Virtual Instrument Guitar
Mallory Chowansky
Some versions of SONAR included AAS Strum Session, Dimension Pro had some guitar programs (some were included in Cakewalk Sound Center), so did Rapture and Rapture Session probably did too, I can't say for sure as I have Rapture Pro with definitely has guitar programs.
Not to mention that free or cheap instruments are a dime a dozen now, literally. Have you checked out the free Ample acoustic guitar? It's excellent! Ample Guitar M Lite II aim to bring the Martin D-41 Acoustic Guitar sound to your studio. -Instruments/64-Virtual-Instrument/4520-Ample-Guitar-M-Lite-II
@abacab, Thank you for your thoughts. I have Amplesound's free acoustic Martin and Fender electric bass. Both are extraordinary instruments considering they are free. I imagine the paid, full featured virtual instruments are outstanding. The free Spicy Guitar virtual instrument has some interesting sounds.
I appreciate all the responses. I'm not looking for third party guitar plug-ins as I have several. I was more thinking out loud and wondering why no DAWs that I know of include virtual guitars since guitar is so prevalent in western pop music.
I'm not looking for third party guitar plug-ins as I have several. I was more thinking out loud and wondering why no DAWs that I know of include virtual guitars since guitar is so prevalent in western pop music.
True, which is also the case with Ableton Live, although the guitar samples they include with their instrument rack and sampler are probably more suitable for electronic music. But with the integrated sampler in Live, one could import any guitar samples they wish.
Going back to the OP, I will submit the distinction that the connotation of "virtual guitar" speaks to a more elaborate instrument than just a sampler with guitar samples. Although with a bit of effort, one could make that work. I have several 3rd party virtual guitars and they all offer much more than pure sample playback for realism, such as keyswitches and modulations, to easily trigger different guitar articulations from within a single preset. This allows a keyboardist to sound a bit more like a guitar player.
IMHO, such purpose built virtual guitar instruments are a premium product and not likely to be bundled with any DAW, as the necessary bundle price would push it beyond the cost anyone would be willing to pay for a DAW. I would suggest that premium and boutique instruments have generally always been ala carte 3rd party choices. For example, just look at the success Native Instruments has had with their sample based instruments!
As already stated, most DAWs have some form of guitar preset but are generally more suited for electronic music rather than quality guitar emulation. I think this is because to truly get a convincing guitar sound takes either very innovative modeling ( like IK's MODO bass or AAS strum session) or heavy sampling and advanced articulations like Kontakt. The expense is probably not worth it. Oddly enough, Maschine may offer the best non-third-party guitar since it includes Komplete Select. The factory guitars are not bad that come with Kontakt player. Also, several DAWs have given away decent guitar plugs via third party. Cakewalk used to give away strum session and Presonus gave away Sparkle. I think overall, developing a guitar plugin pleasing to actual guitarists is more challenging than developing workhorse synths and romplers.
As abacab eluded to, If I developed a truly quality guitar plug that was more than simply a collection of samples, I would sell as a premium product. This is exactly what native instruments does. You receive ok guitars free but for as low as $50 (often on sale for half) you can have a session guitarist instrument that works in free player.
Playing a guitar via a piano keyboard is so unintuitive, I can't seem to get my brain to do the learning required to get the articulations and patterns that I can achieve almost sub-consciously with my hands on the strings.
I see the guitars are part of the Core sample package. However, this instrument package is not included with the Artist edition but it is included with the subscription version of Studio One or the $399 retail Pro edition. Since the Presence XT sampler is available in all editions it might would be cheaper to get the Studio One Artist edition and then purchase the acoustic guitar and electric guitars sample packages separately.
You may run into some sonic issues if you attempt to build an entire song using sample libraries in place of real guitars, especially when it comes to strumming chords or particular dynamics on an emotional solo.
As I mentioned earlier (you may have missed it, I only spent the entire introduction talking about it) the nuances of guitars are traditionally difficult to perfect for digital playing, so most producers tend to avoid virtual guitars and supplement a lack of equipment/space with a virtual amp.
