More affordable acoustic guitar emulator from AAS

Strum Acoustic Session emulates nylon- and steel-stringed guitars.
Strum Acoustic Session emulates nylon- and steel-stringed guitars.

Applied Acoustics Systems' Strum Acoustic GS-1 does a pretty reasonable job of emulating an acoustic guitar in software, but if it's a little out of your price range, you now have the more affordable Session version to consider.

This cutdown edition lacks some of its parent product's programmability, but is based on the same physical modelling engine. It emulates nylon and steel acoustic guitars and features a voicing module that automatically makes chords played on a keyboard sound like they were played on a guitar.

There are various strumming and picking options (you can also trigger the instrument using MIDI loops), while EQ and reverb modules are included, too.

Strum Acoustic Session is available now from the Applied Acoustics website for $99. It's Mac- and PC-compatible and supports the VST, Audio Units and RTAS plug-in formats.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.