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ManyGuitar
Reviewed By NthBeatle [all]
May 5th, 2006
Version reviewed: 1.0 on Windows
I will not attempt to cover all the bases of ManyGuitar (MG)in this mini-review (please see Manytone.com, the Manytone KVR forum, and other reviews for additional info); but rather touch on a few highlights which caught my interest and quickly gained my respect.
The included soundsets are excellent. Tuned to near perfection, the core instruments were clearly sampled and programmed with care for their primary intended purpose - which is to inspire. Not only are the instruments realistic representations in their own right, with manipulation, they can moonlight as other instruments as well– see my later comments below.
Suffice to say, with around 1.2 Gigs worth of samples, there is something for all tastes – from dirty, wailing electrics to clean, bright acoustics to phatt basses. And the developers are not just sitting on their laurels, with mention of the following upcoming soundsets for use in MG: vintage Les Paul and archback guitars, an acoustic upright bass, mandolin, tons of new electric basses, etc. – you get the picture. Fresh sounds for all.[MG can also directly import all current Wusik and DASH SND files].
The G.U.I., in many ways, is the strength of MG. Besides being very retro-cool and downright pleasing to the senses, the thoughtful layout provides an easy avenue in which to visualize the signal path – from instrument to filters to amp to effects - and to quickly and effectively tweak the living crap out the sounds with impressive results!
At the heart of this capability is the coherent nature of the integrated design. Everything is located on one small layout, so there’s no hiding from the opportunity to tweak, twist and warp your sound.
One of the more ingenious aspects of the design is how uncluttered the interface appears despite the large number of dials, switches, sliders and readouts jammed into such a small area. If you look closer you will notice the absence of the customary tick marks and numerals centered around each rotary dial for the purpose of gauging your settings. Instead, one central readout – located in the middle of the G.U.I. – serves as the sole readout for all of the dials! Simply slide the mouse cursor over one the dials, and Walla, the current value is indicated in the central readout.
Three amps, eq and a boatload of cabinets provide a lot of potential iterations for shaping your sound. I particularly like the inclusion of the tiny – and I mean “tiny” – 8, 4 and 2 inch speakers! These are great for getting those thin vintage tones, as well as “down-sizing” an instrument to better fit in a mix.
The included effects are quiet, warm and easy to dial-in; Chorus/flangers, delay/echoes, etc. My favorite is the included tremolo. Two knobs and you’re there; no messing with filters or chorus to get a killer “wave.”
In use, MG is a joy to play and program. First put off by the fact that the developers had the audacity to not include a vintage Rickenbacker 325 guitar;-), using the picked Strat soundset in conjunction with the myriad of filters, amps, cabinets and effects, I quickly learned the reason for their madness and was able to dial-up a pretty darned good 325 imitation in short order(particularly when used in context of a song). Ditto for those sweet old Gretsch hollow bodies via one of the included solo electrics and some basic amp work. Neither of the two examples were spot on, but they illustrate the greatest assets of MG which are ease of use and potential sound sculpting – even for tweak-impaired individuals like myself.
This is one sweet VST. The only sour notes coming from the absence of a compressor and reverb to touch up those otherwise perfect presets. I prefer to use reverb as an insert and to adjust settings separately for each instrument, providing a subtle variance in the overall depth/soundstage. In this context, it would be a big plus not to have to set up multiple FX channels in Cubase with multiple FX instances eating up valuable CPU processing.
Thankfully, MG itself barely tickles my 2.6 P4 processor, even with multiple instances running. And the support is very responsive at Manytone, so I know if I keep bugging them, I’ll eventually get my verb;-).
Overall, my hats off to Paul, Greg, “Amoebe” and the rest of the ManyGuitar crew for crafting a solid gold product, and with a few additions, a pure platinum edition at that.
Oh yeah, did I mention that this beast only costs $89.00?
Note: At the time of this review, running through May 2006, Manytone is running a GroupBuy on Manyguitar and their Manystation sample/synth player; with potential discounts up to 50%.Read Review
The included soundsets are excellent. Tuned to near perfection, the core instruments were clearly sampled and programmed with care for their primary intended purpose - which is to inspire. Not only are the instruments realistic representations in their own right, with manipulation, they can moonlight as other instruments as well– see my later comments below.
Suffice to say, with around 1.2 Gigs worth of samples, there is something for all tastes – from dirty, wailing electrics to clean, bright acoustics to phatt basses. And the developers are not just sitting on their laurels, with mention of the following upcoming soundsets for use in MG: vintage Les Paul and archback guitars, an acoustic upright bass, mandolin, tons of new electric basses, etc. – you get the picture. Fresh sounds for all.[MG can also directly import all current Wusik and DASH SND files].
The G.U.I., in many ways, is the strength of MG. Besides being very retro-cool and downright pleasing to the senses, the thoughtful layout provides an easy avenue in which to visualize the signal path – from instrument to filters to amp to effects - and to quickly and effectively tweak the living crap out the sounds with impressive results!
At the heart of this capability is the coherent nature of the integrated design. Everything is located on one small layout, so there’s no hiding from the opportunity to tweak, twist and warp your sound.
One of the more ingenious aspects of the design is how uncluttered the interface appears despite the large number of dials, switches, sliders and readouts jammed into such a small area. If you look closer you will notice the absence of the customary tick marks and numerals centered around each rotary dial for the purpose of gauging your settings. Instead, one central readout – located in the middle of the G.U.I. – serves as the sole readout for all of the dials! Simply slide the mouse cursor over one the dials, and Walla, the current value is indicated in the central readout.
Three amps, eq and a boatload of cabinets provide a lot of potential iterations for shaping your sound. I particularly like the inclusion of the tiny – and I mean “tiny” – 8, 4 and 2 inch speakers! These are great for getting those thin vintage tones, as well as “down-sizing” an instrument to better fit in a mix.
The included effects are quiet, warm and easy to dial-in; Chorus/flangers, delay/echoes, etc. My favorite is the included tremolo. Two knobs and you’re there; no messing with filters or chorus to get a killer “wave.”
In use, MG is a joy to play and program. First put off by the fact that the developers had the audacity to not include a vintage Rickenbacker 325 guitar;-), using the picked Strat soundset in conjunction with the myriad of filters, amps, cabinets and effects, I quickly learned the reason for their madness and was able to dial-up a pretty darned good 325 imitation in short order(particularly when used in context of a song). Ditto for those sweet old Gretsch hollow bodies via one of the included solo electrics and some basic amp work. Neither of the two examples were spot on, but they illustrate the greatest assets of MG which are ease of use and potential sound sculpting – even for tweak-impaired individuals like myself.
This is one sweet VST. The only sour notes coming from the absence of a compressor and reverb to touch up those otherwise perfect presets. I prefer to use reverb as an insert and to adjust settings separately for each instrument, providing a subtle variance in the overall depth/soundstage. In this context, it would be a big plus not to have to set up multiple FX channels in Cubase with multiple FX instances eating up valuable CPU processing.
Thankfully, MG itself barely tickles my 2.6 P4 processor, even with multiple instances running. And the support is very responsive at Manytone, so I know if I keep bugging them, I’ll eventually get my verb;-).
Overall, my hats off to Paul, Greg, “Amoebe” and the rest of the ManyGuitar crew for crafting a solid gold product, and with a few additions, a pure platinum edition at that.
Oh yeah, did I mention that this beast only costs $89.00?
Note: At the time of this review, running through May 2006, Manytone is running a GroupBuy on Manyguitar and their Manystation sample/synth player; with potential discounts up to 50%.Read Review
