8180 Monster Tube

What it does

A guitar amp plugin modelled on a 120 watt all tube American head, with four virtual 12AX7 preamp valves and a power stage switchable between 6L6 and EL34. Two channels, rhythm and lead, have their own volume and gain and share the low, mid and high controls, with resonance and presence on the power amp. A rack page adds a noise gate, and a browser holds cabinets with microphones already placed. Presets can be saved alongside the factory set. It runs standalone or as an AUv3.

In the demo

Jade loads it in GarageBand on a high gain tone, switches the noise gate on first, and records a rhythm take for a song from her EP. She compares the two channels, steps through presets and cabinets, then moves to Auria Pro for a second take.

Worth knowing

This is one amp aimed at heavy tones, so it carries nothing like the spread of clean sounds and effects in a larger rig app. The iOS build is iPhone and iPad only.