Pettinhouse Acoustic Guitar - awesome

[zed]

...or even Reason Bass? The Reason collection looks interesting and has been out a while but haven't heard any feedback. I really like the Reason Pianos for a smaller footprint than Ivory.

Are you able to use Reason products in DP? I didn't realize that it could be done (at least not without jumping through a lot of hoops and suffering some inconvenience). I've wished for a long time that I could use those Abbey Road Keyboards.

[Tobor]

...or even Reason Bass? The Reason collection looks interesting and has been out a while but haven't heard any feedback. I really like the Reason Pianos for a smaller footprint than Ivory.

Are you able to use Reason products in DP? I didn't realize that it could be done (at least not without jumping through a lot of hoops and suffering some inconvenience). I've wished for a long time that I could use those Abbey Road Keyboards.

Rewire.

You do need Reason to run the add-ons. They seem to be bundling a lot of things with Reason 4 these days, so you might check in to it.

I tried to respond earlier but there was something funky with the forum- it was running glacially slow.

Tobor

[eriknorlander]

I've been using the Strum instrument for a couple of days now, and I'm really impressed. Andrea has done a beautiful job of creating a really musically useful instrument here. It seems that with Strum, he has sampled some extra dead / muted strings and layered them in with each "regular" note to give the impression of the pick going across several strings (you know, like when you're strumming!), subtle scratchy noises and all. Then the three effect samples at the bottom, chunky muted / half muted in-between noises, really complete the picture. I find that if you separate the notes in the chords you play by 5 - 10 ticks (depending on tempo, of course) at the beginning of each bar, that you really can create a convincing performance. Note that this only seems to work with the low notes first (typical strum) since there's some low-to-high strumming effect already in the samples. The upstroke strum is a little hard to simulate, but hey, let's be reasonable here! This is a wonderfully done library. Highly recommended.

Cheers,
Erik

[Armageddon]

Pettinhouse's stuff is nothing short of incredible. Unfortunately, due to being extremely space-challenged on my hard drive, I had to look for other options for an acoustic after snagging DirectGuitar 2.1. While I had considered Sounds And Effects' Pure Acoustic, it ultimately made no sense for me to go that route (8 GBs, as opposed to the 4 or so for Pettinhouse's Acoustic Guitar). Then, somebody turned me on to MusicLab's RealGuitar 2L (I think it was mentioned here several times). I almost passed, just because the footprint was so small and I couldn't imagine getting a decent acoustic guitar sound out of it.

Dead wrong.

It may not have the bells and whistles that Acoustic Legends HD, AcousticGuitar or even Pure Acoustic has, but it's an insanely great acoustic guitar instrument. I'm still in shock that something this good came out of a 189 MB download. And having two distinct steel-stringed guitars, plus a stereo steel string and a "double tracking" steel string pretty much solves my "double tracking guitars" dilemma. The playing took a little getting used to, and I'm not sure I like having to create a bank for each sample rate I plan on using the instrument with (and the standalone will only recognize 44.1 kHz?!?) but it's all designed to work without keyswitches, and once you grok the idea behind up-down stroke/major/minor/7ths/strums with two keys, it's jaw-dropping stuff. I may also pick up RealStrat and/or RealLPC (DirectGuitar is my go-to electric guitar instrument, but check out the demos on MusicLab's site; as a lead instrument, RealStrat and/or RealLPC's articulations blow it out of the water).

[cbergm7210]

Pettinhouse's stuff is nothing short of incredible. Unfortunately, due to being extremely space-challenged on my hard drive, I had to look for other options for an acoustic after snagging DirectGuitar 2.1. While I had considered Sounds And Effects' Pure Acoustic, it ultimately made no sense for me to go that route (8 GBs, as opposed to the 4 or so for Pettinhouse's Acoustic Guitar). Then, somebody turned me on to MusicLab's RealGuitar 2L (I think it was mentioned here several times). I almost passed, just because the footprint was so small and I couldn't imagine getting a decent acoustic guitar sound out of it.

Dead wrong.

It may not have the bells and whistles that Acoustic Legends HD, AcousticGuitar or even Pure Acoustic has, but it's an insanely great acoustic guitar instrument. I'm still in shock that something this good came out of a 189 MB download. And having two distinct steel-stringed guitars, plus a stereo steel string and a "double tracking" steel string pretty much solves my "double tracking guitars" dilemma. The playing took a little getting used to, and I'm not sure I like having to create a bank for each sample rate I plan on using the instrument with (and the standalone will only recognize 44.1 kHz?!?) but it's all designed to work without keyswitches, and once you grok the idea behind up-down stroke/major/minor/7ths/strums with two keys, it's jaw-dropping stuff. I may also pick up RealStrat and/or RealLPC (DirectGuitar is my go-to electric guitar instrument, but check out the demos on MusicLab's site; as a lead instrument, RealStrat and/or RealLPC's articulations blow it out of the water).

