Heavyocity Scoring Guitars is proof that you don't have to compromise, and if you're looking for a tool that will help you build film cues quickly, this is a great one. Delivering 460 MB of all-new WAV & Apple Loops files, this year's Free Production Loops release contains 80 loops (40 vocal-based, 40 guitar-based), created using Natural Forces, Vocalise, Scoring Guitars, Vocalise 2, and Scoring Guitars 2. Available for a limited time only. With the cinematic sequel to the award-winning Scoring Guitars, Heavyocity set out to create another cutting-edge guitar virtual instrumentbut this time with a little more edge. Driven through a vast collection of studio-quality effects, these guitars were pushed beyond the point of subtle, well into the realm of saturation. They come as their own stand-alone library for Kontakt 5.7.1+, and also the free Kontakt Player. Scoring Guitars 2's sound is absolutely incredible, and Heavyocity, who always listen to their customers, included all patches with their own effects chain as well as patches with the dry samples, so you can build your own effects chain.
I made it no secret that I was a big fan of Heavyocity's Gravity. We reviewed it here on AskAudio when it first came out and I was quite impressed by the balance that Heavyocity struck with quick access to preprogramed loops and playable patches. Often, in a cinematic library, you have to settle for one or the other. Heavyocity Scoring Guitars is proof that you don't have to compromise, and if you're looking for a tool that will help you build film cues quickly, this is a great one to have in your arsenal.
Phrases and Pads and Palettes… oh my!
There are quite a few ways you can make sound with this Gravity pack. With the guitar as the starting point in the sample category, Heavyocity has developed an extremely large library of both clean and heavily processed sounds. The guitar sound can range from ‘lovingly sampled' to ‘seemingly unrecognizable' and that's a good thing.
With the ‘Performance Palettes' and ‘Melodic Pulses/Phrases' categories you can instantly call up phrases and sounds that will make your compositions sound like you hired a slick session guitarist. They're realistic, contain great effects, and the power of the Gravity engine allows you to customize them to match the vibe of your track. You can add ethereal reverbs, funky filters, distortion, panning and even trigger said effects with keyswitches. You get the same sonic control that you're used to with Gravity, but with some really fantastic source material with the guitar.
Because I'm such a control freak, I have a hard time investing emotionally in any library that is strictly made up of loops or phrases. That's why I'm always pleased when I see a library that contains both preprogramed phrases and playable instrument patches to augment the preprogramed content. Scoring Guitars comes with a great selection of pads that range from rich and harmonic to twisted and terrifying. This is great because I typically like to be able to augment the looped content with my own melodic ideas from the same engine or library. In the words of ‘the dude', it really ties the room together.
But Wait, There's More
One little trick I was fond of was Heavyocity including reversed versions of all of the phrases in the various melodic pulses libraries. It was a nice touch that added another layer of diversity on top of an already strong library. Love the guitar sound and effects but the phrase is a little too ‘on the nose' for you? Simply load up the (rev) version of the same patch you are using, hit the same trigger note, and you'll hear the same exact riff… but in reverse. It's trippy, ambient, and I love it.
All of the melodic phrases are in minor keys. You can often transpose the root note easily using keyswitches, and I suppose the minor key choice is by design. This is an ambient scoring library, and the phrases reflect that. Still, I would welcome a few major key choices in addition to what's there… maybe in version 2!
Conclusion
Once again, Heavyocity has released a tool to get you from A to B in the film scoring world more quickly and efficiently. Whether it's because the sound you need is already tweaked to perfection or because you were a tad low on inspiration and playing around with SG fired you up creatively, you'll be happy with the results you get from this instrument.
Price: $79
Pros: Diverse presets, Excellent use of the Gravity engine, meticulous samples, interesting phrases, great control of phrases and effects, excellent use of keyswitches.
Cons: All melodic phrases are minor or ambiguous.
Web: https://www.heavyocity.com/product/scoring-guitars/
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Heavyocity is still doing some really wild things with the Gravity Engine for Kontakt, and Scoring Guitars 2 is the latest example of how far they can push it. This collection of cinematic-slanted guitar instruments, phrases, and samples is diverse and highly configurable. I spent a few days with it to see what makes it tick.
