Vir2 Instruments strongly recommends more than 4GB of RAM and an 88-key controller in order to use Acou6tics to its fullest potential. INStALLING The installation of Acou6tics consists of two separate steps: the installation of the Kontakt engine, and the installation of the Acou6tics library.
I'm interested in buying a VST guitar library, either Vir2's Acou6tics bundle or the Amplesound bundle. Both sound astonishingly good (and I'm a guitar player). I'm leaning toward purchasing the Vir2, but the in that one looks pretty daunting. Does anyone have experience using Cubase Expression Maps with Vir2? I know that they Expression Maps for Electri6ity, but Acou6tics looks like it might double or triple the number of parameters. Is there a practical limit to the number of parameters Expression Maps can accommodate?
![Vir2 Acou6tics Vir2 Acou6tics](http://www.vir2.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/prodboxshot_acou6tics-450x368.jpg)
Thanks for your help! Though I use Cubase and have had the opportunity to try Acou6stics, I never used the expression maps with it. Aside from that, between Ample Sound and Acou6stics, I use Ample Sound (and I'm a guitar player as well). Basically, I just like the sound better, as well as the tab feature (though I find I never use it, it's quite neat). If you're looking for a picked acoustic, though, Orange Tree Samples' Evolution Acoustic Guitar - Steel String has a sound that's just something special, and I find I use it in tandem with Ample Sound, depending on my needs. Sorry I couldn't really address your main question concerning expression maps.:/. Click to expand.There is a demo for AGM, called AGML.
You have to be online to activate it. Each time, I think. But once activated you don't have to be online anymore. My disclaimer should probably be that I'm not a guitar player but I do write music with a guitar player (excellent Guitar Player), and good friend every week. I have AGM and AGG.
I also have a couple of other libraries that aren't ample sound but I'll get to that in a minute. Amplesounds layout can seem confusing at first, at least it was for me, but it's well worth the effort to learn, and in the end you'll find that it's actually not complicated at all. If you're using the AGM demo (AGMlite) just note that the demo only plays up to the 4th fret. Beyond that you will have silence.
That confused me for a while and I thought there was a problem with their software not realizing it was a limitation of their demo. Their Strummer mode is also really cool and once you get the hang of it you'll find it really easy to use. I'm not a fan of their pre-made strums (sounds a little midi to me because they are not the kind of strums you would typically hear from a real guitar player, at least not the ones that I've worked with) but creating your own is easy once you get the hang of it and they sound very realistic. One tip about the Strumming interface is to know that the arrows are opposite of what someone like me would think. Up arrows are down strokes and Down arrows are upstrokes. It makes sense if you look at the graphical representation of the guitar, being that the graphic is upside down but if you're like me where I just assumed that up meant up and down meant down then it will confuse you. I don't know, maybe a lot of people in Beijing play the guitars upside down?
Make sure to watch all of Reverend's Tutorials on their site under the 'Manual' link. A couple of tips: Every time you change a key switch, labeled by LED's on their interface you will notice that the keyboard layout changes, so if your trying to play some finger picking lines but you accidentally touch the C#0 key then you will end up in the Natural Harmonics mode and everything on the keyboard will now sound like harmonics instead of a fingerpick. The great thing about their layout is that if you hover your mouse over a note, it gives you a pop up of what is going on. Just so I don't sound like an Amplesound fanboy, I also have found the Sunbird from AcousticSamples to be on par with Amplesound as far as the quality of the sound.
My jury is still out on usability though, only because I haven't had a chance to give it a good test run but the video tutorials look very promising. It also has a bit grittier tone to it. It does require iLOK though, so that may be a turn off for you. And of course there is Ilya Efimov, which I don't own so I can't comment on it other than to say there are a lot of professionals and users here that love his acoustics, but that requires a full version of Kontakt. So either ILOK or full version of Kontakt as your alternatives. If none of those appeal to you then Amplesound it is. Personally I want them all, including the Steel String by OTS that was mentioned.
OTS Steel String will probably be my next acoustic purchase. That Amplesound bundle covers a lot of ground though and it would be hard to imagine you needing anything new for a long time with that bundle.
![Vir2 Vir2](http://www.manualsdir.com/files/808673/content/doc011.png)
I've used Ilya Efimov's acoustic as well, and it's a great product that should certainly be considered. I've never used Sunbird, but I've heard good things about it recently. I don't have an iLok, though. I should probably give in and get one already. I've used Ilya Efimov's acoustic as well, and it's a great product that should certainly be considered. I've never used Sunbird, but I've heard good things about it recently.
I don't have an iLok, though. I should probably give in and get one already. Click to expand.OOh, that almost makes me sad that the last electric guitar library I bought wasn't Archtop.
It's on my list though. Glad to hear it is also versatile. Unfortunately, none of the musicians I work with right now have delved into Jazz much. Once you do a lot of Jazz, everything else comes pretty easy in my opinion. I know I'm oversimplifying but the point is Jazz is a great way to sharpen your skills as a musician.
As a singer I sang in a lot of Jazz Acapella groups (think Manhattan Transfer and Take 6) and got so accustomed to it, I had a hard time keeping my harmonies simple on the Rock Music I helped write. It was kind of boring really. One day I will work on a Jazz composition, even if it's just for fun, but I just don't have the tools to do it right at the moment. That's just another 5k I need to add to my budget:roll.