Yes, my use of Realguitar and VG 2 cover many bases. With the addition of the Pettinhouse acoustic I find myself using all three in projects if I need to as they are all great in their own regard.

Chris

[Armageddon]

Yes, my use of Realguitar and VG 2 cover many bases. With the addition of the Pettinhouse acoustic I find myself using all three in projects if I need to as they are all great in their own regard.

If I had the space, I'd definitely have also snagged AcousticGuitar, but since I could only really choose one, I feel Realguitar 2L was the best purchase. I'm still in shock at how expressive and high-quality it sounds. It completely balances out how disappointed I've always been by MOR's Gibson J-160 instrument (no lead sounds) and, in my opinion, actually sounds better. It also makes me wonder why more sample sets haven't taken a few pages from MusicLab's book.

I am planning on buying either RealStrat or RealLPC to use as a lead instrument in conjunction with DirectGuitar 2. I'm sure RealStrat or RealLPC would also work fine as a rhythm instrument, but their lead articulations are just insane (feedback, violining, etc.) and while DirectGuitar 2's abilities as a lead instrument are serviceable, it just lacks a lot of the articulations I'm looking for. Still bummed out that there isn't scrapes, sound FX and slides in any of these instruments, but if I can put together an arsenal that addresses most realistic lead and rhythm articulations (and DirectGuitar 2 and RealLPC/Strat would do just that), I'm happy. I had considered Prominy's LPC Clean Guitar, but nothing I've heard convinces me that it's any better than DirectGuitar 2, just bigger.

[Tobor]

I am planning on buying either RealStrat or RealLPC to use as a lead instrument in conjunction with DirectGuitar 2. I'm sure RealStrat or RealLPC would also work fine as a rhythm instrument, but their lead articulations are just insane (feedback, violining, etc.) and while DirectGuitar 2's abilities as a lead instrument are serviceable, it just lacks a lot of the articulations I'm looking for. Still bummed out that there isn't scrapes, sound FX and slides in any of these instruments, but if I can put together an arsenal that addresses most realistic lead and rhythm articulations (and DirectGuitar 2 and RealLPC/Strat would do just that), I'm happy. I had considered Prominy's LPC Clean Guitar, but nothing I've heard convinces me that it's any better than DirectGuitar 2, just bigger.

Have you checked out the Pettinhouse Humbucker Guitar? Seems to be more lead-oriented with its articulations. To get Direct Guitar, Acoustic, and Humbucker for 199 bucks during the Pettinhouse Xmas special seemed too good to pass up- so I didn't.

I'm backing up my new downloads as we speak. Thanks for your raves!

Tobor

[Armageddon]

Have you checked out the Pettinhouse Humbucker Guitar? Seems to be more lead-oriented with its articulations. To get Direct Guitar, Acoustic, and Humbucker for 199 bucks during the Pettinhouse Xmas special seemed too good to pass up- so I didn't.

I'm backing up my new downloads as we speak. Thanks for your raves!

It felt to me like Humbucker Guitar was more or less the "Bridge Position" of DirectGuitar, but it's hard to say, because Pettinhouse doesn't list the make or model of the guitar he sampled (or for any of his sample sets except for DirectBass), so they could be completely different. The video tutorial on Pettinhouse's site made it sound like DirectGuitar's Bridge Position, but with sampled chords to go along with the leads. Again, it's tough to say, though I didn't get the sense that it could do something DirectGuitar couldn't.

You can certainly use DirectGuitar for leads (and the bridge position, which gets the most use from me, has all sorts of articulations for lead work, like arpeggios, bends, trills and pick runs), but there are certain things that it, or most any electric guitar sample sets that I've messed with, don't seem to address, like feedback or violining. RealLPC and RealStrat include these expressions, and as keyswitches, no less! That said, it's really just me being nitpicky. Getting those three sample sets for $199 is an incredible deal, and I think it's safe to say your electric/acoustic guitar bases are well-covered. RealGuitar 2L is $250 by itself, and picking up RealStrat or RealLPC (I'm leaning towards RealLPC) is going to cost another $250, though I think you can snag any of those three cheaper if you exclude the MIDI pattern libraries, which you really don't need.

[zed]

...I think you can snag any of those three cheaper if you exclude the MIDI pattern libraries, which you really don't need.

I think that would be a mistake. Those pattern libraries are wonderful. At least the one that I got with RealGuitar2 is. Those strum patterns inspired a whole bunch of tunes for me, and there are still a whole bunch more inspirations awaiting me when I get back to playing with them. I would not order these products without the pattern libraries. You will be short changing yourself.

