Summary of Contents for Django Gypsy Jazz
- Page 1 An Impact Soundworks Sample Library Produced by Dimitris Plagiannis User Manual, v1.0 ...
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Page 2: Table Of Contents
AMP & CAB SIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 TIPS AND TRICKS / LEAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR / RHYTHM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 KEYBOARD LAYOUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 6 RHYTHM GUITAR GUI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 7 CHORD SELECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 8 ... -
Page 3: Introduction
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR INTRODUCTION The SelmerMaccaferri acoustic guitar, best known as the favored instrument of legendary jazz guitar virtuoso Django Reinhardt, is a particular guitar design. Named after its inventor (Mario Maccaferri) and manufacturing company (Selmer), it is a rare item. Only about a thousand were produced from 1932 to 1952. But since the recent revival of Gypsy Jazz, an increasing number of luthiers have been working on the original designs and now they have become a popular build. Visually, they are characterized by a large body with a movable bridge and mandolinlike tailpiece. Sonically, they are known for their loud volume. Before the advent of amplification, this attribute allowed them to be heard over other instruments in a band. They are the definitive sound of Gypsy Jazz (also known as Hot Club, Jazz Manouche, or Gypsy Swing.) There are two main Selmer builds, the earlier “Dhole” (or "grande bouche") and the post Maccaferri “ovalhole” (or "petite bouche"). The guitar that we sampled is a beautiful Dhole, built by luthier Adonis Goulielmos and the vintage Stimertype pickup we used is a singlecoil Kleio 51 model, made by Gabojo. The instrument was played by its owner, the distinguished guitarist and instructor Vasilis Kotsias. For our D jango: Gypsy Jazz Guitar library, we created three virtual instruments: two lead (acoustic/miked and electric/DI) and one rhythm. The lead instruments are designed to deliver solo parts in the characteristic expression and speed of Gypsy Jazz style but not only; the degree of sampling depth makes them suitable for use in other contexts as well, e.g. modern jazz, swing, or even pop, and can provide an alternative sound for lead steel or nylon acoustic guitar parts that are played with a pick. The rhythm library is straightforward Gypsy Jazz style and delivers the wellknown upbeat swing rhythm, aka “la pompe”, in any key and a wide range of chords. These virtual instruments were developed by the same team behind Impact Soundworks’ Plectra Series Bouzouki and Oud libraries and were designed with the same goals and sampling philosophy. We aimed to create a virtual instrument that sounds real. To this end, we developed sampling and scripting techniques that not only implement intelligent response to MIDI input (e.g. smart positioning, 6voice polyphony, hammeron, pulloff, bends, slides, release noises and so on) but also incorporate the playing inconsistencies ... -
Page 4: Features
● Adjustable prestroke sample offset (up to 40 msec) for ultimate realism ● Realistic playing noises layered at adjustable levels ● Automatic or manual control of string, articulation and stroke direction ● Intelligent mono/poly voicing; 6 voices max, one per string ● Realtime fingerboard display of the note position/articulation for precise control ● Sound processing GUI, including EQ, Filter, Transient Designer, Compressor, Limiter and Amp simulation ● Rhythm guitar instrument featuring “la pompe” (“pump”) swing groove in all keys. ● Wide range of chords, including major (6, 6/9, maj7, 3rd on bass), minor (m6, m7, m7♭5), dominant (7,9,7♭5), diminished and augmented chord families. DOWNLOAD CONTENTS ● DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR library ● DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR user manual ● Demo tracks (.mp3 and .mid) REQUIREMENTS ● Windows or MacOS system ● Native Instruments Kontakt v5.5.1 or higher (full version) Page 4 ... -
Page 5: Library Overview
‘electrically’, using a pickup that went into a direct box (DI). [ 1 ] The Rhythm instrument is quite different. Keyswitches are used to set the root note, chord [ 2 ] and RR samples. A second set of keyswitches trigger separate chord strums of various articulations or organized into groove patterns. Let’s take a close look at each instrument. DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR / LEAD Single notes on a guitar can be played in multiple string/fret combinations, but the sound timbre is different for each of those. Implementing this function is crucial for realistic performances and we wanted the user to be able to make that timbre choice, so we sampled all possible string and fret positions of the guitar. Furthermore, all common articulations (playing techniques) were sampled. Through the Graphical User Interface (GUI), MIDI Continuous Control data (MIDI CC) or Keyswitches, users can select the string/fret combination of choice and switch between articulations. They can also automate their performances by recording these choices. This is what deep sampling is about. If you are new to it, don’t worry; by default the instrument is programmed to analyze your MIDI input and automatically make valid choices for you. Of course, these choices can be manually overridden at a later time. ... -
