Neural DSP plugins have redefined what a guitar amp simulator can sound like — the Finnish company teams up with some of the most respected guitarists working today, from progressive metal legends to viral shredders, to build signature amp sims modeled directly on their personal rigs.
We’ve rounded up eight of the Neural DSP Plugins worth knowing about, covering everything from Gojira’s crushing metal tone to John Mayer’s boutique-amp blues clarity. Whether you’re chasing a specific artist’s sound or just want a studio-grade amp sim with genuinely useful effects built in, there’s likely an Archetype here for you.
Let’s dive in, starting with Archetype: Gojira:
Neural DSP – Archetype: Gojira
More Info & Price (Trial Available)
A collaboration between one of the leading amp sim companies and one of today’s top metal bands. What else could be better for those who need a quality heavy guitar tone? It is Archetype: Gojira by Neural DSP.
The release of the Archetype: Gojira plugin in early 2021 was a tangible furor, both among fans of this French metal band, musicians, and metal producers alike. This software got three amplifiers and three cabinets that you can combine.
But the real trick is the effects that you can activate both at the beginning of the guitar chain and the end of it. The developers also made sure that the plugin could be used not only by those engaged in recording music. That’s why they provide it as a standalone version as well.
Key Features:
- Amp section
Among the number of amplifier emulations available, Clean is the first. It was based on a vintage tube amplifier, both with clean tones and the ability to get a natural tube saturation. Second on the list is Rust, a crunch amp featuring one of the most significant gain sweeps Neural DSP has ever worked on.
The last amp is the high gain Hot. It is the main one and will give you that most famous Gojira metal guitar tone.
- Cabsim
The cabinets emulation section of the Archetype: Gojira plugin, which includes three units, is the well-known Adam Nolly from Periphery. It contains seven virtual microphones, which can be easily placed on the speakers. In addition to the hundreds of IRs, you also can load your impulse responses.
- FX
Archetype: Gojira is equipped with Pitch Effects, including Wow, a MIDI-programmable pitch shifter pedal with three different modes, and Oct, a polyphonic Octaver pedal capable of adding two independent octaves.
The Pre Effects section has an Overdrive pedal, Distortion, Phaser, and Chorus that you can adjust to your liking. There are also Time Effects with Delay, and Reverb, and a 9-band graphical EQ.
Character & Sound:
Gojira is known for its heavy riffs and massive sound, like a wall of sound crashing down on you. The plugin perfectly captures the whole character of the French metal band’s sound.
But the developers assure that despite the possibility to copy the Gojira sound, you can also create your unique guitar tone in the software. Just dive into the settings and experiment with the sound.
Compatibility:
The plugin is available for Windows 7 or higher and macOS 10.14 or higher, both 64-bit only. It comes in VST, AU, AAX formats, and as a Standalone host.
Summary:
Archetype: Gojira will be an excellent find for those trying to reproduce the sound of a French band, as well as for those looking for their heavy tone. You’ll get access to three premium guitar amp emulations and extensive options in the cabinet section.
The “cherry on the cake” will add a wide selection of pre and post effects. Even more variety and fun will be added by the possibility of using the virtual Wow pedal with a guitar MIDI pedal and experiment with the sound in real-time.
Neural DSP – Archetype: Cory Wong
More Info & Price (Trial Available)
Another nugget in this series is Archetype: Cory Wong, a collaboration with American guitarist and bassist, producer, and Grammy-nominated artist. This software incorporates his favorite equipment, including guitar amps, cabs, pedals, and effects. The plugin is unique and striking in its sound.
You get three amplifiers and three cabinets with the ability to switch between them. In addition, you will have microphone options that you can move around the speakers. Need to add grit to your guitar tone? You can do it with top-notch effects pedals.
Key Features:
- D.I. Funk Console
It is the name of the first amp of the plugin. With it, you get the classic “bubble tone,” as it is the sound of an electric guitar just connected to the console. However, you will be able to adjust Tube Saturation, EQ, High & Low Pass Filters.
- Clean Machine
The following amp will give you the cleanest guitar tone you can imagine. It will have a beautiful warmth in the upper frequencies. You will also be able to control the presence and other standard amp options.
