Spicy Guitar - the Pianoteq of guitar modelling plugins

[RunBeerRun]

I want to check this out again. As a real guitarist, finding a solution in midi has to be similar to the wacky string dampening stuff I do, so the bar is real high.

[RafaelMorgan]

A lot of developers have been trying to make guitar instruments with functional strumming possibilities, modeled or sampled, but nothing comes even close to Spicy Guitar in terms of strumming mechanics. Its chord recognition capabilities are fantastic as well.

Its playing mechanics humiliate all those fancy acoustic guitar kontakt libraries in terms of feel and dynamics.

I know, the sound isn't that convincing all by itself, but if you use it in the background of a mix, or if you add some effects, it may work just right.

Now, if a developer combined this modeling technology and all its advantages with a nice sampled library, then the result could be something really really good.

Anyway, this is not the right tool if you intend to make a flamenco guitar album, but if you want to add some strumming as a way to spice up a groove, it really works.

Besides, it's free...

[Echoes in the Attic]

I was excited about this however it's causing Bitwig to hang. It's freezing the plug-in window even after I force the program to quit so can't really use it.

By the way, something strange about the download - If you click the mac logo to download, you get the mac 32 bit. If you click the words below that you get the 64 bit, which has "32_64" in the name. Not exactly obvious but there you go.

[fisherKing]

Not a replacement for RealGuitar, but...when mixed in, just a little, WITH RealGuitar...very nice. Am going to play with this combination some more, but def cool. Adds some nice, 'human' touches...

[aMUSEd]

Yeah but RealGuitar isn't a guitar modelling plugin - as a guitarist I would rather have an instrument that models the behaviour of an instrument accurately and dynamically than a sample based instrument that is based on static recordings of sounds under a particular set of conditions and with much more limited adaptability.

[BBFG#]

Well, for free, it's worth a try.
I like the three AAS VIs quite a bit though. (Both Strums and VS-2)

[Tricky-Loops]

I tested it when it was still beta a few years ago, then they made it payware (with a pretty high price tag). When they made it freeware again a few months ago, I tested it again - but it couldn't convince my ears. AAS Strum Electric GS-1 is much better, IME ("in-my-ears")...

Maybe I should experiment with Spicy Guitar again, for a few guitar plucks here and there it might be sufficient...but then I'd rather need a plugin to make funky guitar riffs for the kind of music I want to make.

[aMUSEd]

Strum annoys me because it only lets you strum whereas my usual playing style is to pick or combine picking with the occasional strum. It's a lot more comprehensive but it doesn't do what I want, although strangely it sounds more realistic than String Studio does.

[fisherKing]

Yeah but RealGuitar isn't a guitar modelling plugin - as a guitarist I would rather have an instrument that models the behaviour of an instrument accurately and dynamically than a sample based instrument that is based on static recordings of sounds under a particular set of conditions and with much more limited adaptability.

and yet...i get the best results with RealGuitar; have used it on records and have been asked who's playing guitar.

am more concerned with the end result than the path... but whatever works!

[SirKen]

Strum annoys me because it only lets you strum whereas my usual playing style is to pick or combine picking with the occasional strum. It's a lot more comprehensive but it doesn't do what I want, although strangely it sounds more realistic than String Studio does.

You can easily disable auto strum and use manual strumming. I think the biggest issue with strum series is the note range; I cannot play as high as I would like with them.

[bbaggins]

BDeep was right on when he pointed out that it's more about playing technique than the software. After all, guitarists often go out of their way to make the instrument sound like anything but a guitar, so who's to say when a synthetic guitar sounds unrealistic?

The hardest thing for keyboardists faking a guitar part is the intervals. When you play a chord on a guitar, you're playing six notes spanning two octaves. That's quite unnatural for a piano player to emulate.

If you want to successfully fake guitar on a keyboard, you really need to take the time to learn to play a guitar first. You don't have to become good at it, just understand the mechanics of it.

[BBFG#]

Strum annoys me because it only lets you strum whereas my usual playing style is to pick or combine picking with the occasional strum. It's a lot more comprehensive but it doesn't do what I want, although strangely it sounds more realistic than String Studio does.

You can easily disable auto strum and use manual strumming. I think the biggest issue with strum series is the note range; I cannot play as high as I would like with them.

+1
I have a little problem with its range also.

[aMUSEd]

Agreed but I think it also comes down to how people judge realism. Is it just about an instrument sounding realistically or is it also about an instrument behaving realistically? Ideally it should be both but we are not at that point yet for most things, so we have to make a choice. Sample based can make a sampler sound like a flute or trumpet played a certain way, but if you are playing music that requires you to go beyond the limited range of behaviours the sample developer recorder examples of, say overblowing or tonguing, or complex mixtures of several techniques, you're stuck with a sampler, but an accurate physical model should be able to handle those things. The limitation up till now has been the technology and cpu requirements but I think we are getting closer and that's why I am pleased to see software like this.

[SirKen]

Strum annoys me because it only lets you strum whereas my usual playing style is to pick or combine picking with the occasional strum. It's a lot more comprehensive but it doesn't do what I want, although strangely it sounds more realistic than String Studio does.

You can easily disable auto strum and use manual strumming. I think the biggest issue with strum series is the note range; I cannot play as high as I would like with them.

+1
I have a little problem with its range also.

In the mean time, the "+1 Oct" button can be midi learned and could be used to switch ranges on the fly to get that extra range. It's just not as ideal as having everything available on the keyboard from the get go.

[aMUSEd]

Strum annoys me because it only lets you strum whereas my usual playing style is to pick or combine picking with the occasional strum. It's a lot more comprehensive but it doesn't do what I want, although strangely it sounds more realistic than String Studio does.

You can easily disable auto strum and use manual strumming. I think the biggest issue with strum series is the note range; I cannot play as high as I would like with them.

+1
I have a little problem with its range also.

Can you? Turning off auto just results in no sound for me.