The operating concept

The guitar world today knows two significantly different operating concepts: The analogue control concept in which only one function is assigned to each knob. This is very practical and clear for devices with few functions. However, if the number of functions increases, the number of knobs and controls also increases. With complex units, this then leads to a large control panel with an unclear layout.

The digital operating concept uses a display and a reduced number of cont- rollers to which different functions are assigned via menus and sub-menus. This prevents quick access to the parameters, especially in sub-menus.

The operating concept of the AMPX uses the best of both worlds, in that the lower control panel follows the analogue model with one control for one function, just as you know it from guitar amplifiers. We’ve also made the handling of the AMPX simple and clear, just like traditional tube amps. The control panel – which features gain, bass, middle, treble, and presence controls – is recessed, well protected and directly accessible. In addition, the power drive control under the flap is at hand to adjust the feel and tonal changes that we all love when we crank our amp! Power drive provides sagging and extra creaminess whatever volume you’re at!

To simplify the operation of the AMPX's multitude of functions, a combination of control concepts is used under the flap, in the upper control panel:

• To control the boost intensity, there is a dedicated control BOOST. The dedicated POWER SOAK control adjusts the saturation of the power amp. Depending on the selected effect, the respective parameters are assigned to the controls of the X CONTROLS and their function is displayed in illuminated fields.
• The PEDAL, AMP, FX and CAB buttons provide direct access to the various sections of the AMPX guitar system.
• Finally, the combination of DISPLAY and incremental encoder allows deep editing of complex parameters.

This unique mix enables direct and intuitive operation of such a complex guitar system as the AMPX with all its functions.

AMPX is equipped with high-quality, classic analogue potentiometers that have a limit stop. The settings of all knobs except MASTER can be stored in presets. When a new preset is recalled, the stored values are recalled, but the physical position of the knobs remains in the last selected position.
When a knob is moved, its current value is shown in the OLED display. The stored value is also shown. The display now shows the approximation of both values. In this way, you can see exactly where the slider was saved in the preset.

AMPX also has a freely assignable foot switch concept, which allows you to save and recall up to two presets per switch, and freely assign switching (e.g. pedal On/Off switches) and control functions. If you need more switches, you can do this by using a BluGuitar REMOTE or an external MIDI controller, and these will also be part of your programmable rig.

PEDAL

The first of the four key tone shaping sections of the AMPX, Pedal is just like a pedal board as you know it! This means it includes all your good old analog effects - like wah, compressor, boost, overdrive, distortion, chorus, delay and reverb.

The wah, boost/compression and drives are 100% analog - they consist of our proprietary BlugPRINTs‍ and AMPX has a large (and consistently growing!) library of effects to choose from here.

Meanwhile, the modulation, delay and reverb pedals use a 100% analog dry signal mixed with digital models of effects - again, based on BlugPRINTs‍ of your choosing.

The four X CONTROLS give you direct access to the knobs of your chosen and activated pedal. More parameters can be accessed, and deeper editing performed, using the incremental knob/button and AMPX's main display screen.

AMP

AMPX's Neural Analog Preamp and Nanotube-X Power Amp allow us to edit and save circuit parameters at component level. From a technical point of view, that’s like changing the circuit.

With this new approach, and the use of extremely small and lightweight components, AMPX can authentically reproduce all kinds of classic tube amps in a true analog circuit. These defining parameters can then be stored as what we call BlugPRINTs‍.

With AMPX, our BluGuitar engineers have direct access to sound shaping parameters like power amp saturation or current feedback, and they can edit and save them. This means we can authentically recreate the sound and playing feel of different power amps. In combination with our Neural Analog Preamp, this “neural” flexibility enables us to produce any amp circuits you can imagine from the past, and from the future!

AMPX comes factory equipped with the renowned sounds of the AMP1 Mercury Edition and Iridium Editions. AMPX can also be expanded by uploading additional BlugPrint files. BlugPRINTs‍ are available in the BluGuitar web store. 
New tube amp and effect classics are constantly being added to this library. It is your database, source and access to the sound world of the AMPX at the same time. This makes AMPX a convertible and permanently expandable “Tube Tone Chameleon”: 

A collection of the best tube amps of all time, in fully analog original quality, united in a single device.

FX

The FX section gives you access to the post effects in your signal chain. These are typically the FX you’d expect to find in an amp’s FX Loop, or in the studio. This section is stereo, and offers modulation effects like chorus, flanger, tremolo, phaser, and more.

When it comes to delays, AMPX offers you everything from simple old school analog and tape options, through to modern varieties like ping-pong delays.

Finally, the reverb module offers a variety of reverb types, including spring, plate, hall and more. More reverb (and other FX) types and algorithms will be regularly added to the BlugPRINTs library‍ in the future, meaning you have an ever-expandable list of effects to choose from when creating your musical soundscapes.

CAB

Today’s standard in guitar speaker simulation is that of convolution technology using impulse responses - or, to shorten it, IRs. IRs deliver a precise frequency response of the chosen speaker. Their one limitation is that they do this at a static volume level. In the real world, if the volume changes, the sound of the connected loudspeaker also changes. Standard IRs cannot capture these dynamic sound changes, because they are static.

BluGuitar has solved this problem with our new Dynamic IR technology, which simulates the dynamic characteristic changes of speaker tones at any volume level. The Dynamic IR technology delivers vibrant direct sounds as you’ve never heard them before!

And there’s more: With AMPX, you can use up to five Dynamic IRs at the same time. These IRs can be freely applied to several outputs: for example, the stereo recording outputs, the line output, and even the speaker out. In this way, you can create any setup you can think of - from a maxed-out recording setup with a mix of five different speakers running through the same recording out, to wet/dry/wet setups, even with full range cabinets! And of course, simpler setups are usable too!