Modeler and profiler for blind guitarists

Hi,
About ten years ago, I thought I would get back into my guitar playing again. So I bought an amp with physical nobs and sliders, and it had stuff like distortion, reverb, and other stuff like flange etc.. It was a micro cube ampp, and it was really small. I never wanted a big amp or stage amp or anything like that. I got a jack lead with a 3.5 end because I wanted to connect my amp to my computer, so I could play along to my mp3 files and stuff on YouTube. I can't remember the exact setup, but it worked. I think I had 2 leads, one that plugged into my computer and amp, and the other to plug into my amp and guitar. I don't know what these modeller and profile things are at all. I've never even heard of something like this. I had a distortion pedal and a wah pedal back in the day too. I played guitar from the late nineties until the mid 2000s, and never really got into technology and using this stuff. I just used my foot to control the pedals. Quite a few years back here on Applevis, I saw an app in the app directory where you could connect your phone to your amp, and get effects that way. Maybe you could search the app directory here on Applevis. I really can't remember what it's called now. Maybe you could look into audio interfaces? Apparently you can connect stuff to them, and download effects or something. And try asking on audiogames.net in their off-topic room, there might be musicians there. The amp I bought about ten years ago didn't have or need any sort of app to work, it just worked! Maybe you should look into an amp that doesn't need an app to work or investigate audio interfaces and connecting stuff to them.

Not gunna lie, there's nothing wrong with going old school in fact, I'd recommend it if you're just playing at home. Ya don't need all these modeling amp sims however with that being said, they're great if you don't wanna have to lug big amps on stage and instead have everything stored in one box / pedal and you just wanna plug everything in FOH. I've got the line6 helix HX stomp and it's not a bad unit, however software could be better by far but if you know how to get around with OCR, it's not terrible, there's no IPhone or IPad app for this though, kind of wish there was one. I know a friend who's able to do a ton with the line6 helix software and he uses it quite well.

I think the issue is that these days everybody wants an app for everything. I have even seen posts on here asking for an app to run a slow cooker. A slow cooker! So yeah, I would also agree that you do not need to have an app for something like this. Although, I can see the potential convenience of a working app for certain situations. 🤷🏽‍♂️

But, at the same time, it's frustrating to know that Fractal products, which are like one of the most expensive guitar gear out there, aren't accessible for the blind.

I am absolutely envious of all of you who can actually play a guitar. Something I have always wanted to learn, along with the violin, but never had the opportunity to do so. Maybe in my next life… 🤔

NP, I don't know everything about the line 6 and fact, been trying to get in contact with my buddy to see if he's got tips for me on how to better navigate the software side of things. I'm only using the onboard software. There are a ton of shortcut keys though two so I guess that helps some what.

That’s interesting that you said the katana app library is accessible. I’ve looked at the katana MKII a couple of times, but dismissed it because I have the boss ME90 and the app for controlling that via Bluetooth is not accessible at all. So I feel your pain and frustration. I also tried the Spark app awhile ago, it was clunky at best, not completely unusable but not a great experience at all. I wish there was a way to get our voices heard in this market.

Hello.

In the 90s I had just enough sight to use digital rack mount equipment. Technology was amazing for the time.

When I came back to guitar in 2020 I wanted to use digital gear, but I haven't found a way.

My compromise is to use a Fender Champion II 50 with a couple of pedals in front of it, depending on what sound I want.

Hi Vainer,
Sorry you didn't like the micro cube. Here on Applevis under the music category of the iOS app directory, there's an app called AmpKit. https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/music/ampkit-guitar-amps-pedals At the time it was posted it was apparently accessible with VoiceOver, but who knows what it's like now. Maybe you could give it a try.

Hi All,

I've used Ampkit Plus on both my iPhone & iPad. It is completely accessible & works very well. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, it hasn't had any updates or additions in years. To bad, as it's great!

I, currently, use a Boss Katana MK II Artist, with the Boss Tone Studio software & the Xsonic AirKat with it's 3RD party Katana Librarian via bluetooth on my iPad. Both setups work great. But, I really like the AirKat, as it's librarian unlocks secret or hidden amps.