- The Amp Snob
This third and final plugin amplifier is an emulation of a first-class tube amplifier. It can also give you a nice clean sound, but you will immediately hear that edge of breakup tone as soon as you crank the gain.
- Use Your Wah
What’s funk without a Was-wah pedal? The plugin also has this feature, and you can use it with the MIDI pedal. And if you don’t have one, you can use the auto-wah function.
- Pre & Post Effects
In the Pre-Effects section, you will have the opportunity to use four pedals: The Postal Service (Envelope Filter), The 4th Position Compressor, The Tuber (Classic tube overdrive), and The Big Rig Overdrive. In addition, at the end of your guitar chain, you can also use Delay-y-y and The Wash, a powerful reverb.
Compatibility:
The plugin is available for Windows 7 or higher and macOS 10.14 or higher, both 64-bit only. It comes in VST, AU, AAX formats, and as a standalone host.
Summary:
Archetype: Cory Wong is a genuinely first-rate plugin that brings you the stunning sound of one of today’s guitar heroes. This software is perfect for fans of funk, indie, and other similar subgenres of rock music. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to experiment with your sound, thanks to various guitar amp emulations and the implementation of effects.
Neural DSP – Archetype: Petrucci X
More Info & Price (Trial Available)
Neural DSP rebuilt their collaboration with Dream Theater’s John Petrucci in late 2024, refining the original Archetype: Petrucci into a faster, more polished tool without losing what made it a fan favorite in the first place.
The four amps remain the core of the plugin — Piezo (built for piezo pickups and single coils), Clean, Rhythm, and Lead — but the X update brings a redesigned, resizable interface, noticeably improved performance, and updated 4-band semi-parametric EQs with new high- and low-pass filters on the Clean, Rhythm, and Lead amps.
Key Features:
- Redesigned, Resizable UI — click and drag to resize the plugin window to fit your workflow
- Improved Performance — faster, smoother processing under the hood
- Updated EQs with high- and low-pass filters added across the amps
- Transpose & Doubler for instant pitch changes and stereo width
- Future Quad Cortex Compatibility via an upcoming CorOS update
Compatibility: Windows 10 or higher, macOS 10.14 or higher, 64-bit only. VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats, plus standalone.
Summary: The X update sharpens rather than reinvents Archetype: Petrucci — if you found the original occasionally sluggish to load, this addresses that directly. Still the strongest pick on this list for progressive metal and djent tones.
Neural DSP – Parallax Multiband Distortion
More Info & Price (Trial Available)
A great example of how versatile Neural DSP plugins can be, Parallax steps away from guitar amps entirely to tackle multiband bass distortion. This plugin will make your life easier and drop a mellow and punchy bass tone.
These guys have not ignored the bass players and created some fantastic plugins – Darkglass Ultra and Parallax. As for the last one, it is multiband bass distortion, which gives an outstanding sound quality. The point is that to get the best bass tone, and many engineers use parallel processing.
That is, they divide the bass line into several tracks and process them separately. Now you can do all this with only one plugin. It is important to note that this software is not a MIDI instrument but a processing one.
Key Features:
- Distortion
You will be able to handle high and low-frequency distortion separately. Just use the Mid Drive, Mid Level, High Drive, High Pass, and High Level knobs. It uses tube modeling technology to give you a rich harmonic sound.
- Low Compression
To build the foundation of your tone, you can separately influence the low frequencies. The Low Compression section is responsible for this. Here you will have three knobs for Compression, Low Pass and Low Level. Important to know that the Bus compressor algorithm is used here, providing you with quality signal processing.
- EQ
With this tool, you can achieve an even greater sharpening of your tone. You will have a graphic equalizer with a range of 200 to 1.5 kilohertz. After processing the mid and high frequencies, bringing the overall tone in line with your desire is handy.
- Cabsim
As with its other software, Neural DSP offers first-rate cab impulses. The Parallax plugin has a separate Cabsim section that will allow you to move two virtual mics around two speakers.
- Presets
If you don’t want to deal with the settings, you will have the opportunity to play with ready-made presets. There are over a hundred of them. These are custom settings from musicians like Nolly Getgood, Kane Churko, Forrester Savell, Tom Doyle, etc.