Page 6: Keyboard Layout
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR KEYBOARD LAYOUT Keyswitches, instrument keys (triggering musical notes) and noise trigger keys (triggering noise effects) are mapped to the keyboard in the way displayed on the Kontakt interface keyboard. Hovering the mouse cursor over a key shows a description of the key in Kontakt’s info pane. Keyswitch area Instrument keys Noises LEAD GUITAR GUI Page 6 ... -
Page 7: Articulation
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR The main instrument GUI is accessible by clicking on the leftmost tab at the bottom. It is exactly the same for both the Lead Lead DI instruments and is titled ‘Lead Guitar’. The Lead Guitar interface has three control areas. The top one consists of the following four knobs. ARTICULATION This knob sets the articulation preference. We use the term p reference because some articulations require more conditions to be true in order to be activated. Here is a list of the available articulations with description and the conditions for activation. ● Picked : Regular singlenote pick strokes. Requires no other condition. (Default setting) ● Hammeron/Pulloff : T he technique of sharply bringing down or releasing a frettinghand finger down on the fingerboard behind a fret, causing a note to [ 3 ] sound. Requires the note to be legato , one or two semitones above or below. ● Glissando : T he technique of sliding a frettinghand finger between two notes. Requires [ 4 ] upward... -
Page 8: Release
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR RELEASE This knob switches the release articulation. There are three settings. ● Normal : T his is the regular sound that is produced from lifting the frettinghand finger off a string. (Default setting) ● Downslide : W ith this release setting, instead of lifting off, the frettinghand finger slides down the fretboard toward the headstock, still pressing the string, producing a quick pitch drop. ● Upslide : This is the opposite of downslide. The finger slides upward, toward the guitar body, producing the pitch to quickly rise. Release automation is handled either by assigning a MIDI CC number to the release knob, or by pressing one the two keyswitches ( C2 : Downslide, D 2 : Upslide). Releasing these keyswitches resets release to its default Normal value. NECK POSITION As most notes can be played on multiple string/fret combinations, each producing a slightly different sound timbre, the neck position knob allows the user to set priority of an area over the alternatives. This offers coarse control. For finer control, the user may use the String ... -
Page 9: String Priority
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR Picking automation is handled either by assigning a MIDI CC number to the release knob, or by pressing one the two keyswitches ( C #2 : Downstroke, D #2 : U pstroke). Releasing these keyswitches resets picking to its default Alternating value. STRING PRIORITY String priority switches prioritize a string over the rest of them, for the cases where there are multiple alternative string/fret combinations for a note. They can be automated via assigned MIDI CC numbers or the following keyswitches. ● C1 : String 6 ● D1 : String 5 ● E1 : String 4 ● F1 : String 3 ● G1 : String 2 ... - Page 10 DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR SHRED : This control sets the time length between two notes, below which they are considered to be played fast aka, in shredding mode. When this happens, because the stroke has to deal with an already vibrating string, the note’s attack is slightly modified. Setting the knob to 0ms disables the effect. (Value range : 0 ms to 200 ms; Default value : 100 ms) RELEASE VOLUME : Sets the level of the normal release samples. This doesn’t affect downslide or upslide release levels. (Value range : inf dB to 12dB; Default value : 0dB) NOISE VOLUME : Sets the level of the random release noises. This refers to noises additional to the regular note release, e.g. finger taps, fret slides, etc. (Value range : inf dB to 12 dB; Default value : 0 dB) NOISE OCCURRENCE : Sets the random release noise occurrence probability. (Value range : 0 % to 20 %; Default value : 10 %) DIRTY OCCURRENCE: Notes on a guitar don’t always come out clean, sometimes the pick hits the string wrong, other times the fretting hand, compared to the picking hand, pushes too late or releases too early the string. This is something that happens regularly in a guitar performance but is usually overlooked in virtual guitars. We call these notes ‘dirty’ and we welcome them, because they are necessary to produce realistic performances. We have sampled them and this control adjusts the probability of dirty notes occurring randomly [ 5 ] ...