What's It All About
Scoring Guitar 2 is a Kontakt Library that contains a huge palette of sounds all based on guitars, and all pushed through the Gravity engine. It doesn't require Gravity which is great if you don't have it yet and it's NKS compatible. There is a large selection of sonic material that ranges from short and funky guitar ‘loop' type phrases all the way to playable soundscapes and beds. The samples are generally recorded about a 4th apart, so the audio engine pitches it as the user desires with a key switch.
When you load up SG2, you've got a selection of subfolders to browse to find a preset. These include Melodic Pulses and Phrases, Ambient Beds and Drones, Pads, Performance Palettes, Rhythmic Pedals, and Xtra Playables. If you want to use SG2 to trigger pre-played phrases that are tempo-synced and live on their own, you can do that. If you'd rather use SG2 to play sounds like a traditional virtual instrument, that's an option as well.
Engine Expanded
The main page puts a lot of control over the sound at your fingertips. Although there is a separate FX page, you can dig down into some of the more basic fundamental effects like reverb, chorus, delay, and distortion right on the front page. There are up to three elements that can make a sound, and you can adjust the amplitude envelope independently for each one, or link them together for convenience.
You can also adjust the volume, pan, modulation, and start time of each sample element right from the front page. I found this to be a really simple way to quickly alter the character of a patch. The ‘punish' and ‘twist' controls are present from other Gravity-based instruments, and they work as expected to add in some dynamic ‘pressure' to your sound.
On The Same Page
There are four pages in SG2 - Main, EQ/Filter, TFX, and Motion. The EQ page contains a three-band graphic EQ for each layer, as well as a selectable filter. The TFX page contains some basic effects that are triggerable with keyswitches (as is the motion). The motion page is where things really get, well, moving! You've got a large motion sequencer that is assignable to volume, pan, or pitch for each layer independently. There are plenty of motion presets, and many of the patches make good use of the motion to craft sounds that are complex and evolving.
When a Plan Comes Together
When you load up SG2, you've got a selection of subfolders to browse to find a preset. These include Melodic Pulses and Phrases, Ambient Beds and Drones, Pads, Performance Palettes, Rhythmic Pedals, and Xtra Playables. If you want to use SG2 to trigger pre-played phrases that are tempo-synced and live on their own, you can do that. If you'd rather use SG2 to play sounds like a traditional virtual instrument, that's an option as well.
Engine Expanded
The main page puts a lot of control over the sound at your fingertips. Although there is a separate FX page, you can dig down into some of the more basic fundamental effects like reverb, chorus, delay, and distortion right on the front page. There are up to three elements that can make a sound, and you can adjust the amplitude envelope independently for each one, or link them together for convenience.
You can also adjust the volume, pan, modulation, and start time of each sample element right from the front page. I found this to be a really simple way to quickly alter the character of a patch. The ‘punish' and ‘twist' controls are present from other Gravity-based instruments, and they work as expected to add in some dynamic ‘pressure' to your sound.
On The Same Page
There are four pages in SG2 - Main, EQ/Filter, TFX, and Motion. The EQ page contains a three-band graphic EQ for each layer, as well as a selectable filter. The TFX page contains some basic effects that are triggerable with keyswitches (as is the motion). The motion page is where things really get, well, moving! You've got a large motion sequencer that is assignable to volume, pan, or pitch for each layer independently. There are plenty of motion presets, and many of the patches make good use of the motion to craft sounds that are complex and evolving.
When a Plan Comes Together
It's the sum of all of these parts that really brings SG2 together into the diverse instrument that it is. The patches range from rocking riffs where the guitar is clear and present to patches that are sonically twisted to the point where it sounds like an analog synth.
The common thread however is motion, evolution, and drama. Scoring Guitars 2 is expertly designed for cinematic use and it is in that realm that it shines. At only $99, this one is kind of a no-brainer.
Price: $99
Pros: Excellent use and expansion of the Gravity engine, a diverse sound set without a lot of ‘repetition' between patches, loads of sonic possibilities, patches range from rocking riffs to spacey synth sounds, many of the sounds range on the longer side which is nice for film cue work. Doesn't require purchase of Gravity.
Cons: Some patches are a little heavy on the reverb/ambiance, but you can pull that back easily.
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Web: www.heavyocity.com
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