What do you use for virtual instruments?

W

woodbutcher65

Inspired
I have some ideas I want to record but it's going to take more than just one guitar.

I have no band buddies to provide drums, bass, keyboards, sax, whatever....and I don't play those other instruments. (OK, all guitar players can get by on bass, I think.)

I'm sure I'm not the only solo "artist" (I use that term VERY loosely if describing myself) in here.

So what software package(s) do you use to create the other instruments in your recordings?

I'm looking for recommendations for something that's decent and not very expensive. And that works well with the entry level version of ProTools.
 
Sampletank, EZ Drummer, Kontakt, et.al........using midi guitar 2 to input midi to virtual instruments .
 
EZ Drummer is amazing for sequencing beats if you're not super familiar with drums. I also recently got BFD3, which I am really enjoying. I use EZ Drummer for quick ideas, and BFD3 for the final sound/mixing. Superior Drummer would probably play nicer with EZ Drummer, but I really wanted BDF3. :)

I use Massive and TyrellN6 (free, and still one of the best analog sims available) for synth stuff. I'm not a big synth user, but do incorporate these sounds occasionally.

For pianos and strings, I use Logic's native stuff as well as Ableton Live Suite. I would love to get Komplete some day.
 
I’ve got a lot of stuff but NI Komplete handles 99% of what I need. I especially like how I can search by type, genre, samples, synth etc, so I can have a wide range of pad sounds, synth, etc all accessible across products. Then with the Komplete Kontrol keyboard you can do all the browsing on the hardware, it has knobs, you can set it to display or play in a given key, chord mode etc. Really nice if your not much of a keyboard player.
 
Mostly:

Real Drums: Addictive Drums 2
Drum Machines: Roland Cloud 808 and 909

"True Bass Sounds": Mostly from Native Instruments Ultimate

Piano: Alicia's Keys - Native Instruments Komplete Ultimate

Synths:

Roland Cloud - all the classics there
Korg Legacy Collection
Native Instruments
All the Arturia stuff
Almost all the UVI stuff
All the AIR stuff
All the Presonus stuff
All the ones I forgot ...

Boy that's a lot of synth stuff ... but I'm into synthpop so ...

If you are starting out I would recommend getting Native Instruments Komplete (wait for the discounts!).
That way you'll get almost all you will need of both instruments including drums and effects for a lifetime ... and covering most genres also.
 
Helix Native
VSL
Pianoteq

Hardware wise I've got a Korg Prologue, MP11 and in the process of building a Midibox SID.
 
My favourites are:

Orchestral = VSL Dimension strings, Sample Modeling strings, VSL percussion + VSL woodwinds
Brass = Sample Modeling
Saxes = Audio Modeling
Drums = Toontrack
Synths = u-he
Pianos = VSL
 
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For me
drums - toontrack Superior 3.0, NI Battery, Steven Slate but I dig Superior
Bass - IK Media Bass
Piano - Ivory, Keyscape
Synths - Falcon, Omisphere

But I’m lucky to have a real studio with real drums and musicians to put down real instruments, so I’ve been going less of the fake more of the real.
 
My current Setup at home:

Drums: Getgood - pretty much all of their kits really have so much potential, the lastest P IV kit is insanely good
Bass: Neural DSP Parallax for the majority of tone shaping, There are a couple of good Bass DI VSTs out there, Djinn Bass is the lastest one i have come across.
Guitar: Misha Mansoor Toneforge has become my go-to for quite some time, but then again Neural DSPs Nolly i have heard kicks serious butt too, haven't tried it myself yet though!
 
  • Stomp box plugins: Mercuriall TSC (Ibanez Tube Screamer) and Greed Smasher (Mesa Grid Slammer).
  • Amp plugins: LePou 456 for Engl sounds, Mercuriall Spark for Marshall sounds, Mercuriall Reaxis for Mesa sounds
  • IRs: currently a big fan of the ML Sound Zila Cab Pack
  • Bass: Ignite Amps SHB
  • Superior Drummer 3 with the Death and Darkness SDX Library
 
woodbutcher65 said:
I have some ideas I want to record but it's going to take more than just one guitar.

I have no band buddies to provide drums, bass, keyboards, sax, whatever....and I don't play those other instruments. (OK, all guitar players can get by on bass, I think.)

I'm sure I'm not the only solo "artist" (I use that term VERY loosely if describing myself) in here.

So what software package(s) do you use to create the other instruments in your recordings?

I'm looking for recommendations for something that's decent and not very expensive. And that works well with the entry level version of ProTools.
Click to expand...

My go to for drums is Addictive Drums 2. Lets you fine tune everything within the plugin/standalone.
 
I have been doing this type of stuff decades.
Kontakt -great VST's
Scarbee Basses-Rickenbacker Basses
Orange Trees Cherry Bass which is just terrific.
Ez drummer 2, Steven Slate Drums 4.0 Platinum., Addictive Drums 2.0
EZ Keys & True Pianos. Plus Kontakt Organs.
The Kontakt stuff is very widely used.
Lots of Izotope stuff for mixing & mastering.

I have a ton of VST's....But mainly use whats listed above.

I am very much into midi. Started with an Alesis Sequencer and drum machine in the 80's. Then got a Kawai Q-80 which actually had a floppy disk interface-very modern for those days. The Alesis only let you connect a cassette to load\backup stuff.

Graduated to Cakewalk way back when and still use Cakewalk today as my DAW. I have reaper for a backup(paid version)
Lots of work but lots of fun.
 
Update on my VIs:

Superior Drummer 3. I mainly use real drums unless it's stylistically better to use VI.
Steven Slate Drums
Kontakt including Battery
Omnisphere
Keyscape
Pianoteq
Ivory II
Diva
Falcon
UVI
Modo Bass -( mainly use real bass).
Vienna Ensemble Pro

I think I'm covered for a little whle, at least for my uses.
 
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Drums: Steven Slate Drums 5.5, also got the CLA and Dave Bendeth expansions
Bass: Used to use Scarbee Pre and Rickenbacker Bass, then recently used IK MODO Bass, finally I just bought a bass guitar because I want to play instead of program bass parts
Everything else: Komplete 12
Occasionally I use one of the stock Cubase synths, Retrologue or Padshop.
 
Kontakt is great for all around (Komplete). True Pianos, Scarbee basses, Addictive Drums Tootrack Drums. Toontrack EZ Keys, Steven Slate Drums. Everything Izotope and many, many other VSTS. Been doing midi since the middle 80's ..................So collection is huge! Too many to name all.
I opted for a small midi controller for bass lines and some fancy percussion fills and beats.
 
I also have Steven Slate Drums, and got Toontrack's EZBass. I recently also acquired Spitfire Chamber and Symphonic Strings. I've been consistently using Pianoteq for my pianist. I'm hoping to write some symphonic stuff, so looking forward to the Spitfire stuff!
 
East-West Play sub, Komplete, Sampletank, Omnisphere , Superior Drummer, Mach 5, all the new UAD Luna instruments, a buncha others....
 
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