Helpful ReplyWhich Guitar library for Kontakt

Hi I have just bought the full version of Kontakt and have been puzzling over which guitar library to buy, I'm not much of a keyboard player so was wondering out of Lyrical distortion , orange tree strawberry to Torch to go for . I was planning on trying to compose some Theodora Krueger "type " stuff in PRV ........any suggestions which to go for , pros and cons of the above.... Or any other recommendations gratefully received. 

Ps sorry about typos, above damn iPad . I know it's not Theodora :-) 

Orange Tree Samples Evolution Electric Guitar is amazing, especially since it's just been updated.
Customer service from Greg is also beyond expected.

thank you, I keep hearing this about Orange Tree.  I've also, just checked out Shreddage which looks interesting. 

Have both and IMO, Shreddage is kind of like a one trick pony compared to OTS EEG.

Ah, ok that's interesting to know. Thanks again, I may be misreading , but the articulations seem limited compared to some others, but the accolades say otherwise. 

I am definately going to look into it deeper. 

Ilya Efimov has a new LP, and released a Tele like 2 days ago... http://www.ilyaefimov.com/ Bought the LP recently, but been doing like 18 hour work days, and haven't had any chance to spend w/ it, so can't give any useful feedback as of yet. Greg's support from OTS is definately outstanding though... One thing you might consider is getting one of the "light" LD libs, like LDi Select, which is only $19.. use that to get your feet wet with emulating guitar on a keyboard/in a piano roll/etc.... Then when you're at a point of realizing "what you're missing", you'll be better prepared to understand what exactly the bigger and more featured libraries provide. Just a thought.

There's a bug crawling on my screen, here, and I can't get rid of him.

I just bought OT EEG and, yeah, it is looking promising. I've really got a lot more to learn about the strumming, though, and other articulation triggering.

keith


One thing you might consider is getting one of the "light" LD libs, like LDi Select, which is only $19.. use that to get your feet wet with emulating guitar on a keyboard/in a piano roll/etc.... Then when you're at a point of realizing "what you're missing", you'll be better prepared to understand what exactly the bigger and more featured libraries provide. Just a thought.

I have quite a few of those $19 Lyrical Distortion libraries I bought very cheaply in a sale and you are correct, as good as they are they show you what you are missing. I don't really know much about their larger libraries.
 
I think Orange Tree is very good with a very comprehensive rang of articulations and features. I have both Strawberry and Steel Strings I have the to try the updated Strawberry yet.
 
Indiginus is a company worth checking out. Torch and ACC are not a fully featured as Strawberry and Steel Strings, but is simpler and very effective. Good value at the price.
 
You should look into guitar amp simulators too. Torch is better through Amplitube of Guitar Rig than using the built in effects, I suspect that will be the case with the new Strawberry too. Kontakts amps and speakers are OK but do not match a full package.
 
Ilya Efimov looks tempting but I should concentrate on getting the best out my OT and Indiginus products first. Of course I could become the Nigel Tufnel of virtual guitars.

The "Reja Vu" demo on the Evolution Electric Guitar Strawberry page uses only the built-in effects system, just so you can get an idea of the tones it's capable of producing: http://www.orangetreesamples.com/audio/RejaVu.mp3 All the presets used in the demo as well as the MIDI file are included in the download.

sorry for my absence it's been night here. 

Thanks for all the responses, I will take a proper read and digest all that's said. 

Thank you. 

Hey STinGA,
In case you aren't aware of it, gregjazz who last responded to you is the author/developer of Orange Tree Samples.
Not only is he a sample library developer, he is also a Sonar user!

Yup, just upgraded from Sonar 7 PE to Sonar X1. Took a little while to get used to, but I've been thinking about making a video on how to get accustomed to the new piano roll system (that was the biggest change for me). There are a few useful tricks to getting the piano roll to behave more similarly to X1. :)

Ah cool, that's great, nice to know developers are around to answer questions :-)

Thanks for the responses :-)

BTW, on the LD side of things, after re-listening to some of the demos there I think "Ripper" (amped or direct) sounds like it might have more natural sounding note transitions, compared to say LDi, which sounds much more synthetic, to my ears… plus you get the special effect articulations, etc. That said, you won't get the high end note transitions and such until you go up to EEG and the like...

