IK Multimedia unveils AmpliTube® 5 - a giant leap for 'ampkind'

IK's industry-leading guitar and bass tone studio takes a quantum leap into the future with a massive, out of this world, all-new update

October 29, 2020 - IK Multimedia's leading amp and effects modeling software takes a giant leap forward with the unveiling of AmpliTube 5. The AmpliTube series accurately captures the sound, feel and vibes of the world's most-sought after guitar and bass gear in a perfect format for practicing, recording and performing anywhere. The new AmpliTube 5 offers a massive increase in gear, features and flexibility for an even more seamless and satisfying user experience, raising massively the bar of what can be expected from an amp simulator today.

It delivers 129 new gear models for a total of over 400 ultra-realistic models, a cutting-edge re-designed cabinet section with unique new VIR™ technology, and improved power amp / speaker cab interaction for dramatically improved sonic authenticity.

An all-new, resizable interface makes creating and routing rigs a breeze, with improved gear selection, drag & drop placement, and support for one, two or three-amp rigs with up to 57 simultaneous effects.

New rack effects derived from IK's award-winning T-RackS 5 can easily craft professionally polished, "just like the album" tones, a new mixer window, AmpliTube's popular 8-channel DAW, an enhanced Looper with 2 simultaneous tracks and infinite layers of sound add even more sonic power in the studio or live.

AmpliTube 5 can work both as a desktop app and plug-in for any DAW, and it's available in four versions to suit every need - from the free AmpliTube 5 Custom Shop up through to AmpliTube 5 MAX, which offers full access to all current official artist and brand collections.

Nearly 20 years ago, IK introduced the original AmpliTube - the world's first guitar & bass amp and effects plug-in to model the entire guitar/bass chain from instrument to recording device in a hyper-realistic and intuitive way. Today, the diverse AmpliTube series includes collections created with renowned brands such as Fender®, MESA/Boogie® and Orange®, and iconic artists such as Joe Satriani, Brian May, Slash and many more.

What's New in AmpliTube 5

New cabinet section with VIR™ technology
A re-engineered Cabinet section features IK's new Volumetric Impulse Response (VIR™) technology. To deliver the highest standard of accuracy and realism, IK painstakingly measured 600 IRs per speaker of every existing and new cabinet model, for a total of 143,000 IRs. To perform this process, and for it to be of millimetric precision, IK developed a custom measurement system with dedicated robotic automation. The result is a massive, 3D array of mic placement options - each capturing the interactions between speakers, cabinet and floor - for a completely true-to-life sound that has never before been heard either in software or hardware emulation. All of this is available with a new 3D grid interface that allows users to snap the cabinet section's movable mics to a precise IR point or seamlessly blend between multiple measurements.

Furthermore, users can now import and load their own IRs and tweak them to find the perfect match for their desired tone.

New Gear
AmpliTube 5 offers the widest selection of sought-after guitar and bass amps, cabinets, speakers, stomps, mics and rack effects of any software, with more than 400 models (AmpliTube MAX version), including 129 newly created models.

All 100 cabinets have completely been re-measured with VIR™ technology; 19 new rack effects have been added, including a selection of models derived from T-RackS 5 and optimized for guitar; two new stomps and five new amps hand-picked from top-of the-line boutique models are now included and two new room emulations that provide even more creative ambient scenarios are available in AmpliTube 5.

Plus AmpliTube 5 revisits all of the original AmpliTube legacy gear, adding a fresh new look, optimized internal gain structure and re-developed power amp/speaker interaction to maximize realism and tone feel.

New GUI
Both existing and new users will enjoy an all-new, now fully scalable GUI, to conveniently adapt to any display size including the latest Retina displays, featuring an updated ergonomic layout and new level of realism.

Freely configurable signal chain
Beyond mono and stereo, the new, completely customizable gear chain now supports wet-dry-wet configurations and other advanced series and parallel routing.

The overall chain has been greatly expanded to support up to 57 simultaneous models divided between stomps, racks, amps and cabs. Users can easily drag and drop any model into place from a sidebar gear browser, to build or re-order even complex rigs in seconds.

New Mixer
A new Mixer window in the studio section complements AmpliTube 5's expanded signal chain options and 8-track DAW. It allows users to blend their cabinet and microphone sounds, plus the DI signal, and make use of panning, levels, busses and 19 built-in effects with a selection derived from T-RackS 5 to bring a final studio polish to any track.

New redesigned Custom Shop
The AmpliTube Custom Shop offers an affordable and easy way to demo and build a custom gear collection à la carte. AmpliTube 5 features a totally redesigned Custom Shop with a modern, easy-to-navigate interface, helping users demo and unlock gear faster, sort by gear they own or don't own, unlock preset-specific gear, and more.

Best guitar tone in the studio and live
AmpliTube 5 connects seamlessly with AXE I/O, recognized as the best guitar interface on the market by the world's top guitar publications and media, as well as with AXE I/O Solo, the compact version of IK's premium audio interface with powerful guitar shaping tools.

Options, pricing and availability
AmpliTube 5 (for Mac/PC) will be available in Q4 2020 and is currently available for pre-order from the IK Multimedia online store and from IK authorized dealers worldwide, with special introductory pricing:

For customers wanting the best of both hardware/software worlds, AmpliTube 5 will also be available bundled with IK's premium guitar interfaces.

*All prices excluding taxes
** Upgrade/Crossgrade prices for IK users who have registered any IK products worth $/€99.99 or more

In addition, any customer who purchases AmpliTube 4 or any IK hardware package that includes AmpliTube 4 after October 15, 2020, will automatically receive an upgrade to AmpliTube 5 SE.

For more information about AmpliTube 5, please visit: www.amplitube.com/5

To see AmpliTube 5 in action: www.amplitube.com/5/video