Virtual Instruments guides & articles

If you're a recording musician who doesn't play bass, creating realistic MIDI bass guitar parts can be a challenge. The tips and techniques offered in this article will help you put together authenti…

In part 1 of this article, we looked at preference settings and key commands. Here in part 2, the focus will be on the Smart Tool, some important timeline options, and how to create customized sessio…

Avid Pro Tools features industry standard audio recording, editing, and mixing, along with a reasonably well-featured MIDI section. But with an application this powerful, getting up to speed can take…

The quality and variety of synthesizers available for your iOS device just keeps getting better and better. Although many of the top, name-brand synths will cost you in the range of $20 or even more,…

If you’re not a drummer, but you need drum tracks for your productions — and assuming you don’t have the budget and facilities to hire and record a real drummer — you’re going to need to use either M…

Eight years after releasing the first EZdrummer, Toontrack introduces version 2, which gently revolutionizes the virtual drum market. Far from trying to grow in terms of gigabytes, EZdrummer bets on …

The partnership between artist BT and iZotope has resulted in a new plug-in, the BreakTweaker. Is it just another drum machine or a more advanced tool than it seems?

Whenever we deal with a virtual orchestra, we usually end up talking about East West or the Vienna Symphonic Library. However, there are some other publishers that are just as exacting in terms of qu…

AAS renews its virtual analog synth by adding VA-2 to its name. But that is obviously not the only change. Here's a detailed overview.

Twelve years after the first version of HALion — the sampler "made in Steinberg" — came out, it's time for the fifth generation to make its debut with a lot of new features. But will it be enough to …

FXpansion recently introduced BFD3, the third version of its comprehensive drums software. A simple revision or a true update deserving a new version number? And what is its place in a universe alrea…

Together with pianos and drums, bass guitars ought to be counted among the instruments whose virtual versions can be considered credible today. Here's a selection of the best exponents in the genre.

A real legend among electric pianos, the Rhodes has never stopped inspiring software developers and sample publishers. These 16 instruments are proof of that.

The newest addition to Native Instruments' Kontakt libraries is called Cuba. It was conceived to provide the typical sound of Afro-Cuban music, a territory seldom treaded by music library publishers.…

As a newcomer in the virtual acoustic pianos family, VI Labs declares its ambition right from start, and it begins with the name: True Keys. Does it hold its promises?

UVI seems to have decided to bring back to life the myths of synthesis in the form of sample libraries for its own UVI platform and compatible programs. Let's have a detailed look at one of them: Vin…

So, you bought some virtual drums but none of the grooves really fit in your new song? Here you have a list of the best MIDI publishers- in no particular order of course.

So, you have an 80 square foot room but you feel Glenn's Gould spirit burning inside you? Don't worry! Long gone are the days when you had to depend on 800-lb Steinways to play a chord. Thanks to VST…

The DAW is the heart of modern home studios. A sequencer isn't something you should buy carelessly because it impacts the way you work – the whole process, from the idea to its realization. Here is a…

You want to record your newest song but you have no drummer or your drummer is sick? Virtual drums were conceived to solve this problem. Here is our selection of the best of them...

With version 4 of its “drum sampler” included in both editions of Komplete 9 and available separately, what does Native Instruments propose to do ? Answers below.

In the domain of analogue synthesizer emulation, the race for fidelity continues. The biggest breakthroughs have not necessarily originated from the top editors. One of them, Monark, is reacting with…

iZotope is famous for its effects, audio processing and restoration tools. Now, the manufacturer enters the world of virtual instruments with the launch of Iris, its first synth. Knowing iZotope, we …

After the launch of a remarkable string instrument series, Orange Tree Samples enriches its offering with a new virtual concert flute, among other products.

Arturia has been launching a myriad of products since early 2012. Among the new products you'll find an Oberheim SEM emulation with new custom features. Let's have a look at the beast...