Review: VTarAmps Proto Four (with video sample and download link)

Hello and welcome to this week's article!

Today we're going to review a very good, free amp simulator by VTarAmps: P.R.O.T.O. Four!

This amp sim is a new version of  MegaFuzzieMKIV by Vadim Taranov, a virtual version of the overdrive channel of a Mesa Boogie Mark IV and it adds many new functions to the original one.

The interface looks like the one of a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, but the tone is the one of a Mark IV, and the amp offers, besides the usual gain knob, also two separate controls to dial the gain for the low and the high frequencies, plus the two sections (preamp and power amp) are bypassable individually.

On the top of the amp there is also the fuzziness control, which lets you add fuzz to the tone and to control the fuzz character, from dark to bright; there is also a fizz control, which sets the "acidness" of the amp.
All these functions give the Proto an impressive versatility: the amp allows you to achieve a very wide range of tones, from crunch to any type of fuzz, up to the extreme metal without problems, also because an eq section with a very wide excursion: with the mid knob it's possible to obtain a very scooped sound already at 11'. 

The amp sim sounds very well, as you can hear from the sample: the interface is cool and pretty intuitive, and it's easy to achieve a good tone: the only thing I can do is to suggest you to download it and try it for yourself!

To be noted also that I see in the interface (and the manual) also the Ugritone logo, which is the evolution of a software house we used to know (and review) under the name "It Might Get Loud": I suspect something is cooking, can't wait to see how this collaboration will pan out!

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