# Acoustic Guitar for Strumming - Your favorite?



## Tim_Wells (Nov 15, 2019)

Looking for programmability, realism, and (hopefully) great results.

I have done a forum search and the results are a bit hit and miss. 

I own Orange Tree Evolution Steel Strings, which is awesome for nearly everything. But IMO, the strumming tools seems a bit a awkward and my results (so far) are not great. I also own NI Strummed Acoustic, which sounds great. But it's basically loops and lacks programmability.

These look most interesting to me:
- Ample Sound Acoustic Guitars (Martin, Taylor, Gibson SJ 200, etc)
- AcousticSamples Sunbird & GD-6
- Indiginus Renegade

What have you gotten your best results with?


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## k4music (Nov 15, 2019)

I have Sunbird & GD-6. Like them a lot to program strums. OTS for leads.


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## R. Soul (Nov 15, 2019)

Another vote for Sunbird. Great for strumming.


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## Ashermusic (Nov 15, 2019)

Indigenous Renegade and Pettinhouse Acoustic Guitar 2.


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## Polkasound (Nov 15, 2019)

Orange Tree libraries are tops for leads, but when it comes to strumming, it just takes more time and patience (more than what I have, anyway) to get results. Last year I recorded a song that needed two measures of a very specific strummed sound requiring fine control over the performance, and an OT guitar worked perfectly. But that was two measures. I'd never program a whole song that way.

For strumming I use RealGuitar, because once you set your settings, you can pretty much record the entire performance on the fly. The trade-off is that it does sound a little more like a strumming engine than actual strumming, but I've found that reducing the pick noise in the mixer window reduces that effect and helps the track sit in a mix.

I also continue to use Pettinhouse for some things.


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## Zee (Nov 15, 2019)

Prominy's Hummingbird has recorded chord strums both as up and down strokes and also a very decent strumming engine, it takes a bit of time to get used to but it's worth it


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## Sarah Mancuso (Nov 15, 2019)

Between the AcousticSamples GD-6 and Sunbird, I much prefer the sound of the GD-6. The Sunbird has a nice rustic feel to it but it's always a struggle to get it to not sound terribly boxy. Neither of them have any sort of double-tracking support, though (and the haas effect definitely doesn't cut it for acoustic guitar!), and their auto chord recognition is often more of a hassle than a benefit.


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## dzilizzi (Nov 15, 2019)

I'm actually a big fan of UJam's Virtual Guitarist Amber. They have strums that slightly vary with a lot of presets. You set the key and it will play the chords from one note. change up the strumming each bar or so and it sounds pretty natural in a mix. I'm not sure if it would hold up on it's own for long. But it is a great rhythm guitar.


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## tav.one (Nov 15, 2019)

I get great results from MusicLab RealGuitar when I need full control.
NI’s strummed Libraries for simpler stuff.


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## NYC Composer (Nov 15, 2019)




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## Zee (Nov 15, 2019)

NYC Composer said:


>


Your power socket seems to be in shock(pun intended)


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 15, 2019)

NYC Composer said:


>


Ha Ha! Guess I was askin for that. Especially since I've played guitar for 50+ years. But in this case, I'm strictly interested in VIs.


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 15, 2019)

Sarah Mancuso said:


> Between the AcousticSamples GD-6 and Sunbird, I much prefer the sound of the GD-6. The Sunbird has a nice rustic feel to it but it's always a struggle to get it to not sound terribly boxy. Neither of them have any sort of double-tracking support, though (and the haas effect definitely doesn't cut it for acoustic guitar!), and their auto chord recognition is often more of a hassle than a benefit.


Good info! I had to look up what the haas effect was... 😊


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 15, 2019)

dzilizzi said:


> I'm actually a big fan of UJam's Virtual Guitarist Amber. They have strums that slightly vary with a lot of presets. You set the key and it will play the chords from one note. change up the strumming each bar or so and it sounds pretty natural in a mix. I'm not sure if it would hold up on it's own for long. But it is a great rhythm guitar.


