AAS Hop Riffs Sound Pack for Strum

[Larry Shelby]

$15.94

https://everyplugin.com/deals/shopby/manufacturer/aas.html

Edited March 7, 2023 by cclarry

[Fleer]

Sweet, new sound pack from AAS. 

[jngnz]

I used to own the AAS complete bundle and was disappointed pretty badly by everything except String Studio, but Strum is honestly so bad that I can't imagine anyone ever using it for anything. Not even demos. It sounds way too bad to replace actual guitars and it also doesn't work as a "cool synth guitar" or anything like that. There's at best a dozen vaguely usable sounds among hundreds and hundreds of presets.

Then again, it's not like anyone else has pulled off physically modelling guitars to an even half-believable extent.

[TheMaartian]

20 minutes ago, Jan Schmitz said:

I used to own the AAS complete bundle and was disappointed pretty badly by everything except String Studio, but Strum is honestly so bad that I can't imagine anyone ever using it for anything. Not even demos. It sounds way too bad to replace actual guitars and it also doesn't work as a "cool synth guitar" or anything like that. There's at best a dozen vaguely usable sounds among hundreds and hundreds of presets.

Then again, it's not like anyone else has pulled off physically modelling guitars to an even half-believable extent.

Gotta agree with you. I bought Strum for completeness many years ago. Chromaphone is excellent. Lounge Lizard has many good uses. String Studio and Ultra Analog have some totally usable sounds, but I have never once in 5+ years found a use for Strum.

[Fleer]

10 hours ago, John Maar said:

Gotta agree with you. I bought Strum for completeness many years ago. Chromaphone is excellent. Lounge Lizard has many good uses. String Studio and Ultra Analog have some totally usable sounds, but I have never once in 5+ years found a use for Strum.

Same here, actually. 
Loving all three versions of Chromaphone, as well as Lounge Lizard. String Studio is a fine one too. 

[Magic Russ]

I have two or three very simple tracks with it.  One is a reggae thing and the other has sort of a spaghetti western vibe.  The Strum part in the reggae track is not particularly convincing but doesn't need to be - just some rhythmic mutes.  The spaghetti western song uses an acoustic guitar that I ran through Vinyl to make it sound like it was coming off an old gramophone record.  This turned out to be a good way of hiding the flaws in Strum's modeling while adding a certain sense of place to the track.

I mostly use Strum in the same way as EZ Keys - as a compositional tool.   Anything it outputs will either get re-recorded or heavily effected.

[Starship Krupa]

There's also a new version of Swatches with some patches from Asymmetric as well as this. Just those make me really want to pick up Asymmetric next time it comes up on discount or giveaway.

Regarding Strum, I've used the Strum patches in Swatches to throw in a few accents, as well as a compositional tool.

I'm not so much into verisimilitude because I actually play guitar, so if I want a realistic guitar sound, I play it.

But there are uses for guitar-ish sounds that are only trying to evoke rather than imitate. Kinda like a Mellotron, it falls short enough that it becomes its own instrument.

Edited March 8, 2023 by Starship Krupa

[marcL]

IMHO Strum GS-2 is much better than a lot of (most?) sampled guitars regarding rhythm playing! I don't mean the sound of Strum! I only use Strum as DI playing in combination with other amp simulations that are better! I agree that the amp sounds are not that strong.

Also, it maybe that the playing is best with direct MIDI input using Strum GS-2 in "Guitar" mode. "Loop" mode is more for sketching something. But then the loops can be dropped into the daw to be altered. I am no keyboard player, thus I cannot judge how good it can be used with direct keyboard input.

[Steve K]

Ya -- it's not the greatest, IMO.  The amp/cab is truly horrible and can be dramatically improved by turning it off and running through any other amp sim.  But the guitar doesn't sound much like a guitar, and while I like some of the strum patterns, they tend to sound wooden.  The best sounds are the electric "models" playing staccato sounds.  The nylon "models" also sound pretty decent to my ears, especially when playing arpeggios.

