(not a deal) Trying to find the best Heavy Metal Guitar VST3 or Kontakt library, can you please recommend (also please include best deal you seen from past)

[GTsongwriter]

Hi!

I looked at Shreddage 3 Hydra (5 years old) and Orange Tree Samples Evolution Dracus(12 years old).

I want to get something more modern and up to date unless those are the best libraries, if so, which would you choose, if not, what other libraries do you choose? 

I also looked to know when you've seen the best deal and the lowest price you've seen it so I can keep my eyes peeled. 

 

Thank you so much!

[audioschmaudio]

I have no idea which is the best one, but am quite happy with Shreddage 3 Hydra.
I got it for €28.66 with a coupon code that I received when I unsubscribed from their newsletter.
There are often some coupon codes floating around the internet for their products.

[mettelus]

2 hours ago, GTsongwriter said:

I want to get something more modern

A couple quick comments on this:

1. If samples were recorded properly and are incorporated into the VSTi properly, the age is irrelevant.
2. Internal FX can be the undoing of some VSTis as many try to incorporate the "whole shebang" into the VSTi. Some are lackluster/limited with this and do not include goodies like IR capability. As long as the samples are pristine, you can offset this limitation by bypassing all FX in the VSTi (dry output only) and re-amp that through a guitar VST that you prefer (THU, Guitar Rig, HELIX Native, whatever). If the tone of ones you have tried do not fit the bill, try that route out with them.

Metal specifically has a lot of low end focus many times, so the 8-string Shreddage 3 Hydra would be worth trying the re-amping with (I am not familiar with it, but some VSTis have a lot of hoopla involved in shutting off all the internal FX and running dry). The workflow internal to the VSTi (and sample quality) are what I would focus on more. Personally I use Three Body Tech's Heavier 7 Strings (straight-up since the guitar has amazing tweaks internally) or AmpleSound's Hellrazer (re-amped, but that one is also a little more finicky (con) even though it has 9 strings (pro)), but that is not to say they either are best in any way, just personal preference.

[aidan o driscoll]

@GTsongwriter FOR FREE you could try out the Native Instruments GUITAR RIG Player:

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/guitar/guitar-rig-7-player/

Its part of Komplete Start which is a load of free versions of NIs instruments inc Guitar Rig ..

ALSO FREE TONEX CS from IK Multimedia:

https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/tonex/index.php?p=freesoftware

 

Edited March 13 by aidan o driscoll

[GTsongwriter]

4 hours ago, mettelus said:

A couple quick comments on this:

1. If samples were recorded properly and are incorporated into the VSTi properly, the age is irrelevant.
2. Internal FX can be the undoing of some VSTis as many try to incorporate the "whole shebang" into the VSTi. Some are lackluster/limited with this and do not include goodies like IR capability. As long as the samples are pristine, you can offset this limitation by bypassing all FX in the VSTi (dry output only) and re-amp that through a guitar VST that you prefer (THU, Guitar Rig, HELIX Native, whatever). If the tone of ones you have tried do not fit the bill, try that route out with them.

Metal specifically has a lot of low end focus many times, so the 8-string Shreddage 3 Hydra would be worth trying the re-amping with (I am not familiar with it, but some VSTis have a lot of hoopla involved in shutting off all the internal FX and running dry). The workflow internal to the VSTi (and sample quality) are what I would focus on more. Personally I use Three Body Tech's Heavier 7 Strings (straight-up since the guitar has amazing tweaks internally) or AmpleSound's Hellrazer (re-amped, but that one is also a little more finicky (con) even though it has 9 strings (pro)), but that is not to say they either are best in any way, just personal preference.

 

Thank you so much for your wisdom!

I do have guitar rig pro 6 and 5, and some guitar VSTs for just regular strumming, but nothing like the strumming you get from a heavy metal song like djent, palm, muted and several others I'm researching.

I would however prefer a Kontakt library, but willing to install a trusted VST if it's much better.