Thanks, I will check it out. Is it all predefined patterns or can you program your own?


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 15, 2019)

Zee said:


> Prominy's Hummingbird has recorded chord strums both as up and down strokes and also a very decent strumming engine, it takes a bit of time to get used to but it's worth it


I'm glad you mentioned that, because I get Hummingbird confused with Sunbird. Two different things.


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 15, 2019)

k4music said:


> I have Sunbird & GD-6. Like them a lot to program strums. OTS for leads.





R. Soul said:


> Another vote for Sunbird. Great for strumming.



I was impressed by strumming capabilities of these in a random Youtube video I saw. Have you noticed the boxiness in Sunbird or the other issues that Sarah mentioned above?


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 15, 2019)

Polkasound said:


> Orange Tree libraries are tops for leads...
> For strumming I use RealGuitar, because once you set your settings, you can pretty much record the entire performance on the fly. The trade-off is that it does sound a little more like a strumming engine than actual strumming, but I've found that reducing the pick noise in the mixer window reduces that effect and helps the track sit in a mix. ...





tav.one said:


> I get great results from MusicLab RealGuitar when I need full control.



I'm gonna give RealGuitar a close look. Thanks! The flexibility and feature set look great.


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## R. Soul (Nov 15, 2019)

Tim_Wells said:


> I was impressed by strumming capabilities of these in a random Youtube video I saw. Have you noticed the boxiness in Sunbird or the other issues that Sarah mentioned above?


Not sure if it's boxiness, but I do agree that the overall tone is not as good as Orange tree's guitars for example. So yeah, it definitely needs some EQ'ing to get the best out of it.


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## dzilizzi (Nov 15, 2019)

Tim_Wells said:


> Thanks, I will check it out. Is it all predefined patterns or can you program your own?


Predefined. Makes it really quick. If you want to make your own, you are better off with Orange Tree or Real Guitar (MusicLab) Both offer the option to create your own patterns. 

Okay, I maybe take that back. You use the keyswitches to change the strum, but I usually go a bar before changing. So it would maybe strum 2 to 4 times in a bar then switch to a different pattern? I usually have 3 that I switch between for a verse and another 3 for the chorus, but add it stops and slides? I just found it to be the easiest to use for me.


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## Fleer (Nov 15, 2019)

I do prefer OrangeTreeSamples, particularly Evolution Songwriter and Jumbo 12.


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## 2chris (Nov 15, 2019)

I actually quite like the guitar on my Yamaha MODx. There are videos of people on youtube showing it's pretty great.

+1 for Orange Tree Samples. +1 For NI Strummed. Those are great.

Not yet mentioned and probably on sale - 8dio Instant Guitar and Advanced Guitar series. This one takes a little more work than the other two, but the benefit is that the picking is good. Listen to one of the demos of it alone and in a mix. For the price, there is value here.


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## NYC Composer (Nov 15, 2019)

Tim_Wells said:


> Ha Ha! Guess I was askin for that. Especially since I've played guitar for 50+ years. But in this case, I'm strictly interested in VIs.


Hehe 😜 me too (over 50 years for guitar.) I’m a keyboard player who plays mediocre guitar, but I find it more rewarding to play parts in. It’s fun to struggle a little playing something live (though my mandolin and fiddle playing are REALLY hard to listen to.)


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## Fleer (Nov 15, 2019)

Same timeline here  and still all thumbs on keys as well as guitars, but loving it.


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## k4music (Nov 15, 2019)

Tim_Wells said:


> I was impressed by strumming capabilities of these in a random Youtube video I saw. Have you noticed the boxiness in Sunbird or the other issues that Sarah mentioned above?


I like the tone of it and will also EQ it sometimes . I find them realistic mainly for programming strumming. BTW I actually got 4 guitars on a VST Buzz deal.