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Page 11: Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR SYNC INVERSION : Depending on the latency and song tempo, sometimes the sync rule results may end up inverted. On those occasions, you may switch on Sync inversion and get correct results. (Default value : OFF) Note that this control appears only when Picking Sync is set to 8 or 16note. EFFECTS The Effects graphical interface will help you shape the sound through an essential set of sound processing tools. It is made of six lunchboxstyle rack modules, each of which can be bypassed. The signal is passed through in the following order : LEVEL MIXER There are two separate Volume knobs for mixing the close and room microphone levels. Close mic track is mono while Room track is stereo. Page 11 ... -
Page 12: Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR FILTER The microphone mix goes into a vintagetype Ladder Notch filter. The Notch cuts two narrow bands of frequencies at either side of the cutoff and also includes the following additional controls : ● Frequency : C ontrols the central cutoff frequency. ● Gain : C ontrols the amplitude increase after the filter. This control can be used to compensate for amplitude reduction due to the filter, or to increase the soft saturation of the effect. PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER Next in the signal path comes a 4band Parametric EQ that offers the choice of Bell or Shelf style control for the Low and High frequency bands. This EQ is modelled on high quality analogue circuitry. Its controls are : ● Low Gain : Adjusts the amount of boost or cut at the LF Frequency . ● Low Freq : Adjusts the center frequency of the low frequency band at which the boost or cut will occur. ● Low Shelf : Toggles the shape of the low frequency band. If turned off the band becomes a shelf. If turned off it becomes a bell. ● Low Mid Gain : Adjusts the amount of boost or cut at the LMF Frequency. ... -
Page 13: Compressor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR ● Attack : Controls the scaling of the attack portion of the input signal’s volume envelope. Increasing this parameter will add more punch and decreasing it will reduce sharp attacks. ● Sustain : Controls the scaling of the sustain portion of the input signal’s volume envelope. Increasing this parameter will add more body to the sound and decreasing it will reduce the sound’s tail. ● Gain : Controls the input gain to the effect. COMPRESSOR The compressor that comes next helps transform the individual samples into a performance by gluing the notes together. Its controls are : ● Threshold : S ets a level threshold above which the Compressor starts working. Only levels that rise above this threshold will be reduced by the compression; signals that stay below it will be left unprocessed. ● Ratio : C ontrols the amount of compression, expressed as a ratio of “input level change” against “output level change”. A Ratio of 1 :1 means that no compression will be happening. For example, a Setting of 4 represents the ratio 4 :1, which means for every 4 decibel increase of amplitude above the threshold, the output will increase by only 1 decibel. ● Attack : A djusts the time the Compressor will take to reach the full Ratio value after an ... -
Page 14: Di Effects
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR ● Output : A djusts the module’s output level. Of course, there is the option to switch off all the builtin effect modules and route the dry signal into your own effect chain. DI EFFECTS The Lead DI instrument is operated in the same way as the acoustic one we just described. There is only one difference between the two: The DI instrument has a Amplifier/Speaker cabinet simulation module as first effect in the signal path, instead of the microphone level mixer and filter found in the acoustic version. The rest of the effects are exactly the same. Page 14 ... -
Page 15: Amp & Cab Sim
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR AMP & CAB SIM The effect simulates the tone of guitar amplifiers. If switched off, the DI signal goes through to the output and becomes available for external reamping. The controls are : ● Bass : A djusts the low frequency response of the amplifier. ● Mid : A djusts the midrange frequency response of the amplifier. ● Treble : A djusts the high frequency response of the amplifier. ● Presence : B oosts the frequency response in the upper midrange. ● Reverb : A djusts the volume of a vintagetype spring reverb effect. ● Master : A djusts the amplifier’s master volume. ● Room : A djusts the level of the stereo ambient room mics. ● Cabinet : S witches between five speaker cabinet styles. ... -
