# ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar - Updated to v1.1, 33% off in summer sale!



## Andrew Aversa (Oct 23, 2013)

*UPDATE 7/29/2015*: Archtop has been patched to v1.1! This (finally) flips the fretboard display, fixes some bugs, and adds some new and improved functionality for users with MIDI guitars/pickups, as well as a few new midi CC options.

*Get the v1.1 patch here!*
_
"A fabulous-sounding guitar captured to near-perfection with articulations and noises for supreme realism of performance."_ *Read the Computer Music review (July 2014) here!*

Welcome to *http://impactsoundworks.com/products/guitar-and-bass/archtop-hollowbody-electric-guitar/ (ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar)*, the latest next-generation virtual guitar from Impact Soundworks, available now for Kontakt 5 Player! While our Shreddage series is all about thick, aggressive tones intended for hi-gain amping, *Archtop* excels at expressive and dynamic clean tones. We captured the sound of an exquisite Jim Hall model hollowbody guitar by Sadowsky, as performed by veteran session player & performer Josh Workman (read more about our development blog here!)

The library is available now for the price of *$159* for all customers, and *$139* as a crossgrade from Shreddage 2!

*http://impactsoundworks.com/products/guitar-and-bass/archtop-hollowbody-electric-guitar/ (ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar Product Page - Buy Now!)*

*Archtop* features deeply sampled dynamic and RR layers, along with two pickups, a multitude of articulations, and a killer clean tone right out of the box. There are no complex MIDI controllers or keyswitches required to get started. *Simply load and play*. We created an exceptionally intuitive and powerful interface which allows you to change playing styles, articulations, and FX presets with just one or two clicks, while also allowing incredible tweaking depth.

http://impactsoundworks.com/products/guitar-and-bass/archtop-hollowbody-electric-guitar/ (<script class="js-extraPhrases" type="application/json">
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_The gorgeous UI of Archtop - highly functional and inspiring_

*SAMPLE FEATURES:*
* 24bit and 16bit CLEAN recordings of a Sadowsky Jim Hall Model archtop hollowbody 6 string
* Up to 4x dynamic layers and 8x round robins (4x down/4x up)
* Sustains, palm mutes (2 layers), vibrato (2 types)
* Staccato, tremolo
* Portamento (glissando) slides, staccato notes, hammer-on, pull-off
* Harmonics - artificial & real - neck slides and pick FX
* Unpitched and pitched release noises
* Every fret sampled on every string
* Multiple types of chokes

*SCRIPT FEATURES:*
* Advanced intelligent fretting/fingering engine, like Shreddage 2
* Modeled tone and volume knobs
* Polyphonic legato capability
* Free assignable articulation mapping by velocity or keyswitch
* Adjustable velocity curve and response
* Adjustable legato and tremolo speeds
* Dynamic RAM loading/unloading per articulation
* Built-in FX suite (amp, pedals, cab)
* Adjustable noise mixing, vibrato speed, pitchbend range
* Chord strum detection
* and much more!

*DEMOS*


*VIDEO*




*PRICING / AVAILABILITY
Archtop* is available NOW for *Kontakt 5 Player* at the price of *$159* for all customers, and *$139* as a crossgrade for Shreddage 2 owners. 

http://impactsoundworks.com/products/guitar-and-bass/archtop-hollowbody-electric-guitar/ (http://impactsoundworks.com/products/gu ... ic-guitar/)


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## tmm (Oct 23, 2013)

Sounds very interesting! I'm just waiting for the day when virtual guitars are so versatile and yet simple to use that I won't feel like just playing my guitar myself


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## Dan Mott (Oct 23, 2013)

Awesome!!


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## chimuelo (Oct 23, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, coming soon from Impact Soundworks! (New design blog post)*

Gibson ES 335-ish... _-)


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## bbunker (Oct 23, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, coming soon from Impact Soundworks! (New design blog post)*

I'm sure this will be great, because it's Impact Soundworks, but I can't help thinking that there's a lot of missed opportunities here.

It is a library called "Archtop", right?!? And in the same way that a library called "Shreddage" should have powerchords, I can't help but think that Archtop would and should have some basic 7th and 6th chords in conventional voicings; how useful would Freddie Green-style shell voicings be for mocking up a big band chart quickly?

