APPLIED ACOUSTICS SYSTEMS Strum Acoustic GS-1 User manual

USER MANUAL

2
Information in this manual is subject to change without notice and does not represent a commitment on
the part of Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc. The software described in this manual is furnished under a
license agreement. The software may be used only in accordance of the terms of this license agreement. It is
against the law to copy this software on any medium except as specifically allowed in the license agreement.
No part of this manual may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, distributed or converted to any
electronic or machine-readable form in whole or in part without prior written approval of Applied Acoustics
Systems DVM Inc.
Copyright c 2008 Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in Canada.
Program Copyright c 2008 Applied Acoustics Systems, Inc. All right reserved.
Strum VG is a Trademark of Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc. Windows 98, 2000, NT, ME, XP and
DirectX are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Macintosh, Mac OS and
Audio Units are registered trademarks of Apple Corporation. VST Instruments and ASIO are trademarks of
Steinberg Soft Und Hardware GmbH. RTAS is a registered trademarks of Digidesign. Adobe and Acrobat
are trademarks of Adobe Systems incorporated. All other product and company names are either trademarks
or registered trademarks of their respective owner. Unauthorized copying, renting or lending of the software
is strictly prohibited.
Visit Applied Acoustics Systems DVM Inc. on the World Wide Web at
www.applied-acoustics.com

Contents
1 Introduction 9
1.1 SystemRequirements................................. 9
1.2 Installation ...................................... 10
1.3 Authorization and Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.3.1 Step 1: Generating the Challenge Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.3.2 Step 2: Generating the Response Key and Registering your Product . . . . 11
1.3.3 Step 3: Completing the Unlock Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
1.3.4 Obtaining your Response Key and Registering by Fax or over the Phone: . 15
1.4 GettingStarted .................................... 15
1.4.1 Using Strum Acoustic in Standalone Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
1.4.2 Exploring the Factory Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.4.3 UsingMIDILinks .............................. 17
1.4.4 Using MIDI Program Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.4.5 Using Strum Acoustic asaPlug-in...................... 17
1.5 GettingHelp...................................... 17
1.6 ForumandUserLibrary ............................... 18
1.7 AboutthisManual .................................. 18
English 9
2 An Overview of Strum Acoustic 19
2.1 Chord Detection and Voicing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.2 Strumming ...................................... 20
2.3 TheGraphicalInterface................................ 20
2.4 SignalFlow...................................... 20
3 Keyboard Layout 23
3.1 LeadandChordKeys................................. 23
3.2 StrummingKeys ................................... 23
3.2.1 Downstroke and Upstroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.2.2 Palm Muted Downstroke and Upstroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

4 CONTENTS
3.2.3 Muffled Downstroke and Upstroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.2.4 MuteAll ................................... 24
3.2.5 AlternateStrum................................ 24
3.2.6 Playing Individual Strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.3 PitchBendWheel................................... 25
3.4 Aftertouch....................................... 26
3.5 ModulationWheel .................................. 26
3.6 HoldPedal ...................................... 26
4 Playing Strum 28
4.1 Auto-Strum Mode and Strumming Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.2 PlayingwithAuto-Strum............................... 28
4.2.1 StrumDown ................................. 28
4.2.2 ChordChange ................................ 29
4.2.3 Chords and Change of Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.2.4 Hammer-On and Pull-Off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4.3 Using the Strumming Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4.3.1 Down- and Upstroke Strum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
4.3.2 Palm Muted Down- and Upstroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.3.3 Muffled Down- and Upstroke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
4.3.4 Arpeggios................................... 31
4.4 SpecificTechniques.................................. 33
4.4.1 Trills ..................................... 33
4.4.2 TremoloPicking ............................... 33
4.4.3 MutedStrum ................................. 33
4.4.4 PartialStrumming .............................. 33
4.4.5 Bass&Chords ................................ 34
4.4.6 StationaryBend................................ 34
4.4.7 PowerChords................................. 35
4.5 UsingMIDILoops .................................. 35
4.5.1 CreatingMIDILoops............................. 36
4.6 ChordVoicing..................................... 36

