as the pedals. 🤔 I haven’t tried the DAW versions yet but I do own several other UA plugins and can confirm they can be used offline.
I think people get too spoiled with “features” that even original amps dont have. The key to creativity is limitations and simple choices. Thats why music today is suffering so bad. Plugins have become cluttered like all UI’s or Clients. I’ll take “limited” options anyday as long as it sounds good and does a thing. If you need other “features” theres literally dedicated plugins for everything 😂
totally with you on the fact that limitations can be really good for creativity, easier than option paralysis for sure =) there's lots of great music being released today, you just have to dig a little deeper as it were to find it, and yeah especially within a DAW environment, you can get a plugin to do everything you want, there is however a certain quality of life aspect if you don't have to load a tuner plugin on top for example it's mainly the pricing here that's a bit tough, although it's still on 50% off and within some incredible bundles, if it falls into this perma sale category so be it, but we'll see if that changes
Sounds much too synthetic, tubeless and digital for my taste. No channel linking option? Disappointing too! I think, I prefer my dual tube AC-30 pedal preamp, which allows channel mixing plus offers an additional gain boost, which makes a Rangemaster obsolete, much more. Also the speaker collection does not convince me much. Silver is ok, Gold is a fail for me and I never have been such a big Blue fan, even if they may be authentic. Especially not, if I cannot link the channels, to be able to balance out the Blue-typical no bass, no mids, too thin treble sound with some Normal - Top Boost channel blending. But the - in my opinion - by far best matching speaker for an AC30 is missing, the Celestion 100, such as 212 closed back options. (Or a pair of 1960's 10" Elac Alnicos or 12" Goodmans.) Alone because of the price I never bought this plugin, even if it sounded much better. Much less, as the self-captured Tonex models of my AC-30 pedal even standalone convince me more, sound more nauturally, with an EL84 power amp behind anyway, but even these ones I hardly use, as long as I have access to the real gear instead.
good points concerning the amp/channel linking etc.. the plugin is very limited in what it offers and for most the selection of presets (which i think UAD do a good job on) is enough it looks like the plugin will quite often be on sale by the looks of things, it's already possible to get it within a UAD select bundle, and there's Black Friday/November deals around the corner, so inevitably at some points during the year it'll be a 30-40 USD plugin the Vox thing because of it's snarly edge of breakup thing, is a great test ultimately, i've unfortunately never owned a fully fledged ac30 (only a ac15HW with greenbacks) but i've been able to play through some of the AC30sHW with alnicos, glorious maybe i should try some other Vox plugins as well to see, I've just got Kuassa Lankaster which is decent, apparantely the Nembrini one (currently at 30 odd USD on sale) is meant to be great
@@paulbradshawguitar The Kuassa does not please my ears at all, opposite to the Nembrini, which really sounds good, at least for a plugin. My first tube amp was a Vox decades ago and the Nembrini remembered me a while ago, how good these amps had sounded. (My main amps usually are Marshall and Orange (voiced) amps). As it also offers channel linking, this has become my favorite AC-30 plugin and in comparison pleases my ears more than this UA version, although it also is not perfect in comparison with the real amps, but for my taste a little more flexible. I usually rather am looking for hotter Rory Gallager, Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple MK I sounds), Brian May sounds than for Hank Marvin, Beatles sounds, although especially the Vox clean to semi-clean sounds are excellent, so mostly the Normal channel becomes my main channel, combined with some additional Top Boost treble bite, if necessary, but rather decent Cut settings, while the Top Boost channel alone never has been my favorite. (As little as the Bright channels of Tweed amps or Plexis alone.)
@@HEZ63 sounds like I should check out the Nembrini at some point, thanks for the feedback, i'm also more into the gainier side of Vox tones, that clear up with dynamics
So what do you think of the plugin ? I loved the tones, but the pricing was a tough one for me
I'll add I've seen they do crazy bundles/sales from time to time, might be worth picking it up when they do 🙌
**apologies otherwise for my facecam, I only realised after filming that my face wasn't quite in the right spot 🤦♂
If you take it as a bundle with UAD select you can get it for around 40$ at the moment, so pretty much a no brainer! I just got all three for 120$.
@@abzee733 that's really good to know, thanks, that's definitely a much better price , i imagine they'll do sales at some point too, it just makes you wonder what the real price/value of the plugin actually is? is this like waves/perma sale, or plugin alliance style stuff, the tones are stellar in any case
My amigos,right now bought the select 3 bundle of UA with a COUPON and just went for the Ruby, Dream and LION for 84 BUCKSSSSS! Insane!!!
yes! that UAD select bundle is insane value, hopefully it stays up for a while
What was the coupon?