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 16, 2019)

NYC Composer said:


> Hehe 😜 me too (over 50 years for guitar.) I’m a keyboard player who plays mediocre guitar, but I find it more rewarding to play parts in. It’s fun to struggle a little playing something live (though my mandolin and fiddle playing are REALLY hard to listen to.)





Fleer said:


> Same timeline here  and still all thumbs on keys as well as guitars, but loving it.


I played guitar and sang for my living for many years. Mainly bars and restaurants. I always considered myself a good guitarist.

But to be brutally honest, once I really got into recording myself, I discovered I had a lot of timing issues. I also struggled to get a decent recorded sound on acoustic guitar. Then I discovered how good some of the VIs like Orange Tree are. I felt a bit like a kid in the candy store. No - it is not the same ... or as good... or as expressive... as a real guitar played by a good musician. There are real comprises using a VI. But it can sound really damn good! The flexibility and tweakability of a VI is amazing. So for me it really works well. YMMV. I may to get into a hybrid of using my real and fake guitars.


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 16, 2019)

2chris said:


> I actually quite like the guitar on my Yamaha MODx. There are videos of people on youtube showing it's pretty great.
> 
> +1 for Orange Tree Samples. +1 For NI Strummed. Those are great.
> 
> Not yet mentioned and probably on sale - 8dio Instant Guitar and Advanced Guitar series. This one takes a little more work than the other two, but the benefit is that the picking is good. Listen to one of the demos of it alone and in a mix. For the price, there is value here.


Would love to have a MODx. Does the guitar have articulations? I use an old Yamaha S80 as my main instrument. Has some great sounding pianos and keys. Guitars not so much.

I should put some more effort into getting a good strummed sound out of my Evolution Steel Strings. As I said, it's awesome for most things. There's probably a good strummed sound to be had with some effort. I'll check out the 8dio stuff.


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## Fleer (Nov 16, 2019)

Had a MODX. Even twice (88 and 61) but didn’t like the keybed. And I really wanted to as the sounds are very good indeed. Now I’m waiting for the next version with, hopefully, better keys. Or a Montage.


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## Monkberry (Nov 16, 2019)

Another veteran guitarist here coming up on 66 and started when I was 9 yrs old. I branched out to keys, drums and lead vocals in my early teens. I started adding VI guitars when Musiclab's Real Guitar was introduced. The strumming engine was super easy to use but I've since moved on to Ample Sound's Martin as well as the NI Session Guitarist series. Any lead playing I do with a Breedlove acoustic, Strat, or Gibson 335. It's simply much easier to play a real guitar when bending strings, palm muting and all other articulations happening in rapid fire. The NI Picked Acoustic sounds so good I could never mic up and play as cleanly so I'm thrilled to use that. If only we had today's tools when we were younger but better late than never and I learned a lot cutting my teeth in a studio with 2" tape. Especially having to commit to an idea!


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## NYC Composer (Nov 16, 2019)

Having gone and been a wiseass (again!) I guess I have to confess that when I do use VI’S it’s Pettinhouse for steel string and Indiginus Renaixxance for Nylon. I also use Wavelore Glide and Pedal steel, impact Pedal Steel and Archtop for the more esoteric strings.


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 16, 2019)

Monkberry said:


> Another veteran guitarist here coming up on 66 and started when I was 9 yrs old. I branched out to keys, drums and lead vocals in my early teens. I started adding VI guitars when Musiclab's Real Guitar was introduced. The strumming engine was super easy to use but I've since moved on to Ample Sound's Martin as well as the NI Session Guitarist series. Any lead playing I do with a Breedlove acoustic, Strat, or Gibson 335. It's simply much easier to play a real guitar when bending strings, palm muting and all other articulations happening in rapid fire. The NI Picked Acoustic sounds so good I could never mic up and play as cleanly so I'm thrilled to use that. If only we had today's tools when we were younger but better late than never and I learned a lot cutting my teeth in a studio with 2" tape. Especially having to commit to an idea!