I have a link in an eMail, somewhere in my email client for some youtube videos in which Phil Muir demonstrates access to the Kemper Profiler as a blind user. Also, last summer I purchased the newer model of the Fender Mustang GTX 100. It's App is completely accessible & works well via bluetooth. Unfortunately, it's WIFI connection was problematic in my house. This is necessary to backup, download &/or update the amp. I nearly cried, when I took back to 2ND amp to Guitar Center. I loved the clean tones that much.

Hope all of this helps,

CJ

Vainer,

Here's a link to Phil's youtube play list....6 videos...on using the Kemper Stage with Rig Manager & a screen reader. I hope it helps!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtjtUb8_B9LD5ukMfd22CkNsEZTLJjLpC

Troubadour

Agree. I love music and wish I was born with the talent of playing it. Even as a sighted could not understand paintings romantic period and others. Also have a lady friend who is blind got a guitar and would like to play it. Any app or info for lessons? Keep warm all.

When I wrote about Ampkit, Boss's Katana & the Kemper Profiler; I forgot about another accessible Multi Effect Processor that's accessible. Zoom's G6's IOS app was, actually, written with blind user's & Voice Over in mind. Unfortunately, they didn't include the flagship model, G10, in their thinking. But, the G6 is pretty good.

This is on my radar for a soon to occur purchase,

Troubadour

Have you considered Bill Brown's www.musicvi.com? Hundreds of audio lessons for blind musicians. Also, a lot of the material is on NLS's BARD, if you have access to that service. There's a series for beginning blind guitarists.

Troubadour

For those interested in learning, apart from Bill Brown there is TrueFire.
https://truefire.com/online-guitar-lessons-cc
Their platform is pretty good with a screen reader,, or at least they were when I tried it a few years ago. The beginner courses tell you about finger positionings, strings, and frets to play, so good for a blind guitarist. I tried their website and their iOS app, and they were pretty good. There were a few unlabelled things on the app but it was OK. The website worked the best with Firefox on Windows. I'm suggesting TrueFire because it focuses a lot on rock, whereas Bill Brown is more country and bluegrass stuff with some rock thrown in. TrueFire has a lot more genres to choose from.

Actually, Bill Brown has more Rock & Blues titles than anything else! Might want to check it out again.

Thanks, just checked out the site again. There are in fact way more rock tracks than I realised.

No problem. &, just a reminder, if you have access to BARD, a lot of those titles are there.

All the best,

Troubadour

Personally, I do not think I am capable of learning a strings instrument at this stage of my life. However, I have a blind lady friend who is trying to pick up the ukulele. Maybe she could benefit from one of these websites, or BARD, as she does have access to that. 😆🎸

Brian,

If she has BARD, then Bill Brown's title, "ukulele for the Visually Impaired" is available to her. It's a full introductory course for a beginning blind player of the instrument. All the best,

Troubadour

I will let her know. 🙂

So there are two versions of this book on BARD:
1. Intro to Baritone Ukulele for the Visually Impaired by Bill Brown.
2. Intro to Soprano Ukulele for the Visually Impaired by Bill Brown.

Any recommendation on which one she should get?

Thanks in advance. 😅

Brian,

Depends on which Uke she has? Ukulele's are broken in to 4 types. I.E. soprano, tenner, concert or baritone. If memory serves me correctly, the first title is for soprano & tenner. I think concert Uke, also, falls in to this catagory. Baritone Ukes are, basically, the same as the highest sounding 4 strings of the guitar. Again, it's been a while since I looked in to this subject, so do some investigation.

All the best,

Troubadour

Thanks! I will let her know. 😌👍

I used to own a Fender GTX-100 amp with footswitch. As it turns out, the Fender Tone app for the GTX amp is very accessible. I was able to create and modify patches easily on the amp via Fender's app. If you want both an amp and effects, I found it to be very workable.

Hello everyone,
I would like to ask if anyone has experience with the Boss ME-90 computer application. Is it accessible with screen readers, particularly when using the IR loader?
Additionally, I’m curious if anyone here uses audio plugins on Windows. Which ones have you found to be accessible with NVDA?
Thank you very much for any guidance or recommendations!

Noted that no one had responded, so thought I'd @ least give it a shot. Typically, Boss's Tone Studio has been hit & miss. I had no luck with the ME-70 or ME-80. But on my Mac, Tone Studio does work with my Katana Artist MKII. Don't know your location, but in the states, I'd purchase the unit @ Guitar Center & have 45-days to test it before i'd have to return it for a full refund if needed.

