NUX Amp Academy Stomp Just Got A LOT Better For Free

Nux Amp Academy Stomp V2.0.5 - NuX listened

The NUX Amp Academy Stomp was already one of my favourite budget amp modelling units, but version 2.0.5 adds a couple of features that users have been asking for pretty much since launch.

And best of all? It’s free.

The thing that most Amp Academy Stomp users will be excited about is a brand-new modulation block, finally giving the the unit access to effects like chorus, phaser, flanger, tremolo, rotary and Uni-Vibe-style sounds.

Now, in the world of modelling units, it isn't exactly revolutionary, however it is something that a big proportion of the community have been asking for since day one. I understand why NuX didn't include it to start with (it is the Amp Academy, not Rig Academy - right?). That being said, you were relying on whatever outboard effects to bolster your setup. Now you can add modulation directly into the Amp Academy, so realistically this has now gone from the brain of your rig to potentially the entire rig itself. It is worth mentioning also, you can move the block around the signal chain too. This is a huge signal that NuX are listening to what people want from their units.

There are some familiar-sounding effects in there too. The phaser does exactly what you’d hope, particularly when paired with a bit of gain, while the rotary is genuinely lovely. The Uni-Vibe is another one where I’d probably crank the effect further than the default setting because, well, subtlety isn't always what we're looking for with a Uni-Vibe.

There's even a mono octave tucked into the effects section, with controls for up and down, which isn't something I heard many asking for, but it is a great addition to have. Although I'm not often an octave user, I found myself losing a good few moments getting lost in those thick octave down tones, adding weight to some simple rock riffs. Absolutely sublime. 

And then there's shimmer reverb.

I'll be honest, I'm not the world's biggest shimmer reverb enthusiast, and the one included here isn't perfect. Your mileage may vary, as they say. But it is another option, and it's hard to complain when all of this has arrived as a free update.

Native NAM A2 Light support.

Let's face it, this is the reason that V2.0.5 has been getting a lot of attention.

Alongside the existing NUX amp models, you can now load native NAM A2 Light profiles, including profiles from Tone3000. I tried a few of them, including a Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Pink Taco and a Tone King Royalist, and the quality was really impressive.

The thing that stands out with these A2 profiles is how responsive they feel. Roll back the guitar volume and the amp reacts in a very convincing way, add to that the fact you can run the A2 profiles but still have access to the dual IR engine as well, we are getting some serious versatility.

And that's really the exciting part of this update.

The Amp Academy Stomp already offered some very good built-in amp models, but adding native NAM A2 Light means you've now got another route to some seriously convincing amp tones without needing extra hardware.

Key Takeaway

Let's be realistic: not every part of the update is perfect, and the shimmer isn't going to blow everyone's mind.

But native NAM A2 Light, a proper modulation block, rotary, Uni-Vibe, octave and more… all in one free update?

Yep. NUX did good.

If you'd like one of your own, consider using my affiliate link below:
Nux Amp Academy Stomp affiliate link https://thmn.to/thoprod/620898?offid=1&affid=2735

I Tried Five AI-Generated Boss DS-1 Settings… So You Don’t Have To

AI is everywhere at the moment, and apparently that now includes telling guitarists where to put the knobs on their Boss DS-1. So, when I was on holiday recently, I came across a a slew of guitar pedal settings shared on Facebook page that I was suggested for me. It had all the hallmarks of just being pumped out by AI with the eerily generic, yet professional look to it. The post that really caught my eye was based around the Boss DS-1. At first glance, some of them looked… questionable. So naturally, I did the only sensible thing: I dialled every single one in to see whether they were actually any good.

The results were a little more surprising than I expected.

The first setting was called “Tight Rock Rhythm”, promising sharp attack and a focused riff tone. The settings were pretty conservative, with everything hovering around noon. And you know what? It wasn't actually bad. It was a perfectly usable DS-1 rhythm tone. Granted, it was essentially setting everything at noon, so it wasn't going to sound terrible, but first impressions are good. So far, AI was winning.

Next up was “Fat Lead”, supposedly designed to give you less bite and more body for smoother solos. Again, the settings were hardly revolutionary, but the resulting tone was actually pretty decent.

Two settings in and I was beginning to wonder whether I'd massively underestimated our robot overlords.

Then came “Bleach Grit”, apparently inspired by Kurt Cobain. The problem was that the settings were almost identical to the first tone. I figured, trying the same setting again isn't going to yield different results, so why not stick it into a driven amp?

It wasn't terrible, but needing to rely on a driven amp to make a supposedly specific DS-1 setting work was… let's say, less than convincing. Especially when I am pretty familiar with the DS-1 and I know you can get Kurt tones out of it when you know how to set it properly...

And then we got to the big one: “Vai Saturated Lead”.

The tone control was pulled all the way back. Anyone who's used a DS-1 knows just how sensitive that control is, so I was expecting an incredibly woolly mess. What I got was… not particularly saturated.

It certainly didn't sound like the high-gain tone the settings claimed to be targeting. In fact, calling it saturated felt rather generous. Finally, we had “Satriani Lead”. The settings looked suspiciously similar to the previous one, apart from the level being absolutely maxed out.

Unsurprisingly, it wasn't exactly a convincing recreation of Joe Satriani's tone.

So, after putting all five through their paces, my verdict was pretty simple: the generic settings weren't necessarily terrible, but the artist-specific ones were definitely not even close. I think this is myth busted: AI creates slop tones.

For now, if you want great pedal settings, I reckon we're better off sticking with the humans.

Guitar News: $15,000 Ibanez, A2 Gets Real and Tone3000 Levels Up

The guitar news is starting to wake up again after the summer, and this week’s episode had a few things that actually caught our attention.

First up, Ibanez has unveiled another ridiculously extravagant Steve Vai PIA — and when we say extravagant, we mean $15,000 extravagant. The new model features an ornate gold-leaf finish, gold hardware and the usual PIA design, with Vai’s signature DiMarzio Utopia pickups and Tree of Life-style inlays (but not the actual tree of life, this one is somehow different?).

It’s certainly not a guitar designed to disappear into the background. Whether it’s worth fifteen grand is another question entirely, but there’s no denying that Ibanez knows how to make a Steve Vai signature guitar look like a Steve Vai signature guitar.

And while we were discussing ludicrously expensive gear, Tone3000 has quietly dropped something considerably more interesting for the average guitarist: a new NAM plugin.

The new plugin takes the old NAM experience and turns it into something much more like a complete virtual rig. Rather than simply loading a capture, you can build a signal chain with multiple NAM profiles, amp and cab captures, pedal profiles, EQ and even convolution reverb.

It also connects directly to the Tone3000 library, meaning you can browse and load profiles without having to constantly jump between the website and your DAW. We were pleasantly surprised by just how much more useful it looks compared with the rather basic NAM loading experience we've had previously.

Then there’s NAM A2, which continues to make its way into affordable hardware.

After getting native A2 running on the Valeton GP180, the big takeaway was just how good it sounds. The profiles have a noticeable sense of clarity and openness, with more of that full-frequency, amp-like feel you get from playing through a proper amplifier.

That’s pretty exciting when you consider how affordable some of this hardware is.

In fact, we’re getting to the point where the budget end of modelling is starting to seriously close the gap with the expensive stuff. And that might be the most interesting bit of guitar news of all.

There’s plenty more A2 testing to come, too — including the possibility of a proper blind test between A1, A2 and a real amplifier. That could be interesting… and potentially rather humbling.