Guitar Riffs on Keyboards

[hephiroth]

So I wrote this new song (no vocals yet) and recorded it on my Triton. This is, I think, my best emulation of heavy guitar sounds yet. How do you think it sounds? I'd appreciate any comments/criticisms (about the song, too :wink: )

Jeff - Guitar Song (http://portfolio.iu.edu/jhpalmer/Jeff_Palmer_-_Left_Lane.mp3)

-Jeff-

[Bastardo Demono]

the only part that really put some doubt in my mind as to whether it was keyboard or guitar was the cool guitar solo part at the end, the guitar riffing didnt sound that great or realistic, nor did the beginning clean section. However I must say the actual music was very very nice, I really enjoyed it

[Enigma™]

The opening clean guitar - not too bad - if it has a slight more flange or something... it'd be cool.
The distorted guitar part: If it didn't sound like a single string and completely WAY out of the mix... *it needs to be way quieter* the secret behind a great guitar sound is the subtlies - if it's perfect in the mix, then you can put little things in that seperate it, but when it's way too loud, it's way out there and way too easy to hear it's NOT a guitar.
Also, be sure to insert 5ths in there, not just single notes. The single notes totally gave it away. As for the lead at the end - the "pinch harmonics" weren't random enough - not only was it predictable as to what the note would have been, but it was too clean as well. Remember, pinch harmonics on a real guitar are also going through distortion.
There are other major things I'd change, but for what it was - not bad at all :)

[Axe2Grind]

Cool Song, I liked the clean guitar parts but the heavy palm muted type guitar sound had too much release, needs to be a bit sharper on the attack (IMO - I do play guitar also). I've just bought Kontakt and hoping to get some time to do some songs with guitar part played on keys.

You should check this guy out also:

http://www.artistlaunch.com/artist5.asp?artistid=2827

He's great at emulating guitar on keys, his songs are simply awesome and he does it all with Reason 2.5 which is amazing. :D

[SirMaximus]

Yeah,this sounds like my Triton!If you tweak a little more you can get it more realistic.I have a lead guitar that sounds really great.

[hephiroth]

thanks for the input! I'll try playing around with the mix and so on...see if i can get it any better sounding. I know keyboard guitars sound better quieter, but i guess i wanted it to really sound rocking and loud... i mean...i guess i should probably just record an actual guitar part, but...ya know...laziness and so on. anyway, thanks!

what did you guys think of the actual song idea?

-jeff-

[WoofWoofX]

Hi hephiroth,
The tune is good I really ejoyed it ... The lines are not complex... which is great to the ear.
But Electric Guitars in terms of riffs and lead need first to be quantised to the tempo, since you can feel the riff is striking out of beat and the starting of the solo seemed really a Keyboard technique in terms of feeling.

As Enigma was saying... 5ths are your key to Guitare riffs... and some more small delay and reverb on the riffs would have fatened it up a little.

Ususaly in demos I'm using the Steinbergs Virtual Guitarist with IK amplitube... and it is working like charm.


//WoofWoofX

[hephiroth]

hmm...this is sort of unrelated, but sort of related--has anyone tried the triton extreme? i went to the store hoping that its tube would really help electric guitar distortion, but it barely had any, and when i tried adding the tube to some regular guitar sounds, it just sounded awful...anyone else try this? am i doing something wrong? what is the tube good for besides "warming up" tubas and so on!?

-jeff-

[hephiroth]

edit: *double post* sorry

[Liquid Shadow]

Did you mess with the knobs on the left hand side of the keyboard? You have to have them selected to work the tube and then you can mess with the gain and some other settings, which I'm guessing you didn't do because the tube can get some REAL heavy distortion going on if you do screw with the knobs. Did you try to adjust the gain at all or just turn the tube on and off, because that's weird that it didn't give you much distortion.

[hephiroth]

no, i had the correct knobs selected and i was playing with them, but the distortions i were getting sounded like a REALLY cheesy fuzz box pedal or something...they did not sound good and heavy...maybe i did something wrong, though...?

-jeff-