Overview

Studio-recorded electric guitar in hi-res audio

WEDGE FORCE Hydro recreates the sound of a professionally recorded custom electric guitar, giving keyboard players the power to play realistic and expressive electric guitar parts complete with pinch harmonics and palm muting. Djent, Metal & Death Core and virtually any kind of rock in between, now on the keyboard and in the box.

The sound of the world’s most iconic custom-made guitars, professionally synthesized with the patented craft of the WEDGE FORCE team and the best possible equipment.

Create lifelike MIDI guitar tracks
By capturing the nuances of live performances, Hydro enables keyboardists to achieve lifelike guitar sounds in the studio, or while performing or rehearsing. WEDGE FORCE's Synthetic Force engine creates their signature sounds using ultra hi-res electric guitar samples which are threaded with dynamic artificial synthesis. This proprietary synthetic DI engine generates realistic harmonic resonances based on the combination of notes played, giving it an edge over purely sample-based virtual guitars.

Perform with real guitar techniques
Hydro lets you perform pitch bends, slides, palm mutes, and pinch harmonics using your keyboard. Hydro's real-time generated harmonics make these guitar techniques sound lifelike in your arrangements. Additionally, Hydro features an  ultra-low latent profile, making it an excellent choice for live performances.

The perfect balance of custom bridge, neck, and piezo pickups
Piezo pickups are renowned for their acoustic sound, unlike magnetic pickups that are typically embedded in the guitar's bridge. Combining them with magnetic pickups is the go-to option for any professional guitarist seeking to achieve gorgeous acoustic and heavy rock tones in both recording and performance settings, with a single, versatile guitar.

Piezo pickup inversion
Hydro has the option to invert the piezo pickup phase separately for each individual string. This way, you can keep the lower string in-phase for a tick base tone and invert the phase of the upper string for additional harmonics, giving you access to the best of both worlds!

A seventh string for deep low end
The way that Hydro achieves its thunderous tone come  from the fact that it is a 7 string guitar with a low B string. Being able to play down in those deeper ranges really expands Hydro’s range and offers deep bass tones that are ideal for genres like metal, rock, djent, and even jazz. The additional string provides more possibilities for chord voicings and complex solos, enhancing Hydro’s versatility.

Pair it with your favorite pedals, amps, and effects
Combined with the pedals, amps, and effects found in Plugin Alliance's MEGA Bundle, Hydro delivers all the features you need to create realistic guitar sounds. Use it to compose screaming rock solos, heavy metal riffs, intricate jazz arrangements, and catchy pop melodies. With its Synthetic Force Engine, seven strings, and piezo pickups, Hydro is a must-have virtual DI guitar synth.

Features

  • Mixing Console: Blend together the sound of a bridge pickup, neck pickup, and seven piezo pickups.

  • Piezo Color Preamp: Add rich analog preamp color to the sound captured by the piezo pickups.

  • Pinch Harmonics: Blend pinch-harmonics into your main tone using the mod wheel controller on your keyboard. Make your riffs cooler, and your solos scream.

  • Palm Muting: Create palm mutes by holding the sustain pedal on your MIDI keyboard for “Dzj Dzj” metal sounds.

  • Neck Position Mapping: Select from various neck mappings across all seven strings.

  • Picking Behavior: Hydro uses AI to predict the correct picking direction (up or down) based on the tempo of playing, neck position, and velocity of the previously played notes.

  • Real-Time Note Detune: A randomized detune option makes your tone more realistic and dynamic.

  • Velocity Map: Control the gain applied to different velocity ranges.

  • Attack and Release Controls: Adjust the length of the onset and tail-end of notes.

  • Strumming Note Offset: Add a delay between notes to create realistic strums when playing chords.

 

Audio Examples

Industry Reviews

  • Mendel bij de Leij

    Mendel bij de Leij

    Composer, Musician, Mix & Mastering Engineer

    The perfect combination of bridge, neck, and piezo pickups make Hydro super versatile, go from heavy prog-distortion to sparkling clean and acoustic tones.

Customer Reviews

Specifications

Supported Plugin Formats
AAX Native, AU, VST2, VST3

Supported Operating Systems
macOS 14 down to macOS 11
Windows 11 down to Windows 10

Mac
Intel or Apple Silicon architecture

PC
x64-compatible CPU

System Requirements
Display resolution: 1440 × 900px or 1280 × 960px or higher
Memory: 2 GB RAM

 

 

Downloads

With the Installation Manager you can select, download & install all the Plugin Alliance products. Select any and all formats you need for your system! Mac & PC.

ChangeLog

Hydro

WEDGE FORCE Hydro - Changelog

Version 1.0.3 (Sep 22, 2023)
- Sample data is now correctly downloaded inside Logic on Apple Silicon Macs
- Download progress is shown in %
- Cancel download button is added

Version 1.0.1 (Jul 31, 2023)
- Release version