Compatibility:
The plugin is available for Windows 7 or higher and macOS 10.14 or higher, both 64-bit only. It comes in VST/3, AU, AAX formats, and as a standalone host.
Summary:
Parallax Multiband Distortion is a premium plugin that will give you a great bass tone suitable for metal and other heavier genres. Its separate frequency processing provides a mix-ready sound as if a professional mixing engineer worked on it. You’ll also get to use the great cabinet impulses in this software.
Neural DSP – Archetype: Nolly
More Info & Price (Trial Available)
Neural DSP managed to make what they call to be Adam “Nolly” Getgood’s sonic vision for the perfect guitar sound.
If you don’t know who Adam Nolly is, he is the former bassist, guitar player, and producer of Periphery from 2009 until 2017. He’s also well known for his production skills, running GetGood Drums and drumming sample packs.
This plugin includes four different tube amplifier models taken from Nolly’s personal collection of modified amplifiers, which are re-engineered versions of his favorite amplifiers built by himself, trying to find his idea of the perfect tone.
Another outstanding feature of this plugin is the capability to link/unlink each head with its matched cabinet, which lets you combine the four amplifiers with the 640 IRs this amp sim has to offer. Let’s talk about all of these in more detail, shall we?
Key Features:
- Unique amps
Right off the bat, the sound it’s as unique as it gets since Neural DSP didn’t model any famous amp, like all other amp simulations out there, but models Nolly’s personally modified amps instead. You can take your guitar sound from dreamy dynamic playing to massive distortions with just enough dynamic range for definition.
- Cabinet impulse response
You have four cabinets that you can combine with a wide array of different microphones, settings, and positions that total over 600 IR files just for this plugin that you can also modify, so it’s virtually an infinite variety in sound.
- Pedal FX
You have four effect pedals in front of the amp, compressor, delay, and two very different overdrives. The first is a crisper low-gain-tube-screamer-style overdrive, while the second is more like the extreme version of a tube screamer with a higher gain.
Compatibility:
It supports Windows 10 or higher and macOS 10.14 or higher, runs on 64 bit only, and comes in VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats.
Summary:
Archetype: Nolly is another example of an overkill amp simulator by Neural DSP. It’s mind-blowing the endless amount of possibilities it gives you with the impulse responses to shape the tone to whatever it is you might be looking for and get it just the way you want it with a mix-ready sound quality that feels like you’re actually playing through the amp.
Neural DSP – Archetype: Tim Henson X
More Info & Price (Trial Available)
Neural DSP rebuilt Tim Henson’s signature plugin from the ground up in 2025, and the X update is a genuinely different tool from the original — not just a visual refresh.
Polyphia’s Tim Henson brought his full studio signal chain to this update, including a redesigned Multivoicer with two new scale options (Harmonic Minor and Melodic Minor) for richer, more complex harmonized leads. The three amps have also been rebuilt: Roses, a bright amp voiced for acoustic-style clarity; Cherubs, a British-style dual-channel amp for clean-to-crunch tones; and Pink, a dynamic, rich amp built for heavier rhythms and soaring leads.
Key Features:
- Redesigned Multivoicer — up to four pitch-shifted harmony voices, now with Harmonic and Melodic Minor scale options
- Room Send Control in the cabsim module for subtle, natural room reverb
- Updated 9-Band Graphic EQs with new high- and low-pass filters on every amp
- Global Features: Transpose, Doubler, Live Tuner, and Metronome (standalone)
- Future Quad Cortex Compatibility via an upcoming CorOS update
Compatibility: Windows 10 or higher, macOS 10.14 or higher, 64-bit only. VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats, plus standalone.
Summary: If you own the original Tim Henson archetype, the redesigned Multivoicer alone justifies upgrading — the new scale options open up far more harmonic territory. Still one of the most distinctive-sounding plugins on this list.
Neural DSP – Fortin NTS Suite
More Info & Price (Trial Available)
If you want a real high gain monster in the form of an amp sim plugin, the next one on our list is what you need. It is the brutal Fortin NTS Suite from Neural DSP.
The Fortin NTS Suite plugin is based on the famous Natas guitar amplifier. The name speaks for itself if you read it backward. Still, the software has absorbed all the power and fury of the physical prototype.