I have used the Ripper Amped lib from Lyrical Distortion several times. It has some annoying quirks such as never-ending stuck notes when playback is stopped, and it's limited to the one sound. BUT, it's a great sound. You get a nicely-distorted Mesa Boogie tone with very little effort, and at $19 it's quite a bargain.

Since the OP mentioned Theodore Kruger specifically, if you hunt around on the net there is a Yamaha Pacifica guitar library out there by TK. If you can find it, you can download it for free. For a freebie, it was pretty impressive. Sorry, I did not make note of exactly where I found it, so you'll have to consult google.

Other serious bargains are Indiginus' $5 specials, which are all usable libraries. I have all of them except the metal guitar. Lead Guitar One and Nashville Electric Guitar are not bad, the latter being the more usable of the two. Either is a bargain for five bucks. But if you've got $50 to spend, Torch is quite nice, especially for semi-clean tones.

But of course the king of guitar libs is OTS' EEG. There are others in its league, such as the Pettinhouse products and Electri6ity. But EEG offers, IMO, the best bang for the buck. And it's on sale at the moment.

Thanks for everything guys, it certainly seems EEG is the way ahead, I'll do a little more looking and then probably stump for that..... Thanks loads. Some great info here as always!

Can't disagree with that. Greg's libs are the bombiddybomb. (Best product demos too, IMO :) ).

One last thing all you OTS fans... if you don't already have it, be sure to grab Greg's jazz/funk kit freebie from a couple of years back... http://www.orangetreesamp...ample-library/#more-58 Really good for certain genres/moods... especially for FREEEE!!!!

Should probably throw in a plug for Greg's bass guitar libraries while we're enthusing. They sound authentic and believable across many styles and genres. 

I was just listening to the Jaco Bass. It's very impressive. Already an owner of Trilian, I am still pondering how this might be of use.

Trilian's probably got you covered. I mean, how many different basses does anybody need?

Meanwhile, I see that Greg's working on a Rickenbacker. That's the one I'll hold out for.

Lol. I don't need any more basses, I guess. I've got all my basses covered.

bitflipper

Since the OP mentioned Theodore Kruger specifically, if you hunt around on the net there is a Yamaha Pacifica guitar library out there by TK. If you can find it, you can download it for free. For a freebie, it was pretty impressive. Sorry, I did not make note of exactly where I found it, so you'll have to consult google.

I found Krueger's free  version.  I just goggled it and it showed up a little ways down the page.  His youtube page is down, but their are some youtube videos of this free library.  The Youtube demo sounds good for its price (free).  I downloaded it, but have not tried it on my studio yet.  Just goggle it.  

[On Edit:  Here is the link I used: http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2010/03/20/free-electric-guitar-sample-library-for-kontakt/  It is from synthopia's synth site and has a download link and a link to Krueger's page.  Here is the free library at work on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=281ctYf-ff8&list=UU2OGr0aQ9jqq10IDjIdoNSA&index=5&feature=plcp ]
 

bitflipper

I mean, how many different basses does anybody need?

Meanwhile, I see that Greg's working on a Rickenbacker. That's the one I'll hold out for.

You DID NOT just say that!!! :)
 
BTW, there's a freebie Rick bass library being worked on currently at kvr. Should come together over the next couple of weeks, so we'll see how that goes. The initial sample quality is promising, and I'll be providing some of my own tweaks to the supplied NKIs being worked on by one of the generous forum members... could end up being eminently useful...
 
RE: jaco bass... it's really a special type of sound. Great product, but if all you need is your basic boomy/thuddy bass guitar sound, you don't need jaco.

You DID NOT just say that!!! :)

Yes, I said it, and fully expected a rebuttal! 


Truth is, I use a lot of different sources for bass, but then I don't have Trilian, either. If I did, it seems likely that it would fill most if not all my bass needs. 


I've been following that Ricky project on KVR, and once the dust settles on the Kontakt version I'll definitely give it a try. But I know that Greg's going to nail the articulations and playability, and that his Ricky could very well become the definitive one by which all others are measured. 

The truth is that I've barely scratched the surface of what Trilian has, or what it can do. But, if I need anything else, I'll immediately consider OT. Greg is a genuine craftsman, and consistently produces excellence in whatever he does.

