8dio Misfit Harmonica
I think the nostalgia comes from the fact that when you hear some of those classic songs, you instantly recognize the harmonica as it brings you back in time. To me, this is a great feeling and a reason why I like to use harmonicas in current songs.
I love the Western film/video game genre and American roots music as a whole, and have always wanted to explore more into this territory with my own music. I did a few things here and there experimenting, but my libraries were severely lacking. I know the blues well on guitar and a bit of country but wanted to have EVERYTHING... fiddle, banjo, harmonica, that epic whistle you hear in the old Clint Eastwood films (listen below to \"The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly\"... that intro whistle is unanimously associated with Westerns, and we ALL recognize it).
I started with the harmonica and banjo to get a feel for the usability and quality and later returned for the fiddle and whistle (I was torn between Embertone's fantastic 'The Whistler Ensemble' and the 8Dio 'Misfit Whistle', and decided on the latter because it was exactly what I was looking for and seemed to be made simply for that purpose, opposed to a more cheery and whimsical whistle ensemble).
The interface, for the most part, is pretty darn ugly (especially the harmonica). We have an amateur and hand drawn aesthetic on display here, complete with childish scribbles on post it notes. There is a help button that is definitely useful, if you can get through the clutter. I mean I didn't expect a futuristic and minimal interface on a series called Misfit, but it could have been done a whole lot better than this. However, taking into consideration the extremely low price points of each instrument, presentation doesn't matter nearly as much as the sound. Still, it's quite the eyesore.
The sound however is pretty darn good for what it's worth. I am impressed by the character they put into the samples and the different performance effects that are available. The harmonica can do straight notes and a variety of bends and trills, and I really love how it sounds. You can ever make these sound like crap and out of tune if you want (the accuracy knob displayed above purposefully makes our 'musician' blow wrong notes). This all lends well to the \"quirky, drunken\" nature of this Misfit instrument series. However, at this time, I don't have use for a drunken harmonica player blowing the heck out of wrong notes on an instrument that already can sound grating to the ears.
To make things much more comfortable, you can drag and drop high-quality pre-recorded harmonica samples on your track timeline. Using harmonica VSTs or any other VST offers high-quality sounds for less the work.
It is kind of challenging to find a realistic harmonica VST. Most options may sound a little digitized. Lucky for you, I already went ahead and dug the internet to find the best harmonica VST plugins.
With the Auditory Lab Harmonica V2 plugin, you get three different types of harmonicas; It includes a diatonic, chromatic, and tremolo harmonica. Each of the different types will have their own set of parameters that you can adjust independently.
Finally, the last item on the list is the Misfit Harmonica by 8dio. The samples on this VST sound raw and gritty. The imperfect sound makes it more realistic and human-like. Some VSTs that sound precise eliminate the human touch, but not this one. The gritty sound is rather convincing.
I recommend this harmonica for acoustic songwriters who want to add harmonica fills between song sections or harmonica solos. It is very Bob Dylan like, and it sounds better accompanied by acoustic strings.
A good harmonica VST should have a convincing sound. It has to sound as close as possible to a real harmonica. You should choose one that leans toward an organic sound, rather than sounding too digital. You should select a harmonica VST that is easy to navigate.
You can use a harmonica VST on almost any kind of music genre. IT is up to you. As a producer, you should use your gut and ear to know when to use a particular instrument. You can use it for pop, country, and even EDM, as long as it fits the context.
Choosing a harmonica VST is only the first stage of the process. It would help if you learned how to program the notes on your MIDI editor to make it sound realistic. Make sure you learn the dynamics of playing the harmonica and try to emulate it on a piano. By doing this method, you can surely make any instrument sound authentic.