Interactive Guitar Review

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(More customer reviews)The software would be about okay as Guitar tutor software but it does not include any well known songs to learn (unlike some other packages like eMedia's Rock Guitar which I prefer). Also, the Comp-U-Pare feature - the main reason I bought the software - does not work and actually crashes the software. There is a support website but it is terrible with lots of broken links on the website (that are supposed to go to pages on the website that are no longer at the given URL rather than linking to missing external pages). In particular, there is a dead link that is supposed to download an upgrade.

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Interactive Guitar is a multimedia-based instructional program for beginners to advanced students. First you plug your guitar into your PC soundcard using the included 1/4-inch to 1/8-inch adapter. The program shows you how to properly tune your guitar using the virtual tuner . Then you learn about picking styles and notes. After you have that completed you progress to chords, learn about the 12-bar blues, as well as runs and phrases and turnarounds.

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Cakewalk Guitar Tracks 2.0 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have to say that I am really impressed with version 2.0 of Guitar Tracks. They completely redesigned the user interface, which looks great, and made it really easy to use. It's a full 8 track recording studio with input and output meters, and audio editing. Each of the tracks can now be mono or stereo and can use any DirectX audio plugin. It comes with Stereo Reverb, Chorus, Flanger, Delay and Parametric EQ plugins. It also has the Drag and Drop Drummer Lite software with a bunch of great drum loops, that intergrates with program. I was up and running in about 5 minutes.

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Guitar Tracks 2.0 is a PC-based multitrack recording program built for guitar players. Designed to be as easy to use as a multitrack cassette recorder or tape deck, this is a great musical sketchpad for guitarists and singers/songwriters. Use it to get ideas down quickly. Controls are logical and clear so you can lay it down and mix it up fast. Features include eight recordable tracks of digital audio, easy punch-ins, looping, locating markers, stereo equalizer, delay, flange, stereo chorus, reverb, and vintage amp simulation. Mix down to stereo WAV files to burn CDs or make MP3s for the Internet. Tune up quickly with a built-in chromatic tuner. Guitar Tracks works with any guitar or microphone.

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eMedia Guitar Method v5 Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm a guitar instructor who teaches a once a week high school guitar class. I've started recommending Emedia to my students as a great at home guitar program. As an instructor, I really like the step by step approach to the lessons. The video are very helpful in demonstrating techniques between lessons. Kids that are using the program progress a lot faster than those that don't. This is a fine program either for those that want to learn on their own or that are also taking lessons.

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The latest version of the world's best-selling beginning guitar CD-ROM! 165 comprehensive full-screen lessons cover everything from the basics to chord strumming, playing melodies, and fingerpicking. New interactive feedback on melodies and interactive quizzes help make learning tablature and music notation easy. Covers folk, blues, classical and rock styles, including a modern rock chapter with various strumming styles, movable power chords and power chord riffs. Over 50 large-format videos from instructor Kevin Garry, Ph.D., include split-screens and close-ups of both hands.

Learning guitar is made fun with over 70 songs, including famous hits from artists such as Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead, and Steve Miller. Songs are recorded live and hits even have multi-track full band accompaniment. As the songs play, an animated fretboard guides you through the fingerings, and MIDI tracks allow you to slow down and loop parts of the music for practice. This latest version offers fully scalable lesson screens, an option for full-screen video and interactive feedback for melodies. The Note Tracker shows you what note you're playing and Instant Feedback tracks your progress through the melody as you play. eMedia Guitar Method is the ultimate way to learn how to play guitar!

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Cakewalk Guitar Tracks Pro 3 Digital Audio Software (Windows Only) Review

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(More customer reviews)Somebody at Cakewalk must be doing something right. Guitar Tracks Pro 3 is an amazing upgrade over the older versions.
The new interface is silky smooth. The metronome actually works.
And, I can finally record at 24 bit 96khz, which I couldn't do with a lot of competitor's software.
A lot of great new effects (look under GT FX). Really good new reverb, equalization (called "Q"). The new plugins look like expensive rack mount units that you drool over (but dare not buy) at music stores.
Okay, minor complaints that the software defaults are kinda weird (sound on sound record, among others) which are leftovers from the old Guitar Tracks software. Also the record button is tiny tiny tiny.
But all in all, for the basic recordist, this is one hot piece of software. If your not at version 3, definitely upgrade. After about an hour of twiddling around, you will be all grins.
And as we all know, Cakewalk actually includes a printed manual that a normal human being can use and understand.
Hats off to Cakewalk for an excellent upgrade.

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eMedia GuitarPro 5.1 Win/Mac Review

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(More customer reviews)This review is written from the prospect of using Guitar Pro for Classical Guitar purposes. I have tried many notation programs for classical guitar. None are perfect. I've concluded that you need a high end music notation program for professional looking scores and another program for doing transcriptions for personal use or sharing.
On the high end, the choices are Finale, Sibelius, or Lilypond. I chose Finale for this purpose. You can do anything with it, but there is a steep price to pay. It is not intuitive at all, and it's expensive. The interface is a cluster of years of buildup. One wouldn't design a user interface like this from scratch. If I didn't already own Finale, I'd might go with Lilypond, or look more carefully into Musecore.
But I decided that I needed a notation program for simple transcriptions. Here are the ones that I tried in increasing order of my preference:
1) TablEdit - seen some decent scores for this one on the web. Deal breaker the UI is confusing. I'd just as well use Finale for everything.
2) Power Tab - interface OK, free, lots of features. Deal breaker most of the focus is on the tab representation, very little on standard notation.
3) Tux Guitar - nice interface, very similar to Guitar Pro, free. Deal breaker can't add fingerings. This program may eventually catch Guitar Pro.
4) Guitar Pro - nice interface, will do just about everything necessary easily. Can display/print standard notation only, tab notation, or both. Output is very good. ASCII import. Drawbacks for standard notation are that fingering are unconventional in location and labeling, bar can only be specified though text input, crescendo specified through volume control which is tied to a track(s).
In the end, the decision was an easy one. It just took a while to download all of the programs and try them out. Hopefully, I just saved you a little time.
Update 11-04-2010:
Since I wrote this review, I've switched from Finale to Lilypond. Even though I am a programmer, I was intimidated by Lilypond until I discovered using Frescobaldi (available on Linux only) as a front end. This system is just a pleasure to use and way easier than Finale. Lilypond doesn't do tab very well at the moment, so I'll likely continue using Guitar Pro when I need tab.

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Guitar Pro 5.1 has all the tools you need to improve, compose and accompany yourself on the guitar. It's got a multitrack tablature editor for guitar, banjo, bass and other stringed instruments. Scale tools and a chord diagram editor lets you create the perfect score and the guitar composition you've always wanted.

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