I assume you prefer Ample to RealGuitar for strumming? Have you run into any limitations with Ample for strumming? I've got their free Martin and plan to give the strumming a real test.


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## Ashermusic (Nov 16, 2019)

Real Guitar has a powerful strumming engine but I just don’t think the samples themselves are so hotsy totsy.


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## Monkberry (Nov 16, 2019)

Tim_Wells said:


> I assume you prefer Ample to RealGuitar for strumming? Have you run into any limitations with Ample for strumming? I've got their free Martin and plan to give the strumming a real test.


I prefer the ease of Musiclab's strumming setup but the sound of Ample appeals more to me so I tend to go with Ample. Musiclab's Real Guitar has improved over the years though, especially with the latest version so there are times when I might choose it. I like to have a lot of options to slow me down down, lol.


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## 2chris (Nov 16, 2019)

Fleer said:


> Had a MODX. Even twice (88 and 61) but didn’t like the keybed. And I really wanted to as the sounds are very good indeed. Now I’m waiting for the next version with, hopefully, better keys. Or a Montage.


Yes. You've hit on the one weaker area, but I don't mind it so much. It's a not heavily weighted, and no aftertouch which kind of sucks. I returned the 61 for the 88. BUT - the price and sounds are top shelf and it had a recent update to add a sequencer! I have the 88, and I get on with it because I'm not some amazing player, and I also have an upright piano to jam on. I prefer the action on this to Casio and cheaper Korgs like the Chrome. No regrets! BUT I bought a Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol MK2 49 to leave on my desk. I actually really like how that feels and I have Komplete so it's a perfect blend.

I've heard nothing of a new version. I think your option is the Montage, which does have better keys. I really liked the Korg Kronos overall but couldn't justify the premium - but the action was indeed nicer. Just not enough difference at my playing level to pay that difference since music is more a hobby and only occasional paying gigs come my way.


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## 2chris (Nov 16, 2019)

Tim_Wells said:


> Would love to have a MODx. Does the guitar have articulations? I use an old Yamaha S80 as my main instrument. Has some great sounding pianos and keys. Guitars not so much.
> 
> I should put some more effort into getting a good strummed sound out of my Evolution Steel Strings. As I said, it's awesome for most things. There's probably a good strummed sound to be had with some effort. I'll check out the 8dio stuff.


The s80 is fun! I had one of those for a while, and a Yamaha CS6x. I sold those and got this and a few other things to update my setup earlier this year because I had the same setup for so long.

*If you want to hear the MODx in action, check out this demo I just pulled off my keyboard.*


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 16, 2019)

Ashermusic said:


> Real Guitar has a powerful strumming engine but I just don’t think the samples themselves are so hotsy totsy.


Samples aside, do you prefer RealGuitar's strumming to Indiginus Renegade?


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## Fleer (Nov 16, 2019)

Yamaha MODX: Inside stuff | Sand, software and sound


Time for a quick look at the MODX internal hardware. I'm going to be brief, so please read my Yamaha Genos articles (main CPU and tone generation) and my



sandsoftwaresound.net






2chris said:


> Yes. You've hit on the one weaker area, but I don't mind it so much. It's a not heavily weighted, and no aftertouch which kind of sucks. I returned the 61 for the 88. BUT - the price and sounds are top shelf and it had a recent update to add a sequencer! I have the 88, and I get on with it because I'm not some amazing player, and I also have an upright piano to jam on. I prefer the action on this to Casio and cheaper Korgs like the Chrome. No regrets! BUT I bought a Native Instruments Komplete Kontrol MK2 49 to leave on my desk. I actually really like how that feels and I have Komplete so it's a perfect blend.
> 
> I've heard nothing of a new version. I think your option is the Montage, which does have better keys. I really liked the Korg Kronos overall but couldn't justify the premium - but the action was indeed nicer. Just not enough difference at my playing level to pay that difference since music is more a hobby and only occasional paying gigs come my way.


