AmpliTube

Since its release in 2002, AmpliTube continues to be one of the most popular guitar amps and effects modeling software.

It boasts of having the largest selection of gear, including branded and artist approved virtual amps and effects.

The free desktop version is called AmpliTube Custom Shop, which gives you 24 pieces of gear to start with. It has 9 effects, 4 amps, 5 cabs, 3 mics, 2 rack effects and a digital chromatic tuner. It works either as a standalone app with a built-in 4 track recorder or you can use it as a plug-in for your favorite DAW. The desktop version works for both Mac and Windows.

Although the gear provided by the free version will cover all the essentials, you can easily expand your gear by purchasing virtual gear within the app. You can also opt for the full version, which has a price tag of $99 and comes with an impressive amount of gear - 160 in all. These allows for a multitude of combination possibilities for creating whatever tone you imagine. The latest version allows for up to 8 double rig configurations with up to 20 chain-able effects and two amps.

As a testament to the app's sonic quality, big-name gear manufacturers have teamed up with IK Multimedia to create accurate digital reproduction of branded amps and effects. Brands like Fender, Orange, Ampeg, Soldano, Seymour Duncan, Jet City, T-Rex and many more have put their stamp of approval on gears available for AmpliTube. Artist branded gear are also available, with Slash and Jimi Hendrix gear ready for the taking. Note that there are even more virtual gear being developed - which means there will be more tones in the future.

Finally, all these gear would be quite useless if chaining and rig building is complicated, thankfully AmpliTube sports a very user friendly interface, one of the reasons why this amp modeling software is still in demand even in the face of growing competition. A free iOS app version is also available, while the full version app is priced at $4.99, it is currently among of the most popular music apps for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

You can get the different versions of AmpliTube here:

• Free Version - Custom Shop for Mac & Windows
• Full Desktop Version for Mac & Windows
• iOS version for iPad and iPhone users