Hello, fellow musicians and sound engineers!
I want to share my impressions of one extremely valuable free plugin that has become a real treasure for my virtual studio. If you, like me, are looking for a realistic and expressive acoustic guitar sound, then Ample Guitar M Lite II by Ample Sound is exactly what you need.
Ample Guitar M Lite II: Live Acoustic Guitar in your DAW
Ample Sound has long established itself as a developer of high-quality instruments that impress with their detail and authenticity. And this plugin, although it is a “Lite” version, is as good as many commercial libraries. It offers a deeply sampled acoustic guitar sound that conveys all the warmth and nuances of a live instrument.
Realism and Sound Quality
- Ample Guitar M Lite II is based on 866 high-quality samples recorded at 44.1 kHz and 16-bit resolution. This ensures a clear and detailed sound.
- DFD (Direct from Disk) technology allows the plug-in to efficiently load samples directly from disk, minimizing the load on RAM.
- You have the ability to control resonance, which gives you additional options for shaping the tone and integrating the guitar into your mix.
- One of its strongest points is the implementation of Rich Fingering Noise. These small details – the squeak of fingers on strings, light sounds – add incredible realism and make the performance more lively and natural.
- Each Cycle & Rhombic Sampling has been optimized to increase the efficiency of the library and the variability of the sound.
Wide Range of Articulations
To make your virtual guitar sound real, Ample Guitar M Lite II provides access to five basic articulations:
- Sustain: The basic sound of a note.
- Hammer On & Pull Off: Smooth transitions between notes on the same string.
- Palm Mute: Muted notes achieved with the palm of your hand.
- Popping: A sharp, percussive sound that is characteristic of some playing techniques.
Features for easy performance and programming
The developers of Ample Sound made sure that the plugin was convenient for both musicians and sound designers:
- Capo Logic: An intelligent system that automatically selects the optimal positions on the neck when using a virtual capo, simulating the real logic of the game.
- Doubling Guitars: Creates the effect of “doubling” a guitar part by using different samples for the left and right channels, which adds volume and richness to the sound.
- CPC (Customized Parameters Control): An extremely useful feature that allows you to assign any plug-in parameter to a MIDI controller or automation in your DAW. This gives you full control over the instrument as you create music.
- Poly Legato: Provides a realistic and smooth sound when playing legato for multiple notes at the same time.
- Slide Smoother: Makes slide performance more natural and less “mechanical”.
- Combined Articulation: The unique ability to combine two different articulations at the same time using the appropriate keyboards, which greatly expands the expressive possibilities.
- Poly Repeater: Allows you to easily create repeating notes or rhythmic patterns.
- Open String First: A useful option for programming arpeggios that prioritizes the use of open strings whenever possible for a more authentic sound.
- Alternate Tuner and Capo: Additional features that make it easier to work with different tunings and transpositions.
Ample Guitar M Lite II is available for Windows (32 and 64 bit) and macOS users in popular VST, AU, and RTAS formats. This makes it compatible with most modern digital audio workstations.
In my opinion, Ample Guitar M Lite II is one of the best free virtual acoustic guitar instruments available today. Its realism, flexibility, and feature set make it an indispensable tool for both beginners and experienced musicians and producers. Try it out and you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised!
