Some would argue that becoming a musician or music producer has never been easier. You’ve got cutting-edge technology and the vastness of the internet at your disposal, all you need to have is the willingness to learn how to harness it. You can now create a studio in your living room with a good computer, a DAW, microphones, headphones, and instruments.
However, physical instruments aren’t always cheap or easy to come by, which is where virtual instruments come into play. Now, you don’t need to spend huge amounts of money to rent or buy instruments; you can simply get a virtual instrument plugin, incorporate it with your audio interface, and you’re good to go. If you’re just starting to explore the world of virtual instruments and are unsure where to start, keep reading, we’ve got you covered.
What are virtual instruments (VIs)?
Knowing how to play an instrument (or knowing someone who does) used to be inseparable from being able to create music. Thanks to the constant technological advancement, that’s not the case anymore. While in-depth knowledge of music and playing is still very important, nowadays you can replace just about any instrument with software replicating its sound, aka a virtual instrument.
Whether you need the sound of a piano, viola, saxophone, or triangle in your track, all you need to do is find and buy a virtual instrument that reproduces it. You can organize a whole orchestra without ever leaving your DAW or dealing with organizational mayhem – anything from managing people and high costs to cleaning your piano keys and losing time is easily side-stepped.
But virtual instruments do more than just reproduce the sounds of traditional instruments – some plugins can help you create new sounds. This is what makes them so helpful: even if there isn’t a way to create the sound you imagined, there’s software out there that can make it happen.
Using virtual instruments is easy and accessible, providing you with unique versatility in your creative process. Add to that the fact that using VIs is more affordable than hiring a horde of musicians and far more convenient than renting instruments, and the advantages stack up themselves.
What kinds of virtual instruments are there?
There are two types of virtual instruments to keep in mind – sample-based and synthesis-based VIs. Both of these create the sound that you need, but they generate it differently. Let’s see what the main differences and uses are.
Sampling.
When it comes to the sample-based virtual instruments, the clue is in the name. Samples are audio files, recordings of traditional instruments being played that can be used in any way you see fit. If you need a realistic sound of, say, piano on your track, you’ll use a sample of it within the virtual instrument and incorporate it into your creation.
The more music you create, the more samples you’ll need, so over time, you’ll establish your sample library, in which you’ll store all your sample-based virtual instruments. Remember that the higher the quality and the longer the audio file is, the more space it will take in your sample library. This will require a lot of storage space on your hard drive and RAM, which is important to remember when choosing your computer.
Software Synthesizers.
Virtual instruments based on sound synthesis are the opposite of the sample-based option. With these plugins, you can create just about any kind of sound you can imagine by using complex algorithms and calculations. These VIs can take a small audio wave and transform it into anything you’d like, as long as you know how to set them up and use them.
Here, it’s important to underline that you’ll need some practice using software synthesizers because they’re more complex than manipulating audio samples. Frequency modulation, additive synthesis, wavetable synthesis, and subtractive synthesis are the most common methods of using software synthesizers, and you should be familiar with sound design principles to make this approach work.
Once you get the hang of it, you’ll have a very high degree of control and understanding of the sound, which allows you to create your music in whatever way you’d like. This is one of the reasons musicians lean towards synthesis-based instruments, the options are virtually limitless.
While sample libraries require a lot of computer memory, synthesis-based VIs need a lot of CPU power to work. You’ll need a strong computer processor to support synthesis-based sound creation, so factor this into your equipment decisions. This type of music is popular in film scores and electronic genres like techno, EDM, and house.
Conclusion.
Virtual instruments have been around for the past two decades, and as technology advances at a light-speed pace, they’re only becoming more sophisticated. Using VIs in music production is a lifesaver for budding musicians who have limited budgets and time, and it doesn’t hurt that they’re incredibly versatile and accessible.
All you need to do is figure out which type of virtual instrument suits your preferences and ambitions and start learning how to use it. Whether you go for one method or combine both will depend on what you’d like to achieve, but the more knowledge you have, the better you can use it to create truly remarkable music, and that’s the goal every musician should strive for!