Wish you all the best & let us know if you get it working,

Troubadour

*** I realized a little too late this is dealing with hardware, so go down and I talk about the Fractal Audio units. ***

Hey.

So I was googling about, seeing if anyone else was talking about guitar plugins and modeling units for blind users and stumbled upon this thread. I'll cut to the meat and potatoes:

1. Using a computer and audio interface is cheaper generally, and can give you many options of plugins. REAPER is a great DAW and only 60 bucks US to buy a personal license. Or just use the trial :) see if you like it first.
Once you have a good interface, you can look at amp simulation plugins. There are literally thousands at this point, and lots of free ones. They vary in levels of accessibility and realism, but a few good options are:
1. Nam universal (free):
https://wavemind.net

Kuassa (paid, very reasonable prices):
https://kuassa.com

Kazrog Airline V15 and Ampcraft - 1992 (paid, no license protection, very realistic, can't say enough good things):
https://kazrog.com

Mercuriall Audio Ampbox (paid with free older plugins; each amp is a separate purchase, kinda buy what you like):
https://mercuriall.com

VtarAmps (i can't remember the site offhand and am typing on the move, but search that name and you'll find the website. Free and paid stuff, windows only, no license bs just play forever. No cabinet modeling though. You need an external IR loader plugin).

Audiority and Polychrome DSP (both companies ran by the same dev; Audiority primarily focuses on pedals and solidstate things and effects. Polychrome DSP makes great stuff though it's pricy.):
https://audiority.com
https://polychromedsp.com
(Italian developer as well, just putting that in there. I have most of their plugs).

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Avoid anything by IK multimedia, Positive Grid, Neural DSP and Otto Audio. Well, Otto you can buy some of his IR packs, but I absolutely refuse to be chained to iLok in 2026. There's not one reason someone can convince me to use it. Yes, Neural DSP does make excellent plugins but they're not cheap and basically just recycling things from their initial plugin launches and throwing in a new amp model to switch it up.

I only covered a few companies and there's plenty more. NalexSoft makes a few good free plugins that sound excellent, and you can even edit the circuits that are modeled because they are raw text files. Not much of an accessibility barrier there, I'll say that! :P

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Fractal Audio, the joy of a box that is meant for guitar:

It is possible to use something like the Axe FX III or smaller units (FM9, FM3, AM4) without sight. The modelers can be connnected to a PC or Mac via USB and controlled with editor software. This allows you to do everything you can on the unit itself, but on a computer. This includes (and I can confirm this working as I own the FM3):
1. Creating detailed presets.
2. Configuring the footswitches on a global and per-preset level..
3. Perform reamping via USB audio to convert a DI guitar signal to a fully processed amp and cabinet tone.
4. Edit advanced amp and other effect parameters to mind-numbing depth, and save the results as a template so you can recall it later.
5. Back up your device so you can save your presets to external media and reload them should something happen to your unit or you go on a rampage breaking presets (lol)

----

Playing through a plugin and DAW setup with an interface is going to be more latent than a hardware modeler. The difference isn't much, but it can be felt. I've been an ampsim and plugin user, both jamming and recording pro-level music, for about fifteen years. I only recently bought a Fractal FM3 after hearing from a couple other blind people that it can be used. The feel of playing a high-end modeler will be better, but you're putting a lot of money into it. Learning how the editor software works with NVDA or VoiceOver will be essential to getting the majority of the unit's functions realized. Basically, it will be a lot of playing around and designing test presets, checking your work over and over again and practicing building your sounds until it's second nature.

One could argue that learning the basics of REAPER or some other DAW to use plugins will also take time, but it's pretty different. Not to mention the tips and tricks for each plugin will be a little different though folow the same general pattern: Load the plug on a track, see if the native UI is accessible, perhaps flick through presets etc, and see how much of the amp/rig parameters are exposed through automation parameters.
With something like the AM4 or FM3 modelers, you're learning one editor that controls the entire scope of that unit. That's about 300 amp models and almost as many other effects. Plus, no licensing frustrations with a hardware modeler. You own it, you plug into it, and you enjoy its tones.
(Ironically Fractal Audio just released some plugins. But they're iLok, so no thanky.)