This is what I could find on the next MODX (and Montage). Would prefer the MODX with better keys, so I’ll wait for that. Meanwhile got a couple of Korg’s VOX Continentals (61 & 73) and those are the best keyboards I ever got. Marvelous waterfall action and 11GB of the best Kronos engines/sounds for $1000 each


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## ThomasS (Nov 16, 2019)

Haven't tried everything suggested here, but in general any "manufactured" strum based on combining separate samples into chords will never sound as convincing as a full chord strum sampled all together. There is sympathetic vibration between the notes, and harmonic blend overtones that occur when two or more notes are played and recorded at the same time. That being said, some manufactured strums sound ok in a mix, but if you want fully sampled whole chords Prominy Hummingbird sounds great, and also NI Strummed Acoustic is pretty good. Also if you have the money the RealTracks of Band in a Box have true sampled strums.


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## NekujaK (Nov 16, 2019)

I play guitar, so usually record my own guitar parts, but lately I'm starting to feel lazy and also want to record stuff that's out of my comfort zone, so I'm considering using a strumming VI. The only strummers I currently have are AAS Strum Session and NI's two Strum Session libraries - none of which are getting talked about in this thread, save for one brief mention of SS2. Am I to assume these are vastly inferior? The NI strummers actually sound pretty decent to me, but I haven't actually tried to use them on an actual track yet. Color me curious...


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 16, 2019)

I happened across this thread from 2016 from doing an unrelated Google search. Must have been buried so deep down that I didn't see it when I used forum search tool:





Best Acoustic Guitar Strum VSTs?


Hello, What are your fav Acoustic Guitar Strum VSTs? I love Native Instruments' "Strummed Acoustic", Virtual Guitarist's "Amber". Also I know about Ilya Efimov, Orange Tree's acoustic guitars and Ample Sound but NI and Amber are very easy to go. Select style and play chords! I am searching...




vi-control.net





It covers much of what we discussed in this thread.


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## David Cuny (Nov 17, 2019)

I've got most of the OTS acoustic guitars, as well as the Indiginus guitars.

While both are quite good, there's something mechanical about the strums. Sort of like the autotuning effect, once your ears tune on to "that" sound, you can't unhear it.

As I'm basically a folk guitarist, I find the Indiginus guitar easier to use. The "Here All Night" demo is accurate to what it the Indiginus Renegade sounds like.

That said, I find Band in a Box RealTracks or NI Strummed Acoustic simply sound better, since they're basically sample guitar loops. So if I've got the choice, I'll go with one of those over a VI. Not one of your options, I know.


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 17, 2019)

David Cuny said:


> I've got most of the OTS acoustic guitars, as well as the Indiginus guitars.
> 
> While both are quite good, there's something mechanical about the strums. Sort of like the autotuning effect, once your ears tune on to "that" sound, you can't unhear it.
> 
> ...


That's okay that it's not one of my original choices. I prefer that you be honest about your feelings. I know what you mean about the mechanical sound. It's probably one of the limitations you're not going get around (excluding the loop based libraries). 

I actually own BIAB 2019, but haven't used it much yet. But some of the RealTracks stuff does sound really good. I think the limitation there is that you have to work within the tempos, grooves, and chords that it was designed and intended for. 

Clearly there is no perfect solution. No magic bullet. Like everything else in this world, understanding the limitations and maximizing/exploiting the strengths is the key. Sometimes what you already have in your hands is the best choice.


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## YaniDee (Nov 18, 2019)

I have the Indiginus Strum Maker 4 (custom strum patterns..a bonus), K12U guitars and some 8dio guitars..I also have BIAB 2018, which can produce good results.
They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but they're all limited by the repetitive nature of the sound. On a real guitar, the overtones and ringing notes from one chord to another are always changing in subtle ways, making the instrument "breathe"..They are convenient to use though!