By contrast, amp VSTfxs are employed to alter sound and can only be applied to a MIDI track plugin effects chain after a virtual instrument is applied (however on audio tracks, virtual amps can be placed anywhere on the signal chain to affect recordings from guitars, keyboards and even vocals).
Typically the best guitar VSTis for cinematic/symphonic composition are, you guessed it, orchestral guitars. These are often acoustic and come in a larger library or bundle with strings, horns, woodwinds and so on.
However, once you put the effort into learning keyswitches, different articulations, rhythms and programming settings on any given sample library, you will notice that many of the more developed virtual guitars begin to resemble something not too dissimilar from the real thing.
My recommendation is: find a creative use for them. Spruce them up using additional virtual amps and saturators, use them in situations that will complement their unique sound, not accentuate the brittleness and artificialness.
But perhaps a lo-fi song with a bitcrusher applied to each track, or a solo piece with nothing but acoustic guitar software, or a club banger that deliberately brings out the unnatural makeup of many virtual guitars might work perfectly.
For those that are lazy or bad at guitar (I unabashedly raise my hand at both suggestions) it can just be easier to record demos or guitar riffs to test how they sound via a MIDI keyboard than having to setup, practice and play with a mic, amp and guitar.
While their sound may not be as faithful to the real deal as other VSTis, the use of virtual guitars is only limited by your creativity and imagination. In the wild, wild world of music composition, for better, and quite often, for worse: anything goes.
The deluxe pack comes alongside 237 guitar playing patterns, including riffs, reverse scores, arpeggios and others that do a good job of capturing the nuances of recording a real guitar.
I mentioned earlier in the piece that it would be a good idea to split your guitar VSTis based on necessity to maximize their output to sound as realistic as possible, so if you need a backing guitar to strum some chords, you need look no further than the appropriately named Strummed Acoustic.
Like everything else in the NI line, this program has numerous settings that can be altered, leaving the user (aka me) cackling like a mad scientist while turning knob after knob and creating something interesting with every decision.
Each note contains up to nine variations, giving this program the sense of realism required to emulate a classical guitar, which can be quite complex in both playstyle and the songs it plays.
We all know the sound of the Slap Bass (80s synthpop sends its warmest regards) and rightly or wrongly, it is a sound that is oft-ignored in productions nowadays. Waves intended to fill that market gap, and in so doing created a versatile, high-quality virtual instrument that has application far beyond the generic idea of the right time to slap and thump a bass.
Using high-fidelity samples from a 5-stringer, Bass Slapper includes the sounds of thumbing, strings popping, pull-offs, mutes, slides and pretty much anything else a bassist could want to emulate realism.
Significantly, this plugin comes paired with a series of stompboxes (essentially pedals) which allow for on-board tonality changes that can totally alter the sound to marry whatever style/genre your current project is in.
This program is perfect for crafting intense, edgy sonic spaces and in-depth sound design, which can serve as company for your next great post-rock song, or just be general ambience for a game or film score.
If you need resonances to create a sprawling intro for your next ambient pop song, or a wall of distortion for added texture in your brazen rip-off of every shoegaze song ever, look no further than the appropriately named Ambient Guitars.
Many of those in the diverse genre space that the PianoDreamers audience occupies may find such software to be perfectly suited to their own recordings. The only way to know for sure is to try it out.
Not everyone is privileged enough to own a guitar, play a couple of chords on it, or have the necessary microphones and interfaces to record it, and these VSTis can make for a more than acceptable substitute.
After watching your treatise, I am wondering if either the NATIVE INSTRUMENTS SUNBURST DELUXE or THE SHREDDAGE 3 can enhance my LIVE PERFORMANCE.
I can blend both the Computer generated sound with my normal guitar sound.
If you are serious about creating truly realistic sounding solo and accompaniment guitar stuff for your songs, our product called RealGuitar is just what you need. RealGuitar is a sample-based virtual instrument with an innovative approach to guitar sound modeling and guitar part performing on keyboard.
We've carefully and meticulously recorded high quality samples of each fret of all acoustic guitar strings. RealGuitar sample library includes not only sustain sounds, but also other guitar-specific sounds and noises with dynamics and nuances an experienced performer can get from his/her instrument.
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