If you’re just looking to figure out something quick, there are three ways to get there:
- The Quick Reference has super-short explanations for every control.
- The Walkthrough is a guided tour where you’ll try every control on the Virtual Guitarist CARBON screen once – the quickest hands-on experience possible.
- If you’re looking for in-depth explanations of all functions and controls, head straight for the Reference Guide further down.
Quick Reference
Area |
Parameter |
Explanation |
Menu Bar |
Preset |
Click name to open menu for browsing and loading a new Virtual Guitarist CARBON preset |
Save |
When editing a user preset, click to save your preset, replacing the previous version. |
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Save as… |
Click to save your preset under a different name and – optionally – assign a category. |
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Trial Mode |
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Authorize Button |
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Notification Bell |
Will illuminate for notifications such as product updates. |
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Info Icon |
Opens the About Page displaying your licensing status and links to acknowledgements, website, this manual and product support. |
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Top Area |
Volume – Slider and Meter |
Adjust and monitor CARBONS output volume |
Player / Instrument Mode Switch |
Selects whether CARBON performs like a session player or a guitar instrument that you can record note by note. |
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Micro Timing |
Only in Player mode, this menu opens a selection of parameters adjusting the timing of the guitar player:
Feel: Set to left of center for a “push” feel, to the right for a laid-back (“dragging”) feel.
Swing: Continuously adjusts syncopation - often also called Shuffle. Move to the right to syncopate off-beats. |
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Latch |
PLAYER Mode: When active, Virtual Guitarist CARBON will keep playing independently of keys held, until you deactivate Latch or press the Stop Key. |
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Style |
Loads a Style (collection of 11 phrases, accessible via the style phrases section of the keyboard). |
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Interactive Keyboard
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Pitch |
The Pitch Wheel lets you bend the pitch by one semitone in both directions |
Finisher |
The Mod Wheel (MIDI CC#1) doubles as a control for the Finisher knob, allowing you to live-perform the Finisher. |
PLAYER Mode |
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In PLAYER mode, the rhythmical, articulation and phrasing aspect of the guitar performance are controlled by CARBON. All you need to do is select the phrases and notes you want to be played.
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Common Phrases |
Keys in this area select “always useful” phrases that can be combined with style phrases. Several black keys labelled “Ends” and “Shreds” trigger one-shot special phrases. |
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Silence |
In LATCH Mode, this key silences the performance but doesn’t stop it. You can continue by selecting any phrase key |
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Ends |
Selecting one of these keys will play a long final note or chord and stop the player: |
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Shreds |
Similar to instrument mode, Shreds let you insert hard-to-play fast note successions at any time. Other than the other keys, Shred keys are temporary and change back to the selected phrase when released. G#1: 32th Half Mutes A#1: 32th Full Mutes C#2: 16T Half Mutes D#2: 16T Full Mutes |
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Style Phrases |
Keys in this area select phrases of the currently selected Style. Generally, as you play the white keys upwards, the intensity of the phrases will increase. Depending on the Style, the black keys may provide useful fills. |
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Stop |
In LATCH Mode, this key stops the performance. |
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Key |
You can set any key here to force notes to that key’s scale. |
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Single Mode |
Optimized for fast melodic riffs and melodies – includes all the legato mode behavior from Instrument Mode |
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Chords Mode |
Polyphonic mode applicable for almost anything, but without melodic behavior modeling |
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Phrase Drag’n‘Drop |
Common and Style Phrase keys have specially marked handles at the top. You can drag phrases from there right into tracks in your DAW and edit notes (and the phrasing too, of course) using your DAWs editors. |
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Play Range |
Play the notes to be triggered by the phrases, up to four note polyphonic. |
INSTRUMENT Mode
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In Instrument Mode, the keyboard emulates guitar playing technique. You play the Articulation Range with your left hand and the Play Range with your right hand to create performances. |
Articulations |
Legato Keys |
Notes C#2 and D#2 turn Legato Mode (realistic transitions between adjacent notes) on and off. |
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Short -> Long |
Use the white keys from F2 to C2 to control the note articulation of the guitar: F2: Dead Notes G2: Full Mutes A2: Half Mutes B2: Long Mutes C3: Sustains |
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Shreds |
The black keys from F#2 to D#3 play so-called shreds – super-quick successions of notes that are hard to play on a keyboard or controller but significantly spice up your performance. Insert them by playing and holding any Shreds key. When releasing a Shreds key, CARBON will return to the previously playing phrase. F#2: 32th Moderate Mutes G#2: 32th Half Mutes A#2: 32th Full Mutes C#3: 16T Half Mutes D#3: 16T Full Mutes |
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¼, 1/8, 1/16 |
As long as you hold any of these keys, CARBON will auto-play the corresponding note resolution. |
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Key |
You can set any key here to force notes to that key’s scale. |
Play Range |
F#3 – F#6 |
This is where you play notes, up to four-note polyphonic and velocity-sensitive. |
Guitar/Amp Section |
Condition |
Selects one of 5 futuristic amp setups – from bottom to top, CARBONS condition becomes increasingly mad |
Severity |
Turns up distortion inside the multiple amp stages. Go beyond 2 “o’clock” at your own risk! |
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Focus |
Lets you morph through CARBON-optimized EQ settings from bass boost/high attenuation to low mid boost to to neutral (center) to high mid boost to bass attenuation/high boost. |
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Filter |
Turn left for a resonant lowpass filter, turn right for a resonant highpass. Great for intros, risers, endings when automated. |
Finisher |
Mode |
Selects a Finisher preset – a macro setting for a rack of effects |
Finisher |
Changes the character of the Finisher effect depending on the preset. Most Finisher presets are designed to be live-controlled, which is why this knob is doubled by the Mod Wheel. |
LAYERER |
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This section lets you stack up four CARBON guitarists and distribute them vertically and horizontally across the sound stage. This is visually reflected in the Layerer image in the center. |
Single/Double/Triple/Quadro |
Choose the number of guitarists. Each configuration is specifically arranged across the stereo and room image. |
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Distance |
Moves the white layer(s) towards the back of the virtual stage. |
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Spread |
(n.a. in Single): Moves guitarists away from the center of the stereo image |
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Separation |
(n.a. in Single): Dials in a sound character separation between white and blue layers. |
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