Nembrini acoustic voice preamp

[Marshall]

Acoustic Voice Preamp

Be interested to hear what this is like.
 

Incidentally, if you want the iOS version, it’s currently £7.99 in Apple’s UK store, rather than $39 for the desktop one. 

[jude77]

Nembrini does some really good stuff.   Definitely going to demo this one.

[Zo]

if i understand well it's just something that turn you regular electric gtr to an acoustic like one , right ?

[Marshall]

11 minutes ago, Zo said:

if i understand well it's just something that turn you regular electric gtr to an acoustic like one , right ?

I think it’s for use with an acoustic or an electric fitted with piezo pickups. I thought it would be intended to allow you to DI an acoustic and get a decent mic sound. Haven’t had a chance to try it though so I could be wrong. 

[jackson white]

This could be interesting, see it as a tone option for blending with the mic tracks or as lipstick for hack demos.  Didn't love the FX on the SoundCloud demos, but easy enough to leave out, wondering why they didn't include an LDC option for the mics, seeing some potenial for additional models if the base concept proves to be useful. Plan to give this a shot though as I've never found much use for any AG sims. 

[Cecelius2]

This looks interesting and not a bad price. FYI--three is a demo version available.  I have not pulled the trigger yet, but might.  It is relatively easy on the CPU when I tried it on an old i5 but no cpu issues.

I wonder how you guys think it compares to other Acoustic Guitar preamp effects vsts like Waves Acoustic plugins (Maserati ACG and CLA Unplugged).

What other acoustic Guitar FX plugins do you guys know about or use? [ Yes, I know that it is easy to use a series of plugins in a chain (compressor, exciter, EQ, Delay, Reverb, Chorus), but that is six +/- plugins in a chain.]

I know that IKM has their Amplitube Acoustic, but it is for iOS only not for a Desktop vst.  It is ashame that this is not available for desktop DAWS.

So, besides this Nembrini Acoustic Voice Preamp, what other acoustic guitar FX preamp plugins are there out there???

[msmcleod]

I've used guitar body impulse responses in the past, and they do make a difference to acoustics with piezo pickups - but they're a bit of a hassle to set up.

This plugin would be a lot less hassle than manually using IR's.

If anyone gets a chance to try this plugin out, please post your findings here.
 

[jackson white]

FWIW, never had any luck/interest in MIDI/sample based playback options of which there are plenty. Only ever tried a couple but they've all struck me as a bit "keyboardy" (static? wimpy? envelope issues?) but generally too much work to get to sound anything like the real thing.  

Given the claim of modeling specific makes, I'm assuming this is some sort of IR based approach similar to UADs Woodworks or maybe Line 6 Helix + IRs. It's more than something like Waves Maserati ACG, CLA Unplugged, etc which are just FX chains. 

Tried this on an old Taylor C310 with Fishman electronics which I've never liked/used for the DI signal. 

GUITARS | Models
Don't sound anything like the well mic'd real thing I'm familiar with. That being said, there's quite a range in tone/sound and a couple seemed to work better than others for a demo track. YMMV. 
MIC | Model, Position: useful, Distance: less so. 
An LDC option might make sense compared to the existing options, which strike me as pretty "focused".
PREAMP | Blend, Treble+Presence: were the keys to get it to work in a demo mix 
PREAMP | Input Mode: Selecting Magnetic for the Taylor seemed to be radically different depending  on the guitar model. Not sure I understand what's going on here. Tried Magnetic on a Tele/bridge pos, could see using it to color a cleaner tone, much like blending a Di signal with a clean amp. 
PREAMP | Comp, Grit: don't ever see using these.
MODULATION | maybe useful at low depth
DELAY/REVERB | not likely to get any use

SUMMARY:
It will never replace a well mic'd quality AG in a great room, gets a bit "cloudy/muffled" for me if you get too deep into the FX, but could be a productive option in some cases. What sets this apart is the models with extra points for a scalable UI. In tandem with the Fishman it provides an additional layer of interactive tone shaping that looks promising and might make the DI a viable option for me. I plan to dig a bit deeper. 

Cakewalk had/has the VX 64 Vocal/PX 64 Percussion strips. This could be the AX 64 Acoustic Guitar strip.  
 

Edited August 6, 2021 by jackson white

[msmcleod]

Ok, decided to give it a go... can't say I'm overly impressed to be honest.

I turned off all the extra effects, set the widening  to zero, and set all the EQ bands to zero gain, so all I was hearing was the guitar modelling.

