Ujam Virtual Guitarist Carbon

[tonedef71]

Seeing a promotion offering it for free less than one year after its release just stokes the buyer's remorse of early adopters and underscores the lesson to never purchase a newly released product from UJAM, because whatever introductory price being offered to new suckers is just a trap.

Are you serious?

Yes. For VG Carbon, UJAM disregarded the time-honored tradition of introducing a brand new product discounted for early adopters at a price that would not be seen again or reduced further for a couple of years.

Are you more worried about money that music?

Yes. I am a hobbyist composer who makes not a cent from music creation; like most hobbies, music creation is quite a sink-hole for my disposable income (which is not limitless).

Are you more interested in a bargain than in the right instrument for your needs?

I would rather have both: the right instrument for my needs at a bargain price. I have yet to find any music software that perfectly suits me; usually I am the one who has to conform to it.

Believe me, I wish I felt as satisfied as you do with respect to music creation related purchases.

[revvy]

OMG at first play this thing is a total blast. Wow.

[leeleema]

Blimey. I just got Trash 2 and Carbon for free. I wasn't even fussed about trying Carbon until I just read Bones and co saying how good it is. The main purchase was Timeshaper 2 which I've been after for a while, for £9. So that's Timeshaper 2, Trash 2 and Carbon for £9. Blimey. Just. Blimey

[tonedef71]

OMG at first play this thing is a total blast. Wow.

VG Carbon certainly is a lot of fun to play with. Here are the links again to the two quick & dirty rock excerpt demos I created previously with VG Carbon:

https://hearthis.at/tonedef/inside-out-opening-riff/

https://hearthis.at/tonedef/still-of-the-night-excerpt/

I am wondering if the free VG Carbon promotional offer is indicative that the next major version of all their VG guitars is imminent (perhaps within the next couple of months).

A feature unique to VG Carbon is the ability to play individual notes like an instrument and the MIDI phrase drag & drop; you cannot yet do that with the other VG instruments in the series. VB Rowdy also allowed for being played as an instrument, and now all of the VB basses have that feature. All of the newer UJAM instrument releases now feature the MIDI phrase drag & drop capability. So I am hoping that with the next major release, all the VG instruments will be playable as instruments, just like all of the VB basses and VG Carbon.

[BONES]

The other good thing about Carbon compared to Iron is that you get a broader range of notes. Iron doesn't give you much more than an octave-and-a-half but Carbon has a good three octaves of playable notes. I'd probably use Iron a lot more than Carbon if it had the same note range, so a v2 upgrade would be very welcome for me.

For VG Carbon, UJAM disregarded the time-honored tradition of introducing a brand new product discounted for early adopters at a price that would not be seen again or reduced further for a couple of years.

You still don't get it - why isn't the important thing that the instrument sounds great, works really well and does what you bought it to do? "Time honoured tradition" doesn't help you produce a great song and surely anything that does help is worth whatever you were happy to pay for it after you had tried the demo? e.g. I paid $99 for Vacuum Pro and two weeks later it was $9 and I couldn't have cared less. It is easily worth $99 to me because it gets used in most of our songs. OTOH, I bought Hive for half price during a sale and still feel like I wasted my money because I never use it.

I am a hobbyist composer who makes not a cent from music creation; like most hobbies, music creation is quite a sink-hole for my disposable income (which is not limitless).

Same for me but that just means I have a proper job, with a regular income, to help fund my music. It would be much harder trying to afford all this as a full-time musician on unemployment benefits.

I would rather have both: the right instrument for my needs at a bargain price. I have yet to find any music software that perfectly suits me; usually I am the one who has to conform to it.

Well, of course, that's the secret to getting the most out of anything.

[tonedef71]

You still don't get it - why isn't the important thing that the instrument sounds great, works really well and does what you bought it to do? "Time honoured tradition" doesn't help you produce a great song and surely anything that does help is worth whatever you were happy to pay for it after you had tried the demo?

