Guillermo Guareschi Violonair

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If the clue is in the name, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Violonair had something to do with the sampling of string instruments being thrown skyward, but no! This new Kontakt instrument, from respected composer and sample content creator Guillermo Guareschi, started life as a viola da gamba; a string instrument from the Baroque era, which is generally regarded as the precursor to the cello, albeit a version that employs frets, much like a guitar.

In preparation for the creation of this library, Guareschi removed the frets from the instrument, and replaced the strings with Spanish guitar strings, the consequence being a naturally resonant library, which also promotes a large degree of humanistic tuning.

There are four sets of patches available, the first being titled Main. Unsurprisingly, the opening salvo does sound much like a cross between a guitar and a cello. There’s...