There seems to be some weird hollow resonance going on. The only model that sounds half-decent to my ears is the Gibson, but even that suffers from this strange effect.

The mic choices are strange too.  How the SM57 can sound better than the Audix condenser baffles me.  The beyer (another dynamic mic) weirdly seems to have the best sound.

Anyhow, I set it to the Martin using the condenser at 50% Neck, 50% hole, and compared it to my Martin body IR's ( via Audio Assault's IR loader ).  The difference was night and day.  The IR's sound so much better.

Now I'm not saying you can't get any half decent sounds out of this plugin... you can... but you need to use all the extra effects to cover up whatever is  happening in the modelling. 

I think I'm gonna stick to the IR's....  https://www.3sigmaaudio.com/acoustic-impulses/

 

[Brian Walton]

3 hours ago, jackson white said:

FWIW, never had any luck/interest in MIDI/sample based playback options of which there are plenty. Only ever tried a couple but they've all struck me as a bit "keyboardy" (static? wimpy? envelope issues?) but generally too much work to get to sound anything like the real thing.  

Given the claim of modeling specific makes, I'm assuming this is some sort of IR based approach similar to UADs Woodworks or maybe Line 6 Helix + IRs. It's more than something like Waves Maserati ACG, CLA Unplugged, etc which are just FX chains. 

Tried this on an old Taylor C310 with Fishman electronics which I've never liked/used for the DI signal. 

GUITARS | Models
Don't sound anything like the well mic'd real thing I'm familiar with. That being said, there's quite a range in tone/sound and a couple seemed to work better than others for a demo track. YMMV. 
MIC | Model, Position: useful, Distance: less so. 
An LDC option might make sense compared to the existing options, which strike me as pretty "focused".
PREAMP | Blend, Treble+Presence: were the keys to get it to work in a demo mix 
PREAMP | Input Mode: Selecting Magnetic for the Taylor seemed to be radically different depending  on the guitar model. Not sure I understand what's going on here. Tried Magnetic on a Tele/bridge pos, could see using it to color a cleaner tone, much like blending a Di signal with a clean amp. 
PREAMP | Comp, Grit: don't ever see using these.
MODULATION | maybe useful at low depth
DELAY/REVERB | not likely to get any use

SUMMARY:
It will never replace a well mic'd quality AG in a great room, gets a bit "cloudy/muffled" for me if you get too deep into the FX, but could be a productive option in many cases. What sets this apart is the models with extra points for a scalable UI. In tandem with the Fishman it provides an additional layer of interactive tone shaping that looks promising and might make the DI a viable option for me. I plan to dig a bit deeper. 

Cakewalk had/has the VX 64 Vocal/PX 64 Percussion strips. This could be the AX 64 Acoustic Guitar strip.  
 

If your Taylor has the fishman matrix, you might try to test drive one of the fishman aura pedals with it.  If you match it up with the same model and pu used for the capture - it can transform the piezo into something closer to a micd guitar.  It isn't perfect of course, but quite a bit different than your typical acoustic preamp toys.  

 

If your guitar doest match the pickup used for an image, it won't sound great though.  

[X-53mph]

5 hours ago, msmcleod said:

I think I'm gonna stick to the IR's....  https://www.3sigmaaudio.com/acoustic-impulses/

 

I'm very interested in these for acoustic guitar. 

Could you tell me what software I can load them into?

I've got all the software that came with Splat. Is there something in there that they can load into?

Cheers

EDIT: I see you did a whole post on sigma using the TH3, so you've already answered my question. ? Cheers 

"Technique: Making a DI'd acoustic guitar sound like its mic'd using IR's. - Cakewalk by BandLab - Cakewalk Discuss | The Official Cakewalk by BandLab Forum" https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/topic/876-technique-making-a-did-acoustic-guitar-sound-like-its-micd-using-irs/

Edited July 19, 2021 by Philip G Hunt

[jackson white]

16 hours ago, msmcleod said:

There seems to be some weird hollow resonance going on.

Confirming this, and even more pronounced when checking the magnetic over piezo.

16 hours ago, msmcleod said:

The mic choices are strange

Agreed on the beyer, but the SM57 did sound familiar, have used that in the past to get a track to cut through in a mix. 

For the demo track I checked, the AY DSR worked better than the others, with the Martin coming in 2nd. I think the point is there is enough variation in the models to offer a wider range of options. 

