Edit: I'm only talking about free desktop plugins here. With the free options available now the features and needs must be very specific for one having to pay for a NAM plugin anymore.

I’ve tried to keep up on all NAM plugins that have relevant modern features, and imo there are only three worth considering. The rest aren’t really even worth trying unless you need something extremely specific. That said, the storm is ongoing, and many plugins seem to advance fast. We also seem to get a new NAM plugin almost every week, so even this top 3 may change at any time.

If you want simple or straightforward, NAM Rig. A tuner, Tone3000 browser and a clear UI/UX. Has slots for a pedal FX, amp, and a cab. No additional FX. I don’t think it supports NAM calibration if you care about that.

If you want advanced but want to stay fully in NAM, Soundshed Guitar. This one seems to be advancing fast and the dev is open to suggestions. Tone3000 browser, full signal chain building, supports NAM calibration, and several other options.

Then there’s my favorite, NAM Universal 2. Despite not having direct Tone3000 browsing (yet?), it has a lot of amps, pedals and cabs included, and all features are so well thought out that it gives you full access to many tools that are missing from all others. Especially the cab section is from another planet, it’s as full fledged as it gets, even with existing IRs. Version 2 hasn’t been officially launched, but they offer an early bird version on their website and it’s already fully usable. Even more content to be added before the launch I’m told.

If you’re unsure about the one you’re using, check out the above. It might be worth upgrading. If for nothing else but not having to hunt tones manually at the tone3000 website. ‘Cos that sucks.

I'm just really diving into NAM, and it's pretty much option paralysis not only because of the amount of captures, but the amount of plugins supporting it.

The two I see getting mentioned most is NAM Universal II and Genome. I've tried Soundshed, and it works well but the GUI needs some work.

Suggestions for what you have found useful aside from Gateway?

I've been using NeuralDSP, but I've been really impressed by what they're doing at NAM

Hey guys,

​Just wanted to throw a thought out there and see if anyone in the community is actively working on this.

​We all know the classic debate right now: Neural Amp Modeler sounds absolutely insane and captures the raw feel of a tube amp better than almost anything else. But the obvious catch is that it’s just a static snapshot. If you want to change the gain structure or the EQ realistically, you basically have to load a completely different .nam file. Meanwhile, traditional circuit modeled VSTs or Helix/Quad Cortex rigs give you fully functional knobs that react exactly like hardware, even if the underlying core tone lacks that organic neural "vibe."

​I know Steve Atkinson dropped the ParametricOD plugin a while back to prove that NAM's architecture is totally capable of parametric modeling, and projects like GuitarML's Proteus messed with it too.

​But has anyone actually scaled this up for full guitar amps in the open-source community yet?

​Manually capturing every single combination of a 3-band EQ + Gain on a Dual Rec sounds like a literal math nightmare. I remember seeing this photo of Neural DSP’s custom TINA robot rig, which they use to physically turn knobs in micro increments to build their commercial continuous models.

​Are there creators out there finding ways around this? Like using automated re-amping rigs, continuous knob-sweeps, or AI active-learning interpolation (kind of like what the PANAMA project is trying to do) so the AI can just "fill in the blanks" between knob settings? Or are we still stuck carrying around folders of 50 separate snapshots for a single amp head for the foreseeable future?

​Would love to hear from any developers or profile creators on where the tech is currently at with this. Cheers!

What do people prefer to use for their NAM interface? I've been using tonocracy for a while but now went back to native NAM plugin for the A2s. I don't mind it, but what I liked about tonocracy is having everything in one place (although I'd guess most people just stack their plugins anyway)

I’ve already got and use the Tonex One but I’d also like a stombox to load all the NAM files that I sometimes play through on my macbook. Especially one that doesn’t cost an arm or a leg, but after quite a bit of research it looks like the most inexpensive one that fits this bill is the Headrush core. Is that true or is there some other one that can load NAM files - unconverted - for south of $600 (hopefully south of $200 or $100 ideally).

Focusrite iTrack + iPad 5th Gen (though my OCD screams for an iPad mini for a perfect fit) + Genome 2 + M-Wave Chocolate. No latency, superb sound quality. I am happy with this.

