Just picked up a Tascam US144mkII and installed Cubase LE4. I’ve been playing around with it all day and I’ve found some of the effects plug-ins to be extremely weak. I own a beautiful strat, but unless I play totally clean - directly through the Tascam (guitar input), it doesn’t sound like a strat. The distortion plug-ins are absolutely dreadful. I downloaded some free GSuite dll’s that featured some Marshall JCM900 VST emulations and a tubescreamer emulation, etc, but they don’t seem to work at all. Any ideas?
I am also own a Mesa rectoverb and am wondering if there is anyway I could do a direct line in through the mesa without having to mic. There is an effects loop and cabinet out. Will this push too much power to the Tascam, essentially blowing it?
Sorry for the noob questions. I’m just a little dissapointed with my recorded tone.
Anything but line out/ headphones from the amp to line in of the Tascam will do damage.
Did you load the amp sims on an Insert? Some of those require you also use the Cab Sims that go with them. There’s a nice freebee called Green Machine. Don’t know what you’re expecting from the single coils of the Strat.
Justin7894: For Recording “I Parked” my guitar amps years ago
in favor of the Direct approach almost entirely, Using Line 6’s family of “PODS”
and now I love Cubase 6’s VST amp rack.
Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJLKCeAQ5l8
Jack
Ps: I do use my amp with a couple of bands
but the direct approach is catching up fast.
I love the ability to change tone’s— amp’s – Cabinets, effect’s
after I’ve recorded a part with the VST amp rack in Cubase 6.
Can you break this process down a little more for me? I’m a tech guy, but I’m still unsure what you mean about “loading the .dlls in an Insert slot on the audio channel the guitar’s going through” and “Point to the .dll of GM via Plugin Info-VST2.x Paths.”.
I have the .dll. I drop it into one of the VST folders with the other .dlls. How do I load it into an insert slot on a particular channel?
Sorry, but I have to at that. Seems every tech guy that posts here doesn’t possess the sight to look up the terms I Capitalize in the index of the manual.
First, in the main Steinberg Program folder, create a new folder called Plugs and put the .dll in it. Second, open Cubase, go Devices-Plugin Info and click the VST2.x Paths button. Hit Add and navigate to the folder you created hitting Save or whatever at the prompt. Now re-start Cubase. Now, go to the Audio track you have set up to monitor your guitar and in the Inspector section, click on the Inserts tab, click in the top slot and select the plug.
I wasn’t aware of VST2.x Paths within the Plug-in Info menu. I’m still a little unfamiliar with the menus. You’re right, I should have looked this up in the manual Index.
at that. 
Seems every tech guy that posts here doesn’t possess the sight to look up the terms I Capitalize in the index of the manual.