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## NYC Composer (Nov 18, 2019)

YaniDee said:


> I have the Indiginus Strum Maker 4 (custom strum patterns..a bonus), K12U guitars and some 8dio guitars..I also have BIAB 2018, which can produce good results.
> They all have their strengths and weaknesses, but they're all limited by the repetitive nature of the sound. On a real guitar, the overtones and ringing notes from one chord to another are always changing in subtle ways, making the instrument "breathe"..They are convenient to use though!


I always have a mic set up and an acoustic guitar within arms reach. My “booth” is untreated and noise is the biggest problem, but I (seriously) take the few extra minutes to play any strumming parts in live. I feel it adds that little bit of realism and imperfection that makes a track better.


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## YaniDee (Nov 18, 2019)

NYC Composer said:


> I always have a mic set up and an acoustic guitar within arms reach. My “booth” is untreated and noise is the biggest problem, but I (seriously) take the few extra minutes to play any strumming parts in live. I feel it adds that little bit of realism and imperfection that makes a track better.


Totally agree..Having a guitar you can play and mics, and not recording it, is just being lazy! In my case, I blame space constraints, and a less than ideal room tone..I do however record a real guitar on occasion for the above reasons or if it's a more intricate part...


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 19, 2019)

Thanks to everyone who offered their thoughts on strumming acoustic guitars! It's been very helpful to me! I welcome anyone else who may want to weigh in. 

I've been doing A LOT of thinking about this over the last few days. I've also been working with my Orange Tree Ev. Steel Strings and the Ample Martin demo. Both have a tremendous amount of flexibility and power, once you figure out how they work. One thing I did not realize about OT guitars before was that the regular articulations, (Palm Mute, Mute, Harmonics, etc.) affect the strum downstroke and upstroke keys in the various Chord modes. I assumed they only worked in the non-Chord modes. Duh! It was a bit of a revelation. 

So at least on paper, I can do pretty much everything I want with Orange Tree Evolution Steel Strings. However getting a convincing, non-mechanical sounding strum can be a real challenge. I'll just have to find what works and what doesn't. 

It might be a little easier getting a natural sounding strum pattern with some of the other virtual guitars. But listening to the demos, the sound hasn't thrilled me (there's still a couple I haven't checked out yet). 
The loop-based libraries excel at natural sounding strum patterns. But again, listening to the demos, some of them sound phasey and thin. Maybe it's demos or maybe it's just me. As I said earlier, I own NI Strummed Acoustic and I think it sound really good. I would, however, prefer to program my own patterns.

I think there's an opening for a developer to create a world class strummed guitar that sounds awesome and is completely programmable. They'd get my money.


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## Sarah Mancuso (Nov 19, 2019)

One useful thing I've found that helps with the Orange Tree strumming keys: when strumming the same chord multiple times, try overlapping the strums a bit like you would with legato notes. This way, the previous strum doesn't come to a complete stop before the next one begins.

Also, fiddling with the strum velocity->speed and velocity->distance controls until it starts sounding more like what you want.

When I need slower strums, I sometimes will create a pattern consisting of a single long strum that I can insert where needed, though of course that's not really ideal for workflow. I'm hoping the eventual OTS Evolution engine update will have an easier way to accomplish this.


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 19, 2019)

Sarah Mancuso said:


> One useful thing I've found that helps with the Orange Tree strumming keys: when strumming the same chord multiple times, try overlapping the strums a bit like you would with legato notes. This way, the previous strum doesn't come to a complete stop before the next one begins.
> 
> Also, fiddling with the strum velocity->speed and velocity->distance controls until it starts sounding more like what you want.
> 
> When I need slower strums, I sometimes will create a pattern consisting of a single long strum that I can insert where needed, though of course that's not really ideal for workflow. I'm hoping the eventual OTS Evolution engine update will have an easier way to accomplish this.


