Shreddage 2 Development Thread

[zircon]

Figured I'd consolidate posts about this library here

Where are we? (Sept 12)
Recorded: Single mutes, single sustains, powerchord mutes, powerchord sustains, hard sustains, single note and powerchord staccatos, vibratos, tremolo picking, squeals, FX, portamento, hammer/pulls, fret/release noise.

Edited: Everything!

Left to record: ???

Script features:

* Intelligent string selection
* Anti-repetition
* Fret noise / heavy pick attack trigger
* Monophonic mode
* Chord detection / custom threshold
* Hammer-on/pull-off, custom hammer range w/ volume tracking
* Tune humanization
* Staccato mapping control
* Vibrato selection dropdown, keyswitch
* Forced stroke direction dropdown, keyswitch
* Quick velocity scaling (xlight/light/none/heavy/xheavy) menu
* String realism on/off
* Forced string selection
* Custom pick attack mapping range
* Virtual fret/hand position movement
* Fretboard monitor (work-in-progress)
* Tapping mode (work-in-progress)
* Screamer pedal, 'bite' EQ, compressor
* User-customizable portamento

[metalheart]

Hi Andrew,so for vibrato,is it possible to switch from one kind to another type in the same riff?
And what's exactly the tapping mode?
it seems shred 2 will be the new state of the art guitar library.

wow i'm very impatient for the release...

some audio files about the new features?

[zircon]

* Yes, you will be able to switch vibrato types within a riff by using keyswitches However, this is just an added bonus for power users. It's not really necessary to get a great sound.

* Tapping mode is still a work in progress, so I'm not sure if it will make it into the final release. The idea is to simulate this kind of playing style:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5JLFiQdNZM

Here's a very early example showcasing bends in action along with trem picking, hard picks, custom pick attack, fret noise and hammer-ons/pull-offs. Keep in mind it's just a little test, not a true demo.

http://www.zirconstudios.com/music/wips/s2_rifftest.mp3
http://www.zirconstudios.com/music/wips ... st_wet.mp3

Just added:

* Vibrato switch via keyswitch.
* Stroke direction switch via UI menu or keyswitch.
* Velocity scaling UI menu (xlight/light/none/heavy/xheavy).

[J-Rokujuushi]

I've already got two comprehensive electric guitar libraries, do I really need another one?

Yes. Yes I do.

[zircon]

You know, I look at libraries like V-Metal and while they sound great, the usability seems... lacking. I looked at the manual for that one in particular and it had 25 keyswitches. 25!!! And I'm not talking about keyswitches for obscure options or stuff just for power users, these were features like powerchords and legato slides - stuff you would expect to be using constantly. That's not intuitive. Literally every major articulation and feature so far is usable in Shreddage 2 with no keyswitches or MIDI CC except the modwheel.

[J-Rokujuushi]

In my case, I just sequence everything, so having all those keyswitches doesn't bother me as much as it would for a keyboardist. I just wish I could get FL Studio's piano roll to display what those keyswitches are so I don't have to keep a reference open on my second monitor.

[zircon]

Yeah, I am likewise not an amazing keyboardist. But the more you can do with just notes + velocities, the better for sequencing too

[metalheart]

great,I hear a whammy vibrato,am I right?
and yes,V metal sounds great but is really a pain in the ass to manage,too many ks.And then,I think it has a thinner sound (like so many other guitar libraries) compared to Shreddage which has a darker powerful and chuggish sound.
I hope the new guitar sound will still be the same(and if possible,more heavy ) as the old one to achieve a really brutal metal mix.

[J-Rokujuushi]

Yeah, I agree that velocity mapping everything makes things easier, especially in FL Studio where you can quickly audition all the velocity layers with alt-scrollwheel. The only problem there is that you lose out on using the velocity for hard and soft hits. Then again, Shreddage doesn't seem to be a "soft hit" kind of guitar.

