Q Virtual Amp Features Guide

Overview

Q Virtual Amp lets you plug in, build a pedalboard, save your favorite setups, and practice with built-in tools like a tuner and metronome.

This guide is meant to help you find things quickly and understand how to use them.

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Getting Around the App

Top menu bar

The menu bar runs across the top of the app and includes:

• File
• Set Input/Output Devices to choose your input, output, and input channel
• Save Pedalboard to save your current setup
• Load Pedalboard to open a saved setup
• Exit to close the app

• Edit
• Load Preset to quickly load built-in pedalboard starting points
• Comfortably Strum for a spacious, sustaining lead sound
• Purple Phase for a saturated fuzz tone with swirling movement
• Volcano for a hot, wide, high-gain lead voice
• Sultans of String for a clean, articulate, lightly driven tone
• Now is Soon for a chiming, pulsing clean texture
• Unsatisfied for a raw, buzzy, mid-forward fuzz sound
• This Child Ain't Mine for a smooth, singing rock lead tone
• Someone Knows for a thick, punchy desert-rock drive sound
• Czechia Epic for a layered, harmonically rich arena lead tone
• Stand Back for a bright, chorus-soaked clean sound
• Johnathan is Well for a snappy vintage overdrive tone
• Cows on a Jaunt for a tight, aggressive riff-driven distortion sound
• Unusual Concoction for a warm, smoky blues-rock voice
• Gosh for a dense, fuzzy wall-of-sound texture
• Able to Continue for a crisp, funky clean tone with bite
• Reset All Pedals to return every pedal to its default settings
• Clear Pedalboard to remove every pedal from the board

• View
• Show Tuner to show or hide the tuner in the Controls sidebar
• Show Metronome to show or hide the metronome in the Controls sidebar

• Help
• Getting Started
• End User License Agreement
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Service
• About

Controls sidebar

The Controls section is on the left side of the app. This is where you can:

• turn audio on or off
• use Direct Monitor
• adjust Master Volume on a 0–11 scale
• open and use the Tuner
• open and use the Metronome

Pedalboard area

The center of the app is your Pedalboard. This is where you:

• add pedals
• turn pedals on or off
• adjust pedal settings
• drag pedals into a different order
• remove or reset pedals

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Audio Setup

To start playing through the app:

1. Open File > Set Input/Output Devices.
2. Choose your input device and output device.
3. If your interface has more than one input, choose the input channel you want.
4. Use Start Audio in the Controls sidebar.

Helpful controls

• Direct Monitor lets you hear your clean signal without the pedalboard sound.
• Master Volume controls the overall output level.
• The level meter at the bottom helps you confirm that the app is receiving signal.

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Using the Tuner

The tuner is now part of the Controls sidebar instead of the pedal list.

• If it is hidden, turn it back on with View > Show Tuner.
• Click Start Tuner.
• Play one note at a time.
• Watch the display to see the note and whether you are centered on pitch.

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Using the Metronome

The metronome is also in the Controls sidebar.

• If it is hidden, turn it back on with View > Show Metronome.
• Set the BPM to the tempo you want.
• Set the time signature using the two number boxes.
• Click Start Metronome to begin the click.
• The flashing beat dots show where you are in the bar while it runs.

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Building a Pedalboard

Once the pedalboard is unlocked, you can build and manage your sound very quickly.

Add a pedal

• Click Add Pedal in the lower-right area of the pedalboard.
• Choose the effect you want from the list.

Turn a pedal on or off

• Click the small light/indicator next to the pedal name.
• When it is lit, the pedal is active.

Change settings

• Use the sliders on each pedal to shape the sound.
• Double-click a slider to return that one control to its default setting.

Reorder pedals

• Drag the colored strip on the left side of a pedal.
• Drop it into a new spot to change the order of your effects.

Reset or remove a pedal

• Use Reset Pedal to return a pedal to its default settings.
• Use Remove Pedal to take it off the board.

Save and load your setup

• Use File > Save Pedalboard to save your current setup as a .qvapb pedalboard file.
• Use File > Load Pedalboard to bring it back later.
• On Windows, installed .qvapb files can be associated with Q Virtual Amp and show the app icon.
• Use Edit > Load Preset when you want a fast built-in starting point and then tweak it to taste.

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Available Pedals

Drive and tone shaping

Movement and ambience

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Licensing

If the pedalboard is locked, you will see a message in the main area with an Activate License button directly underneath it.

• Click Activate License
• Paste your license key
• Press Activate

Once activated, the full pedalboard becomes available.

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Support

If you need help, contact support@herbdesigngroup.com.