Or, some higher comping voicings for combo work? I guess people want 100% control over their specific voicings, but I would think some basic jazz chords would be as bread-and-butter for an archtop as power chords are for a 7-string drop-tuned chugga-chugga.

For all I know, all this could have been tracked and just not be on the articulation list.

And, not to be pedantic, but Chimuelo: a 335 is significantly less wide bodied, and is built by putting wings on solid chunks of wood, whereas the Sadowsky is a full 16-inch archtop. So, an ES-175 or L-5 would probably be closer?


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## Andrew Aversa (Oct 24, 2013)

Thanks for the comments so far folks  Here's a really simple demo, let's say pre-official, just showcasing some of the neat portamento stuff you can do.

[flash width=200 height=100 loop=false]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116927020&amp;color=ff6600&amp;auto_play=false&amp;show_artwork=true&amp;show_playcount=true&amp;show_comments=true[/flash]
https://soundcloud.com/isworks/archtop- ... ite-things

bbunker: Here's my philosophy on the subject. Sampling chords is (imo) way more trouble than its worth. There are too many ways to record them (strings, inversions, chord types) AND it becomes highly impractical to try and map them all. Even with user mapping, I've always wanted to avoid making a library with 2 octaves of keyswitches to trigger all the articulations. That is not our design philosophy. With Shreddage2, the reason we did powerchords is because they're *so* insanely common in rock/metal as to be universal.

Instead, the focus here is on making manual chords/strums (or strumming using 'strum keys') much more of a viable option. Just write or play the notes you want and they will be voiced appropriately. That to me is the most versatile, ideal, and user-friendly approach.

For what it's worth, I deeply respect the incredible effort put into libraries by some other companies that sport 60+gb of sounds, 100,000+ samples, recordings of every possible chord and articulation. But that level of complexity does come with a price, both in the literal sense ($300-400 for a library) and in the sense that managing massive multis, samples, CCs, and keyswitches is not necessarily the preferred way to work for some people. Archtop is already a joy to play out of the box and at most requires only the modwheel for vibrato. You don't even need to use keyswitches if you don't want to, though the option is there.

Just to put it in perspective the library already has 9,000 samples and 300 groups to cover the wealth of articulations and RRs we already have...!


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## Saxer (Oct 24, 2013)

zircon_st @ 24.10.2013 said:


> http://impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/Archtop_Favorite.mp3 (http://impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos ... vorite.mp3)


sounds beautiful!


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## bbunker (Oct 24, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, coming soon from Impact Soundworks! (New design blog post)*

Hi Impacters!

Don't mind me...I think I just did the time-old "Why isn't someone making EXACTLY the library that's specifically tailored to MY needs" complaint. The demo sounds great, so I'm sure that the finished product will be equally impressive.

I suppose what I was really thinking was something along the lines of this: "Power chords are to rock music as Chunka-Chunka Freddie Green comping chords are to jazz." Any jazz guitar library I would make would have those in the same place holder slot that power chords do in Shreddage...but, there's a reason that there exists more than one developer, because there are so many approaches to making a library, and I get that, and don't fault you in the slightest for having an approach and a personality. If anything, that should be applauded!

I admit, I looked at your announcement this morning, got very excited at the prospect of having something that would be as useful to me specifically as Shreddage is for that idiom, and then felt disappointed in a personal way when it looked like my own concept wouldn't be fulfilled.

I hope I'm expressing this clearly. I guess the only thing to do is to put out some great comping demos so that my disappointment will be assuaged!!!!

I really do wish you the best on this release. I'm a big fan of your work, I love my Shreddage, and kick myself in very painful places on a regular basis for not having jumped at the chance to get in on the mega-buy you had in recent months.


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## Andrew Aversa (Oct 24, 2013)

I do hear where you're coming from. Once we have the first demo video up, I'd like to hear your thoughts again on how you think the chords sound. (You can hear strummed chords in the "favorite things" demo I posted above, too.) And then if you still think it could use anything pre-recorded, I'd love to hear what your top 3 picks might be, and if you think they should be mapped like anything else (customizable keyswitch vs. velocity). No promises but I DO want this to be as awesome as possible without sacrificing playability!


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## JE Martinsen (Oct 24, 2013)

Can you get the twangy Duane Eddy type of sound from this guitar? That may be a ridiculous question, but I really don't know much about guitars.. Or is this guitar better for jazz/pop and the softer rounded tone? You can of course shape the guitar tone with all kinds of amplifier plugins etc, but the base tone of the guitar may perhaps be important to what you can possibly coax out of it and the type of musical style it would fit into?