CONTENTS 5
5 Presets and MIDI maps 39
5.1 Presets......................................... 39
5.1.1 ThePresetLibrary .............................. 39
5.1.2 TheProgramlist ............................... 39
5.2 Playing and Changing Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
5.3 Editing and Saving Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
5.4 SavingtheProgramList ............................... 42
5.5 Organizing the Preset Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.5.1 CreatingFolders ............................... 42
5.5.2 Copying and Moving Presets and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
5.5.3 Renaming Presets and folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.5.4 Deleting Presets and Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.5.5 Documenting Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.5.6 Locating a Preset in the Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.5.7 Resizing the Browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
5.6 MIDIMaps ...................................... 44
5.7 Exporting and Importing Presets and MIDI maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5.8 Backuping Presets and MIDI Maps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
5.9 Restoring the Factory Presets and MIDI Links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6 Parameters 46
6.1 General Functioning of the Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
6.1.1 TweakingKnobs ............................... 46
6.1.2 Buttons .................................... 46
6.1.3 Drop-down Menus and Displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6.1.4 BypassingaModule ............................. 47
6.1.5 ModulationSignals.............................. 47
6.2 TheGuitarModules.................................. 47
6.2.1 TheStringsModule ............................. 48
6.2.2 The Pick/Fingers Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
6.2.3 TheHammerModule............................. 49
6.2.4 TheMuteModule .............................. 49

6 CONTENTS
6.2.5 ThePalmModule............................... 50
6.2.6 TheGlobalModule.............................. 50
6.2.7 TheBodyModule .............................. 50
6.3 TheEqualizerModule ................................ 50
6.4 TheMulti-EffectModule............................... 51
6.4.1 Delay ..................................... 52
6.4.2 Chorus .................................... 53
6.4.3 Flanger .................................... 53
6.4.4 Vibrato .................................... 53
6.4.5 Phaser..................................... 53
6.4.6 Wah...................................... 54
6.4.7 NotchFilter.................................. 54
6.5 Reverb......................................... 55
6.6 EditMode....................................... 55
6.6.1 TheStringsModule ............................. 56
6.6.2 The Pick/Fingers Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
6.6.3 TheHammerModule............................. 60
6.6.4 TheMuteModule .............................. 60
6.6.5 ThePalmModule............................... 60
6.6.6 TheBodyModule .............................. 61
6.7 PerformanceParameters ............................... 61
6.7.1 ChordDisplay ................................ 61
6.7.2 Chord..................................... 62
6.7.3 Loop ..................................... 62
6.7.4 Strumming .................................. 63
6.7.5 Tuning .................................... 64
6.7.6 PitchWheel.................................. 64
6.7.7 Aftertouch .................................. 65
6.7.8 HoldPedal .................................. 65
6.7.9 ModWheel.................................. 65

CONTENTS 7
7 Toolbar 66
7.1 ProgramDisplay ................................... 66
7.2 MIDImap....................................... 66
7.3 CPUmeter ...................................... 66
7.4 ValueDisplay..................................... 66
8 Audio and MIDI Settings 67
8.1 AudioSettings .................................... 67
8.1.1 Selecting an Audio Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
8.1.2 AudioControlPanel ............................. 67
8.2 MIDISettings..................................... 67
8.2.1 Selecting a MIDI Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
8.2.2 CreatingMIDILinks............................. 68
8.2.3 EditingMIDILinks ............................. 68
8.2.4 DeletingMIDILinks............................. 69
8.2.5 CreatingaMIDIMap............................. 69
8.2.6 EmptyMIDIMap .............................. 69
8.2.7 Defining a Default MIDI Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
8.2.8 MIDI Program Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
8.3 LatencySettings.................................... 70
9 Using Strum Acoustic as a Plug-In 71
9.1 WindowSize ..................................... 71
9.2 Audio and MIDI Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
9.3 Automation ...................................... 71
9.4 MultipleInstances................................... 71
9.5 SavingProjects .................................... 71
9.6 MIDIChannel..................................... 72
9.7 MIDIprogramchange ................................ 72
9.8 Performance...................................... 72
10 Quick Reference to Commands and Shortcuts 73
11 Appendix - Lists of Chords Detected by Strum 79

