And as making music with computers becomes commonplace, it has become more and more obvious that we could remove the middleman so to speak, and run these programs directly on the computers that run our sequencers and audio programs. What’s more, these "virtual" instruments could be integrated directly with these programs, making our computer not just the controller of instruments, but the instrument itself. They are sent MIDI (both note values and controllers) and respond with audio just like real-world instruments.

This has brought about a flood of new Virtual instruments, allowing someone who is making electronic music to build an entire studio within their computer without the need for a single piece of outboard gear.

What are the advantages of using Virtual Instruments?

Cost

Many virtual instruments cost less than Rs. 10,000 (and some are free), and even the more expensive ones are less than Rs. 30,000, still much less than the cost of most synths (and certainly less than the cost of a Hammond B3). Ofcourse, in India we have a lot of musicians using pirated softwares.

Space

Virtual instruments take up no space except for a little bit on your hard drive. You can fit your whole studio in your briefcase! Laptops are fast becoming travelling studios with musicians and composers.

Cost of entry for designers

It costs a lot less to create a Virtual instrument than the tens of thousands it costs to design and manufacture a hardware instrument. This has the advantage that people who probably could never have got a job in music companies, can now design crazy, out-there instruments from their bedrooms and send them out to the world via the Internet.

But what are the downsides?

a. Resale value

Unlikely you will be able to recoup your investment in Virtual instruments a couple of years from now by selling them on say a Baazee.com. Because of the legalities involved, used software doesn’t tend to be a popular item.

b. Sound

Okay, let’s be frank with ourselves, as tremendous as these instruments are, they are never going to sound exactly like the real thing. The instruments that try and sound like real world instruments will always suffer from comparison to their larger and harder counterparts and the great records they were used on. But for someone like myself, the chances of me ever having the real thing are pretty slim.

c. Tiny knobs

With virtual instruments come virtual knobs. And with virtual knobs comes the frustration of trying to musically tweak a parameter with your mouse.

d. Drain on your CPU

Here is the biggest issue. Every instance of an instrument uses up some of your CPU; the more sophisticated the instrument, the more CPU power it uses. Though newer DSP cards are helping reduce this problem.

Virtual Instruments

Okay, so now you see why virtual instruments can be a boon to any studio, even one loaded up with hardware synths and drum machines. What kinds of devices are out there?

1. The Samplers

Software samplers are the simplest to understand and are the closest replicates of their non-virtual cousins. They play back recordings (samples) when triggered from a keyboard or other controller. They read existing sample libraries and behave just like the hardware samplers you are used to. However, editing and creating libraries is much more simple. Now you can just drag and drop your samples from your hard drive on to the keyboard and paint out the key range. Want to edit the sample? Just jump into your favorite stereo file editor and you’re off to the races. Your only limit to the size of your samples is the amount of RAM you have in your computer (and for Nemesys’ Gigasampler or Steinberg’s HALion, not even that).

The two most popular software samplers right now are Unity DS-1 from Bitheadz and the EXS24 from Emagic (see my review). Until recently the EXS24 was only available for use in Emagic Logic sequencer but now is available as a VST plug in. Coming out very shortly is Halion from Steinberg, which will certainly be very popular, and looks like a terrific product.

A subspecies of the software sampler is the software drum machine. These devices are designed largely to play non-pitched samples and allow for manipulation of these samples in real time. The two major products now are the LM4 from Steinberg and Battery from Native Instruments. However, there are several new entries into this market such as FXExpansion’s Dr. 008 that are slated for release soon that should give these a run for their money.

2. The Software modeled instrument

These are Virtual instruments that use software to model the inner workings of famous instruments. These differ from samplers in that they don’t use recordings of the instruments but try to mimic the way that these instruments create and manipulate sound. Some examples of this are the B4 from Native Instruments (Hammond B3 organ) and the EVP88/EVP73 (Fender Rhodes and Wurlizter electric pianos). Both of these do really excellent jobs of sounding like their counterparts. Now, if somebody would just make a virtual clavinet!

3. Others

Some people creating virtual instruments don’t feel the need to have any grounding in a hardware-based reality. They just create something new from scratch. Reaktor and Absynth both from Native Instruments are great examples of designers playing to the strengths of virtual instruments. Reaktor is really a toolkit for people to build their own synths, using any method from subtractive to granular, and to whatever level of complexity their computers can support. The user can upload and download these new virtual instruments they have created. Some truly amazing sounds can be made using Reaktor. And Absynth seems to be an entirely different, but also very unique instrument. Built as an experiment by its designer, it hosts a wealth of rich and deep textures that are very modifiable.

4. The Virtual Studio

These are packages that include not just instruments, but sequencers, mixers, effects, everything you need to make electronic music all in one package, often for a fraction of what it was cost to buy these things separately. The most popular product in this category right now is Propellerheads’ Reason. If you have no existing system and are looking for everything all in one package, Reason may be a good choice. A comparable product to Reason is Storm from Arturia (www.arturia.com).

Compatibility

Virtual instruments come in four different flavors:

i) VSTi — The virtual instrument standard created by Steinberg. Instruments that support this standard can run in any VST 2.0 compatible host (Logic, Cubase).
ii) DirectConnect — This is the standard created by DigiDesign, so of course it is for use with ProTools or another TDM compatible host.
iii) MAS — This is the standard created by Mark of the Unicorn (MOTU) for use with their program Digital Performer.
iv) DirectX — This is the Microsoft standard used by such programs as Cakewalk/SONAR.

So finding out which instruments will work with your system is simply a matter of determining which standard your system supports, and then choosing compatible instruments. You must also be aware that VST instruments are platform dependent, so you must ensure that not only is the host software VST compatible, but that the plug in is available for your Mac or PC. Most instruments support more than one standard so finding a match is usually not that difficult. Check the bottom of the product pages to see which standards each instrument supports.

"They sound good, they’re cheap, but where are the knobs?"

Currently several companies are making products that designed specifically for providing tactile control of virtual instruments. Usually a small box with just knobs or sliders, the devices allow you to tweak parameters and modify them in real-time. Some devices such as the Encore Electronics Knobby or Slidemate are programmable, allowing you to quickly switch between different sets of parameters depending on which instrument you are using and which parameters you want to tweak. Ranging from very simple (the Native Instruments 4Control) to the more sophisticated (the Knobby) to a controller that can operate your entire studio (the Steinberg Houston), these controllers allow you to work faster and more intuitively.

Summary

Virtual Instruments have revolutionized the computer studio, allowing for the creation of sounds both vintage and cutting edge at a fraction of the cost of hardware based devices. Although they bring with them their own unique set of challenges, VST instruments are opening the door to a whole new world of sound exploration and portability.

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* Source : AudioMIDI.com