@Corky (or anyone), in another thread you mentioned BC Re-Guitar. I didn’t want to pollute that thread with a new tangent, so I’m starting a new one.
Currently, I have used an EP sound as input to TH-U to achieve some (guitar-like tones, which is fine for rock rhythm guitar work, but not very realistic for actual detailed guitar tones. In that regard, Re-Guitar sounds interesting to me. As a keyboardist (definitely not a guitarist), do you know if I can use any tone as the input to Re-Guitar, or does the input need to be a signal from a guitar?
It has always been a common practice among us keyboard guys to fill in guitar parts with what we have available, such as E-Piano or Organ. But if you are looking for realism, you have to change your game. E-Piano can sometimes come close, but I know from my past trials, an acoustic piano would come closer in many cases.
In my 3-piece band, I play keys and guitar, so there comes a time in some songs where keys are more dominant, but certain guitar licks are crucial. What I do is use an electric, or acoustic guitar sample (example: Orange Tree Samples, or other Kontakt libraries), and run it through a well tweaked amp sim, and other FX to simulate the original recording.
As to Re-Guitar, it takes your guitar pickups, and changes them to other modeled guitar pickups. So, my Strat with single coil pickups can be changed to Humbuckers or other classic guitar pickups.
I have not tried a key sound through it yet, but sounds interesting. After all, electric pianos have pickups too. Hmmm, must try this today, lol.
Any sound signal can be used. It is basically an fx VST like any other. Just send output sound into Re-Guitar, and from there to normal output.
BTW…Blue Cat can be demo’d, so a trial is possible without spending cash.
I will try some EP sounds today and get back here for results. If you need more detail, I will be glad to share. May shoot back some sound samples as well.
I tried Velvet EP through BC Re-Guitar, and all I believe it did was change gain and maybe a little tone. Much larger difference with a real guitar with an actual pickup. Try an acoustic piano through TH-U and see if you like it better. For realism, guitar samples would be the way to go. I’ll try to post examples soon.
Thanks for following through on this. I downloaded the demo and had pretty much the same conclusion.
The truth is, for me, I get “close enough” by just picking the right amp sim, and I don’t need that extra realism. But I also always have a guitarist to play those parts that really need to sound like a guitar, and I’m usually either playing keyboard parts, or at most rhythm guitar parts or chords. (I’m certainly not speaking for anyone but me, nor putting down Re-Guitar in any way!)
That is the arrangement that I created to use for backing tracks (for my EWI flute playing the melody). I did it originally for the guitar (MIDI track drove the Strum GS-2), but I wanted to try this with a Audio Modeling SWAM Flute. I am NOT a guitar player (Sax & Keys). I get a lot of enjoyment by creating backing tracks and finding I could use individual “stems” synchronized in multiple Media Players (clocked by my MIDI percussion tracks which also plays the drum kits in my Roland Integra-7).
It may not be 100% “live”, but it sure makes this soon-to-be 70yo quite happy!
That’s cool Doug. As long as you are happy, that’s all that matters, right? Don’t ever let anyone steal your joy.
70 huh? Well, I am not the oldest afterall, lol! 66 here, but pushing the next one. BTW, my real name is Doug, it seems odd because I only hear it around family, then the Doug’s on this site respond to something, and I do a double-take.
Nothing wrong with stems, and I know many people with backing tracks doing very well. I still strive to do everything live, but try not to be purist about a lot of things either (sometimes a fail). I’ve considered doing on-the-fly loops while performing live, but I already have enough purist bandmates grimacing at all my technology as it is.
I’d prefer “live”, but all of my old band mates are back in Annapolis (and one in Florida) and most of the players in my knock of the woods don’t have the same ideas about music. Currently, most of my live music is with our Community Concert Band (that my wife and I formed back in 2001). She is now the director and I get to cover any instrument that she needs for the concerts. (EWI5000 as the controller and software from some brilliant Italians!) I use a Lenovo laptop to run Cantabile with my “gig bag” of software instruments, a Korg nanoKontrol 2 to switch the instruments and control gain/FX and a Turbosound “iP300” for my audio. I sit directly in front of my wife and I have my laptop stand (and wiring harness/pedals covered by a custom curtain to side the mess). One (3-button) foot switch sends key switch notes to alter how the “instruments” are played and the other pedal is a page turner for MobileSheets PDF reader. I amusingly refer to my black cloth screen as the curtain from “The Wizard of Oz” (as in “pay no attention to …”).
My music from my early days helps to keep my keyboard/vocals skills in order and allows the freedom to play the songs the way I remember them (and avoid the conversations of “we didn’t play it that way”). Since I create all of my tracks individually (and mute whatever instrument I’m playing), the music is all mine … and was “live” at some point!
Thanks for listening! These days, my wife is the only one who has any clue as to what I do.