I do like VG Carbon, and I have used it as much as one can when you have an overwhelming number of owned virtual instruments to pick from. Like you, I wish VG Carbon could play the entire note range of the guitar. I also wish it could do more guitar articulations (e.g. harmonics). I still feel like I over-paid for it. If I had held off purchasing until this month to get it for free, I would be singing it high praises (it is a fantastic no-brainer deal for $0; anyone who passes on the opportunity this month to pick it up for free from PB is as much as a fool as I was for purchasing it shortly after it first debuted).

e.g. I paid $99 for Vacuum Pro and two weeks later it was $9 and I couldn't have cared less.

Ouch. I really wish I shared your attitude towards over-paying for a purchase (it must feel blissful), but I guess my pride and practicality just won't allow me to.

Same for me but that just means I have a proper job, with a regular income, to help fund my music. It would be much harder trying to afford all this as a full-time musician on unemployment benefits.

Indeed.

I do not do anything music or audio-related for a living: I am not involved with a band nor do not work in broadcasting or multimedia. When I have a little spare time in which I can focus on the craft of creating music; that is my little private sanctuary. When I have some spare cash, I like to buy music software (DAWs; virtual instruments; plug-ins; etc) to use toward the craft. So many impulse purchases I have made over the years (wretched Gear Acquisition Syndrome!!!), none of which could ever be justified as "paying for themselves", unfortunately. I have a nice collection of digital relics that only depreciate in value over time.

Well, of course, that's the secret to getting the most out of anything.

Indeed. Purchasing the best toys at the best prices.

[BONES]

I do like VG Carbon, and I have used it as much as one can when you have an overwhelming number of owned virtual instruments to pick from.

But wait on, aren't you the guy who has a limited budget? It seems to me that owning as many toys as possible is more of a priority than having those you get the best mileage from.

Like you, I wish VG Carbon could play the entire note range of the guitar.

No, I am fine with VG-Carbon's note range, it's VG-Iron that I find too restrictive. Three octaves is plenty, I even use it to play the bassline in Du Reichst So Gut, as well as the guitar (two instances, of course).

I also wish it could do more guitar articulations (e.g. harmonics).

I don't really know what that means but you get what you pay for. You can pay hundreds of dollars for Kontakt guitar libraries that I am sure would cover everything you need but I don't think its reasonable to expect everything from something you paid $69 for. I own some of those expensive Kontakt libraries, and they do have lots of different articulations (that I don't know what to do with) but they are way too complicated for me so I never use them. OTOH, I can get something useful out of the Ujam instruments every time because it's soo much more intuitive for a keyboard player.

I still feel like I over-paid for it. If I had held off purchasing until this month to get it for free, I would be singing it high praises

No, you wouldn't, you'd have only just got hold of it. And that's my point - you got it a year ago and there has to be some value in that. For me, there is easily $69 value in having had it a year ago because it features on three of the songs on our new album, which would otherwise have had some comparatively lame guitars from Arcade or guitars in the wrong octave from VG-Iron.

Ouch. I really wish I shared your attitude towards over-paying for a purchase (it must feel blissful), but I guess my pride and practicality just won't allow me to.

It's a simple matter of priorities. Anyone who prioritises money over happiness condemns themselves to a miserable life. Most of the bad purchasing decisions I've made over the years have been when I've bought something because it was being offered at a bargain price, instead of buying it because I knew I could get something worthwhile out of it. And that applies to both software and hardware. OTOH, most of the things I use all the time, that give me the greatest pleasure, are things I paid full price for. There are exceptions - I got bx_oberhausen and Union really cheap but I use them all the time and I only bought my Ultranova because it was really cheap. I only discovered after I got it how good it really was. The list of things I got at a bargain price that I never use is an order of magnitude longer.

[Dirtgrain]

I don't like it's limited play range--can't get those high notes. Or is there a way to change the range? Was sampling the higher notes problematic?

[tonedef71]

But wait on, aren't you the guy who has a limited budget? It seems to me that owning as many toys as possible is more of a priority than having those you get the best mileage from.

Unless you are really well-to-do, I would think most of us are on a limited budget. Paying bills and buying food are a higher priority of course.

