Witch Pig released Ambient Axe, a free guitar sample library for Native Instruments Kontakt.
I never would’ve considered using a seven-string for ambient works, but Witch Pig proved me wrong. I generally pick up my seven-string for playing things in extremely low tunings, where my only thought is to chug on the lowest string.
Ambient Axe has proven me quite wrong, however. Witch Pig’s latest instrument is a sampled seven-string meant for ambient productions.
Ambient Axe comes with nine presets, which can be further manipulated when choosing the neck or bridge pickup. The effects chain is baked in, and the guitar sampled is a Schecter JL7.
Witch Pig has been on the radar several times at BPB, and it is always a delight to see indie developers keep at it. Their plugins Siberian Hamster and Guillotine are still in our guitar processing toolbox.
It’s also refreshing to see a Kontakt library from a developer that previously focused on effects.
Ambient Axe is a wonderful instrument, provided you’re after particular sounds. It won’t outright replace years of GAS and the learning process of guitar, but these are some delightful textures to incorporate into your productions.
When selecting between the two different pickups, there is a fair bit of nuance. I often default to the bridge on every guitar I own, but I’ll readily admit that the ambient chains sound great on both.
These sounds are begging for a massive delay and shimmer reverb to really come alive. Some of the sounds have a distinct bite and pureness that remind me quite a bit of my old ES-335.
Ambient Axe isn’t going to replace more bespoke and high-dollar sample libraries, but it is a great way to get some guitar sounds for the low cost of free. You can download Ambient Axe on Pianobook, where it joins a whole plethora of additional free instruments.
If there is one drawback to Ambient Axe, it is the requirement for the full version of Kontakt. After so many free Kontakt Player libraries, I suppose the good times couldn’t last.
That said, if you’ve got the full version of Kontakt, nothing is stopping you from picking this up.
I couldn’t see what the minimum required version of Kontakt needed was, I ended up using whatever the latest version of Player was to trial it for fifteen minutes.
Download: Ambient Axe (FREE)
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Last Updated on August 17, 2023 by Tomislav Zlatic.