Trilian, however, does cover a lot of ground, for sure, with numerous articulations and varieties of basses, synthesized, electric and acoustic. It has tremendous potential, indeed, and is a huge and rich resource for quality bass.

bitflipper

I've been following that Ricky project on KVR, and once the dust settles on the Kontakt version I'll definitely give it a try. But I know that Greg's going to nail the articulations and playability, and that his Ricky could very well become the definitive one by which all others are measured. 

For a freebie (or very very low cost, at the most, I would expect), I think it's shaping up to be something potentially very useful. But it won't rival anything that Greg can do with his technology and expertise, IMO… On the other hand, Greg isn't going to be making any non-Kontakt versions of his stuff anytime soon… Hard to believe, but not everybody uses Kontakt. :) Who knows, maybe some generous developer will pick up the free samples and make a non-Kontakt, standalone VSTi for everybody's benefit… 


Anyhoo… I know Greg had discussed a Rick bass library a long time ago… like 2-3 years ago, so glad to hear something being done on that end finally! I'm definately all over that bidness… 

For the price point, Greg's guitars-all of them- are the very best value and quality. There are more expensive options, of course, but IMO most of these don't even compare in value and ease of use, overall. 

I'm satisfied with both EEG and EAG. I find both of them incredible. The basses sound great, too. I can see and hear why Greg has the level of respect and admiration that he does have around here. Anyone that's looking to get a product of this type should seriously consider Orange Tree Samples before making any decision to buy something else. That's my honest opinion.

And be sure to check out some of the other OT sample libraries, too-like the Passion Flute [It sounds awesome and is Wind/breath controller compatible].

Yup, going to be starting the Rickenbacker library as soon as I finish the lap steel library I'm currently working on. Let me know if you have any requests for the Rick, though. My main focus is getting repeating notes to sound as realistic as possible, as with the slides.

Slides! Yum. Some nice distortion and cab sims would be good, although I'm sure you've thought of that already.

I know it's not on your radar, but I would pay you today for a Rickenbacker 12-string library three years from now...

Lap steel? Wow! That'll be something to look forward to. I always loved the stuff David Gilmour and Steve Howe could do with them. But I'm sure a lot of Country Western musicians will be excited, too.

Honestly, outside of the country western idiom, I find that lap steel can do wonders for a nice, organic-sounding pad, or a fading, bending high note to accent the chord changes in a pop/rock context. Should be a fun library!

I will definitely be buying the lap steel. Please, Greg, give us a friendly introductory price for us po' folk.

I was recently at a friend's house where he had a vintage lap steel, so I messed around a bit with it and was surprised at how easy it was to get some cool Gilmoure-ish sounds happening. Run it hot through a small amp with some delay and you're there. If I could get that out of a sample library I'd be using it on every song!

I haven't determined an exact price, but it will be friendly--and an intro discount, too, of course. :)

Mmmm... lap steel... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b40cp7jDAuQ&feature=relmfu

Can't wait... Damn you, Greg Schlaepfer, and your sample libraries!!!

I might have to set up a direct deposit account with Greg if he keeps on pumping out these awesome new libraries.

bitflipper


I will definitely be buying the lap steel. Please, Greg, give us a friendly introductory price for us po' folk.

I was recently at a friend's house where he had a vintage lap steel, so I messed around a bit with it and was surprised at how easy it was to get some cool Gilmoure-ish sounds happening. Run it hot through a small amp with some delay and you're there. If I could get that out of a sample library I'd be using it on every song!

I saw David Gilmour twice w/the Floyd, doing his magic on the guitars, and Steve Howe, a few times. 



http://www.gilmourish.com/?page_id=69 David’s slide guitars have always been a big part of Pink Floyd’s sound. In the early days he followed the tradition of Syd, using different slide techniques to create effects and soundscapes. By the mid 70’s David mainly used lap steels and created some of his most memorable solos.


Gilmour's lap steel is the sound to crave for.

I seldom make library recommendations, it's just too much of a personal choice thing. AND I have never considered guitar to be a candidate for sampling... cause I'm an over-playing guitarist. That said - the Orange Tree Evolution guitar libraries are awesome. The realism one can get is beyond my wildest dreams. I can (thankfully) still play things it can't - but I get the impression Greg is up for the challenge.

