Get started
Install, launch & play
Everything you need to get a guitar signal running through rusty-amp — and the full keyboard map once you're in.
What you need
- A guitar and an audio interface with a high-impedance instrument input (e.g. Focusrite Scarlett).
- Speakers or headphones — for the full stereo image, use stereo output.
Install
The fastest way to start is a pre-built binary — presets are baked in, so there's nothing else to download. Grab the latest from Releases, or build from source.
macOS (Apple Silicon)
curl -L https://github.com/danylokravchenko/rusty-amp/releases/latest/download/rusty-amp-macos-aarch64 -o rusty-amp
chmod +x rusty-amp
# Remove the macOS quarantine flag (required for unsigned binaries)
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine rusty-amp
./rusty-amp
Linux (x86_64)
curl -L https://github.com/danylokravchenko/rusty-amp/releases/latest/download/rusty-amp-linux-x86_64 -o rusty-amp
chmod +x rusty-amp
./rusty-amp
Build from source
Runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Requires Rust 1.95+ (rustup recommended).
cargo run --release
# or after building:
./target/release/rusty-amp
CLAP plugin hosting is on by default. For a minimal amp with no plugin dependencies, build with cargo run --release --no-default-features — see Plugins.
Startup flow
- Select input device — your audio interface appears in the list.
- Select guitar input channel — a Focusrite 2i2 has 2; guitar is usually channel 2 if plugged into Input 2.
- Select output device — pick your speakers or headphones.
The processed signal is true stereo: the left channel goes to output 0, the right to output 1 (a mono output device receives the summed mix). On a stereo interface or headphones you hear the full multi-mic cab spread, ping-pong delay, and stereo reverb.
Controls
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
| Tab / Shift-Tab | Jump between sections |
| ← / → | Move focus one knob at a time within the focused section |
| ↑ / + / = | Increase focused knob by 5% — or cycle amp model forward on the selector row |
| ↓ / - | Decrease focused knob by 5% — or cycle amp model backward on the selector row |
| A | Cycle amp model forward (works from any section) |
| C | Cycle cabinet model (Mesa V30 → Marshall Greenback → Orange PPC412) |
| I | Open the cabinet-IR browser to load/clear an external .wav IR (see IRs) |
| X | A/B between a loaded external IR and the built-in cab (once an IR is loaded) |
| Space | Toggle (bypass) the focused pedal — or open the Add pedal picker on the + ADD tile |
| Enter | Open the Add pedal picker when the + ADD tile is focused |
| D | Remove the focused pedal from the board (bypassed and hidden — re-add it from + ADD) |
| P | Open the preset browser overlay |
| T | Open the tuner — bypasses the rig for a clean signal |
| M | Open the metronome — an adjustable click that plays along but stays out of recordings |
| V | Open the CLAP plugin browser |
| S | Save the current state as a new user preset |
| R | Start / stop recording — saves a WAV file to your home directory when stopped |
| Q / Ctrl-C | Quit |
Focus starts on the selector row (amp + cabinet). Tab moves down through the amp, cabinet mics, each pedal on the board, and finally the + ADD tile. See the pedalboard for add/remove details, and Presets for the browser and save dialog.