@@anemoia980 hey man, I don't know if it's still available, but was a $25 coupon if you select the THREE BUNDLE of UA
@@anemoia980 SELECT3SAVE But if it is not in your shopping cart, not everyone got it I guess
You can currently get two of the amps for $79 all up. As with all plugin companies just wait for a sale.
@@music-not-war saw that as well afterwards, definitely a crazy good deal using the UAD select bundles
Just pulled the trigger! Can you share your delay and reverb settings around 7:45?
ah nice =) sure thing, it's nothing special, but those are external plugins:
the Replika XT plugin is in it's initial default loading preset, dotted eigth delay, and i think i increased the feedback slightly
reverb is Seventh heaven professional , essentially a hall preset, with low cut (600)
both of these are running in parallel /bus tracks for maximum clarity and width
@@paulbradshawguitar thank you so much!!
I tried the Dream 65. It sounds great, but, like you say, very limited and pricey. I see these plugins as something for people who want a quality, nicely dialed in -ish amp without any risk of option paralysis.
@@jeremyroberthickey yeah, that's sort of been my takeaway as well, sort of like a quick studio tool, with not much tweaking to do, load a preset and you're good to go
hey ! what cab do you use in tonocracy demo ?
@@nicodovan pretty sure it's the green90 reflex IRs, classic mix IR from ML Sound Lab, but I'll check again later
@@paulbradshawguitar thanks for the answer. Also you made a good job !
@@nicodovan thanks 🙏 , i just checked, it is indeed the Classic mix IR from the ML Sound Lab Green90 reflex IR pack , it's been my go to for a while
Does anyone spend full price for a plug-in? I see others have mentioned the various bundles currently offered by UA which include the Ruby. Those prices seem very reasonable. A comparison to other AC30 modelers could be more interesting as there are so many options available now.
that's a good point, i'll keep that in mind for a future video
the bundles/reductions from UA are indeed very reasonable, it just looks like it's going the Plugin Alliance or even Waves route, where either constant sales or you should wait for sales and not buy outside of that, (ie. you'd be silly to spend full money on this plugin) which makes you question what the real value of the plugin actually is if that makes sense
@ yes, that type of advertised pricing feels so misleading. It does make you wonder if you’re getting the best price and if the value is there. To me, the $49 bundle was a reasonable price and felt the value was there. It’s just marketing…
I mean, the Ruby sounds like the amp, maybe 45%, speaking as an AC30 owner.
i've only owned an AC15hw with Greenbacks and I really like an AC10 that i use, so i can't really make that comparison
but it does sound and feel fantastic
Prediction: The price is NEVER going up to the listed, non-sale cost.
@@pangloss9 it looks that way , i spoke about this with a friend of mine, kinda like a plugin alliance or even waves sort of pricing in terms of marketing, which however makes you question what is the actual value of the plugin, when you have revolving sales that come around a few times a year putting that plugin consistently at -40 to - 85% off depending on the time of year, ie. anyone buying at the 'full price' are making a mistake if that makes sense
You cannot judge the sound on its own it has to be in a mix with bass and drums especially with a spikey telecaster.
@@brooklynboy1000 thanks for the feedback, I'll take that on board, i tend to prefer more raw isolated tones in general as there's usually a lot going on in full mix, ie. you can make pretty much anything work in the context of a mix by tweaking, the UAD presets in any case are very good
It is still not there sadly.
I have the Ruby on demo now and have been comparing the plugin to ac30 and ac15 and it is not close. Especially the top end falls short, has very artificial buzzing, etc.
"iT iS SuPpOsEd tO SiMuLaTe tHe rEcOrDeD SoUnD" does not hold up either, because I've recorded plenty of amps and still do. That being said it is probably the best digital version so far and it at least has SOME dynamics unlike other plugins. Yet it is still just away too expensive capture with couple of baked in IR's and very limited controls (again, because it is not an actual amp sim, it is a capture that you can somewhat customize, but not really).
@@silvestrslusis i know what you mean, there's always going to be compromise for ease of use and flexibility, which one is more important to you will depend on the person, things are certainly a lot better in the digital domain than 10 years ago fortunately
@@paulbradshawguitar Yes, no question about that, this is leaps forward from something I was using couple of years ago that was supposed to be the best out there at the time. Thanks for the video!
Apparently the UA pedals / plugins aren’t captures and are digital emulations of the circuits.
@@hamrecordings Have you played them? They sound just like captures albeit with good visuals. Which is why in the software you only get two knobs to tweak per setting, apart from the room reverb and so on, because in essence it is a basic capture. Even when scrolling the different sound profiles, they have to switch to a different capture (aka different amp as is the case with the Ruby), because you can only do so much with a capture. Once you start to mess with it and go too far from the original, it messes the sound up and sounds very artificial.