Page 16: Django : Gypsy Jazz Guitar / Rhythm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR / RHYTHM The Rhythm instrument plays single chord strums or programmable rhythmic chord strum patterns that are synced to the song tempo. Operation is simple and the instrument is easy to play and automate. Let’s take a closer look, starting with the keyboard layout. KEYBOARD LAYOUT Keyswitches, instrument keys and noise trigger keys are mapped to the keyboard in the way displayed on the Kontakt interface keyboard. Hovering the mouse cursor over a key shows a description of the key in Kontakt’s info pane. We’ll get back to the key functions later on. Now, let’s move on to the GUI and introduce its controls. RR Root Note Chord Single Strums Strum Patterns STRUM, RR AND PATTERN KEYS Chords are played either as single strums or as rhythmic strum patterns. Single strums are triggered by the blue strum keys. Starting from the lowest key and moving up the keyboard, these are: ● Long downbeat (C4) ● Short (swing) upstroke (C#4) ● Short downbeat (D4) ● Long (swing) upstroke (D#4) ... -
Page 17: Rhythm Guitar Gui . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR Strums are named after their rhythmic function in a measure. Some are intended to be played on downbeats (e.g. every odd 8th note), others on upbeats (e.g. every even 8th note), and some on swing beats (e.g. on even 16th notes). There can be many combinations that create different grooves, feel free to experiment and create your own. The additional ‘End’ strums are intended to be played on special occasions such as breaks or endings. 6/9 chord end strums cover major keys, while m6 end strums are intended for minor keys. RR keyswitches force the use of specific RR samples. For most strums there are 8 RR available. Some strums have fewer (4 or 2 RR), in which case they fold and repeat (e.g. for Long upstrokes, which has only 4 RR, using RR 5 is the same as using RR 1). RR keyswitches need to be held down to force playback of the corresponding RR sample. Pattern keys trigger the corresponding pattern. We’ll talk more about patterns in the Pattern GUI chapter that follows. RHYTHM GUITAR GUI Page 17 ... -
Page 18: Chord Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR CHORD SELECTION Chords are selected through two knobs which set the root note and chord quality/extension. The combination of the two is the selected chord. It is displayed next to the knobs. To switch to another chord, you may move the knobs with the mouse or press the corresponding keyswitches. Automation is available either by assigning a MIDI CC number to the knobs or by recording keyswitch MIDI. PREFERENCES Clicking on the gear icon at the bottom left corner of the GUI opens the Preferences panel. There are three controls: 2TRACK : Refers to doubletracking. This button switches between single guitar (panned at center) and double guitar (panned leftright) modes. While in doubletracking mode, the two guitars play exactly the same strums but using a different RR sample order, so that they never sound exactly the same. (Default value : OFF) 2TRACK PAN : This knob controls how hard is the panning for the two guitars while in doubletracking mode. At 100% the two guitars are panned all the way left and right. At 0 % they are both panned at center. (Value Range : 0 % to 100%; Default value : 75 %) NOISE VOLUME : This knob adjusts the level of the fret noises that play when changing root note. (Value Range : inf dB to 12 dB; Default value : 0 dB) ALTERNATIVE KEYSWITCH : Refers to an alternative keyswitching method for selecting ... -
Page 19: Sequencer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR SEQUENCER Clicking on the matrix icon at the bottom right corner of the GUI opens the Sequencer panel. This is a simple step sequencer which can store up to eight 16step patterns. It allows you to perform an entire rhythmic pattern that is synced to the song tempo with a single note press. To create a pattern, first select the pattern number that you wish to store it in. Then enable a strum by clicking on one of the step buttons, or disable it by clicking on it again. To play a pattern press one of the pattern keys (C5G5). C5 plays pattern 1, C#5 plays pattern 2 and so on. Release the pattern key and playback stops. Velocity can be controlled by dragging the bars at the bottom of each step. Swing amount can be adjusted as well with the Swing knob. Finally, the Latch button allows patterns to keep playing without having to keep a pattern key pressed down. While in latch mode, pattern keys start and stop playback. TIPS AND TRICKS / RHYTHM ● The m6 ‘End’ stabs and slow strums are actually m6/9 chords, but since we don’t have that chord in our palette, we placed them in the m6 group to which they are closest. ● You can create more chord extensions, with an artificial yet quite convincing way, by adding single notes from Django Lead. For example, to create a #9 chord, play a 7 chord from Django Rhythm and at the same time play the corresponding #9 note in Django Lead. Start by play the #9 note on the 1st string at a low velocity and adjust to taste. You can do the same for ♭9, 13 and other chords. ● Using the same Effects settings helps the Lead and Rhythm instruments sound similar. ... -