8 CONTENTS
12 License Agreement 86

Introduction 9
1 Introduction
Strum Acoustic GS-1 is a synthesizer dedicated to the emulation of acoustic guitars. The syn-
thesizer is entirely based on the A|A|S physical modeling technology and uses no sampling nor
wave tables. Instead it produces sound by solving, on the fly, mathematical equations modeling the
different components of a guitar and how they interact. This elaborate synthesis engine responds
dynamically to the control signals it receives while you play thereby reproducing the richness and
responsiveness of real instruments.
Strum Acoustic features elaborate modeling of the vibrations of the strings, pick or finger action
and the body of the guitar. Strum Acoustic also includes many functionalities which make it easy
to reproduce the playing techniques of a guitarist on a keyboard. Strum Acoustic includes a chord
detection module and performs automatic voicing of chords. In other words, you play the chords
you know on the keyboard and Strum will voice them automatically, for different musical styles, as
a guitarist would have played them. The picking-hand technique of a guitarist is reproduced by an
auto-strum function, special strumming keys or using standard MIDI loops.
Before discussing the synthesizer in more detail, we would like to take this opportunity to thank
you for choosing an A|A|S product. We sincerely hope that this product will bring you inspiration,
pleasure and fulfill your creative needs.
1.1 System Requirements
The following computer configuration is necessary to run Strum Acoustic:
Mac OS :
•Mac OSX 10.2 (Jaguar) or later.
•G4 733 MHz Processor
•256 MB RAM
•1024 x 768 or higher screen resolution
•MIDI Keyboard (recommended)
•Ethernet Port
Windows :
•Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP
•PIII 800 MHz
•128 MB RAM
•1024 x 768 or higher screen resolution
•DirectX or ASIO supported sound card
•MIDI Keyboard (recommended)

10 Introduction
Keep in mind that the computational power required by Strum Acoustic depends on the number
of voices of polyphony and the sampling rate used. These computer configurations will enable you
to play the factory presets with a reasonable number of voices.
1.2 Installation
Mac OS
Insert the Strum Acoustic program disc into your CD-ROM drive. Open the CD icon once it
appears on your desktop. Click on the Strum Acoustic Install icon and follow the instructions of
the installer.
If you purchased this software online, simply double-click on the installer file that you have
downloaded and follow the instructions of the installer.
Windows
Insert the Strum Acoustic program disc into your CD-ROM drive. Launch Explorer to view the
content of the CD-ROM and double-click on the installer file to launch the installer.
If you purchased this software online, simply double-click on the installer file that you have
downloaded and follow the instructions of the installer.
1.3 Authorization and Registration
Strum Acoustic uses a proprietary challenge/response copy protection system which requires au-
thorization of the product. A challenge key is a long string of capital letters and numbers that
is generated uniquely for each machine during the registration process. In other words, for each
machine you install this program on, a different challenge key will be generated by the program.
The response key is another unique string of capital letters and numbers generated from the data
encrypted in the challenge key. In order to obtain a response key, you will need to connect to the
A|A|S website and provide the following information:
•A valid email address
•Your product serial number (on the back of the sleeve of your CD or in your confirmation
email for downloads)
•The challenge key generated by the program
Note that it is possible to use the program during 15 days before completing the authorization
process. This period can be convenient if you are installing the program on a computer which is
not connected to the internet. After that period, the program will not function unless it is supplied
with a response key.
In the following sections we review the different steps required to generate the challenge keys
and obtain the response key. The procedure is similar on Windows XP and Mac OS systems.