Future of tube amplifiers: an essay

[fossilshark]

Hi all, time for my yearly post 

I gather you all here today for a thought experiment. Not a single person on any internet forum will have the same opinion on our beloved guitar amplifier circuitry but this forum has taught me so so much, so I would really like to hear what you guys think.

I have been working for a Hi-fi company for a while now and I have been contemplating ways to incorporate "hi-fi" circuit design into my guitar amplifier designs. Yes, there is no point; but hear me out.

Transistors and, as much as I hate to admit, digital technology marches forward at an unstoppable pace. Regardless of if you believe we have achieved the (for lack of a better term) "tube feel" in modeling circuits it cannot be denied that at some point there will be a solid state circuit that sounds indistinguishable from any of our favorite tube amplifier circuits.

Vacuum tube audio circuitry has effectively been at a standstill for a while. There hasn't been a new vacuum tube released since the 50s! There is only so many topologies that can be came up with for the same component until everything just becomes derivative.

That last statement was meant to get you riled up. Obviously there is advancements to be made in this field. Admittedly I cannot off the top of my head recall any better examples than mesa boogies work in the 80s but I am sure there is more examples out there.

Here is my question: What advancements do you guys see coming for tube guitar amplifiers in the future? What are your favorite advancements in tube amplifiers from decades gone by? Am I severely overlooking something?  Are we doomed to the way of the Dodo?

[bmccowan]

Hey Fossil (an appropriate handle for this discussion)
It would be foolish to argue that digital technology is not advancing. But I will argue with "doomed to go the way of the Dodo."
Here are only a few of the things that popular wisdom said were doomed to the dustbin:
Vinyl records
CDs
Cassettes
Film photography
"Polaroid" type instant photography
Portrait and landscape painting was largely considered on the way out when color photography was invented
Analog clocks and watches
Electric cars
Books
Banjos (just wishful thinking on some peoples' part)
No doubt that amongst casual electric guitar players, the trend toward digital amps will continue. Hell, if I did not like messing with tube circuits, I would most likely buy a small modeling amp that suits my lousy playing. But, a smaller group of serious players will stick with tube and hybrid designs (lets face it, plug a pedal board into a tube amp and you have a hybrid amplifier) and tube amps may someday nearly die out and then comeback like some of the items above)
Music is art. Artists experiment. Tubes and digital will co-exist. And in addition to playing music, many youngins will eventually learn that an iPhone and earbuds, or a tiny Bluetooth speaker are not musical nirvana.
 

[jjasilli]

I submit that tube amp design is at a standstill, because it has long since been perfected, in a few different ways. 


Modeling may eventually replace tube amps.


Meanwhile AI may eventually replace musicians.

[shooter]

Meanwhile AI may eventually replace musicians.

I've listened to a few "Ai musicians" the analog version's days are numbered 

[SEL49]

I've listened to a few "Ai musicians" the analog version's days are numbered 

I totally agree. Here's a sample of what baby AI can do. Just wait 'til he grows up!

[bmccowan]

So does AI shape the flints?

[shooter]

 
that's rev 2.7, it'll be released  by Christmas 


what Ai musician can do n does from my reads;


Ai has a near infinite database of "emotional" data, sample that and build your Ai song around the "national emotional pulse"  recipe for success, just like the 'ol analog data (headlines)  when songwriters "understood" the pulse of the current society


examples like; Dock of the Bay, Tiny pink houses........comes to mind.

[SEL49]

So does AI shape the flints?

Danny made all the points you saw in that video. He has a youtube channel where you can watch him making points.

I bet that AI could design a neat arrowhead, send the file to a 3D printer, and wake you up when the plastic masterpiece is done. 

[bmccowan]

I bet that AI could design a neat arrowhead, send the file to a 3D printer, and wake you up when the plastic masterpiece is done. 

Exactly the point in my sarcasm. The fact that we have cars that start every day, shift all by themselves, have "smart" cruise control and other self driving features won't stop a small group of us from rebuilding and driving 57 Chevys or 66 Alfas in my case.

[shooter]

to quote from a BOOK that I can't reference; ( )

"The old ways are good...."

[Platefire]

It's really beyond my comprehension how Ai could compose and play a song like "Whispers in the Mist"? Does this mean that Ai composes the words ,style and musician provides all the instrument sounds also. The requestor of the music must give it some kind of direction to go on! How much input do you give Ai to do that?
 
As far as the question about tube amps, I can't believe in the 70's I carried around a Peavey Roadmaster(200 watts) with a 6-12 cab with HF horn. No wonder my hearing is shot. Now I can see a traveling musician traveling lite a possible, especially us seniors:>)  That SS/digital stuff is really lite. I'm not sure about the sound and feel of the modelers because I'm still playing on my tube stuff.

shooter I won't say the name of the book you quoted out of either,  but it' the address is(I think) Jeremiah 6:16

[shooter]

but it' the address is

beyond my comprehension how Ai could compose and play a song like "Whispers in the Mist"? Does this mean that Ai composes the words ,style and musician provides all the instrument sounds also. The requestor of the music must give it some kind of direction to go on! How much input do you give Ai to do that?

Just had this discussion with my son, a guitarist, my understanding is the musician is still the "composer", genre', tempo, etal and it's more like a collaboration between man n machine

[EL34]

Just AI song creation info based on me experimenting with Suno
.
You, the composer have to give very detailed instructions on what you would like to hear
Suno then creates a few tunes for you based on your input

Not all of them are keepers and you may only gets sections that are what you are looking for and a bunch of stuff that is garbage
You can then edit or start from scratch again

So you are still the composer

[shooter]

Platefire;
last week i wound up on that street in a random drive by, number 49:3   (Hint Ai is destroyed) 

[Platefire]

Thanks Doug, glad we are still in the drivers seat, so far

shooter--did a drive by myself that address and sure enough Ai was snuffed out much to the dismay of the daughters of Rabba. but now it's back!

[shooter]

pretty sure many will be dismayed this go around also, this meme caught my eye the other day, pretty sure you'll find many examples along the Wide road, probably best sticking with the lonely narrow back roads from here on out.


aside;
amazing tribute song you posted