I'm looking for that twangy dirty sound of the 50's and 60's. I read this in the Wikipedia article about archtop guitars : 

"Other manufacturers introduced electric archtop guitars, notable examples including the Gretsch White Falcon and various Chet Atkins models. Some of these instruments have a distinctive "twangy" sound and were taken up by country music and early rock and roll artists such as Duane Eddy and Eddie Cochran. Similar models remain popular in rockabilly."

I'm also thinking about the guitar sound I often associate with Ennio Morricone's music, perhaps specifically the spaghetti western soundtracks . So I guess my question is : would your Sadowsky Jim Hall model fit that bill, or is it maybe more geared towards jazz and pop in general?

Btw, is it possible that they got this twangy sound by ehh.. "loosening the strings" a bit? I mean downtuning the guitar. It seems logical that it would help in regards to the twangy sound.


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## Joe_D (Oct 24, 2013)

JE Martinsen @ Thu Oct 24 said:


> Can you get the twangy Duane Eddy type of sound from this guitar? That may be a ridiculous question, but I really don't know much about guitars.. Or is this guitar better for jazz/pop and the softer rounded tone? You can of course shape the guitar tone with all kinds of amplifier plugins etc, but the base tone of the guitar may perhaps be important to what you can possibly coax out of it and the type of musical style it would fit into?
> 
> ...So I guess my question is : would your Sadowsky Jim Hall model fit that bill, or is it maybe more geared towards jazz and pop in general?



Hi JE,

Though I cannot answer your questions directly (as I have not played this VI, of course), in general, jazz guitarist Jim Hall is known for a rounded, smoother tone (without a lot of treble, and without twang). Sadowsky designed this guitar for Jim Hall, so the guitar is probably not aimed at the sound that you are looking for. 

However, AFAIK, the original issue of the Sadowsky Jim Hall only had one pickup, a neck pickup, which is the smoother and more mellow placement for a pickup, while the specific one that Impact Soundworks recorded has both a neck and a bridge pickup. It is great that the VI will let you blend the pickups to taste. If you choose only the bridge pickup, your sound will be more like what you want (and less like Jim Hall).



JE Martinsen @ Thu Oct 24 said:


> Btw, is it possible that they got this twangy sound by ehh.. "loosening the strings" a bit? I mean downtuning the guitar. It seems logical that it would help in regards to the twangy sound.



While tuning down would give you more twang, I am guessing that the artist to which you refer used lighter gauge strings. That lowers the tension quite a bit, which makes the strings more pliable under the displacement of the pick, which in turn leads to a "twangy" attack. Light gauge strings (called "nines," as the thinnest of the six strings is .009" in diameter) will give you the tone that you are looking for, while jazz guitarists often prefer heavier strings (.011"-.014" for the thinnest string). Furthermore, jazz guitarists often prefer flatwound strings, which are also darker, and a wound G string, which is also darker. They often use thick picks which snap less during each pluck, which further reduces twang. This is all a very broad generalization, of course; exceptions abound.

So, it will be really interesting to find out what type of strings Impact Soundworks chose for this guitar. I guess I am hoping for a medium roundwound - that would be the most versatile while still in character for a typical archtop.

To Impact Soundworks: thank you for developing this library; I look forward to hearing and playing it. I agree that including chord recordings would be impractical; jazz guitarists use hundreds of voicings, and the specific voice leading between voicings is just as important to idiomatic playing as the voicings chosen. In other words, just playing a one voicing followed by another without proper voice leading will sound unidiomatic and perhaps a little strange. And that's what you'd get with "canned" voicings.

Joe

P.S. - despite his warm tone, I have read that Jim Hall tends to favor lighter gauge strings. That is not congruent with the generalizations above, but as I said, exceptions abound....


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## bbunker (Oct 24, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, coming soon from Impact Soundworks! (New design blog post)*

Hi JE Martinsen. As a guitarist, I would say: YES. Gretsches are great for twangy surf, spy and western, but often the woodier sound of something like the Sadowsky fits the bill even better. Just throw on the back pickup (mix in the front out-of-phase a little if that's to your taste!) and go to town on the lowest octave.

Zircon, I'm sending you a PM with my 'wishlist' chord stuff. I don't want to derail your announcement thread any more than I already have!