[zircon]

Yes, we have whammy vibrato as well as light & heavy fingered vibrato. The guitar we used is a phat 7-string Musicman JP12 so I don't think you will find a thin sound here. The original Shreddage used a 6-string Gibson SG Standard so the tone isn't exactly matched, but then again we thought this guitar would be even better.

[metalheart]

Ah wonderful axe!! for V Metal,on the cd box I read they used a ESP Alexy Blacky with EMG humbucker pickup (in my opinion a great guitar with a fat,rich tone),but I've noticed that on higher notes especially,the sound tends to become slightier,as if it loses definition.Maybe it's only my impression,but this problem concerns many guitar libraries I've tried.

[makotomi50]

humm i was looking for buying a good guitar lead vst, maybe i need to wait that,
zircon you have a idea of the price for shreddage 1 user and if it will be released soon ?

[zircon]

We are still thinking about price and upgrade path. Unlike Shreddage X, which was an expansion, this will be an all-new product. Much bigger, much more in-depth, and with a totally new and custom scripted interface that will allow for incredible customization. I estimate the release at no later than late September, but we're working as hard as we can, so it could be sooner. As we get within 2-3 weeks of release we'll announce the price. What I can say for sure is that it will be very, very competitive.

I'd also like to add that we've added a small suite of features that I think will be VERY useful. When I was comparing the same chugging riff on Shreddage 2 vs. Shreddage X, I found that the tone was pretty different. Not necessarily worse, just different. This is the guitar we're using for S2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hDs6mCVAKs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkF4JD2rO3Q

It's very FULL, fat, and thick. The guitar we used for the original Shreddage, a Gibons SG Standard, has a more nasal, thin and 'vowel' output through the pickups:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lermqfhhJx4

Even though the final tone of the instrument is largely determined by your amp, pedal and cab settings, we decided to offer three controls that you may find very useful:

* Screamer Pedal. MANY guitarists using the JP12 (the guitar we sampled) run their axe through a Tube Screamer distortion pedal before hitting the amp, but with a very particular setting that gives the instrument a little less low-end, but more bite and aggression. This is useful for a variety of styles, so we included this exact setting WITHIN Kontakt. Simply click a button on the UI to switch it on and off. It's really a sweet spot!

* Preset EQ. We analyzed the sound of the Gibson SG Standard and created an EQ curve that makes our new guitar sound much closer to the original Shreddage. This is totally optional, and like the Screamer, a sweet spot one-click switch. Whether or not you'll want to use it really depends on the type of song you're doing, lead vs. rhythm, and what sort of amps/cabs you use.

* Preset compression. The JP12 sends a LOT of output through its pickups. In some cases, this can diminish the harsh attack of each note. Very desirable in some cases, less desirable in others. So, when you want more of that biting attack, we've customized a compression setting (again, one-click switch) that will help bring that attack out even more.

[EvilDragon]

Ah wonderful axe!! for V Metal,on the cd box I read they used a ESP Alexy Blacky with EMG humbucker pickup (in my opinion a great guitar with a fat,rich tone),but I've noticed that on higher notes especially,the sound tends to become slightier,as if it loses definition.Maybe it's only my impression,but this problem concerns many guitar libraries I've tried.

EMG HZ are not that good pickups, really.

I never quite liked COB tone, it's way too gnarly and trebly...

[metalheart]

well,I never bought EMG pickups for my guitars (i prefer DiMarzio or Seymour Duncan,i love the overall sound of the sh\13 Dimebucker or the Invaders sh\8,the first more trashy and the second better for extreme stuff like death metal in my opinion) atleast the Hz are humbucker pickups too,that in most cases isn'too bad to achieve a guitar sound full of mid and low frequencies.
So for my taste (even if I know many people hate them) the EMG HZ aren't so bad,plus remember they're stock and passive pickups!
Again,are you sure Lahio uses only EMG stuff? For CoB works I'm not sure,but i think he used Jackson J 50 or something.

Very good news for the new Shreddage!