Muse Guitars Vol. 2: seven deep-sampled guitars for MuseScore Studio
Muse Guitars Vol. 2 adds seven deep-sampled instruments to MuseScore Studio — mandolin, ukulele, banjo, 12-string acoustic, a single-coil electric, a fretless resonator and a pedal steel — with hammer-ons, pull-offs, bends, slides, harmonics and mutes that play back from ordinary notation and tab.
This piece covers what is in the library, how its articulations work from the score, how it fits with the free Vol. 1, and whether to buy it alone or through MuseSounds Pro.
Muse Guitars and MuseSounds Pro
Vol. 2 builds on the free Muse Guitars Vol. 1, which covers the acoustic, electric and bass guitars most scores need. Where Vol. 1 is the core, Vol. 2 is the color: the smaller plucked instruments that folk, country, bluegrass and pop arrangements reach for, plus two guitars with sounds no standard guitar can make.
What is in the library
Small-bodied instruments
- Mandolin — bright and crisp; folk, classical and pop arrangements.
- Concert ukulele — light and playful; adds charm without weight.
- Banjo — the sound of traditional and bluegrass music.
Full-bodied guitars
- 12-string acoustic — the doubled courses give a rich, shimmering sound that is ideal for layering under a lead or adding warmth to a strummed part.
- Electric TC guitar — a versatile single-coil electric for rock, blues and country.
- Fretless resonator guitar — a distinctive slide tone that a fretted guitar cannot produce.
Pedal steel guitar
Sampling the pedal steel was the hardest part of the project. Its pedals and knee levers bend individual strings while others sustain, producing the sliding chords and weeping single notes that define country ballads and that are very hard to imitate any other way. It is the standout instrument in the set.
Articulations that play back from the score
The point of a MuseSounds library is that the notation drives the sound. Vol. 2 reads:
- Dynamic layers — smooth transitions between quiet and loud playing as you write dynamics.
- Hammer-ons and pull-offs — triggered automatically in faster passages, so a run sounds like fingers on a fretboard rather than a sequence of plucked notes.
- Special articulations — bends, scoops, slides, harmonics and palm mutes, written with the usual guitar notation.
- Repetition samples — several recordings of each short note, so repeated notes vary the way a player’s do.
Articulations are added from the score with Staff Text, the Guitar palette or the relevant symbols. Playback switches automatically between legato and faster picking modes depending on note speed, so you write the music and the engine chooses the playing technique. MuseScore Studio 4.6 added slur and tap playback for Vol. 2 as well.
What’s included
Instruments: mandolin · concert ukulele · banjo · 12-string guitar · electric TC guitar · resonator guitar · pedal steel guitar
Articulations (varies by instrument): sustains and staccatos · hammer-ons and pull-offs · palm mutes · harmonics · bends, scoops and slides
How it was made
Muse Guitars Vol. 2 was recorded over 180 hours of sampling by professional players and sound designers, capturing dynamic layers and the specialized articulations above for each instrument. It is produced in-house by Muse Group, like the rest of the Muse-branded libraries, so the sampling and the notation response are designed together.
Price, and MuseSounds Pro
Vol. 2 is a paid library; Vol. 1 stays free. Vol. 2 is also included in MuseSounds Pro — the subscription that adds premium and partner libraries on top of the free set for $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year. If you write for guitar and little else, buy Vol. 2 once; if you also want orchestral or jazz libraries, Pro covers those too.
FAQ
Next steps
Start with installing MuseSounds in MuseScore Studio if you have not yet. For guitar tones in a DAW rather than a score, the best guitar plugins and the best amp sims are the equivalent picks. Guitars Vol. 2 is one of 29 libraries in MuseSounds Pro — what are MuseSounds? covers what else is in it. Browse MuseSounds on MuseHub, or download MuseHub free to start.