EDIT: Sorry, Joe_D...I didn't see your post between writing and clicking send.


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## JE Martinsen (Oct 24, 2013)

Thank you so much for your valuable information, Joe and bbunker!



Joe_D @ Fri Oct 25 said:


> While tuning down would give you more twang, I am guessing that the artist to which you refer used lighter gauge strings. That lowers the tension quite a bit, which makes the strings more pliable under the displacement of the pick, which in turn leads to a "twangy" attack. Light gauge strings (called "nines," as the thinnest of the six strings is .009" in diameter) will give you the tone that you are looking for, while jazz guitarists often prefer heavier strings (.011"-.014" for the thinnest string). Furthermore, jazz guitarists often prefer flatwound strings, which are also darker, and a wound G string, which is also darker. They often use thick picks which snap less during each pluck, which further reduces twang. This is all a very broad generalization, of course; exceptions abound.



This information is gold. Using lighter gauge strings on any electric guitar wouldn't necessarily get you there, right? It's obviously a combination of the right kind of strings and the right guitar.

Just another quick question, and I apologise to Andrew if I'm going slightly OT here, but I've seen Telecasters played by guitarists who has this twangy sound. Are Telecasters also a good bet for this kind of guitar sound?



bbunker @ Fri Oct 25 said:


> Hi JE Martinsen. As a guitarist, I would say: YES. Gretsches are great for twangy surf, spy and western, but often the woodier sound of something like the Sadowsky fits the bill even better. Just throw on the back pickup (mix in the front out-of-phase a little if that's to your taste!) and go to town on the lowest octave.



You said it! Twangy surf, spy and western! It's exactly how I would describe the guitar sound I love and I really want to be able to add that character to my music. I'm looking forward to hearing more demos of your Archtop : Hollowbody Guitar, Andrew!

Thanks again! o-[][]-o


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## Andrew Aversa (Oct 25, 2013)

As Joe mentioned, this guitar with its modified pickup system is actually quite versatile! The bridge pickup is TOTALLY different in timbre. While the neck is very smooth, rounded, and warm, the bridge is twangy and nasal. 

Here's a brief example.. a simple spaghetti western-style pattern with 3 instances (mute, strum, lead). I'm not an expert on amp/tone so I just pulled some Guitar Rig country/surf style presets.

NECK Pickup
[mp3]http://impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/Archtop_Spaghetti_Neck.mp3[/mp3]

vs.

BRIDGE Pickup
[mp3]http://impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/Archtop_Spaghetti_Bridge.mp3[/mp3]

vs.

BLENDED Pickup
[mp3]http://impactsoundworks.com/audio/demos/Archtop_Spaghetti_Blend.mp3[/mp3]


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## JE Martinsen (Oct 25, 2013)

Bridge, yeah definitely! o-[][]-o 

Thanks for posting these short demos, Andrew! Really appreciate it!


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## Andrew Aversa (Nov 4, 2013)

New demo! This one is a little more fleshed out, featuring two instances of Archtop (one for rhythm, one for leads) Hope you enjoy 

"Air" by Andrew Aversa
[flash width=200 height=100 loop=false]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/118571745&amp;color=ff6600&amp;auto_play=false&amp;show_artwork=true&amp;show_playcount=true&amp;show_comments=true[/flash]


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## NYC Composer (Nov 4, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, coming soon from Impact Soundworks! (New design blog post)*

Sounds great, Andrew. Just for the record, being sort of a jazzer, i thought the same thing as B Bunker when i saw "Archtop". I was thinking Freddie Green, Joe Pass, and going "aweome!" Just sayin' :wink: 


I'm sure you'll do well with this one.


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## Andrew Aversa (Nov 18, 2013)

Another new audio demo... I'm more proud of this than I think any other mockup I've done. 

"Take Five" by Dave Brubeck, feat. Archtop!

[flash width=300 height=100 loop=false]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/13808115&amp;color=ff6600&amp;auto_play=false&amp;show_artwork=true&amp;show_playcount=true&amp;show_comments=true[/flash]

Let us know what you think! :D


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## jpernell (Nov 20, 2013)

Andrew, these demos sound absolutely amazing! Can't wait for its release


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## Andrew Aversa (Nov 26, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, coming soon from Impact Soundworks! (New audio demos 11/18)*

Thank you! Another new demo today, "Mr. Sandman". This one is TOTALLY and 100% clean, showcasing the beautiful 'stereo pickup' mode for the lead guitar.

