Finding the perfect digital amp to craft a bone-crushing metal tone can be a quest. The market is flooded with options, but a few plugins consistently rise above the rest, delivering the articulation, saturation, and raw power that modern metal demands. Whether you’re a seasoned producer or a guitarist just starting to build your digital rig, these five amp sims are essential downloads.
Here are 5 amp sim plugins every metal guitarist needs to try, from paid industry standards to game-changing free options.
1. Neural DSP: Archetype Gojira
This plugin, built with metal titans Gojira, is the undisputed king of versatility. It’s not just a one-trick-pony for high gain; it’s a complete, modern metal production suite. It features three distinct amps: a pristine “Clean” amp, a gnarly “Rust” amp for crunch, and the legendary “Hot” amp for the searing, articulate high-gain tones Gojira is famous for.
Beyond the amps, its built-in polyphonic “Wow” pitch-shifter (for whammy effects) and Octaver pedal make it a creative powerhouse for writing complex, heavy-in-the-studio riffs without needing extra plugins.
How to Make It Sound Good:
- Tame the Input: This plugin is sensitive to your guitar’s signal. If it sounds too fuzzy or harsh, back off the input gain on the plugin or your audio interface. A clean, strong DI signal is key.
- Use the Graphic EQ: Don’t ignore the 9-band graphic EQ. The “Hot” amp has a lot of low-mid information. Use the EQ to sculpt your tone to fit a mix, often by pulling out some frequencies between 200-400Hz to make room for the bass.
- Blend Cabs: The cab section is powerful. Don’t just stick with one mic. Try blending a classic SM57 (for midrange bite) with a Royer 121 (for warmth and body) to get a full, mix-ready sound.
2. STL Tones: Tonality Will Putney
Want the “in-the-box” sound of a world-class metal producer? This is it. The Will Putney (Fit For An Autopsy, Thy Art Is Murder) suite gives you his entire signal chain. This plugin is revered for its ability to create mix-ready tones instantly.
It features several amps, but its true power lies in the perfectly matched cabs and the “Pedal” section. The built-in overdrive is one of the best for tightening up low-tuned guitars, and the ability to mix and match dual amps and cabs gives you limitless tonal possibilities.
How to Make It Sound Good:
- The Overdrive is Key: Put the built-in Overdrive pedal in front of your amp. A classic metal trick is to set the Drive to 0, the Level to 10, and adjust the Tone knob to add bite. This tightens the low-end and makes palm mutes incredibly percussive.
- Explore the “Low Boost”: The Overdrive pedal has a “Low Boost” switch. While you might think you want less low-end, this switch is perfect for adding girth to 7- or 8-string guitars, or even for processing bass.
- Use the Dual Amp/Cab Mixer: Don’t settle for one sound. Create a stereo guitar tone by running two different amp and cab combinations simultaneously and panning them left and right.
3. Ignite Amps: Emissary
The Emissary is legendary in the world of freeware plugins. It’s a completely free plugin that rivals, and often beats, expensive paid amp sims. It’s a dedicated two-channel high-gain amp head modeled after a custom hardware amp. It delivers a raw, aggressive, and incredibly tight tone that is perfect for death metal, thrash, and metalcore.
Important: The Emissary is only the amp head. It has no built-in cabinet simulator, which is its greatest strength. It forces you to pair it with a separate Impulse Response (IR) loader, giving you total control.
How to Make It Sound Good:
- You MUST Use an IR Loader: This is not optional. Download a free IR loader like NadIR (also by Ignite Amps) or the STL Tones Libra loader.
- Get Good IRs: The Emissary’s sound is 90% dependent on the Impulse Response you use. Search for free IRs or invest in a pack from producers like Ownhammer, ML Sound Lab, or GGD. A good “V30” or “H75” IR is a classic starting point.
- Boost It: Just like a real amp, the Emissary loves a boost pedal. Place a free Tube Screamer plugin (like the TSE 808) in your signal chain before the Emissary to tighten the low end.
4. Neural Amp Modeler (NAM)
This is the new frontier. Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) is a free, open-source plugin that “profiles” or “captures” the sound of real-world hardware. Think of it as an empty shell that you can load with thousands of different amp sounds.
Want a Peavey 5150? A Diezel VH4? A rare boutique amp? There’s a free NAM “capture” for it. The community of users uploading models is massive, making this the single most versatile and cost-effective amp sim ever created. You get access to a limitless library of amps for free.
How to Make It Sound Good:
- It’s a System, Not One Amp: Like the Emissary, NAM often requires a separate IR loader. Many captures are “DI” captures (just the amp), so you need to provide your own cab sim.
- Find Quality Captures: The quality of the final tone depends entirely on the quality of the capture. Search for models from well-regarded creators on sites like ToneHunt.
- EQ Your DI: A pro-tip for NAM is to EQ your clean DI signal before it hits the plugin. If a capture sounds a bit muddy, use an EQ plugin to roll off some low-end (around 80-100Hz) from your DI, which will make the “amp” distort in a tighter, more pleasing way.
5. Buster Odeholm: Thall Amp
If you play low-tuned, “thall,” or djent-style metal (think Humanity’s Last Breath or Vildhjarta), this plugin was made for you- literally. Designed by producer Buster Odeholm, this amp is purpose-built for extreme low tunings and percussive, articulate rhythm playing.
It’s a one-stop-shop for a very specific, and very modern, sound. Its unique features, like the “Chug” knob for enhancing pick attack and the “Low Dirt” dial for parallel fuzz, are not found anywhere else.
How to Make It Sound Good:
- Trust the “Chug” Knob: This is the magic. Instead of a traditional boost pedal, use the “Chug” knob. It intelligently tightens your palm mutes and adds clarity to your pick attack without thinning out your tone.
- Use “Low Dirt” for Weight: The “Low Dirt” feature blends in a special fuzz-like distortion focused only on the low-end. This adds massive, guttural weight and growl to your riffs without turning the main tone into mud.
It’s Designed to Be “Finished”: This plugin comes with a single, perfectly matched IR that Buster Odeholm created. While you can load your own, try trusting the default sound first. It’s designed to be 100% “mix-ready” right out of the box.
