[rogerg]

I'm looking for a good pedal steel guitar sound. I would like to sweeten a traditional country song. any ideas?

thanks.

[Jim F]

American Heartland has a decent pedal steel sample set. There isn't a lot there, in terms of variety, but if you are creative, and understand how the pedal steel is approached idiomatically, you can definitely achieve usable results.

[re-peat]

Roger,

You can also find plenty of pedal steel in BigFishAudio's Whole Lotta Country. The bulk of this library consists of loops (and some very good ones too), but there's also a substantial offering of multisampled instruments (in a.o. native EXS-format!). The pedal steel EXS-instruments are: "chords 6ths", "chords 9ths", "bend down", "bend up", "sustains", "diminished" and "swells". But even with all this, it remains terribly difficult - if not impossible - to do a really convincing pedal steel part with samples.
The WLC pedal steel is demoed in this demo.

_

[rogerg]

thanks, guys! I'll check them out when I get home tonight. and playing any instrument from your keyboard is always the challenge, isn't it? that's part of the fun!

[johnnytucats]

Sony Creative Software's "Nashville Wire" and "Troy Klontz: Rhythm & Twang" loops.

One of the Apple Garageband packages has quite a few steel bits on it.

[rogerg]

Sony Creative Software's "Nashville Wire" and "Troy Klontz: Rhythm & Twang" loops.

One of the Apple Garageband packages has quite a few steel bits on it.

thanks, Johnny, but I'm really looking for a sound, not loops.

just wish I had $200 to drop on the American Heartland disc... guess I'll find a bottle and break out the electric guitar!

thanks, all!

[beatfreq]

I've had pretty good luck with the standard Logic one. Or maybe the rhythm section apple Jam Pack. The key for me was to run it through an amp simulator. I used Guitar Rig, but Logic Amp Pro should do the trick. A little delay and spring verb, and It's pretty passable. Of course the way the pedal steel bends some notes and not others would require using at least two instances to truly cop the sound. In the mix it fools the casual listener. There is no substitute for the real deal if it's really going to be critical.

[johnnytucats]

thanks, Johnny, but I'm really looking for a sound, not loops.

just wish I had $200 to drop on the American Heartland disc... guess I'll find a bottle and break out the electric guitar!

thanks, all!

Most of the items mentioned have been loops on AKAI disks or whatever. Same thing. There isn't really a convincing instrument version of a steel guitar...probably because of the lack of demand and complexity of the thing.

I've experimented with setting up steel sample sets in Kontakt and using the internal programming for tempo and pitch changes. The results haven't been too hot.

One possibility is the new RealStrat from MusicLab. A combination of multiple tracks, volume automation and the right amp plugin might get some good steel emulation.

[rogerg]

Most of the items mentioned have been loops on AKAI disks or whatever. Same thing. There isn't really a convincing instrument version of a steel guitar...probably because of the lack of demand and complexity of the thing.

I've experimented with setting up steel sample sets in Kontakt and using the internal programming for tempo and pitch changes. The results haven't been too hot.

One possibility is the new RealStrat from MusicLab. A combination of multiple tracks, volume automation and the right amp plugin might get some good steel emulation.

thanks johnny and beat.

yeah, it's obviously going to take some work. it's not highly critical that it be perfect, I'm only trying to give the flavor, but maybe I'll go with a(n) harmonica...

[clif marsiglio]

Any tele type sample with a bit of resonance added through synthesis (though you can use a convincing resonator model if you have a sampling reverb) a *LONG* ribbon controller and a volume pedal.

Though at this point, you are 90% of the way there to playing a pedal steal exactly how it should be played and why not just get one and play it It isn't that hard...the only hard thing is remembering what pedal or switch does what (i.e., does it change a major to a minor, throw on another note, what? I never paid attention, just stomped on things until I figured out what sounded right!).

[rogerg]

Any tele type sample with a bit of resonance added through synthesis (though you can use a convincing resonator model if you have a sampling reverb) a *LONG* ribbon controller and a volume pedal.

Though at this point, you are 90% of the way there to playing a pedal steal exactly how it should be played and why not just get one and play it It isn't that hard...the only hard thing is remembering what pedal or switch does what (i.e., does it change a major to a minor, throw on another note, what? I never paid attention, just stomped on things until I figured out what sounded right!).

thanks, clif.

and stompin' on things is my way of learning, too!

[Colonel PANIC]

I have the Whole Lotta Country set. THe steel samples are good, but in all honesty I usually end up doing steel stuff on my antique Roland JV-1080 with the "country" expansion card. There's a vareity of attacks and efffects and I can usually find one that works. The trick: record everything with a MIDI volume pedal for swells. Use multiple tracks to get true "steel" kicks; i.e, decided in advance the lick you want and then you can hold notes on one track while you bend on the other. The ubiquitous hold-the-g-and-c-while-bending-the-low-d-to-e thing you can't do any other way. Good luck!

[rogerg]

I have the Whole Lotta Country set. THe steel samples are good, but in all honesty I usually end up doing steel stuff on my antique Roland JV-1080 with the "country" expansion card. There's a vareity of attacks and efffects and I can usually find one that works. The trick: record everything with a MIDI volume pedal for swells. Use multiple tracks to get true "steel" kicks; i.e, decided in advance the lick you want and then you can hold notes on one track while you bend on the other. The ubiquitous hold-the-g-and-c-while-bending-the-low-d-to-e thing you can't do any other way. Good luck!

thanks, Colonel. good tips!