[mettelus]

Roger that. I have never quite melded with Kontakt, but it has the advantage that the GUI isn't dramatically different between instruments with core functionality. Definitely kick the tires (demo) different libraries and see which GUI/sample set work best for you (the re-amping aspect will remove the embedded FX from that comparison).

Things with proprietary GUIs (Three Body Tech, Ample Sound, and the like) have a disadvantage of a learning curve, but the advantage at times that more keyswitches are exposed. Keep "articulation maps" in mind as you progress... setting them up can be a bit of a hassle; but once done, they will make life a lot easier for composition once you settle into your preferred work flow.

For your situation, you could also fiddle with re-amping a free guitar VSTi (dry output) with Guitar Rig (focusing on workflow and tone), then back fill that VSTi library with one that you meld with later on so that you can take your time evaluating which VSTi you like best.

[aidan o driscoll]

1 hour ago, GTsongwriter said:

 

Thank you so much for your wisdom!

I do have guitar rig pro 6 and 5, and some guitar VSTs for just regular strumming, but nothing like the strumming you get from a heavy metal song like djent, palm, muted and several others I'm researching.

I would however prefer a Kontakt library, but willing to install a trusted VST if it's much better.

@GTsongwriter TBH i would say in most tools like Guitar Rig etc you might get better results by making your own preset from scratch rather than depending on untweaked presets. Load up components and start noodling with settings until you get what you want.

Nothing plugin wise will replace pushing air I dont think and the sound from a plugin all depends on the hardware/speakers  you are playing it out through.

I have in past used my guitar through AMP miced or out through the Pre amp full jack at the back, into Audio I/F ( I use Audient EVO 4 ). Add a DI box there to then record 2 tracks in Cakewalk - one dry and the other effected from the amp. Then load GI or similar into the dry track and start noodling with the components to build a similar sound

TONEX CS ( Free ) might be worth a go as an alt, there is also the Tonex Pedal thats causing waves in guitar circles. I started off a thread recently here about TONEX, you might find it interesting to read:

 

Edited March 13 by aidan o driscoll

[kitekrazy1]

Looking for the best = multiple responses.

The best is when you can demo them instead of listening to a recording.

We have that of treating samples like they are bakery products as we have our own imaginary date of them being moldy.

It also depends on your needs. 

[GTsongwriter]

7 hours ago, kitekrazy1 said:

Looking for the best = multiple responses.

The best is when you can demo them instead of listening to a recording.

We have that of treating samples like they are bakery products as we have our own imaginary date of them being moldy.

It also depends on your needs. 

My needs would be the classic metal sound of the guitarist whom strums the guitar like a metal guitarist should.

If you listen to Metallica Enter Sandman right at the start 0:24 you'll hear the guitar rhythm I want to achieve, basically, but I still want to do other things with it. 

For the most part, the rhythmatic way that the metal guitarist strums a guitar is different than someone strumming a regular guitarist strumming a guitar. I think it's more of a performance than the guitar to change the sound?

 

[GTsongwriter]

Has anyone tried Iron 2 by UJAM?

I'm curious if it will give me that sound?

[kitekrazy1]

4 hours ago, GTsongwriter said:

Has anyone tried Iron 2 by UJAM?

I'm curious if it will give me that sound?

Usually the heavy critics are guitar players.  People who know an instrument well will be the toughest critics.

You can demo Iron 2.

Edited March 14 by kitekrazy1

[audioschmaudio]

4 hours ago, GTsongwriter said:

Has anyone tried Iron 2 by UJAM?

I'm curious if it will give me that sound?

Yes, I have. It sounds great and gives you good sounding results quickly because it comes with patterns that it can play for you at the press of a key. Which might be the reason why real guitar players look down on it. Also, you have less control over the sound.