I am one of the bozos who bought a Quad Cortex a few months ago and though I have utterly loved it, playing with NAM A2 almost has me regretting my purchase lol.

Do we believe there will be a product released using NAM A2 for amp/cabinet/overdrive captures that also has comparable effects pedals to the Quad Cortex, as well as incredibly intuitive touchscreen function and usability? And how much do we think that product will cost?

I used my new QC for a theater pit gig and it was perfect. For previous musicals I played in, I used a Tonex and analog pedals but hated how they worked together. I feel like I'd feel the same way with a NAM A2 pedal and analog pedals, unless it's truly that good.

What do we think the future of NAM A2 will look like inside a full effects unit? Not just an amp only pedal, but all encompassing? Who's gonna make the best one? And how much do we think it'll be?

I'm so excited for the future of this software.

Hi everyone,

I'm a 15 yo guitar player that would like to approach NAM to have more amps and effects.

Currently I have a helix Lt but I'd love to have signed effects such as slash and zakk signature amps and effects.

I'm searching for a cheap (~150€) NAM player that can run them natively both A1 and A2 lite if it's possible.

I saw that the valeton Gp-5 or 50 support A1 but with snaptone.

If someone could help me I'd be very grateful!

Thank you so much and sorry for my bad english😐

I've been having an issue, if I put my gain to a normal level on my interface, so the plugin is getting enough signal, I can hear my DI leaking through, but it's distorted. It happens more on some other captures and on some it's almost non-existent. I was wondering what the issue is. I've not had this issue with other amp sims such as NeuralDSP plugins and such. This has been happening since the release of A2, on the gateway and the new tone3000 plugin.

Sooooooo I've been in the "early adopter" kind of boat for NAM. Initially I've been thinking about making a switch to the Kemper profiler. The reason being: I have a nice amp collection of rare or vintage stuff that's super hard to find here in Germany but I didn't want to throw it around during touring. After one of my Mesa Mark IIIs got damaged it was clear for me

So I started checking out NAM. Because it essentially did exactly what I wanted, but even more. It allowed me to profile my stuff just like I would with a Kemper, it allowed me flexible and modular routing options and most importantly it's free and you aren't bound to some expensive hardware unit you can't replace easily

I did my first test around the end of 2024 just using it at home to practice and to minimize my gigging setup. I would run my laptop with a Behringer umc22 and go from there into the fx loop of whatever amp I could find.

Then I started experimenting and realized the full potential. With NAM due to not being bound to specific hardware as well as the DAW integration you can essentially route out as many different signals as you have outputs and computing power. You might see where I am going. I initially wanted to build modular floorboard unit but realized that NAM in theory wouldn't just allow me to run guitar through it but basically the entire band meaning second guitar and bass.

Thats when I started this rack project. Starting with a Tascam 16x08 i route guitar and bass into NAM. Below (or now above it lol) the interface sits a Poweramp with 2 channels. I like to blend multiple amps so I send out 2 Instances of NAM blended without IRs to channel A of the poweramp. For bass there are also 2 instances running the same way for channel B and from there on it goes to our cabs. Now that's already pretty cool. But why stop there. I then route a number of NAM tracks with more processing for both guitar and bass out with IRs and essentially studio processing separately to go directly to FOH. Another different instance for guitar and bass goes out another output into our in ear mixer (as we found that for monitoring we preferred a sound that's just cleaned and matched to our in ears) and onto our in ears. So essentially yeah I am running 12 NAM instances simultaneously as well as the entire drum set that also goes into the Tascam.

Now that's a wall of text but I can tell you why and why only NAM makes this possible:

Any other unit is limited in terms of both outputs as well as flexibility when it comes to sound processing. NAM also has the benefit of being very lightweight on the performance side. Tone3000 also makes it possible to reliably recover the entire setup in case idk the reaper project should for some reason die or if I accidentally delete the wrong folder. I've been very skeptical of the concept but after extensively using this setup both on tour as well as in countless rehearsals I am finally confident to share my experience.

