Engineers and programmers often find themselves conjuring sounds out of thin air for artists and producers. With tonnes of orchestral libraries, bass and drum instruments out there, we check out a rarer creature; the virtual guitarist…

Instruments The Easy Way

It could be said that when everything comes together, some instruments just seem to record themselves. Certainly, when the source is well-played and tuned, helped along with an ear for good sounds from the player, there can be less input from the engineer. Contrasted with less experienced players producing below par sounds, the engineer increasingly contributes to the final result by all means available.

Bridging Gaps

Songwriters and composers working with an engineer/programmer have a lot of skills between them. When it comes to the final mix, they can often provide all of the technical and musical skills needed without any outside input, but sometimes musical gaps exist. Bringing in extra talent is the time-honoured way of covering any of those missing bases, but in its absence sometimes things need to happen straight away.

Virtual Bands

Padding out arrangements, or providing whole ones in some cases is the virtual instrument. In recent years these have gone from demo-dwelling curiosities to bastions of realism and accuracy that can give the jobbing muso more than a run for their money. Of these, the familiar rhythm section favourites of drums and bass have had fewer bandmates in the form of virtual guitar. More recently developers have sought to improve the virtual guitar experience, hoping to replicate the considerable nuance commanded by the real thing.

In the video we use UJAM Virtual Guitarist SPARKLE 2 as an alternative to a real part. Using it in Player mode, we go through its sounds and phrases before sitting back to hold down a few chords on a controller keyboard without breaking a sweat. We then spread out across some more virtual carpet space with some of its stomp box and Finisher goodies…

More On UJAM Virtual Guitarist SPARKLE 2:

UJAM Virtual Guitarist SPARKLE brought axe sounds in the company’s familiar format, fusing ease of use with large, attractive GUIs designed for musicians as well as programmer-engineers. The second incarnation of this VI brings new headline features to the band:

• NEW: Instrument mode, completely new guitar model and phrases

• NEW: Open Chords feature for extra variety

• More than 30 Styles and 350 Phrases

• 30 Stomp box emulations, 60 Finisher FX Modes

Where Do Guitarists Fit In?

It could be argued that conversations about the realism of virtual instruments increasingly belong in the past. That’s not to say that all will be convinced, and for some, their use is not a question of realism, but one of authenticity. ‘Real’ bands, and artists who prize or actively trade on their craft or notions of artistry may justifiably eschew these tools. After all, if you can do it yourself, why not do just that? Those considerations aside, does that mean a VI can do the guitarist’s job? Possibly, but context is key.

Undeniably, UJAM Virtual Guitarist SPARKLE 2 can provide a sound that easily surpasses the results from a pedestrian guitarist, and quite a few decent ones too. In the musical sense, however, it cannot know what the title needs. Its Player mode sets out to solve this, and if one of its well-chosen phrases fits the bill, all is well. For bands, the fact remains that the real creative input brought by a human collaborator is unique. However, in Instrument mode, the writer armed with a controller keyboard has a powerful tool that could indeed sit in on any composition with results that are virtually indiscernible from the real thing.