[flash width=300 height=100 loop=false]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/121579264&amp;color=ff6600&amp;auto_play=false&amp;show_artwork=true&amp;show_playcount=true&amp;show_comments=true[/flash][/flash]


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## narapo (Dec 30, 2013)

apparently, it has been released ! downloading now...


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## Andrew Aversa (Dec 30, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, coming soon from Impact Soundworks! (New demo 11/26)*

Yes! Today we've released *Archtop: Hollowbody Electric Guitar* for an intro price of *$139* (list: $159), or *$119* for Shreddage 2 owners. Again, this is Kontakt 5 Player compatible as well - no external software required.

http://impactsoundworks.com/products/guitar-and-bass/archtop-hollowbody-electric-guitar/ (http://impactsoundworks.com/products/gu ... ic-guitar/)

We have some truly fantastic new demos...

[flash width=300 height=200 loop=false]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/13808115&amp;color=ff6600&amp;auto_play=false&amp;show_artwork=false&amp;show_playcount=true&amp;show_comments=true[/flash]

As well as as video demo of the demo "The King and His Blues" by composer Brad Jerkins.



We are thrilled to be finally sharing this virtual instrument with the world! Please let us know what you think :D


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## playz123 (Dec 30, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, now RELEASED! New demos, video, & intro pricing available!*

Sounds great, Andrew.

Please note that on the Description page for Archtop it says "Download the Shreddage II product manual" I think you mean the Archtop manual, but currently the link leads nowhere so guess it doesn't really matter.


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## Drakken (Dec 30, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, now RELEASED! New demos, video, & intro pricing available!*

Sounding great. That "Melancholia" demo song is fantastic.


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## Andrew Aversa (Dec 30, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, now RELEASED! New demos, video, & intro pricing available!*



playz123 @ Mon Dec 30 said:


> Sounds great, Andrew.
> 
> Please note that on the Description page for Archtop it says "Download the Shreddage II product manual" I think you mean the Archtop manual, but currently the link leads nowhere so guess it doesn't really matter.



Yikes, good catch! That has been fixed. The manual is below:

http://impactsoundworks.com/docs/Archtop%20Manual.pdf

Quite thorough but not too overwhelming at 11 pages


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## quantum7 (Dec 30, 2013)

Nice! Every so often I will notice a note or two in the demos that reminds me that it is sampled, but definitely one of the more realistic I've heard. Great job Impact Soundworks!


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## germancomponist (Dec 30, 2013)

quantum7 @ Mon Dec 30 said:


> Nice! Every so often I will notice a note or two in the demos that reminds me that it is sampled, but definitely one of the more realistic I've heard. Great job Impact Soundworks!



+1

And I say this as a real guitar player... .


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## JE Martinsen (Dec 30, 2013)

Man I've been looking forward to this! I simply love the tone of that guitar. Bought!

Happy new year, Andrew! o-[][]-o


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## onebluesphere (Dec 31, 2013)

Hi
I have been looking for a David Glimour sound and style in a guitar virtual instrument. 
Do you think Archtop could fill my needs? Or could somebody recommend another?
Thanks!


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## Ian Dorsch (Dec 31, 2013)

I think it could get you pretty close if you're willing to experiment with amp sims and so on. My demo dips a toe into some higher gain stuff, it should give you a decent idea of what's achievable with a little experimentation. 

https://soundcloud.com/isworks/ian-dors ... d-epilogue


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## playz123 (Dec 31, 2013)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, now RELEASED! New demos, video, & intro pricing available!*

Question: Other than the two strum keys, there doesn't seem to be any arpeggio/strum or MIDI patterns features with this library. Was that because the library is meant mainly for lead work rather than rhythm?? I find those things useful when first laying out a song.


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## Andrew Aversa (Dec 31, 2013)

onebluesphere @ Tue Dec 31 said:


> Hi
> I have been looking for a David Glimour sound and style in a guitar virtual instrument.
> Do you think Archtop could fill my needs? Or could somebody recommend another?
> Thanks!



Ian is a great guy to talk to about this - as his demo is quite nice, and I think in the ballpark of the style you're looking for. I would also add that we did capture some very nice, slow glissandos which can be useful for exaggerated slides from note to note. That's a Floyd sound IMO. There are also two harmonic types which can be integrated as well.

