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Sound Magic’s ‘Classical Guitar’: Ultra Realistic Nylon Guitar Sound Maximizing The Possibilities of Sound Shaping

Sound Magic provides top-notch nylon guitar sound in an affordable price in the market

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The Music Telegraph
Text 2020-06-01

 

▲ Classical Guitar

© Sound Magic



Sound Magic put their best efforts into sampling Classical Guitar sounds from a customized mod version of Kremona ‘Solea Artist Series Nylon Guitar’. This Solea Artist Series guitar is commonly known as one of the best nylon guitars in the market representing the culmination of over 80 years of handcrafted guitar building by Kremona. Classical Guitar provides over 2,300 sound samples and over 15 guitar techniques through the 5 GB size guitar library. Thanks to Sound Magic’s latest Hybrid Modeling technology, Classical Guitar can provides both authentic nylon guitar sounds from the sample library and playability for the modeling instrument.

 

 

 

The latest release by Sound Magic‘Neo Orchestra’ is an AU (Audio Unit)/VST-based platform that allows you to play sound samples of string instruments which Sound Magic has elaborately produced. Classical Guitar’ is a VST/AU plugin and sample library features a professional nylon guitar sound. Powered by the latest Hybrid Modeling technologyClassical Guitar provides realistic authentic nylon guitar sounds along with various guitar techniques.

 

 

 

 

▲ Neo Orchestra



 

Sound Engine

Classical Guitar is a virtual instrument based on the Sound Magic’s latest ‘Hybrid Modeling Technology’. Hybrid Modeling Technology is a fuse of both advantages from sampling and physical modeling. Sampling is like a static photo of a musical instrument, so it sounds “real” but is less likely to alter the sound. On the other hand, physical modeling is solely depended on the mathematical model of a musical instrument, so it has “higher chances of altering the sound”. But the tonal range is limited by the instrument model. Therefore, the Hybrid Modeling Technology adopted to the engine of Classical Guitar makes possible to generate realistic sounds and alter the sounds with a variety of controls. 

 

Users can change sound and timbre of Classical Guitar in realtime, and this is not the fixed or dead sound as a sampled-only sound. This hybrid modeling technology keeps changing the sound through time giving it unlimited possibilities and varieties of controls. For instance, you can start with a non-vibrato sound and then fade in vibrato sustain while changing depth and speed in realtime. Or, you can change tremolo speed in realtime while optimizing control or leveraging human behaviors in the vibrato for enhanced realism in the sound.

 

With Sound Magic’s unique Performance Key Switch System, users can switch guitar techniques with easy and fluent mode. Modeling technology also provides support for real-time interaction and change on the sound. So, users can smoothly change from a plain guitar sound to a full vibrato sound. That is difficult to achieve only by sampling technology.

 

 

 

 

Features of Classical Guitar

Classical Guitar was recorded with up to 4 velocity layers with round robin samples. It also has over 10 different guitar techniques which you can use in the Performance Key Switch System to switch between them. Now, we should look at Neo Orchestra since every control of Classical Guitar takes place in this universal platform.

 

▲ Legato control

 

You can control Legato effect by turning Time knob and choosing Glide curve on the main control panel. If the played notes are overlapped then the legato effect will begin. Legato Time can be controlled by MIDI controller in real-time. Different legato curve will give legato sounds different energy, so it gives various dynamics to the sounds depend on situations. This unique feature gives you the realistic legato sound.

 

 

▲ Dynamics control


There are seven velocity curves in Dynamics and this setting has a major impact on how the key response to your play and how it sounds. Also, you can set the dynamic range for the instrument you are playing and keyboard tracking values which can change degree of dynamics depend on the area of MIDI keyboard.

 

 

 

▲ Harmonics control

 

The Harmonics function allows you to adjust Key Harmonics affecting the overall tone of the instrument. You can control the gain (+/- 15 dB) and shift (+/- 2 octaves) of the sound you are playing. With this, you can directly operate on the harmonic proportion of the sound.

 

 

 

▲ EQ control


Neo Orchestra provides a 5 bands parametric EQ section. You can use EQ if needed to shape the final sound. You can simply click and drag to change EQ settings of the instrument you are playing. This EQ setting can give a significant change in the tonality of the instrument immediately.