I have accumulated my impressive collection of plug-ins and software over the course of many, many years (and I have only resumed creating music tracks again maybe five years ago). A whole bunch of them are freebies (promotional gifts; giveaways; etc.) and low-priced bargains (I have a ton of low-priced Soundspot and W.A. Production plugins I never use). Many were special bundle deals (e.g. Arturia; AAS), cross-grade deals (Kontakt), and Black Friday no-brainer specials. Some were purchased with voucher discounts (e.g. Plugin Alliance) and group-buys (IK Multimedia). I have spent countless dollars on paid updates/upgrades (I used to pay for Finale updates every year until I finally wised up; I paid for Cakewalk/Sonar updates every year including the short-lived life-time update from Gibson). At this stage in my life, I prefer to wheel & deal -- the more money I save, the more toys I can buy with my limited budget (more toys to contribute to the feeling of being overwhelmed by choice). With respect to VG Carbon, I would have preferred to have saved at least another $35 on it.

I even use it to play the bassline in Du Reichst So Gut, as well as the guitar (two instances, of course).

Cool! (You should share a Soundcloud link to that)

Yeah. The eight and nine string electric guitars certainly offer the possibility of playing decent bass guitar lines, but I guess the style of rock music which I like to create (along with my own biased preference) leads me to stick with a traditional (virtual) bass guitar for bass parts (unless I opt for a synth bass, of course).

I don't really know what that means ... and they do have lots of different articulations (that I don't know what to do with) but they are way too complicated for me so I never use them.

Hmm... it sounds like you understand the concept of guitar articulations to me. What is it about them that confuses you?

No, you wouldn't, you'd have only just got hold of it.

No, I would have. After an hour or so of using the VG Carbon demo, I knew that it was fun, easy to use, and sounded good. If I were to know that the software was mine to keep and would not expire after 30 days, you better believe I would sing its praises (just like a YouTube reviewer demoing a NFR copy they received from the vendor to review on their YouTube channel). My only complaint is that there are a few features I miss from my higher-priced electric guitar virtual instruments that prevent VG Carbon from being the only electric guitar plugin I need on a track.

For me, there is easily $69 value in having had it a year ago because it features on three of the songs on our new album, which would otherwise have had some comparatively lame guitars from Arcade or guitars in the wrong octave from VG-Iron.

That's awesome! Kudos to you and your band mates for putting out another album. For me, I have only used it on two finished tracks so far (it might take me two years to create enough tracks for an entire album). I recently picked up VG Iron for $39 (that was a bargain!) and have already used that on a private nostalgia track.

Most of the bad purchasing decisions I've made over the years have been when I've bought something because it was being offered at a bargain price, instead of buying it because I knew I could get something worthwhile out of it. And that applies to both software and hardware.

I am guilty of that, too, and much of my purchasing cynicism comes from that. I am overwhelmed by the number of plug-ins I have purchased. I am starting to feel more like a collector of software and plugins (similar to a numismatist; philatelist; comic book collector; etc. but with software). I doubt there will ever be a price guide to vintage software and plugins.

OTOH, most of the things I use all the time, that give me the greatest pleasure, are things I paid full price for.

That would be ideal, because the buyer's remorse would be much worse on a higher-priced item.

I purchased FL Studio Professional at full price (or nearly full price) but have yet to learn it or do anything with it; the buyer's remorse never kicked in on that one I think because of the regular updates for life.

There are exceptions - I got bx_oberhausen and Union really cheap but I use them all the time and I only bought my Ultranova because it was really cheap. I only discovered after I got it how good it really was.

I'm not sure if there is any low-priced item I have that is a real go-to for me. I do like to noodle away on Babylon from W.A. Production (especially the patches that have the vibrato enabled), so it may end up on more of my tracks.

The list of things I got at a bargain price that I never use is an order of magnitude longer.

Yeah, I got a whole ton off those, too. Many of the freebies I got through promotions might be great, but I am not as motivated to use them, probably because I did not seek out to acquire the item for myself.

[tonedef71]

I don't like it's limited play range--can't get those high notes. Or is there a way to change the range? Was sampling the higher notes problematic?