Shreddage 3 Hydra (and also other Shreddage guitars) is also well suited to play that type of rhythmic guitar.
Look at some of the videos by Impact Soundworks on YouTube, like these:

 

 

Edited March 14 by audioschmaudio

[mettelus]

6 hours ago, GTsongwriter said:

For the most part, the rhythmatic way that the metal guitarist strums a guitar is different than someone strumming a regular guitarist strumming a guitar. I think it's more of a performance than the guitar to change the sound?

Might need to step back for a second to be sure basics get covered here. Sans additional pedals, an amp alone will typically have 5 control knobs on it (Gain, Bass, Mids, Treble, and (often) Presence) and that is pretty much it. Of course the guitar, pickups, specific amp, and performance (e.g., palm muting deadens the harmonic high end at the bridge) play a massive part in the tone, but the amp itself is where a lot of the basic tone resides (which can also be pre-staged on the guitar with volume/tone there). For the amp itself, those 5 knobs are what to learn intimately to best tone match a given song (some guitarists only have a guitar and amp available, so varying those controls (only) needs to cover the basics across the board, i.e., what do I adjust to shift from metal to jazz?). Metallica (and a lot of other metal guitarists) tend to run high Gain, Bass, Treble (6-8ish) and low (scooped) Mids (3-4ish)... palm muting knocks the treble down when chugging. You can Google amp settings for a lot of popular songs and get ballpark numbers to start with.

The reason I mention this is that the above is not as dependent on the VSTi as it is on the FX chain/settings (IIRC, TH2 had a free Artist Pack with Enter Sandman as one of the presets). As you have Guitar Rig, you might be better to focus there and use a dry VSTi to tweak a simple amp/cab combination in Guitar Rig to set up tones you are seeking.

[DamienF]

i have NI Session Guitarist Acoustic Strummer ; very good samples, you can achieve very realistic sounds, I guess it would be the same with the electric version

The Ujam VG and AAS GS Strum are really inferior IMHO

[GTsongwriter]

39 minutes ago, DamienF said:

i have NI Session Guitarist Acoustic Strummer ; very good samples, you can achieve very realistic sounds, I guess it would be the same with the electric version

The Ujam VG and AAS GS Strum are really inferior IMHO

I do have several NI Session guitars... Just nothing like a 8+ string guitar.

I have been looking at their Session Guitarist – Electric Storm Deluxe, but that's expensive right now @ $149.

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/products/komplete/guitar/session-guitarist-electric-storm-deluxe

 

[Larry Shelby]

You might want to give Three Body Tech's Heavier Guitars also...

https://www.threebodytech.com/en/products/heavier7strings

 

[Soundwise]

I have the Wedge Force Hydro, and despite poor demos, it is surprisingly good.

https://www.wedgeforce.com/

Not sure what happened to the brand recently, though, as all their products are pulled off the PA site. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[audioschmaudio]

2 hours ago, Soundwise said:

I have the Wedge Force Hydro, and despite poor demos, it is surprisingly good.

https://www.wedgeforce.com/

Not sure what happened to the brand recently, though, as all their products are pulled off the PA site. 🤷🏻‍♀️

That's the first positive review of a Wedge Force product that I've ever seen. Maybe that's also the reason why PA don't want to be associated with them anymore.

[mettelus]

On 3/14/2025 at 10:41 AM, Larry Shelby said:

You might want to give Three Body Tech's Heavier Guitars also...

https://www.threebodytech.com/en/products/heavier7strings

 

+1 to this... I mentioned this in my first post (custom GUI and not cheap), but it is definitely worth trying out. The "demo mode" had an obnoxious phrase in it when it first came out, but they changed that to simple noise. The presets/FX in that are nicely done too, but one reason why I grab that one most often is the guitar itself can be tweaked in more detail than others. It was $249 when first released (now $199), but goes on sale for down to $139 at different sites. IIRC, the demo doesn't have a time limit on it, just the noise added. They went into a lot of detail on the performance, so is worth trying out (be sure to also refer to the manual, as the MIDI map on that has some nuances also built into it (harmonics, a realistic "stop," an such)). If you get into that one, you definitely want to take the time to make an articulation map for it.