Ample Ethno Banjo

Name: Ample Ethno Banjo
Price: 119 USD
Author: Ample Sound

by Ample Sound · Instrument · Sampled banjo

Not rated yet

Ample Ethno Banjo is a sampled Deering Sierra banjo that runs in Ample Sound's own plugin.

It has 9 articulations including strum, a riff editor, a strummer and Guitar Pro tab import. It costs $119.

Best for: Acoustic Instruments, Guitars. Genres: Jazz, Acoustic & Classical, Pop.

Keywords: chord generator, sample-based, guitar instrument, monophonic, polyphonic, smooth, visual feedback.

What it does

Ample Ethno Banjo samples a Deering Sierra five-string banjo (spelled "Derring Dierra" on the product page) for picked, rolled and strummed parts. Most of its tools are about programming a believable banjo part from MIDI or tab.

Articulations: nine: sustain, palm mute, natural harmonic, hammer-on and pull-off, legato slide, slide in, slide out, pop and strum.
Legato and noise: a polyphonic legato and slide smoother for legato at any interval and speed, plus left-hand performance noises and adjustable acoustic resonance.
Riffer 4: a MIDI riff editor with piano-roll and tab views, string visualisation, a Strum Note system that treats a chord's notes as one object, technique editing, CC and velocity editors with curve presets, and a riff library.
Strummer: two chord-detection modes with custom chord definitions, Strum SEQ for rhythm patterns, and a rhythm library you can drag out as MIDI.
Tab Reader 4: imports Guitar Pro files from GP3 to GP8 and keeps the fingering and articulation data.
Capo: a capo logic system written for the five-string banjo.
Effects: 8-band EQ, compressor, delay and convolution reverb.

The product page does not show a version number; KVR lists version 4.0. No demo is mentioned.

Source: Ample Sound product page

When to use it

Ample Ethno Banjo fills a narrow gap with a dedicated sampled banjo; none of the rated instruments in this category on the site is a banjo. Its strength is the programming side: the Strummer, Strum Note chords and Guitar Pro import let you build rolls and strummed parts from tab or MIDI instead of playing every note on keys. It uses the same Riffer, Strummer and Tab Reader tools as Ample Ethno Ukulele, so the workflow carries over if you own both.

Best for: bluegrass rolls, folk and country accompaniment, and banjo colour in pop.
Genres: country, bluegrass, folk and pop.
Look elsewhere if: you want a ukulele or guitar; Ample Ethno Ukulele or Ample's guitar models cover those.

Where to buy

Ample Sound: $119
Plugin Boutique: $119

Tutorials and reviews

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