Can you still make it work? Yes. Can it sound good? Yes. Is it a replacement for a real amp? Not really. But they will market it as such so that you buy it and register in their software so that next time they can market to you directly, force you to buy the upgrade and discontinue the plugin that "you have". Because it is not a stand-alone plugin. You have to be logged in their software to use it.
@ The UA pedals are not a capture. If you read or watch any interviews with designer James Santiago he goes into great detail especially regarding the Lion of how it was coded based on Plexis that he owns. He discusses how they would make component changes digitally while tweaking the circuit.
I’m admittedly a curmudgeon when it comes to digital modellers. I have tried many emulators and plugins since the original Line 6 POD and IMPO the Lion (pedal) is the best amp sim I’ve ever used. I assumed I would be returning it but I’ve actually ended up keeping it. It won’t replace my valve amps live (though I know some people who have embraced it that way) but for demos and even tracking I think it’s a game changer.
Seeing as how the R&D was already done I’d think the plugin versions would presumably use the same code as the pedals. 🤔
I haven’t tried the DAW versions yet but I do own several other UA plugins and can confirm they can be used offline.
Right now you can get Ruby along with a bunch of other plugins in the “Save the music”-bundle for $49
@@henrikpetersson3463 crazy, the deals are really nuts, thanks for posting
I think people get too spoiled with “features” that even original amps dont have. The key to creativity is limitations and simple choices. Thats why music today is suffering so bad. Plugins have become cluttered like all UI’s or Clients. I’ll take “limited” options anyday as long as it sounds good and does a thing. If you need other “features” theres literally dedicated plugins for everything 😂
totally with you on the fact that limitations can be really good for creativity, easier than option paralysis for sure =) there's lots of great music being released today, you just have to dig a little deeper as it were to find it,
and yeah especially within a DAW environment, you can get a plugin to do everything you want, there is however a certain quality of life aspect if you don't have to load a tuner plugin on top for example
it's mainly the pricing here that's a bit tough, although it's still on 50% off and within some incredible bundles, if it falls into this perma sale category so be it, but we'll see if that changes
Sounds much too synthetic, tubeless and digital for my taste. No channel linking option? Disappointing too! I think, I prefer my dual tube AC-30 pedal preamp, which allows channel mixing plus offers an additional gain boost, which makes a Rangemaster obsolete, much more.
Also the speaker collection does not convince me much. Silver is ok, Gold is a fail for me and I never have been such a big Blue fan, even if they may be authentic. Especially not, if I cannot link the channels, to be able to balance out the Blue-typical no bass, no mids, too thin treble sound with some Normal - Top Boost channel blending.
But the - in my opinion - by far best matching speaker for an AC30 is missing, the Celestion 100, such as 212 closed back options. (Or a pair of 1960's 10" Elac Alnicos or 12" Goodmans.)
Alone because of the price I never bought this plugin, even if it sounded much better. Much less, as the self-captured Tonex models of my AC-30 pedal even standalone convince me more, sound more nauturally, with an EL84 power amp behind anyway, but even these ones I hardly use, as long as I have access to the real gear instead.
good points concerning the amp/channel linking etc.. the plugin is very limited in what it offers and for most the selection of presets (which i think UAD do a good job on) is enough
it looks like the plugin will quite often be on sale by the looks of things, it's already possible to get it within a UAD select bundle, and there's Black Friday/November deals around the corner, so inevitably at some points during the year it'll be a 30-40 USD plugin
the Vox thing because of it's snarly edge of breakup thing, is a great test ultimately, i've unfortunately never owned a fully fledged ac30 (only a ac15HW with greenbacks) but i've been able to play through some of the AC30sHW with alnicos, glorious
maybe i should try some other Vox plugins as well to see, I've just got Kuassa Lankaster which is decent, apparantely the Nembrini one (currently at 30 odd USD on sale) is meant to be great
@@paulbradshawguitar The Kuassa does not please my ears at all, opposite to the Nembrini, which really sounds good, at least for a plugin. My first tube amp was a Vox decades ago and the Nembrini remembered me a while ago, how good these amps had sounded. (My main amps usually are Marshall and Orange (voiced) amps). As it also offers channel linking, this has become my favorite AC-30 plugin and in comparison pleases my ears more than this UA version, although it also is not perfect in comparison with the real amps, but for my taste a little more flexible.
I usually rather am looking for hotter Rory Gallager, Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple MK I sounds), Brian May sounds than for Hank Marvin, Beatles sounds, although especially the Vox clean to semi-clean sounds are excellent, so mostly the Normal channel becomes my main channel, combined with some additional Top Boost treble bite, if necessary, but rather decent Cut settings, while the Top Boost channel alone never has been my favorite. (As little as the Bright channels of Tweed amps or Plexis alone.)
@@HEZ63 sounds like I should check out the Nembrini at some point, thanks for the feedback, i'm also more into the gainier side of Vox tones, that clear up with dynamics