Questions about the guitars in Komplete 14 Collector's Edition

ProfessorChaos
ProfessorChaos Member Posts: 145 Advisor
edited October 2024 in Kontakt

I don't use the guitars too much, but they are quite excellent (except for the blurry text typical of every Kontakt based instrument and the inability to browse the presets inside them with my mouse wheel).

My main issue with some of the guitars is that they don't have the "Melody" versions, meaning the versions that you can play notes and chords, not patterns triggered by key presses.

Well, now that I opened Kontakt, just the two Strummed Acoustic ones don't have melody versions. So I just wanted to double check here, there is no way to make those two play regular notes and chords, not predetermined patterns. As far as I read in the manuals there's not, but maybe I missed something.

The other question is since the Strummed guitars play patterns, how can get I good strums from the Melody guitars, the acoustic and the Nylon one. Because I downloaded a MIDI that has several chords in rapid succession and it's not made for guitar playing, but just for fun I want to make it a guitar track. But played as is, it sounds vastly different from what I image the same thing would sound if someone was playing the same chords on an acoustic guitar.

So basically what I want is to get good strums from the melody guitars, not just the acoustic ones, but the electric ones as well. Meaning, I want strums that sound as well when it's playing a MIDI than when I load one of the strummed guitars and press C1 for example, playing whatever the preset is.

Is this doable, or am I just speaking nonsense from lack of knowledge?

Comments

  • Jojo123
    Jojo123 Member Posts: 372 Pro
    edited November 2023

    I have 13 UCE and upgraded to 14 UCE.

    The guitars have pattern based as well as melody based. I think the first Strummed Accoustic is the only one that doesn't have a melody version.

    The guitars sound really great, BUT they are limited in what you can achieve in relation to a real guitar. The pattern based ones much more so. Im talking about nuances.

    As far as patterns, much of the problem with patterns playing, whether in the melody instrument or the patten based instrument, is that you a/ should play slightly ahead of the beat to give pattern time to respond, and b/ to have a pattern stop playing immediately you stop playing - which is what is needed to get anywhere near what you want to achieve. Theres a setting you can change to have patterns stop playing but its limited to 1/8 - Ironically the Strummed Accoustic is the only version I can see that offers a "Stop Immediately" setting.

    The melody instruments are much more flexible but are totally different to play. It takes a bit of getting used to. You can interchange melody/non pattern based cords with its own patterns that can be loaded into 4 slots. You need to hold down key switches to keep the pattern part playing.

  • ProfessorChaos
    ProfessorChaos Member Posts: 145 Advisor

    Thanks for your reply, I'll definitely try your suggestions!

  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 848 Guru

    In Kontakt there's a preset called "Rock Guitar" which is part of the band plugin. It's really awesome for electric guitar sounds. One thing that really impresses me with that sound in particular is that they even sampled/reproduced the sound of a persons fingers pressing and releasing the guitar strings. I'm no audio expert by any stretch but it's hands down one of the most realistic electric guitar virtual instruments I've ever heard.

    On a related note, if anyone knows add more sustain to the rock guitar I would love to know how. That's my only gripe about the plugin, finger on the keyboard and the note stops, which is def not how a real electric guitar sounds.

  • ProfessorChaos
    ProfessorChaos Member Posts: 145 Advisor

    Sorry, when you say “part of the band plugin”, what do you mean exactly?

  • Jojo123
    Jojo123 Member Posts: 372 Pro

    Not 100% sure but I think its part of the Kontakt Library. I remember just coming across it when just exploring K13 UCE . Being totally new at the time I had no idea where it came from.

  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 848 Guru
    edited November 2023

    No you're fine, I'm still trying to sort all of this stuff out in my head. Slowly learning what a Kontakt instrument is vs all the NI stuff, but I'm relatively new.

    So from Komplete Kontrol if you load the Kontakt instrument, it's the Rock Guitar preset.

    If you're starting from Kontakt it's under the Kontakt Factory Library 2 (as well as factory selection and factory selection 2). Then under Band -> Guitar -> Rock Guitar.


    Hopefully that makes more sense?

  • ProfessorChaos
    ProfessorChaos Member Posts: 145 Advisor

    Yes, totally. Thanks for the tip, very nice guitar indeed. The Kontakt Factory Library 2 is a huge step above the 1st version that came with Kontakt 5.

    On a related note, if anyone knows add more sustain to the rock guitar I would love to know how. That's my only gripe about the plugin, finger on the keyboard and the note stops, which is def not how a real electric guitar sounds.

    You're right. I guess one way would be to add Guitar Rig 6 as an insert to the track, although that would change the sound of the guitar. if you want the same sound, a way to achieve sustain would be to keep the keys pressed for as long as you want the sustain to be, or to use a sustain pedal or program a controller button to CC64.

    Problem with that is that you have to press it on and off because if you leave it on all the time it gets really muddy just playing a few notes. It's the same as playing a note and leaving the finger on the key until the sound dies, like it would on a real guitar.

  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 848 Guru

    I did have a go at that the other day. I had tried unsuccessfully running Guitar Rig in standalone mode with MIDI input and I couldn't get that to work at all. But I did have some ok results with it as an added effect user either KK or Kontakt. But yeah I think you are spot on, the answer seems to be you just have to add a reverb/delay effect and then try and manage the muddiness like you mentioned.

  • ProfessorChaos
    ProfessorChaos Member Posts: 145 Advisor

    But yeah I think you are spot on, the answer seems to be you just have to add a reverb/delay effect and then try and manage the muddiness like you mentioned.

    I didn't say reverb or delay, I say sustain, as in the sustain pedal, or CC64. Pedal down, it's the same as holding down the key, except that it will do this for all the keys that you play while holding the pedal down, so it will get really messy real quick.

  • reffahcs
    reffahcs Member Posts: 848 Guru
    edited November 2023

    Ah yes, you're right. I had misread your previous message. I see what you're getting at now.

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