That being said, I've used it in tracks I've produced a fair amount.  That's for three reasons.  One is that its great for inspiration.  It doesn't choke if you play notes that it can't identify as a chord, it just plays them.  So you can get some really unexpected harmonies out of it.  The second is that it is easy to use and combine the strum patterns in the DAW  to do some cool patterns.  The third is that if you bury it in a mix, it does have the general timbre and texture of a guitar.

Here's an example I did four years ago (I guess I haven't used it recently).  Strum comes in at about 1:13 and plays throughout.  You will instantly know that it is the AAS product, but I think the average listener would identify it as a guitar.  You'll have to turn up the volume... I mixed this very quiet for a very good reason that didn't work out.  If you stick around to the end, the guitar solo is me, not Strum.  Just saying.

 

[Fleer]

Indeed, Steve, it works fine. 
But I looooooove that solo. 

[ALC]

3 hours ago, marled said:

IMHO Strum GS-2 is much better than a lot of (most?) sampled guitars regarding rhythm playing! I don't mean the sound of Strum! I only use Strum as DI playing in combination with other amp simulations that are better! I agree that the amp sounds are not that strong.

Also, it maybe that the playing is best with direct MIDI input using Strum GS-2 in "Guitar" mode. "Loop" mode is more for sketching something. But then the loops can be dropped into the daw to be altered. I am no keyboard player, thus I cannot judge how good it can be used with direct keyboard input.

Thanks for the idea.  Trying out Strum Session into TONEX.

1 hour ago, Steve K said:

Ya -- it's not the greatest, IMO.  The amp/cab is truly horrible and can be dramatically improved by turning it off and running through any other amp sim.  But the guitar doesn't sound much like a guitar, and while I like some of the strum patterns, they tend to sound wooden.  The best sounds are the electric "models" playing staccato sounds.  The nylon "models" also sound pretty decent to my ears, especially when playing arpeggios.

Are there any compelling features GS-2 gives over Strum Session just using it as a front end for amp sims?

 

[marcL]

3 hours ago, ALC said:

Are there any compelling features GS-2 gives over Strum Session just using it as a front end for amp sims?

As far as I can see it's only that the preset library is larger and that the add-on packages are installable. But I managed to install the MIDI (loop patterns) also in Strum Session (made links manually), but you cannot access the guitar sound presets of the add-ons. Other than that I have not seen any differences.

[Starship Krupa]

9 hours ago, Steve K said:

You will instantly know that it is the AAS product, but I think the average listener would identify it as a guitar.

I wouldn't have picked it out without forewarning. It's surrounded by synthesized sounds, so in that context it works.

+1 on your Gilmoresque solo. Well done.

[antler]

Very nice tune, @Steve K. What's that instrument that sounds a bit like a waterphone? It's goes really well with the overall vibe.

[Steve K]

5 minutes ago, antler said:

Very nice tune, @Steve K. What's that instrument that sounds a bit like a waterphone? It's goes really well with the overall vibe.

Thanks!  Funny you should call that out.  I had to re-open the project.  It's just a happy accident.  The instrument is from Vacuum Pro (that old AIR synth), but what gives it that sound is a preset in Unfiltered Audio Sandman Pro called Robot Politics.  I'd love to say it was intentional sound design, but really it was dumb luck from a preset junkie. My daughter told me she thought it made the song creepy and unlistenable, so I knew I had struck gold.

 

[Jesse Screed]

https://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=14560263

this was done with gs 2

 

[antler]

23 hours ago, Steve K said:

The instrument is from Vacuum Pro (that old AIR synth), but what gives it that sound is a preset in Unfiltered Audio Sandman Pro called Robot Politics.

It sounds great - I may have to play around with Sandman Pro a bit more!

[Starship Krupa]

6 hours ago, antler said:

I may have to play around with Sandman Pro a bit more!

I heartily endorse this course of action. Its baby sister, Instant Delay, is a hidden gem as well. It sounds from the name that it might be just a stripped down version of Sandman Pro, but it has its own tricks up its sleeve.

The thing never to neglect with Unifiltered Audio's delays is the amazing options for modulating any control.

[Topcheese]

I also own it, and you can make careful use of it, but you have to take the time to create a particular sound that's meant to sound a little off.  If I remember correctly I used last time with the samples from IK Total Studio.  I actually prefer Sugar Bytes Guitarist over it.