What is Neural Amp Modelling (NAM)?

Neural Amp Modelling, or NAM for short, is one of those things which in a very short space of time has completely taken over the electric guitar amp market. But what is Neural Amp Modelling? And why or how is it different to other digital amp simulations? And, most importantly, could a NAM-compatible pedal or amp benefit you or your setup?

Digital Modellers – The solution we asked for

Back when I first started gigging, guitar amps seemed like a much simpler subject. For the most part, there were 3 basic guitar amp types…

Valve (or Tube) amps, which were generally considered the gold standard for professional (or aspiring) guitarists.

Solid-State amps, which either covered simple, fully analogue practice amps or, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, professional, super-clean, hi-fi-like gigging amps, perfect for musicians seeking the cleanest and loudest possible amp tones, such as Jazz guitarists.

And finally, basic Digital Modellers, which sort of bridged the gap between beginners and more seasoned players, offering both practice and gigging amps that provided a basic selection of some of the most popular amp types from crystal cleans to full-bore American voiced-scooped metal tones. These sorts of amps often came with a handful of popular effects as well, enabling players to get a taste of a full rig and the press of a few buttons.

Each amp type had its place within the community, and each type generally had its own set of pros and cons.

Guitarists generally argued (and still do) that valve amps sounded and felt the best to play; however, they were extremely heavy and would often require regular, expensive maintenance. Solid-state amps were for the most part, bomb proof but had limitations in sound and were equally heavy, often relying on tried and tested, old-school technology. And finally, Digital modellers offered the most versatility and were often much lighter to carry; however, guitarists would often complain about how the sound and feel were never quite right.

The quest has been on to find a perfect solution which offered the versatility of early digital modelling amps, with the genuine tone and feel of a valve amp, and the reliability of a solid-state amp.

When did Digital Amp Modelling become a major player?

The amp modelling world was turned on its head in 2006 when, thanks to major advances in digital processing, Fractal Audio Systems revolutionised the market with their Axe-FX modelling and multi-fx processor. Unlike the original incarnation of digital modellers, which used simple digital technology to mimic the basic gain structure and EQ curve of a classic amp to give players a flavour of the overall tonal character of the original, the Axe FX used advanced computer processing power to model valve amps at a component level. From valves and transformers, right down to resistors and capacitors, the Axe FX system used a whole load of maths and science in partnership with the amp’s schematic to not only digitally reproduce what every part was doing within the circuit but also how each component behaved and interacted with each other.

As a player, what we ended up with was a digital modeller that felt and sounded real. The sag, attack, dynamics, touch sensitivity… It was all there! Furthermore, the Axe FX utilised a new technology – Impulse Responses (IR) to take care of not only the speaker cab tone but also the sound of the microphone and room it was recorded in. The result – a digital amp tone that actually sounded like air was being moved around the room.

Amp Profiling

In 2011, digital amps were once again turned on their head with the launch of the Kemper Profiler. This digital amp simulator introduced a completely new, revolutionary way of modelling an amp – Profiling.

Rather than modelling an amp based on an approximation of either its sound, EQ, gain or even components, the profiler took what sort of could be described as a digital fingerprint or photograph of what that amp or pedal was actually doing at that exact time. It’s arguably the most accurate way to reproduce the sound and feel of a real amp or pedal digitally, because instead of approximating what’s going on, a capture actually measures every detail of what’s audibly happening.

I won’t go into the full details on how a capture is done, but in its most simplest form, a ‘test tone’ is sent through that piece of gear, which is then sent back to the capturing device (be it a computer or a separate piece of gear such as a Kemper, Tonex or a Neural DSP) via a microphone or line-level signal. This is then analysed within the software, and a profile is produced.

The ‘test tone’ works by sweeping an audio signal through the gear that it’s capturing, measuring its reaction to different frequencies and dynamics, how quickly it reacts, its gain structure and how that fluctuates, how it compresses, how it releases the sound and just about everything we would ever notice as a player.

Once the profile is created, it will usually have some basic volume, gain and EQ controls; however, this won’t work in the way it would on the amp – it’s just a way of sort of fine-tuning the capture for what you are using it for. For the most part, once a capture is done, that’s the tone you will get – just like a photograph.

Profiling vs. Captures vs. NAM vs. SnapTones

One of the most common questions that we get asked is what the difference is between an Amp Profile, a NAM file, a Capture or even a Valeton SnapTone.

In short, Nothing, they are all just different names for what is essentially the same thing. All of these use the same idea – a series of ‘test tones’ played through a piece of gear to capture a digital profile of that piece of equipment.

