RSE vs MIDI: Understanding the Audio Engine in Guitar Pro 8

Guitar Pro allows you to combine the RSE and MIDI sound engines to customize the audio output of your scores. You can choose to use the RSE for some tracks and MIDI for others, offering flexibility and adaptation to your creative or technical needs.

The RSE: Realistic Sound Engine

The RSE (Realistic Sound Engine) is Guitar Pro’s advanced audio engine, designed to replicate realistic sounds of acoustic and electric instruments. Unlike MIDI, which uses synthetic sounds based on wave tables, the RSE relies on high-quality audio samples. It captures the nuances of guitars, basses, drums, and other instruments, and allows the application of effects such as distortion or reverb, offering a performance close to a live recording. This engine provides more detailed productions, giving each note an authentic texture.

MIDI: Simplicity and Lightness

The MIDI engine, on the other hand, uses simpler technology, triggering sounds via a standard MIDI sound bank. Less resource-intensive, it offers a more basic output, often perceived as mechanical or artificial, but is fast and efficient for previewing a score or working on less powerful systems. A MIDI track can be ideal for testing a melody, but it lacks the richness of the RSE, particularly for effects or complex timbres.

Combining RSE and MIDI in a Score

With Guitar Pro, you can mix these two audio engines, assigning each track the engine that best suits your needs. For example, you can assign the RSE to a lead guitar track for detailed sound and use MIDI for percussion. Enable or disable these options in the track inspector for each track individually. For quick modification, the Sound > Switch All Tracks to MIDI and Sound > Switch All Tracks to RSE menus apply the change in a single action, optimizing your workflow.

Adjusting Latency for Perfect Synchronization

Depending on your hardware setup, there may be a slight delay between RSE and MIDI, requiring adjustment of the MIDI latency. This setting can be made in the Preferences, under the Audio / MIDI tab, where you can calibrate the delay in milliseconds. For example, if there is slight MIDI lag, you can increase the latency to perfectly synchronize the tracks.

This combination of RSE and MIDI in Guitar Pro gives you full control over the audio engine, adapting the sound output to your preferences, whether you prioritize realism or a lighter option.