We've written quite a bit for guitarists that use tube amps, including how often you change guitar amp tubes and the importance of matched tubes. But our amp discussion wouldn't be complete without throwing solid state models into the mix. Here we want to look at the differences between the two main types of electric guitar amps, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each.
The Primary Difference
On a technical level, the difference between the two types of amps is very simple: tube amps use vacuum tubes to amplify a guitar signal, while solid state amps use electronics to provide amplification. But it’s the audible differences that make guitarist interested in the two different types of amps, not the tech specs.
Tube amps are typically described as “warm.” And though that term is hard to define, engineers quickly come to recognize it when they hear it. A good way to put it, however, comes from our studio glossary, which defines warm as a sound that is spacious with a good bass and mids response.
This warm sound is particularly desirable when those vacuum tubes are overloaded - resulting in a warm distortion sound known as overdrive Of course, there are innumerable overdrive pedals on the market that attempt to replicate this sound.
The sound of solid state amps depends largely on the exact circuitry of the amp. And though they are often seen by many guitarists as inferior, they have their own advantages that many guitarists desire.
Advantages of Solid State Amps
Vacuum tubes are made of glass, so there is a constant possibility that the tubes can break, particularly those that are taken on the road. Solid State amps are inherently more durable because of their circuitry-based amplification method.
This may be the biggest advantage of solid state amps, as they usually are considerably less expensive than their tube amp counterparts.
- More Sound Options Available
Particularly in recent years, solid state amp manufacturers have begun taking advantage of the fact that the amps already contain circuitry and are adding built-in effects, creating modeling amps. For some guitarists, this eliminates the need for any additional effects pedals.
Advantages of Tube Amps
In addition to the aforementioned tone and overdrive advantages, many players prefer tube amps because of the response they offer. This means that the vacuum tubes can produce subtly different sounds based on the playing style of each guitar player, so the same amp can contribute to two separate styles of two different players. Solid state amps are typically more crisp, and don’t respond the nuances of a player.
Related to the above, many players love the warm, clean sounds of a tube amp that can sound completely clean with a soft playing, but then slightly distort on a heavily accented note. That said, some players want a crisp clean sound regardless of how hard the play, and therefore prefer the crisper sound of a solid state amp.
So, Why A Membership?
Let’s face it — trying to create professional mixes without the correct knowledge, tools, services, and network is like playing a concert with a broken instrument to an audience of no one.
That’s where the Sage Audio membership comes in — the membership gives you everything you need to create professional mixes consistently.
The membership is the secret to your success — it’s the difference between the 1,929,999,999 of poor-sounding mixes and the .00000002% of mixes that make people say 'WOW!"
There are 7 unique value-points included in your Sage Audio membership.
Let’s go over each one so you can decide if the membership is right for you.
1. Sage Audio University
- SAU Flagship Mixing Course: 23-video in-depth mixing course that reveals the little-known secrets of mixing and matches the needs of the new music industry.
- SAU Flagship Mastering Course: 19-video in-depth modern mastering course that dives into every nuance of making professional-sounding masters.
- SAU Pre-Mastering Course: Concise pre-mastering course that details the latest industry standards for preparing your mixes for mastering.
- SAU is designed for every experience level, ranging from budding mixing engineers to advanced engineers. The techniques and concepts taught can be applied to any DAW to create industry-leading mixes without expensive software or plugins - and free plugin alternatives are suggested throughout each course.
- Each SAU course includes Start-to-Finish session walkthrough lessons for multiple genres so you can follow along with your preferred genre.
- SAU Certification Document, which can be downloaded and showcased on your website and social channels.
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2. Private 1-on-1 Mentorship
- The Sage Audio private 1-on-1 Mentorship gives you direct access to us for advanced mixing feedback, in-depth discussions, and customized guidance that's tailored to your specific needs.
- Unlimited private access to us for advanced mixing feedback, where we provide detailed suggestions for improvement.
- Unlimited private access to us for in-depth discussions to help you improve every aspect of your mixes and masters.
- Customized guidance that’s tailored specifically to your needs.
- Fast communication so you can improve your skills quickly.
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3. Unlimited Mixing Feedback
- Unlimited professional mixing feedback directly from us so you can consistently improve your skills and create professional mixes.
- Mixing feedback is invaluable, and the Sage Audio membership gives you continual direct access to us for real-world feedback so you can improve every aspect of each of your mixes while you're in the process of mixing.
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4. 50 Free Mastered Songs Per Year
- 50 free mastered songs per year with your own dedicated professional mastering engineer so you can get all your mixes sounding like professional songs.
- You get your own dedicated Sage Audio mastering engineer to create custom masters that are specific to you and sound exactly how you want.
- Unlimited revisions with your dedicated mastering engineer. As a standard of our service, we are not happy until you are happy with the sound of your masters.
- All masters are delivered as commercial, industry-standard high-resolution 24-bit HD WAV masters so they will sound clean and clear on every platform.
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5. Community
- The Sage Audio community is a tight-knit community of passionate audio engineers who can provide you with additional real-world mixing feedback, meaningful discussions, networking, collaborations, and more.
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6. 70+ GB of Curated Sage Audio Downloadable Content
- 36 multitrack sessions spanning multiple genres for mixing practice.
- 57 un-mastered mixes spanning multiple genres for mastering practice.
- 62 Recommended Free Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 39 Recommended Paid Plugins List (vetted, tested, and approved, so you don’t have to).
- 71 Sage Audio custom plugin presets to improve your mixes and masters.
- Sage Audio Membership Badge to showcase on your website, social channels, and portfolio.
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7. 800+ Video Catalog
- Access 700+ in-depth Sage Audio mixing and mastering videos - curated and organized into categories so you can easily take a deep dive into all aspects of audio engineering with thousands of hours of concise, expertly crafted Sage Audio videos to continually improve your skills at your own pace.
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