Desolate Guitars

Authenticity Meets Instant Usability. A Timeless Sound Redefined

Desolate Guitars embodies a timeless sound that's shaped music for decades, seamlessly blending analog warmth with digital versatility. Perfect for producers, artists, and media composers seeking a distinctive sonic palette, even without guitar expertise. Featuring four classic guitars, two iconic amps, real spring reverb, and extensive FX presets designed by guitarists, the creative possibilities are endless. 

The Sound

Desolate Guitars is all about The Sound. Picture the evocative and ultra-authentic guitar tones that transport you into the moody landscapes of David Lynch's cinematic worlds or the pulsating indie vibes reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys and Lord Huron. It's a love letter to that classic sound: your favorite guitars plugged straight into iconic vintage amps, drenched in spring reverb, and decorated with tremolo. 

With Desolate Guitars, it's not just a sound; it's a journey through time and genres. The rich palette of lonely, cinematic tones is not only distinct but also versatile, ready to infuse your music with the kind of character that makes hit soundtracks and records. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a newcomer to the world of electric guitars, this collection welcomes you to explore an expanse of creative possibilities and to create sonic landscapes that resonate deeply.

The Approach

Desolate Guitars delivers sounds that you'll genuinely use in your music production.  They focused on what truly matters – the sounds and articulations that are not just authentic but also instantly playable and an absolute joy to work with.

They've deliberately retained the character of our recordings. Instead of stripping away every imperfection, they've allowed them to shine through. The natural nuances, the inherent character of the amps, and the recording chain are all integral to our approach. It's about embracing those imperfections, which ultimately contribute to the authentic and character-rich sound of Desolate Guitars.

They've replicated the studio perfection that any pro engineer would desire. Desolate Guitars utilizes the classic combination of Shure SM57 and Royer Ribbon R-121 microphones, channeled through Shelford channels by Rupert Neve Designs.

The Guitars

They don't like to name names, but Desolate Guitars boasts four distinct personalities that have shaped the music world for decades.

Desolate is the classic solid body icon, delivering twangy perfection. 

Chime embodies the spirit of a '60s guitar, complete with that unmistakable chime and a floating tremolo system.

Baritone offers a rare twist – it's a '60s classic, covering the full range of a bass guitar, yet maintaining a unique twangy character that's far from the typical bassy sound.

Mellow, on the other hand, is the classic semihollow beauty, tailored for mellower tones. A less twangy, warmer embrace.

These aren't just guitars; they're the heartbeat of our collection, and each one brings a unique sonic character, rich with nostalgia, character, and authenticity. Embracing their individuality, Desolate Guitars offers you a diverse and versatile sonic palette that's as real as it gets.

The Amps and Reverb

Behind Desolate Guitars lie sought-after, classic vintage amps, often referred to as the American clean and British chime. These amps, with their carefully selected tubes, are vital to the sound, transforming each note with the authentic charm that defines an era.

As for the spring reverb, it's not your average reverb. They've captured the magic of the classic amp spring – the kind well known for its unique character and depth. Unlike typical modeled or impulse response reverbs that offer static, predictable sound, our approach captures the liveliness of a real spring reverb. They recorded every sample four times, through two amps, each with dry and wet options. The result? An ever-evolving, dynamic reverb that adds depth and character to your music, just like the classics.

Tremolo

Every facet of Desolate Guitars focuses on the authenticity of the sound, right down to the tremolo including two genuine tremolos modeled from the vintage amps used. They painstakingly recreated these tremolos to offer an exact sound faithful to the originals, ensuring that your music carries the spirit of the classics.

They've taken it a step further by adding three extra tremolo styles inspired by popular pedals. It's about giving you a diverse palette of tremolo effects to infuse character into your compositions.

In the spirit of modern convenience, they've also included sync-to-host functionality, providing you with the best of both analog heritage and digital convenience for seamless integration into your music production workflow. 

Authenticity, Playability, and Versatility

Desolate Guitars places a premium on authenticity, playability, and versatility. They've streamlined the user experience - no cumbersome key switches or controllers. The sounds you crave are effortlessly accessible, delivering expressive plucks, lush chords, dynamic swells, harmonics, and mesmerizing feedback.

Articulation options include sustains, mutes, vibrato bar performances, and chord/looped texture patches with major and minor variations. Every preset effortlessly spans both vintage amps, presenting as dry and wet signals giving you full control over amp sound and spring reverb levels, enhancing your creative command. With Desolate Guitars, effortlessly explore a new realm of musical expression. Your creative control, simplified and powerful, right at your fingertips.

The mod wheel becomes your creative companion, allowing you to seamlessly switch or blend between articulations like open sustain and muted sustains, with or without vibrato bar movement, major and minor chord variations, and the direction (forward or reverse) for swells, tremolo, harmonics, and feedback patches. Desolate Guitars empowers you to create without limitations, focusing on the authentic sound you need, without trying to replicate every guitarist's technique.

Features

• Four Iconic Electric Guitars: Immerse your productions in the authenticity of classic guitar tones, meticulously captured for timeless appeal.
• Two Classic Vintage Amps: Choose or blend between two classic vintage amps synonymous with these tones.
• Real Spring Reverb: Experience the unique character of a real spring reverb, yours to dial in as you please.
• Tremolo Effects: Explore authentic tremolo effects modeled from vintage amps, with added styles inspired by popular pedals and sync-to-host functionality
• Extensive FX Chain: A wealth of powerful FX chain presets designed by guitarists with easy access via macro control 
• Diverse Articulations: Explore a wide range of articulations, including plucks, chords, swells, feedback, harmonics and more.
• Vibrato Performances: Infuse your music with expressiveness using vibrato bar performances for sustained notes.
• High-End Recording: Enjoy studio-perfect sound quality all captured via Rupert Neve Designs® pre-amps.
• Versatile Sustains: Create dynamic compositions with sustains and mutes, enhanced by different guitars and amp settings.
• Chord Options: Choose between major and minor chords for versatility in chord and looped texture patches.
• Intuitive Modwheel Control: Seamlessly switch or blend between various articulations using the modwheel for enhanced playability.

System Requirements

• Works with the FREE KONTAKT PLAYER
• KONTAKT Version 7.6.1 or higher
• Mac OSX.11 or higher
• Windows 10 or higher

Note: This product is compatible with the FREE Kontakt Player 7.6.1 or later.