The Friedman BE-100 YouTube demo had me 90% convinced I would end up buying the UAD plug-in bundle from Brainworx / Friedman / UAD but in practice I found it to be nearly useless and excessively noisy. By contrast, the online demos of the ENGL plugin left me 90% convinced they were not for me, however, I was pleasantly surprised by the E765 when I used it in my own setup. While most of the IR recording chains are pretty sketchy, as they are in the Friedman, there are more than a few great tones in the ENGL to make it worth the price and a few that are flat-out amazing.
Again, the biggest drawback is the lame recording 'chains' and the lack of flexibility when it comes to cab selections. It seems a little more work on options in this department would have yielded a more flexible program. However, there are a few that are quite good. So, I'm happy.
Of the current options for Console inserts, the ENGL kills the Friedman, the Chandler (too fizzy), and the horrible Softube amp room stuff. In fact, I'd go so far to say that this ENGL plugin is, for UAD owners, the best sounding guitar amp simulator you can get if you like that elusive blend of modern and vintage tones. The mid can get thick and gooey like a cranked Deluxe, the lower mids and lows have the girth of a Plexi, and the top is smooth yet cuts like a torch like a Soldano cranked sky high.
The E765 comes with low and high pass filters, built in delay, among other goodies and there's more gain on tap that anyone could possibly want but it also has sweet clean and mild crunch sounds.
As of right now, this is my favorite thing to plug my guitar into when I want searing lead lines with no need for an overdrive in front of it.
Moreover, you can defeat either the pre or the power amp section (or both) and run external pres or amps into either the cab or the cab and power amp section of the ENGL.
This might be the best money I ever spent on recording / guitar gear.
It makes a good compliment to the lower gain Marshall UAD/Softube plugin which sounds pretty damn good.
Again, the biggest drawback is the lame recording 'chains' and the lack of flexibility when it comes to cab selections. It seems a little more work on options in this department would have yielded a more flexible program. However, there are a few that are quite good. So, I'm happy.
Of the current options for Console inserts, the ENGL kills the Friedman, the Chandler (too fizzy), and the horrible Softube amp room stuff. In fact, I'd go so far to say that this ENGL plugin is, for UAD owners, the best sounding guitar amp simulator you can get if you like that elusive blend of modern and vintage tones. The mid can get thick and gooey like a cranked Deluxe, the lower mids and lows have the girth of a Plexi, and the top is smooth yet cuts like a torch like a Soldano cranked sky high.
The E765 comes with low and high pass filters, built in delay, among other goodies and there's more gain on tap that anyone could possibly want but it also has sweet clean and mild crunch sounds.
As of right now, this is my favorite thing to plug my guitar into when I want searing lead lines with no need for an overdrive in front of it.
Moreover, you can defeat either the pre or the power amp section (or both) and run external pres or amps into either the cab or the cab and power amp section of the ENGL.
This might be the best money I ever spent on recording / guitar gear.
It makes a good compliment to the lower gain Marshall UAD/Softube plugin which sounds pretty damn good.