Neural DSP Archetype: Gojira X guitar amp simulator: features and spec-based rating

Neural DSP’s Archetype: Gojira X is an amp simulator from Neural DSP (a company that makes sound processing run on dedicated hardware) that recreates the sound of Gojira’s Joe Duplantier. It includes three amps, clean, crunch (Rust) and high gain (Hot), and pitch, distortion and spatial effects.

A guitar amp simulator recreates the sound of real guitar amps and effects pedals inside your computer. Even without an amp, you can shape a guitar sound and record.

In this article we compare Archetype: Gojira X with 18 guitar amp simulators and rate how well it serves its purpose on three criteria. The basis is official manufacturer information.

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Summary

Among the 18 guitar amp simulators, Archetype: Gojira X is rank B. The ranks run S, A, B and C, and B is third from the top. Averaging the scores for each criterion (out of 5, with the one criterion that matters most for the purpose counted double) gives 3.0.

Strengths

• Recording and practice (4 points): it has features that are handy for practice and home recording.
• Modeling technology (4 points): it uses its own technology that captures the response of real gear.

Things to keep in mind

• Also usable for bass (1 points): it includes few or no bass amps.

Who it suits: people who want to make everything from heavy metal riffs to clean tones with one plug-in

Main features of Archetype: Gojira X

Three amps made with Joe Duplantier of Gojira

Archetype: Gojira X is a plug-in packed with the sound of Joe Duplantier, guitarist of the metal band Gojira. It has three amps: a vintage tube amp, RUST with a very wide gain range, and an ultra-high-gain amp for leads. Each amp also has a nine-band graphic EQ.

Pitch and distortion pedals

WOW is a pitch shifter that sweeps the pitch up and down, and it can also be controlled by MIDI. OCT is an octaver that adds sounds one and two octaves below. There are also overdrive, distortion, phaser and chorus, so you can make the sound of heavy riffs.

A cabinet section made by Nolly

The cabinet section includes hundreds of IRs made by Adam “Nolly” Getgood, and you can place six virtual microphones around the speaker. You can also load your own IRs. Transpose changes the tuning up or down, and Doubler gives the width of two tracks recorded and layered.

Where it is useful

• Recording heavy metal riffs in a Gojira-like high-gain sound
• Using OCT to make a thick riff with a note an octave below added
• Running it standalone and practicing with the tuner and metronome

Rating by criterion

Range of tones: 3 / 5

We look at the choices of amps, cabinets, microphones and so on.

It has three amps and effects such as pitch (WOW, OCT), distortion, phaser, chorus, delay and reverb, and you can load your own IRs.

Recording and practice: 4 / 5

We look at features that help with home recording and practice.

You can run it as a standalone app, which has a tuner and a metronome (when run standalone).

Modeling technology: 4 / 5

We look at the technology used to recreate real gear.

The cabinet section has hundreds of IRs made by Nolly and six virtual microphones you can move around the speaker.

Also usable for bass: 1 / 5

We look at whether it includes bass amps and the like, so you can record bass with it too.

It is made with amps and effects for guitar.

If “also usable for bass” matters most to you, AmpliTube 5 and Guitar Rig 7 Pro (5 points) are a better fit.

How we score (Guitar amp simulators)

Criterion	Basis	5 pt	4 pt	3 pt	2 pt	1 pt
Range of tones	Choices of amps, cabinets, microphones and so on	400 or more models, plus adjustment of microphone position, room and even your own IRs	Many amps and effects, plus loading your own IRs	Dozens of amps and effects can be combined	A small number of models (such as a free version)	—
Recording and practice	Features that help with home recording and practice	A recorder, a looper and a tuner are all included	Two or more, such as a looper and standalone use	Can be run as a standalone app	—	Not mentioned on the official page
Modeling technology	The technology used to recreate real gear	Has models made with machine learning or AI	Has its own IR (cabinet response) technology	Standard modeling	—	—
Also usable for bass	Whether it includes bass amps and the like, so you can record bass with it too	The official page states that it includes gear (amps and so on) for both guitar and bass	—	Stated to be usable for bass too (general-purpose processing)	—	No bass gear, or not mentioned

Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on how well the product serves one goal: recording guitar and bass through a line at home and making them sound like an amp. Scores follow the conditions in the table above, and the rank is based on an average in which "Range of tones" counts double. The basis is official manufacturer information. Sound quality and CPU load are not measured, so they are not scored; reviews from trade magazines are introduced in the articles for reference. Price is not part of the score. Features that cannot be confirmed from the manufacturer's or a retailer's description are scored as if absent. "Also usable for bass" is a criterion that answers the common search for "bass amp simulator". The "OBS (streaming)" column in the table shows whether the official page lists the VST2 format that the streaming software OBS Studio can use (○). OBS does not support the VST3 format. It is not part of the score.

Archetype: Gojira X system requirements and getting started

Operating system	Windows / Mac (Apple silicon supported)
Plug-in formats	VST2, VST3, AU, AAX (64-bit)
Standalone	Yes (with tuner and metronome)
Other	An iLok account is required (no USB key needed). It can also be used on the Quad Cortex
Trial	14-day trial available
OBS (streaming)	Works as it is (VST2 is listed)

Checked on the manufacturer’s official pages on September 27, 2026.

Compared with other guitar amp simulators

Click a heading to sort. On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.

Read next

• MGuitarArchitect: features and rating (rank B)
• Archetype: Nolly X: features and rating (rank B)
• BIAS FX 2: features and rating (rank A)
• TH-U: features and rating (rank A)