Since we're on the topic, here's the first audio demo of the upcoming lap steel library, played live. I'm using those Dan Dean Solo Strings from that great sale they had a week ago: http://www.orangetreesamp...udio/GrayPatchwork.mp3

gregjazz

Since we're on the topic, here's the first audio demo of the upcoming lap steel library, played live. I'm using those Dan Dean Solo Strings from that great sale they had a week ago: http://www.orangetreesamp...udio/GrayPatchwork.mp3

Now that is just pretty!  Me be waiting for this one!

Whadidisay? Best demos evah! Sounds fantastic, Greg, looking forward to this one...

gregjazz


Since we're on the topic, here's the first audio demo of the upcoming lap steel library, played live. I'm using those Dan Dean Solo Strings from that great sale they had a week ago: http://www.orangetreesamp...udio/GrayPatchwork.mp3

This is too cool. I can't wait to get my hands on it. Any ballpark ETA on it's release, Greg? [And having listened to the Dan Dean samples, I just bought SSA]

Watch for "the official lap steel progress thread" to appear on Greg's support forum on KVR. Then you'll know it's only 9 months away. (Based on the "official evolution update progress thread", which debuted in August 2011 and announced the product release last month.)

Thanks, Bit! I'll be watching and waiting anxiously. I wish I could prepay and just wait for it in the mail. I'm definitely excited about this one.

I don't think it'll take as long as the EEG update took since he's already got the new engine/front-end written.
The EAG update came out hot on the heels of the EEG update because of the work he had already done to the new interface.

Yeh, I'm being facetious. Greg's already posting demo songs with it - a damn good one, as usual. So I'm guessing the lap steel's more than halfway done. I'm putting pennies in the jar now.

Hahah, yeah, I'm notorious for taking my time on projects. This time, the lap steel library will be out to the beta testers in 1-2 days, which means my job right now is going to be writing the manual and getting things ready for the release. :)

Oh, and I haven't forgotten--I still need to make a Sonar X1 tips and tricks video!

Guess what Greg announced a little while ago on KVR?
 
http://www.orangetreesamples.com/lap-steel-guitar

Oh frabjous day, cahlooh, callay!

This is a must have as soon as possible!!! Tomorrow it will be mine!!!

Just finished the download (only ~700MB total). If I'm a good boy and get all my work done, mommy will let me play with my new toy around 3AM or 4AM tomorrow... :)

Be a good boy, then, cuz' you don't want to miss out on your play time.

Nice affordable intro price!  Thanks.

The new product must be selling like hotcakes...I've been waiting a while for the D/L link...OK, so it's only been an hour, but that feels like an excessive wait. C'mon, Greg, I'm ready to start channeling Gilmoure!

[EDIT]Oops, my error. I was checking the wrong inbox. Got the link, downloading now...and thanks for the inadvertent humor (from Greg's email):

If you do not receive this email, please contact us at {email address}

.

Let me know how the Gilmouring goes... :)

Dern yor ol hide, Greg!!!  Ever time I think I'm gonna take a break from scarfin up this instrument or that plugin some feller like you comes out with another "jimeny-christmas-on-a-soda-cracker I GOT to have that" new gee gaw.  That Lap Steel sounds fabulous.  OK, I'm in...I'll order when I get to the project studio.  Sheesh.

Been sitting here jamming for about an hour and having a blast with the lap steel. It's all about the slides, something I've never been able to do convincingly with sample libraries before. 

An example of something most other libraries cannot do: you can hold down an Am chord and slide smoothly up to a C major chord, using the scale-snap feature. In the past, I've had to use an overdub to achieve that effect. 

Next, I'm hooking this up to UberMod, which I think is going to make it go all pinkfloydie and psychedelic and stuff.

Just downloaded.  Looks like fun.  I'm such a dimbulb tho, we'll see if it's "Doghouse Proof";-)

bitflipper


Been sitting here jamming for about an hour and having a blast with the lap steel. It's all about the slides, something I've never been able to do convincingly with sample libraries before. 

An example of something most other libraries cannot do: you can hold down an Am chord and slide smoothly up to a C major chord, using the scale-snap feature. In the past, I've had to use an overdub to achieve that effect. 

Next, I'm hooking this up to UberMod, which I think is going to make it go all pinkfloydie and psychedelic and stuff.

Let me know when you find yourself in the Gilmour zone. I might have to check that Uber-thing out. Post an audio. 


I really want to get into the Floydosphere.


[I checked out the UberMod, and it looks like an awesome tool. I'll have to get both the Lap and the Delay. But I'm still recovering from Morphestra, for now]]