So I decided to play with composing a bit in my spare time, using JazzWare. I layed down a simple bass line and rhythm. Then I grabbed my guitar, hit the distortion pedal, and set up a power chord progression and some sweet riffs. Returning to my computer, I put in the power chords and discovered that the MIDI synth''s distortion and overdrive guitar don''t even sound like fricking guitars. First off, is there any simple way to get a better sound? Second, I''m thinking that maybe sequencing isn''t such a good idea. Or if I had something to combine sequencing with samples. Suggestions?

Yeah, you really need to use something else. Try and grab some sort of Distortion/Overdrive VST. This of course really requries you to be using samples.

The other option is to record your guitar, rather than doing it MIDI style...

Can I use VSTs with JazzWare, or do I need to get something else? And any recommendations? It'd be nice to still be able to sequence stuff like rhythm and bass, but then add samples and VST stuff on top...

I could also use a decent site or two to get VSTs...

[edited by - Promit on March 14, 2004 12:02:42 PM]

Buy Cubase...



glad I could help.

quote: Original post by Anonymous Poster
Buy Cubase...

No?

Seriously, I would love to have Cubase, but it''s somewhat difficult on a budget of a staggering $0.00.

Get a soundblaster live or audigy. I have a live 5.1 and the default soundbank instruments are decent. But with the creative cards comes the ability to use pre-sampled SoundFonts. You can get sorta-decent free ones, that sound like a real guitar. Or pay for REALLY good ones. Or even record your own. It basically assigns midi notes to pre-sampled wav files.

Live! 5.1''s are cheap now too.

Or buy Cubasis - it''s a sort of Cubase Lite. It will allow you to record audio as well as midi, and it costs a staggering £30 (about $50).

You''re right, midi guitar sound are naff. There''s no real going around that one without spending a great deal of money (to give you an idea, I''ve been using a Yamaha SW1000XG sound card, which has great synths, and the ability to add serious effects to the sounds. And the guitars still sound naff.)

Hope it helps.


Barry Ryerson
Head of Audio Development
Ryerson Sound Solutions
URL:http://www.ryerson-sound.com

quote: First off, is there any simple way to get a better sound?

no. People spend years developing and polishing sounds including myself. If it were simple everyone would be doing it.

quote: Seriously, I would love to have Cubase, but it''s somewhat difficult on a budget of a staggering $0.00.

I always find it funny when people want the best sound on a zero budget!

If you get more serious about composing buy any of the LINE 6 POD series. They are best for recording guitar DI.

-schreck

Yeah, I personally believe that the guitar is the single most difficult instrument to digitally reproduce. Basically because on a real guitar, you can play the exact same note in several different places but each place sounds different depending on string. Plus with distortion, recording one note, and then another note on top of that one gives a completely different sound than just playing the two notes as a chord. Then you start thinking about guitar techniques like string-bending, tapping, natural and pinch harmonics, strings slides, and feedback and you''ve got yourself an instrument that would need several megabytes of separate samples to reproduce effectively by a soundfont. And that''s before thinking of the non-distorted versions, and the pickup selector switch. And acoustic guitars (nylon and steelstrings and 12-strings)

Mark Hall
Abstract Productions

n-Track Studio is supposed to be really good for $45. I know that''s $45 more than $0, but it''s a lot less than Cubase/Cakewalk/Logic.

If you really need a free system then something like Modplug Tracker is a middle ground between samples and MIDI, with some of the benefits and some of the downsides of both. The main problem is the complexity, especially when it comes to making your own instruments from samples.

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