I'm ambivalent.
In terms of sounding even remotely close to an actual sitar, forget it. It doesn't. It is a cut above the sitar 'samples' that come with, say, Sampletank and a whole lot better than the sitar sounds that come as part of the 128 stock MIDI sounds with Cubase and HaLion. It absolutely batters the Swami, which is close to being an insult to sound itself and it knocks out with one sucker punch, the Danelectro electric sitar which is as close to being a sitar in sound as a kite is to being an aeroplane in intercontinental flight. It's easilly better than all the available competition.
But it does not sound like a sitar !
Part of the problem, and I understand and appreciate this, is that the developers of these simulations, going right back to the 60s, are thinking in terms of
guitarists and a way to make things easy, not sitars and the way they create sound and need to be played in order to do so. There seems to be this logic that "it has strings, therefore at some level a guitarist should be able to play it". If only. I'd applaud if these creations actually managed to sound like a sitar. But they don't. I was surprized at the number of songs that I knew that it turns out feature electric sitar and over the years on hearing them my first thought was the same ~ 'that guitar is over twangy and trying to simulate a sitar !'.
It does not work.
Ironically, what
has worked are sitar samples and the odd VSTi. It's ironic that something that can be triggered with a keyboard should come so close to the real thing.
Swar systems and
Sitar nation represent far and away the best that I've heard because they're actually sampled not simulated, if you get my drift.
Back to Ravish for a moment though. While as a sitar Ravish just ain't saying it, as a guitar pedal, I love it's sound. I like what it's "sympathetic" strings can do, I like the way it colours the sound and the way I tend to use the couple of pedals I have, simple exotic ambience is of no use to me. I would use it the same way I use the Clapton and Hendrix pedals from Digitech ~ as scope for more different sounds in my armoury. Sure, it will add a certain exotic flavour at times. I like the sounds that it seems capable of, but from a guitar and mandolin point of view, not a sitar one.
But I can wait. Sooner or later, one will turn up on Ebay or wherever at a cheapo price and at that point, like a lion that has carefully stalked it's prey or a vulture that recognizes when it's next meal has reached the end of it's line, I shall swoop and pounce !