Cubase VST Amp Rack (Don't sleep on it)

Cubase's own amp simulation

I have a band that records themselves. They have bought Cubase Elements. Apparently VST Amp Rack comes with said version. I usually reach for a more "sophisticated" amp sim like something from Neural DSP or UAD. Those things are fantastic. BUT! In this case I couldn't make the guitars sound better. Let me explain. Each song is different. These guys play indie rock. Their guitars need to sound like they do. With this plugin, the sound was JUST RIGHT. I didn't need to overcomplicate things or try to flex my skills. If something doesn't serve the song, let it go. The band chose an amp and a cab with minimal effects. Basically a default setting with some knobs turned a little. They then added an EQ point at around 300 Hz becasue they thought it was too much. It was. That is the sound we went with. They were happy with the results. And so am I. So don't ignore this plugin, especially if you're starting out and don't have any expensive third party plugins yet. You have some great stock plugins in most DAWs. Discover them for yourself. I'm still learning these things too and it's so exciting stumbling upon something I had for years that is a useful tool in my kit, I just didn't bat an eye. Well now I do.