The Dynatube range of guitar processors for the Scope platform bring real guitar sounds to the table for Scope users.  The convenience of having this emulation of both the amplifier and the cabinet is nothing short of a godsend especially for those working in space or noise restricted environments.  You can run a fully overdriven sound without pumping the volume to the max causing complaints from the neighbors. But it's not just the convenience of the Dynatube plug-ins that make them worthwhile, it's also the authenticity of the original brand tones (Marshall, Mesa Boogie, VOX and Fender Twin) that make these four amp/cab combinations a must-have. This month we review the JM Marshall combo.
For this review I will be discussing the Marshall version of the Dynatube plug-in, although it should be noted that if you own more than one model of the Dynatube range (four in total) that you will be able to mix and match the amp heads and cabinets.  It would be possible for example to run a Marshall amp through the Mesa Boogie cabinet etc. In order to get the best sound out of a Dynatube rig, the manual suggests that you should use a line level or pre-amplified signal from your analog inputs rather than plugging in the guitar direct.  For my purposes I found that excellent results could be achieved by pre-amplifying my guitar through a Digitech ValveFX unit, and applying effects at this stage rather than later on in Scope.  However, it is quite feasible to record your guitar dry and apply Dynatube plus Scope effects later on.  Whilst this approach has the advantage of being able to tweak the amp and cabinet sound later on, recording with Dynatube means that you can remove the Dynatube from your project and use the DSP power for some other devices.   Another advantage of using Dynatube is that it's designed to get greater distortion at lower volumes, so you do not have to crank the volume as high as you would on a real amplifier. Another addition to the Dynatube over a real amp is the 'Distance' knob which simulates the distance of the microphone from the cabinet, allowing for a variation between near field and far field tones. All in all the Dynatube can add a fantastic live crunch to otherwise boring DI guitar tones and is of great convenience over using real amps: volume, space and expense wise.