Zero-G release Impromptu Electric Guitars
As well as our forthcoming 80s issue – see opposite story – we’re also hatching plans for a Guitar special with real guitars taking on software guitars (or some such – we’re still thinking it through at the moment, OK ?). Well, there are a lot of guitar titles out there and this new Kontakt Instrument from Zero-G might well figure in it… although it’s not just guitars.
Impromptu Electric Guitars features three electric guitars and 18 other instruments and, as seems to be the case in many a release these days, has ‘cinematic’ stylings in its sights. It was also developed by Alessandro Mastroianni who is the producer responsible for Zero-G’s Impromptu Textural Percussions title.
The ‘Impromptu’ name in each comes from the fact that they both use the ‘Impromptu Engine’ which, according to Zero-G, is “a system that utilises loops of improvised, un-synced snippets combined with a granular synthesizer”. You get performances recorded in three layers and you can use the mod wheel to traverse them; the more you move it up, the more dense the performances get. It sounds pretty intense but creative and the more we read about it, the more we think we should include IEG in a ‘cinematic special’ rather than a ‘guitar special’ – had we actually planned a cinematic special, that is. (OK we have now, such is the random way our plans come together.)
Sorry, anyway, back to IEG. The instruments include a Fender Strat and baritone guitar and there’s a Pads folder with five instruments for guitar-based soundscapes. The best part is the price – just shy of £40 gets you the whole shebang. We’ll have a review soon, probably in our ambient/cinematic/guitars/post rock issue.