Thanks, Sarah! I'll play with the overlapping strums. You always have helpful tips. 

Funny you mention the Velocity to Strum > Speed / Distance. I was playing with that this morning. I was trying to see if I could do everything in my DAW's piano roll that you can do within the Orange Tree Strum Pattern Editor. Essentially you can by using:
1) one of the three CHORD modes, 2) the strum downstroke and upstroke keys, 3) the articulations, and 4) adjusting or automating Strum Speed, Distance, and Decay within Setup. You could also automate Pick Position for even more variation.

So there's a lot of potential control. Using Custom Chords would add even more.

Question: Why do you need to create a pattern for a single long strum? Why not just hold down the strum key and let it ring?


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## Sarah Mancuso (Nov 19, 2019)

Tim_Wells said:


> Question: Why do you need to create a pattern for a single long strum? Why not just hold down the strum key and let it ring?


Creating a pattern allows you more control over the speed of the strum. For more uptempo back-and-forth strumming the standard keys tend to work alright for most of my needs, but I generally set up slower strums to use for a final chord, or for "one big strum per bar with a lot of reverb/delay on it" shoegaze-type playing.


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## RobbertZH (Nov 20, 2019)

Ashermusic said:


> Real Guitar has a powerful strumming engine but I just don’t think the samples themselves are so hotsy totsy.



If you want to play with any of the modes (pick, strum or pattern) of "Real Guitar", but want a different guitar sound then offered by the Real Guitar library, you can disable its sound and re-route only the processed midi from Real Guitar to a different vst instrument (for example another guitar vst instrument, kontakt instrument, or even a piano or a synth).

For a different guitar sound, I have re-routed the midi for example to guitars of Acou6tics and let Real Guitar create the strums or playing patterns.
Please note that you have to load one of the "General Midi" patches, which plays the notes as-is (instead of the main patches, in which the Acou6tics play engine does a re-interpretation of the played notes, which in this case you do _not_ want).


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## dman007 (Sep 21, 2020)

Any updates on your favourite acoustic guitar vst instruments almost a year later? 

What about Vir2 Acou6tics ?


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## labornvain (Sep 21, 2020)

Ashermusic said:


> Real Guitar has a powerful strumming engine but I just don’t think the samples themselves are so hotsy totsy.


I agree. So what I usually do is get a nice Rhythm thing going with real guitar, and then use that as a midi source for another guitar Library who's sound alike better.


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## NekujaK (Sep 21, 2020)

I just recently got a couple of guitar VIs from Ample Sound, and overall, I'm very impressed with their instruments and strumming engine. One of the best guitar VIs I've used.

I'm not crazy about the sampled sound of their Martin acoustic, but their Taylors are nice. And if you're into heavy electric guitars, their 9-string Metal Hellrazer is an absolute beast - but no strumming engine on that one.


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## dman007 (Sep 22, 2020)

I like Sunbird apart from the pick / finger noise on the pattern strumming, which I find too loud and I can't find a way to control it or turn that down, which is disappointing.


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## PeterN (Oct 31, 2020)

Yesterday I picked up Realitones finger pick from one of the drives. Its been a while. Is that the Real Guitar mentioned here? Anyway the Realitone FInger Pick is fabulous - and not saying it to flatter here - the forum owner has done an amazing job. You need to check that out.

Now , to change topic slightly, there will be sale Black Friday and NI has a new pick, acoustic. Why do I see people selling it in the sale section, is there any unanimous opinion here? Is it worth the 49 EUR, assuming it is for sale after 4 weeks?

