What are the best ways to use music production software for realistic guitar sounds?

2 Adjust the amp and effects settings

Another key factor for creating realistic guitar sounds is to adjust the amp and effects settings for your guitar samples. The amp and effects settings can make a huge difference in the sound and feel of your guitar, as they can add distortion, reverb, delay, chorus, flanger, and other effects to your guitar signal. You should experiment with different amp and effects settings to find the ones that suit your genre and style, and also match the sound of your guitar samples. For example, if you are using an acoustic guitar sample, you might want to use a clean amp setting with some reverb and delay, while if you are using an electric guitar sample, you might want to use a distorted amp setting with some chorus and flanger.

3 Use MIDI controllers and expression pedals

A third factor for creating realistic guitar sounds is to use MIDI controllers and expression pedals to control the dynamics and expression of your guitar samples. MIDI controllers and expression pedals can help you to vary the volume, pitch, tone, and modulation of your guitar samples, and also trigger different articulations and playing techniques. For example, you can use a MIDI keyboard to play the notes and chords of your guitar samples, and use a modulation wheel or a pitch bend wheel to bend or slide the notes. You can also use an expression pedal to control the volume or the wah-wah effect of your guitar samples, and use a footswitch to switch between different amp and effects settings.

4 Apply humanization and modulation techniques

A fourth factor for creating realistic guitar sounds is to apply humanization and modulation techniques to your guitar samples. Humanization and modulation techniques can help you to add some randomness and variation to your guitar samples, and make them sound more natural and human. For example, you can use a humanize function or a randomize function in your music production software to slightly alter the timing, velocity, and pitch of your guitar samples, and make them sound less robotic and more organic. You can also use a modulation function or an LFO function in your music production software to add some movement and vibrato to your guitar samples, and make them sound more expressive and alive.