As for the Toolbox... that ended up being a waste of money for me. Fortunately it was only an extra $15.

But yes... Music Lab makes some good products. And so cool that it shows you the chords it is playing. I have learned songs on a real guitar that I came up with by playing RealGuitar on the keyboard.

[mhschmieder]

I'm pretty sure DirectGuitar is a Strat and that Humbucker is a Les Paul variant, but it's been a couple of weeks now since I last used the libraries so maybe I'm wrong. I do know that the classic guitar, which I didn't bother with, was simply filtered in different ways to produce the "bass" and the separately purchasable pseudo-Cavaquinho library.

I don't even know if my RealGuitar came with the MIDI files -- I thought that was just part of RealStrat. I didn't have any interest in them, as I have Twiddly.BITS for an excellent collection of MIDI patterns from genres and styles across the world. Are they really that good? Are they on a par with what Yamaha does in their workstations (one of their strengths)?

MusicLab also makes a very playable flute library, but it is Windows-only. I have the similar Bela D Retro Flute library, but am holding off on using it the way it is intended (in real time) and am back to VSL for jazz flute for now. There are very few VI's and libraries that I can play in real time on my current computer. The Pettinhouse libraries are amongst those that I have the joy of experience in all of their expressive glory.

[Armageddon]

I'm pretty sure RealGuitar is a Strat and that Humbucker is a Les Paul variant, but it's been a couple of weeks now since I last used the libraries so maybe I'm wrong. I do know that the classic guitar, which I didn't bother with, was simply filtered in different ways to produce the "bass" and the separately purchasable pseudo-Cavaquinho library.

I assume you meant "DirectGuitar" (the Pettinhouse version). Again, it's tough for me to tell if they're different guitars, but the Humbucker video demo sounded just like his DirectGuitar 2 demo to me, except with sampled chords as well as single notes and an emphasis on metal/rock. And there's a huge difference in file sizes, as well, though DirectGuitar offers bridge/neck/mid/various mixed pickups positions (oddly, without the same articulations, forcing you to use different postions for different tasks, though the bridge position is the only one that seems to offer a complete set), a "strum" instrument that only has pick and open sounds (possibly from the middle position?) and a "jazz pickup" instrument expressly for playing jazz electric guitar. So, if you're not interested in having access to all these other positions, Humbucker would definitely be the way to go. I'm not a huge fan of the middle, neck or mixed position instruments, so I've stuck with the bridge position and might end up using the strumming instrument for basic rhythm guitar work, but I may have been better off with buying Humbucker over DirectGuitar.

I don't even know if my RealGuitar came with the MIDI files -- I thought that was just part of RealStrat. I didn't have any interest in them, as I have Twiddly.BITS for an excellent collection of MIDI patterns from genres and styles across the world. Are they really that good? Are they on a par with what Yamaha does in their workstations (one of their strengths)?

You can get RealGuitar 2 with or without the MIDI patterns and Toolbox (the version incorporating everything is "RealGuitar 2L"). I messed around with the MIDI patterns a little, but, to be honest, RealGuitar 2 doesn't need them, especially if you've come from other "strummed acoustic" sample sets. The layout is so ridiculously intuitive, you can work up a realistic up/down strum in no time flat, and the business with playing major/minor/7ths by just hitting the right two keys is awesome. Probably my only caveat with RealGuitar 2 is that you can't use single notes and chords at the same time, meaning, if you have an acoustic guitar part that requires both chord and lead articulations at the same time, you'd have to open a second instance of RealGuitar 2 in your DAW to address it. Or, you could just play chords via your solo instance, like an old-school acoustic guitar sample.

[zed]

I don't even know if my RealGuitar came with the MIDI files... Are they really that good? Are they on a par with what Yamaha does in their workstations (one of their strengths)?

They are similar to some of the arpeggiations control that I have in my Yamaha MOTIF-Rack. But there are a whole lot more patterns.

I messed around with the MIDI patterns a little, but, to be honest, RealGuitar 2 doesn't need them, especially if you've come from other "strummed acoustic" sample sets. The layout is so ridiculously intuitive, you can work up a realistic up/down strum in no time flat...

Like I said, I found the strum and picking patterns to be inspirational. The beautiful thing about them is you can audition them, and you will hear a strumming or picking pattern that you probably would never have come up with yourself... and yet it sounds very authentic, AND you can come up with fantastic song ideas just by pressing keys on your keyboard using that "ridiculously intuitive" layout. You don't even have to play chords... you just play single notes and RealGuitar plays the chords for you. Pretty awesome.

Certainly anyone wanting to come up with ideas for folk songs, and the like, do not want to go without these patterns. I cannot stress it more. A great creative suppliment.

