Re-creating a steel guitar

[bhubbs]

Anyone know how to make a steel guitar sound with samples/VST?

It's a common sound in country music and some rock...

[divsaster]

MusicLab's RealGuitar is my go-to when I need an acoustic guitar VSTi. It has several different sound sets available including 5 ( I think ) that are steel guitars. It also has nylon and 12-string models.

Check it out here: http://www.musiclab.com/products/rg2_info.htm

As far as I'm concerned, this is the most intuitive package out there. Even a non-guitarist will be able to put together a decent song in a short amount of time.

[Benedict]

Best of luck with a pedal steel emulation (or even a lap). The sound of a good steel is from the way that it is played so I relly don't see how you could get an emulator.

Past attempts have worked best with pulse type waves, ringing sound and then pitch stifting. This is a hrd instrument for human players to master so for a synth I think not going to really happen.

Besides as a dedicated Country fan I really can't see samples cutting it in a song unless you want to sound like Shania. I'm interested to hear what you do come up with tho.

[runagate]

On the song Bower Pallid (5th one down on the player applet here I made a slide guitar using an epiano VSTi with carefull "glide" knob automation.

It's not chords because the other synth guitars are playing the chords but it'd work the same. Then an automated (or modwheel played) vibrato plug in, with another knob to control wet/dry, would do wonders also.

For fret noise, you're s.o.l. without that sound on a rompler and I personally am not going to experiment with that.

Another great resource for guitar-based sound design is resonant effects.

http://rekkerd.org/nusofting-releases-deepboard-beta/

Deepboard is useful, AriesVerb, Feedback-y Thing, RJ resonator, arcDev resomatic, these sorts of things can be the secret weapon that makes somthing sound more "present" and realistic, even if not a perfect emulation that something the ear accepts as a real.

[thomekk]

There are some free (Pedal) steel guitar soundfonts out there.
Just google for them.
If you have a soundfontplayer in your host you could try to automate the PitchBend-Knob of your Keyboard. Needs a little practise for the pitchbending while playing, but this can work out fine. (But will not replace the real instrument's possibilities of course)