The next video will showcase all the articulations.



> Question: Other than the two strum keys, there doesn't seem to be any arpeggio/strum or MIDI patterns features with this library. Was that because the library is meant mainly for lead work rather than rhythm?? I find those things useful when first laying out a song.



If you check out my "Take Five" and "Mr. Sandman" demos you can hear how I use Archtop for rhythm playing in my own pieces. I think the hardest sound for Archtop (or most any guitar library) is sustained full-chord strums with a lot of overlap. Due to the nature of MIDI it's just tricky to keep the flow going from note to note. However, arpeggios are definitely good - I use them in Mr. Sandman quite a bit with both sustained notes and harmonics, and the fingering engine does a good job.

The "Air" demo shows some slower, more swirly strums, but not exactly constant patterns there.

Arpeggios, more staccato chords, or slower strums, all work really well IMO. But I will be sure to show and talk about this in the upcoming video.


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## drumman (Dec 31, 2013)

onebluesphere @ Tue Dec 31 said:


> Hi
> I have been looking for a David Glimour sound and style in a guitar virtual instrument.
> Do you think Archtop could fill my needs? Or could somebody recommend another?
> Thanks!


Maybe Dave himself could help you out. I think he's kind of just hanging around these days.

One of my faves, for sure!


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## JE Martinsen (Jan 1, 2014)

Just wanna say how much I appreciate this Archtop, Andrew! The sound reminds me of some old albums I have, and I always wondered what kind of guitar made that warm and fuzzy sound. Now I think I have an idea at least.. :mrgreen:


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## Mr. Anxiety (Jan 2, 2014)

*Re: ARCHTOP: Hollowbody Electric Guitar, now RELEASED! New demos, video, & intro pricing available!*

I +1 bbunker's desire for big band-Freddie Green style chord comping. It's such basic stuff that most every jazz chart would want included, and I have to scuffle around for everytime. 1-1-6-6-2-2-5-5.

Make it an add on and charge for it if that's the issue.

My 2 cents......


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## Dan Mott (Jan 2, 2014)

I think this is just what I have been looking for


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## Andrew Aversa (Jan 8, 2014)

Hope everyone is having a pleasant new year!

There is one week left on the Archtop intro price before it goes back up to $159.

http://impactsoundworks.com/products/guitar-and-bass/archtop-hollowbody-electric-guitar/ (http://impactsoundworks.com/products/gu ... ic-guitar/)

We've also added two new demos showcasing the instrument in some very different styles. "Salford Streets" by Henning Nugel, in a britpop/rock style, and "Nuages Study" by Gerard Montalat. Enjoy in the player below!

[flash width=400 height=200 loop=false]https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/13808115&amp;color=ff6600&amp;auto_play=false&amp;show_artwork=true&amp;show_playcount=true&amp;show_comments=true[/flash]


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## Andrew Aversa (Jan 14, 2014)

Tomorrow is the last day of Archtop's intro pricing. If you're still on the fence, check out this overview video which will walk you through the UI, articulations, and major features:



I'm also happy to answer any questions you might have!


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## Andrew Aversa (May 27, 2014)

Hi all, I thought I would mention that Archtop was reviewed in the latest issue of Computer Music magazine, where they concluded that Archtop is...

_"A fabulous-sounding guitar captured to near-perfection with articulations and noises for supreme realism of performance."_

It was given a 9/10 and a CM Performance Award - we're flattered!

You can read the review here. and check out Archtop on our website:

http://impactsoundworks.com/products/guitar-and-bass/archtop-hollowbody-electric-guitar/ (http://impactsoundworks.com/products/gu ... ic-guitar/)


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## Lode_Runner (May 27, 2014)

I'm so close to hitting the add to cart button on this one :D . Unfortunately, I have to wait a month, but it just sounds so awesome. I've noticed the fretboard page is a little odd though from watching the demo video - the body of the guitar appears to be around the nut where the headstock would be, and the red dots that indicate what note is being played appear on top of the frets themselves rather than between the frets where the note would be fingered. This does my head in a bit.


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## Andrew Aversa (May 27, 2014)

We had it reversed at first, but then some people found *that* confusing - we're thinking about a solution that will please everyone, maybe a 'flip' button for example to change how it's displayed.