 

 

 

 

▲ Vibrato control


Neo Orchestra provides two types of Vibrato, one is sampled vibrato and the other is modeling vibrato. In order to use sampled vibrato, you can assign the key in the Key Switch setting panel to switch on the sampled vibrato using the assigned key. In case of modeling vibrato, you can control the values of depth, speed, and human (humanization/random) on the Vibrato control panel.

 

 

 

▲ Envelope control


In the Envelope section, you can change ADSR Envelope of the sound you are playing by simple click and drag. In addition, you can make fine adjustments by time and stage settings.

 

 

 

▲ Reverb control


This is Reverb section, a lite version of famous Neo Reverb. It is a hybrid of convolution and algorithm technology so you can hear the quality of this reverb is excellent. In this section, you can adjust early reflections and reverb space, and also you can choose a preset from the main control panel.

 

 

 

▲ Virtual 3D Stage


On the Virtual 3D Stage, you can pan your instrument freely by dragging the cursor on the screen and it will generate 3D audio effect to the sound. This Virtual 3D Stage makes sounds real using the algorithm of the sound localization simulated from realistic space. It is very useful when you need to pan the instrument in a group of instruments such as a huge symphony orchestra.

 

 

 

▲ Scala Tuning control


Neo Orchestra provides default equal temperament tuning system and also supports different tuning scales using Scala Tuning files. So you can adopt any tone scale you like to play.

 

 

 

▲ Performance Key-Switch System setting panel


Neo Orchestra offers a variety of control options to allow the performer to play almost all of the classical guitar's playing techniques. These control options can be assigned by the player to each key on the keyboard through the Performance Key-Switch System. For example, if you want to play modeling tremolo sound of a guitar, you can play the tremolo by pressing a key at any time by assigning a switch to the specific key on the keyboard from the Key Switch setting panel. ‘Major switch’ decides which technique will be taken while the instrument is using two important techniques at the same time. The categories in the Key Switch panel provide various techniques of a classical guitar such as finger vibrato, staccato, mute, Sul Ponticello, whole tone Mordents, half tone Mordents, natural and artificial harmonics, and modeled tremolo.

 

 

 

The Sound

Every single note from Sound Magic’s Classical Guitar very well reflects any subtle physical movement of player’s fingers on the strings, so you can hear a delicate response from flicking a string with player’s fingers and any reaction from player’s changing performance dynamics in realtime. One thing to point out here is that the quality of basic guitar tone is very high, especially when you try to get real guitar harmonics simply with your MIDI keyboard this may be the right product. Regarding the issues of sound-shaping, Classical Guitar offers far more sound-shaping options than a sampling instrument with a five bands parametric EQ and controls over the harmonic partial sounds. So, you can quickly change timbre with a simple turn of a knob or tuning every single note with the Scala Tuning control. In addition, those provided guitar techniques are very realistic enough to express whole picture of a real nylon guitar sounds in realtime. The Performance Key Switch System provides user-defined controls, so you can conveniently use these techniques in any situation such as recording studios or live performances. You can use these techniques in any genre of music.

 

Overall, I would like to recommend Sound Magic’s Classical Guitar to someone who pursues top-notch nylon guitar sounds with possibilities of convenient tone-controls in realtime at economic price (US $49).

 

 

 

 

 

PRODUCT FEATURES

- Deeply sampled, Over 2,300 samples, 5GB sample uncompressed data

- Modeled Tremolo, Vibrato, Glide, and Glissando

- Innovative Performance Key Switch system

- Embodied high-quality reverb and EQ

- Comprehensive Envelope system

- Scala Tuning System can emulate the old/new tuning system

- DFD/RAM system enables users to relocate resources and ensure the best performance under every individual project

- Different GUI mode for standard resolution and 4K resolution

 

 

 

 

Price:

 

$49.00 USD 

 

(This is the Sale Event price. The Original Price is $69.00)

 

*You can purchase ‘Classical Guitar’: here

 

  


Sound Magic Co. Ltd Founded in 2007, Sound Magic Co., Ltd. has transformed into one of the primary pioneers in virtual instruments and DSP software. Starting from humble beginnings in Beijing, China, Sound Magic Co., Ltd. now has over 20 employees with regional offices spread out across the world.  With one office in Anaheim, California and one in London, Sound Magic Co., Ltd. has the privilege of working with talented engineers, developers, musicians, and creatives from across the world to create products from a culture born from diversity and dedication. 



For more information on Classical Guitar
 

 

 

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