Yeah, I am disappointed that it cannot play those higher guitar notes. I was thinking that the issue was with the way UJAM designed the phrase playing system. I think the higher notes are being used to mirror the bottom articulation key switches. I, too, would like to see an option that would enable the missing higher notes. I would like to be able to use VG Carbon exclusively for the electric guitars without limiting what notes and guitar sounds can be played on the track.

[thecontrolcentre]

Blimey. I just got Trash 2 and Carbon for free. I wasn't even fussed about trying Carbon until I just read Bones and co saying how good it is. The main purchase was Timeshaper 2 which I've been after for a while, for £9. So that's Timeshaper 2, Trash 2 and Carbon for £9. Blimey. Just. Blimey

Did you notice that the Carbon & Trash2 licenses are NFR? I bought the deal for Timeshaper 2 ... already had a Trash license. Reading this thread, it sounds like Carbon is well worth trying out.

I wonder if NFR freebies is where PB are going?

[leeleema]

Blimey. I just got Trash 2 and Carbon for free. I wasn't even fussed about trying Carbon until I just read Bones and co saying how good it is. The main purchase was Timeshaper 2 which I've been after for a while, for £9. So that's Timeshaper 2, Trash 2 and Carbon for £9. Blimey. Just. Blimey

Did you notice that the Carbon & Trash2 licenses are NFR? I bought the deal for Timeshaper 2 ... already had a Trash license. Reading this thread, it sounds like Carbon is well worth trying out.

I wonder if NFR freebies is where PB are going?

Yeah, I didn't mind that, I did get them free after all. If I'd paid for them, that would be another matter entirely!

[Ou_Tis]

Mate, I'd prefer that they gave me a new Ferrari just for downloading it but for what it has to offer, $65 is a great price. VG-Carbon is way more useful than VG-Iron. It covers three octaves instead of just one and it has Instrument mode so you can play your own licks/riffs/whatever. I can get it for $99 and I am more than happy to pay that price for it.

I just realized that you can play single note+octave values in Iron (less than or equal to a quarter note) using D1 (verified in Melodyne's polyphonic detection that it's a single note in a single octave rather than the same note in different octaves). And C#1 = single note vibrato.

[l.enriquelope]

Tried it a couple of days ago and I think it sounds very good for when you want to add some guitar sounds to a piece. I wouldn't use it if I want a guitar to be a lead component on the track, but to add some noise and movement to a tracks it sounds very good!

[BONES]

Hmm... it sounds like you understand the concept of guitar articulations to me.

Only by extrapolating from what it means with regard to a bowed string instrument. But where the meaning of "pizzicato" is obvious, guitar articulation are, I assume, far more subtle and I don't know any of the specifics. Pick and strum are the only things I can think of.

That's awesome! Kudos to you and your band mates for putting out another album. For me, I have only used it on two finished tracks so far (it might take me two years to create enough tracks for an entire album). I recently picked up VG Iron for $39 (that was a bargain!) and have already used that on a private nostalgia track.

Thanks for the kind words. I used Carbon the other day to work up a cover of Fischer-Z's Marliese. I'm really surprised at how well it has worked. The rhythm guitar part isn't very convincing (but still worked better than VG-Iron) but the lead lines all sound great. I wasn't sure I could pull it off but I'm quite happy with it. I will eventually get around to trying Shreddag3 for that rhythm part but it's annoying to use so it might take a while to get past the "instant gratification" phase I am in at the moment.

I am starting to feel more like a collector of software and plugins (similar to a numismatist; philatelist; comic book collector; etc. but with software).

I don't really feel like that because I am ruthless about uninstalling things I don't use. I doubt that even half the plugins I own are actually installed. And a lot of things I buy because they are on sale are things I know I will use at some point, for other projects I want to get to, so I don't mind spending that money, either.

I'm not sure if there is any low-priced item I have that is a real go-to for me. I do like to noodle away on Babylon from W.A. Production (especially the patches that have the vibrato enabled), so it may end up on more of my tracks.

I've managed to make some good patches for Babylon but every time I go to use it in a song, I end up finding something better.