However, none of the models sounded "realistic" on their own, much less "studio grade Pro". While this could be productive for quick demos, etc, will take a look into IRs, thx for the link. 

15 hours ago, Brian Walton said:

fishman aura pedals

Thx, had not considered that. Tweaking the Fishman/Nembrini helped more than expected, but hardly plug and play. 

[Cecelius2]

On 7/18/2021 at 6:33 PM, msmcleod said:

Ok, decided to give it a go... can't say I'm overly impressed to be honest.

I turned off all the extra effects, set the widening  to zero, and set all the EQ bands to zero gain, so all I was hearing was the guitar modelling.

There seems to be some weird hollow resonance going on. The only model that sounds half-decent to my ears is the Gibson, but even that suffers from this strange effect.

The mic choices are strange too.  How the SM57 can sound better than the Audix condenser baffles me.  The beyer (another dynamic mic) weirdly seems to have the best sound.

Anyhow, I set it to the Martin using the condenser at 50% Neck, 50% hole, and compared it to my Martin body IR's ( via Audio Assault's IR loader ).  The difference was night and day.  The IR's sound so much better.

Now I'm not saying you can't get any half decent sounds out of this plugin... you can... but you need to use all the extra effects to cover up whatever is  happening in the modelling. 

I think I'm gonna stick to the IR's....  https://www.3sigmaaudio.com/acoustic-impulses/

 

Thanks so very, very much Msmcleod!  You info is definitely helpful.  You saved me from purchasing the Nembrini Acoustic Voice, but you turned me on to a great set of IRs.   I had not heard of 3SigmaAudio before your post.  I purchased 3SigmaAudio Classical (Cordoba Torres) IR to go with my Godin Multiac.  The Multiac sounds good even great by itself, but often has too much attack.  The 3SigmaAudio Cordoba Torres IR is wonderful; it warms up my Godin and make it sound more like a high end classical.

I also purchased the 3SigmaAudio Martin 45 Acoustic IR.  It is good as well.  At first I was just trying it with a Godin Electric that has an LR Baggs Piezo bridge.  It definitely helped tame the piezo and sounded okay, but then I tried it with my 1970's Martin D35 loaded with a Baggs M1a magnetic and WOW.  It sounds beautiful going right into the DAW direct.  Then I tried it with my old Gibson B25 which has an old Duncan Performer cheap magnetic Sound Hole pickup.  The Gibson B25 already sounded okay, but the 3SigmaAudio made a very nice guitar sound even more beautiful.  I plan on purchasing the 3SigmaAudio Taylors for acoustic and probably a Taylor 814ce-N and 812ce-N for the classical.  I wish that 3SigmaAudio had bundles for their acoustic IRs (they do have discounts on the cabinets but not the acoustic IRs).

So MsMcleod you saved me $39 by me not purchasing the Nembrini Acoustic Voice, but you led me to 3SigmaAudio which will be taking my money for several more acoustic and classical IRs.

Thanks again.  Your post was really helpful!

C2

[X-53mph]

On 7/19/2021 at 8:41 AM, Philip G Hunt said:

I'm very interested in these for acoustic guitar. 

Could you tell me what software I can load them into?

I've got all the software that came with Splat. Is there something in there that they can load into?

Cheers

EDIT: I see you did a whole post on sigma using the TH3, so you've already answered my question. ? Cheers 

"Technique: Making a DI'd acoustic guitar sound like its mic'd using IR's. - Cakewalk by BandLab - Cakewalk Discuss | The Official Cakewalk by BandLab Forum" https://discuss.cakewalk.com/index.php?/topic/876-technique-making-a-did-acoustic-guitar-sound-like-its-micd-using-irs/

@Cecelius2 check out the link I posted here to a previous discussion by msmcleod on IRs. You'll find other links in there too, including some free IRs that sound absolutely great.

 

[Michael Parson-McNamara]

Thanks to all of (you) the "above". I have exactly $40 LOL and a Fishman Spectrum AND some nice mics (MA200, MA101fet, M160, ADK Thor )but not a good tracking room/space. I am considering this Nembrini and now going to go explore the 3sigma IR options. I also have the United QuickAG which I thought might help, since I want to "cover" my acoustics, mandolin and violin.... 

Well, at least I have a couple more days to decide and now feel more informed than yesterday! LOL 

[Bapu]

Since I don't record real acoustic guitar (does my JTV-69 modelled guitar count?) this will be the one thing I may not need from Nembrini.