[Armageddon]

Like I said, I found the strum and picking patterns to be inspirational. The beautiful thing about them is you can audition them, and you will hear a strumming or picking pattern that you probably would never have come up with yourself... and yet it sounds very authentic, AND you can come up with fantastic song ideas just by pressing keys on your keyboard using that "ridiculously intuitive" layout. You don't even have to play chords... you just play single notes and RealGuitar plays the chords for you. Pretty awesome.

Certainly anyone wanting to come up with ideas for folk songs, and the like, do not want to go without these patterns. I cannot stress it more. A great creative suppliment.

I'm certainly not belittling the inclusion of the MIDI patterns, it's just not something I myself would need to use, considering how easy the chord/strum layout is. In fact, even strumming chords by hand in "Solo" mode, something I'm already used to from the old days of contending with acoustic guitar samples/PCMs in my hardware boards, sounds amazing. I don't use the MIDI patterns in EZ Drummer, either; I prefer rolling my own.

That being said, even for people like me who'd rather do it all manually, the MIDI patterns at least illustrate how to get certain things out of RealGuitar that you might not figure out on your own. Either way you slice it, it's just an insanely good and useful instrument.

[Tobor]

To go a little O.T., back to Pettinhouse.....

I just got my Pettinhouse bundle installed last night and Acoustic Guitar is truly a great instrument as well. I ended up messing with it for a good long while, haven't even gotten around to Direct Guitar or Humbucker yet. I recorded a couple takes and the realism on playback floored me.

As Erik said, 'highly recommended'.

Tobor

[Armageddon]

To go a little O.T., back to Pettinhouse.....

I just got my Pettinhouse bundle installed last night and Acoustic Guitar is truly a great instrument as well. I ended up messing with it for a good long while, haven't even gotten around to Direct Guitar or Humbucker yet. I recorded a couple takes and the realism on playback floored me.

As Erik said, 'highly recommended'.

I only have a couple of sticking points with DirectGuitar, but they're minor and may not even affect you (or actually be viewed by you as an asset). One was a lack of extra effect sounds, like fret scrapes, zingers, etc. I appreciate the inclusion of stuff like "plugging your guitar in" and "tuning up", but how often are you actually going to use that in your music? Two ... not sure I like it for lead work. It doesn't feel like it has either the bite or the articulations you'd want to have for a lead guitar sound, though you could certainly make it work, if you had to. A great compromise here would simply be to augment it with MusicLab's RealStrat, which doesn't have the world's greatest chord sounds, but is amazing for leads, and has so many great articulations, you'll get lost in them. Since DirectGuitar, as somebody here pointed out, is probably sampled from a Strat (I recently figured out that, because DirectGuitar gives you different pickup positions, the theory about it being sampled from a three-pickup Strat is likely correct), combining the two VIs would give you the perfect articulated electric guitar.

The third thing is, I'm still not sold on the inclusion of multiple pickup positions with DirectGuitar, though it's probably realistic to have them. The neck and mid positions are somewhat weak, though the mid position offers a "Strumming" patch, which I assume is intended solely for rhythm work (it doesn't have any other articulations, so you're limited). I tend to keep it in the Bridge position, which has all the articulations onboard and sounds best (to me) for rhythm or lead work, and the "Jazz" pickup has a certain merit for softer leads (and I can't discern any real difference between "Jazz" and "Jazz arpeggio"). And I still have no idea how the Humbucker instrument stacks up (I assume it was sampled from a Les Paul Custom); it may have better lead sounds, and the power chords are a nice touch. You'll definitely want to throw away the "Inspirational Chords" and save yourself the hard drive space, unless you can find some use for them; they're not note specific and basically come off sounding like "Pettinhouse's Greatest Hits".

In short, I love DirectGuitar, and combining it with MusicLab's RealStrat pretty much blows stuff like Prominy's SC out of the water with far less hard drive space or complicated use. I don't think you'd be able to ask for more than that in a sampled guitar. If Humbucker Guitar seems to lack in the lead department, you also might want to consider MusicLab's recent RealLPC to couple it with.

I think I like MusicLab's RealGuitar 2L just a bit more than AcousticGuitar (more tonal options), but they both share one criminal defect: no mono support. While RealGuitar 2L has mainly mono guitars (plus one stereo steel guitar), it lacks a panning option, which means, if you want to record a L/R mono guitar for double tracking, or if you just want a mono acoustic in the mix, you'll have to stick some sort of panning insert plug after RealGuitar 2L so you can pan it hard left or right and bounce the audio to mono. And while AcousticGuitar operates out of Kontakt, which means you can just pan Kontakt hard left or right to record it in mono, it's a stereo guitar, so there could be some issues there.