Hi All

I’m looking for the type of acoustic guitar sound as featured on the Rack’s internal demo song 03. Rain After the Game. You can clearly hear the “squeek” noise as the fingers slide over the strings but I can’t seem to find a standard voice that features this type of “articulation”. Please could someone point me in the direction of the right voice on the Rack? If not, please could someone give some pointers or suggest articles that would help me to modify a standard voice to produce this effect?

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Cheers

Typically this behavior (string noise) is found in Voices that are MegaVoices. The Mega Voices are made up of multiple Elements stacked so that different velocities cause different Elements to sound.

For example, the “Rain After the Game” demo uses the Voice: PRE 8: 082 “Mega Steel”

This Voice is designed to play in response to specially prepared arpeggio data in the GtMG (Guitar MegaVoice) Category. It is virtually impossible to play ‘live’ ...And here’s why:

The Elements are mapped to respond to specific velocities and only those velocities; the “noise” effects are mapped to keys only above C6 on the keyboard - the arpeggios are designed and have been meticulously prepared to go and ‘get’ a particular guitar behavior at a specific moment. If the arpeggio pattern needs a string zing it find the appropriate note (the steel string finger zings are mapped to the 8 keys: C8 through G8 at the extreme high-end of the MIDI keyboard range).

Element 1 = Steel Open Stereo - velocity 1-60; note range up to B5
Element 2 = Steel Dead Notes Stereo - velocity 61-75; note range up to B5
Element 3 = Steel Mute Stereo - velocity 76-90; note range up to B5
Element 4 = Steel Hammer Stereo = velocity 91-105; note range up to B5
Element 5 = Steel Slide Stereo = velocity 106-120; note range up to B5
Element 6 = Steel Harmonic Stereo = velocity 121-127; note range up to B5
Element 7 = Steel FX Stereo = velocity 1- 127; C6 and above

As you will discover, it is difficult, if not impossible to humanly play this Mega Voice - again, because it is designed to be used by the specific arpeggio data (or sequencer data) where you can, on purpose, adjust the note range and velocity to match the musical guitar “behavior” you are seeking to mimick. The more velocity ranges there are - the more difficult it is to hit that specific velocity on purpose… 3 or 4 velocity ranges is about all we can handle, purposefully.

That said (and explained), there are steel string guitars that are meant to be played by humans :) - these will have 3 or 4 velocity ranges and the FX are mapped outside the normal range of the keyboard… You can overdub the finger noises, body slaps, etc, in appropriate places. This is shown in the DVDs…

PRE 2: 058 Steel String AF1&2; - The mapping here is more playable because there are really only three velocity zones… this is doable by mere humans> 1-78, 79-109 and 110-127
The “noises” (FX) are mapped above C6 through G8

PRE 2: 060 Steel Slide Vel - the mapping here is more playable as well - with velocity bringing in a slide… and the noises are mapped above C6

PRE 2: 061 Mute & Slide Vel - the mapping here is a 4-way velocity swap but is still playable where low velocities gives you a Mute, there are (2) mid velocities for the body of the sound and the high velocity gives you the slide. And again the noises are found mapped only to keys above C6

PRE 2: 062 Steel Harmonic Vel - you get the idea…

Thanks for the usual quick and comprehensive response Bad_Mister. There’s plenty for me to experiment with here; just the incentive I needed. I’m not playing live per se so will experiment with the mega voices too.

Just one thing, you mention “the DVDs...”; can you explain which DVDs you mean please and where to get them from?

Cheers

Hi Bad_Mister

Can you or anyone else tell me which DVDs you were referring me to in your reply above and where to get them from?

BTW I used your info on C8 through G8 to apply those noise effects I required; perfect!

Cheers

For anyone interested, I’ve posted the track I used the acoustic guitar sound on in Mo Songs:

Mo Songs MilesAway

Thanks for your help with this Bad_Mister; hopefully I did justice to your advice.

Cheers