Page 20: Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR ● In doubletracking mode, the panning of the two guitars is always mirrored. If you wish to create more complex pan scheme, you have to set the 2track pan to 100% and route the left and right tracks separately. ● The fret noises triggered by root note changes also choke sustained chords and can be part of the groove by placing the root changes in timely moments (e.g. a 16th note before the new chord), following the same swing setting. ● Unlike Root and Chord keyswitches that set the active root note and chord upon keypress, RR keyswitches need to be held in order to force the use of their corresponding RR sample. ● When triggering a pattern you may notice a little lag on the first chord. This is normal. It happens because patterns are synced to the host app tempo all the time (even if playback is currently paused/stopped) and the first chord is waiting to ‘catch’ the next downbeat. CREDITS DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR ©2016 Impact Soundworks Produced by Dimitris Plagiannis and Impact Soundworks Designed, recorded, edited and scripted by Dimitris Plagiannis Additional editing by Erika Plagiannis and Christos Rigas Additional graphic design by Constructive Stumblings Guitar played by Vasilis Kotsias and Vasilis Antonopoulos Dhole SelmerMaccaferri type guitar built by Adonis Goulielmos (www.goulielmosguitars.gr) Kleio 51 pickup built by Gabojo (www.gabojo.com) Additional thanks to George Katsigiannis for the recording studio and gear and Nils Liberg for the SublimeKSP plugin. For more information, visit our website : ... -
Page 21: C Opyright & License Agreement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR COPYRIGHT & LICENSE AGREEMENT Overview All sound recordings, performances, scripting and/or code contained in this product is the intellectual property of Impact Soundworks unless otherwise noted, and remain the property of Impact Soundworks after the product is purchased. When purchasing an Impact Soundworks product, you are purchasing a nonexclusive license to use, edit, perform, or otherwise utilize these recordings, performances, scripting and/or code for commercial and noncommercial purposes as defined below. Authorized Users Depending on the type of customer and usage scenario, authorized users of this license will vary. ALL purchases fall into category A or B. A. Individual Purchase This license is extended to customers who are purchasing as the primary user of the product, OR are purchasing on the behalf of another primary user (i.e. as a gift). The licensee (primary user) MAY install the product on as many computer systems as he or she has access to. However, ONLY the licensee may use the product. No other users are authorized. B. Corporate, Academic, Institutional Purchase This license is extended to customers who are purchasing for a multiuser setting, such as a shared studio, networked workstation, computer lab, etc. In this case, the licensee is the i nstitution and not any one user. ... - Page 22 DJANGO : GYPSY JAZZ GUITAR Scope of License The licensee is entitled to the use and unlimited editing of the product within the scope of music production, performance, recording, and composition. This includes both noncommercial and commercial usage of all types, including, but not limited to, film scores, television scores, music libraries, video game soundtracks, digital and physical music releases, albums, compilations, etc. Exceptions to this scope are listed below. The licensee M AY NOT use the product in the production of any other sample library or virtual instrument products. The licensee M AY NOT sell individual sounds from a product in any context. For clarity: The licensee M AY use sounds from the product to create individual sound effects (SFX) for use in film, TV, advertising, and video games. However, the licensee cannot sell these sounds individually via marketplace, stock music/stock audio site, etc. Ownership, Resale, and Transfer Redistributing, reselling, electronically transmitting, uploading, sharing, or renting the product in any way, shape, or form is prohibited by law. The licensee may create a physical backup copy of any digitally purchased and downloaded product. This backup copy is subject to the same limitations as the original copy of the product, and may not be transferred to any other individual for any reason. Copyright © 2016 Impact Soundworks, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ...
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