St. James Suite by Blackstar guitar amp plugin interface

St. James Suite: Guitar Amp Plugin Suite by Blackstar

Rated 4.7/5 on Plugin Boutique (46 ratings)

St. James Suite is a guitar amp plugin suite from Blackstar that combines two valve amp models, pre- and post-effects pedal boards, a speaker simulator and a master EQ. It is available as VST2, AU, AAX and standalone for Windows and macOS.

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01Overview

St. James Suite brings together Blackstar's St. James EL34 and 6L6 valve amp models in one package. The developer says the suite is built on decades of real-world amplifier design experience. The EL34 model is aimed at classic British crunch and US-style cleans, while the 6L6 model covers clean headroom through to high-gain overdrive. Pre-FX and Post-FX pedal boards, the CabRig speaker simulator, a Dept. 10 equalizer and a noise gate complete the signal chain, making the suite a self-contained guitar rig inside your DAW.

Best for

Classic British crunch
Modern metal rhythm tones
Pedal-driven guitar rigs
Guitar recording with speaker sims
Clean US-style guitar tones

Developer: Blackstar
Category: Amp Simulators
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Two valve amp models: St. James EL34 and 6L6
Pre-FX pedal board with Compressor, Drive, Chorus, Phaser
Post-FX pedal board with Flanger, Tremolo, Delay, Reverb
CabRig speaker simulator with 9 cabinets and 6 microphones
Dept. 10 Equaliser with four semi-parametric bands
Master EQ and noise gate included
Available as Standalone, VST2, AU and AAX
Runs on Windows and macOS

03In depth

Amp Models and Tone Character

The St. James EL34 is positioned for classic tones, combining British crunch with clean US-style sound. The developer describes its warmth and chime as the character associated with 1960s rock, and says it responds well when the power stage is pushed hard. It is also presented as a good platform for pedals placed in front of it.

The St. James 6L6 model is built around detail and clarity with clean headroom. Its highest-gain overdrive circuit from Blackstar is included. Channel II has two voices: Voice I uses a modern preamp gain stage with a British-style passive tone stack, while Voice II is designed for tight, articulate modern metal tones.

Pedal Boards, CabRig and EQ

The Pre-FX pedal board offers Compressor, Drive, Chorus and Phaser effects modeled on vintage pedals. The Post-FX pedal board adds Flanger, Tremolo, Delay and Reverb after the amp stage.

CabRig is Blackstar's DSP speaker simulator. It models a speaker, cabinet, microphone and room in one algorithm rather than using a snapshot impulse response. The developer states it has effectively zero latency and no phase mismatch. The included selection covers 9 Blackstar speaker cabinets and 6 industry-standard microphones. The Dept. 10 Equaliser, based on an analog rack unit, offers adjustable high and low cuts and four semi-parametric bands with selectable center frequencies.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	Blackstar
Type	Plugin
Category	Amp Simulator
Formats	VST2, AU, AAX, Standalone
Operating systems	Windows, macOS

05FAQ

Questions, answered

What is St. James Suite?

St. James Suite is a guitar amp plugin suite from Blackstar. It includes the St. James EL34 and 6L6 valve amp models, pre- and post-effects pedal boards, the CabRig speaker simulator, a Dept. 10 equalizer and a noise gate.

Which formats does St. James Suite support?

St. James Suite is available as VST2, AU, AAX and Standalone. It runs on Windows and macOS.

What do I need to run St. James Suite?

On Windows you need Windows 8 or later, an AMD Quad-Core processor such as the R3 2200G or higher, or an Intel Core i3 such as the i3-4130 or i5-2500 or higher, 8 GB of RAM and 350 MB of drive storage. On Mac you need macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later, an Intel Core i3 or better, 8 GB of RAM and 700 MB of drive storage. Authorization uses iLok License Manager and requires an internet connection.