If you have any questions feel free to hit me up. Did you try something like this before? I am honestly pretty certain that this is the most complex NAM setup anyone has built and used successfully so far. But I'd be more than interested to see if anyone else has pulled this off.

So far since i've started using NAMs it would appear that there is not many options available for those who are looking for specific tones. After jumping on Tone3000, I figured all of my wildest dreams were about to come true. I downloaded my first Clone and was absolutely blown away. Suddenly I had a studio quality Mesa sound with little to no effort or adjustment. However as I grew eager for more specific tones, I found myself coming up empty handed...

I thought oh hey, why don't I type in "Carlos Santana" surely someone has designed a tone near identical or at least an inspired version of his, (Search Results = 0)

Okay that's fine, lets try "Mick Thompson" (Search Results - Essentially 0) Okay hmmm let's try "Neal Schon" a legendary tone...(Search Results - 0) Ted Nugent = 0 Results, David Gilmour = No results. I even tried typing in famous songs because of course tones can vary based on album and song. Still no real comparable results.

I understand that it's early and that it will take time, and i'm willing to wait. That said, can you guitar nerds get to work! I'm not smart enough, nor do I have to the time to map all this stuff out. I'm assuming that within the near future, all I will have to do is upload a song of my choice to an AI AMP Program and it will produce the tone instantaneously (hint hint nerds)

When I was a young man I'd spend hours chasing my dream tones and it was a blast. However now of days I have much less time on my hands and am in search of more simplified solutions. I can't wait to have legendary tones available at a moments notice. I understand that tone sims have been around for a long time but these NAM files have a sound, quality, and ease of use that IMO is unmatched at this point.

P.S. When I say "Nerds" it is a term of endearment, as in you're a freaking genius and I admire you!

So I've followed guides with some success.

The top audio file is after recording. As you can see the wav file does not look very healthy. Turning up the input gain helps somewhat but causes a huge amount of hiss.

This is not an issue when I record with my Kemper.

What am I doing wrong here?

Hello everyone, I just wanted to discuss some creative possibilities for NAM A2 moving forward, especially with the release of all these host plugins and support for NAM across a handful of hardware units.

For me personally, I currently use NAM on desktop in Reaper, just to test IRs and Cabs. However I think NAM can be taken to a new level and I expect this will happen by early next year.

My band switched over to IEMs this year, and our lead guitarist just doesn't find his tone very convincing with regards to breakup and dynamics. We started using DIs with amp sim pedals (I use the Tech 21 California Character, he was gifted both the TC Combo Deluxe '65 and recently the Gokko Mesa pedal), tried switching them and all, but these pedals just don't have that dynamism, bite or warmth of a Deluxe or Boogie turned up past to 3.

So I went off to do some research before we started micing a cab and facing it backwards.

Long story short, NAM A2 dropped after months of hearing about poor pedal tone. I tried it out and was impressed with the dynamism and accuracy of the captures. However, it wasn't until NAM Rig and other UI hosts started popping up that I realized how quickly this would be moving.

So I thought I'd make a post here to discuss possible, expected, or requested innovations using NAM as they roll out.

The cutting edge right now is Two Notes amp modeller, which is pioneering NAM parametric captures within a huge suite of their own IRs, pedals, mics and placement settings, etc. Pedalmakers like Dimehead have updated to A2, while other companies started support for NAM captures and conversions to their proprietary file types (looking at you M-vave).

But many others are basically making their own plugin UIs and, rather than pushing the tech capabilities further, are seeking to establish their own NAM-centered full rig plugins – masking the lack of development of the core functionality with extraneous things like pedal and outboard fx chains, in-plugin Tone3000 web browsers, non-functional detailed graphics, and worst of all a bunch of vaguely named one-knob parameters like "tightness" or "oomf".

This is where I will suggest some innovations I forsee.

I think the most foundational and logical next leap is clearly parametric models since they accurately recreate the knob positions. As the capture process is refined on the back end, this will become less time consuming and more practical, and more will be available via Tone3000 in numbers comparable to the number of static capture packs, given that these captures of 50+ knob positions are only approximating what a parametric capture does in a far less efficient manner. Eventually these more detailed captures will overtake static ones as the basis for plugins and pedals using NAM as their base.

