Guitar is one instrument I never really picked up, and it definitely shows when I try to add guitar to my compositions in VDL2.5--it sounds terrible.

Any tips for configurations on getting a good guitar sound? I'm interested in having a go-to ";clean"; jazz sound, as well as a grungy distortion sound as well.

Most of my attempts at the latter have just resulted in continuously pissing off the dog, and I think she' sick of it. :P

There are guitar equivalents of VDL2 out there but they are usually more money than VDL2 too.  Kontakt 2 has pretty good standard guitars and you can add additional effects for more distortion etc.  If you have the $ and need more variety of sounds, Steinberg Virtual Guitarist 2 is about $250.

I am using some guitar right now in a work that I am writing, and have just been used the ";clean"; non-edited sound and then ramping up the distortion with the use of Text Expressions.�� I am also using the Key Switches to get a shorter sound.�� Haven't done much in Kontakt 2 to see what I can get with that helping me yet.

Jim suggested to me that I check out Chris Heins Guitars if I wanted to get more effects, etc.�� Here is a link to that Sample Library - NOT CHEAP.�� I think I have seen it cheaper at other retailers.�� I think what VDL is offering so far is very good and offers the basics and a great start, but for anything further than that I am going to check this out as well....when I can afford it.

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In VDL 2.5 Drive can be adjusted via CC 26 and Damping can be adjusted via CC 20.�� If you use Finale you can just do this as a Text Expression and having the Controller be the Playback Type and then typing whatever controller number you need to edit.�� Chorus would be using CC 21 and Tremolo Speed is CC 22.�� I have tried this, but I myself am not�� guitar player and I do not have the first clue how to Notate this stuff�� :) but�� ��I seem to be getting more and more successful at getting the sounds as you can mix and match these by combining certain controllers at a certain area.

Thanks for the information.  What I'm really after is some good ideas of presets for these sounds (distortion, eq, chorus, etc) b/c it seems no matter how I fiddle with the knobs in VDL2.5 nothing good really comes out.  I'm aware of how to get at these values through tecnique text, but as to what settings sound good I've been pretty unsuccessful.

I would 2nd the virtual guitarist 2. It's a very comprehensive library.

AH yeah.�� [u]I will keep you in the loop[/u] in what I find when I get more into trying to find some settings in this piece I am writing that has the VDL 2.5 guitar in it.�� I am going to have my colleague, who plays guitar, listen to it and give me some suggestions.�� At least he will be able to tell if it sounds good or bad - probably has a better ear for it than I do.�� ��For me right now, its like�� trying to play baseball and not knowing what a bat is.�� Also trying to find a good way to write chords using this sound with chorus and distortion.

Thanks for the Virtual Guitarist 2 suggestion guys.  I will check that out as well.

I find most of the cleaner guitar samples (clean electric, steel string acoustic, or nylon) to be more believable than the ones that are already effect laden.

Try writing the part with the best sounding clean sample that you have, and adding in the effects later if you use a DAW for mixdown.  Using something like this - [url]http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AmpliTube/[/url] - will help out immensely.