Overloud TH-U2

Overloud’s amp emulation has been treated to new features and a facelift.

Some modelled amp plug‑ins can sound lacking in low‑end punch, but to me Overloud’s models come over sounding like a real amp miked in a real studio, and I’ve always held their TH‑U amp and effects modelling packages to be up there with the best. The company employ some interesting technologies, the most intriguing of which is their Fluid IR approach to amp and cab modelling.

With well‑modelled amps, the tone controls and gain structure can respond in a way that parallels the real hardware. It can be argued, though, that their weakness lies in their ability to accurately recreate the dynamic interactions of more complex components such as valves, transformers and loudspeakers. Amp ‘capturing’, on the other hand, is a different technology that delivers a very accurate and responsive version of an amp and speaker. Its own down side is that it’s really only accurate for the control settings at the time of capture, so you have less control than with modellers. Overloud’s answer to this conundrum is to combine elements of both technologies in their Fluid IRs: the idea is that the user gets an authentic amp emulation that responds correctly to control changes and to picking intensity.

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