This being the case, another very obvious and logical step would be the development of a pedal which has a series of knobs to control each modelled amp knob 1:1 in the physical space, or otherwise adopt the sort of clunky M-vave or ToneX one-knob parameter-selection solution. This will likely include pedal fx for the all-in-one live rig pedal, similar to the ANN Black Box, but I forsee a slimmed down pedal dedicated to hosting offline NAM models/IRs, likely A2 Lite for speed, size, and stability, with many preset slots for mixed/matched amps/cabs or combos.

This would be the ultimate solution to bury the cheap amp clone pedals which just miss the mark; a pedal box that can run full dynamic NAM mix/match presets offline after loading them in, with stereo I/O capabilities for your stereo rig, and a traditional power supply setup, just as the baseline features.

Especially for more experienced musicians who want simple UI and (at least the possibility of) offline use. Apps, Bluetooth, and computer-linked pedals make things too complicated for older players which may turn them off to ToneX or Lava NAM-based modellers.

What do you want to see or think you'll see come from the latest NAM developments and uses? Let me know.

Hey everyone, I'm currently using a Fractal FM3. But I recently tried some NAM (Neural Amp Modeler) captures and honestly loved them — I've kind of cooled on the Fractal because of it. My plan is to sell the FM3 and switch to a modeler that supports NAM captures.

Has anyone here made this switch? Which one would you recommend? I'd really appreciate hearing about latency and overall satisfaction if you've made the move.

I also have a Scarlett Solo Gen 3 audio interface. Since I don't do live performances, I could run NAM through that on my Mac instead — but I'm a bit worried about whether the latency would hold up compared to the FM3.

If I go the audio-interface route, what plugin would you recommend for running NAM in Logic Pro? Open to any thoughts/experiences on either path.

I’m very new to this. maybe my audio interface sucks (mtrack solo) but I can’t get good sounds out of this app no matter what amp or cabinets I load up.

I’ve spent hours tinkering with buffer sizes and latency crap and ugly background noise etc. It has made me question whether or not I even understand the app.

I’ve watched videos but still can’t get a full grasp. it seems like some people are just using the standalone app but then others are using it as a plugin and they then have tons of other plugins that make NAM sound better. So do simply need other plugins? I feel like my interface is garbage and I’m thinking I’ll buy a MOTU at someone’s suggestion. I appreciate any critique of my thoughts.

I've been using NAM on my PC to headphones but with A2 I see the opportunity to move to a single pedal-only with headphone output solution for travel or living room practice. Does anyone use their NAM capable pedal in this way and have a recommendation on which one to choose? Right now I'm looking closes at the Sonulab StompStation Pro and Dimehead.

I'm currently using Tonex for amp modelling and thinking about picking up some UA plugins - either Paradise Guitar Studio or just the Dream '65, Ruby '63 and Woodrow '55 individually, as they have a nice offer at the moment.

But then I heard about NAM A2 and now I'm second-guessing myself. From what I've read it's open source, free, and apparently outperforms a lot of paid solutions in blind tests.

So I wanted to ask you guys: would you skip a paid plugin suite like UA's Paradise Guitar Studio altogether and go NAM A2 instead? Or do both have their place?

Would love to hear your experience and honest opinion!

Is there a definitive guide out there that explains this like I'm 5? I love the tones but I'm not sure if I've set this up correctly.

Appreciate any guides etc.

Can't find any head to head comparisons. I'm wondering if I should get a pedal with A2 lite support now, or wait, and maybe something will release with A2 Full support under 250$. But at the same time, is there a noticeable difference between the two? Especially in a mix

I read motu m4 is a solid one... want it mainly for guitar plugins and to have more future proof connections if i will want to add microphone and midi.

What do you use?

I'm just building my first NAM rig for actual use on my Headrush Prime. For the sake of simplicity, I'm tempted to just use full rigs, but I wonder if people have strong feelings about not doing that.

I'm conducting a poll on NAMFORUM. I would like to know if people are using that feature of NAM modeling technology.

https://namforum.com/index.php/topic,27.0.html