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## Joe_D (May 28, 2014)

Lode_Runner @ Tue May 27 said:


> ...the body of the guitar appears to be around the nut where the headstock would be, and the red dots that indicate what note is being played appear on top of the frets themselves rather than between the frets where the note would be fingered. This does my head in a bit.





zircon_st @ Tue May 27 said:


> We had it reversed at first, but then some people found *that* confusing - we're thinking about a solution that will please everyone, maybe a 'flip' button for example to change how it's displayed.


First off, I want to say that this is a really good v.i., and I'm glad that I bought it. If you need archtop sounds for your music, I would highly recommend picking this up. I find it to be versatile, very well edited and generally well scripted, and very well recorded, with a lovely range of possible sounds and plenty of nuance.

Lode_Runner, many professional guitarists do play with their fingers touching the frets; not directly on them, but with the bulk of their finger close to the fret and the part of the finger furthest from the thumb touching the fret. That often gives the cleanest sound, and can yield better intonation depending on the guitar's setup. I'm not telling you how to play, of course; I'm just explaining why the current red fretting dots look natural to me (though they're on the "wrong" fret, IMO, as I'll outline below). AmpleSound has the fretting dots almost but not quite touching the frets; that's sort of a compromise between what Impact Soundworks is attempting and what you are requesting (I think that that compromise solution works very well). 

As for the Archtop fretboard display issues, I agree that the current layout is quite confusing; I see three separate issues concerning layout. 

First, if you hold up any (regular, right-handed) guitar, facing it with the headstock and the nut on your left and the fretboard facing you straight on and the body to the right, you will see that the lowest sounding string is closest to the ground, and the highest sounding string is closest to the ceiling. This is how the Efimov and AmpleSound guitars are laid out onscreen; as the actual object is in the real world. True, when you play a guitar, you flip it away from your body and upside down, but then, if you crane your neck down to look at the frets, you have flipped both the guitar and your head, so the highest string would still appear in your field of vision closest to the top (horizontal) rim of the glasses you might happen to be wearing. In other words, the only way to view a real guitar as you currently have Archtop's frets portrayed would be if the neck and fretboard were both completely clear and you were looking through them from the back.

Second, as Lode_Runner points out, the body is on the wrong side; it should of course be furthest from the nut, not adjacent to it.

Third, the red fretting dots appear on the "wrong" fret. If you play the open low E string, the fretting dot is on the nut. So far so good. When you play the F one half step above the low E, the fretting dot stays on the nut. Not good. It should move to the first fret, or, as outlined above, it could move to between the nut and the first fret (as Lode_runner suggests, and as Efimov does), or it could move to between the nut and the first fret but closer to the first fret (as AmpleSound does). Any of those three options would make sense; keeping it on the nut does not. No one can put their finger on the intersection of the nut and the low E string on any guitar and make the note F. All the other notes are similarly fingered on the "wrong" fret as well (i.e. - the red fretting dots should move to the right half a fret, most of a fret, or the the next right-most fret, depending on which of the three acceptable solutions you choose).

But these are minor quibbles that don't affect the sound or expressive potential of the instrument (and, I would think, they would be relatively easy to fix). 

Since I'm now discussing changes to Archtop, I would love to see two features added, if you ever revisit this instrument. First, please consider adding an automate-able "always avoid notes below fret ___" knob (your "Min Fret Preference" knob doesn't do this). Having such a knob would make it so much easier for those "mellow-upper-fret-favoring-jazz-musicians" among us (myself included) to create coherent and believable voice leading patterns, and would also allow us to avoid jarringly bright lower-fret notes popping up at unwelcome and unexpected times. If you played a note that is too low to exist on _any_ string below that fret, the knob could reset itself to the fret on the low E string that would allow that note to be played (that would prevent casual users from accidentally "locking themselves out" of playing lower notes and becoming confused and requesting technical support unnecessarily). 

My second request would be to add a "thumbed single notes" articulation. I know that the second request would mean lots of recording and editing time, but it would allow us to play those soft, thumbed chords and voice leading patterns which are beautiful and really useful in accompaniment roles. I would definitely gladly pay an upgrade fee for this feature.

I'm only asking because this is a great instrument and I really like it, and I would like to see it be even more expressive. Congrats on your well-deserved positive review in Computer Music!