The small differences lie in how the analysis is then processed through the computer or profiler’s software and then turned into something that you can play through. It’s a bit like seasoning a dish – 2 chefs can make the same meal with the same core ingredients; however, each can differ in taste purely down to each chef’s personal touch and how they choose to season it.

Generally speaking, when it comes to bad vs good profiles or captures, it is usually down to the person and the equipment used when creating the capture rather than the software itself. Poor line levels, wrong mic placement and subpar recording equipment are usually the culprits when it comes to a bad profile.

Amp Modelling vs Captures

This is another question that I imagine guitarists will happily argue over indefinitely; however, in my opinion, both are great options, and both have their place within a rig or setup.

A capture is the perfect choice if you have a specific sound from an amp or pedal that you have already perfectly dialled in, and you simply want to capture that within the digital realm. If you use captures and want to get multiple sounds from a single piece of gear, then, generally speaking, the best way to achieve this is to capture that gear multiple times, physically changing the controls each time before you capture. That’s why you will often see captures named – ‘Amp brand/model – clean’, ‘amp brand/model – edge of break up’, ‘amp brand/model – crunch’, ‘amp brand/model – lead’, etc.

Modellers are much more flexible, and generally, the controls act and behave just like they do on the real thing. This means that you can change, adjust and tweak much more freely, enabling you to dial in your perfect tones on the fly when and as you need to.

Is Neural Amp Modeller the same as Neural DSP?

No – Both have ‘Neural’ in the name, and both are tools used for getting incredible amp and pedal tones digitally; however, they are 2 separate things.

Is NAM free?

NAM is a free, open-source software that anyone can use. There is a vast library of free-to-download NAM files, which you can simply download and upload to your NAM-compatible pedal, depending on how many free slots you have available. In turn, this allows you to experience and use amps that you could usually only dream of using.

Using the software, you are also able to create your own captures to use for yourself or share freely within the guitar community; however, you will need a good quality audio interface along with either a good microphone or some form of professional amp load box with line-level out if you wish to capture without a cab.

For those who just want to skip to incredible results without sifting through tons of free captures, there is always the option to buy NAM files from people who specialise in creating them. The choice is yours, but from our experience, there are thousands of amazing NAM captures available, which are completely free of charge – Including these NAM Valeton SnapTone captures, which you can download for free here.

How do I use NAM

Using Neural Amp Modeller is easier than you may think! In the above video, Digital John and Lee go through the complete process of using Neural Amp Modeller to create, download, edit, and upload a NAM file into a Valeton GP-5.

Further information, as well as the free software needed, can be found on the Neural Amp Modeller website here.

NAM vs IR

Impulse Responses (IRs) are used to capture the sound of a speaker or a space and are the perfect way of capturing the digital fingerprint of a guitar cab within a room. IRs are linear, meaning that they don’t take into account tonal changes that can sometimes occur with dynamic playing, distortion, compression or volume levels, which sort of makes them perfect for speaker cab simulation.

NAM or any other type of Amp Captures are non-linear, meaning that they capture the whole three-dimensional image of an amp. This makes it the perfect choice for capturing the full dynamic behaviour, response and sound of a pre or power amp.

Amp captures often also capture the sound of the amp’s speaker cab; however, some players prefer to use captures done via a load box with a lineout method, so that they can use their capture in partnership with an IR. This allows guitarists to chop and change between different cabinet variations, allowing them to have further flexibility with their tone.

Is NAM the same as NAMM?

This is another question which gets asked a lot, especially when people just hear the acronym spoken out loud. No, NAM is not the same as NAMM. NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) is a yearly trade show that takes place in Anaheim, California, which is typically used by most major musical instrument manufacturers to debut and showcase the coming year’s launches.

Conclusion

Wherever you’re a die-hard digital fanatic who is looking for something sleek, modern and lightweight, or a beginner after a piece of gear that can effortlessly keep up with whatever song you are learning that week, or even, a seasoned valve-amp veteran after something that can quickly be flung into a gig bag on a jam night or fly gig – I think there is a place for a NAM-compatible pedal in every rig.

With enough flexibility to cover any type of guitar tone imaginable and feel and response that’s as close to the real thing as possible, it’s no wonder that these types of pedals are increasingly becoming one of the most used bits of gear on stage, on the road, in the studio and at home.

With their road-worthy build quality, tiny footprint and unrivalled versatility, NAM-compatible pedals are the perfect solution for what most of us have been asking for for over 2 decades!

Want to learn more?

If you love staying up to date with the latest kit chatter, our gear news page is one to bookmark. For full-on nerdy deep dives and practical how‑to guides, check out the learn section.