It’s a two-channel amp with additional gain settings, a pedal booster, and an excellent cab sim. In short, everything you need to get an aggressive metal sound.
Key Features:
- 6RIND & 6IRTH Controls
You will see these knobs on the front of the amplifier. These frequency selective gain controls interact with the 6AIN knob to control the saturation and distortion characteristics. With them, you can get a tight crunch or a complete high gain distortion.
- Grind, Zuul & Hexdrive
These are the pedals that are located in the chain before the amplifier. Zuul will give you Noice Gate, Hexdrive will act as an overdrive pedal, and Grind will add an amount of clarity and articulation to the sound, making every note defined and present, even when highly distorted.
- Cabsim
The cabinet emulation in the plugin is very comprehensive and adaptive. In addition to good-sounding speakers, you can choose between six virtual microphones, which can be positioned around the speakers. In addition, you can load your impulses or disable this section altogether.
Compatibility:
The plugin is available for Windows 7 or higher and macOS 10.14 or higher, both 64-bit only. It comes in VST, AU, AAX formats, and as a standalone host.
Summary:
The Fortin NTS Suite from Neural DSP would be fabulous for those who want the most brutal yet clean and transparent guitar sound. Although, this amp sim is versatile and can also serve for dirty tones. It is where the 6RIND and 6IRTH controls help you.
Also, a good attraction of this plugin is the pedals for even more expressive distortion and the fantastic cabinet emulation section.
Neural DSP – Archetype: John Mayer X
Closing out 2025, Neural DSP landed their biggest artist collaboration yet — a plugin built around John Mayer’s famously expensive, famously specific rig, including gear most players will never get anywhere near in real life.
Mayer is a well-known analog purist, so getting his name on a plugin is a genuine milestone for amp modeling. Archetype: John Mayer X models three of his personal amps in forensic detail: his 1964 Fender Vibroverb, his Dumble Steel String Singer #002, and his one-of-one Two-Rock Signature Prototype #83. A Three-in-One Amp mode blends all three together using Mayer’s own mic placements and EQ settings, recreating his full live and studio signal path without manual balancing.
Key Features:
- Three Forensically-Modeled Amps — Fender Vibroverb, Dumble Steel String Singer, and Two-Rock Signature Prototype
- Three-in-One Amp Mode blending all three with Mayer’s exact settings and mic placements
- Five Modeled Pedals, including a Klon Centaur recreation (Halfman OD), a Tube Screamer/Bluesbreaker dual-drive (Tealbreaker), a boost pedal (Justa Boost), and a Q-Tron-style filter (Antelope Filter)
- Studio-Grade Post Effects: Dream Delay, Studio Verb (Hall/Plate), a 4-band semi-parametric EQ, and a Distressor-modeled compressor
- Matching Cabinets for each amp, including his Dumble cab loaded with a vintage EVM12L speaker
Compatibility: macOS 13 or higher, Windows 10 or higher, 64-bit only. VST2, VST3, AU, and AAX formats, plus standalone.
Summary: This is less a typical Archetype plugin and more a museum piece you can actually play — Mayer’s rig has been an object of guitarist obsession for years precisely because almost nobody could access it. If clean, dynamic, boutique-amp tone is what you’re after, this is worth it on its own.
Conclusion: Choosing the Right Neural DSP Plugins
That’s eight Neural DSP plugins covering an enormous range of guitar tone — from Gojira’s wall-of-sound metal and Fortin NTS Suite’s high-gain aggression, to Cory Wong’s funk-clean snap and John Mayer X’s boutique blues warmth.
If you’re chasing a specific artist’s exact tone, start with their namesake plugin — that’s the whole point of the Archetype series. If you’re after versatility instead, Archetype: Tim Henson X and Archetype: Petrucci X are the two most feature-packed options here, both recently rebuilt with expanded effects and Quad Cortex compatibility on the way.
And if you’re a bass player, don’t skip Parallax — it’s easy to overlook in a list dominated by guitar amps, but its multiband distortion is genuinely one of the best tools available for getting a mix-ready bass tone without extensive extra processing.
The Integraudio Editorial Team consists of experienced music producers, audio engineers, and plugin enthusiasts dedicated to providing in-depth reviews and guides for music production software.