Both plugins and hardware modelers have their place, and I think there's a place for both. As blind people, we have to be pickier about buying this and that because we can't just see the Ui or touch the controls without putting our cash down first. This is especially true with Fractal. You can't just buy or test the Axe III at Guitar Center. So if you want a lower priced entry into great tones, I'd invest in a good interface and some headphones or monitors. Audio monitors that is. And maybe try out NAM Universal. Most people new to amp modeling will find this more than satisfactory.

If you really want the best tone, but you'll have to put a bit of work into learning the complexity, go with a Fractal unit. You can kinda cut down on the complexity a bit if you go with an AM4 because the majority of the controls and such have been consolidated into simpler signal chains. This also means it's not as flexible. Still, the amp modeling and reverbs are fantastic.

I should also point out that WaveMind, makers of NAM Universal, do some paid plugins also. At the moment they're mostly metal music oriented (not a problem for me as I play metal). A good one to kick it off with is AmpSuite Rev F. It's a great sim of a MesaBoogie dual rectifier. The activation process is straightforward and everything is laid out nicely in automation parameters as well as the native user interface. I'm using Windows 10 and 11 with NVDA.

As for other modelers like the Line 6 Helix and Ndsp Quad Cortex, I haven't checked into those yet. I imagine the only way to use the Quad Cortex is through the editor, at least initially because of the touchscreen. So it would depend on the editors being accessible. Line 6 hasn't cared much about a11y in the Past, so I doubt their editor will be that useful either. As it stands, the Fractal editors kind of suck too but they are usable enough if you have lots of hotspots or NVDA's golden cursor addon installed. That's vital to not pulling your hair out.

Any questions, feel free to post and I'll answer as best I can. I almost never come on here, but ow'll keep checking this every once in a while.

cheers!

edit: included message about being hardware oriented, sorry for all the plugin stuff at the top :)

First, thanks for the detailed comment. Lots & lots of food for thought in your post. I tend to lean towards hardware solutions, because the thought of a computer setup for pllaying out just leaves me queasy. To many variables to fail in front of everyone. Really, I feel the nausea just thinking about it...*Smile*

Couple of questions? Have you tried the Fractal editor on the Mac? I'm considering that unit or a Kemper Profiler as my next big investment.

Anyway, thanks again, for all this food for thought.

Troubadour

Thank you for your very complete comment. I didn't know it was possible to use plugins in Reaper, so I bought a UAD Lion and plugged it into the interface and put the loops in Reaper. I will test the plugins you recommended. Thank you very much!

Hello,

I have not personally used the Mac to use FM3-Edit, but from these demos on Youtube the Windows and Mac interfaces seem almost the same. The main differences with the Mac is no installation of drivers whereas Windows requires the ASIO and serial USB com port driver.

This Simon Simon fellow did a three part video set on his channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@simonsimon325/videos

THERE is no playlist of it or I'd have linked it directly, but they're easy to find.
He mentions needing some kind of hot spot manager like Keyboard Maestro. The builtin VO Hotspots always stop working after a few minutes or you re-open an app, etc. I can attest to this; even back in the Lion and Mountain Lion days this stupf's been broken.
But from his demos, the Mac Fractal editors work about as good as the Windows ones.

I haven't looked into the Kemper Profiler. The sound quality isn't as good as a component-based modeler like the Fractal units, and you also have to register your Kemper with the Rig Manager software just to use it. Seems mighty inconvenient to register a companion app for something so expensive. Fractal software, you just plug in and it connects to the FM3 or whatnot.

hey vainer

I use the GOLDEN Cursor NVDA Addon. It can be found in the addon store. You navigate the editor with object navigation commands. It's not laid out nicely but it works.
Set up a few areas you wish to immediately jump to or click with the mouse using golden cursor.

I don't use the factory presets. In fact, I deleted them all and have a full 512 preset slots I can fill as I need.
Building a preset from scratch is pretty straightforward, and once you have a few starters/templates you can just save copies of those in different slots and with different amps, cabs, fx and so on.

Also, be sure to read the fractal audio wiki and the manuals if you're serious about getting one of these. They're fantastic units, but extremely detailed and flexible.

Best of luck, and keep the questions coming.

ps: I'm getting an audio guide planned for the Fractals, so whenever that's done I'll post a link to it here.
.

https://wiki.fractalaudio.com