(Edit, sorry you guys are talking strumming, I came here via search and didnt check headline topic)


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## dzilizzi (Oct 31, 2020)

PeterN said:


> Yesterday I picked up Realitones finger pick from one of the drives. Its been a while. Is that the Real Guitar mentioned here? Anyway the Realitone FInger Pick is fabulous - and not saying it to flatter here - the forum owner has done an amazing job. You need to check that out.
> 
> Now , to change topic slightly, there will be sale Black Friday and NI has a new pick, acoustic. Why do I see people selling it in the sale section, is there any unanimous opinion here? Is it worth the 49 EUR, assuming it is for sale after 4 weeks?
> 
> (Edit, sorry you guys are talking strumming, I came here via search and didnt check headline topic)


Real Guitar is by Music Labs and is different from Realitone. 

Anyone who got KU13, got the acoustic guitar with it. If they bought it separately while waiting to buy the bundle, they may be selling. I haven't really played it yet, but it has had good reviews.


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## PeterN (Oct 31, 2020)

dzilizzi said:


> Real Guitar is by Music Labs and is different from Realitone.
> 
> Anyone who got KU13, got the acoustic guitar with it. If they bought it separately while waiting to buy the bundle, they may be selling. I haven't really played it yet, but it has had good reviews.



Thanks. Ive seen it for sale down in sale section a few times, and become - what iis a good word - perplexed? If its for sale on Black Friday, aaaah, will give it a shot anyway.


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## SergeD (Oct 31, 2020)

RobbertZH said:


> If you want to play with any of the modes (pick, strum or pattern) of "Real Guitar", but want a different guitar sound then offered by the Real Guitar library, you can disable its sound and re-route only the processed midi from Real Guitar to a different vst instrument.



Yesterday I wondered where I read it once and stumbled on your comment today! I like RG for his song mode where you can choose and manipulate patterns (lot of choice) in some ways. Your tip extends the possibilities of that tool, thanks.


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## chocobitz825 (Oct 31, 2020)

SergeD said:


> Yesterday I wondered where I read it once and stumbled on your comment today! I like RG for his song mode where you can choose and manipulate patterns (lot of choice) in some ways. Your tip extends the possibilities of that tool, thanks.


never knew this until today and that is a massively useful feature!


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## wxyz (Oct 31, 2020)

Halion 6 campfire guitar?


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## Tim_Wells (Nov 1, 2020)

PeterN said:


> (Edit, sorry you guys are talking strumming, I came here via search and didnt check headline topic)


No worries!  

You were asking about NI Picked Acoustic. While I haven't really had a chance to work with it in earnest, I have played around with it and it seems really, really good at what it does. The same goes for all the NI Session Guitarist libraries. They are great! The only caveat is you have to work within their limitations and that is limited programmability. For example, you can't program your own strum patterns. 

But I've come to the conclusion that it's worth it to work within the confines of their limitations, because they sound so good. Plus, I haven't found a library yet with no compromises and limitations.


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## IdealSequenceG (Dec 4, 2020)

8Dio - Instant Steel String Guitar


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## GMT (Dec 4, 2020)

I've been a guitarist for 35 years and hate the thought of using VIs, but I have to admit the NI Session Guitarist series are so well-recorded that I have used them on occasion. I'm almost glad they are so limited, because that would invite serious laziness on my part.


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## stfciu (Dec 4, 2020)

You might check out Past to future strumming guitar. I bought it during BF. It really sounds nice and is cheap...and is nice


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## Jkist (Dec 4, 2020)

Here is a cover I am working on. Its still work in progress, the mix or arrangement isnt finished yet, but at the end strumming part I am using a combination of AmpleSound strummed guitars with a few REALLY SHITTY takes of my real guitar recorded in my crappy room. The result is something that sounds human, yet semi professional IMO.



So if you're like me and are buying sampled guitar libraries even though you've played guitar for a long time, there is definitely merit in doing that. These sampled libraries can make your recorded guitars sound much cleaner and more pristine! Its a good way to hide your own playing inconsistencies and poor recording environment.

Oh and technically the lowest the Amplesound stuff goes is drop D tuning. I had to down-pitch this a half-step, but it still sounds awesome to me.


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