Joe


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## NYC Composer (May 28, 2014)

Well deserved. Archtop is the best sounding jazz guitar VI I've ever used. The demos indicate it can do much more. Simply excellent.


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## Lode_Runner (May 28, 2014)

Joe_D @ Wed 28 May said:


> Lode_Runner, many professional guitarists do play with their fingers touching the frets; not directly on them, but with the bulk of their finger close to the fret and the part of the finger furthest from the thumb touching the fret. That often gives the cleanest sound, and can yield better intonation depending on the guitar's setup. I'm not telling you how to play, of course; I'm just explaining why the current red fretting dots look natural to me (though they're on the "wrong" fret, IMO, as I'll outline below). AmpleSound has the fretting dots almost but not quite touching the frets; that's sort of a compromise between what Impact Soundworks is attempting and what you are requesting (I think that that compromise solution works very well).
> 
> Joe



I'm not a professional guitarist, but I have been playing guitar for 20 years, and don't have much difficulty playing everything from hard rock to jazz to Spanish  (and in case anyone's wondering, I'm interested in guitar sample libraries as everything else I do is in-the-box MIDI so sometimes it's just easier for workflow). I generally play very close to the frets with some exceptions (eg some chord voicings). What I meant by in between the frets wasn't meant to be literally midway between the frets, just not on top of the frets (as that feels in between notes neither here nor there - much like the gap between two keys on a piano, although on a piano you'd play two notes at once, while on a guitar you'd deaden the string). The Ample Sound approach you mentioned sounds best to me, although the Orange Tree Samples/Efimov approach (which has the dots midway between the frets) doesn't confuse me visually at all. 

As far as the direction of the guitar, I generally don't find it difficult to follow either the Efimov/Ample Sound layout (body at the right, lowest pitch string at the bottom) or the Orange Tree layout (body at the left, lowest pitch string at the top). The current layout of Archtop's fretboard and strings would be a left-handed guitarists layout (if the body were at the right of the screen), which I can adjust to but it isn't as immediately intuitive as a right-hand guitarists layout for me. 

At any rate, this all feels like nitpicking as Archtop looks and sounds like an an incredibly good library and I can't wait to get it.


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## Andrew Aversa (May 28, 2014)

The visual feedback is much appreciated. We definitely revisit and improve our instruments over time; in fact, we're about to release a big update for Shreddage 2 with a totally new UI/engine based on Archtop, plus new samples and features. Archtop is pretty high on the priority list too. 

When we do update it - which will be sooner rather than later - I'll definitely focus on improving the fretboard display, and see if we can add a thumbed single note articulation as well 

The thing about the min fret preference is probably more of a bug than anything else... that IS what that knob is supposed to do, and it does it most of the time (in my experience), but it should be a bit more 'insistent' on forcing notes above those frets.


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## Sparqee (May 28, 2014)

I agree that the fretboard view is confusing. It seems to me that the fret board is really only going to make a lot of sense to guitarists so the view should be from a guitarist point of view (e.g. looking down at the guitar laying flat on your lap).


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## Andrew Aversa (Jul 29, 2015)

Ladies and gentlemen, we've finally *flipped the fretboard* orientation  Archtop has been updated to v1.1, also fixing some minor bugs/issues and vastly improving the functionality of the "Split MIDI Channels" mode (for those with MIDI guitars or pickups). Portamento / glissandos also sound more realistic and better than ever. The update is *FREE* for all users:

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=176&t=443238

If you DON'T have Archtop yet, now is the best time to get it - only $109 in our Summer Sale, cut down from $159! Check it out:

http://impactsoundworks.com/products/guitar-and-bass/archtop-hollowbody-electric-guitar/

And here's our Summer Sale page with even more great deals and bundles...

http://impactsoundworks.com/2015-summer-sale/


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## Joe_D (Jul 29, 2015)

zircon_st said:


> Ladies and gentlemen, we've finally *flipped the fretboard* orientation  Archtop has been updated to v1.1, also fixing some minor bugs/issues and vastly improving the functionality of the "Split MIDI Channels" mode (for those with MIDI guitars or pickups). Portamento / glissandos also sound more realistic and better than ever....



Thanks, Andrew! The fretboard is just cosmetic, I suppose, but it is easier to grasp hand position in the new, improved version. I see you moved the dots for the fingered notes to exactly in between the frets, instead of on them. I appreciate the functional improvements to the ports/gliss and MIDI split as well.

Joe


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